Chapter 1: Painful Start
beep beep...... beep beep... BEEP BEEP
He jolted awake, slamming his head into the rack above him.
'Dammit, how do I keep doing that?' He thought to himself.
It was about a week and a half since he had arrived on the ship. He hadn't been briefed much before being loaded up into the aircraft that had brought him and the rest of his team to the lonely expanse of ocean they were now currently floating on. He didn't know much, but it sounded like this was going to be a tough one. His team had been loaded out with anything they asked for or could have even remotely needed.
He swung his legs out of his rack and stood up, standing at about five foot, ten inches. looking around, he grabbed his uniform and boots, patterned to blend in with a sparsely vegetated or completely barren and sandy environment, and started dressing out for the event he had been anticipating ever since he left the country. Snatching up his toiletries, he made for the head to bush his teeth and shave for what might be the last time in the next month. Good thing the Navy provided good dental care.
As he entered the head, glancing around, he noticed one other person occupying it. "Mornin', fucker." He said casually.
"What up, Ghengis," the other man replied while shaving, "you actually decide to get up this morning?"
"You still on me about that?"
"Do I still have a scar the size of a seven-six-two round on my ass cheek?"
"You try stayin' awake after four days without sleep. Besides, it was your turn for watch anyways, Rocka."
"Yeah, but you're supposed to watch my back, partner."
"I still shot the fucker, didn't I? And I dragged your sorry ass into cover."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, keep talking."
This was an almost daily routine for the two. James "Ghengis" Kaughn and Darius "Rocka" Jackson had been best friends ever since meeting each other in BUD/S, the beginning of the long road to becoming a SEAL, the elite unconventional fighting force of North America. They had been lucky enough to be assigned to the same team, constantly watching each other's backs, inseparable. They had saved each other's lives a few times already.
Jackson had a heavy build with dark hair and brown eyes. Being from Brooklyn, he had forward and blunt attitude. He was the fireteam's Automatic Rifleman, usually carrying a modified M240B LMG, spitting hot 7.62mm lead at anyone stupid enough to put themselves in his field of fire. He often put down suppressing fire on their opponents, keeping their heads down and allowing the rest of the team to set up a good angle on them. His preferred side arm was a simple M9, 9mm Baretta pistol.
O'Kaughn, often just called Kaughn, was almost the polar opposite. He had a medium build sporting dirty blonde short cropped hair and grey-blue eyes with a unique ring of yellow star bursting around his pupils. He preferred to pick his targets, utilizing an M4 modified with a 4x scope. He was the team's designated marksman and sometimes carried an M110 semi-automatic rifle, although it wouldn't be needed on this mission. Oddly enough, he favored a simple 1911 Springfield, .45 caliber pistol. Making up for it's low ammo capacity with dead-on precision and accuracy.
Both were fatally proficient in hand-to-hand.
They finished up and stared heading for the briefing. it was time to rock and roll. On their way through the passageways of the ship, Kaughn struck up some small talk, "How's your wife doing?"
"She's hangin' in there," Jackson replied, "Only about three more months to go before our beautiful baby girl arrives."
"You get to talk to her last night, man?"
"Yeah, but only for a little bit. The damn satellite cut out again. You get in touch with your folks?"
"Nah, not something I really wanna deal with before shit like this."
Kaughn's parents weren't the best people. his mother was distant and didn't seem to really give a damn about what he did and his father was an alcoholic who would pass out and scare a young James into calling paramedics all too often. They were still fighting over the divorce that occurred over thirteen years ago, dragging their son into the middle of it, not that he really cared anymore.
"It's cool man, it's cool. You still got us."
"Yeah, and what great family you've all been, especially my last birthday."
"Hey man, how were we supposed to know you didn't like strippers and surprises all that much? especially for your twenty-first?"
"It wasn't so much as me disliking them, but Stacy not liking a random stripper jumping out of my closet."
"Oh yeah," Jackson chuckled, "but she wasn't really right for ya, huh? So, I kind of did you a favor."
"I'll give you that, she did turn out to be a keniving, manipulative bitch, huh?"
They both burst out in laughter as they neared the briefing room. Jackson opened the door and they both stepped inside and took their seats facing the team leader, Lieutenant "Hells" Bellis, who was sitting by the wall on which the map of their AOR, or Area Of Responsibility, was projected. Two minutes later, the second half of their team, "Dickey" Nix and "Fungis" Feng arrived. They greeted Kaughn and Jackson and sat down next to them.
"Hey Ghengis, you ready to let loose?" asked Feng
"Except this time, maybe you let us get a little work in, huh?" said Nix.
"Maybe when you learn to shoot like me and Kaughn, you could keep up." Jackson replied.
"Kaughn can shoot, you just hose down everything in front of you until you hit something," Feng shot back.
"At least he hits something," Kaughn retaliated. Then they all shared a laugh.
"Everyone settle down," came a voice from up front.
Everyone snapped their attention back to the front of the room and focused on their team leader.
"Alright girl scouts, looks like we got an easy one this time, quick snatch and grab. We just need to get in and get out," Lieutenant Bellis explained. "We received intelligence that a local tribal leader, Yusuf Hamshad, who had been cooperating with our forces in the northern Kandahar region here was taken hostage with his family last week. We know the general area they are in, but the insurgents have taken them into a small network of caves situated in this mountain here," he said as he pointed to the map. "We're being sent in not only as a show of good faith, but also because this guy has vital information on the movements of both the Taliban and Al Qaida's drug trafficking. Not to mention there are children involved."
'Shit,' thought Kaughn, 'children complicate everything.'
"Our main objective is to extract Mr. Hamshad and his family. Elimination of HVTs and collection of Intel is secondary since Mr. Hamshad will be supplying most of that once we have him secured at the FOB. Though if you get an opportunity, take the shot. Our designated call sign for this Op will be 'Red Lion'. Any questions?"
Feng spoke up, "when do we leave?"
A smile graced the Lieutenant's lips, "you got thirty minutes."
Chapter 2: The Fun Begins
The four warriors quickly made their way down to the armory and started loading up. Kaughn and Jackson taking up their respective load out, Nix and Feng grabbing a standard kit. Although both were strong and all had trained as marksmen, their roles were just simple riflemen, though they were still deadly SEALs.
"Who is going to carry the C4 this time?" Bellis asked.
"I'll do it," Kaughn volunteered. Jackson had done it on the last op, so he wouldn't mind taking the few extra pounds this time. It was unlikely they'd need it, but they always brought some, just in case.
They all donned special body armor, designated "Dragon Scale" for it's overlapping ceramic plates and ability to take multiple rifle rounds before being punctured. It was nothing like the standard kevlar with singular ballistic ceramic plates that could only take one or two (three if you were lucky) rounds before being quickly overwhelmed. The last things they put on were a some knee pads and their kevlar helmets before heading up to the flight deck of the Aircraft Carrier operating off the coast of Pakistan.
Waiting for them all was a C-2 Turbo Prop already spun up and ready to take on it's passengers. they all climbed into the cargo hold and sat down on the few canvas seats the crew chief had set up for them and buckled in. In a short time the C-2 was unsecured from the deck and was directed over to one of the catapults. This was Kaughn's favorite part. Slowly, the aircraft was prepped, unfolded it's wings and was attached to the shuttle. It went to full throttle for a few seconds before being suddenly launched into the air at the scheduled time of 0120.
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Kaughn woke with a start and a throbbing sensation in his shoulder as Jackson punched him awake. He stood up and checked to make sure all his equipment was secured. He then checked Jackson's parachute rig before turning around so that Jackson could reciprocate the action. Nix and Feng doing the same on the other side of the cabin. After the all finished they turned aft towards their team leader and the ramp. Lieutenant Bellis looked at them all, giving them a once over before signaling to the crew chief to lower the ramp. It wasn't the first time Kaughn had jumped at night, but he was always apprehensive about it. Too many things could go wrong, but he somehow always hit his mark.
The ramp was now fully lowered, wind violently whipping about the cabin. The Lieutenant gave them all one last look before leaping out the back, four black silhouettes following closely behind. As they swiftly neared the cold hard earth they counted down the seconds before pulling their cords and drifting silently to the ground. Kaughn took this moment to admire the beauty of the stars and moon. You could never get a view like this back in the states. He then jerked his mind back to the task at hand. He couldn't help but feel like it was going to be a long day.
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So far, the op had gone smoothly, which bothered Kaughn. Usually by now they would have hit a snag, something that caused a hiccup in the operation, but everything had gone right so far. they had crept up and found the entrance to the cave system, Kaughn and Feng taking out the few guards around it with well placed, silenced rifle rounds from their M4s. Silently gliding through the tunnels and dispatching any unfortunate insurgent they had happened upon with knife and silenced pistol, they finally found the village elder with his family. What they found sickened Kaughn. It looked like they had all been beaten. Yusuf, the elder, had had his tongue cut out. His children and wife beaten. It really pissed him off that a human being could do this to somebody. Kaughn had killed, he never liked to, he just did what was absolutely necessary and no more, but he could never imagine doing anything like what had been done to that family.
Quickly, they expedited the scared and panicked civilians to the extraction point. Of course, that was when they ran into the "snag". Their superiors had arranged for a couple of beat up trucks to be left some ways away from the op site, hidden in some scraggly bushes. They were there, but half of everything had been ripped off them, probably by poor goat herders.
"Shit," swore Bellis, "this is not the right time for this."
They were being tracked. The rest of the insurgents had caught on shortly after the small five man team had left. They could see the lights approaching in the distance.
"Damn, what we gonna do now?" asked Nix, to no one in particular. The civvies sat huddled by the trucks.
"I hope your mechanic skills are good, 'cause we're gonna put everything into one truck and do it fast. the sun is starting to come up and we need to get out of here. It's gonna be a tight squeeze for us, but we'll get outta here," stated Bellis. Everyone quickly got to work, as the sun was indeed quickly rising, making them easier to spot.
They had almost finished when they were finally spotted. An alarm went up among the insurgents as they closed in.
"FUCK!" yelled Bellis, "GHENGIS, SET UP ON THAT RIDGE TO THE LEFT; ROCKA, I NEED YOU TO LAY UP TOWARDS OUR RIGHT AND PUT DOWN SOME SUPPRESION. DICKEY, FUNGIS; KEEP ON THAT ENGINE!"
Everyone ran to comply with thier orders. As Nix and Feng continued to work on the engine, Kaughn got down into prone and flipped his selector switch from automatic to semi. He lined up and started taking shots, downing one, two, three and four tangos before coming under a hail of hostile fire. He hugged the dirt on the embamkment for a little, trying not to get hit before a rapid booming pulsed through the air, effectively bringing the deluge of enemy fire to a trickle.
Kaughn looked up and nodded to Jackson, who was tearing into the group of insurgents with a deafening roar pouring from his M240B. Kaughn started lining up again and dropping hot iron onto the AK47 wielding insurgents as bullets cracked and whined over head, some striking the front of the burm he was laying on. But he played no heed, he had a job to do.
The duo kept this up for about five minutes before the rumble of an engine could be heard behind them.
"EVERYONE IN!" the Lieutenant bellowed.
As the rest of the team piled in with the civilians and started to lay down cover fire, Kaughn and Jackson started running to the open back of the truck, their hearts pounding in their chests.
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Far back away from the heavy fighting a lone man crawled up on a small rise, dragging a dirty, yet well maintained Dragunov rifle with him. The Americans had stolen their prisoners and were now laying waste to his forces. One was quite a good shot while another was cutting down his soldiers with a wall of lead. He had to be careful. If he tried to take out their marksman, he would give away his position and come under a torrent of fire from the larger one. So he focused on the one with the large gun. He prayed to himself as he lined up on the large one running back to the truck. "Allah Akbar" he mumbled as he pulled the trigger.
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Kaughn was running back to the truck with Jackson, watching the elder and his family struggle to climb in when he heard a loud roar next to him.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH, GODDAMMIT!" screamed Jackson as the 7.62 round passed through his thigh. He crumpled to the ground in a heap. "THIS IS THE SECOND DAMN TIME THIS YEAR!" He struggled to get up, but his leg wouldn't support his weight. Kaughn ran over and started dragging his friend towards the open back end of the truck.
"I GOT YA BUDDY, HOLD ON!"
"MY RIFLE!" Jackson yelled, he had accidentally dropped it.
"LEAVE IT, I'LL GET YOU ANOTHER." Kaughn yelled back.
Jackson pulled out his side arm and started taking shots as they moved back towards the truck.
Z-ZIP, THUNKCRACK.
"UNG!" Kaughn grunted in pain as a couple of rounds struck his vest. It didn't penetrate, the armor did it's job, but it felt like a couple ribs had broken. All the while he kept going. He reached the truck and his teammates hauled Jackson into the truck bed. Unfortunately, one of the elder's daughters decided to try to run for it, jumping out of the truck, her mother screaming.
The insurgents were closing in fast and Kaughn wasn't going to let her fall back into their twisted hands. He had seen what they had done to other women, cutting off ears and noses. the truck was starting to pull away, they had run out of time five minutes ago. Kaughn ran, grabbed her and threw her into the back of the truck. The insurgents were very close now, bullets biting the dirt all around. He gave them all one look as they pulled away, beckoning him to run for it. But he knew that unless their enemies had something else to shoot at, the truck wouldn't last under the onslaught.
He gave them all a quick two fingered salute off the top of his brow before turning around and running to grab the weapon his best friend had dropped. He grabbed it and ran to a nearby crop of boulders, picking up another box of belt linked ammo they had left in their speedy exit. The current belt still had a little over half left. 'Good enough,' he thought. He set up and started firing, drawing the attackers' attention to him as he started cutting them down.
He continued to fire as the rocks around him were being chipped away. Then his weapon clicked empty. He started to reload, drawing his sidearm and taking a few pot shots to keep their heads down. As he finished reloading he thought, 'so this is how it's gonna end. One life for eight? Sounds like a good trade to me.' He hated doing this to his squad mates, his friends, hell, they were the closest he had to family, but someone had to do it. Might as well be him. Bellis, Nix and Feng all had families. Jackson still had his first child yet to be born. Kaughn didn't really have anything. 'Better me than them.'
He resumed sending back his regards to the wave of assholes that thought they were going to stop them from rescuing those people. he continued this for another two or three seconds until a stray round slammed into his left shoulder.
"SHIT" he swore, picking his sidearm back up with his right hand and trying to reload it. He started to move back as he was struck again in his right thigh, the bullet passing through the meat thankfully, but still sending searing pain rocketing to his brain. The tangos were getting closer, though they didn't seem to be tying to kill him as much as before. They wanted another prisoner. 'Fuck that shit,' he thought. He fired all his .45 caliber rounds at anyone he could see. 'Last clip, better make it count.'
As he slid the last of his clips home, he saw a flash and heard a loud snap, it felt like a large amount of electricity had ran through him. He shook it off and started firing again, this time receiving another round to his front right chest, knocking the wind out of him. He struggled through the pain, firing until the slide stayed locked back. Empty. The rest of the insurgents were only a few yards away now. He brought up his rifle only to see that one of the rounds that had struck him in the back earlier had punched through the magazine. Useless. He had four full ones on him still, but there was no time to reload without getting a bullet to the head. They were here. Chanting and screaming in victory, even though he had almost single handedly taken out half their force, not to mention the rest of he team making off with their previous prisoners.
One man broke through the crowd, a Dragunov slung over his shoulder. He still had his Balaklava on. He started speaking in Urdu to everyone else, eliciting another cry of victory from the group. Kaughn started feeling another tingling sensation, like electricity, coming stronger now. 'I'm damned if the fuckers are gonna take me back. Homie don't play that,' he thought, reaching for the detonator for the eight pounds of C4 strapped in his rucksack. He slowly primed it without the group of hostiles noticing.
The man then turned to him and lifted him off the ground, screaming Urdu into Kaughn's face. Kaughn didn't speak Urdu fluently, but knew enough to make out something like, "YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES, DOG!" Kaughn just smiled and replied as best he could in the speaker's native language, "Good luck with that."
He then held up the detonator and squeezed the trigger. The last things he remembered was the priceless look on that asshole's face, a sharp shock -as if he had been struck by lightning- then darkness.
Chapter 3: A Shock Before Taking Stock
Slowly, ever so slowly, Kaughn started to come to. At first, he could not process any thoughts, but then recent events started to prevent themselves. 'I finally must have died, finally kicked the bucket.' He floated there for a second, in the vast expanse. but then he began to feel a tingling. Sensations of his limbs returning. First a bit of cold, the smell of must and the hard feeling of a packed dirt floor. Then pain, overwhelming pain. beginning in his left shoulder, traveling to his chest and ribs before ending with the rest of his body. It like he had gone ten rounds with an MMA fighter.
'How am I not dead?' He thought. 'Did the C4 not detonate? Maybe it didn't actually detonate and they knocked me unconscious.'
He slowly opened his eyes to cautiously and inconspicuously get an idea of his surroundings. The thing he noticed at once and with dismay, 'I'm in a cave. Shit, well I can't have all the luck. They must have dragged me back into one of their excuses for a headquarters.'
As he took in his situation he noticed quite oddly, 'There's no one here.'
He looked farther up and saw that the cave was actually quite small. It was just tall enough for him to stand up in and the entrance was only a short distance away, the soft light of dawn streaming faintly through the opening. In fact, it seemed as if there had never been another living thing in there for quite some time.
'Well, now is a good time as any for a sitrep.'
Gingerly, he sat up and checked himself over. Aside from the previously mentioned injuries, he seemed to be OK and the rest of the pain was fading. He felt for his rucksack on his back and noticed something odd. It felt as if it had been blown out away from him. He took it off to inspect it visibly and sure enough, the large front pockets looked like something had exploded out of them. The rest of it seemed largely unscathed.
'Now this makes absolutely no sense. It looks like the C4 detonated, but if it had then the rest of my rucksack wouldn't be intact. Even I shouldn't even exist right now.' He quandered.
He started searching through the intact compartments, finding various items still where he put them, such as; some rations, battle dressings along with a small first aid kit, a small short wave radio, a few maintenance tools for his weapons, some batteries of various sizes, a lighter and even some spare ammunition for his sidearm. The most exciting discovery was that his small iPod was still in the back pouch. James liked to use it on long overwatch missions and also for the rides back to base after completing them. The music helped to calm him down or he'd get the shakes sometimes. Even the small fold-out solar panel was there. James could use it to re-charge his iPod and also the batteries for his radio. He then checked his tac vest and found his weapons and ammo still attached, his pistol laying beside him. The tactical combat knife he always wore was still in it's sheath on his shoulder, the eight inch carbide steel blade was positioned so he could grab it in a quick draw. His throat mike was still around his neck, seemingly whole and undamaged. He quickly ejected the empty from his pistol and the damaged mag from his rifle, replacing them with fresh ones and storing the old ones in his sack.
After doing so, he broke out the first aid supplies and quickly patched up his shoulder. It seemed that the bullet had thankfully passed through and had not hit anything important. He was very fortunate the bullet hadn't some how shattered any bones during it's passage. It would be painful for a while, but he could bear it. His ribs appeared to only be fractured in a couple places, but not entirely broken. he wrapped a few bandages around his torso before pitting his shirt back on.
Leaving his rucksack inside, he cautiously poked his head out of the mouth of the cave, keeping his pistol in a ready grip should he need it. Looking outside he saw he was in some kind of dense forest. Intriguing, considering he had just been in a desert. None of the flora looked like anything you'd find in a desert oasis either.
'Where the hell am I? Lets see; desert, caves, insurgents, more desert, more insurgents, firefight, explosion, forest? No no no no no. something is very wrong here.'
He went back inside and grabbed his rifle, checking to make sure it was ok. Satisfied, he returned outside and carefully climbed a small outcropping he had noticed before. Looking around he saw dense forest as far as he could see. The plants looked to be a cross of stuff you'd find in a Brazilian rainforest and the American northwest. James turned on the short wave and tried to raise somebody.
"Red Lion, this is Red Lion Actual, can anyone hear me?" Just faint white noise was the only response. "Red Lion, this is Red Lion Actual, is anybody receiving?" He tried again on different channels, but it was all in vain.
'Now THAT'S certainly strange.'
He sighted through his rifle's scope, magnifying his view a bit, and looked around. To the east he could see a large mountain range running north to south. South consisted of more forest. Looking north he noticed the forest seemed to thin out gradually before reaching the end of the mountain range. He thought he could just make out some strange structure perched on the side of the last mountain. It almost looked like a large castle.
'That can't be right.'
He turned to the west and saw that the forest ended much more quickly in that direction, though it would still be a few days hike. He also saw what he thought might be a small settlement just on the horizon.
'Well, looks like this area may be inhabited. Better take it slow before I know what I'm up against, or even where the hell I am.'
He descended back to the ground and made his way to the cave entrance. He went inside and took stock of his rations.
'I only got enough MREs for about a week. Two if I stretch them out. The forest seemed to have abundant wild life and I'm sure I could find some edible plants. So I can supplement my rations with that.' For once, he was glad his training had been so detailed and hellish.
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It had been about three days now by his count. Kaughn had made a small, almost comfortable, shelter with the cave. He had even found a bush of blueberries and even a few wild apple trees. Yesterday he had managed to capture a few squirrels, using the berries as bait. They didn't have much meat on them, but it was better than nothing. He barely had to even touch his MREs.
He decided to hike west today and get a better look at the small town he had seen. He couldn't stay in the wilderness forever. Besides, his radio wasn't getting anything, even though it worked just fine, and he wanted to see if the locals were friendly. Maybe he could find out what happened and make his way back to his team somehow. And beer. If anything, he could definitely enjoy a nice, ice cold pint of stout right now. And a juicy steak. His mouth watered just thinking about it.
He quickly packed up the essentials; his is rations, ammo and equipment, and left his little shelter and camp behind. He could always construct a new one. He donned his armor and weapons, setting out about mid morning. He was carrying a lot of gear for what was just going to be recon, but this was going to take a few days and he wanted to be prepared since there were too many unknowns. At least he didn't have the C4 weighing him down anymore. Hiking through the forest was tough going as there were no paths or roads.
At the end of the second day he had nearly reached the tree line. He had set up camp only about a two hours hike away from the edge. It was late afternoon and he planned to get to the tree line early the next morning. He was tired and wanted to be ready for anything in the morning. He took this time to just relax and enjoy the setting sun. He loved this time of day. The sun fading sleepily below the horizon as the moon took it's first peek at the land, stars poking through the thin fabric of the night sky. His reverie was interrupted by a long and loud howl from the darkness.
AAAARRROOOOOOOOOoooooo..........
He jumped to his feet, rifle snapping to the ready as he looked around for the source.
'So there are some large predators here.'
It sounded a ways off though, and animals, even predators, usually steered clear of campfires. So he sat back down and hunched closer to his fire, preparing for the oncoming cold of night.
He was startled again by another howl, this one sounding much closer and accompanied with something that really set him on edge. The sound of screaming children.
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Kaughn ran and ran fast, rifle cradled in his arms, legs pumping towards the source of the screams. As he neared he could distinguish the panicked breaths of what sounded like three small children as well as the growls of what could be large wolves. Looking ahead, he spotted a clearing and ran up to the edge. Stopping at the tree line he could see four bulky forms. He flipped down his NVGs and turned them on. The sight that he saw was a small pack of large wolves, that seemed to be made out of wood?
'What the.......'
Then he heard coming from the bushes the wolves were growling at: "HELP! SOMEPONY, ANYPONY HELP!"
'English? Where am I? Wait, somepony? What are they talking about? Don't they mean 'someone' ?'
Regardless of this confusing choice of words, he could tell it sounded like three little girls were cornered by these beasts. He flicked the safety off his rifle, putting it on semi, and lined up the shots. Four soft coughs slipped out the end of the barrel and four bodies hit the ground, unmoving. He waited a minute before stepping out into the clearing and flipping up his NVGs in case there were any more, but there weren't. He looked at the corpses. They looked just like wolves, but made of branches and twigs.
'I'm definitely not in Kansas anymore,' he thought to himself.
Putting that thought aside for now, he moved over to the bush he assumed the kids were hiding in.
"Hey, it's OK. Nothin' out here is gonna hurt you anymore," he said gently, "let's get you kids out of this forest."
Kaughn stepped back as the bushes started rustling, still cautious. He watched as three little foals crawled out, all very colorful. One was yellow with red hair and a bow, the second was white with a pink and purple curled mane, and a horn? The last one was a dark orange with dark purple hair. Also, it had a set of small wings on it's back.
'Huh?' Now he was confused, but there were still three kids in danger and possibly hurt.
He stepped forward again and spoke up, "Hey, kids you can come out from the bush."
Upon noticing this strange being approaching them, the three foals cried out, "AHHHH! MONSTER!" and took off running towards the direction of the town.
Kaughn just stood there, frozen. Did those little horses just scream, words? He checked the bush, no one there. He checked the surrounding area, aside from the corpses of the wolves, nothing. So was it those three little foals yelling for help?
'No no no no no, this is wrong. I definitely heard that. That happened. No, I must be dreaming, or I survived the blast somehow and am in a coma.'
Just to make sure, he poked his shoulder. Still painful. It definitely hurt when he fired his rifle. Then he gave his side a slap. 'Big mistake,' he realized as he doubled over in pain.
'No, this can't be real. No, wait. I'm freaking out over a couple of talking baby horses, it's just a one time thing, yeah, I'm still feeling the blood loss, that's it,' he tried to reason.
He started back towards his temporary camp site, the fire now a smoldering pile of embers. The moon was now starting to reach its azimuth as the revived the comforting source of light and heat. He ate part of an energy bar, saving the rest for breakfast. Stretching out to enjoy the night sky he thought, 'Well, maybe tomorrow will be better,' before drifting off to a peaceful sleep.
Chapter 4: Discovery
Kaughn woke early, stamping out the remainder of his fire and gathering his gear. He then started off towards the town, keeping an ear out for any sounds that didn't fit with the rest of the forest. He neared the edge of the tree line, advancing cautiously as his desert camouflage didn't exactly blend with the vividly green environment. He found a tree with just enough leaves to give him good cover without impeding his view and climbed up as high as he dared to go. reaching a suitable perch, he hung his rucksack on a nearby branch and shouldered his rifle, aiming out towards the town. His rifle scope didn't offer much magnification, but he could pick out details in the town fairly well. At first all he noticed was that there was a lot of movement. most likely the inhabitants. But then as he focused, he began to see that the were all quadrupeds and their coats and manes were all very bright with many different colors.
'That's strange. Maybe it's a local custom, the work animals colored differently to distinguish ownership. If that is the case, then this town must be well off. Lots of different looking..... ponies? They're definitely not as big as regular horses.'
He observed the goings on for another few minutes before something else hit him.
'There aren't any people around, no bipeds of any kind.'
He pondered this for a moment before noticing movement out of the corner of his eye. Off to his left, a small colorful group was approaching the forest. He trained his scope on them and counted a total of six, three small and three larger. The larger ones stood at about three to four feet high. One was purple with a horn and the other two were the winged ones, one yellow with a pink mane, the other sky blue. With rainbow streaked hair?
This place was getting weirder and weirder. As he studied them a bit more, he noticed that the smaller ones were the same little foals he rescued the night before. And they were getting closer to his position.
'Uh-oh, time to go.'
Kaughn grabbed his rucksack before jumping down. He then ran back away from the tree line for a bit before jumping into a shallow ditch lined with bushes. Not long after, he heard the distinct sound of hooves traveling across the ground. The next thing he heard made his blood turn to ice water. Voices.
"I'm tellin' you Twilight, we saw it somewhere near here!" said one with a southern twang in her voice.
"Yeah, it was big and scary!" said another.
"But it saved us from the timber wolves!" said a third.
"This certainly sounds strange girls, but we should be careful if it really stood up to four timber wolves." said an adult sounding female.
"Maybe we should just go back home, I mean, its good enough that you girls are OK and it certainly sounds dangerous." said a timid voice. This one was difficult for Kaughn to hear, it was so soft.
He slowly raised his head and peered through the bushes as the group passed, searching for their owners. All he saw was the six ponies. Then the blue one spoke.
"Don't worry Fluttershy, whatever it is, it won't harm anypony here, not while I'm around," her voice dripping with confidence.
'That one spoke, they all spoke. They're speaking English!' He was starting to freak out again. 'This is actually happening! Where the FUCK am I?'
As they traveled farther down the small path, he followed silently behind them. Soon they all reached the clearing where he had happened upon the three little foals last night. The bodies of the wolves were still there, though they now looked like they were a pile of dried out branches.
"Oh, the poor things," said the timid yellow one. He guessed this was Fluttershy.
"That's the bush we were hiding in," stated the young southern filly.
The purple one examined the scene before making a deduction, "All four are still facing your hiding place, did the creature fight them in front of you?"
"That's the thing," replied the small purple maned pegasus, "one second they were about to pounce on us and the the next they all kinda just, dropped."
The magenta unicorn trotted over to the corpses, examining their bodies.
"This is strange. The only wounds are small holes in the back of their heads, but nothing else. What could have done this?"
Kaughn realized that she was quite intelligent. He couldn't afford to under estimate any of them. They definitely were not any kind of other animal, but rather another intelligent species. Much like his own, only instead of descendant from apes, they were ponies. Still, this was so confusing. He had seen nothing like this during his entire travels on earth. Was he even on earth?
The rainbow one then said, "If this is where you saw it then maybe it's still around. I'll fly up and see if I can spot anything."
A cold lump formed in the pit of Kaughn's stomach.
'They can't REALLY fly, there's no way......'
The lump/dropped out from under him as the light blue pegasus took to the air, shooting strait up into the sky.
'Oh dammit, I need to leave, NOW.'
Kaughn turned and started to slink away before he heard one of the few dreaded sounds in his life.
*SNAP*
He was betrayed by nothing more than a small twig. Instantly the rainbow maned mare zeroed in on the sound, both their eyes locking for a brief moment.
'Shit.'
He took off running as fast as he could.
The cyan pegasus yelled, "I see it, I'm going after it," before accelerating towards her quarry.
"Rainbow Dash, WAIT!" Twilight Sparkle cried out.
Kaughn ran as fast as he could, but the many colored mare was catching up to him with a look of determination on her face. As she closed in for a tackle, Kaughn suddenly stopped and leaned back away from the speedy pony. As she passed through the space where he used to be, he grabbed one of her forelegs and, using her momentum, whipped her around into a nearby bush. He took off again going in the general direction of his base camp, but angling away from it so he didn't lead them back there. He'd have to circle back around to it later after he lost them, if he could. Evading something that could fly was hard enough as it is.
"HEY, get back here!" The rainbow maned pegasus yelled.
Kaughn glanced back to see that she was still trying to untangle herself from the bush.
'Not a chance,' he mused to himself, 'I'm outta here.'
Kaughn kept up his pace for a while before coming to a halt and listening for any signs of pursuit. He then scanned what sky he could see through the thick canopy, just in case. Satisfied, but still wary, he flipped out his compass to get his bearings. He figured that he had ran about four or five miles to the north east. he would continue east for a while before angling back south to his cave. If he kept a steady pace and he didn't run into any more surprises, he could make it back in about a day.
==============================================
It was strenuous, and he had to dodge a strange lion looking thing with a scorpion tail, but Kaughn had made it back. As he neared though, he thought he heard someone talking.
'No, they couldn't have beat me back here, could they? How would they even have found it?'
The sun was high in the sky now, starting to make its decent. He would have to keep to the shadows as much as possible. Not too difficult considering the dense foliage around him. He crept up low, on his stomach, to get a good look at things. As he gazed around he could see the same yellow and blue pegasi, plus a regular looking orange pony with a blonde mane. Also, it was wearing a hat. Neither the three little ones or the unicorn were visible.
"C'mon Twi, whadja find down there?" The orange pony hollered down into the cave with a familiar southern twang.
Kaughn guessed the unicorn was down in his little 'home away from home,' searching through his stuff.
'Dammit, so that's 'Twilight' then.' At least he had another name now. As far as Kaughn could guess, the unicorn was 'Twilight,' the yellow pegasus was 'Fluttershy' and the blue one was 'Rainbow Dash.' The orange one was still nameless.
'Weird names,' Kaughn said in his thoughts, 'but I've heard some pretty raunchy nicknames myself in the service.'
"You guys won't believe the things I've found down here, I haven't seen anything like them before!" Came the reply from the cave.
The next thing Kaughn saw truly boggled his mind. Out from the cave, surrounded in a purple aura, floated his helmet, extra MREs and magazines for his rifle and pistol. He had left them behind to make for easier going through the woods. Nevermind that though, how was any of what he was witnessing possible? The purple colored unicorn followed close behind, the same purple aura shimmering around her horn.
"There was also a powerful magical residue permeating the air down there. It's unlike anything I've ever experienced before. This definitely merits further study," she stated.
The yellow pegasus started speaking softly, "Maybe we should do it another day, Twilight. It IS getting late after all and this IS still the Everfree Forest. It could be dangerous here."
"Hold on Fluttershy, I want to try and cast a locator spell on these objects." Twilight said as her horn started glowing.
'Magical? Spell? Wait, she said locator. Surely there's no way she could--'
"Girls! I'm getting something! And it's nearby!"
'Shit.'
"Oh, my...."
"Just let me at'em! It's time I got some payback for yesterday!"
"Settle down Rainbow," said the country pony, "we don't want ta hurt it. Applebloom said that 'fore they ran off, she thought she heard it talkin' to them."
"Everyone quiet. I think it's watching us from the bushes." Twilight said as the others silenced themselves, Twilight herself looking in the direction of Kaughn's hiding place.
'You gotta be kiddin' me.'
Kaughn didn't think he could get away this time. If the rainbow one could fly, then so could the yellow one. Not to mention the fact that they had some how gotten here faster then he had, or that they had even found this place.
"Screw it," he said to himself, "at least they don't seem to be armed."
He made sure his rifle was still slung on his back and his pistol was holstered. Assured that everything was where it should be and within easy reach (just in case), he slowly stepped out from where he was concealed.
"Alright, you got me," he said, his hands held up in front of him.
"What in the hay are you?"
"That's actually a very good question, Rainbow Dash. I've definitely never seen anything even resembling you before," Twilight started firing off, "and you really can talk. Does that mean you are an intelligent species?"
Fluttershy just stood in the back, hiding behind her mane.
The orange pony in the Stetson cut in, taking a defensive stance, "Hold on sugarcube, this is still the creature that supposedly killed those timber wolves. It could be dangerous."
"Hey, hey, I'm not going to attack you. Besides, the rainbow one tried to tackle me yesterday," Kaughn retorted.
"Well, you threw me into the bushes!" shot back Rainbow Dash.
"Yeah, because you tried to tackle me. It was a defensive move," was Kaughn's reply, standing there with his arms crossed.
Twilight then interjected. "All right! Everypony just calm down! Rainbow Dash, Applejack, relax. If it wanted to hurt us it would have."
"He."
"What?"
"I'm a He. A man."
"A what now?"
"A man, a boy, a guy."
"You mean like a stallion?"
"Uh, yeah, sure."
"Look, I think we started off on the wrong hoof here. My name is Twilight Sparkle. This is Applejack and Rainbow Dash," she pointed to the orange and blue ponies respectively, "and the pony trying to hide behind us is Fluttershy." She finished with a smile.
"I'm James Kaughn."
"And, what exactly are you Mr. Kaughn, if you don't mind me asking?"
"You don't have humans here? People?"
"No. As far as I'm aware, you're the only one anypony has ever encountered."
"Now if you don't mind me asking, where exactly are we?"
"You mean you don't know? You don't live here in the forest?"
"No. I actually just kind of, well, woke up here. I think I've been here only about a week."
"You said you woke up here?"
"Yup, in that cave." He pointed over to the entrance.
"Interesting. Well you're in Equestria. Where are you originally from?"
"You ever hear of a place called America?"
She shook her head "no".
"Earth?"
Again, she shook her head.
"Uh, guys? I'd love to stay here and listen to your non-boring conversation, but it really is getting late," Rainbow Dash interrupted.
"Yeah and Ah got to be gettin' back to the farm. We got an early day tomorrow."
"And I need to go back and feed my animals. Oh, they must be very hungry by now."
Twilight turned back to the human still standing in front of them.
"Well, Mr. Kaughn...."
"Please, just call me James."
"Ok, James, do you have any other place to stay? Besides here I mean."
"Not unless I can find a better place to make camp."
"Well, why don't you come back to Ponyville with us? I'm sure we kind find you a place to stay."
"He could stay out in th' old barn near the edge of our property for now. We ain't usin' it for nuthin' at the moment," offered up Applejack.
"That's a great idea, AJ. Does that sound ok to you James?"
He was still wary of these strange ponies, but he didn't really have a wealth of choices.
"Sounds good to me. Just please give me a moment to collect the rest of my gear. It shouldn't take too long."
"Ok, we'll wait right here for you."
He turned around and walked down into his musty abode. He had only taken a few steps when he noticed the rainbow maned one, Rainbow Dash he remembered, trotted up beside him. Reflexively, his hand moved closer to his thigh holster.
"Soooo, James, right?"
He nodded.
"I'm kind of, sort of...... sorry, for attacking you like that. I was just protecting my friends."
"It's ok, I understand. Sorry for throwing you into the bush. You didn't get hurt, did you?"
"Nope, I'm fine. That was actually pretty cool, how you did that. I'm one of the fastest fliers in Equestria and I was going pretty fast!"
He just smiled, gathering the rest of his rations and equipment. He stuffed the MREs and extra ammo into his rucksack and clipped his helmet to the outside. Shouldering his pack, he turned and walked back outside with his companion.
"Got everything?" asked Twilight.
"Yeah. So how'd you guys get here? We're pretty far from the edge of the forest and I don't see any transport of any kind."
"Oh, we came by hot air balloon. Its nearby in another clearing."
'So that's how they managed it. They probably flew over the forest, spotting part of my camp from the air. A lot faster than trudging through the undergrowth, like I did. But how did they steer something like that?'
As they arrived at the next clearing he saw a large purple balloon. After they all climbed in, Twilight fired the exhaust with her magic. James was still amazed by it. When the balloon cleared the tree canopy Rainbow Dash jumped out and grabbed a rope, pulling them in the direction of the town.
'Well, that solves the steering problem.'
Chapter 5: Civilization
The whole way back, Twilight drilled James with questions about himself, taking all his answers down on a piece of parchment and quill being levitated in front of her.
"So, James. What exactly do humans eat?"
"Everything."
"We can eat both plants and animals. I usually stick to chicken and beef myself, but I eat a lot of greens too."
He noticed horrified looks on their faces.
"I won't eat you. Or any other ponies. Humans don't usually eat ponies. In fact, I can survive entirely on a diet of fruits and vegetables," he quickly replied.
He left out that on one particular mission he HAD eaten horse. Their supplies had been lost during the jump and they had to survive in the desert somehow.
"Er, well, that's..... relieving to know. Ok, next. Why are you wearing those strange colored clothes?"
"This is my work uniform. The pattern allows me to blend in with a certain environment, this one being for a desert in particular. Which is actually where I came from recently."
"Oh yeah! How DID you end up here, by the way?"
"I honestly couldn't tell you. First thing, I was in a hot stifling desert, the next..... I don't know. I just kinda blacked out and when I came to, I was in that cave."
He left out the part about the firefight and the explosion. They seemed friendly enough and he didn't want to give them a reason to fear him. He DID need their help after all.
"Hmmmm, that's unusual. All right then, what about that strange equipment you're carrying? I've never seen anypony with those things before."
James had been dreading this question. They didn't seem to know what firearms were and he didn't really want to explain to them that they were tools of death or the fact that he was a trained killer. He didn't really like to tell anybody that. He wasn't all that proud of it and it tended to make things...... awkward.
"It's just tools I use for my job. Nobody should ever touch these," he said, motioning to his rifle and pistol, "they're very dangerous and someone could get hurt."
"And what is your job exactly?"
'Crap, think of something.'
"I was..... something like a guard, yeah I protected people."
"Oh, so then just like our Royal Guard here."
"Royal Guard? You have royalty here?"
"Yes, Equestria is ruled by two Princesses. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They raise and lower the sun and moon, respectively, every morning and evening."
"You mean the sun and moon don't do it on their own? How is that even possible?"
"Magic of course. Don't you have magic where you're from?"
"No. I mean, we describe certain things as magical, like the northern lights and stuff. And there are still things in my world that science hasn't been able to explain yet. So I guess we have the concept of magic, but actual magic has never been observed. This is the first time I've ever seen it," James explained.
"I'm sorry to here that."
"Honestly, it's probably for the best."
"What do you mean?"
Before he could think of a suitable answer, Applejack interrupted his thoughts, "Hey gang, we're almost home!"
They soon passed over the edge of the forest, much closer to the town. It was a charming little hamlet, viewed from the air. James could see a large building in the center that he assumed to be a town hall, many charming looking houses surrounding it. He even saw one building that looked as if it was made of candy and frosting.
"That down there is Ponyville. Maybe tomorrow or the next day, we can take you on a proper tour."
"Sounds good," James replied.
"Well it was very nice meeting you, James. I'm sure everything will be just fine. I have to go now, we're flying by my house. Goodbye everypony."
"Ok, see you soon."
"Yeah, see you later 'Shy," the rest said.
With that, she carefully climbed out over the side, spreading her wings and gliding down towards a cozy little cottage that almost appeared to be half house, half tree.
"Next stop, Sweet Apple Acres," Rainbow Dash called from the front.
Out in front of them was a large and wide open apple orchard. A small homestead rested near the middle and close to the road. The balloon gently touched down in front of the house. As soon as it did, James, Applejack and Twilight climbed out onto the ground, Rainbow Dash joined them from the other side.
"Thanks for bringing me into town," James said, "with what I had, I could only have stayed out there for another few days."
"No problem," said Twilight, "after finding out about you, we couldn't let you stay out there on good conscience. Honestly, I'm surprised you were even out there that long without being hassled by some of the more dangerous creatures. That forest really isn't all that safe."
"Yeah, and it's th' least we could do fer the fella that saved mah sister and her friends," Applejack chimed in. "Lemme bring ya over ta where you'll be stayin' at, at least fer now."
"Thanks, I appreciate what you're doing for me, I'm still practically just a stranger."
"Aw shucks, darlin'. Think nuthin' of it."
As they started down the fence separating the orchard from the road, Twilight and Rainbow Dash wave their goodbyes' while taking off again. James and Applejack soon came to a dilapidated barn with faded red paint, enshrouded in trees and bushes. Applejack strolled forward and opened the large wooden doors.
"It's not much, but it's th' best we can do."
James peered inside and saw that it was mostly empty except for a few rusty old farming tools. In the back it had a small loft with a couple of stacks of hay and double doors for hoisting large equipment into the loft.
"It's perfect," he said simply, "waaaay better than the forest."
"That's good ta hear. Now if ya need water, there's a water pump around the side. It ain't warm fer bathin', but it's perfect fer drinkin'."
"Shouldn't be a problem. I'm pretty low maintenance as it is. This'll be just fine."
"Ok then. Now Ah'm goin' ta head back and let the rest of the family know about our new guest. Ah'll see you tomorrow."
"Alright, see you tomorrow Applejack."
After she left, James climbed up into the loft. There was plenty of room. He set down his rifle and rucksack in the corner and opened the double doors. What awaited him was a beatiful view of the country side in the lateness of the evening. Green rolling foothills with a few trees here and there.
He sighed, finally being able to relax a bit. He may still be in an unfamiliar place, very strange and alien too, but at least the locals were friendly and very hospitable as well.
'I should do something to repay them. They went out of their way just to help me. The only other people who would've done that are my teammates.'
That last thought brought him back down a bit. He had no idea if the rest of his team had made it out. Or if that family had made it to safety. He hoped everything worked out all right, but he had no way of knowing for sure.
James really needed a bath and now he had the opportunity to take one. Searching around the old barn, he found a couple of large buckets and filled them both up using the pump by the side of the barn. First, after dragging both buckets back into the barn, he undressed everything and started washing his clothes against an old washboard he found. He then hung them up to dry under the loft before beginning to wash himself, carefully stripping his bandages. He was especially careful around his sides where his ribs had cracked. There was a large discolored bruise where the rounds had struck. Fortunately they didn't feel like they were as damaged as he thought and his shoulder wound hadn't gotten infected. However, both were still pretty sore. It had been a few days since his last wash, and it felt real good when he finished. James was about to start drying himself off when the barn doors started to open again. In walked Applejack with a bucket full of apples.
"Hey James, I thought I'd bring you some food for the night--" She froze as he dove for his rain poncho.
"What seems ta be th' matter? Is there somethin' wrong?"
"Uh.... my species isn't exactly down with the nudity," he said, quickly wrapping the rain poncho around his waist.
"Beg pardon?"
"We don't like putting our jewels on display?"
"Huh?"
"Our genitals hang loose externally, so we try to cover up," James said bluntly, he never did like repeating himself.
Processing this new information, Applejack's face turned a crimson red.
"Oh, uh. Heh, uh, A-Ah'll just, uh, wait out side 'til you're decent. Uh, sorry 'bout that," said a flustered cowpony, back peddling out the door.
'Well, that was a bit of awkwardness I could have done without.' James thought with an exasperated sigh.
James quickly wiped the water off himself with his hands. It didn't get him completely dry, but it was good enough. Then he threw on a pair of his dry boxers, socks and his pants before finishing with his boots.
"Alright, I'm good," he called out.
"Heh, sorry about that darlin'. Ah didn't mean ta sneak a peak on ya."
*sigh* "It's fine, it was just..... awkward. Just, where I'm from, it's considered rude to...... expose yourself to others."
"Well, that sure is strange. Nopony else around here--" she stopped as she noticed his injuries. "What in the hay happened ta you?! When did ya even get those, ya didn't seem hurt when we found ya, are you ok?" she said as she gawked at the bruise and the hole in his shoulder.
"I'm fine, it was just a stupid accident."
"That weren't no accident, sugarcube. It looks like ya got bucked in th' side and a bull ran ya through with one of his horns!" she exclaimed.
"Look, I don't really want to talk about it. It's all healing now. I'm sorry, but could we just drop it?" he said as politely as possible.
"Well, ok then. But tomorrow I'm gonna ask Fluttershy ta have a look at that, jus' ta make sure. And that ain't up fer discussion," she stated.
"Alright then," James replied, a little bit annoyed.
After the stubborn mare left, James went back out to the water pump and refilled his canteen before quaffing down a few cups strait from the spigot. As he returned to the barn, he snatched up one of the apples from the bucket and took a bite.
'Damn, this is delicious. Probably one of the best I've had...... maybe ever.'
He quickly chomped it down to the core before demolishing two more. Content, he climbed up to the loft and threw on an under shirt. He grabbed a bunch of hay and spread it around in a pile about the length of his body before covering it with an old blanket he found in the corner. Even though the sun was going down, it was still quite warm and since we was now sheltered from the elements he didn't even need to use his poncho as a blanket. So he just stretched out on his makeshift bed and took in the scenery out the back of the barn in the dying light.
'This still just feels too unreal. This must all be in my head or something. I'll probably wake up in the morning in an Afghan village or a field hospital somewhere.'
He lay there and watched the moon slowly rise over the horizon. He still couldn't believe that some 'magical pony princesses' were responsible for it.
'I'll believe it when I see it.'
Still, he couldn't help admiring the beautiful crescent moon and the surrounding stars. He couldn't really see any of the constellations he did on earth. It had bothered him at first, but he had come to accept it. He made one final check to make sure hit pistol was in easy reach before finally succumbing to his weariness.
He went out like a light.
Chapter 6: Re-adjustment
James awoke with a start, like he usually did. He lifted his head up and looked around. He was in the same barn he fell asleep in. Looking out the window, he observed that the sun wasn't up yet, but it was starting to get light out. It was probably around 0500.
'So I guess this isn't gonna change anytime soon.'
Grabbing his pistol and shoving it into his right side cargo pocket, he descended from the loft, wincing from his side and shoulder, and checked to see it his blouse was dry.
'Still a little damp, but it'll dry out with my body heat.'
He tugged it off the line and threw it around his shoulders while starting to button it up. Suddenly, the creaking of old hinges made him spin around, his hand flying to his pocket to draw his sidearm. He froze as he locked eyes with a large red pony sporting an orange-ish mane. They stood there a moment before the large pony spoke up.
"Ah'm guessin' you'd be 'James', right?"
James nodded yes.
"Sorry ta be botherin' ya, I just needed ta grab a few extra buckets from the back. Ah'm Big Macintosh by the way, Applejack's big brother, but most ponies just call me Big Mac." He explained with a deep southern accent.
"It's all good. I was already awake. Anyway, it's nice to meet you. If it's alright to ask, whatchya doing up so early?"
"Well, it's a lotta hard work, what with this here bein' a farm, so we gots ta get up earlier than most folk 'round here do."
"Makes sense. Well uh, I'm up already, so, is there anything I could help out with maybe? You guys gave me a place to stay, not to mention the delicious apples your sister brought over yesterday."
"Naw, Ah couldn't just put a guest of ours ta work. AJ would probably get mad at me too."
"Nah man, I insist. I'll feel scummy just sittin' here if I didn't try to give back some how. C'mon, give me something."
"Well alright, how good are you at apple buckin'?"
"Apple what now?"
"Don'tcha know what apple buckin' is?"
"First time I've ever heard of it."
"Oh, ya just give the trees a good kick ta make the apples drop in th' buckets so we can harvest 'em."
"Uh, I don't think kicking trees all day is a good idea. Why don't I just haul the buckets around for you?"
"Well alright, that'll do just fine."
"Sweet, let's get started."
James spent the next few hours carrying full buckets of apples from the orchard to a storage barn near the house. It was hard work, but James was strong and he needed a good workout anyway. It also helped to take his mind off things like the fact that he was in a strange and colorful land featuring talking ponies and magic, and he had absolutely no idea where he was or how he was getting back home. The pain of his wounds still bothered him, but even that didn't feel so bad anymore. They kept working all the way up to noon, Big Mac 'bucking' the trees and James collecting the apples. It was then that a familiar blonde maned pony in a hat walked up to them followed by a timid looking yellow pegasus with a couple bags resting on her back.
"James, what in tarnation are you doin' workin' with that shoulder 'o yours?! Big Mac, how could you let him work while he was injured?"
"I didn't know he was hurt 'lil sis, he didn't even seem like he was in pain all while we was workin'. Besides--"
"It was my idea," James cut in, "I offered my services and I wouldn't take no for an answer. I wanted to repay you for your hospitality somehow, hell, I didn't even thank you for bring me that food yesterday. By the way, those were some of the best apples I've ever tasted."
"Eeeyup."
Fluttershy was already by James' side before the end of the exchange.
"You poor dear, you really should have said something yesterday, I would have help you. Can you please remove your shirt, t-that is, if it's ok with you?" she asked softly.
*sigh* "Alright," he complied, sitting on an old stump nearby.
When he took of his blouse and undershirt Flutteryshy's face contorted with concern.
"Oh my, how could you even move with such wounds? Don't worry, I have just the thing."
As Fluttershy started to wrap clean bandages around James' shoulder, Applejack asked Big Mac about his progress.
"So how far along are ya? Ah jus' got done with about fifty or so buckets."
"Well with James' help over there, we've managed to store about a hundred an twenty or so in the barn."
"A hundred.... and twenty? Shoot, that's more than either of us can do in a day? How'd y'all manage that?"
"Hey, I may not look like it, but I'm actually pretty strong." James called from the stump. He had been listening while Fluttershy was patching him up.
"You really shouldn't be exerting yourself," the fuscia maned mare said from beside him, "you might re-open the wound and it could get infected. How did you even get hurt like this? I-if you want to tell me that is."
"It was an accident. I made a mistake and got hurt as a result," he offered up.
"Oh, ok. I'm really sorry that happened."
James was glad when she didn't push for details, though Applejack was giving him a look of suspicion.
Fluttershy finished and James put his uniform back on before Applejack spoke again.
"Well anyway, th' reason Ah came over here was ta let y'all know that lunch is ready. Fluttershy, yer welcome ta join. There's some for you too James. Ya definitely earned it."
"Thanks, I'm starving."
"Eeeyup."
==============================================
James sat back on the bench, his belly full. For lunch they had had apple pie and apple juice. Once again, some of the best he's ever had. As he sat there relaxing, a certain lavender unicorn came trotting down the road.
"Hey everypony, how's work going?"
"Jus' fine sugarcube," Applejack answered, "in fact, we can call it an early day thanks ta this one here helpin' out," she said, raising a hoof towards James.
"Wow, that was very generous of you James."
"No biggie. I didn't want to be a mooch."
"What are you talking about? You've only been staying here since yesterday."
"I guess it's just the way I am. Plus, I don't know how long I'll be here for."
"Well that is still very kind of you. Anyhow, I just stopped by to see if you wouldn't mind answering some more questions."
"You really want to learn more?"
Applejack shook her head and smiled, "You have no idea."
"Not to be rude, but why do you want to know so much? No one really ever took an interest in me before."
"Well partly because I like learning about new and unknown things and also because I need need to write a letter to the princess about you."
This was something James did NOT want to hear.
"Oh no, please don't do that, I just want to be on my way as soon as I can find a way outta here."
"I'm sorry, but I already did last night and she even said she wants to meet you!"
"You WHAT?"
The last thing he wanted to do was deal with the government of this strange land. It never really went well when an MIA soldier met the government of even a friendly country back on earth. He couldn't even imagine how it would go here.
'Shitshitshit, how am I going to handle this. These ponies don't even know what I REALLY am, what I do for a living, and I'm going to have to explain myself to one of their leaders? Not even just a bureaucrat, but their fricken PRINCESS.'
"Uh, James? Are you ok?" Twilight asked, concerned.
James had a dazed look on his face, his right eye twitching a little.
"Yeah, fine. Just fine. So when is she coming?" he replied as smoothly as possible.
"Oh, she's out investigating some strange incidents in the eastern mountain ranges, so it will still be a few days before she actually comes here."
That was a little relieving. He had a little while to come up with a suitable explanation as to what he was and why he was here.
'At least I'll have a little slack to work with, being potentially the only one of my kind in existence here.'
"Alright, I'll come answer some more questions for you, but only if you take me around town as well."
"Fair enough, let's get going then."
"Alright." Getting up, he turned to the table while walking away. "Thanks for lunch Applejack and it was good workin' with you Big Mac. Fluttershy, thanks for the clean bandages, you didn't have to do that for me, but it's very much appreciated. I guess I'll be back later."
"Eeeyup."
"No problem James. Thanks fer all yer help this mornin'."
"You're welcome," Fluttershy said at an almost subsonic volume.
They started off down the road towards town.
"So, what exactly is it like where you're from," Twilight inquired.
James thought for a moment before answering. "Hmm, well some places are a lot like here. Lots of green vegetation and the like, but my world is also a planet of extremes. Some areas are always freezing cold and covered with nothing but snow and ice, while others are always so hot that there's never any water. Neither areas really support plant life. Most of the land, though, is just like it is here and that's where most people live. We have four seasons; Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Our planet is orbited by one moon, much like here, and the planet itself actually orbits our sun."
"Wow. It sounds very similar to Equestria, except that last part of course."
"I've been meaning to ask you something, is Equestria, like, this whole world or is it just a country?"
"Equestria itself is actually just a country, but it's one of the largest. East, over the mountains are the Griffon Colonies and farther up north well past Canterlot are the Dragon's lands. If you go far enough west Equestria ends at a large ocean. Down south from here are the Diamond Dog territories."
"Diamond Dogs, Dragons and Griffons? Those exist here. I mean, I know about griffons and dragons, but they were just myths where I'm from. And I don't even know what a diamond dog is."
"Oh, I'm sure if you stick around long enough, you'll get to meet all three. I'd just steer clear of dragons though, they tend not to be very nice. Although, there are a few exceptions." she said knowingly.
"I'll keep that in mind."
About this time, they had reached the edge of town. There were many ponies walking around, running errands and taking care of their tasks for the day. As Twilight and James passed by a lot of them would give the two stares and strange looks.
"Do they look at most strangers this way?" James asked quietly.
"Oh, don't worry about them. The ponies around here aren't too trusting, especially living so close to the Everfree. They'll warm up to you eventually. Usually they'd be actively avoiding you, but this morning I asked the mayor to explain your presence to them. You should have seen it when Zecora first moved here, practically the whole town shut down."
"Zecora?"
"Yeah, she's a zebra. She actually lives in the forest nearby. She is an expert at medicinal plants and potions."
As they walked around the town, Twilight started to point things out.
"Over there is the Town Hall," she said, pointing to the large building near the center, "and there's the post office, the market, and a spa." They walked over to another part of town. "Over here, we have a few restaurants and even a couple of bars."
'Thank whatever crazy gods rule this world,' James thought inwardly. He'd have to figure out how to get some of the local currency, maybe he could get a beer later.
"Hey Twilight, what do you use for currency here? You know, money."
"We have bits. I actually have a couple left over from lunch," she produced three gold coins from a bag on her back, levitating them out with her magic.
James plucked one out of the air, inspecting it.
"Interesting." He gave it back to Twilight who placed it back in her bag.
Continuing on, the arrived in front of a small three storied pink and purple building in the shape of a carousel.
"This is Carousel Boutique."
'Really.'
"My friend Rarity owns and works here. She makes fashionable clothing for ponies. Let me introduce you to her." she said while trotting inside. "Rarity! I've got someone here for you to meet!"
"Really? Who would that be?" a posh sounding voice came from the back room. Out came a unicorn in a white coat and a deep purple curled mane. "Oh! You must be that fellow they found in the forest, James was it?"
"Yeah, that's me. You're Rarity then?" James replied, extending a hand.
She hesitantly reached out a hoof and James shook it.
"A bit of a, uh, rough gem I see."
"Uh, thanks? I guess?"
"Rarity, who is it?" Came a young voice from upstairs, the sound of hooves treading on the staircase accompanying it.
A young filly appeared at the base of the stairs. James recognized her as one of the three he had encountered a few nights ago.
"Sweetie Belle, have you finished your homework yet?" Rarity interjected.
"HEY! You're that thing that saved us from the timber wolves!" She exclaimed, ignoring her big sister.
"Sweetie Belle! He is not a 'thing', don't be rude," her head back to James, she continued, "So you're THAT gentlecolt who rescued my sister and her friends. I'm EVER so grateful for that. The forest is such a dreadful place."
"Ah, don't mention it. I wasn't gonna let any children come to harm. Why were they even there if it's so dangerous?"
"Oh, it's this club my sister and her friends started to earn their cutie marks."
"THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" Sweetie Belle yelled from behind, making Rarity jump a little.
"Yes, and they routinely get themselves into these kind of situations. No matter how many times we tell them NOT to." explained Rarity, shooting an annoyed look towards her younger sibling.
"I see. I just have one question then. What is a cutie mark exactly?"
"What do you mean? Don't you have one?"
Twilight started to explain, "Cutie marks are symbols on or flanks that magically appear when a foal learns his or her special talent or calling in life. Mine is magic and Rarity's is fashion. You don't have any marks like that?"
"Ah, no. I have a few tattoos though. I actually thought that was what those were."
"Tattoo? What's that?"
"You don't have tattoo artists here?"
They both replied in the negative.
"Uh, here let me show you." He said while removing his top.
When Rarity and Twilight saw the bandages, they gasped.
"What in Equestria happened to you?" exclaimed the fashonista.
"Yeah, I don't remember you ever getting injured since we met you." added Twilight.
*sigh*
This was getting annoying.
"It's nothing. Just something that happened before I... 'arrived'.... in Equestria. I'm fine now, honestly. Fluttershy even took a look at it. Now here is what I was talking about." he said pointing to a mark on the upper part of his left breast, above the bandages.
It was an image of an eagle, clutching a crossed flintlock pistol and trident in it's sharp talons.
"I got different one on my back, on the opposite shoulder, but I guess you could say this is my 'cutie mark'." Ugh, that didn't just sound right. "But this didn't just appear for me, I had to earn it through a grueling training process for my job. An artist has to take a needle, dip it in some ink, and apply it to the skin."
"That just sounds absolutely unpleasant." scoffed Rarity.
"Yeah, it is a little painful, but the result is a mark I was proud to earn and it's with me for the rest of my life." James said as he pulled his upper garments back on.
"We should get going Rarity, I have more to show James and I still haven't introduced him to Pinky Pie yet."
"All right then, it was a pleasure meeting you James."
"The pleasure was all mine."
==============================================
On the way over to the duo's next stop, they were joined quite suddenly by a certain rainbow maned pegasus mare.
"'Sup guys, whatcha doin'?"
"Hey Rainbow Dash, I'm just showing James here around town. We're actually on our way to Sugarcube Corner."
"Oh wow, this should be good." Rainbow Dash chuckled.
"What does she mean by that?" James asked with a concerned glance towards Twilight.
"You might want to brace yourself." Was her only hint.
The three walked up to the candy house he had seen from the sky the day before.
"This is Sugarcube Corner, they probably make the best baked goods I've ever had." Twilight informed.
"Yeah, and our friend that works here, Pinkie Pie, throws the BEST parties ever."
They stepped inside to find a light blue mare with a pink mane that resembled frosting.
"Hi Twilight, Rainbow Dash. Is that the new arrival I've heard about?"
"Hello Mrs. Cake. This is James, he's a human."
"Nice to meet you."
Twilight continued, "Mrs. Cake, you wouldn't happen to know where Pinkie is, would you?"
"Oh, she asked for the day off. She's been working so much lately that I think she deserved it. Now that you mention it though, it has been unusually quiet around here. She did say something about having something else important to do, but that's all I know."
"Thanks, Mrs. Cake. Oh well, I'm sure you'll get to meet her later. Now, how about I show you the town Library?" Offered Twilight, trotting out the door.
"Sounds good to me."
"Bo-ring, I'm gonna go see what AJ is up to." Rainbow Dash complained.
"All right, see you later."
"Yeah. Bye James, bye Twilight." And with that she took to the sky.
"Don't mind her, she's just not the reading type."
"Meh, to each their own."
After a short walk, they ended up in front of a tall house that looked to be carved out of a tree.
"This is the Ponyville Library. It's also where I live. Come on inside and I'll introduce you to my number one assistant, Spike."
"Alright."
Twilight opened the door with her magic and trotted inside.
"Spike!" she called, "Come meet the human I was telling you about!"
"Coming!" Came a reply from upstairs.
Down came a small purple scaled crocodile looking thing with green trim and claws, walking on two legs.
'What is that, some kind of purple talking crocodile?' Thought James, with a quizzical look.
"James this is Spike. Spike, James."
"What is he?" James asked.
"I'm a dragon!" Spike exclaimed.
"I thought dragons were bigger."
"Spike is just a baby."
"Yeah, but I can still breath fire!" Spike retorted.
"Heh, well it's nice to meet you dude, just don't burn me and we'll get along fine." James extended his hand for a shake.
"No problamo." Spike took James' hand in his claw and shook.
"Well that's about it for town. Anything in particular you want to do?"
James looked out one of the windows, gauging the position of the sun. It was hanging low in the sky.
"Uhhhh, I think I'm good. I kinda just wanna get back to the barn and think for a bit. This is all still new to me."
"Well, for somepony from another world, you seem to be taking it quite well."
"I'll let you in on a secret, Twilight. I may be keeping a calm demeanor, but inside I'm totally freaking out. Panicking never did anybody any good though."
"Oh, well, ok I guess. Do you mind if I walk you back to Applejack's?"
"No, it's cool. I wouldn't mind a little company."
"Can I come too?" Asked Spike.
"Sure, why not. Couldn't hurt."
Chapter 7: Just A Couple Of Surprises
The sun was close to setting when the three finally arrived at the Apple Family homestead. Curiously, there wasn't a soul in sight.
'Huh, I wonder where everybody went.'
"Hey Twilight, there isn't some special event going on in town today, is there?"
"No, nothing I've heard of."
Seeing nobody, James walked off towards his current place of residence.
'Something doesn't feel quite right. It's like one of those feelings I get when shit's about to hit the fan.
Nearing the old barn, he noticed a faint glow coming from inside.
'Funny, I definitely didn't leave any lanterns on in there and my flashlight is still in my rucksack.'
Fearing a fire, he swiftly ran up to the doors and threw one open.
"SURPRISE!!!"
'HOLY SHIT!' James dove to a table, kicking it on it's side while drawing his pistol, punch flying everywhere. When he realized he wasn't getting shot at, he took a peek over the edge. What he saw was a group of now equally surprised looking ponies staring in his direction. Slowly, James slipped his pistol back where he had pulled it from.
"Uhhhh, my bad." He said, gradually standing up. "What's going on here?"
Suddenly a bright pink mare with a darker pink frizzy mane appeared from out of thin air behind him.
"It's your welcome to Ponyville Party silly!" She said energetically.
"GAH! Where'd you come from? There's no door there!" James screamed, tumbling backwards over the table he had just knocked over.
The strange pink mare giggled and bounced over to him. "I dunno, want some punch?" She said, giving him a cup with a smile.
James took it and looked over to Twilight.
"This is Pinkie Pie, isn't she?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"Ohhh, just a hunch."
Rainbow Dash floated down from the ceiling, her sides bursting with laughter.
"Nice! That was probably the funniest thing I've seen this week!"
She put her forelegs under his arms and lifted him up onto his feet with her wings.
Twilight walked in as the rest of the guests began casually talking amongst each other.
"Wow Pinkie, I didn't even know you were setting this up."
"Sorry Twilight, I would have told you, but you were showing James around Ponyville, and I wanted it to be a surprise, so I couldn't tell you without tipping James off, and that would have ruined the surprise!"
James went towards the back and sat down on a barrel, trying to get his heart rate down. He had almost shot one of these ponies by accident and he was a little shaky. Rainbow Dash and Applejack trotted up to him, looking concerned for their new friend.
"What's wrong James, aren't you going to join the party?"
"Why so glum, sugarcube?"
"Nothing, I-I could just use a beer right about now is all."
"Well, we don't brew beer here, yer gonna hafta go inta town fer that, but we do make the best apple cider this side of the Everfree here!" Applejack said proudly, hoofing James a wooden mug filled with frothy cider.
James took a sip. It was sweet and delicious, he could even taste a small hint of alcohol, but not too much.
"This is really good!"
"Drink all ya want, Ah got plenty after what happened last year."
"I might take you up on that."
"Jus' be careful, that'll get ya buzzed mighty quick."
"Ha, don't worry. I got a high tolerance for this sort of thing."
"Ya wanna put that to the test, buddy?" Rainbow Dash challenged.
"Ha, sure. Just gimme a moment."
"Alright, come get me when you're ready to do this!"
"I'll do that." James promised as she trotted away.
Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Twilight came over to see how their guest was doing. Twilight started to ask a question, but Pinkie Pie beat her to it. About ten times over.
"Hey! I know your name is James, but I didn't know what you were, Applejack says your human, what's a human? Do humans like parties? Do you like this party? I didn't know things like you existed, Twilight said you just kinda appeared or something, how'd you get here? Did it hurt? I heard you took a tour of the town today, whad ya think? Did you like Sugarcube Corner? What do you want to do now?" She blurted out, seemingly all in one breath.
James just looked at the pink party mare for a second before replying.
"Yes."
She gave him a blank stare before simply stating; "Okie-dokie-lokie!" and bouncing off to join the rest of the party.
The other three mares stared confoundedly at James.
"What?"
"It's just that, we've well.... uh, we haven't ever seen that handled quite that way before." Said Rarity.
"Why, is that normal for her?"
The trio just gave him uneasy smiles. Just then an ash colored mare with a gray mane approached the group.
"So, this is the 'human' you told me about, Twilight."
"Yes Mayor Mare. Like I said, his name is James."
The mayor turned to James, "How are you liking our humble town so far?"
"I like it very much, ma'am. It's clean, calm and collected. I wish we had more places like this where I'm from."
"Thank you, and where are you from exactly?"
"Earth."
"Right..... well I hope you enjoy your time here." And with that, she trotted away.
"That went well." James said flatly. "I think I'm going to go walk around for a bit."
He stood up and walked over to a table with a couple of casks sitting on it. Upon closer inspection, he saw taps at the bottom of each one.
'Hopefully this is the cider.'
He placed his mug under the tap and pulled the tab. Thankfully delicious golden cider flowed out and filled his cup.
James wandered around the barn, but found almost no one he could talk to. eventually, He ran into Rainbow Dash.
"You ready to live up to your challenge?" He asked almost drunkenly.
"Am I ever!" was the response.
They sat down at an old wire spool that was serving as a table.
"So, what are we gonna do, just keep drinking cider until one of us passes out?"
Applejack trotted up with a tray full of mugs and shot glasses balanced on her back.
"What's that there?" asked James, noticing the shot glasses.
"It's our special whiskey, made and distilled from mashed apples. The deal is that ya both take a shot after every two mugs of cider."
"Sounds good to me!" James said enthusiastically.
"Bring it on! I'll have you under the table in ten seconds flat!"
Applejack set down four mugs and a couple of shots between the pair. Immediately James grabbed a mug and started chugging. Rainbow Dash, surprised by his quick start, fumbled a bit before beginning to empty her own. Once she had finished her first she looked over at the human as she grabbed the second only to see that he was almost finished with his second and was reaching for his shot. She tried to pick up the pace.
"We're gonna need more drinks over here!" Applejack called to her brother.
"Eeeyup!"
==============================================
It was almost midnight when the party finally started winding down. Guests had begun leaving and James and Rainbow Dash's contest had come to an end. James was pretty tipsy, but Dash was far worse off. They had both consumed about fifteen mugs of cider and half as many shots. She had called it quits after the seventh shot of whiskey.
"Wow, yer the firsshst one to give me a, a run fer mah bitsss." She said, stringing her words together in a slur.
James just sat there with a half full mug, a slight smirk on his face.
"Eh, I've had a lot of practice over the years." he said, taking a sip.
The whiskey was pretty good. It was sweet, less sweet than the cider, but it still burned going down. All in all, not bad. Rarity trotted over. To collect her friend, having only had a few drinks for the evening.
"All right, Rainbow Dash, it's time to go home. James probably needs his sleep."
"Don't worry, I ain't that tired yet. Although it does look like she is." said James, pointing to a now passed out pegasus, her head resting on the table.
"Oh, I am terribly sorry, she doesn't usually get the intoxicated."
"S'alright, no worries."
A tipsy Twilight trotted over, Applejack and Pinkie Pie close behind. Applejack looked a little buzzed, however, the pink party hostess looked as if she hadn't had a drop to drink all night. This was strange as James was certain he had seen her downing drinks with almost as much regularity as he was. She bounced over to the table.
"What a great party!"
"Yeah, we did some damage tonight." James said looking at all the streamers and cups strewn around the barn.
"Hehehe, don't worry about that, I'll have it all taken care of."
"I was talking about all our drunks here, but thanks."
She giggled at that.
"Well it is getting late, you all good to get home?" James asked, carefully standing up. "Wait, where's Fluttershy and Spike?
Applejack spoke up, "They left jus' a short while ago, 'Shy said somethin' about her rabbit, Angel and Spike whus jus' tired."
"As long as they made it back safe. How are you all getting home?"
"I'll take Twilight back, Pinkie, can you take care of Rainbow Dash?"
"Sure thing, Rarity. C'mon Dashie, we gotta go."
Dash had finally been roused by Rarity and started stumbling towards the door with help from Pinkie Pie, following the two unicorns.
"Be safe!" James called out to them as they walked out the door.
"I will. Ssee ya later stud!" Rainbow replied with a sultry look.
'What.'
"Heh, don't pay her no mind, hun. She's jus' a might drunk right now."
James shrugged, "S'all good."
"Well, Ah guess Ah'll see ya tomorrow. C'mon Big Mac."
"Yeah, see you later."
They turned around to leave and James went to climb up to the loft. The left over cups and streamers were still scattered everywhere, but Pinkie said she would take care of it so he left it out of mind. The night sky was beautiful once again. He checked his gear to make sure it was still all there. Seeing that it was, he grabbed his iPod and headphones. Popping them in, he put on some Daft Punk and lay back on his makeshift bed.
'I just got drunk with a bunch of strange technicolored ponies. I wonder what my teammates would think about that. If I even ever get a chance to tell them, they probably wouldn't believe me. Huh, next time I should get pictures.'
His mind slowly drifted off, his thoughts on his home.
==============================================
When he awoke in the morning to a slight hangover. He peered over the edge of the loft to see that everything from the party last night had mysteriously disappeared.
'Funny, I didn't hear anyone come in, I would have woke up. Cleaning up all that would have been loud as well. I SHOULD have woken up.'
The thought of this spooked him a little.
The next few days were spent working the farm and entertaining Twilight's many questions. Even Rainbow Dash stopped by a couple times a day, sometimes demonstrating her tricks for him, eliciting claps and cheers from the human. In about three days Princess Celestia was due to arrive in town. Twilight said that if "anypony" could explain how to get back to his own world, it would be the princess. Apparently she was highly skilled and powerful in magics. He wouldn't get his hopes up.
James sat awake in his small bedroom loft. It was pretty late and he was unable to sleep that night. He had just had a terrible nightmare, one of death and destruction. Gunshots nearby, bullets whizzing through the air, explosions in the distance. James was in a small building at one end of a street and at his feet lay a young man about the same age as him. Only the scraggly young warfighter was bleeding from his throat, a large slit running from ear to ear. James looked down at his hands, one was clutching a sharp knife, both were coated in warm sticky blood. He quickly wiped his knife and hands on the insurgent's clothing.
"I'm sorry brother, I had no choice."
Unfortunately, the corpse at his feet wasn't going to be able to accept his apology.
The now dead hostile soldier was a sniper taking pot shots at a group of marines engaged in a heavy firefight with taliban forces. He had already shot two roughnecks and was lining up on a third when James had crept into the room and silently ended his life. James picked up the sniper's rifle from where it had been laying on the dusty concrete floor. He propped up in the window and began dropping Opfor like flies. Once the rest of the attackers noticed their comrades dropping left and right, they turned tail and ran, the marines giving chase. His task complete, James left the room and descended the stairs. His hands starting to shake again.
James tried to shake the images out of his mind, but to no avail. He looked to the almost full moon for comfort and noticed that he could not see the usual 'man in the moon'. No, instead he could just discern a dark spot that resembled the sleek head of a unicorn. Once again, it hit him just how far from home he was. He couldn't even measure the distance. It was then, deep in thought, that he heard a strange sound. James grabbed his pistol -- attaching the silencer -- and his knife and NVGs. He swung down to the packed dirt floor and strapped on his goggles.
'I hope this is a normal occurrence and not something unpleasant.'
Cautiously, he eased open one of the doors, and turning on his goggles, scanned the scene in front of him. He observed what looked to be three or four equine shapes further into the orchard. None of the silhouettes matched any of the ponies he knew. The dark outlines moved as if they were collecting numerous objects from the trees and the ground around them.
'I hope they're not thieves for their sakes. I fucking hate thieves.'
He quickly and quietly made his way closer, silently stalking his prey, blending with the shadows. James witnessed a unicorn and two earth ponies grabbing apples off the trees and picking them up off the ground.
'Fucking thieves.' He said to himself with a tinge of malice coloring his thoughts.
"Hurry up you dolts, if that damn farm mare wakes up and catches us, we're finished." The unicorn whispered angrily.
James removed his NVGs, sheathed his knife and pocketed his pistol. He probably wouldn't need those deadly weapons for this part. Casually, he strode out into the moonlight.
"Honestly, she's not the one you need to worry about." He stated, hands in his pockets. "If you three just leave the apples here where they belong and take off without any trouble, it would be easier all around. Either way, you're leaving those here, they don't belong to you."
One of the earth ponies jumped back, "Aahhh! Where the hell did you come from?"
"Don't worry you idiots, it's just that freak that's been staying here. Just kick it's flank so we can get out of here." The unicorn said with contempt.
"That, would be a very unwise decision. My offer still stands by the way." James retorted.
The other earth pony tried to look as intimidating as he could, "I can take him! He doesn't look so tough."
*sigh* "Everyone wants to learn the hard way."
The large earth pony charged at James, no doubt trying to flatten him against the the behind tree. At the last moment, James stepped to the side and gave the foolish stallion a swift kick in the rump, sending him tumbling into the afore mentioned tree without even taking his hands from his pockets.
*yawn* "Can you guys just go now? I really do need to get some sleep."
The smaller earth pony went to charge as well, but stopped and spun around, trying to buck James in the chest. Quick as lightning, James pivoted around, dodging the kick and delivering a roundhouse to the stallion's side, twirling the would be thief around. As the pony's head came around to face James, the warrior sent a devastating knee to the side of his face. The pony crumpled to the ground in a heap. Suddenly, James felt a strange tingling sensation as he was surrounded by a red aura.
"Let's see you try that fancy fighting after I've slammed you into a tree a few times!" The unicorn's voice was dripping with malice.
Thinking fast, James reached into his pocket and pulled out his pistol. Aiming at the ground directly in front of his assaulter's face, James squeezed of a round, the firearm making a muffled snap and causing dirt to explode into the unicorn stallion's face, distracting and making him release his hold on the warfare specialist. James took the opportunity to run up and bring his gun down onto the back of the ring leader's head, knocking the pony out cold. James looked around at the bodies, still at the ready. He dropped his hands once he realized all three were unconscious. The entire fight took about two minutes.
'Too easy.'
James collected his gear and went back to the barn, returning with some lengths of rope. He tied the three together and, making sure all the knots were good and they wouldn't be able to escape should they come to, left them next to their bucket of ill gotten goods. Exhausted, James went back to his loft, lay down and finally drifted off into a gentle slumber.
Chapter 8: Unwinding
James was pulled out of his slumber by someone yelling just outside the barn.
"Hey, James! What in tarnation was goin' on out here? Who are these strange ponies?"
'Ha, this should be interesting.'
James climbed out of bed and threw on his shirt and boots before walking out the barn to greet the confused country pony.
"Mornin' Applejack. I see you've found the late night guests."
"Sugarcube, what in Equestria are ya talkin' 'bout?"
"Those three right there," James pointed at the group, no longer unconscious, but rather just asleep. "I caught them last night trying to steal all those apples."
"What? Aw, Ah knew it! We kept findin' bare trees we ain't bucked yet. Well that was mighty brave of ya, James. Ya didn't have ta do that fer us, Ah mean, ya already put work in on th' farm."
"Hey, you guys gave me, a complete stranger and a strange being from another world, a place to stay. Plus I just really don't like thieves."
"Heh, ya did put quite a number on 'em."
"So, what are you gonna do with them now?"
"Big Mac'll load 'em up on a cart and take 'em inta town. Th' guard will deal with 'em from there. In th' mean time, we'll get started on today's work."
Just then, a cyan blue mare descended from the sky.
"Hey Applejack, did you see what happened last night?! Some ponies were taking your apples on the trees when something appeared out of NOWHERE and kicked the crap outta them!"
"We know, hun. That 'something' was our friend James here."
"Wow, really?"
"Yeah, it was really no big deal. That's what my job was, remember?"
"No way dude, that was SO awesome."
"Wait, you saw the whole thing? What were you even doing out that late?" He hoped she didn't witness him using his 1911.
"I heard the yelling. I don't live that far away, ya know."
"Where? There aren't really any houses nearby."
"I don't live on the ground, I live up there." She pointed a foreleg towards the sky behind her.
James looked up and saw a large cluster of clouds. He squinted his eyes and realized the cluster was in the shape of a house about two or three stories. Only it was floating high above the ground. Also, it had rainbows pouring out the sides.
'What? Rainbows don't pour. They aren't even tangible.'
He just passed it off as another strange phenomenon of this world.
"You live in a cloud? How do you keep from falling through, or the house from coming apart?"
Rainbow Dash chuckled, "I'm a pegasus, duh. I can walk on clouds."
"What? No way."
"Here, lemme show you." She flew up and grabbed a random tuft of cloud, bringing it back towards the ground and jumping on top of it. James swiped his hand through the cloud only to find that it was just as insubstantial as he expected.
"Now that's cool."
Applejack explained a bit, "Pegasi can manipulate th' clouds and weather. Without their help, runnin' this here farm would be a might harder ta do."
"Weather control? Wow, you guys got a good thing going on here."
"If you like that, then you should see Cloudsdale. It's the pegasi capital of Equestria." The weather mare said with enthusiasm.
"I think I'd like that."
"Well if'n ya don't mind, I gotta steal James away here from ya Dash, we gots some work ta do."
"Awwww, I wanted to hang out some more."
"I can hang out with you after work today Rainbow." James compromised.
"Yeah, and why don't ya take a half day today as thanks." Offered Applejack.
"Alright, I got some things I wanted to take care of today too. Thanks Applejack."
"Jus' call me AJ hun."
"Yeah, and you can just call me Dash."
"Alright, thanks."
After the pegasus mare left, James and AJ got to work. A little while later, Big Mac had returned from taking the three robbers to the town's small guard post. The work was hard, but James was happy to help his new friends in a way that also gave him a bit of exercise. At noon they all broke for lunch. As James sat down, Applejack surprised him with a small bag.
"Here's some wages fer th' help ya been givin' us."
"Aw, you didn't have to--"
"Stop righ' there. You've been workin' along side us without th' slightest complaint and last night ya saved our crops from those rotten ponies. Ah insist ya take it, ya've earned it."
"Then how can I refuse?" He pocketed the bag.
James wandered back to his residence to wash up a bit before heading inside.
Closing and securing the barn doors behind him, he climbed up into the loft and grabbed his pistol and rifle and the cleaning gear for his firearms. He hadn't done any maintenance on them in a while and he wanted to make sure they would still work, should he ever need them. He put on some music and got to breaking them down into their individual components. James cleaned and oiled them both before quickly reassembling them upon hearing a knock at the barn door.
"Hey, James!" Came a familiar scratchy voice, "Me and the girls are going out tonight. Ya wanna come with?"
James stowed his equipment and made his way to the door, unlocking it.
"Oh, hey Dash. I'd love to." She smiled at this, "Is it ok with everyone else?" Her ears dropped a bit.
"Oh, uh, I'm sure they won't mind."
"Well, alright then. Just please give me a minute." He said, stepping back inside.
"Sure thing!"
James switched into his spare uniform, as it was clean. He rolled up his sleeves and made sure he was presentable overall.
'Ha, going out in uniform like this is way outta regs. Too bad I ain't got nothing else to wear and there's nobody around to give a shit.' He still felt a little uncomfortable going for a drink in a desert camo uniform, but for now there was nothing that could be done. Seeing that he looked respectable, he stepped back outside and joined Dash.
"Ready to go?"
"Yeah, let's go."
The duo stepped off towards town, Dash opted to walk be side her strange friend instead of flying.
"Isn't AJ going to come with us?"
"She's gonna meet us with the rest at Twilight's. So... how do you like it here so far?"
"It's not so bad. This place is definitely a lot more peaceful than my world. Something I could get used to. I don't think I've ever heard about any kind of conflict since I've arrived."
"Conflict?"
"You know, things like war."
"There hasn't been a war in Equestria for over a thousand years."
James was surprised to hear this, but was glad at the same time.
"How often does your world have war?"
James sighed. He probably souldn't have brought the subject up and he didn't want to tell her how violent his race was, starting a new war every few years, lest she get the wrong idea.
"More often than I'd like. It's not something I like to talk about."
"Oh, uh, I'm sorry." Dash apologized, looking a little down.
"Don't fret about it, let's just go have fun, ok?"
"Yeah, tonight should be great. First we're gonna go to a chill restaurant in the downtown section before hitting the club."
'This should be interesting.'
They made good time and reached the leafy library in only about ten minutes. As they walked up, five mares were trotting out the front door. Rainbow Dash went to join her friends.
"Hey girls. I hope you don't mind, but I invited James."
"That's actually a great idea," assured Twilight, "this way he can learn more about about the ponies here first hand. Plus it did seem a bit anti-social, always hanging out at that musty old barn. This will be a good experience for him."
Rarity couldn't hold it in any more, "Ugh, I'm sorry, but that outfit simply looks ghastly, especially for a night on the town. You don't have anything else to wear, dear?"
"Nope, 'fraid not."
"Then you MUST allow me to make you some more reasonable clothes."
"Sorry, but I don't think I have enough money for that. Thanks for the offer though."
"Whatever do you mean? This, of course, will be on the house."
"Wow, that's.... very generous of you. I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything dear, just stop by my shop tomorrow so that I can measure you."
Seeing no point to argue, he agreed.
"So where are we off to?" James asked.
And Pinkie Pie answered, "We're going to a super-duper yummy-tummy restaurant! The food is soooooo good."
"But not as good as your cupcakes, Pinkie." Fluttershy said calmly.
The group of six mare and a human walked up to a small restaurant called 'The Green Tulip'. Twilight trotted up to the hostess.
"Hi, I had a reservation for six, but we have one extra."
"That's no problem, I'll just have the staff just pull up an extra cushion."
"Thanks!"
They all sat down at the table the hostess lead them to. James looked at the menu as he tried to get comfortable on the small cushion. He looked down it seeing things like 'alphalpha burger and hay fries' and 'dandelion sandwich', none of it looked appetizing. He missed meat. He especially missed bacon. Maybe he'll take a few days and go hunting somewhere deep in the forest. Eventually he ended up ordering steamed broccoli and carrots over rice. Not the best tasting for him, but he could digest it. The girls talked amongst themselves for a time, but James mostly stayed out of conversation, not knowing what he could possibly talk about other than the weather. That is until a boastful blue mare interrupted his contemplations.
"Did you see how fast I went in that one dive the other day?"
"Yeah?"
"That was so cool, I could literally feel the air pushing back at me. Any faster and I woulda performed another sonic rainboom."
"Yeah? What's that?"
"It's when she goes so fast that she breaks the sound barrier and makes a supie-loopie-doopie explosion of color in the sky!" Exclaimed Pinkie Pie, as only she could have described.
'Heh, not likely. Organics can't survive those speeds without some kind of protection.'
"Eh, it's no big deal to me. Have you ever gone that fast buddy?" Dash asked James.
"Only a few times."
"What!? No way, you don't even have wings!"
"That's right, but neither does any other human. However, we are very technologically advanced. We built and designed machines we call aircraft that use to fly. Some are so aerodynamic and powerful that the can surpass the speed of sound a few times over. I've been lucky enough to hitch a few rides in some of these fast movers." He didn't mention, though, why he had to ride in such things. He had ridden in F-18s a few times, but only to get him in various parts of the world in short times for his missions. He was still trying to play the part of a simple guard.
"Whatever," Dash huffed, "I'M still the fastest flyer here."
"No one's arguing that." James chuckled a bit.
They finished up their meals, everypony chipping in for the bill, and made their way towards the bars. James was a little nervous. He didn't know how the social spots were here. He hoped they didn't have the same D-Bags and A-holes as earth had. Those were the ones always picking fights and truth be told, James liked to avoid fights when he could. That wasn't the thing he was worried about most though. He couldn't dance. He had rhythm, he obviously had a sense of timing, but he just couldn't put it together on the dance floor. The entourage soon arrived at a large building with brightly colored neon lights wrapping around the top. Thumping music pulsing from inside.
"All right, LET'S PARTY!" Pinkie Pie hollered out before rushing to the door with a large bouncer pony standing beside it.
"Pinkie, do please calm down. We haven't even entered yet." Rarity sighed.
They all paid the three bit entry fee, James getting a suspicious look from the bouncer, and made their way inside. The volume of the club music was almost over powering. Which was unfortunate because James was more of a dive bar kinda guy. But, for his new friends, he would bear it. The hyper cotton candy maned mare shot strait for the dance floor, dragging Rarity and a reluctant Fluttershy with her. Twilight went to go find a table while Applejack and Rainbow Dash took James over to the bar.
"So James, what'll ya have?" Applejack queried, trying to speak over the music.
"I don't know, usually I just get a beer, but I don't know what you have here." Trying to sound coherent over the sound was annoying.
"We got Wheat Rider, Stallian's, Dos Equine, Scarlet Filly, Buck's and Buck's Light." Listed off the barmare, who had apparently been listening in.
James turned to him, "Any of those a good red draft?"
"Stallian's it is." He watched her pour him a pint before sliding the glass to him. "That'll be seven bits."
'Well, that hasn't changed....'
James' two companions ordered their drinks, Applejack getting a hard cider and Rainbow Dash a Stalliongrad vodka and cranberry, and headed to the back where Twilight had grabbed a table where thankfully the music wasn't so loud. The three sat down next to Twilight and James took a test sip of his beer.
'Not bad. Almost the same as one of my favorites.'
"How is your drink?" Asked the lavender unicorn.
"I actually kinda like it. It's not much different than what we have back home. Aren't you having something?" He noticed that she only had a glass of water in front of her.
"Uh, no thanks. I'm not that much of a drinker."
"That's not what it looked like last week."
"Oh, that's only because I was at a friend's place. I don't like to really drink at all out in town. Fluttershy doesn't even drink at all."
"I get it, that's cool. Someone, or should I say somepony, has to be sober to help the alcoholics back home." He said, shooting a playful glare at Dash. AJ and Twilight giggled.
"Hey! That was one time!"
"I've only seen you drunk one time." James replied slyly.
"Well... yeah, but...." she started to stutter, red starting to form on her cheeks.
"Don't worry, I'm just messin' with ya." He said with a laugh.
She hesitantly smiled, a little embarrassed. "Oh, I see, you wanna play it that way, huh? In that case, I had no idea you were such an exhibitionist."
"Hmm?" James raised an eyebrow while taking a sip of his beer.
She continued, "I saw you the other day, doing push-ups in your underwear with the loft doors wide open!" A smirk forming on her snout.
James' beer nearly exploded out of his mouth, but he forced it down his throat, coughing and gasping for air while his face started to grow hot. Dash started laughing hysterically, AJ and Twilight still giggling beside them. Slowly, James caught his breath when something came to mind.
"Wait, those doors face away from the orchard and town, there's nothing out there. So what were you doing watching me?"
Now it was Rainbow Dash's turn to get flustered, a scarlet blush spreading noticeably on her cheeks.
"What!? No... I wasn't.... I was just.... practicing. Yeah! Practicing some new tricks, I didn't want and pony to see them yet!" She shook out the explanation, trying to hide her blush by turning away and taking a few gulps of her drink while James chuckled to himself.
"Don't worry sugarcube, everypony gets a little curious sometimes," Applejack said teasingly.
"Ugh, whatever." Dash huffed and walked off.
"She gonna be ok?"
"Oh sure, she'll be fine in a minute." Twilight assured him.
They spent the rest of the night drinking and talking casually. James had a few more beers and even a couple of shots with Applejack and Pinkie Pie, after which he had to convince Pinkie not to throw him out on the dance floor. Which was difficult. VERY difficult. He saw Rainbow Dash a few times, but every time he went to go talk to her, she somehow disappeared. Eventually the night came to an end and the group met back up at Twilight's table where Fluttershy was also sitting. James had to admit, he did have some fun that night and he had a nice buzz going.
"Yeah! How fun was that!" Pinkie was bouncing as always
"Shucks, that was one hay of a shindig ya pulled out on th' dance floor there Pinkie!"
"I'm glad everypony had fun, but can we please go home now? That is... i-if you all want to."
Just then Rarity came trotting up, a troubled look on her face. "Has anypony seen Rainbow Dash? I've looked everywhere and the doorman said that he hadn't seen her leave."
"I got this," James volunteered, "I'm a bit taller, I should be able to spot her. You guys go on ahead back home, it's pretty late."
"Are you sure James? You're still new here, we wouldn't want to trouble you."
"I'm sure Twilight. I've done this kind of thing before with my teammates back home. I'll make sure she gets home safe."
"That's mighty kind 'o ya James."
"Don't mention it." He turned towards the interior.
James wandered through the thinning crowd, looking for that tell tale flash of multicolor that would betray Dash's presence. He circled the entire room twice without so much of a glimpse before arriving at a side door that was slightly ajar. He thought he heard arguing on the other side. He was about to turn back when he caught the familiar scratchiness of the voice coming from the door. Curious, he peeked through the crack. Outside James saw a small alley with trash bags piled on one side and two pony silhouettes on the other. Further down the alley, he could just see the outlines of three more ponies. Fearing RD could be in some situation, he eavesdropped on the pair.
"Lightning, I thought I told you to leave me alone. We're through. This is the third time you've bothered me when I was with my friends, the second time you've done it while drunk. Now please for the last time, just leave me alone." Rainbow warned harshly.
James had inferred enough from her words and tone. 'I guess no matter where you go, they're everywhere.'
She was talking to a brown pegasus stallion with a black mane that had a jagged yellow streak through it.
"Aw, c'mon slut, you know you liked it." 'Lightning' slurred.
"No, I didn't. You were always getting wasted, horrible to my friends and when I stood up for them you tried to hit me!"
James had heard enough. He quietly slipped through the door and stealthily approached them.
"Well, maybe you need a little smack in the mouth now!" The belligerent stallion said, raising a hoof as if to strike her.
Faster than either ponies could see, James stepped between them, catching the offender's hoof in the air.
"Hey! Get outta here freak! This ain't none of your business!"
James let go of his hoof and leaned in close.
"Leave. Now." He said as menacingly as possible.
"You asked for it!"
Lightning reared up on his hind legs, intending to strike James with one of his forelegs. In one fluid motion, James caught his hoof, spun it around the stallion's back, heaved him over the shoulder and threw him into the large pile of garbage. The drunken colt pulled himself out of the refuse. James pushed Rainbow Dash behind him.
Over his shoulder he told her, "You can fly, get out of here, I can handle this."
"No, you can't fly, I'm not leaving you! And the rest of his gang are blocking the only way out of the alley!" Almost on cue, the other three ponies came racing down the alley at the loud noises. One of two of them producing knives.
"Please, this is going to get ugly. I don't want you to get hurt." Stubborn as ever, she stood her ground defiantly, her rose colored eyes burning with determination. *Sigh* "Then at least stay out of my way as I work my magic."
"What do you mea--"
She was cut off as one of the aggressors lunged at James with a knife. Expertly, he stepped aside letting the hoof holding the knife pass through the space he had just been in, before grabbing it and pulling the thug forward, kicking him in the gut while disarming him at the same time. When the gangbanger tried to come at the warrior again, James faked stabbing at him with his own knife which caused the gang pony to flinch. James took this opportunity to slug him across his jaw with a hard left hook, knocking him unconscious.
Just then, the other two tried to get the jump on the defender. James reflexively threw the knife at the other armed one, the blade planting itself a few inches in his thigh. As that one screamed, James ducked a punch from the other, dropping low and performing a leg sweep that cause the stallion to fall flat on his flank. Keeping his momentum, the human kicked the bleeding thug hard in the face, sending him sprawling against a wall where he lay unmoving. The spec war operator then turned back to the last one, winding up for another strike, and stopped when he saw the colt cowering with his forelegs up over his face. Lightning had recovered now and was staring at the thing that had so rudely interrupted.
"You wanna play to?" James asked.
The 'gang leader' looked around at his crew. Two were knocked out, one bleeding, and the third was just cowering in front of the strange creature. Lightning then hollered, "Guards! Help!"
'Yep, Douchebag to the core.'
"C'mon Dash, we gotta leg it."
"Wha?"
"Chuck rocks!"
"Uh..."
"RUN!"
James snatched up one of her forelegs and took of down the street towards the outskirts of town. Glancing back, he saw several ponies in metal armor converging on the scene so he picked up the pace. They ducked into a few alleyways here and there, emerging on another street, to evade any pursuers. Soon they were finally on the road back towards Dash's house. James checked behind them again and seeing no ponies chasing after them, slowed down to a walk.
"Think you're good to go home Dash?"
"I don't know. He knows where I live and might head there, maybe with a few guards. He'll probably put the whole thing on you and me." She said sadly.
"Yeah, dirtbag alright."
"Wait! They don't know anything about you though!"
"But doesn't the mayor know where I live? She was at that party after all."
"Yeah, but those hoodlums have been a pain lately so I'm sure she'll look the other way, but the guard answer directly to the princesses."
"Yeah, that would look pretty bad, seeing as I haven't even met them yet. Couldn't you go to Fluttershy's? She lives pretty far out and I'm sure she could hide you better."
"Pleeeaase?" She looked up at him with large puppy dog eyes.
'Dammit.'
*sigh* "Alright."
"YES! Uh... I mean... thanks."
They made their way back to James' borrowed home under the cover of darkness. Once the reached the doors, James stopped outside.
"Hold on a minute, I gotta do something real quick. He rushed inside, closing the door behind him and climbed up to the loft. Quickly he took his rifle, knife, grenades, rain poncho and pistol. Returning to the ground, he hid them behind a line of hay blocks, except the pistol and poncho, before putting one over the items. James went back and opened the door to a disgruntled Rainbow Dash.
"About time, I thought you were gonna leave me out there." She said, trotting inside.
"I would never!" James said, faking being hurt. "Anyway, there's already a bed made up in the loft and a few extra blankets in the far corner, so go on ahead up and get some rest."
"But what about you?"
"I'll sleep down here. I can make a nice little comfy spot underneath."
"Well... ok." Dash said slowly flying up to the loft.
James got to work gathering some hay and spreading it around again in a corner under the loft. He grabbed another couple of spare blankets that were sitting on a bench there and put them over the hay like he had done in the loft. James unbuttoned the poncho all the way, kicked off his boots, took off his top and lay down on his new mattress while spreading the poncho over himself. Sleep refused to come easy however. He lay there for a bit, half asleep and in a haze of darkness and violence for what felt like an hour. At one point he thought he felt something large, warm and furry crawl up under the poncho and curl up next to him, but he gave it no mind. Soon after, his thoughts found peace and finally gave in.
Chapter 9: A New Threat To His Sanity
James slowly came back to awareness. He rolled over to.... nothing.
'Strange. Coulda swore....'
He quickly dismissed the thought and got up to put his top and boots on. Finished, he called up to the loft.
"Hey, Dash! You awake yet?" No answer.
He climbed up for a look. Nothing was there. She must have gotten up earlier and went home. Then he noticed how bright out it was.
'Crap, I'm late. Applejack must be mad.'
James ran outside to find either AJ or Big Mac. Searching the orchard didn't turn up anything though. Shrugging, he made his way to the Apple's house. Outside resting on the porch he saw Granny Smith relaxing in a rocking chair. She spotted him and waved him over.
"Well good mornin' uh, Jamie, Jim, no, James! Good mornin' James, how're ya doin'?"
"Good morning Mrs. Smith..."
"Aw, yer practically part 'a the family now, just call me Granny dear."
"Oh, ok Granny. Excuse me, but have you seen Applejack or Big Mac? They aren't anywhere in the orchard."
"They're around somewhere, probably in town or picnickin' or whatsit."
"Don't we have work?"
"Shucks young'en, can't work every day. Y'all'd run yerselves ragged that way. Today's a day off! Go do somethin' fun fer Celestia's sake."
"Alright then, thanks Granny!"
"Yer welcome Jibbers!"
James remembered Rarity's offer and decided to head over to her shop after washing up and throwing on some clean clothes. He would have to be cautious and sneak into town though. After last night, there could be ponies on the look out for him. He started off towards the general direction of Carousel Boutique at a light jog.
It wasn't easy, but he managed to make his way to the back door with out being seen in broad daylight. He knocked a few times before it was answered by Sweetie Belle.
"Hey James! How're you doing?"
"I'm doing alright. Yourself?" She nodded with a bright smile. "Hey, your sister wouldn't happen to be here, would she?"
"Oh yeah, she's upstairs in her 'idea room'." She informed while rolling her eyes.
"Great, is it ok if I came in?"
"Of course!" She turned and trotted over to the stairs as James entered. "Rarity! James is here!"
"All right, I'll be right down!"
James waited a minute before Rarity came clopping down the stairs.
"James! So nice of you to come. Please stand on that pedestal over there and we'll get started."
He did what he was told and stood there as the fashion pony made measurements of his arms, shoulders, legs and waist, using her magic to manipulate a tape measure. She scribbled down a note or two every once in a while.
"Oh this will be so fun. I've never had a challenge quite like this before. Now, is there anything you want specifically?"
James thought for a moment. "I just want something practical. You know, nothing fancy, I'm not really a fancy kind of guy. And absolutely NO sparkly gems please." He added, noticing the majority of the garments in the room were 'bedazzled'.
"Well, of course. I always take my customer's preferences into consideration. Any thing else darling?"
"No, that's it. I trust you."
"Why, thank you! Now, it will take a day or two before your clothing will be ready."
"Alright, and thanks again, I owe you. You need help with anything, don't be afraid to ask." James offered, turning to leave.
"That's very gracious, I'll remember that dear. Ta-ta now."
James slipped out the back again and returned towards the farm. When he got there he spotted Applejack walking towards the well.
"Hey Applejack, what's up?"
"Not much sugarcube, how're ya enjoyin' the day?"
"Alright I guess. When do we get back to work?"
"Not for a few days now. Th' zap apples are comin' in a few days and we can't harvest them 'til they're exactly ripe. So if'n ya got somethin' to take care of, now'd be th' time ta do it."
"Ok, thanks for the heads up."
'The hell are zap apples?'
He couldn't think of anything else to do besides checking up on Rainbow Dash and he hadn't seen her all day. He couldn't even go to her house because of his inability to fly.
"AJ, could you do me a favor?"
"Sure hun, whatcha need?"
"Can you make sure Dash is ok? She had kind of a rough night yesterday. She got home ok, but she ran into some trouble. I haven't seen her all day and I got some things I need to do."
"Sure thing sugarcube, I'll ask Fluttershy to see if she's home." She promised, seeming concerned.
"Good. It's good that she has friends like you guys." James complimented, walking away.
James headed back to the old barn, only one thing in mind. Meat. It had been so long since he's had it. James thought that if he went far enough into the forest and he buried his kills, he could avoid scaring any of the locals. Not to mention the six friends he had made. He donned his tac vest and ball and a boonie cap he always kept on him. It was way more comfortable sniping in that than a heavy kevlar helmet. He threw a couple of the MRE's he had left, the NVGs, the solar recharger, his iPod and some spare mags of ammo into his rucksack. Then he jumped below and removed a couple of flashbangs. Just in case. The only weapons he took were his knife and trusty pistol. He didn't really like going anywhere without his pistol, last night being the only exception. The last thing he did was leave a note by the door with his spare radio. He had taught Twilight how to use it after she had walked in on him tinkering with it, trying to get some kind of signal, last week. He was taking his throat mic with him.
'To who ever finds this, I'll be back in a couple of days. I just need to take care of a few human related things. Don't worry about me, I know how to handle myself well enough around here now. See you all again soon.'
- James
James left the farm and trod down the road that ran near the Everfree. About two miles down, he turned and disappeared into the dark foliage.
=================================================
James continued through the brush. He had been marching through the forest for half the day now, but he didn't know how far he should go. He remembered that he had found Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Scootaloo about a two hour's trek away from the edge of the forest a few weeks before. He would have to go much deeper before he could start his hunt. About an hour before James had met a strange rhyming zebra. She met Twilight's description of the forest dwelling potion maker he heard about. They had even talked for a bit.
"What is this strange creature here? No wonder the animals flee in fear."
"You must be Zecora. Twilight told me about you."
"That indeed is who I am, but who are you and of what land?"
'What a strange way to talk. Twilight didn't mention any of this. But I guess it didn't really matter.'
"I'm James, and I'm currently Equestria's only resident human."
"It's nice to meet you James and I've a surprise, the items you carry match those I've found nearby."
"Huh? What do you mean by that? You mean like my clothing and equipment?"
"Clothing is but one form I've seen, also there have been monstrous machines."
James asked her for more details and she told him of a place that sounded like it was not far from where he had first woken up. She gave him some quick directions and he was on his way. This little trip was turning into much more than the simple hunt he had planned. He kept going until sundown, when he made camp in a small clearing. He slept until the early morning hours where he ate a quick breakfast of some raspberries he found and two vegetable crackers from an MRE. Afterwards, he resumed his journey. After a while, he could spot what appeared to be little paths through the forest. At first James believed them to just be game trails. Until he found a low broken stone wall. And then he noticed that some of these 'games trails' had been paved at some point in time, cobble stones poking through the grass here and there.
'I wonder what this could be. It looks like some old ruins. And some of these trails look like they're converging somewhere.'
James started to follow the path cautiously, scanning the environment around him for threats. The cacophony of the forest started to fade before becoming eerily silent. James now knew something was off here. He kept going down the old path, but stopped when he saw something glinting in the underbrush. Drawing his sidearm, James approached warily. Slowly he pushed aside the plant growth to reveal an old broken watch. He recognized it, it was man made with certain cartoon mouse featuring big round black ears, his own arms acting as the hands for the watch. Upon closer inspection, James noticed that the watch wasn't all that old, just exposed to the elements for what seemed like only a few years.
'But how did it get here?'
This wasn't looking good. Nevertheless, James pushed on, his curiosity piqued. After about thirty yard he came upon half a building. It was missing the roof, it's walls made of stone, though half of them had collapsed long ago. James decided to explore a bit and found a back room with scorch marks in one corner. There was a metal object laying on the floor where the scorch marks were originating from. It was in the shape of a revolver. James picked it up and bushed of some of the soot that had caked on to it. What he revealed shocked him. Underneath the blackened dirt and soot was ornate scroll work. That wasn't what shocked him though. What shocked him was that he recognized it, he had seen this before. It was his lieutenant's sidearm.
'Now what the FUCK is this doing here? How can this be possible? He lost this only a year and a half ago, how could it have gotten here?'
The weapon had been a gift to Lieutenant Bellis from his wife, years ago. But the Lieutenant had lost it during a raid on South American drug cartel a little over a year ago. James' team had been sent in when the cartel had kidnapped some American peace corps volunteers and demanded ransom. As he recalled, after extracting the hostages, they left nothing but a smoldering crater.
James shoved the revolver into his rucksack and pressed onwards toward the source of the paths. Soon he emerged from the thickest brush and stopped, stunned, at what he saw. They were ruins. Aged, dilapidated, weather worn and over grown with plant life as the forest sought to reclaim this place. It was a broken down castle, centuries old. Gazing around, James determined he was standing in a courtyard of sorts.
'How did I miss this? Even from the air, I didn't see it. Well, it is pretty overgrown, I could have easily over looked it.'
Suddenly, he heard a noise off to his left and shifted to a crouch, his pistol snapping to the ready in a fraction of a second. James slowly moved towards a broken down section of wall for cover, never taking his eyes off the spot he heard the noise come from. A minute, then two passed without anything happening. He lowered his weapon, but still kept his guard up. Something felt wrong.
Warily he approached a beautifully carved archway. Striding inside he noticed bas reliefs set into the stone to his left and right. They featured two ponies posed regally, crowns set upon their heads and flowing manes. They were different from other ponies James had seen though. Both had a horn and a set of wings. The only difference between the two was their 'cutie marks'. One featured a large sun symbol while the other had a crescent moon set against background resembling an ink blot. James followed the scene down the hallway which depicted the two interacting peacefully. That is, until he had almost reached the end. The one featuring a moon on her flank was seen rising to power, smaller ponies despairing beneath her, the moon high and large in the sky. Then the royal sun pony intervened. A battle was fought, ending with a sequence showing the pony of darkness being sent to the moon itself.
'Wicked. I wonder if these are the two princesses Twilight told me about. But that would be impossible, this place has to be at least hundreds of years old.'
James continued down a large vaulted passageway that was partially open to the element, dead leaves and shards of glass were strewn all around the cold stone floor. Then he heard the tinkling of broken glass being moved across the ground. James snapped to the ready again, his heart rate starting to rise. He approached the space he thought it came from firearm raised, he also unsheathed his knife with his other hand, just to be prepared. As he neared the entrance to the room, a powerful rotting stench suddenly hit him like a slap to the face. Something here had died.
James flattened him self against the wall adjacent to the doorway. He peeked around the corner and saw a most gruesome sight. Blood was splattered all on one side of the room, entrails leading back to a hollowed out deer carcass in the corner. Laying about here and there were crude knives and even a sword or two made of black steel. James had seen other such weaponry scattered about the ruins earlier. The difference was that those were more refined and heavily rusted. These laying before him weren't. they were jagged. And they had been used recently.
The next thing James noticed was tracks. They were humanoid, but instead of toes they sported claws. He spotted a bloody hand print, again ending in claws instead of fingers. He didn't like this. James began to back out when he heard a low growl behind him. He whipped around and brought his weapons to bear. Before him was a large bipedal creature with yellow and brown mottled skin, standing at a little over six feet. Yellowed and cracked teeth the shape of jagged rocks grimaced from a ragged mouth. A flat nose sat beneath two red eyes with pupils black as tar that bespoke a savage and carnal intelligence, a top it's head was greasy mane of obsidian locks sat unkempt it's ears resembled cauliflowers. It's feet were bare, tipped with claws. The rest of it was clad in a mismatch of rusted metal plate attached with strips of leather. It clutched in it's hands two of the jagged swords James had seen in the other room. It grunted and tossed one of them to James' feet. James brought his pistol up, ready to take a shot, when heard another bellow above him and off to his right.
James looked up to see another one of the terrifying creature training a nasty looking crossbow on him about fifty yards away. He scanned the rest of the room and spotted another two standing at his only known exit with spears in hand. James felt like a child to have been ambushed like this. It was embarrassing to say the least.
'I've gotten rusty while living here. I should be dead.'
James under stood the challenge. If he used his own weapons, he'd take a crossbow bolt to the chest. James had fast reflexes and they'd save his ass several times before, but he didn't know if he could dodge a bolt. He pocketed his sidearm, sheathed his knife and dropped his rucksack before picking up the dastardly weapon at his feet. The crudely made hand-and-a-half sword didn't feel right in his hands. He hefted it and gave it a few practice swings, trying to get used to it's weight. Fortunately he had taken some martial art classes in the past and was familiar with swords, but he had never actually fought with them before except for sparring matches with the other students.
James brought it to a ready position, studying his opponent as it mimicked his movements. The creature was muscular in a brutish way, as if it spent most of it's time surviving in some hostile environment. That's when the creature lunged at the special operator, bringing it's sword down in an arc upon his head. James quickly reacted and caught the sword with his, inches before it cleaved his forehead in two. The blow almost drove him to a knee. James countered with a kick to it's stomach. The tactic worked and it was shoved back a few feet. James immediately followed up with a downward diagonal slash at it's neck, but it almost effortlessly blocked it and shouldered it off, following through with a swing at his midsection. James jumped back and drew his own stomach inward, barely escaping disembowelment. As he performed this move his arms shot forward for balance. The monster brought it's own blade down on James', knocking it out of his hand. Now he was weaponless.
The creature started hacking and slashing with wild abandon. James could hardly duck and dodge the deadly metal singing through air. He couldn't keep this up much longer. Finally the retched beast made a mistake. It swung at James in a wide arc, intending to halve the human. The elite warrior caught it's wrist with his left hand and grabbed it's shoulder with his right. Then, placing his leg between the thing's legs, threw it on it's back. As it fell, James stripped the sword from it's grip and in one motion, swung the sword high over his head and brought it down directly upon the creature's face. Blood splattered out to the sides as the blade burrowed it's self into flesh and bone.
The two blocking the entrance with their spears wailed in anger and charged. The sword was stuck in the skull of the first beast so James retrieved the one he had dropped. The first one to approach stabbed at his belly. James swatted the spear tip aside and slashed at it's exposed arm, lacerating it. The second tried to bring the spear into an upward swing, James countered it by kicking the shaft of the spear and bringing the sword up into the sick warrior's throat, blood spilling everywhere and staining his arms. The other recovered and stabbed it's weapon through the meat of his right calf. James cried out in anguish as the crossbow wielding creature aimed to take a shot. But then the unexpected occurred.
"JAMES!!!"
In the archway stood Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie. Time slowed to a crawl. The ugly crossbow wielding creature shifted it's aim towards the new comers, thick brow furrowing in concentration. James had only a second to react. Swiftly he drove the sword through a gap in the spear monster's armor and fluidly drew his 1911 and lined up on the shooter. He steadily pulled the trigger, the firearm emanating a sharp, massive roar and launching a lead slug strait through the creature's cranial vault, dropping it instantly. It was beautiful. In but a moment it was all over and James sank to his knees, head bowed. As the girls galloped towards him in a panic, he reached behind himself and snapped off the head of the spear that was still lodged in his calf, pulling the shaft out the other side. The shocked and concerned mares gathered around him in a half circle.
"I'm a monster."
His hands started to shake.
Chapter 10: The Proposal
They stood there a moment, the human still kneeling before them, head down and arms at his sides.
Applejack spoke up first, "Darlin', ya've worked and lived at mah farm fer almost four weeks now and Ah've seen nuthin' but a hard workin' stallion."
"Yes, and ever so generous, working there for next to nothing while even helping everyone who asks for your help. Nothing short of a gentlecolt if you ask me," Rarity added.
"And so kind, going out of your way to save three fillies from those vicious timber wolves." Fluttershy had maneuvered behind him to inspect his wound.
"Yeah, and you're one of the most awesome humans I know! Even if you're the only one I know...." said Rainbow Dash.
"Not to mention you're super duper fun at parties!"
"And you've helped me learn about stuff I could have never thought existed."
Both Pinkie and Twilight added.
James looked at his hands, still shaking and covered in blood. The coppery smell was almost too much for him.
"There's something you should know about me." James said to the group before him. "I was never just a 'guard'. I did pull some guard duty, but in reality, I'm a killer. I was trained to carry out specialized missions that conventional forces just couldn't. I have so much blood on my hands, it's a wonder that they aren't permanently stained red."
He continued, not really caring about their opinions of him any more. James felt he had betrayed their trust and he didn't deserve friends like them.
"The wounds that you found me with? They were a result of a fight between myself and my own kind. It was in defense of others, but I'm a monster, I've killed so many."
Fluttershy was in the middle of bandaging up James' calf when he stood up and limped towards the exit. The six mares watched him for a minute, in a stunned silence.
"But--" Rainbow Dash began to say, but James sharply cut her off.
"NO. I don't belong here." His words echoed off the vaulted ceiling. As he limped away James shouldered his pack. He was half way down the main passageway when he heard the clop of hooves on stone behind him. James looked over his shoulder to see a sky blue pegasus mare with a look of deep concern on her face. Still, it didn't cover the fear he could see in her rose colored eyes.
"Don't follow me."
"James, you're hurt. You need to let us help you!"
"No. I can't risk hurting you. All of you. I'm too dangerous. Just leave me be."
"If you go back out into that forest alone and injured you could die!" She was almost pleading now.
"I've already died once before, it can't be that bad a second time around! Just Leave. Me. Be!" He snapped at her.
James continued on his way out without looking back. It pained him to do this, he had actually come to like those quirky little ponies, but he wouldn't been able to live with himself if they came to harm because of something he did. He didn't even know how they had found him. James exited the old castle and entered the forest. It was starting to get late and the sun was going down. His calf started to bleed again, the bandages were wrapped loosely because he had left while Fluttershy was in the middle of applying them. Clenching his teeth, James knelt down, gripped the ends of the dressing and pulled tight, putting pressure on the wound. It hurt like hell, but he wouldn't bleed out and he would be able to walk a little better.
James trudged on until he came to a small space that was cleared of under brush, but was still covered by the forest canopy. It would have to do. The sky was darkening to the point where he wouldn't be able to continue. He gathered some wood for a small fire. James plopped himself down in front of his small conflagration to keep warm and dug around in his pack for the small bottle of ibuprofen he carried with him. Pulling out the bottle, he shook two out and popped them into his mouth, taking a swig from his canteen to wash them down. James sat there a moment, wishing he could see the stars and unsheathed his knife. This next part was gonna suck. He stuck the blade into the flames. He hadn't thought to bring his first aid kit and as such, lacked any anti-septic. Rookie mistake.
While he waited for the metal heat, James took out his iPod and put on his headphones. He scrolled through the albums and started playing Darkside of the Moon. James unwrapped the bandages from his leg to assess the damage. Both the entry and exit wounds were approximately the same size. Blood began to trickle from both openings. Carefully, he ripped off the bloody sections of bandage. By now, the blade should be hot enough. Cautiously James extracted the hot steel from the fire. He picked up a nearby stick and bit down on it. Then, taking a deep breath, he pressed the searing metal to his flesh. His cry of anguish was muffled by the stick in his teeth as he bit down hard. He repeated the act a second time, cauterizing both sides, the smell of burnt flesh making him a bit nautious.
James re-wrapped the now closed wounds with the clean bandage scraps he had salvaged. He popped another two pills and took a long draw from his canteen to help calm himself. James rolled his pants back down his leg, retrieved his rain gear from his rucksack and laid back. The painkillers started to kick in as the throbbing went down, although it still burned a little. He put his iPod on shuffle, and after adding wood to the fire, closed his eyes in attempt to sleep. It didn't come willingly, but after an hour, the exhaustion from the days events finally caught up with him.
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Panting, running, sprinting for his life as bullets impacted the dirt around him, kicking it up into his face. The bundle he carried was weighing him down, but he had to reach the building where the marines were pinned at all costs. They had wounded and could not wait for casevac to bring more medical supplies. He launched a stream of rounds back towards the source of hostile fire, not really aiming, just trying to get their heads down.
"RPG!" Someone bellowed a warning
A streak of propellant burned by in front of him, detonating on a wall to his left and sending chunks of concrete shrapnel at him. It stung horrible, but he kept running. He saw a side door burst open on his target building, two infantry men gesturing wildly for him to get inside. Picking up the pace, he vaulted over a pile of rubble and through the doorway.
"Man, are we glad to see one of you guys! The triage is right through there," the marine said pointing while the other closed the door.
He could hear the moans of pain before he even walked in. There were four men, three stretched out on rickety wooden tables, one laid out on the floor. There were also two body bags in the corner, and they were occupied. There was blood smeared everywhere. A corpsman and two other marines grabbed the supplies off his shoulders and quickly broke them out, going to work on the injured. Another marine walked up and pulled him into the front room.
"Good to see ya soldier, I'm Sergeant Maddox. We're really grateful for the med supplies, but where's the rest of your team?"
"They're on their way. The street was too blocked up with burnt out cars and they had to find another route. Give 'em about five more minutes."
"That's about all we have left, another wave of insurgents were spotted a block away by our roof team. We gotta--"
*BOOM*
The room exploded inwards, shrapnel flying every where. He picked himself up off the ground from where the detonation had thrown him. Everything ached and he had a ringing in his ears. His training kicked in immediately. Running up to an intact section of the wall he brought his rifle's optics up to his eyes and went to work, aiming at a building on the other side of an intersection opposite him. Three marines joined in repelling the attack, 7.62 mm rounds striking the area around them.
"We gotta fall back further into the building!" One of them yelled.
"Go go go! I got you guys covered!"
The two to his right retreated to an adjacent room as he switched to full auto and sprayed lead at the muzzle flashes across the intersection, but the one on his left stayed put, not paying attention. He had the tunnel vision.
"Marine! We have to get going!"
A round struck the soldier in the chest, winding him and sending a spray of ceramic shards from the ballistic plate into his face when the top seam of his vest ruptured.
"AAHHHH! MY EYES!"
He grabbed the back of the marine's vest and dragged the injured roughneck backwards to the door way. The hostile soldiers renewed their assault, bullets whizzed and snapped through the air. Three rounds impacted his chest, but his dragon scale armor stopped them, dissipating the energy across the vest. He pulled the marine through the door and looked down to check on the fighter.
"Hey buddy, are you al--"
There was blood and brain matter covering his front. The marine's head was bowed down. He could see a large hole in the back of the leatherneck's helmet which was ringed red with blood. He continued to drag the body around the wall, gently placing it in a corner of the room. The other two marines ran forward to see their friend when a grenade rolled through the entry way.
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James sat up in a cold sweat, his heart thumping wildly in his chest, he clutched his head in his hands, willing the images out of his mind. They were getting worse. His leg was throbbing again. The clandestine warrior noticed it wasn't as cold as it should have been. In fact, the fire was still going strong as if someone had added more wood. It had been at least a couple of hours, it should just be smoldering. James snatched up his knife from where he had left it, the metal now cooled, and looked around. There was a large winged unicorn -- larger even than Big Mac -- with a flowing multi colored mane. She had a golden chest piece featuring a purple gem set in the middle, her head was topped by a crown. She lay across the fire from him, legs tucked comfortably beneath her. She looked at him with kind eyes that matched the gem.
"Bad dream?" Her voice was warm and motherly.
"Who are you?"
"A little blunt I see. Didn't Twilight and her friends tell you about me?" She asked, smiling.
"That depends, who are you?"
"Well, it's not all that important."
"The hell it's not. You're wearing enough gold and jewelry to pay my rent for five years."
"A blunt in your questions, yet you have a sharp mind. Just as Twilight described you in her letters."
"Letters. So, you're one of the Princesses then. I'd expect the one named Luna to be sporting a moon, but since you've got a sun on your flank, I'm guessing you are Celestia."
"You certainly don't disappoint."
"Forgive me for not getting up and bowing ma'am, but at the moment I might have some trouble standing."
"Ah yes, the injury you sustained."
"How did you know? Did the girls tell you? They got out ok, right?"
"Yes, they're all fine, but very worried about you James. Why did you leave them?"
"To protect them."
"How would you be able to do that if you are not there for them?"
"Because I'm protecting them from me. I'm dangerous. I kill. I killed all those... things back there. What were those even? I come from a race addicted to violence." His head hung low.
"James. You are not a bad person. No matter what atrocities humans have committed, YOU have done nothing but give and think of others."
"Atrocities? What the hell do you know about my races 'atrocities'? If you knew the kinds of things my people have been responsible for, you'd have me put down!"
"You mean like the world wars or the genocides?"
James sat there at an absolute loss for words
"How... how could you possibly know about that? Can you get there? Can you send me back?"
Celestia had a slight hint of sadness on her face. "Unfortunately, no."
"Then how did I get here? How did THIS get here?" He asked angrily while producing his Lieutenant's revolver.
"The magic that brought you here occurs naturally in this forest, especially near those ruins. It permeates the air, water and even the ground beneath you. Apparently it can sometimes shift objects from your world to ours. I have been collecting and studying any of those objects my scouts happen to come across, locking up the more dangerous ones. You are actually the only organic specimen to cross over. This magic is very powerful and can not be replicated to the same degree, even by ones as powerful as myself."
"So this is it, huh? I can't get back."
"I'm afraid not. James, I must ask you a favor. Those creatures you fought in the old palace are unlike any I've seen in my lands. All we know is they came out of the mountains to the east and have been pillaging villages of the griffon colonies, breaking their nests and slaughtering their subjects. Reports from survivors say the monsters are skilled warriors. Griffons are warriors in their own right, so to hear this from them is disturbing. And yet, you defeated four of them in open combat."
"Let me guess, you want me to fight and kill these things on your behalf." James said, sounding annoyed. "I'm done killing. I already killed for one country, I don't want to kill anymore."
"I don't necessary need you to kill, nor do I want you to. But I would deeply appreciate it if you saw fit to train my royal guard. They are skilled in small matters, but in large conflicts, they have no experience. I fear this threat may grow to that."
James considered it. "Have they killed before?" The Princess was a bit taken aback by the question.
"Excuse me?"
"Have they killed before?"
"Well... no, but...."
"Because that is what you're asking me. You are asking me to turn the ponies of your royal guard into trained killers like me. If you want them to effectively combat this, they can give no quarter. Those creatures are blood thirsty and absolutely without mercy. The first thing they did when meeting me was challenge me to a death match. I don't want to do this to them."
"James, think of the friends you made back in Ponyville. Think of the innocents that live there and the suffering you could spare them from."
"Wow, that was... that's low." *sigh* "Fine, I'll do it."
"Thank you James. You don't know how much this means to me. You can have access to everything you need at our Canterlot facilities."
"No, I will conduct their training near Ponyville. I'll need wide open spaces and a nearby body of water to do this. We will also be spending a lot of time in the forest. The training will include survival and small unit tactics. Now I can't train everyone at once so I need you to send five of your most intelligent and physically fit guards. Once they've been trained, they can pass it on to other units."
"Well I'm certainly not used to one of my subjects giving ME orders." She giggled.
"I'm not one of your subjects."
The Princess of the Sun stopped laughing, surprised by the comment.
"We might have to consider making you a citizen here. The guards might take it better getting bossed around by somepony of their own country."
"I wouldn't mind that. It's not like I have anywhere else to be." They both laughed a little at that.
"I'm sorry, but I must be getting back to Canterlot. Would you like a ride into town?" She asked, yawning wide.
"Thank you for the offer, but I'd like to make my own way back. Give me some time to think."
"If you insist, but before I go..." she rose to her hooves and walked around the fire to James. She knelt down and placed the tip of her horn on his leg as her horn began glow. The pain in his calf receded before vanishing altogether. The Princess leaned away and James unwrapped and inspected the wound, miraculously finding nothing but smooth skin.
"Thank you," he murmured, still astounded by the whole magic thing.
Princess Celestia just smiled, her horn starting to glow again. Then she vanished in a flash of light. James sighed again before laying back down to sleep. He had a long walk in the morning.
Chapter 11: A New Ally And Maybe Some Forgiveness
James made the day and a half hike back to town with out much difficulty. He did not stop often to rest and continued through the next night, using his NVGs to help guide him through the forest in the stygian darkness. He encountered the timber wolves again, but they kept their distance, yellow eyes flashing at the edges of his vision before finally moving on. James made good time and eventually came to the edge of the wood early morning. He paused there, wondering what he should do next. He needed to go check on his gear back at the old farm, but he also needed to apologize to the kind mares who had made him feel welcome in this strange and impossible land.
James decided to go to the library and see Twilight, since he knew that's where she was likely to be. Aside from Applejack and Rarity, he had no idea where the rest might be and Twilight was also the closest. He stashed all of his gear into the rucksack, except his pistol, putting it back in his side pocket on his thigh. Entering town, he casually strolled down the street, most ponies not even giving him a sideways glance as they went about their day. He was glad. James never liked attention. Usually, it ended up in him getting shot at.
He entered the market place and watched the bustle of activity around him. He could get used to this if he really was stuck here. It really wasn't so bad. James had left all his bits at home, not having any use for them in the forest, they would have just been deadweight. He could see the top of the leafy library over the cluster of buildings that made up store fronts and businesses so he decided to cut through the alley ways that ran between them. James was about half way through when he heard what sounded like a scuffle coming from around a corner. He flattened him self against the wall and poked his head around the corner. The young warrior saw two pegasi being confronted by two earth ponies and a disgustingly familiar brown pegasus with a yellow streak through his mane.
"Why don't ya just let the little retard give us the package?"
The thug was addressing a matte black coated pegasus stallion, his flank marked with a shield set against a background of translucent green rays, with one eye already staring to swell, and a silvery gray, short cut, mane and tail who was planted defensively in front of a gray pegasus mare with a blonde mane and matching tail carrying some bags. There was something a bit off kilter with her honey hued eyes.
"Why don't you just leave her alone, she's done nothing to you. And where the hay do you get off, ganging up three to one?"
"You're here aren't ya? Seems fair to me. But why don't you step aside and save us the trouble, we can take the package and be on our way."
The blonde mare scowled at the ringleader, "It's NOT yours! I need to deliver it!"
"Why don't you shut up and fork it over, or do we have to force you?!" One of the earth ponies yelled.
"I won't let you lay one hoof on her!" Exclaimed the silver maned pegasus, his good green eye shifting between the gang ponies before him.
"That's it, I don't have time for this!" Lightning, for it WAS that scuzzball, motioned forward with a wing to his subordinates. They started to move towards their victims.
James had seen enough. He stepped out around the corner.
"HEY, ASSHOLES!"
The five snapped their heads in his direction.
"Oh it's YOU again."
"This doesn't seem like much of a fair fight."
"Oh yeah? Well then maybe you would be willing to take his place?"
"Ha, I still don't think that would be fair the way you dickheads fight. Why don't you go get about five or six of your buddies, that might even it out. Hell, you might even land a punch this time. Oh hey! Nice to see you again! How's that healing?" James finished, waving to one of the earth ponies that had a line of stitches down one of his hind legs. The pony flinched at being greeted so casually by the creature that wounded him with his own knife.
"Hmpf, you ain't worth the the time." James stepped aside as the three trotted past him and down another alley.
Now with the threat taken care of, James turned to the other two. "You both ok? Any other injuries besides that eye of yours?"
"N-no I'm fine. How about you Ditz?" The stallion looked to the mare now beside him.
"No, I'm ok. Thank you for helping us sir!"
"Call me James. Who would you two be?"
The black stallion answered. "My name is Emrald Flash and this is my cousin Ditzy." He said, extending a wing over her shoulders. "Ditz, why don't you get that delivered, I'm going to go take care of this eye."
"Ok Emmy, see you later, and be careful please." She took off haphazardly and flew away.
"Is she gonna be ok? I mean, they didn't hit her or nothing, did they?" James asked.
A mask of anger took over the stallion's face. "No, they did not hit her! She had an accident when she was younger...."
James understood almost immediately, "Woah! Calm down, I'm sorry, ok. I understand."
Emrald Flash took some deep breaths before speaking again, "Yeah, yeah... sorry for snapping at you like that. It's just.... people tend to think she's...."
"She didn't seem stupid to me. You're a good cousin defending her like that. C'mon, I'm on my to a friend's place, I'll get ya some ice there Mr. Flash."
"Thanks, my place is kind of a walk from here, and I can't trust myself to fly with this eye. And please, just call me Flash." He extended a foreleg and James grasped and shook it. The two new acquaintances stepped off to the library.
"So, why did those rotten apples take off when you showed up? You stopped them without even fighting!"
"We've met before. Only the last time wasn't so civil."
"You're THAT guy? I heard all about that! Hey, do you think you could teach me?"
"Teach you what?"
"How to fight like that!"
"I dunno. I'll think about it. What do you do around here Flash?" James asked, trying to get off the topic.
The stallion looked a bit down trodden at this. "Uh, right now I'm sorta in between jobs. I still work, but it's just odd jobs around town to get by."
"I see..." he didn't pursue the issue.
Soon, they arrived at the library, James opening the door and ushering Flash inside.
"Twilight, it's James, I need to talk to you!"
"Hold on!"
James recognized Spike's voice coming from the upstairs. Sure enough, a moment later he descended to the main room, claws scritching against the wood.
"Hey James, Twilight went to Sweet Apple Acres with Pinkie. Woah, what happened to your friend?"
"He just got hurt helping someone out. Think I could grab some ice for his eye?"
"Sure thing, I'll go get it." The purple dragon ran into the kitchen in back and after a moment returned with a claw full of ice wrapped in a small towel.
"Thanks," said Flash gratefully. He took it from the scaly assistant and held it against his swollen eye with one hoof.
"Oh yeah, you got a letter from the Princess this morning! Nopony but Twilight's gotten a letter from the Princess like this!" Spike handed over a sealed scroll to James.
James opened the scroll, using his finger to break the seal, and read it.
'James, I hope this finds you in good health. I have authorized the training of three of my Day Guard and three of Princess Luna's Night Guard. They shall arrive in three weeks. In the mean time, I have sent a detachment of Royal Engineers to build a barracks and training facility to your specifications. Fifteen ponies of this company shall arrive in less than six days. Their point of contact will be Captain Iron Horn. They are also instructed to build a private quarters for yourself. I have pronounced you Commander of the newly created Royal Special Tasks Group and as such have made you a citizen of this fine country. You shall answer to, and take orders from myself and my sister, Princess Luna, only. In addition, I shall be providing you with a monthly stipend of five hundred bits. My blessings upon you and your new command.'
- Princess Celestia
'Damn, that was fast. The brass back home could take a few lessons from her. Says she also made me a citizen apparently. I wonder how that's gonna work out.'
James folded up the parchment and stuck it in his pocket.
"Thank you Spike. I'm heading over to Rarity's real quick. If I miss Twilight and Pinkie, please tell them I'm sorry for being harsh with them. I didn't mean it, and they didn't deserve that."
"No problemo dude."
"Flash, you feeling good enough to get back home?"
"Yeah, I should be good now. The swelling's gone down, thanks to you and Spike."
"Hey Flash, why don't you stop by tomorrow morning. I'll be at Sweet Apple Acres, just ask Applejack or Big Mac where I am if you can't already find me."
"Does this mean you'll teach me how to fight?!"
"Maybe. Just come find me and we'll see."
"Alright!"
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*knock knock knock* James softly knocked on the door to Carousel Boutique. After a moment of silence, he tried the door. Finding it unlocked, he entered.
"Hey, Rarity, I wanted to stop by to--"
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, RUNNING OFF AND SCARING US ALL LIKE THAT! WE WERE ALL WORRIED SICK ABOUT YOU! NOW WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF, MISTER!?"
James was almost thrown backwards by the loudness of the voice. Standing before him was a visibly pissed off Fluttershy and a Rarity wearing red horned rimmed glasses over an expression of total surprise behind her. All around lay strips of fabric and pieces of different outfits. James tried to shake the ringing from his ears. It was almost like being shell shocked.
"Ahhh, ahhh, damn. Yeah, I'm sorry about that, I was a little messed up and needed some alone time. I'm sorry. Next time, could you please not worry so loudly? Damn, most explosions aren't that loud." He muttered that last sentence to himself while still holding his head.
"Oh, I'm sorry. We just didn't know if you were injured or if you were even coming back, please don't be mad." She was back to her usual subsonic tone.
"It's fine, it's fine. Rarity, are you mad to?" James asked, bracing for another outburst.
"No no, I think we're all cleared up here. On a lighter note, I've completed your new clothes just last night, there is a room in the back where you can try them on."
"Thank you, I will."
James went to the back room she had mentioned, briefly getting startled by a random white cat jumping from out of no where, and saw a neatly folded stack sitting on a table in the corner. He picked up a set and unfolded it, finding a nice red, long sleeve button down shirt with a gray undershirt folded inside. Beneath this was pair of black slacks, almost like dress pants, but more casual. Not bad. He quickly jumped out of his uniform and tried them on, noting that he probably should have washed first. He DID just get back from almost five days in the woods. Needless to say, the clothes fit almost perfectly. They were a little tight in some places, it wasn't as if the talented seamstress had had much practice designing clothes for humans. Still, they were quite comfortable.
He took off the new set of clothes and redressed in his uniform. James bundled the stack up and placed it in his rucksack before returning to the main room. Rarity was on the opposite side now, focused on something, while Fluttershy was frozen in an uncomfortable looking pose, an unfinished dress resting on her form.
Without looking up, Rarity asked, "How do you like them?"
"Love 'em. It's good to have a few extra sets of clothing."
"Yes, and now you don't have to wear that dreadful ensemble all the time."
"Yeah, it can be pretty uncomfortable sometimes. Rarity, do you think you could make another outfit for me? I would pay for this one of course."
"Of course."
"I need a uniform almost exactly like the one I'm wearing. Only instead of these colors," he gestured to the desert camo pattern, "I need it to be in alternating shades of black and green. Maybe even a little brown. Also, I need it made of a durable fabric that can resist wear and tear."
"Ugh, why would you want me to make something so ugly?" Her delicate face showed a slight hint of disgust.
"Please, it's important. I'll also need six other versions of that uniform, but fitted for stallions."
"And how, exactly, would you pay for all this?"
"Can you keep a secret?"
She nodded.
"Seriously, I don't want this going around. That means you too, Sweetie Belle!"
He heard a small 'eep' from the top of the stairs.
"This is for a special task force that your princess is putting together. She asked me to help out."
"You mean I'll be working on Royal commission!?" Her eyes grew wide and a smile appeared on her face.
"Yes, that you're not allowed to talk about."
"Oh, right. Wait, when did you talk to Princess Celestia?"
"That's not important. Well, I need to get going. Thank you again for the clothes Rarity."
"No, thank YOU for the extra business."
James went to leave, but Fluttershy stopped him when she saw two bloody holes in his pants leg.
"James, wait! What about your injury? Doesn't it hurt?"
James threw a smile over his shoulder and lifted the garment up a little to expose the site of his previous injury to show it was healed.
"Nah, I'm good now."
He resumed his step out the door, leaving a rather befuddled yellow pegasus behind him.
*sigh*
Now it was time to head to the farm. James wasn't looking forward to this. He didn't know how the other girls were going to react to him after he had snapped and walked out on them when they had tried to comfort him. It wasn't something he wanted to think about. And if Fluttershy, the quietest person... er, pony he knew was anything to judge by, it was not going to be pleasant.
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He heard it coming before it happened. He was on his way down the dirt road that ran towards the farm when his ears picked up the faint whistling. There was only one pony that could be hurtling towards him at that high velocity. He knew what was about to happen and he deserved it after the way he had treated her. So instead of taking a stance to defend himself, he loosened his muscles, relaxed and removed the rucksack from his shoulders, preparing to take the blow.
*WHUMP*
Something tackled James from behind, sending him into a tumble across the ground. When he came to a stop he was flat on his back and pinned down by an absolutely livid rainbow maned mare staring laser beams at him.
"'Sup."
She responded to him with a smack across his face.
'Fuck, those hooves hurt!'
"Ow."
"What the hay is WRONG with you!?"
"A great many things, Miss Dash."
"I'm not done!" She emphasized this with a hoof to his chest. "What were you thinking taking off like that when we were just trying to help you, when I was trying to help you?" She almost seemed to be on the verge of tears. "Don't you know I- we care about you?"
"Yes, and you all have every right to be upset and I'm sorry. Sometimes I'm just not entirely rational. In my defense, I've never really had good people skills, or pony skills. I guess. Anyway, can you forgive me for talking to you like that? And maybe the running off into the woods as well?"
She huffed, "We'll see."
"Well, at least it's a start. Can I get up now?"
"Fine." She grumbled, moving aside.
James sat up and brushed himself off. Then he picked up his rucksack and cover from where they had fallen. He re-shouldered his pack and dusted off his cap before replacing it on his head.
"Alright. I still have Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie Pie to talk to. Shall we?"
"Fine." She was still upset.
'Three down, three to go. This is shaping up to be quite a day.'
Chapter 12: Return To Some Normalcy
James and Rainbow Dash arrived at the Apple Homestead just after the sun had begun to descend from it's high point in the sky. The place was virtually vacant barring the elderly Granny Smith a rockin' in her rockin' chair upon the porch.
"Hello there Rainbow Dash, and welcome back from yer trip Jimmers! How can I help y'all?"
"Afternoon Granny, I was just wondering where the girls are. I heard they were here."
"Ohhhh yes! Mah darlin' Applejack and a few o' her friends are out harvestin' th' last of th' zap apples with Macintosh. Should be back any time now."
"Thanks Granny Smith, have a good day now!"
"That I will Jumsen!"
James and the sky blue weather pony set off in the direction of the old barn. James still didn't know what a 'zap apple' was or where they were growing at, so he thought it best to go wash up a bit before seeing the rest of the group. He hadn't had a proper wash in nearly a week and it would be best if he changed into some cleaner, more intact clothing. The two soon reached the barn without even a glimpse of the three other mares. James entered and looked around. His note and radio hadn't been touched and everything else was exactly as he left it. James peeked into the pile of hay blocks where he had stashed his rifle and grenades and was relieved to find it all still there, undisturbed. He pulled himself up into the loft, Rainbow flying up after him.
"So, whatcha gonna do until AJ, Twi and Pinkie get back?" Dash inquired.
"Well first I gotta wash up and get on some clean clothes."
"No argument there." Said Dash, sniffing the air.
"Yeeaah. I also have to do some maintenance on my equipment. Gotta make sure it keeps working."
"Ooo, can I help?"
"Sorry, you can watch if you want, but you can't mess with this stuff without knowing how it works."
"Fine." She crossed her forelegs, ears flattened against the top of her head.
'What is this, a catch phrase or something?'
James descended to the ground, grabbed an empty bucket and filled it up with the pump outside. He returned to the interior of the barn, clambered back up to the loft and extracted the first set of clothes Rarity had fabricated for him from his pack.
"Hey Dash, is it alright if you stepped out for a minute?"
"Why?"
"I'm about to de-stinkafy myself, if you get my meaning."
"So?"
"So, if the females here are anything like the ones back in my world then you were probably told by Applejack why I need some privacy."
She started to blush. "Heh heh, oh yeah. Uh, I'll just wait outside then." She flashed an awkward smile before bolting out the small doors set in the side of the loft.
James still was not too trusting and dragged the bucket of water under the loft's overhang before undressing himself after returning to the barn's dirt floor. He quickly scrubbed himself clean and, after waiting a few moments to dry, slipped into the new clothes that had been made for him. Lastly he donned clean socks and his boots when he heard a knock at the door.
James pulled the door open and was greeted with another hoof across his face.
"What in tarnation were ya gettin' at, actin' like that!?"
Behind Applejack were Twilight and Pinkie Pie. Twilight had an expression of anger crossed with concern that matched Applejack's. Pinkie, of course, was bouncing in place with a smile stretched across her muzzle. She just never seemed to run out of energy.
James rubbed his cheek, having just been slapped for the second time that day. He looked to the two behind the cowpony
"If either of you are going to hit me as well, please do it now and get it over with."
"Yer talkin' ta me, not them. Now, ya got anythin' ya'd like ta say?"
"Yes, yes, I apologize for the way I acted, it was wrong. Just please understand that I don't cope to well with doing the things that you witnessed me do."
"Then why would you do those things?" Twilight countered. Pinkie had stopped bouncing now.
"Because it were necessary."
"Why would something so horrible be necessary?" The purple librarian continued.
"Because if I didn't, then one or more of you could have been injured or killed!" He was beginning to get a little annoyed at having to explain his violent behavior and his left hand was starting to twitch. "I'm not proud of what I did, but if the alternative to doing nothing was one of you getting hurt, then I'm thankful I did! You think I like causing pain and destruction they way I did? I'm sorry I was mean to you. I'm sorry I ran away from you like that. But please, don't bring my motives into question."
All three mares were a bit intimidated by his outburst and it showed.
"Shit. I'm sorry. Again. You didn't deserve that."
"It's ok James, we still love ya!" Pinkie's comment snapped her two friends out of it.
"Please don't be mad James, we didn't mean it that way. We're just worried." Twilight explained.
"Yeah, it's not so often that one of our friends just runs of inta th' forest like that. We were a little scared fer ya is all." Applejack added.
James looked up to the sky and saw that the sun was about half way to the horizon.
*sigh* "Yeah, I understand. Listen. Please just give me a day, come back tomorrow if you want. I just need to depressurize before I say anything else stupid. Is that alright?"
"Take all the time ya need sugarcube. I'll be at th' house if'n ya need anythin' tho'."
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."
The three ponies turned and left. James turned around and went back inside. He grasped the bucket and dumped the dirty water outside, filling it up with more clean water from the pump after. He took it back inside and scrubbed clean his uniform as best he could before hanging it up to dry on the rafters. James studied the holes in the pants leg. He would have to borrow some needles and thread from Rarity and sew it up himself. Easy day.
Finally he jumped back up to the loft. James took out the other two sets of clothes and placed them neatly in a corner. Then he took out his knife, pistol and NVGs. The knife he ran through a sharpener he always carried in his rucksack. When he was done, he carefully slid it back into it's sheath. Next he grabbed his sidearm. James removed the magazine and locked the slide back, ejecting the round currently chambered in the process. He inserted the round back into the mag and turned his attention back to his firearm. With practiced skill he field stripped the weapon and laid it's components out before himself. James got to work on running a small wire brush through the barrel when he heard something land on the frame of the loft's opening.
"Didn't think you were coming back." He said to Dash without breaking from his task.
"I heard your argument and didn't want to bother you."
"Don't worry, I'm fairly calm now."
"Do you mind if I stay and watch what you're doing?"
"Not at all."
James returned to silence as Rainbow Dash watched him clean and oil the large caliber pistol.
Finally, Dash plucked up some courage. "Why are you taking that apart and cleaning it?"
James finished scrubbing a particularly stubborn spot of grime before answering her, "Because this is one of my tools. Only, it's not like other tools. If for some reason this should fail or jam when I need it, it could mean the difference between life and death. So I make sure it's in top working condition whenever I get the chance."
He swiftly ran a soft cloth over all the parts to remove any excess oil. Then in a blur of hands and metal, he reassemble the firearm in such speed as to impress even the athletic mare sitting beside him. James racked the slide back, made sure the hammer was cocked, deactivated the safety and pointed the end of the barrel at the floorboards between his feet before pulling the trigger, resulting in a satisfying click as the hammer struck the firing pin.
"Woah, how'd ya do that? That thing must've had like, a hundred parts!"
"Lots of practice, my feathery friend."
The tired warrior shoved the magazine back into the well, noting that he only had a few shots left in it as he did so. He would swap it out with a full one tomorrow. Pity that it could only hold seven rounds. James had experimented with using a mag modified to hold more rounds in the past, but he didn't like the way the extra weight off set the 1911's balance.
He stowed the gun under the blanket of his jury rigged bedding and brought his eyes to Dash.
"So, we good? I know you were pretty well pissed earlier and I want to make sure we're cool."
A smirk beset her face and she gave him a bit of a sultry look. "Yeah, we're cool. You act a little loopy sometimes, but you make up for it in awesomeness." She raised a hoof and James bumped it with his fist. "Just make sure you don't leave like that again and I won't have to kick your flank again."
"Alright, I get it. I don't think I could take another beating like that again anyway!"
They both had a brief laugh at their little exchange.
James checked out the loft doors again and saw the sun had set and it was getting dark. He hadn't slept in almost two days, and while he had gone a lot longer without sleep, he still wanted to do some catching up. He yawned.
"Sorry to kick you out here, but I need to get some sleep Dash. I didn't get enough last night."
"Aww, really?"
"Yeah, sorry. I wish I could stay up, but tonight it ain't gonna happen."
"Fine, but I'm coming back to visit soon."
"Fine by me. You know where I can be found."
"Ha, I got wings, remember? I can find you anywhere."
They both chuckled a little more. Rainbow Dash stared at James for a moment, making him a bit uncomfortable before she gave him a playful punch to the shoulder and flew out the opening in the wall.
'She's a bit peculiar, but fun. Wish I met more girls like her back home.'
His own comment caught him off guard for a moment, but he shrugged it off and lay down on his straw mattress, kicking his boots off. James lay there for a time, staring up a the bright moon and stars floating through the sky. He still marveled at their sparkling beauty. Gradually, his heartbeat slowed and his eyelids grew heavy. His mind briefly ran through the day's events before his eyes finally slammed shut and he knew naught but darkness.
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*thump* *thump* *Thump* *Thump* *THUMP* *THUMP*
He sat on the deck of the helicopter, one leg hanging loosely out the starboard side door, enjoying the view of the small city as is rolled by. Rocka was sitting closer to the middle, strapped into one of the seats. They were returning from a simple babysitting assignment, providing a sniper overwatch for a meeting between the so called 'politicians' of this country and top brass from his military. Easy day. Him and Rocka had just been chillin' out on the roof of a highrise for two days. Nothing had happened. Nothing would have, anybody would have been absolutely nuts to attack and area under the protection of almost a full battalion of marines.
"I don't get how you can do that man, you gonna fall out, crazy ass." Rocka yelled at him. The bulky Brooklyn native has terrified of heights and any transport that had to do with them.
"You worry too much dude, I'm clipped in." He pointed to the tether attached to the back of his tac vest, securing him to the helo.
"Whatever Ghengis, you always were a crazy cracker ass."
"And don't you forge--"
Bullets started slamming into the fuselage, tearing through the body and sending paint chips everywhere.
"FUCK, FUCK! I'M HIT, IT HIT MY LEG!" The co-pilot was screaming from the front. The helicopter started to spin.
"GHENGIS, HOLD ON!"
He tried to, but before he could grab a hold of anything, he slipped out the door. The tether suddenly snapped taught keeping him from going any further, centrifugal force the only thing stopping him from flying into the blades above. Quickly he spun his body around and grabbed the life line and started pulling himself hand over hand back to the cabin.
The pilot finally got the bird under control, halting it's spin, but they were still taking hostile fire. Grasping Rocka's outstretched hand, he hauled himself back inside and brought up his rifle, searching for the source. He spotted a muzzle flash on a rooftop not far away. The sharpshooter sighted up on the target. What he saw surprised and dismayed him.
On the rooftop was a boy that couldn't have been more than thirteen or fourteen years old. The kid had an AK-47, barrel resting on a horizontal pipe, using broken bipod legs to brace against it. The kid was just finishing reloading.
He didn't know if he could do this. The kid wasn't even old enough to be out of highschool. What should he--
The hostile resumed firing, some of the rounds impacting uncomfortably close. Out of reflex, he pulled the trigger.
"NO!"
James shot up, whipping his pistol out and spinning around, looking for a threat. His heart was racing once again, breaths ragged, his sidearm was shaking in his grip and he couldn't think strait. After a moment, he recognized his surroundings and calmed down.
'It's ok, it's ok,' He thought to himself while taking deep breaths, 'you're not in the sandbox anymore, you're not there anymore.'
James paced uneasily around the loft, head in his hands.
'My hair is getting too long, I need to cut it.'
He had a razor he had been using to shave, but of course that wouldn't be practical. He was, however, essentially living in a tool shed. So he jumped down to the ground an rummaged through the various items stowed on some shelves at one side of the room. Soon enough, he had a pair of pruning shears in his hand. They were old and a little rusty, but they were still sharp. He found a cracked mirror on the floor, under the shelves. It was too dark to see still so he retrieved his iPod to use as a light before starting.
When he finished, his hair was a bit uneven in places, but not in a way that stood out. He felt better, but he was still tense. Nothing like an early morning run to relieve some stress. James swapped out his civilian attire for a pair of his uniform pants and a black undershirt. He strapped on his boots and strode out into the chill night air. James started out at a jog and gradually accelerated into well paced run. The lone human ran along the edge of the orchard that bordered the forest, stopping every so often to do pull-ups on a tree branch or push-ups off the ground. He kept this up for about twenty minutes and turned around, repeating his actions on the way back. The sun was rising in the east now, soft pink and orange hues gradually overtaking the darkness of the sky. When James arrived at his humble abode, he had worked up quite a sweat.
Now he felt a lot better. James prepared another bucket of clean water and rinsed the sweat and grime from his body. Then he swapped out his sweaty uniform for the one hanging from the rafters. It was still damp, but manageable.
The sun was almost completely up now. The warm rays were streaming through the loft's doors. Today was going to be a bright and sunny day, he could feel it. Perfect for what he had in store.
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Flash flew down to the orchard and landed in front of the old barn Big Mac had directed him to. The young stallion trotted up to one of the large doors and knocked several time. He was excited for today, maybe after he did this, he could get his old job back. The green eyed colt waited impatiently for the human to answer. Just when he was about to leave and go look for the man, something wrapped around one of his hind legs and flipped him on his back. Flash looked up to see James standing over him with a wicked smile.
"First lesson: situational awareness. Pay attention to your environment or you'll end up on your ass. Now get up and start running, we got a lot of work to do."
Chapter 13: Getting Started
"82... 83... 84... 85... 86........ c'mon, push it out, just do four more. 87... 88...... just two more, 89... 90."
Flash collapsed in the dirt. It was the most push-ups he had ever done at one time, but the demon standing next to him wanted more.
"Ninety in almost three minutes, a new personal best."
"James, why am I just exercising? I thought you were going to teach me to fight."
"First off, I'm not teaching you to fight, I'm teaching you to defend yourself. Only idiots and D-Bags undergo this training for the purpose of fighting. Secondly, before I teach you anything, we need to build your endurance, stamina and strength up. Otherwise, anything I DO teach you will be next to useless. Now get up and run around this section of trees again."
The stallion got up to comply.
The ruthless trainer called after him, "And if I catch you using your wings again, I'm tying them so tightly to your back you won't feel 'em for a week!"
After his charge left, James grabbed a bucket from the barn and filled it up at the pump. Then, carrying the bucket full of water back to the starting point with him, he waited for his student to come back. After about ten minutes he spotted the pegasus galloping down the home stretch.
James called out as he got closer, "Alright, come on over and take a break."
The silver maned stallion put in an extra burst of speed to reach the clear sparkling water.
"Drink it slow, we still have a couple more things to do after this." He said, stopping the tired pony from quaffing down too much water at once.
James let his pupil rest for fifteen minutes, then it was back to the grind.
"Ok, times up. Do fifty more push-ups and then time for more squats."
"Aaaaawwwwww......."
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James had Flash on this routine for the next few days. He kept the pony repeating it until James was no longer needed. On the fourth day of training, they received a visitor.
"Are you Mr. James Kaughn?" An official looking unicorn pony stallion asked. He was wearing a basic working uniform, a patch on the shoulder featured an image of a crossed wrench and hammer with a small sun superimposed over them where they met his coat was a dull red, but his mane was a stark neon blue.
"Yep, that's me. What can I do for you?"
"My name is Lieutenant Lectric Sparks and I'm here with the Royal Corps of Engineers."
"Alright, cool. Where is the rest of your team?"
"They are unloading our gear and equipment at the train station with Captain Iron Horn. I have been instructed to find you and return to my unit with your first set of orders." He finished with a smart salute.
"Straight to the point, I like that. By the way, I'm an enlisted man, rendering a salute to me is unnecessary."
"Sir, we were informed that you held the rank of Commander in the newly formed Royal Special Tasks Group."
'Shit, I thought that was just a title. I just jumped up twelve pay grades, I hope I get paid like it too.'
"Very well. Then consider this my first order as an officer. You and the rest of your unit are no longer required to salute me with the exception of formal military events or when I'm wearing whatever the formal military dress uniform. Just to keep up appearances."
"Sir?"
"That's an order, please relay it to your Captain."
"Yes sir!"
As the engineer pony turned to leave, he almost saluted the freshly promoted human, but caught himself midway, just galloping back the way he came instead.
'Good guy. Can follow unconventional orders.'
"Hey Flash!"
"Yeah?" He was almost finished with his squats.
"Go ahead and run another lap, then call it a day. I got some business to take care of."
"Thank Celestia." The dark stallion muttered under his breath.
"What was that?"
"I said thanks for the rest-ia!" The pony said over his shoulder, galloping away.
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James arrived at the station and spotted the engineers loading their equipment into some carts. The group consisted mainly of unicorn and earth ponies, but there were also a few pegasi. He looked around and picked out a serious looking unicorn he guessed was Captain Iron Horn.
"Captain! How was your trip?"
"Sir! We are just about finished with loading everything up. All we need now is a site to build at."
"Sounds good."
James waited patiently while the small detachment finished up. He spoke to the Captain when they did.
"Alright, I think I got the perfect place, follow me and I'll tell you what I have in mind."
He led the caravan far away from town, close to the forest. The site he had picked he remembered seeing from the sky when Twilight first brought him here in her balloon. It was far enough away from Ponyville that noise wouldn't be a problem yet close enough that it would be only a thirty minute or so walk back. The entire area was almost entirely blocked from view with trees. On the way there, James described the training facility to the chief engineer.
"I need a barracks to house at least six ponies. The berthing area will be all one room with an adjoining bathroom. The bathroom only needs three toilets and sinks, also small shower room that can only fit three. A short distance away, I need a briefing room large enough for ten. In between both these buildings, I want a large circular patch of sand or loose dirt. Behind the buildings, closer to the edge of the forest, I want a watchtower at least four stories tall. How soon can you get all that put up?"
"Should only take a week and a half, working every day, at least eight hours a day."
"That's fast, nice. Now, tell me what you know about obstacle courses......."
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It was five days into construction and everything was coming together nicely. Flash's cousin Ditzy had even dropped by the barn to deliver James' monthly stipend. He took out two hundred, stashed the rest and went off to visit Rarity.
James knocked on the door of the flashy fashion palace.
"Who is it?"
"Rarity, it's James." The door glowed light blue and swung open to reveal the shop's owner.
"James! How nice to see you, what can I help you with?"
"I came to check up on the uniforms I asked for."
"Oh yes! They're all nearly finished. I'm just putting the finishing touches on the last one. Your's was actually completed yesterday."
"Nice. I also came by because I need to design a unit patch to put on the sleeve."
"Of course, please come in."
"Also, how much is all this costing?"
"Let's see, cost of fabric, working time, throw in the seven patches and you're looking at about one hundred and ninety-two bits." She informed him with a smile.
'Damn, good guesstimate on my part.'
"Perfect. Here's two-hundred, keep the change."
"Oh my, you are my first client to pay before seeing the finished product!"
"I'm absolutely confident in the quality of your work."
The designer pony blushed a little and batted her eye lashes, "You may be a bit rough around the edges, but you sure do know how to compliment a lady. Now, let us talk about your patch's design....."
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James continued Flash's training, checking up on the construction every day. The obstacle course had added a few extra days onto the completion time, but it would be finished in time for his recruits' arrival.
Flash had just completed his second thirty minute run for the day. He huffed and puffed back to the barn entrance where water was waiting for him. James had made him go through his workout at break neck speed, having the pony finish the entire routine before noon. James walked outside to greet his student.
"Take a ten minute rest, then come inside."
The human re-entered the old barn while Flash caught his breath. When the ten minutes were up, he went inside. James was sitting cross legged on the floor opposite the doors.
"Come sit down across from me."
Flash complied, taking his place and plopping down on his haunches.
"Why do you fight?"
"What?"
"The question is simple, and so is the answer. Why do you fight?"
"Uh... to help others I guess."
"You guess?"
"Well I--"
"I can't teach someone who can only guess his motives. Now, why do you fight?"
Flash thought for a moment. He thought back to the time in the alley a couple weeks ago. He thought about his old job.
"So that others don't have to. I'd rather deal with the pain and make sure it doesn't happen again than see somepony else get hurt."
James was glad to hear this. It meant that Flash would use the knowledge he was about to receive for others and not for himself.
"Good. Now we will begin your training."
"What!? Then what was all that running and exercising for?"
"Like I explained earlier, that was to get you in shape to start your training. Moving on, I don't know too much about pony physiology, but we're both mammals so it should be pretty similar. The only other thing is that you can't stand on two legs for very long without toppling over, so I will have to heavily modify almost everything to fit your natural movements. This will not be fun."
James guided Flash through some of the more simpler forms of striking and blocking, modified for a quadruped. It was slow going, but the stallion managed to get it down.
"Good. Now practice that for two days and come back to me."
"You got it!"
James left his pupil to his own devices and went to see Captain Iron Horn. After a nice long walk, he arrived at the compound. The engineers were all taking a break under a tent. As James approached, all fifteen stood and snapped to attention.
"At ease, at ease. Iron Horn, how's progress?"
"Sir, we've completed all structural and plumbing projects. By the end of tomorrow, all the electrical wiring will be completed and you will have free reign of the facility."
"Outstanding. Captain, I have two more requests to make."
"Sir, just name the order and we will do our best to follow."
"Alright then. Firstly, I would like Lieutenant Sparks to stay on board as our resident engineer. He has shown exceptional knowledge in his craft and would be a great addition to my staff. Especially if we were to need something designed and built in a hurry."
Captain Iron Horn eyed the human with a bit of contempt. "Are you looking for some kind of janitor? If so, you can find plenty of qualified ponies in town nearby."
"On the contrary. I need a skilled engineer that can design and construct buildings and defensive barriers quickly and effectively, as well as help build and maintain complex machinery. It just so happens that Lieutenant Weld fits the bill."
The engineer's CO contemplated this for a moment before answering. "All right, he's yours. But if you use him for anything like unclogging toilets, you'll have me to contend with."
"Oh don't you worry about that. I have much bigger things planned. Please have him meet me at my residence tomorrow morning."
"I'll make sure he does. And what was your second request, sir?"
"Simple, tomorrow you will gather your company and meet me outside my current residence just before sundown."
"May I ask why sir?"
"No, you may not. Just ensure that all the loose ends are tied up here. After that, and my last request there, your detachment is finished with this project."
"One last question sir?"
"Shoot."
"What about your private quarters? In all the planning, you haven't mentioned a single syllable about it."
"Oh, don't worry about that. I'll make my own way. You and your company are here to build for your brothers in arms, not for me."
The engineer pony nearly cracked a smile, but not quite. "That's good to hear sir. Not many commanders in the Royal Army would say that."
"Eh, you can drop the formalities around here Captain, just call me James."
The smile on the engineer's muzzle was now almost noticeable. "Then you can call me Ira." The stallion replied.
"Nice to finally meet you Ira."
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The next day, James walked into Sugarcube Corner looking for Pinkie Pie. The Cakes informed him that she was busy with an order, but would be out shortly. To pass the time, he bought a cupcake to snack on. It was one of the best he ever had, moist and fluffy. The frosting was a little too sugary for his taste, but still, it was delicious. He was told it was one of Pinkie's own recipes.
James had just finished a second helping when Pinkie burst excitedly out of the kitchen.
"Hiya Jimmy James, what can I do for ya?"
"I'd like to organize a small party. It only needs to be big enough for about thirty to forty people. Nothing fancy."
"Ooooo.... what's this for?"
"It's for some ponies that just completed a project for me. I want to show some gratitude before they leave."
"Okie dokie, when do you want to schedule the event?"
"It needs to happen tonight. Everything has to be ready by sundown."
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All the wagons were packed and the Royal Corps of Engineers were ready to leave. They had done a beautiful job with everything. All the structures were solidly built and the plumbing had no leaks. It was a fine facility. They had even built bed frames in the barracks. James just had to find mattresses and figure out the food situation. He had to feed six pony guards for almost three or four months. But he would worry about that tomorrow.
"Ira."
"Sir?"
"Have your detachment prep the wagons for departure at the station and then form them up at my current address, Lieutenant Spark knows where."
"Sir, we're leaving tonight, aren't we?"
"Nope, I had your itinerary changed earlier, you leave tomorrow. I just need one more thing from you all."
"You got it."
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James walked up to his place, eager to see what the hard partying mare had in store for the Corps. It was evening and the engineers would arrive soon. He opened the door and inspected the interior. There were some tables with drinks and some food, but it was bare of any decorations. He heard some shuffling from the loft.
"Pinkie, you up there?"
"Yessir indeedy!"
"It looks great in here. My guests will have a good time with this. I'm a little surprised it isn't more flashy, you feeling all right?"
"Don't worry, I'm taking care of the decorations right now!"
Suddenly, the barrel of a cannon appeared over the edge of the loft.
"Pinkie, what is that?!"
"It's my patented party cannon!"
"YOUR GOING TO FIRE A CANNON IN HERE!?"
"Yep!" She responded as casually as if she were talking about taking a nice stroll through the park. Then she lit the fuse, all while displaying a large and slightly disturbing smile.
'Holy shit, I gotta get outta here, she's freaking nuts!'
James launched himself out the barn door and flattened himself on the ground, arms over his head.
"Uh, what are you doing?" Came the voice of Ira from in front of him. James looked up.
"Oh, Ira, glad you're here. I see the rest of your team is here as well. You might want to brace yourselves."
"Why--
BOOM
A loud concussion emanated from the barn, catching all fifteen ponies off guard and sending them scattering for cover.
James stood up and brushed himself off. Just then, Twilight showed up with Rarity and Applejack.
"Hello James. I see you've gotten acquainted with the party cannon." The three mares giggled a little
"Yeah, you could say that. Is it gonna be totally destroyed in there?"
Rarity answered him, "Don't worry darling, it actually works quite well. Although we're not entirely sure how."
"It's jus' Pinkie bein' Pinkie," Applejack added, "it takes some getting used ta, but ya will."
"But enough about that, who are all these handsome stallions here tonight?" Rarity asked, batting her eyes in the engineers' direction. They had since come out of their hiding places, still a bit wary.
"They're part of the Royal Corps of Engineers. The past two weeks, they've been helping me out with my project. They are leaving tomorrow, so I thought I'd throw them a little 'thank you' party before they do. Captain Iron Horn! Come on over here and meet a few of my friends. This is Twilight Sparkle, Rarity and Applejack. You will meet Pinkie Pie inside."
The officer came forward and bowed to them. "It's an honor to finally meet you all."
"Ira, what's goin' on here?"
"You don't know?"
"Know what?"
The engineer pony's eyes went wide in disbelief. "James, you're friends with some of the most famous ponies in all of Equestria! How could you not know?"
"Twilight, what's he saying?"
"Oh, it's no big deal. We just may have..... helped out the Princesses a couple times here and there." She said quickly.
"Uh... wow. Heh, I've never hung out with celebrities before."
"James, please don't treat us like celebrities, it's kinda annoyin'." Applejack said bluntly.
"Oh, but it is such a glamorous lifestyle." Rarity pouted.
"Don't worry, I wont. It'd be a little awkward, huh? Alright, let's get the party started here, It's a celebration!"
The group went inside and put on some beats. Gradually, more guests arrived to partake in the festivities. In time, Rainbow Dash and even Fluttershy came to have some fun. Flash showed up soon after with a couple of kegs strapped to his sides.
Flash wanted to teach James a pegasus drinking game that was eerily close to Beirut, except you had to shoot with the wing and the cups were spaced more widely apart and in the shape of lightning bolts. James of course didn't have wings, but made due with his hands. He also had had plenty of experience in beer pong, much to Flash's frustration.
"How are you even good at this?" James had already made several shots and Flash was getting tipsy.
"Beginner's luck I guess." James lied with a slight smirk.
"No way! I don't know how, but you're cheating!"
"If it makes you feel better, I'll chug the rest of my cups."
"Ha! You couldn't do that, that's like, nine beers!"
"He he, watch me."
James started pounding down the brews. Flash stared at him wide eyed until he finished.
"Ha, told ya."
"No way."
"Yup. I think I'm good on beer now, Imma go grab some cider, you want some?"
"Sure."
James retrieved a couple of mugs and sat down on the old blocks of hay where Flash came to join him. James gave his friend a mug and held his own up.
"Cheers."
"Cheers."
They tapped their mugs together and each took a sip. The two relaxed for a moment before Flash turned to his pal.
"He dude, you're getting some looks."
"What do you mean?"
"Every once in a while, I catch that blue weather pony sneakin' peeks at you."
"Alright."
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"You gonna go talk to her?"
"I talk to her all the time. That's Rainbow Dash, she's one of my friends."
"Heh, looks to me like she wants a little more than that!" He said, lightly elbowing James in the ribs a few times.
Truth of the matter was, James had noticed this. Often, he'd be looking around the room for something or somepony and he would see her looking in his direction, but she would always quickly look away when he caught her. She'd been acting that way all evening. Only, he didn't know how to handle it exactly. He had had more than a few girlfriends back home, but he wasn't exactly the lady killer type. There was also the being of a whole different species thing. Just then, Ira trotted up and interrupted his thoughts.
"Thanks for party James, it really lifted up my engineers' morale."
"I'm glad it did, you guys deserved it after putting in all that hard work. Everything was completed with extremely high quality."
"It should've been. I hoof picked the entire team."
"Is Lieutenant Sparks aware of his new assignment?"
"Yes, he just needs a place to stay."
"He could stay with me!" Flash offered. "You could too James. The place is a little rundown, but it's pretty big and a hay of a lot better than living in a barn."
James was a bit surprised. But he could think of no better options.
"Ok, we'll head over there tomorrow. After your exercise routine."
"Darn, I just can't escape that."
"No you can't."
"Well, now that's been settled, I must gather my company and leave. We have a busy day tomorrow."
"Alright Ira, happy trails. I'll be sure to request your team personally if anything else comes up."
"Please do. They get paid extra for special projects."
The Captain mustered up his company and led them back into town where they were staying. This left just James, Flash, Sparks, the girls and a few ponies from town at the barn. Since the 'guests of honor' had left, the party started to wind down.
"So Sparks, welcome to the team."
"If you don't mind me asking sir..."
"You're part of my team now. James is fine."
"Ok, James... if you don't mind me asking, what will I be doing? Your training facility is already complete."
"Tomorrow morning I need you to report here at 0500 with Flash, your teammate."
"Teammate?"
"Yes. It sounds confusing now, but I will explain later. For now, you will be following a routine with Flash. I also have some other plans for you."
"Understood. So what's the routine?"
Flash gave the unicorn a knowing look, "Oh, you're in for it."
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All the other townsponies had left by now, as it was getting late. James estimated the time to be close to midnight. It was about time he turned in. He sent Flash and Sparks back to Flash's place. When Twilight and her friends were heading out the door, James began to extinguish the lanterns that were hung up in preparation for his sleep. He was about to snuff out the last one when he felt a presence behind him and turned around. Everypony had left, but Rainbow Dash was still here.
"Hey Dash, you need something?" James grabbed and opened a left over bottle of beer and took a seat.
"I just wanted to... well I..."
"Take your time, I'm a patient person." He took a sip of his beer. It was an ale, a bit fruity with a pinch of bitter. Perfect for the currently sweltering weather.
Closed her eyes and exhaled, composing herself. Then she looked back to the reclining human.
"I wanted to know if you maybe, wanted to hang out some more... sometime."
James arched an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"
"Well... we could just, you know, hang out. Or you could come visit Cloudsdale! Yeah, I could show you the weather factory like I did everyone else! I even know a couple of good restaurants there!"
James considered this for a moment. He had a lot of responsibilities here now, he also had the six other ponies he needed to train arriving in just a few short weeks.
"Sounds like a ton of fun. When would we go?"
"Really!? Aw, cool! We could go in a few more days when I have time off from work. We also need Twilight to do a cloud walking spell."
"Cloud walking spell?"
"Yeah, silly. Only pegasi can walk on clouds and you don't have wings, remember?"
"Wait, Cloudsdale is really made of clouds?"
"Duh. How else would it float in the sky?"
This was going to be interesting. James had been at high altitudes while performing HALO and HAHO jumps, he had fallen straight through layers of clouds. Walking on them was going to be an entirely new experience.
"Right... well, I'm down. Come get me when you're ready to take me. I don't really need to be here for another couple of weeks."
"All right! This is gonna be SO AWESOME!"
The rainbow maned pegasus flew strait out the barn at high speed, kicking up some dust as she left.
'What have I gotten myself into.'
The weary human extinguished the last lantern and retreated to his loft, carrying his beer with him. James popped his headphones into his ears and scrolled through the music on his iPod. He finally landed on some Jimi Hendrix, starting with 'Hey Joe'. James lay back on his makeshift hay mattress and finished his beer while enjoying some truly classic rock. The moon was full and bathed the land before him in a luminous silver light. After a time, he closed his eyes and finally submerged into a gratefully dreamless sleep.
Chapter 14: Old Enemy, New Friend
'Why the hay did I agree to this?'
The youthful Lieutenant was busy doing push-ups next to his only teammate. The now clearly cruel human had been drilling them both all morning.
"C'mon, you can give me more than that! What, they don't do any heavy lifting in the Engineers' Corps?"
It was starting to get on the unicorn's nerves. James had been running Sparks through the same routine as Flash's since the wee hours of the morning. It was now almost noon and the two legged creature didn't look like he was letting up.
"Alright, do two laps around the course and report back to me."
The two ponies followed through and returned to their positions before their master.
"Outstanding. Flash, you're getting much faster. Sparks, it's a good thing you're already in good shape. This next part is a bit unorthodox, but I think I need to get you both on the same page as soon as possible. Now follow me."
James spent the next hour showing Sparks the basic forms he had taught Flash a few days ago. When he finished he broke them for lunch.
"Good. Now you both go ahead and get something to eat. I have just a couple of things left before I let you both go for the day. Be back in here in forty-five minutes."
"Yes sir!" They both exclaimed in unison.
After they had returned, James had Sparks demonstrate the basic blocking and striking forms and stances he had taught him.
"Good, now that you've gotten that down, you will both spar each other. You are not allowed to use wings or magic. Understood?"
"Yeah, but why am I learning to fight? I'm just an engineer."
"Because on this team everyone needs to learn how to handle any situation. If something were to happen where you needed to defend yourself, you won't be a liability to the team. You understand now?"
"Affirmative."
"Outstanding, now back to work."
James entered the barn and left the two to their devices. He went up to his loft and pulled out two rounds, one .45 caliber and a 5.56 mm. He then swung back down and went over to the shelves of tools, took a few that he needed and shifted over to a nearby worktable. Living in a barn had it's perks. Using the tools, he deconstructed both rounds of ammunition; removing the bullets, the powder and the percussion cap at the base of the shell. He organized all the components neatly together, being careful not to mix them up. James took a quick break after this and sat down with an apple. After he finished, he went back out side to check on his two students.
They were performing their blocks, attacks and counters almost flawlessly. They were only basic forms, but that was impressive after only a day and a half with it.
"Alright, break it up. You're both good for today. You guys go get some water, then I want Flash to wait out here and Sparks to come meet me inside."
Both followed the instructions. After getting his drink, Sparks entered the barn and found the human.
"James, what's this for?"
"I need to show you something, but before I do, you need to promise to me that you will never divulge any of this information to living being with out my permission."
The engineer pony was a little confused by the need for such secrecy, but he was intrigued. "Ok, I promise."
"Outstanding, now follow me."
James lead Sparks to the worktable and showed him the components of the ammunition.
"Are you able to replicate any of this? This is the finished product all put together, except instead of a metal slug, I want to cap it with a wax covering."
The curious pony studied all the object and chemicals set before him, sometimes using magic to do so.
"I think I can, but not with a spell, it's too complex. I'll need to order raw materials from Canterlot."
"Do whatever you need to do."
James had a mischievous smile on his face. With any luck, he might actually be able to give his recruits a proper Hell Week.
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"C'mon, it's just a little further down the road!"
James and Sparks were following Flash to his home. James had packed up all his gear quickly, eagerly anticipating living in a building with indoor plumbing. The trio rounded a bend to see.... an old two story house that looked like it was on the verge of collapse. It sat on a small hill and even featured a front porch.
"Holy shit, you live here?"
"You are correct."
"And it hasn't fallen on you yet?"
"Hey! It may look bad, but it's actually pretty sturdy and everything inside works."
"How'd you get this?"
"It was cheap on the market, I sunk almost all my savings into it."
"We definitely need to fix this up if we're gonna live here, Sparks you down?"
*sigh* "You know it."
They followed the pegasus into his home, expecting the worst. What awaited them inside shocked them.
"How does that even make sense?"
"Definitely not what I expected."
They looked around at the well maintained living room. There was a couch in front a coffee table and larger table that sat four on the far end of the room next to some windows. A small archway led to the kitchen and a short distance away were two other doors. One was closed, but the other was open and had a small bathroom complete with toilet, sink and shower. James walked into the kitchen and found it stocked with an icebox, stove/oven, a sink and a small table.
"Flash, how the hell did you afford this?"
"I told you, I used most of my savings."
"How long had you been saving up?"
"Since I was little."
"Wow."
Sparks called from back in the living room, "Hey, what's the sleeping arrangement here?"
"Well, I got my room down here. There's two empty rooms upstairs, take your pick."
"Your cousin doesn't live with you?"
"Ditzy? Nah, she's got her own place in town."
James went to the upstairs and encountered two closed doors right next to each other. He opened both of them and looked inside. They were both identical in structure, both had a closet adjacent to the door and windows in the two outside walls allowing the resident to enjoy a fantastic view of the forest. The one on the right had a better view of town while the one on the left had a better view of the forest. Being more of an outdoorsy guy, naturally James took the left room. He tossed his pack in and stashed his rifle in a corner of the closet and closed the closet door. He then returned downstairs.
"I picked the one on the left."
"I guess I get the other one then."
"By the way Sparks, where's your stuff at?"
"It's getting shipped here, should only be a few days."
"Cool, then I just need to worry about me. Flash, you know any good places in town to get stuff for my room?"
"Sure, I'll take you there tomorrow."
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After their daily routine, James went to town with Flash and got himself a twin sized mattress, a small desk and a beanbag chair. Because c'mon, BEANBAG CHAIR. He and Flash borrowed a small wagon from Applejack to get it all back. It was a bit of a walk to the house from town, probably one of the reasons why it was cheap. James didn't have a bed frame and just tossed the mattress in the corner of the room directly opposite the door. He set the desk in the corner where the two windows met and the beanbag chair in front of it. He also bought some hangers for his clothes.
Everything now nice and organized, he descended to the first floor. Sparks and Flash were sitting in the living room with a few beers. For his room, Sparks was just using a sleeping bag Flash loaned him until his stuff arrived.
Flash tossed James one of the beers. "You all set up there?"
"Yep, all good. So what are we doing for dinner?"
"We decided to go out for dinner tonight, sound good to you?"
"Sure, sounds good."
They finished their beers and went into town, stopping at one of the more inexpensive eateries that operated there. His two pony friends had their pick of the menu, but James had to settle for rice and steamed vegetables again. The fact that where ever he went he only had a choice of two or three items was getting annoying, but there wasn't much he could do about it, so James just dealt with it. Fortunately, the place also served beer.
James and his two friends chatted over a couple of rounds of drinks. When the sun started to set, they decided to pay the check and leave. On the way out, they bumped into Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. They exchanged some small talk with the three mares and had to calm Pinkie down when she heard about the new living arrangements. She wanted to throw a house party, but what with all the training and tomorrow being a work day, they talked her down to a smaller get together at a later date.
Both ponies and the human returned to their abode within due time and retired to their respective rooms. James grabbed the pillow and extra bed sheets Flash gave him earlier and made his bed. It felt good to finally be able to sleep in an actual bed now. In his own room in a house with friends no less. The fact that he could possibly no longer return to his old life didn't bother him as much as had anymore. He still hadn't had much interaction with the inhabitants of this world outside of the six kind mares that had first taken him in, their military and leadership and of course the two friends he was now living with, and as such was still largely ignorant of their culture, but it was something he could work on.
James sat down at his new desk and pulled out his iPod and a quill and parchment. As the effervescent moon rose slowly outside his window he began to draw out the training schedule for the six guards ponies that were set to arrive in just a few days. He needed to train them fast while bringing them up to an acceptable level of readiness. SEAL training usually took almost four years to fully complete, James had to condense that in to months and weeks. It wasn't going to be easy.
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James was walking back from town with Flash. James went to pick up his uniform from Rarity while the black pegasus accompanying him just popped into town for some groceries. They were about half way back to the house on a stretch of road the ran along the edge of part of the forest. James got a strange feeling, as if they were being watched. He thought that maybe he was being paranoid when something hard and jagged struck the back of his skull. It didn't knock him out, but it did send him to the ground on his hands and knees. James heard struggling beside him as he tried to shake the pain away and get his vision back to normal. He began to sit up when he was struck from behind again, this time with a hoof.
"Not so tough now are you?"
Shit, he recognized that voice.
James finally got his vision to focus and looked around. He could feel a warm liquid streaking down his back. He and Flash were surrounded by five stallions. Lightning stood before him while two other ponies held knives to both James and Flash's necks. Another two stood nearby, one of them James recognized as the earth pony he had spared during their first encounter. The navy blue pony with a dark brown mane looked nervous, like he didn't want to be a part of this.
"Look at you both, so helpless. Helpless at MY hoof. I run this town and no two legged freak from nowhere and his weak ass friend aren't going to stop ME."
"Helpless at your hoof, huh? Then who're all these guys? Looks like you didn't do shit."
"SHUT UP!" Lighting punched James in the face. Hard. He tasted blood in his mouth. Some splattered into the dirt from the back of his head.
"Thanks, I did have a little itch on my nose." The smart assed comment earned him another punch to the gut.
"James! Cut it out, he's just gonna hurt you more!" Flash yelled at him, concerned for his friend's health.
"But I haven't had such a gentle massage like this in years! And those are expensive!" He started to chuckle.
Lightning spun around and bucked James in his side, sending him sprawling in the dirt near the two other gang ponies. The pony with the knife rushed over and retook his position before James could get up.
Lighting pointed at the two other ponies James landed near. "You! Make sure he doesn't move while I teach a lesson to his friend." He ordered. He then turned his attention to the silver maned pegasus.
James had to think fast. He tried talking to one of his captors, the blue pony that appeared to be having some serious second thoughts about his situation.
"Hey buddy, you don't look like you're enjoying this, why do you follow this creep?" One of his guard gave him a smack in the back of his head.
"Quiet!"
The blue pony responded, "Because I don't have anywhere else to go! Don't talk, or they'll hurt you!"
"C'mon man, you're better than this, aren't ya?" He got another smack.
"I said quiet!"
"I don't have any choice!" The navy blue pony replied.
"What if I gave you one?"
"How could you possibly do that?"
"I told you to stop talking!" Another smack in the head.
"That's getting really annoying you know. How about you add a little variety to your technique?"
"How about this!?" The gang pony wound up to deliver a mighty blow, but was stopped when James twisted and punched him right in the jewels. The warrior twisted back around and used the momentum to send a punch to his other guard's neck. Both went to the ground. James picked up the knife.
"HEY DICKHEAD! You might want to leave now!"
Lightning turned from a battered Flash. "What! Really!? You, what are you doing standing there!? Stop him!"
"I think he can think for himself, what do you say dude?"
The navy blue pony shook his head no, looking absolutely terrified.
"Fine then! We'll just do it this way!" Lightning grabbed the knife from the pony next to him and held it to Flash. "Stay where you are or your friend gets some extra holes!"
James suddenly got very serious. A beating was one thing, but now the life of his friend and teammate was being threatened. He didn't take those kinds of things too well. His hands started to shake slightly, thoughts going back to his time spent in the desert. His vision started blur, focusing only one the one individual responsible for this.
"Don't do anything you might instantly regret." James warned in a low and menacing tone. His left eye began to twitch slightly.
"Oh, and you're so big, bad and tough way over there. What the hay are you gonna do about it?"
"I'm warning you," he couldn't stop thinking about seeing teammates, brothers in arms getting shot, injured, stabbed, often right in front of him. Rage began to build. He shifted the position of the blade in his hand, preparing to strike. "You really don't want to do this."
"What, this?" He gave Flash a stab to the shoulder, eliciting a cry of pain from the pegasus.
James snapped, pent up rage releasing all at once. He bent his arm back flicked it forward, launching the knife at the remaining stooge. It buried itself almost to the hilt in his right breast, puncturing the lung. Immediately James powered forward at Lightning and rugby tackled him to the ground. He ripped the knife from the stunned pony, tossing it away and then began a savage attack on stallion that had so foolishly hurt his friend. He delivered punch after punch to the fiend's face and head.
"YOU. WILL. NOT. EVER. HURT. MY. FRIENDS." He punctuated each word with a punch. His knuckles started to bleed.
Suddenly two pairs of hooves wrapped around the crazed human, pulling him back. It was Flash and the earth pony.
"James! Stop! You'll kill him!"
"THAT'S THE FUCKING IDEA!"
James broke free of his restraints and renewed his assault. Anger and pain rushed out of him in a torrent of violence.
"I'm sorry James, but I have to do this!" Flash gave his frenzied friend a swift blow to the back of the head, ending the attack and this current period of consciousness for James.
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*beep*
*beep*
*beep*
*Beep*
*Beep*
*BEEP*
'Wha-, where am I? Is that my alarm? Is this the ship?'
These were his first thoughts as James slowly regained consciousness. His face hurt and a slight headache pestered his cranium. James opened his eyes. He was in a hospital bed. The needle of an IV drip was inserted into his arm and an EKG was identified as the source of the beeping. His room was empty save for the equipment, a potted plant in the corner and a chair that had his clothing folded neatly in the seat. He got up out of bed and removed the IV. He was about to rip off the sensors for the EKG, but he realized that would make a noise so he unplugged it before doing so. The spot where the IV had been started to bleed so he found some gauze and wrapped it around the site a few times, securing it with a knot. Next, he picked up his clothes and started to change out of his hospital gown. The clothes were dirty, had small tears in a few places and were stained with his blood, but nothing that couldn't be easily fixed.
James cracked the door open and peered out. There was almost nobody around so he just walked out of there. He made it about half way down the hall when Flash rounded the corner at the intersection with the navy blue pony. He had bandages wrapped around one shoulder, but otherwise looked unhurt. They were talking, but Flash stopped mid sentence when he spotted his friend. Quickly, the two galloped up to him.
"James! What are you doing up! Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine. How long was I out?"
"Just through the night, it's almost noon now. James... you almost killed those two...."
"Shit, what happened?" He could only remember up to where he had disabled the first two gangsters. Everything after that was obscured in a red haze. Flash described the last evening's events for his friend.
"..... so now both are in the hospital's jail ward, Lightning is still unconscious with a breathing tube down his throat and the other guy is waiting for surgery on his lung. The doctors said they should recover. As soon as they do, the guard detachment stationed here will take them into custody."
"Do the guard need anything from me?"
"No, myself and this guy took care of it."
The blue pony introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Feather Touch. Thanks for taking them out, I never really liked runnin' with them, but I have no idea what I'm going to do now."
James looked at Flash, "Can he stay on the couch for now?"
"Sure, but why?"
"Feather Touch, I'm James Kaughn and I have a proposition for you...."
Chapter 15: Training Day
The hospital staff had tried to stop James and Flash from leaving so soon, but reluctantly let them go when a guard informed them of the two's status' in the Royal Guard. After they made the walk back to the house -- which was thankfully uneventful -- James interrogated Feather Touch about his past a little bit.
"I grew up with just my dad, mom wasn't ever around. He was a locksmith back in Manehattan, one of the best. He taught me everything he knew. He said that one day he hoped I could take over the business and when I got my cutie mark, it looked like a sure thing." And indeed, his cutie mark was that of a torque wrench crossed with a snake rake. "But he went on a sketchy job one day that turned out to be some robbers trying to gain easy access to some rich guys house. When pops found out, he threatened to turn them all in. It turned out that these burglars worked for one of the mafia gangs that operated there. One day, he just didn't come home."
"Damn. So how did you get to be working for the same type of scum?"
"Well, word got out about the job he tried to stop, but everyone assumed he was involved with the burglars. Ponies stopped coming to the shop and eventually the bank took it back. I tried to get jobs elsewhere, but once they found out I was his son, I was rejected. I didn't know what else I could do."
"Remember when I said I could give you a choice? Well, here it is: you can go back to what you were doing, try to strike out on your own again. Alternatively, you can come join my team. Flash informed me that the guard paid no attention to you besides getting a statement. That means you have no arrests on the record, which means that you are VERY good at what you do. I need skill like that. The training will be hard, it will be a very painful stretch of time in your life, but if you complete it you can be part of something good. It will be honest work for a greater cause. So, what do you think?"
Feather Touch thought for a moment and stared out one of the windows. After a moment he turned back to the human.
"I'll do it."
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James looked himself over in the mirror. His face was a bit cut up in places and he had a few bruises, but thankfully that was all. His nose did hurt still, but it hadn't been broken. His jaw had taken a good hit, but the worst injury was his right side where he had gotten bucked. A large purple and yellow bruise covered a circular area about a foot in diameter. Miraculously, no ribs had been broken, but if he twisted or bent in certain ways, pain shot up his side. He would have to take it easy for a few days.
Other than that, he looked pretty good. Clean shaven, hair shorn close to his scalp in a regulation high and tight. The most impressive feature however, was the pressed dark camouflage uniform he was currently wearing. Rarity had done and amazing job on his uniform and had even thrown in a matching boonie hat that was modeled after his other one. His sleeves were rolled up just above his elbow and the cuffs of his pants were bloused smartly around the tops of his boots. He was ready.
James stepped out of the head and inspected the barracks room one more time. It now had seven beds, he had helped Sparks construct it to accommodate Feather Touch. Now all he had to do was greet the recruits and set them on schedule. They were due to arrive soon. He left the building and went to the briefing room. It now had a chalk board and several small desks. In the back was a smaller room that would serve as his on site office. Being an officer certainly had it's perks.
James had finally solved the meal situation by striking a deal with Applejack. Her farm would supply food every day for a monthly fee. They'd negotiated the price out so that the farm mare could hire an extra hoof for the job, leaving her free to continue running her business. He had even asked Fluttershy to remain on call, should any of his recruits need emergency medical attention during their ordeal. The hospital was quite a ways from the training grounds and her cottage was far closer.
Soon, he heard the unmistakable sound of many hooves striking the ground increasing in volume. When it sounded like they were almost in front of the building, James strode out to meet them. Sparks was leading the seven ponies in a small two columned formation. It consisted of two earth, unicorn and pegasi in armor correlating to their respective guard units. The Day Guard wore shiny golden armor with Trojan tops while the Night Guard wore armor in matching design, only with a dark purple color. James also noticed that the Day Guard ponies all had white coats and the Night Guard were all a dark charcoal color. Also, the Night Guard pegasus had the wings of a bat rather than the feathered ones of a regular pegasus. He wondered at that for a second, but decided to ask about it later. Bringing up the rear was Feather Touch.
"Welcome to your first day of training. I am Commander Kaughn and I will be you CO and instructor. You will be training along side three other ponies hand picked by me. Two of them have already started their training and will be leading you in PT every morning. You will show them the same respect that you will show me in these exercises. Is that understood?"
"Sir, yes sir!"
"Good. One of them is the one that brought you all here this morning, Lieutenant Sparks." The rusty colored unicorn came to attention and gave a quick salute. "The other is... where the hell did he go.... FLASH, FRONT AND CENTER!" The black pegasus flapped down from the watch tower were he had been watching and landed next to James. "This is Emrald Flash, so far he has the most experience out of all of you with my training so if you have questions or need help with anything, don't hesitate to approach him. The third is the earth pony standing behind you. His name is Feather Touch and he has zero experience with both this training and the military in general. That said, I ask you all to be patient and help him out where he struggles. There are very few of you, so no one can drop out. You're here until you pass. When you do graduate, you get to be a proud bearer of this patch."
He pointed to a circular patch sewn on to his left shoulder. It featured a phoenix, wings spread, clutching a crossed sword and spear. Arching over the fiery bird were the letters RSTG in bold. He and Rarity had based the design off of the emblem used be the SEALs.
"Now, do any one of you have any questions for me?"
The Night Guard pegasus raised a hoof.
"Yes?"
"How did that failure of a guard get in this program?"
"Excuse me?"
"That pegasus, Emrald Flash, was recently kicked out of the Night Guard a few months ago."
James looked at Flash and saw the embarrassed look on the pony's face.
"Well, he is one of the ones I hand picked, personally. He is in this program because he has the potential and drive. You wouldn't question somepony that Princess Luna or Princess Celestia hoof picked, would you?"
"Correct, but neither did, you did sir."
"I was hoof picked by Celestia to recruit and train this force, so if you have that much of a problem with it, you can write a letter to the princess. Now, enough of this time wasting. Sparks, have them all stow their armor, they won't need it any more, then get them settled in their new home. Flash, in my office."
James left the group to carry out his orders and ushered Flash into his back room office. He closed the door behind him and sat at the desk with Flash on the other side, looking worried.
"So what happened?"
"I, well.... I..."
"Take it slow, you're not in trouble here, I just want to know what happened."
The stallion took a deep breath and began, "I was a part of the Night Guard not too long ago. I didn't get in trouble with the law or anything, but one night I really screwed up. There was a break in at a shop in downtown Canterlot. I was on patrol and spotted it first. Instead of calling it in and getting back up, I just went in, trying to play the hero. Turned out there was a family living in the room above as they were the owners. When the intruders caught a sight of me, they panicked and tried to take one of their sons hostage. When they found out that I was the only guard there, they ganged up on me and beat me up pretty badly. Before they left, they robbed the family and set the place on fire. They got away before any of the other patrols showed up. When the investigation was over, I was discharged for incompetence."
"James sat there and stared a moment, making the silver maned pony even more nervous. Finally the human broke the silence.
"None of the family got hurt?"
"No, just some belongings taken and the massive property damage, but their insurance took care of it."
"Meh."
"Meh?"
"Meh."
"That's all?"
"What did you expect?"
"Well I expected... everypony else...."
"What happened, happened. You're here now, just go with it. I'm not gonna hold anything against ya."
"Wow, thanks."
"Just one question."
"What is it."
"If you were in the Night Guard, why don't you have the same coat and wings as the others?"
"Oh, that? It's just an illusion spell they put on the armor. Same with the Day Guard. You'll see when you see them with their armor off."
"Oh, that's it then."
"You worry about the weirdest things."
"It's the weird things that get you in the end."
"Can I ask you something now?"
"Shoot."
"Are you doing ok? I'm mean, you kind of gave me a scare the other day with what you did."
James was caught off guard by the question. He had hoped this wouldn't come up.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about it."
"No, you can't shrug it off this time. I'm your friend James. You can tell me if there's something wrong."
James got up to leave, "I really don't want--"
"You're not leaving until you tell me."
"You know you can't force me to stay and fighting me would be a bad idea."
"Yeah, but I also know that you won't hurt your friends."
James took a deep breath, "Fine. But you can't repeat this to anybody."
"You have my word."
"Well, I've been having these dreams....."
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For the next few weeks the new recruits were tortured with excessive exercise routines. Every morning before the sun even came up, the warrior-turned-drill-instructor would drag his two housemates to the training grounds, rouse the rest of the contingency and punish them with hours of running, push-ups, pull-ups, lifting, and running. They did A LOT of running. Afternoons were spent in the briefing room discussing tactics and strategies. Soon, they came to the topic James wished he never again had to bring up.
"There are numerous ways to stop a threat. You can beat them into submission, you can tie them up, you can disable their ability to fight, but the most permanent solution is of course: death of your target." He pointed to the chalkboard, which had two outlines upon it. One of a pony and one of a human. He went to the pony drawing first. "The most effective way to neutralize the threat it to damage or destroy a vital component of their anatomy. You can puncture or cut the main carotid arteries here in the neck, destroy the heart or lungs in the chest, take out the liver here or the kidneys here." He circled each location as he spoke. "On bipedal creatures such as myself, the lay out is very similar." He marked the same spots on the two legged drawing. "Any questions?"
One of the Day Guard ponies raised a hoof. "Sir, why are we learning about weak spots on humans?"
"Good question. That takes us to the next item." He took out a large piece of parchment that had a detailed picture of one of the creatures he had fought and killed many weeks ago. He had had Sparks create the image magically while he described it. "Because of this." He put it up on the wall next to the chalkboard and secured it with tape. "A group of these creatures ambushed me while I was out in the forest. I've designated them as Lotkin, call sign Lima. From what I experienced during the fight, their physiology is almost identical to mine. However, they are NOT easy to kill. The ones I encountered were skilled warriors. They were also savage, primal, and extremely violent, not to mention cunning. They fight to the last breath, so do not take any chances with them. I'm ordering that no one is authorized to engage them alone. If they are spotted, report their location and wait for back-up. Their kind have been sighted elsewhere, leaving only destruction where ever they are. This unit was created to combat this threat. Now, this concludes this portion of classroom time. Everypony form up outside for your next instruction."
They did as they were told and waited on their instructor as he went around to the back of the building. When he returned he was carrying a cage that held nine pigeons inside. They were a pain in the ass to catch and James hated what he was about to do to them. He had already clipped their wings, now he was going to give them to his recruits.
"These are your new pets. You will name them and care for them. They are unable to fly and you are not allowed to release them until I say so. Understood?"
"Yes sir!"
It was an exercise almost all special ops personnel participated in, only with chickens. The purpose was to cause the recruit to form an attachment to a living being with their emotions tied in. One that would eventually be broken...
Each pony picked a pigeon. James took the large cage back around to the back and returned with nine smaller ones and distributed them to his pupils. He hated what he would eventually force them to do, but it was necessary.
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The human sighted down the rifle scope, searching for his prey. The moon served as a ghostly source of illumination for the area. About seventy yards down range was a red flag planted in the soft earth of a forest clearing. The human was concealed in a home made ghillie suit he was laying prone on a small ridge, waiting patiently. Suddenly, he spotted movement in a bush near the flag. He calmly switched his fire selector from safe to semi. He soon could just see a small patch of fur through a tiny opening in a bush. The sniper took aim and slowly squeezed the trigger. A faint snap and a puff of smoke emerged from the barrel of the rifle.
"OW! SON OF A--"
James smiled as his target retreated back to base. It was an exercise in stealth and the objective was to capture the flag without being spotted and shot by the Commander. A few days ago, the supplies Sparks ordered to replicate the ammunition for James' rifle and pistol had arrived. The engineer had successfully recreated the rounds and made several boxes of blanks and FMJs. Then James got an idea and after acquiring some rubber, he had the unicorn make some with rubber bullets and weaker charges. That way who ever he shot would get a nasty sting and probably a welt, but nothing more than that.
That was his seventh victim. The only two left now were one of the unicorn from the Night Guard and Feather. The young earth pony was surprisingly good at eluding detection. James stood up and slung his rifle over his back. He took off the ghillie suit and drew his pistol from it's holster. It was time to get in close. Silently, he made his way towards the flag, sliding in and out of shadows while constantly scanning the area for movement, listening for any sounds that didn't match the natural background noise of the forest. When he had come within thirty yards of the flag, he stopped and listened. For a moment he heard nothing out of the ordinary. Then a twig snapped somewhere off to his right. Then the rustling of leaves, but closer. Thinking quickly, James pulled himself up into the branches of a nearby tree. Soon, the unicorn appeared underneath him, heading towards the flag. The pony stopped at the tree line and looked around suspiciously. Calmly and deliberately, James descended from his perch, careful not to make a sound and alert his quarry. Just when the Guardspony was about to take a chance and make a run for the flag, James slipped and arm around his neck and put a hand over his mouth and pulled him back into the shadows. The stallion struggled in his grasp briefly before giving up when he couldn't get free. James released him and the pony turned to face his attacker. James just smiled at the recruit and made a cutting motion across his neck with and index finger. The recruit got the point and begrudgingly made his way back to the compound. James turned his attention back to the object under his protection.
'Almost done, just one more--'
The flag was gone.
'The hell did it go?'
He hadn't heard a thing and he only had his eyes off it for about fifteen seconds. James went out and searched all around, but it was in vain. There was nothing here. Finding no reason to stick around, he went back to his training center. When he arrived, he found eight tired and grumpy ponies and one smug looking earth pony standing next to the red flag.
"Good job everypony. I may have gotten most of you, but it wasn't easy to do so. Feather, that was outstanding. If it were not for the flag disappearing, I would have thought you weren't even participating. Tell you guys what, you've all been doing such a great job that I'm gonna go ahead and give you all the weekend off. Go have fun, relax and unwind, but don't get into trouble and be sure to be here and ready to go at zero-four-hundred Monday morning. Now go get some sleep, you've earned it."
The group let out a cheer at hearing that and retired to the barracks. James sent Flash and Sparks ahead of him while he grabbed his ghillie suit from the forest. The past month and a half had been difficult and draining, but it would soon be over. James was about to start the next and final phase of training. Then there was Hell Week to look forward to. The human smiled as he remembered his own experience with it. Five days of running, swimming through the freezing surf, working out, doing the obstacle courses, all while the instructors were firing weapons over your head, screaming at you and setting off explosions in your face. They hadn't even been allowed to sleep the whole time. And now he got to subject others through that nightmare. It was going to be interesting.
Chapter 16: A Relaxing Day In The Clouds (After A Crazy Night On The Ground)
James woke up. It was the first time he had been able to sleep in for almost two months. He sat up and stretched his arms over his head and arched his back, eliciting several pops as he did so. A soreness started to creep through his body as it tried to adjust to the slow Friday morning after being pushed hard for so long. Getting up, he pulled on some blue pants and a black long sleeve button down shirt. He rolled the sleeves up to his elbows and put on his boots, he still didn't have any other footwear.
James went downstairs and out the door, walking in the direction of town. He had couple things he needed to take care of today. He arrived in town a little while later and went straight to Carousel Boutique. He wanted to order a few more uniforms and he had an idea for a special unit patch. Also a special idea that was a little more unconventional, but he still wanted to try. Afterwards, he stopped by the library to ask Spike to send one of his reports on the progress of training to Princess Celestia. He had been sending them by regular post at first when Twilight delivered a letter to him from the Princess explaining Spikes little ability. It still never ceased to amaze him as the small purple dragon breathed fire upon the scroll, the ashes streaming out the window and on their way. Those important errands complete, he decided to go get some lunch at one of the restaurants in town. He was half way there when a certain pegasus dropped from the sky and alighted beside him.
"Hiya James. Long time, no see."
"Hey Dash. Yeah, we've been pretty busy."
"What're you up to now?"
"I was just about to go get some lunch."
"Mind if I join ya?"
"Not at all."
They continued on to a small eatery not far from the boutique. The hostess took them to a table and left the menus to attend to some other patrons. When she came back, James ordered the steamed vegetables again while Dash got herself a daisy sandwich.
"So James, you got any plans this weekend?"
"No. We actually have the weekend off, I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do."
The weather mare's eyes lit up at this information, "then you should come visit Cloudsdale with me! You promised, remember?"
He did indeed remember. He was still a bit apprehensive about it, what with the city apparently being so high up in the sky and cloud walking spell or whatever, but he wasn't about to go back on his word.
"Yes, I remember. So, when would you like to go."
"Aw yeah, this is gonna be so awesome! Meet me at Twilight's tomorrow morning and we can go from there."
"Alright then, I'll see you then."
They finished their meals and paid the check. James started to head back home, but Dash took off, having to get back to work. When the human arrived back home, his housemates were up and awake, taking full advantage of the day off to laze about and relax. James went upstairs and changed into his camo pants and a black undershirt before stepping out the back door. He began to jog, gradually accelerating into a full run. Every once in a while, he would stop to do push-ups or crunches before getting back up and resuming his run. After about thirty minutes of this he returned to the house. He walked up to his room and grabbed a towel and some fresh clothes. He jumped in the showered and gave himself a quick wash before drying off and getting dressed. When he emerged, Sparks was waiting for him with two beers, levitating one over to James.
"Figured we could all use a drink after all that."
"Thanks," he took a gulp of the cold liquid, "I needed that."
Flash was lounging on the couch and got up, "Hey, I got an idea." He got up and went into his room, when he came back out, he had a bottle of rum. He placed it on the coffee table. "Why don't we do some shots to celebrate getting through all that."
"Rum, huh?"
James loved rum. It was easily one of his all time favorite drinks.
"If we're gonna do rum, we should make it interesting. How about a drinking game?"
"What do you have in mind?"
"You got any playing cards?"
James wanted to teach them how to play a game called Pusoy Dos. It was a philippino card game that played poker hands, but it wasn't poker. Instead of each player getting only two cards, everyone started with thirteen. The objective was to play different hands in an attempt to beat another player's hand and get rid of all your cards. First one to do so was the winner. James had picked it up while hanging out with some Navy Chiefs while waiting on a frigate for a mission to get the green light. It was fun and easily converted to a drinking game.
"Alright, this game plays fast, so every three losses, take a shot. Every loss, just drink your beer."
He dealt the cards and had them all play a few practice rounds after explaining all the hands and rules. When the other two felt like they had the hang of it, they started to play for real. James of course won the first six rounds. But soon, Sparks started giving him a run for his money. Before he knew it, the unicorn was winning almost every round. Flash won a few here and there, but he was really starting to get drunk. James was really starting to get tipsy. Both were several shots in and they had drunk a lot of beer. Sparks was the only one still relatively sober. Suddenly, they were out of liquor.
"James!" Flash slurred.
"Flash!" James slurred back.
"The rum's gone!"
"The rum's gone? Why is the rum gone? We need to get more! Where can we get more?"
"I know where there's a liquor store in town!"
"Guys, I don't think that's such a good idea, it's starting to get dark and--"
"No time, Sparky! TO THE LIQUOR STORE!"
Before Sparks could stop his friends, they bolted out the front door. Without breaking a stride, James jumped onto Flash's back and smacked his rump.
"HYAA!!"
The pegasus shot off towards the town, half galloping half flying, a reddish-brown unicorn struggled to keep up behind them.
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His eyes snapped open. The first thing that hit him was the pounding headache. The next thing he noticed was there was no roof above him, just open sky. It was early morning, the sun just starting to rise. James felt as if he was laying on a rough surface and it was chilly. He lifted his head and was startled to see that he was on a roof, shirtless with his pants half way down his legs.
'The hell?'
He stood up, pulled his pants on and looked around to get his bearings. Fortunately, he was on HIS roof. How he got up there was a mystery. He had no idea how he was getting down. He went to the front edge of the house and looked down. Below him was the covering for the front porch. It was still a large drop, but it wouldn't be as bad as dropping straight to the ground. James closed his eyes and braced himself for what he was about to do. He hoped the overhang was strong enough to support his weight. Then, he counted to three mentally and jumped. When he impacted the covering, it actually held. For a second. Then the boards gave way and sent him falling to the deck beneath.
'Aw, fuck that hurt.'
He got up and brushed himself off. Fortunately his only injuries were small scratches on his chest, back and arms and some small splinters here and there. The front door suddenly swung open to reveal a very annoyed unicorn.
"Oh c'mon, we just fixed that last week!"
"Morning to you too."
"At least you're awake. Do you know how much trouble you caused last night?"
"I was actually hoping you could tell me."
"Of course you don't remember. Well, come on inside, I got coffee brewing."
"Oh thank god."
They went inside and sat at the kitchen table.
"So, what happened?"
"You two crazy idiots got wasted last night."
"Well no shit, but what happened, I need details."
"After you two finished of the first bottle, you two ran off to town to get another bottle of rum. You got THREE. I chased you all over town for hours. Eventually, you both managed to elude me some how around midnight. I searched for you guys for about two more hours before I gave up and went home."
"Oh yeah, where is Flash?"
"He's in his room, sleeping off his hangover with one of the guests from last night."
"Guests?"
"Yeah guests. When I got back here, the house was full of ponies and alcohol! By the way, you need to return that sign."
"What sign?"
Sparks took him into the living room and pointed a foreleg to the small dining table. It was pushed into the corner. On top of it and resting against the wall was the 'Welcome To Ponyville' sign, only somepony had crossed out the 'Pony' in 'Ponyville' and replaced it with the word 'Party'.
"Ha, where'd we get that?"
"Some of the ponies I talked to last night said that you and Flash ripped it out of the ground, changed it, went to the bars and lead everypony back to the house."
"Ok, that's pretty funny. How did I get on the roof though?"
"A group of mares made a bet with you and Flash. Which you guys lost. The condition was that you cad to get up and do a striptease in front of everypony. Flash dragged you up onto the roof."
"Nice."
"Yeah, you were about half way through your routine when you tripped over your pants while trying to get them off. You went out cold."
"Not nice."
"Flash didn't think he could get you back down so he let you sleep."
"Well, that solves that mystery. Wait, what time is it?"
"Almost nine, why?"
"Shit, shit, shit. I'm gonna be late."
James rushed upstairs in a panic and grabbed his last set of clean clothes. Quickly, he stripped down and jumped in the shower, rushing to get clean. He jumped back out, dried himself off, brushed his teeth to get the taste of old alcohol out of his mouth and got dressed and was about to run outside when Sparks stepped in front of him.
"What about the sign?"
James ran back upstairs and snatched up a small pouch of bits. He ran back down and tossed it on the coffee table, running out the door without stopping.
"Flash'll take care of it!" He yelled over his shoulder and dashed off without another word.
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James sprinted almost the entire way into town. He should have been at the library fifteen minutes ago. By the time he finally arrived, he was dismayed to see a slightly annoyed Rainbow Dash sitting out front waiting for him.
"Sorry *pant* I was *pant* late *pant* I gotta sit down."
He sat down and attempted to catch his breath. He didn't think he'd ever run that fast for that long before.
"It's cool. Twilight's still prepping our transportation. I almost didn't think you were gonna make it after last night, party boy." She said, smirking.
James had about regained his breath now, "What do you mean? Were you there!?"
"Was I there!? You guys practically brought half the town back to your place, of course I was there! In fact, I saw everything that happened." She added mischievously.
James' eyes went wide. He could feel his face and ears start to burn.
Dash started to laugh a little, "Ha ha ha, you were actually pretty good. There's a place in Canterlot called Clyde's 'N' Dale's that would probably hire ya." She was almost laughing hysterically now.
James was always quick with a comeback. "So I take it that you liked what you saw?"
It was Dash's turn to be embarrassed now. She turned her head away from him in an attempt to hide her blush.
"Th-that's not what I meant. Though you don't look bad for a 'human'."
James chuckled a bit at his success. Just then, Twilight came from around the back.
"Hey James. Dash, everything's ready for... I didn't interrupt anything did I?"
"No!" The two said in unison.
Twilight giggled a little bit, "All right. Any way, the balloon is ready for you guys."
"Is that how we're getting there? Thanks Twilight, that's very generous of you. I promise I'll make sure nothing happens to it."
"I'm sure you will. Now I just need to do one last thing."
"That spell of yours?"
"Correct. Just close your eyes and stand still. This will only take a second."
James did as he was told and stood up straight. The magenta unicorn's horn started to glow with a purple-ish aura. Soon, the same aura enveloped the human. James stiffened a little as he felt a strange dry oiliness slide over his skin. Suddenly his vision flashed white as an icy tingliness shot through his bones. The feeling receded and he opened his eyes. The muscular man checked himself over.
'I don't look or feel different.'
"Did it work?"
"I'm entirely confident it did."
"Still... Dash, could you please go get a cloud for me? I kinda want to test it out. No offence Twilight."
"None taken."
Dash returned with a cloud about the size of the human. It hovered just off the ground. Curiously, James reached out to touch it. This time, instead of his hand passing through it, he was met with some resistance. Now more confident, he went ahead and jumped on top of it. It felt like walking on an air mattress covered in downe feathers. Now just experimenting, James jumped up again, this time belly flopping onto the soft surface. He landed with a muffled *pumf*.
"If you're done enjoying yourself, we really need to get going." Dash stated, amused with his antics.
"Heh, sorry. I can understand why you got a house made of this stuff. If I fell asleep on this, I might never wake up."
"Ok you two. I have a few things I need to get done. Have fun and see you soon." Twilight opened her door and trotted inside while James and Dash went around to the back of the library. Sure enough, the balloon was already inflated and ready to go, small flames flickering in the burners.
"How far is it to Cloudsdale from here?"
"It's about half way to Canterlot."
"Are you gonna pull the balloon all the way there like the last time?"
"Nah, once we get to a certain altitude there's a stream of air that should carry us most of the way there."
"Cool."
James climbed into the basket, Dash jumping in after him. He grasped the lever and gave the burners a couple of short blasts.
"You ready to go?"
"Hurry up already!"
"He he he, Alright."
James gave the lever a strong pull, sending a large blast of fire into the balloon's inner chamber. The super heated air soon lifted the duo up into the bright blue sky.
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Most of the ride to Cloudsdale was spent in awkward silence. Rainbow Dash tried several time to jumpstart a conversation with small talk, but James was never one for such things not being much of a talker himself, so it never really got off the ground. Soon, a white spot could be seen up ahead. Then it grew. It grew and it grew until James could pick out individual buildings, then details and finally many pegasi zipping about in their day to day routines.
"It's beautiful."
He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It really was an entire city floating high above the earth. Dash jumped out and grasped the edge of the basket to guide it in. Then she started to point out land marks.
"Over there is the weather factory, where we create much of Equestria's weather," she indicated a large warehouse type building. Above it, ferocious looking thunder clouds hung. Attached to the side was what appeared to be a smokestack, except instead of cinders and ash, a ribbon of rainbow flowed out the top. "Over there is the Colosseum," she pointed at a large stadium topped with bright yellow flags, "and we're about to land in the downtown area."
One the architecture was beautiful and flowing, as something made from clouds should be. There was just one peculiar thin James had noticed. Much of the buildings matched the Greek style from his own earth. Large, stately columns adorned almost every structure.
"Hey Dash, how long have the buildings been built like this?"
"Umm.... since I can remember. I think longer. Why?"
"Oh, no reason."
Dash maneuvered the large balloon into a wide area sat a short distance from the shops. She set it down, the basket resting on the cloud layer. This intrigued James a little.
'Eh, Twilight must've put the same spell on the the basket.'
James was suddenly very aware of just how high off the ground he was. He was a little nervous as he tentatively climbed out the basket. At the last second, his reflexes kicked in and the rest of his body tried to go spread eagled in preparation to lower his airspeed as he fell. In this case however, it only resulted in a face plant. The rainbow maned pegasus in front of him erupted into laughter at the sight.
He lifted his head up, "Yeah yeah, laugh it up."
"Hahaha, sorry. So what do you want to do first?"
"Hmm, maybe we could--" he was cut off by a loud growl from his stomach. He hadn't even eaten breakfast this morning.
"I think your belly's got the right idea, I'm kinda hungry too. Ooh! I know! I'll take you to my favorite place!"
She led him down a wide 'street' with many little shops and cafés on each side. Eventually, she brought him to a trendy little venue called 'Stratos'. The waitress sat them at a table out back with an outstanding view of the horizon. As she left two menus on the table, she shot an odd glance at James. Whatever, he was used to it now. The menu consisted of a lot of the same things they had in Ponyville. There were some different dishes and recipes, but of course almost all of them were inedible for humans. So James ended up once again ordering a mixture of vegetables. It was getting old. At least here, they had soy sauce on the tables. Dash ordered a hay and oats salad. When their food finally arrived, the server left a small bottle filled with a swirling multicolored liquid.
"What's this stuff?" James asked, picking up the bottle to inspect it.
"That's a special hot sauce they make here. They actually use a small amount of rainbow in the recipe. I don't think you'll like it though, it's pretty spicy."
"I'm always open to new experiences." He opened the cap and poured some over his vegetables.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." Dash cautioned.
James picked up a chunk of vegetable covered in the strange sauce and popped it in his mouth. It was spicy, VERY spicy, he almost couldn't handle it. Fortunately, he was able to keep his cool, so to speak, through years of putting various hot sauces on many different military meals from MREs to ships' galleys. They were often not of the best quality.
"Wow, you didn't even shed a tear, I'm impressed. Even Pinkie couldn't handle it when she tried a lick. Although that WAS pure rainbow then."
"You mean I did something Pinkie couldn't? Oh now you're just trying to flatter me."
They both shared a short laugh at the comment.
After finishing, James paid for both their meals as thanks to Dash for bringing him to her city and they left to go to their next event. Though before they did, James bought a few bottles of the special hot sauce from the restaurant. Both because he liked it and he had a few prank ideas in mind.
Rainbow Dash suggested the head to the Colosseum to catch a game of what she said was called 'Airball'. To James it looked like a cross between soccer and rugby. The players passed around a ball made of condensed clouds and had to send it through an oval shaped goal to score. The crowd around them roared as one pegasus tried to complete this objective, but was tackled to the side by a pony of the opposing team. James found it quite enjoyable to watch.
After the game it was about time to head back home. It was late in the afternoon and James didn't know exactly when the spell Twilight put on him was supposed to wear off. He didn't want to stay long enough to find out. After James clambered into the basket, the sky blue pegasus maneuvered the balloon into another stream of air flowing in roughly the direction of Ponyville and jumped in next to her friend. Now it was just a forty-five minute ride back to town. James took out his iPod.
"What's that?"
"This? Oh, this is is a music player."
"That plays music? But it's so small."
"Here, you put this in your ear." He placed one of the earbuds in here ear.
"Now, I've heard that you like rock music," he said while pulling up the genre on his screen, "slide your hoof down the surface to pick a song. When you find one you want to listen to, give it a light tap."
He waited as she went through the individual rock songs he had on file. He was pleased when she stopped on 'Welcome To The Jungle' by Guns N' Roses.
"Ha, nice choice. An oldie, but a goodie."
They sat and listened for a moment.
"This rocks! Do you have any more of this stuff?"
"A ton."
"Can I borrow this?"
"Sure, just don't break it. It's the only one I have."
"You got it! Ya know, you're pretty cool to hangout with."
"Is that right?"
"Yeah, but I'm still about twenty percent cooler."
James chuckled, "Ha ha, whatever you say Dash."
For the meantime, James put his playlist on for rock'n'roll. For the rest of the trip, the just sat there. Listening to music and enjoying the hues of pink, orange and red colors the setting sun splashed upon the layers of clouds as if it were a painting made just for the two of them.
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When he finally walked up the steps and into the house James was tired. It had been a long, but enjoyable day. Dash had wanted to hangout some more, but it was dark now and James hadn't slept much the night before. He looked over to the dining table to see that the sign was gone and the table had been moved back to it's original position. Both his housemates seemed to be out, so he just showered and went upstairs to his room.
James sat at his desk for a moment before going to his closet and pulling out his rucksack. It was still slightly beat up, but he had since cut off the remaining tatters of the pockets the C4 had been in. For the life of him, he still couldn't figure how he wasn't a dried up pile of goop in the sand somewhere right now. He reached into the main pocket and retrieved the revolver he had rescued from the forest. Here was his last link to his own world. The gun his former team leader had owned and cherished. James took out the cleaning kit and got to work scrubbing off all the dirt, grime and filth that had accumulated on and in it. He then oiled and polished it. The .357 revolver gleamed in the low light of his room. Reflections of light and of himself flashed and glinted across the scroll work that had been meticulously engraved into the barrel and chamber piece.
James sat there, admiring it. He wondered what his old team was up to now. They had probably gone back and searched for his body. Of course they wouldn't find it. Eventually he would be presumed dead. He wondered if his parents would even bother to show up. They certainly weren't getting any money. James had willed a small percentage of the money from his life insurance to his teammates, the rest would go to the Navy & Marine Corps Relief Society.
It felt strange knowing that somewhere, an empty coffin was being lowered into the ground in front of a headstone with his name on it. James shook his head and put the thought aside. He needed to sleep. Tomorrow he was going to take it easy. The next couple weeks were going to be physically as well as emotionally draining.
Chapter 17: Hellbent Graduation
James suddenly sat up, twisted and punched the wall next to him leaving a fist sized hole. Beads of sweat were running down his face. His breathing was short and ragged and his heart was jackhammering against his ribs. The moon out the window was beginning to set. He threw off the covers and went down to the bathroom. James turned on the faucet at the sink and splashed some cold water on his face. He stood there, hands gripping the sides of the sink, trying to calm himself down.
'Why. Why now? It's been so long since...'
After almost three months without a nightmare, tonight he was visited by the same disturbing images. Explosions, gunfire, blood, missing limbs, the stench of death. James looked down, expecting the blood from his dream to still be stained on the skin of his hands. When he looked back up, in the mirror was one of those creatures from the old castle, the ones they now called Lotkin, staring back at him. Only instead of the usually grisly visage, a face that resembled his own stared back into James' eyes. He reacted without thinking and shattered the reflective surface with a strike, pulling his bloodied fist away with a few shards sticking out of it.
'Dammit.'
He carefully pulled the broken slivers of glass from his knuckles then rinsed his hand in the sink and wrapped his hand with some gauze he had found under the sink. He heard a door nearby open and the sound of hooves on a wood floor made it's way towards him.
"James, is that you? Everything ok?"
"Fine! I'm fine." He hid his injured hand behind his back.
Flash appeared in the doorway, "Was it another one of those dreams? What happened to the mirror?"
"Sorry, I'll go get a replacement in the morning. We got any beer left? I could use one."
"Yeah, sure. I'll go grab a couple."
While Flash went into the kitchen, James lifted up his hand and flexed it a few times. It hurt and blood was starting to seep through the bandage, but it wasn't broken. He picked up all the other shards of glass on the floor and deposited them in the small trash can next to the toilet and went to join his friend. Flash was now sitting at the dining table, a couple of cold ones sitting already opened on the surface. As James walked over, he tried to conceal his injury.
"Dude, you don't have to hide that, I saw the blood in the sink."
"Shit, I'm really sorry about that."
"What happened?"
"I saw something that spooked me and I just kinda reacted."
"No worries. You wanna talk about it?"
James sat down and took a sip of his beer. "No, this time I'd rather not."
"Ok then, just remember, me and Sparks, we're here for you."
"Yeah, thanks."
"So how did your date go?"
"What date?"
"Isn't that what you and Rainbow Dash were doing yesterday?"
"I wouldn't say it was a date exactly. Though we did have a lot of fun together. What about you? I heard you had a little marefriend over from the other night." James teased.
"Oh that? I don't know, she's really cool and all..."
"I get it. One of those drunken decisions, right?"
"Yeah."
"Meh, I'd just go with the flow on this one. See how it works out."
"Yeah, probably. So are you going back to bed?"
"Nah, I don't think I could sleep right now. It only looks like an hour or two until sunrise, I think I'll go for a run. You wanna come with?"
"Ha, no thanks. I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot of that Monday morning."
"Heh heh, you better rest up then."
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It was almost noon, Thursday. The view from the balloon was spectacular. James and Flash floated high above Ponyville.
"Are you sure about this? You know if this doesn't work you could die right?"
"Only if you can't catch me."
James double checked the straps and buckles that completely encircled his body. It was a simple harness that could support his body weight very well. That wasn't the part he was worried about. He was worried about the home made pack strapped to his back. He and Rarity had done their best to properly construct it, but he wouldn't know if it would work unless he tested it.
"Hey James, Flash! What're you two doing up here in Twi's balloon?" It was Rainbow Dash.
"Nothing much, just trying to test something." He replied, producing a set of goggles and fixing them over his eyes.
"What are you guys testing?"
"This." He gripped the edge of the basket and hurdled his body into open air, quickly gaining speed. He had only about a minute and a half, two tops. He flipped himself over and looked up to see Flash and a clearly panicked Dash diving after him. He smiled and gave his little two finger salute off the top of his brow before flipping himself back over. James tucked his arms and legs down to his sides and angled down, rapidly accelerating to the ground. When he was only a little over a thousand feet above the earth, he spread himself out again to lessen his speed then arched his back and pulled a cord that was secured to his shoulder, ripping it across his chest. There was a loud flapping staccato before he was suddenly jerked upwards. A charcoal and blue rainbow blur shot past him on either side.
James reached up and wrapped his fingers around two small handles attached to cords that led up to an airfoil constructed out of the lightest material Rarity had in stock. He gave the left one a tug which caused him to bank in that direction. He repeated this action with the right, getting a similar result.
'Ha ha, holy shit, I can't believe that worked!'
The ground slowly rose to him, as well as two pegasi, one looked a little bit angry.
"What the hay James!" Dash yelled at the now aerial human.
"Ha ha ha, yeah! I can't believe it, it works great!"
"Not that, you apple bucking idiot! I thought you were gonna die!"
"Oh yeah, sorry. Probably should have explained first. On the other hand, the looks on your faces were priceless!"
"You should of at least told me you were ready to jump. How was I supposed to catch you if that thing didn't work."
"I'm sure you would have pulled it off. Now if you'll excuse me, I have just one more test to do."
James concentrated on the ground rushing up to meet him. He gave one of the handles another pull and put himself into a head wind. When he was only ten to fifteen feet from the deck, he gave both handles a hard tug, flaring the parachute and allowing for a relatively soft landing. As soon as he came in contact with the ground and absorbed the impact, he turned around and started quickly wrapping up the cords with his arms before the wind could catch the airfoil and drag him around like a ragdoll. This was a prototype and it didn't have a quick release. Dash and Flash alighted next to him.
"So now that you know it works, what are you going to do with it?" Flash asked.
"Dash, could you please retrieve the balloon for me? Flash, how fast can you get Sparks here?"
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"Are you sure this is safe?" Sparks was uncomfortable in the harness. James had had Rarity make two versions, one for himself and one for a pony.
"I'm positive."
"And all you want me to do is pull this cord thingy?"
"Eventually. First, I want you to jump out the basket."
"I don't like that part."
"It'll be fine, I promise. Look, I have the same rig. I'll jump with you."
"And you've done this before?" Sparks asked, still not trusting the human.
"Thousands of times. With other rigs. Just make sure you look over your shoulder and arch your back before pulling the rip cord. Now hurry up, we ain't got all day here."
"All right, I'm just not too sure about--"
"Welcome to Jump School!" James scooped up the unicorn and tossed him over the side, he and Flash followed almost immediately.
The engineer was screaming and flailing his legs. James pulled his limbs in for speed and spread them back out to come level with the first time jumper. He pointed to himself, demonstrating proper form, and then pointed at Sparks. The pony was a smart one and corrected himself almost instantly. The ground was coming increasingly close so James motioned to Sparks to pull the rip cord. The unicorn stallion did so and his decent was immediately halted almost all together as the chute opened and caught hold of the air. Satisfied his friend would be safe, James followed suit. Once on the ground, James ran over to Sparks who's landing was a bit more jarring.
"You ok? Dude, that was perfect."
"The landing was pretty rough, but over all, THAT WAS THE MOST TERRIFYING THING I HAVE EVER DONE!"
"Sorry, I thought you could have used some of your magic to smooth that out. As for the 'terrifying' thing, you'll get used to it."
"What do you mean 'I'll get used to it'!?"
"Being a special operative means you have to be able to get anywhere, anytime, anyway. This is an effective way to get behind enemy lines without endangering others. Except maybe the pilots, but it's better than using thirty other people to cause some kind of distraction or something."
"Sometimes I hate you."
"Don't worry, you won't be the only one. We also have to teach Feather."
================================================
The next couple of weeks were spent teaching the detachment advanced fighting techniques and tactics. James had even upgraded them from fighting each other to fighting HIM. They needed an experienced opponent to spar with if they REALLY wanted to learn some tricks. It was extremely tiring. Every day they would all have one hour each with him while Flash or Sparks led the rest in exercises and training. That meant at the least he would have to put in nine hour days, every day. That didn't even account for time he spent with them in classroom. Unfortunately, it was necessary. He had a schedule he needed to keep to. Currently, James was sparring with a young earth pony of the Day Guard.
The pony spat and snorted, James had just thrown sand in his face.
"Hey, that's not fair!"
"This is a fight, there's no such thing as fair. On the battlefield, there's no such thing as a fair fight. It's a fight to the death and you must use every advantage possible to defeat your opponent. Now defend yourself and counter like I taught you. First distract with pain, then follow through with the actual strike."
It almost became a sort of banal routine. Until they finally came to the day James was dreading. It was morning and they had just finished their firs PT session of the day.
"Alright. Everypony go clean up and return out here with your pet birds. Muster in front of the sand pit." James ordered.
As they all followed his instructions, he dragged out a low wooden table and stuck nine sharp knives into the surface. In a few minutes, every recruit had retrieved their companions and stood at attention, awaiting further orders. This next part, James knew, was going to be heartbreaking.
"Everypony, line up at the table in front of a knife. It's time to say good-bye to our friends."
They all took their places, but were confused at what he meant.
"I won't lie to you all. This is a terrible job to have. Unfortunately, it is often necessary. We are dealers in death. It is our sole purpose to bleed, to hurt, to kill and to die so that others do not have to. With that said, we must become familiar with death. We have to understand it and expect it. What I am asking you to do is not easy, but I ask that you follow through for the sake of the ones you love. Now I need each one of you to take that knife set before you and take the life of your pet. We don't want them to suffer, so please cut their necks cleanly. You know where the vital areas are."
Everyony stared at their commander in shock, eyes wide and mouths slightly agape. What he was standing there and asking them to do was unheard of. First he ordered them to feed and care for their little feathered friends and now he's ordering their deaths!?
"I'm sorry to have to do this to you. But remember, our enemies will be ten times as merciless."
All the ponies were very reluctant to do so, but one by one the picked up their knives and took the lives of the small birds they had become attached to. A couple of them cried. One vomited after.
"I'm sorry."
=================================================
*Beep Beep*
*BEEP BEEP*
*Slap*
James accidentally swatted his iPod away from him and almost went back to sleep. Then his brain suddenly clicked into gear and he threw his sheets off and jumped up to get dressed. It was finally here. The week of torture and debauchery. He grabbed his rifle, pistol and his rucksack which was full of spare magazines. He double checked the mags to make sure they were all the right ones. He didn't want to accidentally hurt anybody. Quickly, he ran about the house, rousing his housemates and kicking them out of bed.
"LET'S GO, GET UP, RISE AND SHINE!!!"
He ushered the confused ponies out the door and made them run.
"What's going on!? It's almost three in the morning!" Flash exclaimed.
"Shut up and run!"
They ran at a steady pace all the way to the training grounds. Once there, James issued new orders to his two teammates.
"Get in the barracks and muster everypony out here now! You have less than two minutes!"
Both Sparks and Flash sprinted inside and returned with the entire detachment in just under a minute. It was impressive, but James wasn't cutting anybody slack this week. Oh, no. This was Hell Week.
"Too slow! Everypony here, do two sprints around the perimeter and muster back here, GO GO GO!"
Chapter 18: A Hot New Ride
'They have electricity, rudimentary electronics and indoor plumbing. Why don't they have washing machines?'
These were James' thoughts as he sat in the back yard of his home and scrubbed out all the filth from his uniform. It was almost lunch time on Sunday and he was getting his laundry done in anticipation for the next week. James was just about finished, the rest of his clothing was hung up on the wall behind him, all he had left was his uniform pants. After this, he could go fix some lunch and have a beer. He really didn't plan on doing anything today, just relaxing and listening to some music.
"James!"
It was faint, but he heard it. James stopped what he was doing and listened.
"James!" Louder now and accompanied with the sound of galloping hooves.
He stood up and looked around. Feather suddenly rounded the corner of the building and would have bowled the human over if he hadn't jumped clear. Expecting trouble, James immediately became serious and addressed his his teammate.
"Feather, what's wrong!?"
"Nothing, but you gotta come see this!"
"See what? Where?"
"It's almost at the training grounds, c'mon!"
The dark blue earth pony galloped of in the direction of the camp. James just shrugged and ran off after him. The stallion was so intent on getting there that James almost had a hard time keeping up with him. What was so important as to warrant such haste, James couldn't perceive.
'Whatever it is, it had better be important.'
When the two arrived, James saw that Sparks was already there, looking up in the air.
"Sparks! The hell is going on?"
The dusty red unicorn pointed to the sky without looking away. James turned his gaze up. Coming from the northwest and descending towards the ground was one of the strangest flying contraptions James had ever seen. Next to Pinkie's of course, her bizarre mode of flight was beyond his comprehension. This particular aircraft was about the size of a medium sized yacht. The main body consisted of some kind of boxy rectangular cabin of wood with windows here and there around the sides and a large one on the tapered front nose. The rear had large diameter wooden propeller enshrouded in a metal cage with two large rudders mounted on the face, much like a fanboat. On top of this was a platform rimmed by a guard rail about waist height. The whole thing was attached to a large, streamlined balloon. James thought he could see a couple of figures moving about the top deck.
The vehicle slowly descended and touched down upon the ground before the trio on a pair of skids. A door in the side unlatched and swung inward. Out stepped Flash. James really wanted know what was going on.
"Flash, what in the world is this thing?"
"It's an airship."
"You flew it here? Where'd you get it?"
"Oh, no. I didn't fly it here, I just flew up to guide it to the training grounds. I thought it would be a good place to keep it."
"Keep it?"
"Yeah, here, this is the pony who pilots it. She should be able to explain more."
Flash moved aside to allow the pilot to reveal them self. Out stepped a light gray unicorn with a slightly darker, short cropped mane and tail. Her eyes were the color of deep blue water. Her cutie mark was two different sized gears, teeth interlocked and half sunk into a cloud.
"Aria!" Sparks rushed forward and wrapped his forelegs around the mare in a hug.
"Lectric? What are you doing here?" She was confused, but a smile grew on her face as she returned the sentiment.
"I work here now, I was assigned to a new command." He looked over the flying machine with some wonderment. "So this is what you've been up to. No wonder I haven't heard from you in so long!"
"Yeah, she's a prototype. Princess Celestia commissioned a scaled down version of the airships we use for mass cargo and transport. I was immediately recommended by my superiors for the project!" She beamed with pride.
"Ahem." James was still waiting for some information.
"Oh! Sorry James. This is Aria Myst. We went to engineering school together. She was top of her class, could have had any job she wanted. Instead, she went to go work on airships."
"And improve on their designs." She added.
"Aria, this is Commander Kaughn. He's my new CO."
She snapped to attention and gave James a smart salute, "Sir! I apologize. Lieutenant Myst, reporting as ordered."
"At ease, Lieutenant. So, What are we looking at here?"
"Sir, please allow me to give you the grand tour of 'The Clipper'."
"'The Clipper', huh?"
"Yes sir, she's the fastest airship ever constructed. A trip from here to Canterlot usually takes about two to three hours, this baby can do it in just about forty-five minutes."
"Impressive."
"That's not even the best part!" She exclaimed, starting to become excited. "Modern airships get around by riding the swift currents of air found at high altitudes, or with help from a squad of pegasi. The Clipper is self powered!"
James was interested, "Care to show me more?"
"With pleasure!" The aeronautical engineer enthusiastically lead him into the interior. "This is the main cabin. Along the inner walls are seats that can be folded down individually or left up to accommodate large loads. In the deck is a cargo door that can be opened and closed in flight or on the ground. Above it is a winch that can be used to lift loads up to eight hundred pounds. The winch is powered by the same engine that drives the propeller. That ladder leads to the upper deck. There is a secondary control station up there, but the main one is in here," she lead James through a door in the forward bulkhead, "from this station you can control speed, altitude and direction." There was a console filled with arrays of buttons, instruments and levers including what James assumed to be the control yoke.
"How does the craft change altitude, does it function like a hot air balloon?"
"No, it's held aloft by a special type of helium I created myself. It's enchanted to react to pulses of electricity generated by the engine and can be adjusted from here in the control station. The more intense the charge sent through it, the more the gas expands inside the bladders in the balloon. On it's own, the gas has only enough buoyancy to slow the aircraft's rate of decent. Not slow enough to land safely, but enough that the occupants will survive the crash."
"Show me the engine room."
"Absolutely!"
Myst lead him into another compartment aft of the main cabin, where a bundle of wires attached to the winch ran from. Mounted on the deck against the aft bulkhead was a large mechanical contraption of gears and belts surrounding and attached to a core of metal. Another bundle of wires ran from it up into a small opening in the overhead that was sealed against the weather. Currently, it was off.
"This is the source of power for the whole craft. It's of my own design as well."
"Did you design this whole thing?"
"From the ground up!"
"How does the engine work, is it electric?"
"Nope, it can generate electric power, but the engine itself is powered by magical energy stored in a specially designed battery."
"Outstanding. I only have one more question. Why are you here?"
Her enthusiasm disappeared and her eyes went wide with realization, "Oh my gosh, I almost forgot, I'm so sorry!"
Myst ran into the cockpit and rummaged around for a bit. James waited for her in the main cabin. She came back levitating a scroll stamped with a wax seal bearing the royal crest. James pulled it from the air and broke the seal.
James,
I hope this finds you in good health. I received your letter and am glad to hear things are moving smoothly. I have sent this with a new prototype airship as you can most likely see. With it is it's creator, Miss Aria Myst. She is an excellent engineer as well as an accomplished pilot. I hope you and your new team can assist her in testing and assessing it's capabilities. My only other request is that you come to Canterlot so that I may speak with you.
Princess Celestia
James rolled it back up and pocketed it, then stepped outside to speak with his team.
"Alright, looks like we got a new ride. Say hello to The Fixers' very own 'Clipper'. One other thing, in about thirty minutes, we're gonna get to take it for a joy ride. Sparks, I need a favor from you. You how to dry fabric with magic, right? Everypony get some lunch if you haven't already and meet back here in uniform. We have a meeting to attend. Myst, welcome aboard."
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The ride to the capitol was a bit hectic. James wanted to see how maneuverable the aircraft was and asked Myst to demonstrate. She happily obliged and put the craft into some sharp turns, dives and climbs. With the skillful pilot at the controls it was actually quite nimble. Unfortunately, this resulted in the passengers getting tossed about the cabin. James made a mental note to have seatbelts installed, at least four point contact. Maybe five. Other than that, The Clipper lived up to it's creator's boasts. In no time, the city set upon the mountain side, Canterlot, was filling the view out the windows.
James climbed up the steeply angled ladder to the upper deck for a better view without cramming into the cockpit. He moved to the the railing in front of the small secondary control station. The first thing that stood out to him was the castle. Many tall towers and spires rose from a seemingly random collection of foundation buildings. Closer to the mountain side was a residential area, separated from the actual castle by a courtyard ringed by a high stone wall. This was all protected by gigantic gatehouse at the edge of the city. A long flagstone road lead from it's entrance and passed close by to a beautiful cascading waterfall.
'That has got to be the weirdest design for a castle I have ever seen. Looks nice though.'
Myst brought the airship into a dock area jutting out from the cliffs under the castle with much, much larger and more ornate versions of The Clipper moored along side them. The Clipper was too small to tie up next to such behemoths and instead opted to land on one of the wide piers. Waiting for them was a small contingent of the Guard. The five were escorted up from the docks to the castle. The Guards Ponies left them in a grand foyer while the princess was notified of their arrival. Flash walked up to James.
"What do you think she wants us here for?"
"I'm not sure. Could be that she just wants to see the results of my program for herself. She did fund it after all."
'After guilt tripping me into running it.'
"Or she might have some sort of task for us. Hopefully it's the former."
They didn't wait long until two large double doors at the opposite side of the way they entered opened and two of what James now knew were called 'Alicorns' walked through flanked by two guards. One was the Princess Celestia. The other James had never seen before, though she seemed strangely familiar. She was a deep midnight blue with a mane that darkly sparkled and waved like twinkling starlight. She was a little over a head shorter than Celestia.
"Please excuse me Luna, I have a small matter I must attend to. Can we continue our conversation another time, perhaps later today?"
"Of course, sister. I shall be in the gardens."
The other alicorn turned and left. Flash, Feather and Sparks lined up at attention behind their CO as he saluted the princess. Myst was the only one who bowed. The guards looked furious and moved to put the foolish human in his place, but were stayed by motion of one of Celestia's forelegs. James noticed this and offered an explanation.
"My apologies ma'am. Where I come from service members never bow to anyone while in uniform, royalty or not. You did ask me to train them the way I was, remember?"
'She may have funded the training and we may ultimately answer to her, but these are my soldiers, dammit.'
"Of course, Commander. Could you please come with me? We have much to talk about."
"Yes ma'am. Is my team required to stay here for anything?"
"No, they may do as they please."
"Just on moment then." He turned towards Myst and the four ponies in uniform. "Go have some fun, check out the town. Muster back here by the end of the day. Dismissed."
James redirected his attention back to Celestia as they all left. "I'm all yours."
"Excellent. Guards, please leave us, we are not to be disturbed unless it is an emergency."
"Your grace..." both bowed and excused themselves.
Celestia turned around and walked back the way she came, down a long, echoing corridor. Each side was decorated with enormously beautiful stained glass windows. James followed along side her. Having not really talked to he face to face, James now realized how tall she was compared to all the other ponies he'd interacted with. They all came up to about his chest, except for Big Mac who stood higher, but the princess could easily look him right in the eye.
"So James, how have you been adjusting to your new home?"
"I make do."
To many, that would have contained almost no information, but Celestia was over a millennium old. With that age came unfathomable wisdom. To her the simple statement spoke volumes.
"You're lonely, aren't you?"
The human just calmly continued walking by her side, showing no reaction to her question.
"Not so much. I do have Flash, Sparks and Feather. Even the girls drop by from time to time to see how I'm doing.
"I see." She was still unconvinced.
The truth was, he actually had been a bit lonesome. As far as he knew, he was the only one of his kind in this world. The only things that even came close were those vile monsters. Sure, his teammates had a few things in common with him and he would do anything for them, but it just wasn't the same.
"Pleasantries aside, ma'am, was there anything in particular you wanted to speak about?"
"Straight to the point, I see. Yes, there has been some troubling news as of late. There have been reports of disappearances along the outer reaches of our borders."
"That is certainly not good."
"Certainly. The disturbing thing, however, is their nature. The only ponies that disappear are unicorns and any ponies that happened to be with them were found beaten within an inch of their life."
"You think it's them?"
"I certainly hope not, but the theory is becoming more likely by the day."
"What would you like me to do?"
"I need a force sent to the most prevalent region to dig up any information they can. In the meantime, I've increased the presence of the guard in those regions, but I'm afraid it won't be enough."
"Understood ma'am. I'll gather my team and set out as soon as we're ready."
"Thank you. I'll send a letter with the details."
"Anything else, ma'am?"
"Oh yes, I would like you and your team to stay stationed in Ponyville. It's a central location within the country and you would be able to reach anywhere with ease."
"Outstanding. Ma'am, may I ask you something?"
"Of course, anything."
"A while back you said that other objects had been 'shifted' or 'teleported' into this world before. And that you had all the dangerous looking ones you found locked up. Would you permit me to view the items?"
Celestia thought for a moment about his request. Ultimately, she reluctantly granted it to him.
"Come with me please."
James followed the princess down several corridors, twists and turns and finally down a long spiraling stone stairway that terminated at the bottom before two large oak and iron doors guarded by no less than four Guards Ponies and under heavy lock and key. Upon the princess' arrival, all four snapped to attention and promptly bowed before her.
"Arise, my little ponies. I require entrance to this vault."
The guards jumped into action and quickly opened the vault. She crossed the thresh hold, magically lighting several torches as she did. James stepped inside as the doors shut behind him with an echoing boom. The space he was now standing in was huge. The ceiling was so high up he could barely see it. Large columns, spaced every twenty feet or so, were each ablaze with a torch in a bracket. As James continued to follow the princess, he looked around him. Everywhere he could see fleeting glints of metal and reflections of light. Eventually, Celestia reached a large, shallow vat of viscous fluid. With a flash of her horn, the fluid burst into flames with a loud whumpf. James stared in awe around him. All about the room were piled old and rusty decrepit looking things. Some appeared more recent.
There were centuries old weapons stacked in crates and stored in barrels. A majority of it was swords and spears and the like. He could see some old armor scattered around, not all of it looked like it would fit the human form. Then he noticed one corner of the room that was separate from the rest. Because this corner had what the rest of the room lacked: Firearms. Most were old and broken down, completely unsafe to fire, but there were a few gems. A few assault rifles, some LMGs, even an M110. However, that all paled in comparison to what he saw stashed behind some boxes. James almost wet himself in excitement. He bent down and extracted an old M82 Barrett sniper rifle. The Big .50 BMG. He cycled the bolt a few times. It stuck a little, but it was serviceable. He could have it back to prime condition in no time. It even had it's optics. He rummaged around some boxes and managed to scrounge up some of it's magazines and a two whole ammo cans of munitions for it. These were among more ammunition for all the other weapons and even some explosives.
"Ma'am, I assume you are aware of what these are."
"Yes, they are instruments designed and built solely for the purpose of death." She said with some disdain.
"Correct. I must ask you to allow me to take them."
The princess looked appalled.
"I know what you're thinking, but trust me when I say that superior technological advantage my be our best bet with defending against those creatures."
*sigh* "If I must. I will have the items of your choosing packed up and delivered to the airship."
"Thank you, ma'am. I promise I won't let you down."
Chapter 19: First Deployment
Sitting high up on the top of the tree in the middle of the Everfree with a beautiful view for miles around was a happy little watermelon. It was decent size for a watermelon, one you would expect to find at a family picnic, and it enjoyed it's perilous perch. It sat there, soaking up the sun, butterflies flapping about. This went on for a time...... until it exploded into a fine mist for seemingly no reason at all. This was followed shortly by the sound of distant thunder.
Just over a mile away, James grinned up at the pony sitting in the watchtower next to him, sighting through a telescope, mouth agape.
"That'll be ten bits there, Flash."
"No way. Aw, horseapples."
James got up from his prone position and removed the magazine from the M82 then cycled the bolt to ensure it was clear and safe. He had spent all evening yesterday cleaning and oiling it, making sure all the parts moved correctly, and most of this morning zero-ing the sights. The bet was made when Flash had asked him how far he could shoot with the thing.
"Yes way. Now you can either give me the cash now, or pay for my drinks later. Dealer's choice."
"I got it, I got it, here are your stupid bits." Flash produced ten coins and deposited them into James' outstretched hand.
"Thank you kindly sir. Oh, and drinks on me later."
"Whatever."
The two descended down to the ground and walked over to the briefing room. After returning from Canterlot late yesterday, James had made the training grounds their official headquarters. James' back room office was now Sparks' private little workshop and armory while the classroom now functioned as the team's readyroom. James and Sparks had plans to put in lockers and benches an even convert the Barracks into quarters for Feather and Myst. For now, Feather stayed there as it was and Myst was living out of the airship. She rarely left it as it was, always tinkering with it or tweaking the adjustment on engine or control console. Right now, Feather was in town getting information on their AOR for their first op with help from Twilight in the town's library. Sparks had locked himself in his new workshop like the mad scientist James suspected him to be. The engineer had brought back a large bag of goodies from Canterlot and secluded himself in James' old office as soon as he had set it up for his own purposes.
James grabbed a couple waters from the icebox they had muscled in there earlier in the morning and tossed one to Flash before sitting down. He looked over to the corner where he had stacked the crates of weapons and ammunition he'd brought back from Celestia's vault. All in all, they now had a few AK-47s, some old M-16s, an old SPAS 15, a small pile of busted up pistols he could salvage for parts, a P90 that he could only find two mags for, an old MG3, a dusty M249 SAW and the M110. There were two additional crates that held the munitions for all of them and even some explosives, like grenades. There were more, including a flintlock pistol that was somehow in superb condition, but he only took what he thought he could use at the moment. How Celestia had amassed such a collection, James could only speculate, but he had caught hints that she might have been doing so for quite some time. Hell, if he was to believe the snatches of conversation he picked up around the castle while waiting for the firearms to be delivered to the Clipper, Princess Celestia was apparently an immortal that had been around for a few millennia. It was a strange thought.
James didn't know what he was going to do with most of the weapons, but he had thought about training his team on the machine guns and then mounting them on the airship somewhere. He just needed to ask Sparks if he could somehow adapt them for pony use, like he was doing with his NVGs and throat mic. The door opened and closed behind James and he turned his head to see Feather standing there with two heavy looking saddle bags on his back. The pony walked over and deposited them on the table with a solid, heavy clunk.
"What's in there buddy, lead?" James asked quizzically.
"Books, lots and lots of books."
"Twilight got you the information we needed then?"
"And then some. She found the maps and local areas of interest, then the geology of the region, weather patterns, viewable constellations, annual rainfall, snowfall, trade routes, local industries; mostly mines, and even the freaking census for the last three years! She insisted that I take it all with me."
"I really hope you also have just the summary to all that."
"Absolutely, I've whittled it down to just the gems."
"Outstanding job. Flash, could you please go get Myst and bring her in here, she'll need to be present since she's our infil and exfil."
"Sure thing boss."
While Flash went to retrieve the pilot, James walked over and pounded on the back room door.
"Sparks! It's time for the briefing, get your ass out here!"
"Just a minute!" Came a muffled reply.
Flash returned with Myst and they all waited for a moment before Sparks finally emerged from his cave, levitating several objects.
"I've done it! Here are our new comms!"
He levitated one each to the ponies, keeping one for himself. James got his original back. It was the throat mics.
"With these, we should be able to keep in touch easily. James, I know you're a stickler for stealth, so I fine tuned them to be able to pick up even the faintest whisper. I'm still working the bugs out on the first of the NVGs, I'm afraid those will still take some time."
"No worries, I'm surprised you managed to crank these out so fast."
"Oh, these were easy. Just a few simple spells after assembling the components and they were all set."
"Outstanding, what's their range?"
"Only about five or so miles, ten with a clear line of sight. Magical energy dissipates over time and distance. It goes further when there's nothing in the way to block or absorb it."
"Hmm, oddly similar to radio waves."
"Well, some types of magic do have electro magnetic properties."
"Interesting. Anyway, you're just in time for the briefing on the Whitecrest op. Feather?"
"Right," the earth pony extracted a large folded parchment from the saddle bags and pinned it up over the chalkboard after unfolding it. "This is Whitecrest," he said, pointing to a small dot sitting at the base of the eastern mountain range almost directly across the Everfree from Ponyville, only a bit farther south. "It's the main settlement and trade hub of the eastern reaches of Equestria. It's often frequented by merchants from the Griffon Colonies, some of which are situated just on the other side of the mountain range. Often, during the fall and winter months, the area is accessible only by airship due to heavy snow falls."
"How heavy are we talking about?" James inquired.
"Usually about fifteen to twenty feet a year."
James whistled, "Damn, better get some cold weather gear for you guys, it's already starting to cool down here. Please continue."
"Whitecrest does have a small weather service, but they tend to stay within the vicinity of the town due to it's close proximity to both the mountains and the Everfree. Outlying settlements are here, here, here and here," he gestured to four Xs drawn on the map, two north and two south of Whitecrest, "the outer two are just small mining camps, but the two closer to Whitecrest are actually little villages that act as stops between the camps and Whitecrest itself. The vast majority of the incidents have occurred around here." He circled an area between the southern mining camp and Whitecrest and included the village in between.
"Excellent report. Alright, you all know the deal now. Get any affairs you have in order today. We depart early tomorrow morning at zero-five-hundred, so show up dressed out and ready to go. Other than that, meet me at the town square by dusk. Dismissed."
=======================================================================
They all met up at the prescribed time and place James had set for them and headed over to one of the bars. It was Monday evening, so it would be a slow night for the place, but they weren't there to party, just relax a bit before the mission. The five sat down at a table in a dive called The Hoof And Mouth. James liked it because they had a good red draft on tap and a pool table. James loved to play pool with his buds. Fortunately, so did Feather. Soon they were both trying to hustle each other, putting down two bits per game. Myst watched for a time before walking up to them. At this point, James was up six bits and Feather was looking for a way to make it back.
"Hey boys, mind if I play?"
"Sure," Feather answered, "you got two bits?"
She put two on the edge of the table and took a cue with her magic.
"I'm afraid I'm not terribly good, you'll go easy on me, won't you?" She batted her lashes a few times.
"Of course!" Feather replied confidently. He thought this was going to be money in the bank.
James recognized the tactic for what it was, having spent quite a lot of time in pool halls with his grandfather when he was younger, and backed off.
"I'm good, you got this one brother."
Feather racked the billiard balls and chivalrously let Myst break them. It was a mediocre break and she looked a little embarrassed. After a short time, Feather was only two balls away from sinking the eight ball and Myst still had five to go.
"What do you say we go double or nothing?" Myst proposed, putting two more bits on the table.
"You're kidding me! You're on!" Feather slammed two bits to match hers.
James chuckled to himself, it was obvious to him what she was doing, but Feather somehow remained oblivious. It was probably the bedroom eyes she kept giving him. Feather knocked another ball in, but missed his second shot. Myst took advantage of the mostly clear table and sunk all five balls in one go, finishing with the eight ball.
She swept the eight bits off the edge of the table and walked past the stunned dark blue stallion, giving him a light flick in the face with the end of her tail as she passed by on her way to the bar.
"Thanks for the free drinks, stud." She said non-chalantly.
James couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out in laughter. Feather's expression still hadn't changed, his mouth hanging slightly open.
"Ha ha ha ha, you just got hustled, dude! C'mon, you need a drink after that, it's on me."
James was placing their order with the bartender when Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie entered the establishment.
"Howdy! How're y'all doin' James?" Started the hard working farm mare.
"Hey, glad to see you three, what are you guys doing here on a Monday night?"
"We were passing by when Pinkie spotted you all in here through the window and stopped in to see how everypony was doing." Dash explained, Pinkie nodded her head up and down rapidly, ever present grin on her face.
"The team is just here relaxing a bit before tomorrow,"
"What's happening tomorrow, is it a party!?" Pinkie asked enthusiastically, bouncing in place as always.
"No, the princess finally has something for us to do. Gotta head out for a while."
"Aw, why are you always so busy?" Dash pouted.
"Sorry. It comes with being a soldier, nature of the beast. Don't worry though, we'll be back soon. Maybe we'll go sky diving when I get back, how about that?"
"Promise?"
"I promise."
"Make a Pinkie Promise."
"Pinkie Promise?"
"Oh, oh! My turn! Repeat after me!" The party mare instructed.
James repeated her words and mimicked her movements, ".......Hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." He finished, placing a hand over his left eye.
"Perfect!" Pinkie bounced happily away.
"There, now you have to come hang out."
"Don't worry Dash, I'll be there." James assured.
The three mares left shortly after. Soon, it was time for James and his team to leave, they had an early next day. The group finished their drinks and paid off the tab before heading back to their respective residences. It was time to get some sleep. They were finally going to put all they had learned to the test.
======================================================================
Myst informed the team that even with the Clipper's advantages in speed, it was going to be a long ride to Whitecrest so everyone did the best they could to get comfortable and pass the time. Sparks and Flash were teaching Feather the game of Pusoy Dos on the deck while James lay across the benches with his cover over his face and his headphones in. He was just trying to relax, listening to music and getting his mind set right for whatever lay ahead of them. They had all studied every detail of the landscape on the maps for the first two hours of the trip and were now intimately familiar with the surrounding geography of their AOR. Now they just had to get there.
All the ponies were wearing their new com sets and, except for Myst, were suited up in their combat uniforms and armed. Flash and Sparks were carrying thin short swords while Feather simply had just two sheathed daggers on his sides. James wore his own uniform as well as a matching tac vest he'd asked Rarity to make for him some weeks ago. He left his kevlar behind, deciding that he wouldn't need it and it would just add unnecessary weight. His kit consisted of his usual rifle and sidearm, the silencers for which were strapped to the side of his vest. Clipped to a strap that wrapper around him was the shotgun, it's stock folded. It didn't have a silencer, but if he had to use that weapon, stealth would no longer be an issue. Having three different weapons with three different types of ammo posed weight problems as well, so he carried a limited amount of each, although, he had extra stashed under the seats. Strapped to the bulkhead above him was the M110. He probably wouldn't need it, but he always liked having the ability to reach out and touch someone if the need ever arose. He had four clips of it's 7.62mm rounds stashed in a bag under the seats as well. On the forward bulkhead, next to the cockpit door were five numbered parachutes. The Clipper was also stocked with medical supplies and food rations. They were ready.
After a few hours, James felt a tap on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and saw Sparks staring down at him. James sat up and removed his headphones.
"What's up?"
"We're almost there, Myst says she's starting to descend into the town."
"Sweet, let's get a good view, shall we?"
Sparks followed James up the ladder and out onto the upper deck. They were fast approaching a medium sized sprawl of wooden buildings. Most didn't rise above two or three stories. Through all this ran a ribbon of silver that appeared to be a small river. It ran from north to south along the base of the range. A tall half constructed wall was in the process of being erected around the town. It was set up against the side of a large mountain, at the bottom of a cliff, where the most impressive structure was hanging off of. Jutting out from a shear cliff side was a gigantic fan shaped wooden docking platform. Here and there, massive airships could be seen moored to the piers, taking on or off loading cargo and freight. Up and down the face of the cliff, freight elevators ran between the docks and warehouses down at the base. Once again, the tiny Clipper opted to land on the wide main dock platform due to it's small size. the nimble craft touched down and a lone guard trotted out to meet the new arrivals. As soon as the skids came in contact with the deck, James returned to the main cabin, un-dogged the side door and stepped out onto the dock.
"Halt! This is an unauthorized landing, state your name and purpose!"
"At ease there buddy, we were sent here to help with your 'problem'. I need you to take us to your CO, I need to speak with him immediately."
"First you must identify yourself before I do anything."
*sigh* "Fine, I'm Commander Kaughn of the Royal Special Tasks Group and this is my team. Now, if you're done wasting my time..."
The guardspony instantly went to attention and delivered a salute, "Sir! My apologies! We were expecting you to be--"
"A pony, probably. I know, easy mistake. Can we get a move on now? We just completed a long flight and we need to stretch our legs."
"Of course sir, right this way."
James left all his equipment in the airship, except his sidearm which was in his thigh holster, and he and his companions followed the guard to the elevator platforms in the back. Myst elected to stay behind, mumbling about vibrations in the control yoke and some bolt somewhere she had to find and tighten. The group crowded onto a smaller elevator made for personnel that ran beside the larger ones carrying cargo containers and started their descent down the cliff face. After reaching the bottom, they were lead through the warehouses to a low two story with a sign in need of a new paint job that read 'Whitecrest Royal Guard HQ'. They were taken inside and asked to wait while the CO was informed they had arrived. While they did, a familiar stallion happened to walk out of a side room.
"Ira?"
"James, Lieutenant Sparks! What a nice surprise! What are you two doing way out here?"
"We got wind of your little situation here and were sent to check it out. what's the corps doing here, you old dog?"
"We were tasked with beefing up the city's defenses after the attacks down south. So far, we haven't seen any trouble, but it's only a matter of time."
"Agreed. Well, we're gonna to our best to delay that, prevent it entirely if we can."
"Oh, you wouldn't want us working for nothing, would you?"
They both laughed a little at the slightly morbid joke before the were interrupted by the pony that had brought James and his team to the HQ.
"Sir, the Colonel will see you now."
"Alright Ira, I gotta go. Stay safe."
"You too! And continue keeping Sparks safe for me, will ya? Sometimes the kid's to curious for his own good."
"Aye, sir!" James gave off his signature half salute.
The two friends parted and James entered the CO's office, followed by his team. Sitting behind a desk was a grizzled old earth pony with a scar running from the back of his left jaw and across his cheek, almost to his mouth.
"Good morning Colonel, I'm Commander Kaughn of the RSTG and this is my team, we're here to help."
The old dark green stallion examined the patch on James' left breast pocket before speaking in a gravelly voice, "The Fixers, huh? You here to fix our problems?"
"We're here to gather some intel and bust some heads if we have to."
"Ha, good answer. Sounds like you got some gumption. The names' Colonel Rokjaw, how can we assist you in your task?"
"We've read the reports and studied the region. We just need to know if there was anything you haven't included or any changes that may have happened since."
"Well, unfortunately, all I can tell you is there hasn't been an incident for a week and a half and that we've never seen anything like this."
"Thanks Colonel. The only other thing we'll need is a place to stay."
"I'd like to set you up in a barracks, but due to the Princess' increase of forces out here, our quarters are at capacity. There is a small inn, however, that would be glad to have you at half price. The owner is a former guard and an old friend of mine."
"Thank you, Colonel. We'll take you up on your recommendation."
"My pleasure. So if I may ask, what is your plan now?"
"We'll do a couple fly overs of the site this afternoon, but wait until tomorrow morning to put hooves on the ground. It's already noon and I don't want to be running around an unfamiliar area at dusk and we don't know how long we'll be there."
"Sounds excellent. Good luck in your endeavors."
"Same to you, Colonel. Flash, please fly up to the Clipper and tell Myst to get her warmed up, we'll meet you there. I want to get down there and see as much as possible before the sun starts to set."
"Got it!"
The group left the HQ and Flash peeled off to inform the pilot of the situation. It was time to go earn their paychecks.
Chapter 20: Contact
The early morning sun illuminated the congealed blood that stained the dirt with dark rusty hues. There were splatters here and there, in some places there were pools. According to Colonel Rokjaw, the ponies that had been found here were badly beaten, but alive. The guard had reacted swiftly and had fortunately suffered no casualties. A pair of old rails ran through the center of the settlement, north to south. Down along the southerly tracks were more faint blood trails. Upon first entering the settlement, the team had found it eerily quiet and began a house by house search for any inhabitants, pony or otherwise. Now they knew that it was a ghost town. Aside from the blood, James noticed that the earth had been churned up by many feet. Some recognizable prints had short claws on the ends of the toes. They had been here.
James switched on his mic, "Flash, you see anything from up there?"
The pegasus was currently flying high above the buildings, looking out for any signs of movement. It was like having an intelligent UAV.
"Not a thing. From up here, it looks like they entered and exited the town from the same direction; south, along the tracks."
"Then that's where we'll go. Myst, stay on standby up there in case we need a quick way out."
"Understood." Came the reply. The pilot was currently hovering not far above them, hidden by a cloud formation.
"Alright Fixers, we got a small hike to the mining camp, let's move out."
The group took it slow. There were many places to hide among the rocks and foliage and they took pains to scan any and every potential ambush site for hostiles. After forty-five minutes of walking, they finally entered the mining camp. It too, was abandoned. Mining carts, some still half full of raw iron ore sat motionless. Collapsed tents were scattered about the area. There was some blood here too, but accompanied by drag marks. The four followed them to an opening in the side of the mountain. A dark cavernous maw gaped at the operatives, the faint sound of a moaning wind emanated from it as if threatening to swallow them whole.
"Sparks, Flash you're on overwatch out here. Find a defensible position with a good view of the cave entrance and watch for trouble. Feather, you're with me."
James lowered his rifle and drew his sidearm. He slid the silencer out from where it was strapped on his side and threaded it on the end of the barrel. He then grabbed a combat torch from his cargo pocket and switched it on, holding it in front of his body. Cautiously, he and the earth pony advanced into the dark unknown. The two didn't go far until they came upon what they thought was a cave in. It appeared as if chunks of rock from the ceiling had come loose and piled themselves on the ground up almost to the overhead, but as he played the light around, James noticed the tell tale scorch marks of a blast. Feather studied the pile of rubble and spotted little streaks of blood leading to the top where there was a space about four feet tall and six feet wide.
"James, do you think we should continue?" He whispered.
"No," James whispered back, "there are too many unknowns. What do you make of this cave in?"
"It looks artificial to me. It must have been triggered by dynamite, and early on too. There's a blood trail leading to that small opening in the top. Could be the miners saw what was coming and tried to stop it."
"Good eyes. Let's regroup and--"
From the other side of the cave in came the sound of rock sliding over rock. They both froze and listened. At first, all they could hear was their own breathing in the oppressive darkness. Then Flash came over on the comms with a warning.
"Guys, I think you should get out of there, we can see movement on the mountain above the cave entrance."
"Thanks for the heads-up. We're on our way back. Keep your eyes peeled. Feather, I feel we've overstayed our welcome here."
"The feeling's mutual, let's get the hay outta here."
Feather and James made their way back to the entrance and were halfway there when they heard the scrape of metal on stone behind them.
"Aw fuck, LEG IT!"
Both broke into a sprint as a beast bellowed from their backs.
"Flash, Sparks, we got Limas on our tail, time to pull chocks!"
James could now hear heavy footsteps pursuing them and fired a few shots from his pistol over his shoulder. He didn't expect them to hit anything, but he hoped it slowed them down.
Sparks' shouted over the comms, "You're not the only ones with problems, there's a large group coming down from the mountain side! You got about ten seconds before they beat you to the cave entrance!"
James and Feather sprinted up the incline and burst out into the sunlight. They were soon joined by Sparks as they ran and galloped down the cart rails. James glanced over his shoulder and saw a large group of Lotkin charging for them about sixty yards to their rear.
"Myst, you need to get down here now, LZ is hot and we need a rolling evac!"
"I'm bringing her in, just keep running along the tracks."
James shoved his pistol back into it's holster, silencer and all. Then in one practiced motion, he spun around, dropped to a knee and brought his rifle to bear. He began pumping lead into the creatures as soon as he had a sight picture until crossbow bolts started to whistle by his head. He had gotten a good number of them, but there were plenty more. He sprinted to catch up with his team. Flash was still flying above, but was now dodging shots from the Lotkin himself. This was bad. they were caught out in the open by a hostile force with superior numbers. Suddenly, the Clipper pulled along side, door wide open and ready to receive them. Flash landed on the upper deck while the rest piled inside. James got up and slid the side door shut as multiple crossbow bolts thunked into it, some penetrating almost an inch inside.
"Myst, get some altitude and circle back around, I want to lead them away from the settlements."
"What makes you think they'll follow us?"
"As long as we pose a challenge or a threat, they'll try to take us down."
A bolt smashed thought one of the windows and buried itself in the bulkhead opposite as if to emphasize his point. James quickly climbed up the ladder after letting Flash down into the cabin. He braced against the railing and started to fire into the crowd below. It had now grown into a massive size, Lotkin were pouring from cleverly concealed openings in the mountain side. It was like fighting damn insurgents all over again. James reloaded as the bolt on his rifle remained locked back after the last round was ejected. He kept firing even as Myst pulled the craft off south, heedless of the deadly projectiles whizzing about. James maintained this until he realized something was wrong. The Lotkin passing by below them were all taking shots at him, but the body as a whole kept on marching northward. It only took the human a second to figure out what was happening.
"Myst, get some altitude, they aren't falling for it. Flash, as soon as we clear the range on those crossbows, fly as fast as you can back to Whitecrest and tell them to prepare for an invasion."
James held on as the pilot complied with his orders. As soon as they were free and clear, he saw Flash shoot out from the side of the craft.
Sparks voice sounded slightly panicked over the comms, "James, what the HAY are we gonna do now? We weren't trained to handle this many hostiles."
"No, not on our own. We have to slow them down. North of the ghost town, the forest runs right up to the mountain side, that'll help, but after that, it's a strait shot to Whitecrest."
James went deep into thought. He needed some way to stall the advancing hoard, but they didn't have any heavy artillery. He studied the writhing mass below for a moment before something hit him. It was barely noticeable, but they weren't all moving as a single large unit. James sighted through his rifle scope and upon closer inspection, saw only slightly discernible spaces of divisions between knots of warriors. He picked one of these groups and focused on it, looking for anything that stuck out. Then, a flash of bright red, near the front of the pack. James shifted all his attention to the source of the burst of color. Leading from the front, large sword drawn, was a large and overbearing Lotkin with red smears all over his helmet. The rest seemed to be following it. An insane idea formed in the human's head.
"Myst, head back to Whitecrest ASAP."
"Roger that!"
James began scanning the mountain side as it scrolled by, searching for the perfect spot. Shifting his gaze ahead, he locked in on a steep ridge with the features he was looking for. He rushed down to the cabin and swiped the bag of 7.62 rounds from under the seats.
"Myst, you see that ridge coming up on our right side?"
"Yeah?"
"I need you to slow down a little and fly as close as you can to it."
"James, what are you planning to do?"
"Don't worry about it," he said while removing the M110 from the bulkhead, "as soon as I'm clear, bug out straight for the city and don't stop 'til you get there. That's an order."
He unclipped the shotgun from it's strap and tossed it on the seats, then cradled the precision weapon in his arms and slid open the side door. The scenery flew past at a high rate. James stuck his head out to get a better view of his target only to quickly pull it back in to avoid an outcropping of rock that passed dangerously close by. Myst really was following his orders to the letter. The ridge line was fast approaching. He took a few quick breaths before taking a few steps back. Timing would be everything here. Counting to three, James got a running start and launched himself from the vehicle. While in mid air, he expelled all the air from his lungs to avoid getting the wind knocked out of him. The marksman rolled as his feet struck the ground, he clutched the rifle close to his chest to protect the optics. He finally tumbled to a stop, a little battered and bruised, but no worse for wear. One thing was certain, he was gonna be sore tomorrow.
Picking himself up, James moved to the edge of the ridge and dropped to prone. In front of him was a shear drop and a spectacular view of the foothills below. About half a mile to his left was the tree line and almost three miles to his right was Whitecrest. James checked the optics on his weapon, making sure nothing was knocked out of alignment. Satisfied, he flipped down the attached bipod, cycled the bolt to chamber a round and posted up on the ridge against a large boulder. Then he waited. From the forest, he could hear the ululating cries of the bloodthirsty beasts as they barged through the trees and underbrush. The loud cracks of branches snapping echoed off the rocks around him. Out of the corner of his eye, there was a flutter of movement. He pivoted his rifle around and sighted on the spot. He could definitely see them moving in the tree line now.
Slowing his breath, James started his routine. Breathe in through the navel, out through the nose, repeat. He made sure the butt of the rifle was firmly in place against the hollow of his shoulder, legs spread behind him, cheek welded against the stock. He searched for the tell tale red through the sight and centered the crosshairs on the creature's chest when he found it. James adjusted just up and to the right of center of mass to account for distance and the slight breeze flowing from the west. He calmly flipped the safety off and gently squeezed the trigger.
*POW*
Half a second later, the grotesque barbarian just crumpled to the ground. Behind it was a group of its comrades. James rapidly popped off a few rounds, dropping two more. The empty shell casings plinked off the rock beside him. The rest of the monsters hesitated at seeing one of their leaders and a couple of their companions felled so easily and by an invisible assailant. James emptied his clip into the now stationary group and swapped it out for a new one from the bag. The survivors scattered and James searched for his next victims.
He repeated this process until the creatures were wary of exposing themselves in the open. Soon he was down to the last clip. Just twenty rounds left. James was only taking pot shots now at anything foolish enough to stick its head out for a peek. Before long, James could hear the unmistakable clinking and clanging of mismatched and ill fitting metal armor.
'Shit, party's over.'
He stood up and folded the bipod forward. He was about to start running north when one of the Lotkin leaped over a boulder, an axe raised above its head, growling out a challenge. James simply turned while shouldering the rifle and let the damn thing take the remaining seven rounds in the chest. Blood and bits of bone and metal sprayed the gray rock behind it. The human grabbed the assault rifle slung on his back and swapped it with the empty M110. Rifle at the ready, he scooted around the boulder the dispatched hostile had leaped from and spotted three more making their way towards him. James took aim and dropped all three before they got close. He turned back to the ridge and looked down. The others had realized that they were no longer getting shot at and resumed their advance. some of them were even splitting off and sprinting to James' location. That was all he needed to see. He took of like a rocket back towards the city. Just three miles and he'd be somewhat safe.
He powered through low brush and over uneven ground. In the distance ahead of him, James watched as a dark speck grew. eventually it grew into Flash.
"James, what the hay kind of crazy plan was this!?" Flash yelled over the radio.
"Sorry buddy, it seemed like a good idea at the time."
"And now?"
James glanced over his shoulder and saw about ten snarling, sword wielding Lotkin pursuing him fifty yards back.
"Now, not so much."
His pursuers were gaining on him. In no time, they had closed the distance to about thirty yards.
"Flash, get some altitude."
Reaching down to his vest, James snatched up one of his frag grenades. Careful to palm the spoon, he pulled the pin, twisted and tossed the baseball shaped device at the group behind him. About four seconds later, there was a sharp detonation to his rear. James didn't even glance back, he just kept running.
"Flash, what's the situation back in town?"
"They've begun evacuations and the engineers are trying to reinforce the city walls, as much as they can when they're only half built."
"Outstanding, now let's get the hell back there."
"You don't gotta tell me!"
James continued his run with Flash gliding above. At last the walls were looming before them. James keyed his mic.
"Feather, Sparks, you up?"
"Yeah, we're here," Feather replied, "What do you need?"
"I need a rope or something waiting for me at the wall, don't leave anything open for me. We're comin' in hot!"
In twelve minutes, they had reached the base of the wall. James was glad when he saw the thick rope hanging down from the top. He tied a quick bowline knot and put one foot through the loop, holding the rest of the line close to his body. As James was doing this, Flash flew up to the top and told the ponies up there to pull the human up. While he was being hauled up the face of the wall, James finally looked behind him. There had to be at least a few thousand hostiles descending on the trade town. As they got closer, the monstrosities began to loose tons of crossbow bolts at the defenders. Bolts thunked into the thick wood all around James, one even sliced through the pants leg of his inner thigh, a little too close for comfort. With a final heave, the guardsponies pulled James over the side. He immediately sat down, back to the wall, and collected himself for a moment. Sparks and Feather eventually ran up to their commander.
"How long until evacuation is complete?" He asked them.
"The guards are helping to load the townsfolk onto the freight elevators. From there, they will board the airships and sail to safety." Sparks informed him. "I've been told it might take a few hours."
"A few hours? Might as well be an eternity. Can either of you track down Ira?"
"Way ahead of you. I spoke with him as soon as we arrived. The lower part of the walls have been reinforced with large stone blocks."
"Outstanding. What about Colonel Rokjaw? Does he want to save the town or ditch as soon as everyone is out?"
"We haven't seen him yet."
"Alright. One of you get to work on finding him, in the meantime..."
James had thought he was done with war. He knew he couldn't escape fighting in general, the world wasn't built like that, but he really didn't expect anything like this to happen. He had dropped out of one war, just to land in another that was only starting. Hopefully, he could pull through it.
Chapter 21: Siege
The Lotkin warrior ascended up the crudely made ladder with haste. The anticipation of of bloodshed driving it to it's goal. Powerful arms pulled it swiftly to the top. When it finally reached the summit, it unsheathed its sword and lifted itself to the top of the wall. The first and last thing it saw was a metal tube pointed in its face.
*BOOM*
The top of its head disappeared in spray of pink mist. The body tumbled back down the ladder, striking and dislodging another that had been following. James lowered his shotgun and placed a boot on the top of the ladder. With a little effort, he pushed it away from the wall, sending it crashing down onto the hoard below. It was the seventh attempt at getting over the walls they'd stopped. Flash had just finished divebombing some hostiles off another, slicing them with his sword as he passed, before pushing the ladder off. Below, the Lotkin were hacking away at the wall, but the foundation was solidly built and buried deep in the packed dirt. They wouldn't be getting in that way anytime soon.
Colonel Rokjaw had been found, busily making copies of a letter informing anypony who recieved them of the dire situation. He then ordered the four fastest pegasi in his command to deliver them, two flew off to Canterlot and two went over the mountains to the nearby Griffon colony to warn them of the possible danger. The old veteran also hoped they might send help. The evacuation was moving more slowly than expected. With the guard split between running the evacuation of all the civilians and defending against the tide crashing upon the walls, they needed all the help they could get. The Colonel wished to save the town he had defended and called home for so long, but was ready to abandon it if need be. He would try though. He would try to save it with all his heart. The stubborn old war pony wouldn't quit until every option was exhausted.
Back on the wall, James had his rifle shouldered and was taking shots at targets of opportunity. Everytime he spotted a red helmet, or any other differently colored, he would put a few rounds into its wearer. This seemed to be working as the knot of hostiles around each one he dispatched appeared to lose organization and cohesiveness. Around him, unicorns from the Corps of Engineers were using their magic to launch large chunks of stone over the wall and into the attackers under Sparks' direction. Feather was galloping up and down the ramparts, helping where he could.
Clouds of crossbow bolts buzzed like swarms of wasps, embedding themselves in the wall and hissing past the defenders' heads. So many had been launched at them that the face of the wall now resembled the back of a porcupine. Some of the guards had been struck and were moved into some of the houses below so the medics could work on them. James had witnessed a couple of them get hit, one looked fatal. Still, he fought on, keeping up a steady rate of fire into the teeming mass of violence. He was almost out of ammo. He had nearly expended all the magazines for his assault rifle, and half the ammo for the shotgun. After that, it was just down to his knife and trusty pistol. James spotted another ladder coming up. He shifted his fire and started taking out the warriors lifting it at the bottom. Every one that fell was replaced by another. Suddenly, his rifle just clicked, failing to fire. He checked the breach and saw that an empty casing had gotten crushed and lodged in the chamber by the bolt. Cycling it wouldn't fix the jam and James didn't have time to dig it out. The top of the ladder was now in contact with the wall.
A guard ran up and attempted to push it off, but was hit in the forelegs, shoulder and chest by a volley of bolts, his armor next to useless against the deadly projectiles.
"Medic!"
James ran over and dragged the unfortunate guard away from the wall. He was still breathing, but shallowly and he was starting to bleed profusely. Although he had been struck in multiple places, nothing vital appeared to be hit except for a pierced lung. A hostile crested the rampart, James whipped his pistol out and put two in its chest, one in the face. Feather arrived and tried pushing off the ladder, but had to duck into cover when he almost met the same fate of his predecessor. Another Lotkin heaved itself over the wall, but was bucked in the side by Feather, crumpling its armor inwards. The pony finished it off with a dagger to it's unprotected neck. While his teammates watched his back, James pulled some battle dressings out of his side pocket and began carefully removing the thick darts sticking out of the guard's legs. He applied the dressings and handed the pony off to an engineer and a medic that had finally arrived to help.
James returned his attention to the ladder, more Lotkin were ascending to his position. He grabbed a grenade off his vest, an old Mk II. It was a defensive grenade and had a bit more explosive power than his M67s. He palmed the the spoon in his left hand and pulled the pin. Then with his right, he took his pistol, stood up and with the remaining four rounds, shot the Lotkin climbing the ladder. James tossed the grenade at the base of the ladder and ducked as more bolts assailed his position. A moment later, the charge detonated and reduced the base of the ladder and the surrounding attackers to pulp. All at once, it came crashing down. That threat dealt with, James sat with his back against the ramparts a reloaded his pistol before holstering it. Then he ejected the magazine from his rifle and locked the bolt back. Thumbing a round from the rifle mag, he used the tip of the bullet to pry out the damaged cartridge. Then he inspected the bolt and chamber. Finding no serious damage, he replaced the round and slid the mag back into the well. James flipped the fire selector to full auto, stood up and simply sprayed the rest of the clip into the crowd of aggressors. It was hard not to miss.
He sat back down in cover and keyed his mic, "Myst, you up?"
"What ya need, boss?"
"How's the evac going?"
"We're getting close to finishing. Right now, I'm dropping off another load of wounded."
"Outstanding, keep it up."
"How is everypony down there?" She sounded very worried.
"We're fine, just keep doin' what you're doin', you're doing great."
James sighed. He hoped everyone could keep it together. He wasn't sure for how long they would all have to hold out. The Colonel wanted to hold the town, but unless something changed, James wasn't sure they could. He was down to his last two rifle mags. Better make them count. He switched out the empty and hit the bolt release, sending one home. The, composing himself for a moment, he took a peek. Not seeing anything looking in his direction, he stood up, flipped the safety to semi and started popping heads. It wasn't long before he had attracted some unwanted attention and had to duck back down to avoid being pincushioned. Then Flash came on over the radio.
"Hey James, you gotta check this out."
"What is it?"
"I don't know, I was wondering if you might."
"Where're you at?"
"Over by the western gate."
"Moving."
James got up and ran in a low crouch to the gate. Flash was there waiting for him.
Below, the Lotkin were trying to ram the gate down with a large trunk of a tree cut from the forest. Fortunately, the engineers had the foresight to stack the stone blocks up against the gate too. While the gate was taking a beating, the large masses of rock kept it in place.
"What's the problem?" James asked.
"Take a look towards the back of their formation, the one behind the guys with the battering ram."
The human did so and at first saw nothing. He was about to ask the pegasus what he should be looking for when he saw a flicker of light. It shined with a strange, almost familiar, luminescense. James sighted up on it. What he saw was a Lotkin without any bladed weapons or even a crossbow. Instead, it was making its way through bustling hoard of its comrades towards the gate holding some strange spherical object that was the source of the light. It appeared to be about the size of a small coconut. James didn't like the look of it. The hostiles holding the battering ram started to back off, all the warriors giving the Lotkin carrying the odd object a wide berth. Then the thing started running, winding its arm back for a powerful throw.
"Aw, shit! EVERYONE AWAY FROM THE GATE!" James tried to warn those in close proximity.
Flash took to the air and James started to back peddle. Suddenly, a bright light flashed from over the ramparts, followed by an overpressure wave and high heat. James was thrown back, tumbling like a rag doll across the deck. He finally came to a stop flat on his stomach. He immediately tried to get back up, but he was too dazed and his vision was blurry. A high pitched ring sounded constantly in his ears. He got up on his hands and knees and shook his head, attempting to clear it. Eventually his hearing started to return, he began to hear yelling and screaming. James shakily came to his feet and felt a tugging in the left side of his hip. Looking down, he saw a thin spear of wood sticking out about four inches. Wrapping his hand around it, he gritted his teeth and wrenched it out. James looked to where he and Flash had been standing only moments before. Now it was but a jagged and splintered hole. He walked cautiously to the edge and peered down. The upper part of the gate had been almost completely blown away leaving only pieces of scrap dangling from what was left of the hinges. Below, all that was left was the cracked and crumbled remains of the stone blocks. Yards away from ground zero, bodies of guard ponies lay prone in the dirt, some still moving. On the other side, the Lotkin amassed, jostling and shoving each other in a rush to be the first over the pile of rubble. Now they wouldn't just have to defend, they would have to survive.
James could no longer think, he just reacted. Grasping the edge of the platform he was on, he swiftly lowered himself down the scaffolding to the cold ground below. Snapping his rifle to the ready, he moved to the blast zone and started taking shots at anything that appeared atop the loose mass of rock. He fired round after round as the monsters began to overrun the failing barrier. Soon the wave of hostiles crashed over the obstruction. James' rifle clicked empty. he dropped the empty and slammed his last one home. Switching back to full auto, he sent bursts of hot lead into anything unlucky enough to find itself in his sights. beast after beast dropped before him, life fleeing their bodies before they hit the deck. The last round left the chamber, embedding itself in the knarled skull of a Lotkin, the rifle's bolt clacked, locked open. James swung it around his shoulder on its strap and brought up the SPAS 15. He rushed forward and began blasting everything before him, unleashing a savage war cry in defiance of the invaders. The blood red 12 guage shells arced away from his weapon, tossed aside with each pull of the trigger. James mowed down wave after wave until the earth was turned to mud with the excess of blood upon the soft dirt. At last, he fired the last shell. Quickly he stripped himself of his rifle and shotgun. Then, in one swift motion, he drew his knife and pistol together.
Guards and members of the engineer corps had pulled back a majority of those wounded by the blast by now. The first Lotkin to try its mettle with the human recieved a .45 round in its face. The next took his knife to its neck as James spun under the swing of its blade and followed through with his strike. The next tried to cleave James' head with an axe. James blocked the attack, stopping the downward stroke at the creature's wrists with his gun arm and countered with repeated stabs to its unprotected armpit and neck. Out of the corner of his eye, James saw another blade sing through the air towards his midsection. He almost didn't escape it in time, but it was caught mid swing by a short sword surrounded by a familiar light blue aura. The levitating sword suddenly batted the Lotkin's aside and drove itself through its neck, nearly decapitating the creature. Sparks appeared by James' side, followed by Feather and Flash. Together, the four hacked, stabbed, slashed and shot the abominable warriors assailing the town. Rank after rank of vile beings advanced and met their end at the muzzle of James' pistol and the blades of the ponies. Soon they were joined by the guards.
The battle at the gate waged on for more than half an hour, neither side giving nor gaining ground. Each of the Fixers and more than a few guards had aquired multiple cuts and wounds. They were all unsure about how much longer they could last. The army of foul humanoids seemed to be dwindling, but there was no let up to the violence and fighting. Then, just when the defenders found their strength failing and cause lost, several impacts could be heard from beyond the wall.
"The Griffons, the Griffons are here!" Somepony called from the ramparts.
Sure enough, squadrons of griffons descended from the sky, cutting down the hoard of Lotkin from above with long curved sabres. Further up, large floating warships dropped heavy masses of stone from high over head. With renewed vigor, the defenders pushed the panicked and disorganized cretins from the town, driving the remnants into the forest beyond. It was an amazing turn around. Though with many wounded and dead, ponies stood victorious.
=======================================================================
James picked his way among the dead, searching for a particular object. He was due to meet the commander of the griffon forces soon, but he needed to find some evidence of the outlandish explosive that had almost devastated them all. Currently, the rest of his team was helping find wounded and dead among the twisted bodies of the Lotkin. They had refused medical attention from the medics until everypony else had been attended to. James was about to give up when he saw the same flickering light out of his peripherals. He stomped over to the source and flipped over the body it was eminating from. The beast was still alive, but a quick thrust of the knife ended its suffering. James picked up a small fist sized sphere similar to the one that had destroyed the west gate. He brought it to his face and examined it closely. The aura it omitted was extremely familiar to him, but he could not figure why. Carefully, he slipped it into his side cargo pocket. He would have Sparks examine it later. Now, there were more pressing matters.
The next few days were spent treating the wounded and burying the dead. The dead of the Lotkin were taken out away from the town and tossed into a pit in a mass grave and then burned to ash before being buried under a mass of soil. The guards who had given their lives were honored with a full military burial. After the ceremony James was approached by Colonel Rokjaw and a scarred raven feathered and coated griffon. The Colonel made a gesture, James understood and followed them into the guard headquarters and Rokjaw's office. Captain Iron Horn was already there waiting.
"Ok, let's get down to business." The Colonel started, "Commander, this is Admiral Darkwing, leader of the griffon armada that came to our aid."
James extended his hand to the officer, who took it with his claw and shook.
"Sir, its a pleasure to meet you, I think it's safe to say you saved all our hides here. You have all our thanks." James said.
"It was no problem. Once we recieved your message informing us that the same brutes that had been harassing our people had besieged your town, we were more than happy to assist in eradicating them." The griffon replied in a posh accent. "And I must give you and your team praise for your fighting skill, Commander, I watched as you and the guard routed those vile things."
"Believe me, it couldn't have been done without your timely arrival. Colonel, have there been anymore sightings?"
"No, the pegasus patrols haven't spotted any movement in the forest and the caves the attacking force came from still only show signs of egress, no tracks lead back inside."
"Interesting. They had to have gone somewhere. Are you going to continue to hold down the fort here or what?"
Iron Horn stepped forward, "The defences took a good beating, but it's nothing we can't fix, given some time."
"Yes, as long as the Captain can get the town defensible again, I think we can hold out. In the meantime we'll need defensive force to stay behind to guard against possible future attacks." The Colonel added.
James turned to the Admiral, "Sir, would there be any chance you could help out here?"
"Certainly, this town IS important to our trade economy. I will leave a few of our warships and squadrons to compliment your guard until construction is complete or reinforcements arrive."
"Thank you sir, that's very generous."
"Think nothing of it."
James returned his attention to the Colonel, "Colonel Rokjaw, if there's nothing else, I should get going. My team needs rest and I have an After Action Report to deliver to the Princesses."
"By all means."
James excused himself and walked back outside and keyed his mic, "Myst, you up?"
There was a moment of silence before he got an answer, "Flash here."
"I'm looking for Myst."
"She's a little busy with the damage on here airship right now, what's up?" James thought he could faintly hear frustrated cursing in the background.
"We're getting ready to pull chocks here, how bad is it?"
"We'll be lucky to get off the ground!" Myst's angry voice came in.
"Uh oh, what happened?" James asked.
"You'd better see it for yourself. Be careful, Myst is a bit testy at the moment." Flash warned.
James made his way to the elevators that would take him up to the docks suspended high above. On the ride up, he got a good look at the rest of the town. It looked battered and in shambles. Crossbow bolts littered many surfaces. The area around the shattered west gate was still stained with blood and stood out like a blight upon the earth. The elevator reached the top and James stepped out and walked off in the direction he thought the Clipper might be. After some searching, he finally came across it. It was a mess. Crossbow bolts stuck out at odd angles, almost all the windows were shattered. Flash was sitting outside the craft, by the side door.
"Where is she?" James inquired.
"Back in the engine compartment." Flash told him.
James entered the aircraft and made his way to the engine room. He found the pilot hard at work on the engine.
"What's the matter?"
Myst turned around at the sound of his voice. "Both one of the gas bladders and the engine got hit pretty bad. I've patched up the bladder and refilled it, but a stray bolt lodged itself in the engine block and the belt snapped."
"So...."
"So we still have the balloon, but lack the capacity to generate electricity and power the propeller. Which ALSO got hit a few times."
"Can you fix it?"
"Well, sure. with some time, but all I can do for now is get the electricity going. The propeller needs to be reshaped along with the rudders and it also needs a new drive shaft."
"Can you get us back to Ponyville with just the balloon?"
Myst scoffed, "Can I? You're looking at the most skilled pilot in Equestria! We can ride the air currents, but it will take at least twice as long as before."
"Good, get it done."
"Aye aye, sir." She replied half jokingly.
James exited the craft to let her work. He walked over and plopped himself down next to Flash.
"So what do we do now?" Flash asked.
"James sighed deeply, "First we relax. God knows you all earned it. Then, we learn."
The human had discovered much about his new enemy in the past two days. Their behavior, their structure and the most unnerving; their advance in technology. He needed to find out exactly what they were planning and fast. Before anyone else got hurt. And then, there was still the matter of the missing unicorns. That was probably what worried him the most. Hopefully, he could find more answers when he got back home.
Chapter 22: Distractions
The ride back was uncomfortably quiet. Only the hum of the engine as it generated just enough electricity necessary to keep the bird aloft. Myst had brought it to high altitude and caught a jet stream heading east. With the prop out of commission, the trip was going to take a whole day, maybe longer. Fortunately, the craft was still packed with rations and the team now sat in the drafty main cabin. The broken windows had been boarded up, but there were still holes here and there in the bulkhead. Currently James was chowing down hungrily on a cold oatmeal paste out of a chipped bowl somepony had left. It wasn't very appetizing, but the only other thing was compressed blocks of hay and he hadn't eaten since the morning before. After all was said and done yesterday and Myst informed him that they could leave by first light, he had simply passed out in the Clipper.
He had woken up sore and aching all over his body with a ravenous hunger. He was half way done when he noticed the deck. There were spots of blood spattered around the deck from when Myst had been transporting wounded to safety, staining the wood. His right hand started to shake slightly as his mind reflected on the events of the past day. Then he remembered he was not alone and looked around him. Sparks was laying in a corner, eyes closed, but not asleep. Flash was sitting across from him, absently pawing at the deck with his hoof. Feather seemed to be taking it the best. He was reading a book he had brought with him. All were silent. James put down the bowl and offered his canteen to Flash, who took a few swigs of it, grateful. Then he stood up and checked on their pilot. She looked as if she hadn't slept all night. Here eyes were puffy and red, mane a mess. Still, she kept an eye on the instruments in front of her, ensuring that her airship didn't drift off course. They were all haggard. The four ponies had just experienced their first ever battle, and it was taking its toll. James had lost his appetite now, so he just went up the ladder to the upper deck and lay down. The air was chilly and thin at this height, but there was barely any wind given they were travelling at the same speed of it. He just closed his eyes and started breathing; in through the navel, out through the nose. James just lay there and listen, enjoying the absolute silence of the skies.
=======================================================================
When the small airship finally reached Ponyville, the sun was close to setting. James was leaning against the guard rail on the upper deck with Flash and Feather, just enjoying the view of home. They had had a little talk about what had transpired the other day. Sparks was below decks taking a look at the engine so he could help Myst fix it later.
"Just remember, don't dwell on it. You all did what you had to do and saved lives because of it. If anything, think about that. We're going to take a week or so off here, so make sure you guys go do something you really enjoy. Take up a hobby, go visit family, as soon as we touch down you're all on leave. Just make sure you guys are back by next monday."
The two nodded without saying a word. As the town grew in the distance, a small speck on the horizon started expanding. Within no time it transformed into a rainbow blur. James could recognize it anywhere and he began to grin as a thought formed in his head. He himself needed something to do and take his mind off morbid things, and there was nothing quite like a near death -- or to quote one of his favourite movies, "a near life" -- experience to do just that.
"Fellas, I gotta go. Pass on what we talked about to Myst and Sparks. I'll see you guys later."
James slid down the ladder and grabbed his parachute, donning it. Then he ran back up and waved to the rapidly approaching pegasus. Rainbow Dash waved back and doubled her speed. The smile on the human's face grew wider. When she got close, James balanced himself on the starboard guard rail and flashed his quick little salute. Then, spreading his arms, he leaned forward and kicked off the rail, propelling his body into open sky. Dash immediately dove after him, easily catching up and pulling along side. James' response was to bring his arms to the side and his legs together, increasing his velocity as he speared towards the ground far below. The wind tore at his clothes, like icy fingers clawing at his body. He became giddy as he reached terminal velocity and he felt as if gravity had been switched off. Dash appeared nearby, her wings tucked tight against her body, a look of excitement on her face. James decided to play around while he had time. He arched his back and went spread eagled, slowing his descent before throwing his legs out in front of him and tucking into a ball, sending him backflipping up past the speeding weather mare. She flared her wings and spun laterally, coming level with the jumper. She smiled at him. James pointed down at a cluster of clouds directly below them and approaching fast. Dash started to slow down, anticipating an impact, James simply plowed right through, shooting ahead out the bottom. The human flipped upsidedown and wave up at the cyan mare. Then he made a ripping motion across his chest. Righting himself, James pulled the ripcord. The pilot chute shot out the back and caught the air, bringing the main with it.
James was jostled by the sudden stop, but then began a peaceful descent to the surface of the earth. He was still a ways off the ground and angled in the direction of his new HQ. Dash drifted down beside him.
"That was so cool! How did somepony like you learn to do tricks like that?" She called out to him.
"After we're trained to jump, we still have to practice to keep our skill up! Sometimes we get bored!" He shouted back. "We also learned to do this!"
He yanked down on one side, hard. This sent him into a rapidly descending spin, centrifugal force swinging him around at the end of the straps. He stopped and leveled out once his vision started to go dark. Passing out up here would not be healthy.
"So what are you doing later?" Dash asked him.
"Tonight I just want to rest up and get some sleep. Plus I also gotta get my gear cleaned up and put away before I do anything else."
"Awww, really?" She moaned.
"Yeah, afraid so. Come get me tomorrow or the next day, I'd be glad to do something."
"I have a day off in two days!"
"Ok, I'll see you then. And Dash, could I ask you one favor?"
"Sure, anything!" Her eyes lit up.
"I seemed to have lost TOO much altitude, could I get a tow?"
"Fine, but you owe me one." She replied, a little annoyed.
"Yes, I owe you one."
=======================================================================
James racked the charging lever on his rifle, producing a satisfying *click-clack*. He had spent the last three hours in Sparks' workshop cleaning his weapons. The maintenance for sniper rifle and pistol were easy and routine, but he had had to completely strip down and hand wash all the parts on the assault rifle and shotgun. He had hastily tossed them aside so as not to impede his movement during the fight, but they had been kicked around in the mud in the ensuing chaos. Every bit of the machines were caked with dirt and grime. And the sight on his rifle needed to be readjusted. James pulled the trigger and was rewarded with a smart click. Now he just needed to make sure everything really was working. He grabbed a two half filled magazines, one for the rifle and one for the shotgun, and made his way outside to the edge of the forest. He loaded the rifle and shot off a few on semi. that worked fine so he switched to auto. A tight grouping exploded into the trunk of the tree he was aiming at, no jams. He repeated this with the shotgun without any problems. Glad he could finally get some rest, James retreated back to the workshop to stow his gear.
He sat down at the workbench for a minute and checked his iPod. It was almost midnight. He huffed and pulled out the strange orb he'd picked up on the battlefield. It still glowed eerily, the colors of its aura shifting and flowing. It was warm to the touch. At first he thought it might be made out of glass, but when he tapped it, it sounded like crystal. There were no discernable markings or any kind of buttons or knobs, just a smooth uniform surface. Not being able to glean anymore information by just looking at it, James wrapped it in a thick cloth and gently placed it on a shelf with a note not to touch it. He could have Sparks examine it when he got back from leave. Tiredly, He slunk out of the building and made the long hike back to the house. At least tomorrow he could sleep in for once.
=======================================================================
It was dark, hot and stuffy. The musty smell of rock and sand was strong and the bright light in his face was disorientating. His arms an legs were bound tightly to the chair with rolls of ducttape. His head, body and limbs throbbed with pain. He had taken quite a beating. Behind him a door swung open and closed, two pairs of footsteps could be heard. Metal objects could be heard klunking against wood as they were placed on a table. Heavy footsteps made their way to his side.
"What you doing here, man? You try to hurt us, man?" A thickly accented voice asked from out of sight. "We catch now, you not good."
The man in the chair remained silent.
"You talk, man. Tell us where friends are. Your kind, never alone."
The man still didn't respond, defying his captor without a word.
"You want talk, man. No talk, much hurt."
Still nothing. The man in the chair simply continued to stare forward, past the source of light.
"Fine, is your choice. Kashim, lotfan bei man aachar bei dadee."
An individual wearing a scarf around his face entered the man's field of vision with a large spanner wrench in his hands. Swiftly, the masked person swung the wrench down on his left arm, hard. The captive grunted in pain, but was otherwise silent.
"Still no? Is not smart, my man. Ooh ra barsh."
The man winced as as blade was drawn quickly across the skin of his right shoulder, hot blood running down his arm.
"Knife sharp, yeah? Maybe he put in stomach. Die slow. Not sound good, yeah? You just talk."
The man in the chair just smiled. This earned him a blow to the jaw. The man chuckled and spat blood onto the ground at his feet, still smiling, teeth stained crimson. His interrogator brought the wrench down on the back of the man's left hand, producing a sickening crunch as the thin bones inside snapped in several places. It only resulted in another grunt.
"You know you can end it quick, man. We just need you speak."
The man in the chair stared at his torturer with malice. "Then we're in for a long night, 'cuz I don't know shit."
The wrench whipped through the air at his head.
=======================================================================
James sat up. He massaged his hand, remembering the dream. The docs had fixed it up good, but it still ached from time to time. The wounds had long since healed, but he could still fell the impact of the cold steel, the slippery sensation of a blade across his skin. After capturing his team in an ambush, the insurgents loaded them into the back of a truck. Nix ended up causing a crash by stabbing the driver from behind with a small hidden blade when their guards weren't looking. The rest of the team escaped in the following chaos, but James had been trapped underneath the wreck. They had kept him in that small chamber, starving him for days. Everytime he tried to escape, he would just become lost in the labrynth of the cave system. Eventually, Rocka had found him and busted him out during the interrogation session. James remembered as blood and brain matter was sprayed all over him when his buddy had shot his captors upon finding them.
He got out of bed and threw on a shirt. It was still late at night, the bright moon only just starting its descent. Unable to get right back to sleep, James made his way to the kitchen and poured himself a small glass of rum. Then he walked out to the porch and sat down, admiring the starry night sky. As he thought about his past experience, he realized the unicorns that had gone missing might be in a similar situation. But why just the unicorns, and why simple townsfolk? If it was for information, a pony in an administrative position would have been more logical. Then again from what he had seen, those warmongering things were rarely, if ever, logical. Right then, He swore that his top priority would be to locate and free those that had been kidnapped. He just hoped they were still alive.
James finished his drink and went back upstairs to his room. He reached into his desk, retrieved his parchment, quill and ink and began to scratch out a letter. If he was going to undertake this project, he might need to bring in some extra help. If they were ready. It was time to go on the offensive.
Chapter 23: Take A Brake
James lay on the side of a small hill in a nearby park, eyes to the sky and headphones in. Up above, Rainbow Dash was showing off some new tricks for him. At the moment, she was corkscrewing through the air while performing a loop. It was very impressive. Back in his world, not even the most advanced performance aircraft could ever hope to pull that off. Dash finished her loop and doubled back towards James in a split-S. She flared her wings and came down beside him in a soft landing as he stood up, clapping.
"Awesome flying there, I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like that before." He complimented.
"Thanks," She said while catching her breath, "You should've seen the routine I did for the Best Young Flyers competition!"
"I heard about that. Saved some ponies AND performed a 'Sonic Rainboom'. Wish I could have been there for that. Still haven't seen that 'Rainboom' by the way."
"Hmmm... I might be up for it. For a price."
"Oh? And what would that be?" James asked suspiciously.
Dash wore a smirk on her face as she answered, "How 'bout dinner?"
"Dinner, huh? Ok, I'm game. You pull it off, dinner on me tonight."
She shot up high into the sky, becoming no more than a microscopic dot. James took his iPod from his pocket and turned on the camera. There was no way he was gonna let this go undocumented. Hell, even if she really could break the sound barrier, it would make for a great video. Too bad he wouldn't be able to share it with his buds back home. They would've gotten a kick out of it. He trained the lens on the approximate location he thought the athletic pegasus to be and tapped the record icon. James squinted his eyes against the sun, trying to get a good look at her. Soon, he spotted her, plumeting towards the ground at a high rate of speed. He almost thought he could see an opaque haze building up around her.
"No way. No fuckin' way..."
Just as he began to think she would plow into the ground, there was a flash of white followed by a deafening explosion. A ring of ethereal multi-colored fire expanded out from the point of origin as the mare left a rainbow trail behind her, arching high into the air at an impossible angle. James dropped his iPod and stared, mouth ajar. He didn't even care that his ears felt like they were bleeding. Dash slowed down and came around for a landing.
"Ha, now you owe me two things. So whad'ja think?"
"How... whad the.... there was the boom, and fire, and then.... you were like a damned light cycle!"
"A what?"
"Nothing, it's not important. Anyway, that was ridiculously amazing! I didn't thick that could ever be possible! I mean, the shear mechanics of an organic being achieving those velocities without injury is mind boggling!"
"Huh?"
"Ah shit, sorry." James apologized, shaking his head. "Point is, I owe you a great dinner for showing me something so amazing."
"You're darn right you do."
"So what'll it be, you want to go out on the town or home cooked?"
"What's with the choice?"
"Well I figured anyone can buy dinner, but home made has that special touch."
"I'll see you at eight, your place." With that she took off, leaving the human behind.
"The hell did I get myself into?"
James picked up his iPod and checked the screen. It read 15:52. That gave him just over four hours to run into town, get some groceries, get back, clean up and cook dinner. If he hurried, he could make it with some time to spare.
=======================================================================
James looked at the spread laid out on the kitchen counter. Rice, carrots, lettuce, apples, tomatos, potatos, bell peppers and other greens. He even managed to score a slab of tofu. James wasn't really much of a health food eater, but once again, it wasn't like he had a choice. At least if he seasoned it right, he could fry it up and pass it of as meat to his taste buds. Dash's would be done a bit differently. He set a pot of rice on the stove and turned it on, then began chopping up the greens to put in a salad, more for her than for himself. He was in the middle of seasoning his tofu 'steak' with some herbs and soy sauce when flash trotted in from the living room.
"Woah! What's going on in here?"
"Nothing, just whippin' somethin' up."
"This ain't 'nothing', you're cooking a full blown meal! I didn't know you were a chef."
"No, not really. More like a line cook. I'm just trying to go off some tips a friend taught me a while back."
Rocka had been the team's "Premier Chef." He was a good cook out in the field, but was a down right culinary magician when he had an actual kitchen and some real ingredients. A couple years back, James had asked him for some cooking advice in order to impress some girl that ended up not wanting to have anything to do with him. He had just gotten back from a deployment and was still a little jumpy. A back firing car on the street had kind of freaked him out. Needless to say, the girl, being a civilian, was a bit concerned by his strange behaviour and took off. Thankfully, there were no cars here.
"So who's the lucky lady?" Flash asked his friend.
"Huh?" James feigned ignorance.
"C'mon, you can't fool me. You're obviously cooking for two and it definitely ain't for me. Or is it?" Flash said teasingly, an eyebrow raised.
"Not in your wildest dreams. Anywho, what you been up to lately?" James asked, trying to change the subject.
"Not much, just hangin' out with Ditz."
"Good, good."
"Now, back to before you tried to change the subject....."
"Aw, c'mon. Alright, I got a friend coming over for dinner in about," he checked his iPod, "an hour and I still gotta cook all this. Now, you gonna help or get out?"
"Hey, jeez, don't bite my head off. I just came in for a beer!"
"Sorry, here."
James opened the icebox and pulled out a couple of beers. He put the edges of the caps on the edge of the counter and gave them a good smack, popping them off. He handed one to Flash and took a sip from his own before resuming his task.
"Since you're here anyway, you doing anything later tonight?" Flash inquired.
James thought for a moment, "Hmm, after this, no. Why, what's up?"
"Me, Feather and Myst were thinking of going out tonight, I was wondering if you wanted to come with."
"Yeah, I might. Where'll you all be?"
"The Hoof and Mouth, same place as last time."
"Alright, maybe I'll drop by."
"See you later."
Flash finished his beer and took of, tossing the empty in the trash bin on the way out. James got back to work on his creation. He had just finished seasoning Dash's tofu and was cutting them up into cubes. The rice still wouldn't be done for another few minutes, so he took another swig of his beer and set to steaming some broccoli. It was one of the few vegetables he actually liked, and only just barely. When the rice was just about finished, James put the tofu chunks into separate pans and began to fry them up. He rolled them around to get an even burn and tossed the rice in once it was ready, adding some soy sauce and a bit of lemon, he stirred. Rocka would have been proud.
The food was just about ready when there was a knock at the door. James checked his iPod again and saw that it was 19:58. Show time. He took the pans off the burner and went to the door. Before he could open it, however, it suddenly burst open, slamming him in the side of the face and chest and unfortunately, the door knob caught him in a much more painful place. Shortly after, a brightly colored pegasus trotted on through.
"Hey James, I'm here! I don't know what you're cooking, but it smells great! James? Where you at?" She looked around the living room, searching for the human.
"I'm - I'm down here." He said painfully.
"Oh my gosh! What happened? Are you hurt?"
"No way," he coughed out while curled in the fetal position, "I'm just resting."
"Uh... ok? Is dinner ready?"
"Yeah, just take a seat. I just need a minute." James said while shakily getting to his feet.
Dash just shrugged and made her way to the small dinning table set to the side of the living room. James got back into the kitchen, taking deep breaths to dull the pain. When he had composed himself, he filled a couple plates with the food he cooked and brought it out to the table with the bowl of salad.
"It ain't much, but here you go. Now I ain't much for wine and stuff, but you can take your pick of drinks from the icebox." He explained.
"It's fine. Wine is more Twi's and Rarity's thing, What'cha got?"
"Some beers, AJ's cider, you can get water from the tap of course."
"I'll just have a beer, please."
"Alright, two beers coming up."
James retrieved the beverages from the kitchen and sat down to eat with his guest. Once again, it started out awkwardly, but the cyan mare soon broke the silence.
"This is pretty good, what is it?" She asked while sampling his fried dish.
"It's just fried rice and tofu. I'm not really all that good a cook." He took a bite of his own food. It wasn't anything special, but it wasn't bad either. "So, miss Dash, how long have you been living here?"
"Meh, not long. Only a few years now. I lived in Cloudsdale for some years after flightschool working in the weather factory. I wasn't really for me though, and there were some accidents. Eventually I ended up taking a job in the weather service here. What about you? What did you do before... you know..."
*Sigh* "Not much to tell, really. I got out of highschool and tried to get through college. Unfortunately, I ran out of money and had to drop out. I couldn't really get a job anywhere, so I ended up enlisting. I originally wanted to work on aircraft, fixing up the planes, but at bootcamp I got pulled aside and offered a chance to try out for something different, so I took it. Next thing I new, I switched rates and ended up doing what I do now. That's about it."
"You mean 'enlisted', like joining the guard? What did you do there?"
"That... you don't really want know about that. Most of it ain't pretty."
"Well, what if you just--"
James quickly cut her off, "Please. Just drop it."
Rainbow Dash was a bit taken aback at this. James saw the look on her face and relized he may have handled that in the wrong way. He looked down in a bit of embarrassment and scratched the back of his head. He brought his gaze back to her face.
"Listen, I'm sorry. That was rude. It's just not something I really like to talk about."
"Its ok."
It went back to awkward silence for a moment while they focused on eating their meals. James couldn't stand it anymore and worked up the courage to start another conversation. Soon they were talking and exchanging amusing stories from their pasts like old friends.
"...and Pinkie was distracting her so much that when she went to pour herself a glass of soda, she accidently got a bottle of hotsauce and almost drank half the cup before she knew what she was doing!"
"Ha ha ha, nice. That reminds me of the time my buddy Rocka had to take eye drops when he got too much sand in his eyes and we switched it out with lemon juice. He almost killed me! Except he couldn't see!" James said in hysterics.
The food had long since been eaten and they'd nearly cleaned out the beers in the icebox. James looked at his iPod and saw that it was nearly 22. His sky blue companion noticed and decided to start clearing the table. James helped her and together had all the dishes and cookware clean.
"So, what are you doing tonight?" She asked the human.
"Nothing much, thought that maybe I'd stop by the bar and see some friends. You wanna come along?"
"Sure!"
"Alright, let's go."
The duo left the house and made their way into town. They reached it soon and went straight for the bar. After entering, James almost immediately spotted his teammates at the same table that they had sat at last time.
"Gentlecolts, Lady, I hope you don't mind, but I invited my friend here to join us."
"Not at all."
"No problem"
"I... might actually have somepony coming too." Flash said.
"Oh, your cousin coming?" James asked.
"No, somepony else."
"Well who... wait, it's that mare from the house party, isn't it?" James guessed, smiling mischieviously.
"Y-yeah, it is." Flash blushed a bit.
"Wow, good for you buddy, I can't wait to finally meet the lucky lady."
"Wait, what happened?" Myst asked.
"Oh, we got drunk, dragged Sparks all over the place, lead half the town on a rager and Flash here got lucky. It was before you got here." James explained.
"Ah, I see."
"By the way, how's the ship looking?"
"It's certainly seen better days. I want to try slapping some armor on there, but it has to be light. I already talked to Sparks about it before he left. He said he knew of a friend of his that did work in metallurgy and would bring some samples back from Canterlot."
"Outstanding. Lookin' forward to it. Ok, enough about business, let's get some drinks, huh?"
The group chipped in for a couple pitchers and some shots of whiskey. James even played a game of pool with Myst who of course cleaned his clock on the table, but he knew better than to put down money. Later, he even taught Dash how to play. Flash and Feather started going shot for for shot. The jukebox in the corner was blaring rock 'n' roll and everypony and the human were having a blast. Then Pinkie Pie bounced in out of nowhere, beaming with her impossibly large, ever present smile.
"Hey everypony, hi James. Ooh! Dashie, I didn't know you'd be here!"
"Hey Pinkie, What brings you here?" James asked the curley maned mare.
"She's here with me." Flash said from across the table.
James didn't process this information right away, but his face lit up as soon as the light bulb in his mind did. He leaned over to his friend.
"Wait, so that night.... you..."
"Yes, that's right."
"Aw, no way man. Congrats there brother."
"Thanks."
"Just one thing I'm curious about. Why?"
"I like her energy."
"I bet you do."
"Heeey..."
"Kidding!"
So Pinkie joined the party and kicked it into overdrive. Before they knew it, she had convinced them all the head over to one of the clubs. There was apparently a guest DJ by the name of Vinyl Scratch who played music similar to dubstep. The group entered to the throbbing wubs of the electronica, everywhere ponies were jumping to it. James wasn't exactly a fan of the music, preferring the more old school stuff, but his friends seemed to be enjoying it so he went along and just enjoyed being in their company. They hung out there for a couple hours, but as it got late, James decided to excuse himself and head back home. He checked his iPod as he stepped out past the bouncers, 0136. Not bad, but it was time to get home. Nothing good ever happens after 2 AM. The house party incident was a testament to that. James hadn't gotten far when he heard hoofsteps following behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Dash approaching. He slowed down to let her catch up.
"Hey."
"Hey."
"So... you doing anything else?" The pegasus mare asked him.
"Nah, I'm kinda tired. Think I'll just head home and get some rest."
"Oh... ok. Well, I guess I'll see you some other time?" She asked with a tinge of gloomyness.
"Yeah, I think I'd like that. And Dash?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks hangin' with me. I had a lot of fun."
"Yeah, me too." She perked up a little.
"G'night."
"Night."
James set off in the direction of his house. He had only gone about thirty feet when there was a whirl of wind and he felt what he thought was a pair of lips briefly peck his cheek, but it was gone as quickly as it came. He stopped and absently rubbed the spot, rapid flapping fading behind him. He scowled a bit and continued walking. He wasn't inexperienced, he could read the subtle hints, that last one not being so subtle, but he was still uncomfortable about the whole thing. The different species issue was part of it, but not all of it. It just seemed like every time he found someone he liked or got involved with anybody, they just moved on as soon as he left on his next deployment. James silently meditated on this all the way home.
'Oh well,' he thought as he unlocked the door to his house and made his way to his room, 'it's not something I should dwell on right now. I got other things to worry about. Like that damn orb thing.'
He stripped down and flopped onto his matress, pulling the covers over himself. James pushed his headphones into his ears and flipped down the albums to Sublime.
"Why shit so crazy?" He muttered while fading out of a slightly drunken consciousness.
Chapter 24: Shennanigans And Dark Discoveries
Early sunday morning James was jogging down along the forest edge in his usual work out routine, the air beginning to take on a chill as the season moved into autumn. Every once in a while, just to supplement it, he would stop and do some curls, squats and weighted sit ups with some heavy rocks. Ponyville didn't have a gym as far as he knew, so he did what he could with what he could find. He completed his circut in about an hour and began to jog back to the house for a shower and some food. He was half way back when he was joined by Flash.
"Hey bud, what you up to?" The pegasus asked while hovering along beside the human.
"Not much, I was just finishing up, you?"
"Same, gotta keep the wings in shape."
Silence hung in the air between them for a moment with nothing but the flap of wings and James' breathing to fill it.
"So... the other night I saw Rainbow Dash leave the club with you..."
"Nothing happened." James stated firmly, immediately picking up on what the stallion was asking.
"Well I just thought, they way you two were getting along... and you DID cook her dinner..."
"Nothing. Happened. Yeah, she left when I did, but we only talked for a bit and
went our separate ways."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"Aw, c'mon dude! You had it in the bag!" Flash exclaimed.
"Listen brother, it's complicated."
"What's so complicated about it?"
"Well first of all..." James gestured to his own body as he jogged.
"Yeah, you're big and muscular, chicks dig that."
"I was referring to the fact that I look like a big hairless ape."
"Ha, believe me when I say that almost nopony here cares about that!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, nothing. I've just heard... whisperings."
"Whisperings?" James asked skeptically, arching an eyebrow.
"Whisperings."
James continued to jog, not particularly enjoying the way this conversation was going.
"Well, all 'whisperings' aside, the other thing is that nobody's really been too keen on sticking around when they find out I might be a bit loony in the head."
"Cut it out, it ain't THAT bad..."
"Yeah, almost beating someone to death after you've already stopped them as a threat isn't all that bad." James said sarcastically.
"Ok, eveypony has their faults. All I'm saying is just give it a chance. Besides, from what I've heard from Pinkie, she ain't one to just cut and run."
"Flash, I appreciate what you're trying to do here, I really do, but I'm just not ready for something like that right now, ok? I got too much to worry about as it is."
"All right, all right, fine. I'll drop it for now, but this isn't over."
"Whatever." James said dismissively.
Flash flapped harder and took off towards the house. It was in sight now, so James decided to go hard for the last part of his routine and sprint the rest of the way home. When he reached the house, he immediately went upstairs to grab a towel for a shower and noticed that Spark's door was open, which was strange because the engineer always left it closed when he wasn't home.
"Hey Flash!" he called downstairs.
"Yeah?" the pony replied.
"Did Sparks get back from Canterlot this morning?"
"I thinks so, why?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to talk to him when he got back. Where'd he go?"
"I'm not sure, but when I left earlier I think I saw him heading to HQ."
"Oh, Alright."
James grabbed a set of clean clothes and a towel and quickly washed himself up in the bathroom. After tossing his dirty clothes in a corner of his room to clean later, he hopped down to the kitchen and ate a quick breakfast of an apple, some toast and a glass of orange juice. Once finished, he rinsed his plate and set off for the HQ. As soon as he reached it, James entered the readyroom and proceeded to the back where Sparks' workshop was, but stopped when he noticed a couple of this sheets of metal laying on the table. He picked it up and turned it in his hands, studying it. He then rapped it a couple times with his knuckles. It was very light, but hard as steel.
"This is titanium. Where in the hell did he get titanium?"
James put it back down and opened the door to the workshop to find the engineer pony sitting at the workbench, inspecting the odd glowing orb James had stored there days earlier.
"Sparks, you know that's dangerous, right? That's why I had a note on it not to touch." James scolded.
"I was there, I know how dangerous it is. Where did you find this one?" Came the pony's retort.
"I pulled it off a corpse. Didn't see any others. You find anything out about it?"
"No, not yet. I've only just started looking at it, it really is strange."
"Yeah, I was gonna ask you to examine it. I want to know what it's made out of, how it was made and how easy it is to make it."
"I can have that done by the end of the day."
"You don't have to do it right now, you still don't technically have to be at work until tomorrow."
"No, I want the challenge. Did you see our new potential armor out there?"
"The metal? Yeah, where'd you come across that by the way?" James walked back out into the main room and picked up the sheet again.
"I got it from an old classmate, strong stuff. Light too."
"What do you call it?"
"Ah, the pompous ass named it after himself, he's calling it 'Wrightsteel'."
"Uh, huh.... What do you want to do with it?"
"I figured I could fit some to the Clipper, that way we wouldn't have to worry so much about those crossbows. I was also wondering if you'd be willing to consider another concept."
"Shoot."
"I want to make body armor for ourselves. Nothing like the clunky old guard armor, stuff we could still easily move in."
"Go on..." James said, intrigued.
"Well, it wouldn't completely protect the wearer and crossbow bolts would still be a problem, but vital areas would be covered and we wouldn't have to worry about being cut up so much."
"I'm game. Come up with a concept we can test and we'll see how it goes from there. As always, go ahead and order any and all matierals you might need."
"Awesome, thanks!" Sparks exclaimed gratefully.
"This comes out good, we'll be thanking you. On a lighter note, how was your leave?"
"Pretty good. I just went back to Canterlot for a couple days to visit my folks."
"How'd that go?"
"Ok I guess. They worry about the new career path, but their still proud of what I'm doing."
"Did you give them details?"
"No, just the gist of things. From what I told them, they know I do some fighting, but I'm mostly work on special projects. They were happy about my pay raise!"
"Good, good. Alright, I'll leave you to your devices here and check back later. And be careful with that thing!" James warned as he exited the building.
He would check back with the unicorn at the end of the day to see if he would have any new information on the strange object. Now he was off to order some cold weather gear and uniforms for his team and he knew just the place to go to. James quickly made his way to the residence of the best tailor he knew here. He casually strode to the door of the boutique and knocked three times and waited. No answer. He knocked another three times. Still no answer. He began to think she wasn't home and was about to leave when he heard a crash from inside. Fearing someone might be in trouble, he reacting quickly. James tried the door knob only to discover that is was locked, so he backed up then took two large steps to gain momentum, kicking the door in on the third. The frame bent inward and splintered, allowing the door to swing open crookedly inward on bent hinges.
Just as he entered, a small purple and orange blur shot by in front of him, chased by a soggy white one. Through an open door, James could see Applebloom in the kitchen trying to soak up a rather large, expanding puddle of water and suds with some fabric. Sweetie Belle trotted up to him, face and hide covered in small scratches.
"What in the name of all that is good is going on in here?" James asked her.
She put on her biggest smile and replied, "Hiya James! It's the Cutie Mark Crusaders Pet Salon! Why'd you do that to the door?"
"Pet Salon? It sounded like there was a fight going on in here! I'm guessing your big sister isn't home?" He asked as a brown dog - Applejack's, he remembered - fur covered in suds ran past him out the door, barking.
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"Let's just call it a hunch. Is it ok if I leave a note for her? Then I'll help you clean up this mess, she is NOT going to be happy when she gets back."
"Sure, there's writing stuff in the kitchen!"
James walked into the kitchen and found a quill and parchment, scratching out his requests. After he had finished, he turned his attention to the fillies' plight. The puddle wasn't getting any smaller, the sink was full and overflowing, what James now identified as Rarity's cat, Opal, was leaving wet fur everywhere as she chased Scootaloo around the other room, hissing and yowling. First he turned off the faucet, then James scanned the room and saw a doorway off to the side, near the back door. He poked his head in and saw it was a laundry room. In the corner was a mop and bucket.
"Perfect."
He retrieved the mop and bucket and proceeded to swab the deck, squeezing the water into the bucket. He repeated this until the floor was almost dry, then tossed Applebloom a towel and asked her to take care of the rest. While she did that, he went to go drain the sink. It didn't have a built in plunger, so he reached in the soapy water, feeling around for the plug. When his fingers brushed up against something, he thought he had found it, but it didn't really feel right. In fact it felt scaly. Before he could grasp it, the scaly object suddenly came alive and clamped down on his fingers.
"AHH! WHAT THE..."
James ripped his arm out the water and stumbled backwards. He looked down at his hand and was surprised to see a small alligator holding on to his fingers with its jaws fixed firmly in a vice. Oddly enough, it didn't hurt. He tried to pry it off, but the gator held fast. He gave up after a moment and just left it there, unplugging the sink with his free hand. After he completed that, he heard a ruckus from upstairs. Trusting Applebloom to take care of the kitchen, James went to go check on it. Reaching the top step, He observed that the Opal/Scootaloo chase had migrated to the second floor and found some new participants. Now a small white rabbit was hopping about while an owl flapped around the ceiling above. The rabbit hopped up to James and stopped at his feet, cutely wrinkling its nose. His heart softened at the sight as he bent down to pick it up, until it kicked him in the shin, stuck its tongue out at him and hopped passed him, down the stairs.
"How the heck did you guys even get all these animals?" He said angrily aloud.
James walked over to one of the windows, careful not to step on the chase running around the room. He opened one up and the owl quickly departed through the exit. Now, as far as he knew, he just had to catch the cat and clean up the hair. Also fix the door he'd kicked in. James called down the stairs and asked Sweetie Belle to bring him a towel, which she promptly did. Then with proper timing, he threw it over the feline as it ran past him in pursuit of the small pegasus and grabbed it, drying it off quickly, which was difficult to do as the alligator was still clamped down on his fingers. This resulted in him receiving numerous scratches up and down his arm as Opal freed herself and ran off into another room.
"Thanks," said Scootaloo gratefully, catching her breath, "I didn't know how much longer I could run!"
"My pleasure, now please go find some tape and use it to get all this fur up while I go check up on the kitchen."
"Sure thing!"
James returned downstairs just as Applejack and Pinkie Pie showed up.
"Whut in tarnation is goin' on in here!?" The farmpony exclaimed.
The human walked over to offer an explanation, but AJ began again before he could.
"Ya don't have to say a thang, Ah recognize th' work of mah sister and her friends when Ah see it." She said flatly.
"Well, yeah, but the damage to the door was all me. I thought I heard someone in trouble, the door was locked and training just took over. You wouldn't happen to know were Rarity is, would you?" James said, gesturing with his hands.
When Pinkie saw the gator attached to one of them she lit up and bounced over. "Gummy! There you are!" At the sound of her voice, the small gator released its grip and dropped to the floor, waddling over to the pink mare before chomping down on her foreleg.
"Well, that solves that mystery." James muttered.
"Rarity is out lookin' fer gems with Spike, but she'll be back soon. Aw, she's gunna have a keniption when she sees this. Is mah sister still in here?"
"Yeah, all the girls are still here, helping to clean up the mess."
"Well, at least she's fixin' her mistake, but she needs ta git home and finish her homework."
"Understood, I think we got it from here."
Applejack raised her voice and called her sister out from the kitchen, "Applebloom! C'mon outta there, ya gots ta finish yer schoolwork!"
"Awwww! Can't I stay a little longer?" Came the reply.
"This is non-negotiable, now c'mon, ya got school tomorrow." The orange coated mare said firmly.
"Fine!"
The little red maned filly glumly exited the kitchen and left with her sister and Pinkie. James then went to check on the kitchen and saw that the little mare had done a good job cleaning the floor. He bent down and picked up the fabric she had been using previously and inspected it. It was some kind of silk. Not good. He hung it up in the laundry room and went to find Scootaloo.
He found her with Sweetie Belle, still collecting loose fur, "Hey Scoots, can you do me a favor?"
"Sure, what is it?" She asked eagerly.
"I need you to take that scooter and wagon of yours into town and get a long piece of wood for the door frame and some nails and a hammer. Think you could do that for me?"
"Consider it done!"
"Good, here's some bits that should cover it," He handed her a small bag of the currency,"Take the two pieces of the broken frame for reference and hurry back."
"You got it!" She gave a cute little salute before running outside, jumping on her scooter and buzzing off to town.
While he waited for her to get back, James resumed helping Sweetie Belle with the mess. The two had nearly gotten all the hair up and the kitchen was almost immaculate by the time Scootaloo returned with the items he had requested. James left the two fillies to finish up while he got to work fixing the door. If they were lucky, by the time Rarity got back, it would be like nothing had ever happened. He removed the loose nails from the frame and hammered the hinges back in place. The new frame Scootaloo had bought was a little bit too big, but he had a hammer. James wedged it in and aligned it with a few strokes of the striking tool, securing it in place with the new nails afterwards. Unfortunately, they did not have any paint, but hopefully she would not notice. After repairing the door, James gathered up all the wood scraps and debris from when he had kicked it in. Thankfully, the door itself was sturdy and had only suffered the mark of his boot, which was easily wiped off. Rarity and Spike arrived with three large bags filled with various gemstones just as James was taking out a bag full of the left over trash.
In her refined accent she spoke, "James, what a pleasant surprise! What brings you to my shop?"
"Oh, not much. I just had some new uniforms I needed made, so of course I came to the most qualified pony for the job is all. I left a list of what I want done on a table in the kitchen."
"Oh, that's very flattering of you. You said in the kitchen, Sweetie Belle wasn't cooking, was she?" She asked suspiciously.
"Oh, no no no, nothing like that."
"Then, what is with the trash bag? And the scratches on your arms?" The seamstress asked bluntly.
"I, uh, noticed the bag was full, and uh, decided to take it out. The scratches were from a training accident. Yeah." He made up on the spot.
"Well, that's very kind of you. I'll begin work on your order as soon as I'm able. Spike, darling, you can just leave the bag here, and take a few of those gems for yourself, thank you so much for assisting me."
"Anything for you Rarity!" The little dragon exclaimed enthusiastically.
The cultured mare levitated the bag away and proceeded into her home while James and Spike began to walk away. James dumped the trash in a near by can.
As they walked, Spike looked to James and asked, "Why do you really have those scratches?"
"What do you mean?"
"You can't fool me, those are fresh."
"Would you believe me if I told you Rarity's sister and her friends were involved?"
"Yes, yes I would."
Just then, a fearsome bellow came from the shop behind them, "SWEETIE BELLE!"
"Shit, I forgot about the silk." James said, looking over his shoulder.
"What exactly happened?"
"Brother, it's a long story."
=======================================================================
The day had grown old and the sun was setting. Having finished his errands, James was now returning to the Fixers' HQ. He wanted to see what his friend might have discovered about the object of interest. He entered and made his way to the back room workshop, knocking as he entered. The engineer swung around to face him, a haunted look on his long face.
"Woah, what's wrong buddy? It looks like you've seen a ghost."
"That thing, that THING is pure EVIL!" Sparks spat out, pointing to the glowing orb.
"Calm down, brother. Take a breath and tell me exactly what you found." James tried to say soothingly.
Sparks inhaled sharply through his nostrils, eyes closed, before giving the human his report.
"That ball is made of a special crystal believed to have only existed under Canterlot in caves that were just rediscovered earlier in the year. It takes a skilled stonemason to cut and shape it. It's energy storing properties are very unique in that magic stored in it will stay at the same energy levels regardless of the amount of time it's stored there. In lesser gems; sapphires, rubys, emeralds, even diamonds, the energy will dissipate over time. In fact, Myst uses it in her engine to store the energy required to power it."
"Ok, so what makes it evil?"
"What makes it evil is not the crystal itself, but what's inside it. What you're looking at is the concentrated energy of unicorn magic set to be released on impact. But in there is not just the energy of one unicorn, but TEN different unicorns. The high mixture of energies makes it very volatile."
"At least we know why they were only taking unicorns." James said, sitting down.
"There is a small bit of good news." Sparks told his commander.
"And what is that, exactly?"
"We know they made more than one of these, so there is a good chance they made others. You can't harvest unicorn magic like this from dead subjects."
"So they could still be alive."
"There is a chance, yes."
James leaned back and put his head in his hands, thinking.
Sparks looked to his leader for orders, "What are we going to do?"
James took a moment before replying, "First, I want you to put everything you just told me on paper, don't leave anything out. We're going to write a report, the princesses need to be made aware of this."
"And after that?"
James leaned forward and looked the unicorn dead in the eye.
"We prepare, and then we go hunting."
Chapter 25: Work Ups
James stood in front of the row of four unicorns. At their hooves were four salvaged M9 pistols from Celestia's private vault, each unloaded, slide locked back. Approximately fifteen yards to his rear were four paper targets, a humanoid silhouette drawn on each.
"Alright, once more, just to make sure you've all got it. When do you ever point your weapon at anything?" James asked the group.
"When you intend to destroy it!" Came a simultaneous reply.
"And when is the only time you deactivate the safety?"
"When you intend to fire!" Came the chorus once again.
"How do you treat your weapon, regardless of it's condition?"
"As if it is loaded!"
"Outstanding! Now, put your weapons in condition three, please."
James circled around behind the group, which consisted of Sparks and Myst, plus two other unicorns from another team in the RSTG, the Nightstalkers. The team consisted of the two unicorns James was currently giving firearms training to, two pegasi and their earth pony leader, whom James had trained personally months ago. Every team member had been a part of Luna's royal Night Guard, hence, their name choice. Now James watched as the four ponies levitated their weapons with their magic and depressed the slide release.
"Good, now condition one." James ordered as he placed a magazine loaded with only two rounds next to each unicorn.
They all levitated the mags and slid them into the mag well. At that moment, the Nightstalker leader, Captain Mahdis, trotted over.
"How are my two ponies doing Commander?" The silvery stallion inquired.
"We're about to find out. Shooters, load and make ready your weapons!"
The four used their magic to pull back and release the slides, chambering a round.
"Take aim!"
They aligned the sights on the targets.
"Remember, aim for center of mass, anywhere else is a waste of ammo. Fire!"
A series of pops sounded as the unicorns discharged their firearms. All four hit their targets, but none came close to the center. When all of the eight rounds had been fired, James gave the command to cease fire.
"Cease fire, return your weapons to condition four, clear and safe."
Each pony did as ordered, removing the magazines with the slide locked back and inspecting the weapon to ensure the safety was back on and there was no round in the chamber.
"Well Mahdis, we got some work to do before they're up to scratch. They all did hit the targets though, so that's good."
=======================================================================
James continued the weapons training two hours a day, every day, until they had graduated up to rifles. He had an idea that required two teams, and both needed to have individuals capable of using a firearm. Between sessions, the Nightstalkers would PT or practice their fighting. Myst was busy working on her aircraft and Sparks would be tinkering with his armor concepts and gizmos. James would spar with Feather and Flash, conditioning themselves for any fighting in the near future. They kept this up while the weather grew cold and the season moved into fall, the leaves on the trees taking on brown, orange and golden hues. Rarity had finished his order and delivered uniforms camouflaged for both arid and snowy environments, the latter being simply a series of white parkas and covers, and pants for the human. Before she left, she struck up a small conversation with her bipedal friend.
"Ugh, I'll just never understand your obsession with such ugly clothing." She said while sticking her tongue out in disgust.
"It's about practicality. You wouldn't go running in a dress, would you?"
"Oh, heavens no. Speaking of running, will you be participating in the Running of the Leaves this year?"
"The what? Is that like a marathon or something?"
"Oh dear, you don't know? Well, I suppose you wouldn't, you are not from around here after all. The Running of the Leaves is something we do each year to help shake all the leaves off the trees so that we can move the season into winter." The fashionista explained to him.
"Wow, you guys really take the weather thing here seriously. Uh, we might still be here. When is it?"
"It's only a few weeks away. Shortly after, we should get our first snow."
"I'll keep that in mind, thanks."
The luscious maned mare left and James returned to his work. After dropping off the uniforms in the ready room, he went to go check on Myst's progress. The previous week, Sparks had measured out the dimensions of her ship and was now beginning to fit the armor pieces. So far, most of the body was now encased in quarter inch thick metal, painted a non-reflective gun metal black. He noticed that the windows had been fixed too, but they were still fragile glass.
"Hey Sparks, what gives with the windows?" James asked the engineer.
"What do you mean? We fixed them, they look fine." Sparks rebutted, eyeing the portals.
"No doubt they look good, but they're still breakable glass."
"Oh. No worries there, I did some research with Twilight and found a spell to remedy the problem. Go ahead and chuck a rock at them, see what happens." The engineer dared.
"Alright, but you're cleaning up the mess."
"Deal."
James looked around until he found a jagged chunk of rock about the size of a grape fruit. Winding his arm back, he hurled the stone at one of the side windows with all his might. There was a sharp crack as the stone impacted, yet instead of continuing on its destructive path, it stopped dead and dropped to the ground. James walked up to the pane and inspected it, but found absolutely no scratches or marks.
"Impressive. Way better than trying to get you guys to develop plexiglass."
"What's that?"
"Basically what you have here, but made with chemicals and plastics instead of magic. Honestly, I wouldn't know where to begin with it. I also wanted to ask you to help me make a special rig for the side door."
"No problem, just get with me later and we'll hammer something out. In the meantime, since you're here, I have a surprise for you. If you will just please follow me..." Sparks trotted off towards the back of the building where his workshop was located.
"Ok..." James followed.
Sparks lead him around to the back where there were several neat little piles of shaped metal the same color as the armor on the airship.
"Sparks, is this...."
"Yup, our new body armor. It's not all complete though. I saw your original armor and thought it would be smart to cover this with some sort of fabric too."
"Good initiative. It will help mask and muffle any sound it might make."
"Here's your set." The rusty coated unicorn levitated one of the piles over to the human. "Try it on, see how it fits."
James took the pile and set it down, separating individual pieces. The whole set consisted of greaves, bracers, shoulder guards, thigh plates, plates for the upper arms and a chest and back piece to cover the torso. The torso piece was a bit peculiar in that in the abdomen area, it was loose and segmented with a thick inch and a half wide belt wrapped around it.
"How do I put the chest piece on?"
"You put it on over your head like a shirt and then use the belt to tighten it down. The buckle should be on your left side."
James followed the instructions and donned the armor. After he had done so, he strapped the rest onto his extremities and began to stretch and move around. He wanted to make sure he still had a full range of motion. Surprisingly, the armor wasn't at all restricting. The entire ensemble was form fitting, it was like he was wearing another set of clothes, only slightly heavier.
Without looking up, James asked, "Will this stop a blade?"
"Only one way to find out!"
James looked up just in time to see Sparks launch a short sword straight at his chest with magic. He threw his arms up to block it, but was too late. The blade struck his chest with enough force to knock him on his ass. He lay there looking up at the sky as Sparks appeared in his line of sight.
"THAT was for the time you tossed me out of Twilight's balloon." The stallion said down to him.
"Fair enough.Your armor works great by the way, barely felt a thing. Also, couldn't you have hit me with just a pipe or something?"
"Don't worry, it was just a practice blade. Thing could barely cut butter." Sparks reassured his human friend as he helped him to his feet.
"Great. Well, go ahead and have Rarity take a look at these and see if she can wrap them up in a good, tough fabric. I want these kits available for use by next week."
"You got it. I'll also have the schematics and processes sent back to Canterlot for production."
"Sparks, you got a good head on you."
=======================================================================
James left the engineer to finish his work on the Clipper and later returned to work on the rig he had come up with. It was simple design for a weapons mount. It consisted of just two thick bars welded at an obtuse angle and attached to the deck of the Clipper in such a way to allow it to pivot on one end. The other could be secured with a cotter pin. This way, even though it would block the side door of the craft, it could be swung to the side to allow the safe passage of individuals. Locked in place, it would become a stable firing platform. It was his plan to mount the MG3 on a swivel, The M249 would go up top on a detachable. Until he could come up with a way to allow the others to operate it, Sparks would be the only door gunner besides James, he only needed some training. Before long, the unicorn was shooting like a pro on the automatic weapon. Myst even requested some familiarization even though she would only be carrying a sidearm.
The teams were shaping up quite well. Now all James needed to do was gather as much information as he could for his op so they wouldn't be going in completely blind. There was only one pony he could think of that could give him the most help in that area. So he had a letter sent to the library explaining his predicament and what info he might need. A day later, he traveled there himself to see the results first hand. Twilight of course had accumulated piles of books and scripts for him. All he needed to do was sort out all the superfluous information.
"Twilight, could you please separate all the info you gave Feather previously from the pile?" He asked her.
"Sure, no problem." She obliged, levitating a large portion of the mountain of paper away from them and into a corner of the room. "What exactly were you looking for? As you can see, there are plenty of accounts about the mountains around Whitecrest."
"Is there anything that specifically mentions caves and caverns, like mining reports or histories of the region?"
"There are plenty of mining reports, but they're mostly about soil composition and quality of extracted ores. Any mention of natural chambers are few and far between."
"Twilight, you're smart. Are there any that stick out, don't quite fit in the puzzle?"
"Well, there is one," She used her magic to separate a small book from the pile and flipped through the pages before stopping on one, "It's a written account taken from a miner's journal years ago. I thought some of the things he was describing were a bit wierd."
James took the book from her and began to read.
'Day 1: As long as I'm part of this dig, I've decided to keep a journal of sorts as there aren't many of us here and there isn't much to do besides work. Hopefully we'll be done with this task soon as winter is fast approaching and the cold in these reaches can be harsh.
Day 6: We've begun excavation of the mountainside. The rock and soil is hard packed. This makes it difficult to dig, but also means the tunnels we create will be less prone to collapse. There's always a silver lining.
Day 17: We've hit the first sign of iron ore. This is great news because we haven't gone very far into the mountain and it is a sure sign that there is a rich vein deeper in. With any luck, I will finally be able to buy my own house with the money I could potentially make here.'
Much of the journal entries were like this, so James skimmed through most of it, until...
'Day 73: The workers are getting superstitious. Here and there, stories pop up about strange creatures running about on only two limbs in the southern mountain passes. Of all the accounts, all that is described are fleeting glimpses. Most tell of beasts resembling Diamond Dogs, but standing taller and lacking hair. Although nopony has actually had any run ins with these alleged beasts, the workers are getting spooked. The abnormal noises and seismic activity being detected in the shafts aren't helping either. Ponies are beginning to think the area might be cursed with an ill presence.'
Only two more passages were like the first one and after that they returned back to uneventful observations of daily goings on.
"Twilight, who wrote this?" James asked his lavender friend.
"A foreman that helped construct a mining shaft far south of Whitecrest."
"Any chance he's still around to talk to?"
"I checked into that and unfortunately he's on the list of missing ponies from that region." The librarian said with a frown.
"Well, it's better than nothing. Thanks Twilight, you've been a great help."
"Anytime James!"
The human departed and made his way back to the house. From the journal, he could deduce that the Lotkin had probably been in that area for a few years. But why attack now? How did they get around the country without detection? Where were they taking their captives, why were they even taking them? James couldn't divine any answers with the information he had, but he knew where he could go find more. He needed to act soon. This was unfortunate as he really wanted to go to the 'Running of the Leaves' Rarity had told him about. He loved learning about other cultures, but duty calls.
Chapter 26: Into The Deep
James sat in the main cabin of the Clipper, inspecting one of Sparks' newest gadgets. It was his version of the human's NVGs. The whole thing was painstakingly constructed with almost perfect accuracy. He'd even replicated the IR emitter. This was a good thing since they're ultimate destination would have little to no light at all. The ship was currently loaded with both the Fixers and the Nightstalkers and in route to the mine shaft described in the journal, which was coincidently the same one James and his team had first encountered the force that had laid siege to the nearby trade hub. every operative was fully loaded out with weapons and food rations for each individual, plus reserves stowed in the aircraft with additional ammunition. All the unicorns were now armed with rifles and pistols, except Myst who preferred to only carry an M9 due to the fact that she wouldn't have to be on the ground with the rest. Still, it never hurt to be prepared.
James handed the device he was holding back to Sparks, approving of his work, and the pony began to distribute and train the rest of the ponies on their proper use. The human lay back in his seat, shifting his position to get a little more comfortable. He was wearing the new armor, as was all the other team members, and was delighted to find that his fit closely enough to wear his parka and tac vest over. This was great as their destination had gotten much colder since they'd last been there. Situated up by the mountains, Whitecrest tended to move into winter earlier than most anywhere else, except, of course, the more frigid regions far to the north. Gazing out a window, James could see how Whitecrest got its name. High on the towering cliff whose base it sat against, a brilliant glistening drift of snow lay along the top like frosting on a cake. Patches could also be seen in and around the town, hailing the start of the cold season.
Myst didn't fly towards the town, however. Instead, she angled straight for the mine shaft. James had already sent a letter ahead to inform Colonel Rokjaw of the operation. Myst would be dropping the two teams off before flying back to the town and waiting on call. Meanwhile, the Nightstalkers would set up an overwatch position to keep an eye on the backdoor and relay radio while the Fixers entered the mine. Sparks had come up with an ingenious solution to underground communication. He would be wearing a small backpack that had a reciever and transmitter in it, attached to it would be a spool of wire acting as the antenna. As they descended deeper into the mountain, Sparks would play out the spool, starting from the entrance, allowing them to keep in contact with the surface.
Soon, Myst came in over the comms to announce that they were going in for a landing. James looked back out the window to observe their landing zone. The area still looked trashed, but had been cleaned up a little in the past weeks. He could now see that a contingent of the Guard had been stationed at the small mining camp. Smart, if anymore of those things showed up, the town would get another early warning. The Clipper began to descend to the edge of the camp, It looked quite intimidating its new armor, a chariot of war coming down from on high. James ordered the gunner arm swung back to allow them to disembark. One of the unicorns checked the weapon mounted on it, clear and safe, before doing so. He had taught them well. The aircraft touched down as one of the guardsponies rushed forward to greet the arrivals. James grabbed the P-90 he'd be using for this mission, his rifle would be cumbersome in the tight spaces. Besides, it was more a fact finding operation than anything else. Sparks disembarked with an M9 and the shotgun James had used previously. Between the two of them, they should have enough firepower to take care of any threats they might encounter. The two unicorns from the Nightstalkers also carried armaments, one had an AK-47, the other had the M110 strapped on his back. They would help provide the overwatch along with the two pegasi, in case any badies decided to crash the party.
James walked op to greet the guard as his team filed out of the airship behind him and Myst took off, making her way back to Whitecrest.
The guard trotted up and saluted, "Sir, we've been expecting you. Welcome to camp Sierra-2. I'm Captain Alister, the officer in charge."
James returned the salute and began to assess the situation, "Thanks for the welcome Captain, anything to report? Any strange movements, noises, new tracks?"
"No sir. It's been quiet since we set up camp weeks ago."
"Thank you, you can return to your duties, my team will take over from here. However, remain vigilant, we can't afford to become complacent."
"Yes sir!" The officer saluted again and returned to his unit.
James turned to his composite team, "Alright, you all know the drill. Nightstalkers, set up the overwatch and aquire some extra tents for our use. Fixers, prep to depart in ten, we're going spelunking. Everyone get comfortable, we're gonna be here for a few days."
As the ponies rushed to their tasks, James took the unicorn armed with the M110 aside, "Remember what I taught you. Find an easily concealable position with a good view and a back door. And in the event you actually have to use that thing and you find yourself freezing up, remember; breathe."
"Aye, sir." The stallion trotted off and began searching for a good spot to post up.
James left the two teams to their work while he walked over to the entrance to the shaft and inspected the ground. Light snow fall covered the dirt, but many hundreds of foot prints were still visible beneath it. He searched up an down the tracks, but still could not find any that indicated wether or not some of the creatures had returned. Of course, this was not the only entrance, that he had seen for himself, but it was the only one where they had any kind of a clue as to it's layout. After James had sent his letter, the Colonel had been kind enough to send him back an old map from when the shaft had first been dug. The grizzled pony had also warned that the map was a few years old and other construction had been added to the shaft since it was built. Though, if his team found the points of the Lotkin egress, the map would hardly be of any use. Still, it was a nice gesture. Sparks soon trotted over to the entrance and began staking the end of his wire into the frozen earth. This would allow him to simply walk forward while the wire unspooled itself. When he had finished, he came to James' side, along with Flash and Feather.
"Everypony is ready, just waiting on your orders." The engineer reported.
James took a deep breath and unslung his submachine gun. "Alright, let's go."
The group of four entered the maw of darkness, a pit of black ink seeming to swallow them whole. James brought up his torch and switched it on, scanning the area to his front. Soon enough, they came to the great pile of rubble. The hole at the top had been enlargened some from the passage of many bodies.
"Ok, everyone, goggles on." James ordered as he stowed his torch and fixed his own NVGs over his eyes.
The other three donned their goggles as well and switched them on. James turned to his comrades.
"Everyone's gear working ok?"
He got nods from all three. Satisfied, he turned around and began to ascend the pile, keeping his weapon aimed at the hole. The loose rocks clicked and clattered as he climbed, making stealth almost impossible. Once he reached the top, he shouldered his weapon and slowly peeked over the edge. All that was waiting for him was stygian darkness. Without turning around, James used his left hand to signal his team to follow. He vaulted over the edge and scrambled down the other side, sending loose pebbles and scree tumbling down before him. When he hit bottom, he immediately dropped to a knee and scanned the tunnel to his front for movement. Nothing. The rest of his squad quickly followed and soon they were ready to advance. Before they did though, it was time for a sitrep.
James keyed his mic, "Sierra-2, Foxtrot. Comms check, over."
He waited for a moment. Then, "Foxtrot, Sierra-2. We're getting you clear over here, over."
"Outstanding, Foxtrot now approximately sixty yards in, continuing advance, copy?"
"Sierra-2 copies, keep in touch and good hunting, over."
"Stay safe yourselves, Foxtrot out."
Grateful that they would still have contact with the surface, the party continued on, James taking point. They descended deeper into the cold musty depths, senses hightened, ready for anything. Before long, they came to a small chamber with four different paths. However, only two had tracks matching the Lotkin going in and out of them, the two on the right, which should be south. James checked the small pocket compass he always brought, but of course the needle only spun wildly, unable to find magnetic north through all the iron surrounding them. He turned to the rest of his team for what people in his profession called 'chinese parliament'. Each member of the team would put in their two cents, regardless of rank or speciality and from that they would derive their next course of action.
James spoke in a low whisper, as quietly as he could, letting the throat mic do the work, "Any thoughts?"
Feather was the first to speak, "I say we go down the path with the most footprints. That's where we'll most likely find their base of operations here. More traffic means more activity around a central hub."
"Very well put, anyone else?"
"I agree with Feather," Flash said, "If only because the breeze coming from the other passage smells like, well... well, to quote you James, it smells like 'shit'."
James took a sniff of the air and the pegasus was right. There was definitely a stench not unlike fecal matter coming from the passage second to the right.
"Ok, that settles it. Sparks, you got some kind of spell that can tell u where north is, or something? My compass is no good around all this iron."
"Well, well, the mighty James and all his technology is for once not totally reliable. I wish I had a camera. Fortunately for you, the compass spell is one of the first things they teach you in the guard and the corps." The unicorn gloated.
"Yeah, yeah, get on with it."
James, Flash and Feather looked away as Sparks' horn began to glow, so as not to blind themselves. After the spell had been cast, Sparks announced that the tunnel to the far right would take them further south. Now with new bearings, James checked in with Sierra-2 again and marked off the passage they had come from with some tape he put on the wall. That completed, the group set off down the tunnel they had chosen. It went on for almost thirty yards before it began winding back on itself. Suddenly the came upon a ragged rift in one of the walls. It was definitely not part of the mine, as instead of clean cut corridors, the opening was hastily made, as something had simply picked and hacked through with no regard for safety and planning. James motioned for his team to stack up on one side. Then he cautiously peeked around the corner. With a flick of his wrist, he signaled his team and flew into the breach. Sparks came up beside him, rifle at the ready, Flash and Feather brought up the rear.
It was yet another passage way, only much larger and with out the overhead supports of the one they had left. They warily traveled down it, the tunnel taking them deeper into the bowels of the earth. Gradually, it began to widen until they were suddenly standing at one end of a gargantuan subterranean cavern. High above, James could barely distinguish a small source of light. Dotted all around the walls of the cavern were man sized holes. The most distinguishable, and disgusting, thing he noticed however was the smell. The smell of blood and sweat accumulated on the dirt. The smell rotten food left unattended for weeks. The smell of death. All around the floor was scattered large wooden structures and metal frames, obscuring the vision of the four warriors.
"Alright guys, there could still be hostiles here, so maintain three-sixty security. I don't want anything getting the jump on us." James cautioned.
The four fell into a tight circle, eyes out, scanning their environment for possible threats. Stealthily, they made a circut of the chamber, only coming across old rusted armor and weapons, occasionally scraps of rotted meat and pools of fetid water. James felt his gorge rise and suppressed the urge to vomit. In between the spaces of the structures, James caught a glimpse of something hopeful. Bars. Bars meant cages, cages meant prisoners, prisoners that could still be there and alive. James pointed out the area of interest to his teammates and together they made their way towards it. They entered a section of the cavern filled with rows of cages. Rotten hay lined the bottom of each one. Quickly, they searched row after row, finding each one empty, until....
"Guys! There's something in that cage in the corner!" Flash whispered loudly.
The team maneuvered to the cage he pointed out and peered inside. On the floor of the cage, was a prone form in the shape of a pony. Half the rotten hay lining the cage floor looked as if it had been eaten.
"It's a unicorn!" Sparks exclaimed quietly.
"Are they dead?" Flash asked, concerned.
"I can't tell, we need to get in the cage." Said James.
"Step aside, I got this." Feather moved to the lock and took out a small set of tools from his pack.
He inspected the lock as best he could through the goggles before selecting three tools and gently inserting them into the lock. He jiggled and moved them around a bit before he gave one of them a twist, producing a sharp click. The hinges squealed as the door swung open. The four cringed and froze, scanning the area for anything the sound might have attracted. After a moment of silence, they all relaxed. James and Flash entered the cage and knelt down to examine the pony. He was male and very old, not to mention extremely dehydrated and mal nourished. They could count all his ribs. James put his ear down by the pony's mouth and listened. Faintly, very faintly, he could feel a weak flow of air coming from the pony's mouth.
"He's still alive! Quick, we need to give him some water!"
Flash took an extra canteen from his pack and handed it to James. The human tried to wake the pony, shaking him gently. Slowly, the old unicorn's eyes began to flutter open. His pupils were dilated wide, having not been exposed to sunlight for too long a time.
Weakly, he croaked, "I told you, I can't go. Please just let me be."
James whispered softly to the emaciated pony, "It's ok, you're safe. Drink this water slowly, we're getting you out of here." He pushed the open mouth of the canteen to the pony's lips. The old unicorn started to slurp it down greedily. James pulled the canteen away as the pony began to cough.
"Who- who are you?"
"Try to relax, we're with the Royal Guard, we're gonna get you out of here. Sparks, can you get him back to the camp with your magic?"
"Yes, I think so."
"Good, give me the comm pack, I'll strap it to mine. Flash, you go with him. Make sure you blind fold him before you reach the surface so you don't blind him. Myself and Feather will continue searching around. Keep comms open and stay safe." James then keyed his mic, "Sierra-2, Foxtrot."
"Foxtrot, Sierra-2, what can we do for you?"
"We've found a captive, he's in a bad condition. I'm sending him up with two of mine, I need you to prep an IV and signal Myst for a pick up, let her know she needs to get a patient to the hospital in town, ASAP. Over."
"Affirmative, Will comply, anything else? over."
"No, we're good. Myself and the other member of my team will continue exploration, we'll be back topside shortly, out."
Sparks gently lifted the unicorn out of the cave and levitated him out of the chamber while Flash followed close behind. James and Feather continued to explore the chamber. Aside from what they had found before, there was nothing else of interest. Eventually they came across another tunnel at the other end of the cavern. Curious, yet cautious, they stepped inside. They had only gone about twenty yards when Feather detected something that didn't quite feel right.
"James, the ground feel a little wierd to you?"
"Yeah, it seems a bit loose and... saggy?"
The ground James had just stepped on sank into the dark earth. He took a step back and where his foot had been was now just a hole.
"Ok, that's not good. We're heading back to the chamber to link up with the others. Flash, Sparks, you up?"
"Flash here, we've just finished loading the unicorn into the Clipper and Myst is on here way back to town. Now we're on our way back down."
"Outstanding, we'll meet you half way, this place is too dangerous--"
*CRACK*
"Feather, what was that?"
James looked over to his friend, who was frozen mid step, a look of horror upon his face. Beneath one of his hooves a large crack in the stone had appeared. And it began to spread.
"Oh, you've gotta be fucking kid--"
James was cut off as a great maw opened in the earth beneath them and swallowed the two like a ravenous demon from the depths of hell.
Chapter 27: A Long Trek
James floated in a dark haze, space expanding all around him infinitely. Strange echos thoughts bounced through his head. Slowly, his mind began to reboot. The first sensation that came to him was pain, pain all over his body, which was good. It meant he wasn't dead. From what he could tell, he was on his back, loose rock and rubble covered him, but fortunately he wasn't buried. The next was of a warm sticky liquid flowing down the left side of his head. The air around him was thick with dust and debris from the cave in. He opened his eyes. Darkness. Either he was blind, or his goggles were broken. Hopefully it was the latter, but neither scenario was good. He suddenly heard a noise and moved to unsheathe his knife with his right hand. All he got was an intense pain shooting from his shoulder, the arm remaining motionless.
"James, you alive?" It was Feather.
"Yeah, I'm over here." The human grunted through the pain.
James reached over with his left hand and felt around his shoulder. It was tender to the touch, but nothing seemed to be broken.
"Feather, how are you feeling, anything broken?" He asked his friend.
"No, just some cuts and bruises. How about you?" The earth pony replied.
"I got a gash on my head and I think my shoulder is dislocated, but otherwise, I'm fine." James said, sitting up.
James checked his face for his goggles. As he ran his hand over them he discovered they were broken. The casings were dented and the lenses felt cracked. He cursed and removed them. He groped around for his rucksack, which had been ripped from him during the collapse. When he found it, he stuffed the damaged gadget inside.
He heard the pony trot over to his side.
"Feather, I'm gonna need your help."
"What do you need me to do?"
"We're going to put my shoulder back in place."
"Right here? Isn't that going to hurt?"
"Like hell, but it's either that or I become a liability to you. Now I need you to put one of your hooves against my back, where my arm is attached. When I say go, give it a good shove." James instructed.
Feather complied as James pulled up some of his parka with his other hand and stuffed it into his mouth. He then gently grabbed a hold of his right shoulder.
Through clenched teeth and the parka he gave the muffled command, "GO!"
He pulled his shoulder forward as Feather did his part. James grunted in intense pain through his gag as his shoulder popped back into place. The pain vanished almost immediately. He rotated his arm a few times, making sure it worked and getting the circulation flowing again.
"Thanks brother," James said gratefully, "your NVGs still work?"
"Yeah, they do."
"Good, 'cuz you're gonna have to be my eyes, mine are busted. On that note, can you see where we are?"
"Looks like another tunnel. Did the comms repeater survive?"
"Shit, I forgot."
James checked his pack and found the small bag where it was kept. It felt intact so he felt along the wire. Unfortunately it ended. They were completely cut off from the surface.
"The repeater's fine, but our makeshift antenna isn't." James informed.
"Horseapples."
"Yup."
===================================================================
The two had been walking down the tunnel for a few hours now. Sometimes it went up, others it went back down. There were shallow curves here and there, but for the most part it seemed to follow the same direction. James made his way through the darkness by holding on to the end of Feather's tail. James' compass still wouldn't work and so they had no idea where the passage would take them. Even worse, the marks of many feet covered the floor. The only good signs they could see were intermittent hoof prints in the soft dirt. It meant the captives they were searching for were still alive. Although it also meant they could run into a large host of Lotkin at any time. Because of this, the going was slow as Feather carefully checked around every corner the came to and they made frequent stops to listen for any signs of trouble. They continued like this for one day. Then another, and another. They stopped only to rest, sleeping in shifts, and to eat. They both only had enough rations between them to last a couple days so they had to stretch them out. On the third day they began to feel a light warm breeze coming down the passage. Wary of danger, they slowed their progress. James noticed that there seemed to be some light. His eyes adjusted and he could faintly make out the shape of the tunnel around him. Before long the level of the light began to intensify.
"I think we're coming up to something," Feather said, "The light is starting to hurt."
"Then take the goggles off."
"But then I won't be able to see."
"Just sit down and keep your eyes open. They will adjust in time, as long as there is a light source, you'll be able to see." James explained calmly.
The two warriors sat and waited while Feather's eyes adjusted to the low light. When they had, they continued on. The tunnel began to incline upwards. As they climbed higher, the level of the light grew. Eventually it grew to a point where James stopped his teammate.
"This looks a lot like sunlight. I think we might have found a way to the surface."
"Thank Celestia!" Feather exclaimed quietly, "I don't think I could take anymore of this!"
"Ditto buddy. Hold on, I'm going to readjust our eyes."
James took out his torch and held his palm against the lens before switching it on. He gradually increased the intensity of the light by slowly sliding his palm off the lens until he could shine it around them without their eyes hurting. Cautiously, they advanced up the tunnel. When they neared the exit James switched off the torch and shouldered his weapon. Feather took out one of his daggers, expecting the worst, just like he was trained. James exited the mouth of the tunnel with his teammate at his side, ready for action. He scanned to the left, then to the right. Before him was a great expanse of... sand. Nothing but sand. A vast desert with washes scattered about stretching past the horizon. Behind them a lone mountain rose above the barren landscape. James dropped his arms and turned to Feather.
"You wouldn't happen to know where we are, would you?"
"Well, if I had to guess, I'd say somewhere in the south western area of Equestria."
"You ever been around here before?"
"James, before you hired me on, the only places I've ever been to were Manehatten and Ponyville. I'm completely lost."
"Well... fuck."
======================================================================
The duo decided to continue following the direction of the tracks which, according to the position of the sun, went east. Hopefully they would find some form of civilization soon. They had expended their rations and Feather was subsisting off of random scrub grass they occasionally came across. Eventually, they also ran out of water.
Feather and James sat at a small fire they had created to guard against the cold.
"I'm SO thirsty, are you sure we don't have anymore water?" The stallion complained.
"Yep. Trust me, I've friggin' triple checked. There's only one thing we can do. You remember your training." James said while taking his boots off.
"I really hoped it wouldn't come to that."
"If I didn't think it would, I wouldn't have taught you." James said dismissively as he removed his sweat drenched socks.
It was disgusting, but it had to be done. James had never given up without a fight and he wasn't about to do so now. He took up one of his socks in both hands and brought it over his lips. Then he began to wring the sweat out of it, letting the salty fluid dribble into his mouth. it was disgusting and he had to stop himself from gagging, but in the long run it would keep him alive. Unfortunately for Feather, he didn't wear socks or shoes and would have to make do with a different waste fluid. It was a daunting task for him, but he followed through, drinking every last drop his urine from the canteen he had deposited it in. It was a nasty business, bit necessary. James also had to end up hunting for his food. The desert was sparse, however, and all he had managed to catch was a rattlesnake. It was the first time in many months he had eaten any kind of meat. The meat of the snake was bland and tasteless, but it would keep him going. Even so, once he had finished cooking it, James ravenously devoured the thing, picking the bones clean. If Feather was disturbed by this display, he didn't show it.
On the sixth day of their journey, they reached a small river that ran from the lone mountain. Both human and pony rushed to the clear rushing water and took long sips from the sparkling liquid. As they quaffed the water down they thought it was the most delicious thing they had ever tasted. After slaking their thirst, they decided to follow the river on the reasoning that if there was any kind of civilization nearby, it would most likely be near the source of water. They traveled another two days along th path of the river before they began to notice some strange things. Silhouettes on the horizon, tracks leading in different directions through the sand. The wierd thing about these, though, was that none of these matched either ponies or the Lotkin. It was some kind of hooved animal, of that they were sure, but far heavier than any pony.
Soon, they came to a lightly wooded forest. James and Feather traveled about half a day into it before making camp. Feather volunteered to take the first watch and James made himself comfortable on the hard rocky ground. He used his rucksack as a pillow and drifted off into an uneasy sleep. Once again, all his brain would do is replay scenes from the past over and over again. Because of this, he drifted in and out of consciousness until it was about time for his shift. After one particularly bad episode, he snapped back into reality suddenly after hearing movement at his side. Assuming it was Feather coming to wake him up for his turn to stand watch, James began to rouse himself.
"It's alright, I'm already up." The human said tiredly.
"Uh, James. If I were you, I'd lay very, VERY still."
"Feather, what are you talking about?" James opened his eyes and almost wished he hadn't
Around him were five large buffalo, each with a spear held mere centimeters from his neck. Around the edge of the camp were many more, all had their eyes on the human. About three yards away, Feather stood, flanked on either side by two buffalo. All of them held a look of deep contempt on their faces as they glared angrily at the human.
"Feather, would you mind explaining?" James asked his furred friend.
"I wish I could James. The coast was clear one minute and the next, we were surrounded." The earth pony informed him.
"Well, at least there's one silver lining here."
"Yeah, what's that?"
"They haven't killed us yet."
One of the buffalo motioned for James to get up. Not wanting to instigate a potentially altercation, he complied. Then a few of the buffalo gathered James and Feather's equipment while the others set the two operatives marching further into the woods. The buffalo escorted the two separately, keeping an especially close watch on James.
"What are they going to do to us?" Feather asked nervously.
"I don't know man, I don't know. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long to find out."
Chapter 28: The Frontier
James sat cross legged in the center of a large rounded tent. Around him on all sides stood four buffalo, spears at the ready. The quadrupeds had stripped him of all his armor and equipment at spear point, all the way down to his skin. Thankfully, the let him keep his pants. They had him in there for hours. They did not treat him badly, however, every now and then a small buffalo doe would bring him corn and water under the watchful eyes of his guards. Occasionally he would try to talk to them, but each time he was answered with only stoic silence. The whole time, he stayed awake, not trusting his current captors. He considered escape, but he had no weapons and wrestling four six hundred pound buffalo bare handed did not seem like an attractive option. He could attempt to disarm one of them and use the spear against them, but didn't think he knew how to knock them out and killing them when they had not yet brought harm to him went against his ROE. The hours ticked on, the only indication of their passage the changing of the guards and glimpses through the curtains as food and water was brought to him. When the buffalo doe brought him food the fourth time, a short flash of sight through the curtain let him know the sun was setting. Finally, after so much waiting, two more guards walked in. At first, James thought it wad another change of guard, but a large dark colored buffalo bull wearing a large feathered headdress followed them in.
"You are different from the others." The large buffalo stated in a authoritative voice.
"Others? The hell do you mean. Also, since I got you talking, what the hell have you done with my friend? I swear to god, if you've hurt him..."
"Rest assured," The buffalo started, "your friend is unharmed. He awaits us outside."
"So what do you want from me?" James asked.
"You resemble those of the black sword. Those of savagery." The buffalo bull said to the human.
James knew where this was going and tried to counter, "Believe you me, I want nothing to do with those things, except to stop them."
"Your companion told us as much. However, we must be cautious in these times."
"I can understand that, but I happen to be working for the princess to help make these times safer, so maybe you could help me out here and let me go?"
"About that I must apologize, keeping you in captivity was done in the best interests of my people."
"That's ok, I probably would have done the same. So,, excuse me for being blunt, but who are you and where are we?" James asked.
"I am Chief Thunderhooves, leader of the proud buffalo. This is our home."
"Nice to meet you, Chief. I'm James. Any chance you can help us here? We need to get back. Also, maybe you can tell me about the savages you've encountered. One last thing, can I have my equipment back?"
"The nearest town is a half day's walk from here. As for your possessions, they are stored nearby. In the morning, you will be taken to Sheriff Silverstar in Appeloosa, but tonight you and your companion shall sup with us." The Chief informed him.
"Sounds good to me, Chief." James said while standing up.
He stretched his aching joints, creating several audible pops. The guards tensed, but relaxed again at their leader's signal. James followed the large buffalo outside into the dusky light. Feather was waiting for him near the exit.
"How'd it go in there?" The earth pony inquired.
"Well, they're treating us to dinner. So, good I guess. Tomorrow they'll take us to a town called Appeloosa to see the Sheriff. Hopefully they'll have a way for us to contact the others and let them know we're not dead." James told him.
They both followed the Chief to a large fire set centrally in the small settlement. James and Feather sat down with their host and listened to Chief Thunderhooves as he told him about the past month's events while the food was prepared.
"Not long ago, before the change of seasons, a great host marched past these very woods. A group of our scouts were the first to encounter them. Unfortunately, only one returned to warn us. It was the last thing he did before succumbing to his wounds. His noble sacrifice allowed us time to move and avoid the foul things." The Chief finished, a desolate look upon his large face.
"I'm sorry for your loss. He was very brave to have done that. Please stop me if I over step my bounds, but did he say anything else about the monsters?" James asked politely.
"He did mention one thing. They did not march alone. With them traveled members of the pony folk."
"Those were prisoners. They had been abducting unicorns for... malefic purposes. We were actually tracking them when you found us." Feather explained to him.
"Not all of them were unicorns. Nor were they all shackled."
The two warriors sat in stunned silence, considering the implications of this new information. Feather was the most disturbed by this.
"Are you sure!? Are you absolutely certain this is what he saw!?" The dark blue pony asked frantically.
The Chief responded with a hint of anger, "He was one of my most trusted and skilled scouts! I would stake my reputation and life on his words!"
James stepped in, not wanting the brief spark of emotion flare up into a heated quarrel, "Ok, ok, calm down. Chief, I apologize for my friend here, he meant no disrespect. We've fought those creatures before and the thought of his own kind working with those things shakes me up a little too."
"I too am sorry for my outburst. It is not how we treat our guests." The Chief replied.
"I just need to know one more thing, Chief," James asked him, "Where did they go?"
"They continued east, to the Blasted Mountains. It is there that I hope they are burned and torn asunder!"
"And, what would be over there that could do that?"
"Just beyond the Blasted Mountains lies the land of dragons. They are very territorial and very ferocious, even only one of the grown ones would be able to wipe them out." The Chief said in a hopeful tone.
"Thank you for the information." James said to the large buffalo.
The three of them relaxed as more buffalo sat down around them and food was brought out before them. The feast consisted of roasted corn, peppers, assorted wild berries and curiously, apple pie. Which was delicious. During the hearty meal, Chief Thunderhooves entertained his guests with the tales of his people. James was fascinated to learn that the pies were the result of a small skirmish with the town of Appeloosa. The large buffalo told them of how his people had once hated the frontiers folk for planting on their land, but eventually reached a compromise after what James almost refused to believe was an honest to god pie fight. Now the buffalo ran through the orchards, shaking the apples to the ground and in return, the townsfolk gave them pies. He was even surprised to find that his friends at his new home in Ponyville had a hand in it.
After they had finished eating, James and Feather were taken to a vacant tent where their equipment was waiting for them, along with two sleeping mats and some blankets. The two inventoried their gear to ensure nothing was missing before settling down for sleep. Tomorrow would be an early morning and a busy day. Hopefully Appeloosa would have a speedy way for them to get in contact with Celestia and the rest of their team.
======================================================================
Feather and James were woken early before sunrise by one of the buffalo. Quickly, they donned their armor and equipment before stepping outside. Waiting to greet them was their host, Chief Thunderhooves. Together, they had a small breakfast of flat bread and berries before they were ready to set out. Before they did, the Chief addressed them one last time.
"With you I send two of my finest scouts; Runs Like Strong Wind and White Crow. They shall guide you to the town of ponyfolk. When you arrive, I have but one request to ask of you."
"Anything, Chief." James said eagerly.
"In town there is a stallion named Breaburn. Living with him is a buffalo doe named Little Strongheart. Please pass on to her her father's love and bid her to visit again soon." The proud leader asked.
"That I will. Thank you for all your hospitality Chief Thunderhooves. If ever you are in need of assistance, don't hesitate to give us a call. Just get to town and ask for 'The Fixers'. We'll get here as fast as we can." James responded.
"Thank you for your kind offer. I will remember it. Now go in peace." The Chief replied respectfully.
With that, the four set off to town. For five hours they journeyed out the forest and across a great plain. Eventually, the plains gave way to an apple orchard and within another three hours a small town came into view. Before they entered the outskirts, the two buffalo stopped.
"From here you go alone, we must now return home." Instructed White Crow.
"Thank you for your guidance. Have a safe trip back." James replied.
The buffalo turned to leave while Feather and James continued on. The sun was beginning its descent when they finally entered the town. It reminded the human of the towns of the western frontier back in his own world. Rows of wooden buildings sat along a wide central street that ran the length of the town. Feather stopped one of the towns folk and got directions to the Sheriff's office. Fortunately it only happened to be at the other end of the street. The two walked over and knocked on the door. It was opened by a grayish earth pony stallion sporting a vest, ten gallon hat, a black mane and a silver five pointed Sheriff's badge. James also noticed he was rocking an impressive moustache.
"How can I help you two uh, fellers?" He said, a bit taken aback at their disheveled and unshaven appearance.
"Sheriff Silverstar?" Feather asked.
"That is correct."
"Can we talk to you inside?" James requested.
"Well, of course. Come on in and pull up a seat." The law pony said, stepping aside to allow them entrance.
The two went in and sat down on two seats set in front of a wide desk. The Sheriff sat down behind it.
"Now how can I help you two fine gentlecolts?" Silverstar asked in a southern drawl.
James began to explain their situation, "Sheriff, we're with the Royal Special Tasks Group, sort of a special division of the Guards. We hit a snag during an evolution and got separated from our team up in Whitecrest. We need to contact them."
"Whitecrest! Y'all're quite a distance from there! How'd ya both end up way down here?"
"It's a long story."
"Well, ya can use some of mah stationary and I'll have it sent, rush, to where ever ya want. Ya know y'all're famous right? I thought that patch looked familiar."
"Famous?" Feather asked.
"Yeah, sure! Here, take a look." The Sheriff slid over a news paper.
James picked it up and read the front. The title of the paper was 'The Appeloosa Star' and near the bottom of the front page, next to a report of some stolen airships, was a well done pencil drawing of the RSTG patch under a headline that read:
'Princess Celestia's Secret Guardian Angels'
Many of you have already heard or read of the battle that occurred at the trading town of Whitecrest and the sacrifices made by our very own Royal Guardsponies. Their tireless efforts in the defense of the town not only allowed many of the civilians to escape unharmed, but also saved the town from certain destruction. What you didn't hear about was the small team of elite warriors that were instrumental in turning the tide against the horrific creatures that had besieged the Whitecrest. Hand picked and trained by a new sentient species our sources are telling is called 'human', these specially trained soldiers assisted the head of forces in Whitecrest, Colonel Rokjaw, in the defense of his home. Unfortunately we were unable to learn the identities of these brave souls. However, survivor accounts do tell of a unicorn mare in a miniaturized version of an airship shuttling wounded out of the city to safety. Already, ponies everywhere are calling her 'The Angel of Whitecrest'....
The article continued to go on about other details of the battle; such as the damage to the western gate, the strange disappearance of the creatures that had attacked and the still missing unicorns. It also went on to mention the recovery of one of the captives over a week ago. James passed the paper to Feather, clearly not pleased. He knew that it was inevitable that the existence of his organization would become general knowledge, but what he didn't like was the unwanted attention it would bring. Oh well, nothing he could do about it.
James wrote three letters. One for Sparks, Flash and Myst, One for Princess Celestia and one for Spike, who he was sending all three to. Sheriff Silverstar gave the package to the fastest pegasus in town. Now all the two needed to do was find a place to stay and get washed up. The Sheriff graciously offered up his own residence which had a guest room and a couch they could where they could rest. Feather went first in the shower while James washed their filthy uniforms and cleaned their equipment. Then while Feather went to find Breaburn and Little Strongheart, James hung out their clothes to dry and hopped into the shower himself. After a quick wash up he looked himself in the mirror. He really looked like hell. He hadn't shaved in over a week and his eyes were bloodshot. All over his body were cuts and bruises.
"Damn," He said to himself, "tonight's gonna be an early night."
Chapter 29: Reunion
A pony and a human stood on the edge of Appeloosa, a wide flat sandy area before them. A pile of clothing and equipment lay beside them on the warm ground. They were both clad in dark torn up uniforms, white parkas and plates of armor removed. The items were unneeded at the moment and it was too hot out to continue wearing them. Neither of the two talked, they just stood there, waiting. Soon, off in the distance, a small dark speck appeared and began to grow. As it got closer, it started slowing down and a smaller dark form with what appeared to be tan clothing detached itself from its larger counterpart and launched towards the two standing on the warm flat ground. The larger object materialized into the Clipper, the smaller one was Flash. The pegasus flew at an anxious pace to greet his two teammates and nearly tackled them both to the ground in a big hug.
"My gosh, we all thought you guys might've been dead!" He exclaimed between the two.
"Yeah, we almost thought so too," Feather replied, "but James' survival training really paid off."
"Eww." Flash recoiled, knowing the full implications of that simple statement.
The Clipper circled once before settling its skids into the soft sand. The engine began to wind down and the side door slid open to disgorge seven other ponies, all in the same clothing as the pegasus, except Myst who was wearing a simple mechanic's coveralls. Sparks broke from the group and galloped over to see his friends.
"I see you all changed your uniforms like I asked, is the rest of the equipment here too?" James asked the rusty colored unicorn.
"Yup, we got everything. I have both your uniforms right here." He responded, motioning to a saddle bag slung over his back.
"Outstanding."
"What happened to you guys? We heard the cave-in and came rushing to find you two, but all we found was a heap of rock with the wire sticking out of it. By the way, it the repeater ok?"
"The repeater is fine, in fact, I have a plan for it for our next op. Let me and Feather get changed real quick, we'll tell you the rest later. We're all gonna take it easy tonight, we've been invited to a BBQ. Tomorrow, we're heading back out."
James and Feather jumped into the ship and changed into their new uniforms. These were colored and patterned to help blend in with more arid environments. While he was there, he inspected the rest of the equipment he requested they bring. The gun mounts were of course still there, also their ammunition. There was even more ammo stored in boxes stuffed under the seats as well as boxes of rations. Strapped on the bulkhead was his marksman rifle and what he was looking for specifically. The Barrett. James took the large caliber weapon down off the bulkhead and inspected it. The huge rifle was just as he had left it. He cycled the bolt a few times. Could use a little oil, but other than that it worked fine. He put it back and grabbed a bandolier that was hanging beside it. The belt had seven pockets, each holding a large magazine. James took one out and checked out the large rounds inside. He smacked the mag against the bulkhead a couple times before returning it to its pocket. With this, he was going to do some damage.
The two stepped back out into the hot sun in their new uniforms, now matching the rest of the team. Together, they all followed Feather as he led them to the event. Late yesterday, he had gone and found Breaburn and Little Strongheart at their house on the other side of town. After Feather had delivered the Chief's message to Little Strongheart, Breaburn inquired as to how he had come across the buffalo doe's father. Feather tried to keep his story short and devoid of details, but once he mentioned James' name, the frontiers pony demanded he come over for a visit. It turned out that Breaburn was a relative of Applejack and she had mentioned the human a few times in some letters.
The group arrived at the small homestead with a yellow coated earth stallion and a buffalo doe sitting on the front porch. Both got up from where they were sitting and walked up to greet their guests.
"Feather, nice to see you back! And you must be James!" The stallion said in an accent not unlike a certain orange farm mare from Ponyville. He extended a hoof to the human.
"Yes, and I'm guessing your Breaburn, right?" James said while shaking it.
"Sure am! This here's Strongheart, mah special somepony." The stallion said while glancing lovingly to the small buffalo at his side.
"It's nice to meet you both and thank you for doing this for us. If there's anything you ever need, don't hesitate to ask."
"Aww shucks, yer practically part of the Apple family. AJ told me how ya helped around the farm and even took care of some apple thieves. What's our is yours!" He said exuberantly.
They were all led around back where a couple of picnic tables had been set up next to a large grill. James and everypony else took their seats as Breaburn began to place drinks down in front of them. Almost all of it was bottles of beer, but there were also a few pitchers of iced tea. Then Breaburn started up the grill while everypony broke out into conversation.
"So James, what in the hay happened to you two?" Flash asked his friend from across the table.
"We got dumped into another tunnel. There was only one way to go from there, so we started walking. The damn thing was long too, because it took several days to get out of it and when we did we'd somehow gotten to the desert. We found a bunch of tracks going east, so that's where we went. Eventually, Stongheart's father and his people found us and took us in. They guided us here and you know the rest." James explained. "What happened on your end?"
"Well, we heard the cave-in and came running, but only found a wall of rubble. We tried digging through, but there was just too much. We spent the next six or seven days combing the mountains, hoping you two had found a way out somewhere. After a while, we had to go back to Whitecrest for supplies. After a day, we were ready to do one more search, but then we got your letter."
"Whatever happened to that unicorn we recovered?" James inquired.
Sparks jumped in here, "I talked with him for a little while we were in town. James, we have some daunting news. Turns out that there are some ponies working--"
"With the Lotkin, we know." Feather interjected.
"How did you guys find out?"
"Turns out the buffalo that hosted us had a small unfortunate encounter with them not too long ago." James informed him.
Little Strongheart was nearby at the moment and happened to over hear this part of the conversation. She rushed over to the table in quite a fright.
"What happened? Are they all right? What of my father, was he harmed?" She asked, her voice betraying a hint of panic.
"Some scouts suffered a few casualties, but everypony else is fine. They were able to get out of harm's way in time." Feather reassured her.
The buffalo doe was still saddened by the news, but she calmed down a little. Then she trotted over to talk with Breaburn. After she left their presence, Sparks turned to James.
"About that, why exactly did you order us to change uniforms and bring all that equipment? Don't you want to head back home after this whole ordeal?" He asked the human.
"Honestly, I do. However, we got a strong lead on where the Lotkin and their captives are at. I want to try and rescue those unicorns now while we're here and the trail is still somewhat fresh. This may be our last chance. On that note, I don't want you all drinking too much here, we have to be fit for duty in the morning. You all can have a few beers, but after that it's nothing but tea and juice, is that clear?" James instructed.
Everypony gave him a short nod in response. Before long, the food was ready and the two hosts set platters on the tables filled with fire roasted corn, curiously grilled apples, flat breads, kebabs of vegetables and various nuts and berries. The human, buffalo and ten ponies dug into the fine feast with gusto. For a short time, they all forgot about their dreadful business and enjoyed one another's company. The food was delicious and the drink refreshing. As James bit into one of the crunchy roasted cobs of corn he thought to himself that moments like these, if anything, were what made life worth living and even if he hated it, worth fighting for. At the end of the night, James and his crew helped both Breaburn and Strongheart to clean up their home. Breaburn even offered to let them all stay at his place, but James graciously declined. His team had too early of a morning and would depart as soon as physically possible, so they would be camped out around their airship. After all the cleaning was finished, Strongheart and Breaburn retired into their home to talk about making a visit to Strongheart's people. Meanwhile, the ten members of the RSTG made their way back to the Clipper. Tomorrow would be a busy day, it was time to get some rest.
=====================================================================
"I have a visual of three limas, all standing around the cave entrance. All three are looking in a north westerly direction Stalkers, you copy?"
"Good copy, moving to position now. Get ready to bring the lead rain, over." Came Captain Alister's reply.
Just over a mile away, across a shallow valley, James leaned back from the large rifle's scope and took a few deep breaths before sighting back up. Beside him lay Flash, peering through a makeshift spotter's scope. Behind them sat Feather, keeping an eye on their rear. Currently, Sparks was still in the Clipper with Myst high above and one of the unicorns from the Nightstalkers acting as the ship's gunners. The rest of the Nightstalker team was now slowly inserting themselves into a position where they could swiftly gain access to the cave entrance. The plan was for James to eliminate the cave guards with some precisely placed rounds to allow the Nightstalkers to slip in and explore it a little without much difficulty. So far, they had already done this four times, but each time, the cave ended up being only a few yards deep. They suspected that these were merely sentry camps and the actual entrance was somewhere nearby. Once it was found, the Nightstalkers would send a signal over the radio, cueing the Fixers to rush in after them and perform a sweep. The Clipper was on standby, hiding in a patch of clouds, in case the op went FUBAR. In that case, it would swoop down, guns blazing, to extract the two teams. As it was, the sun was getting close to completing its slow trek across the sky and they had still not found what they were looking for. With any luck, they would discover where the missing ponies were being held and hatch a plan to free them.
"Stalkers in position, drop iron and bring the pain."
That was the signal he had been waiting for. James began his breathing exercise and slowly brought the cross hairs onto the lima farthest to the left, it was a good fifteen yards away from its two compatriots. Gradually, he raised the cross hairs to where the were aimed about half an inch over the creatures head. Then a little to the left for windage. A breeze was blowing to the south and by his estimate it was traveling at about seven knots. In any other situation, this wouldn't be much of anything, but over such great distances, even the smallest shift in the wind could drastically alter the bullet's flight path. Fortunately, the breeze was steady and did not waver.
James exhaled and held for a second while he gently and gradually applied pressure to the trigger.
*KRA-BOOM*
With a mighty kick, the round left the chamber and sped furiously to its destination. Just over a second later, the creature's left shoulder exploded outward, its arm arcing though the air before landing a few feet away. The rest of its body was thrown back a few feet as well. Another second later, the faint sound of thunder could be heard rolling through the mountains. The two other limas standing guard near the cave entrance rushed over to see what had happened to their comrade. It was exactly what James had been hoping for. With quiet efficiency, he dispatched them in the same manner of the first, the last one taking a round in its back, chest and abdomen exploding out in a spray blood and entrails. His grisly work completed, James shifted his attention back to the mouth of the cave and waited. After about five minutes had passed, he gave the go order.
"Stalkers, hostiles eliminated, no movement at entrance. Cleared to go."
"Roger that, moving."
James continued to keep watch on the cave while Flash scanned the area through his scope. James watched as four camouflaged figures emerged from their hiding spot and proceeded into the cave. While keeping his sight focused there, James took this opportunity to check in with their eyes in the sky.
"Myst, Sparks, how does our overhead look?"
Sparks was the one to reply, "Still all clear up here. No signs of any dragons."
"Outstanding, keep up the good work."
"Overwatch, Stalker here, this one continues on for quite a ways and there are plenty of tracks." The insertion team reported.
"Good, sounds like this is what we've been looking for. Hang tight, we're on our way." James got up and slung the Barrett over his back, replacing it with his marksman rifle. "Flash, Feather, pack it up. We're heading in."
The two ponies moved to comply and soon they were all on their way to the Nightstalkers' location. The rocky terrain was difficult to navigate and it was almost fifteen minutes before they reached their destination. James looked at the tunnel entrance and was at first worried the sniper rifle he carried might be a hindrance. Fortunately, the tunnel was quite large and he wouldn't have to leave it behind. It was so big that using his marksman rifle wouldn't be a problem. The only con was that his equipment would hinder his movement in any hand to hand combat, but hopefully it would not come to that. He removed his rifle's suppressor from where it was strapped on his side and threaded it into the end of the barrel. The Nightstalker unicorn inside already had a pistol with an attached suppressor. They would try to keep it as stealthy as possible for as long as they could. James' team entered the tunnel and cautiously made their way to the other team. At thirty yards, the path was illuminated with torches set high in the walls. About fifty yards in, they rounded a corner and came face to face with the Nightstalker unicorn, pistol at the ready. When the pony saw who it was, he lowered his firearm and turned around. They followed him a little further down the way and were soon reunited with Captain Alister and the rest of his team.
"Anything else to report?" James asked the earth pony.
"Nothing much. We've seen no sign of movement up ahead."
"Alright, we're gonna take it slow. I want two of you watching our six at all times, Feather, you're the stealthiest mother here so you're on point. Everyone check your corners, we don't want any surprises, move out."
The operatives moved to take their positions, Flash and the armed unicorn took the rear, James and Alister took the front, behind Feather who went further on ahead. In the middle were the two pegasus Nightstalkers, ready to keep an eye out for and check any side passages they came across.
Up ahead, Feather reported over the radio, "I've come to an intersection, there's one hostile." He said in barely a whisper.
"Ok hold on, we're coming up behind you. Just sit tight--"
"Neutralized."
From down the tunnel, a muffled clink could be heard, followed by a faint dragging sound. The group of operatives soon reached the site of the intersection. Waiting for them was Feather who was covering up spots of blood with sand.
"Feather, where'd you stash the body?" James asked.
"In an alcove on the far wall. It shouldn't be found unless anything has a reason to go back there."
"Good initiative."
The group set about exploring the chamber and inspecting the side passages. There were three in total, not counting the one they had come from and the alcove. Flash marked the tunnel they had emerged from so they could find their way back. Two of the new tunnels descended deeper into the mountain, but one went up a slight incline. What's more, James thought he could detect the faint glow of sunlight emanating from further down the passage. Curious, he led his team up it. They advanced almost a hundred yards up some twists and turns before finally coming out on a shelf sat high above the floor of a large, deep crater. James scanned the area and immediately spotted two hostiles gazing down from the edge of the shelf. He lowered his rifle and motioned to Feather beside him. The pony nodded and together they silently crept up behind the two limas, unsheathing their knives as they did. Once they were directly behind them, James and Feather looked at each other. Without making a sound, James counted down from three. On one, the two each grabbed a lima around the throat. James found a gap in the armor of his and plunged his knife through its ribs, its heart shedding itself on his blade as the Lotkin's heart rate spiked. Without the use of hands, Feather found it a bit more difficult, but succeeded in planting his blade in the base of his captive's skull, killing it instantly. Together, they dragged the bodies away from the edge and back to their companions. That task completed, James and Feather returned to the edge, low crawling to avoid creating a visible silhouette. James un slung the Barrett and used the sight to survey the area. Approximately five hundred yards below, sequestered in the deep shade of the dying day, was a medium sized camp filled with hostiles. James looked back over shoulder and waved both Flash and Alister over. Flash set up the spotter's scope and peered below. After a minute, he passed it onto Alister who also took a peek.
"See anything interesting?" James asked.
"Top right corner, cages." Alister said, never taking his eye from the scope.
"Yup, and they have occupants." James called up to the Clipper to check in, "Myst, Sparks, we found them. We found the missing unicorns." He reported happily.
"Good, that's great!" Myst replied anxiously, even a little panicky. "Could you speed it up a little bit? I know it's a lot to ask, but we got some company up here and I don't know how long we can stay hidden."
"James, take a look at this!" Feather said from his side. The earth stallion now had the spotter scope.
The human returned his attention to the camp below and followed the pony's directions. His sight ended up on a small section ensconced in hard to see area. It was set apart from the rest of the encampment, large makeshift docks housing three large airships.
"That's interesting." James mused to himself.
He backed away and gathered up the two teams with the exception of Feather and the Nightstalkers' unicorn, who kept watch on the camp and the tunnel leading to the shelf, respectively.
"Alright, time for a little parliament. We got the prisoners on the far end of the camp. In the south western corner is a dock with three airships. Hostiles everywhere in between and, as far as we know, only one way in or out. Ideas?" He said professionally.
One of Alister's team members spoke up, "We could make a distraction, maybe set the airships on fire, and in the chaos slip in and free the prisoners."
"I like it, but we need an exit strategy." James stated.
Alister himself came up with the solution, "How about we set one of the airships on fire and set it loose into the camp. We'll load the prisoners onto one of the others and take off. The Clipper can provide covering fire."
"Anyone got any objections?" James asked.
None were offered.
"Alright, sounds like we got a plan. First things first. Alister, you take your Stalkers down the tunnel and find a way down close to the ships. Once you have, radio me. I have about four and a half more mags of fifties left. Flash will stay here with me and help as spotter. Take Feather, he'll be useful if you come across any locked doors. Once you have the diversion set, radio back up to me and set it off. The resulting anarchy will shift their attention and allow me and Flash to sync up with you guys. From there, you'll hold down one of the other airships while I take Feather and Flash to release the captives. When we reach the cages, I'll radio Myst to bring in the big guns. Any questions?" James asked after he laid out the details.
There were none.
"Myst, Sparks, you guys get all that?" He called up to the Clipper, hiding high above.
"Yeah, we did. Please hurry up though, or you'll have an even bigger distraction to worry about." Myst said nervously.
"Alright, you heard the lady, sounds like we got inbound. Remember; slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Now's not the time to make mistakes. Lives are depending on us."
James sent them on their way and set up on the edge of the shelf with Flash. He flipped down the bipod and aimed at the camp. Then, he waited. While he did, he decided to observe the activity below. Various Lotkin milled about in the camp. Some were crafting weapons, others were tearing into globs of still bloody meat. A few patrolled in front of the cages, giving the occupants a poke with the butt of a spear here and there. Suddenly, James' radio clicked.
"We're ready."
James searched a target, finally settling on an important looking one that seemed to be reprimanding three others. He lined up on the back of the target's head, began his breathing and fired. The rifle kicked his shoulder and launched the half inch slug of metal down into the crater below. It slammed into the creature's skull and transformed it into a fine pink mist, continuing into another one of the monsters, sending both to the ground in a heap and cloud of dust and blood. The other two froze and looked around before James gunned them down as well, fierce thunder echoing around the crater walls. The rest of the camp scrambled to find the source of booming death. James felled four more before they did. Then began a mad rush of stomping feet and angry gnashing teeth, countless numbers of the dark beings eager to be the first to sheathe their blades into the aggressor. The human fired the last two shots in the mag at a small group making their way to a cave entrance down below that he assumed would lead them to his position. He popped out the empty and handed it over to Flash who in return handed back a full mag. The magazine clicked home and James resumed delivering grim death upon his foes below. With each pull of the trigger, another one lost an arm, a leg or most of its torso. Soon the dirt on the floor of the crater was cluttered with lumps of flesh and slick with the blood of the fallen. The shear mass of the angry creatures now making their way towards him was too much for him alone to handle. The cacophony their warbled cries of rage was loud enough to drown out even the most terrifying avalanche. Then the unexpected happened. A large potion of the camp was suddenly and inexplicably bathed in a ferocious stream of fire.
"YOU'VE GOT INCOMING!" Sparks voice bellowed in his ear.
A forceful gust of wind followed by the horrifying roar of a gargantuan and terrible beast descended upon James and Flash causing the both of them to look up. Gliding down into the crater on great leathery wings was a large gray scaled dragon. It sent another blast of hellfire upon the Lotkin, sending them scattering. In a clearing in the camp, not far from the cave entrance James and Flash would have exited from, the great beast landed on its powerful haunches and began to snap up Lotkin in its mouth.
"Alister, change of plan. Myself and Flash are heading down now, sit tight."
"You don't have to tell us twice."
James stood up and slung the Barrett onto his back and brought up his M4. At his side, Flash drew his sword. They gave each other one reassuring look and then dashed into the tunnel, beginning their descent to the bedlam below. On their way down, they encountered a few Lotkin fleeing from burning death. James put them down with a few quick bursts. The tunnel began to turn back on itself as it sloped down to the crater. As the two warriors rounded the corner, they came almost face to face with another group of six hostiles. James began to fire and succeeded in dropping all but two, both of whom almost came within striking range, but were stopped by Flash's blade. The pegasus batted aside a blade and thrust his own through the attacker's unarmored armpit. He then ducked under the other's swing and slashed his sword across the knee joint. The hostile dropped to one knee in pain and was quickly dispatched with a quick thrust to its exposed throat. The two continued on and finally reached bottom. From the floor, the dragon looked absolutely massive. James estimated it to stand at about three stories high. Fortunately it was preoccupied with a group of Lotkin that had rallied to attack it and paid the two operatives no mind. James and Flash quickly slipped past the battle and on to the airships, the human dropping more hostiles along the way with hastily aimed shots. As they neared the docks, Flash spotted Alister waving from one of the ships. Flash and James swiftly ran up onto the dock and inside the hold.
"Well we didn't plan on that shit right there." James said, recollecting himself. "What's your situation here?" He asked the Captain.
"This ship is ready to take off. We rigged the other one next door as a fire ship and were about to launch it when we were rudely interrupted." He reported.
"Good, we're still gonna use it."
"Sir?"
"We're still gonna have to cover our asses to get out of here. I'm betting that thing isn't gonna simply let something fly away from it. Myst, where you at right now?" He called into his mic.
"Still circling the crater, we barely avoided the dragon. I was sure it was going to find us, but something down below caught its attention. Is everypony ok?"
"Fine, we're still working on getting the prisoners out. I need you to do something for me. I want you to park your ship directly in front of the fire ship, Alister's team will direct you two it. Your two gunners will play defense while Flash, Feather and I free the captives and bring 'em to extract. In the meantime Alister is gonna tie you off to the fire ship, that clear?" James instructed the pilot.
"Crystal."
"Outstanding, Alister you heard the spiel, let's get to it."
Feather rejoined his teammates and together they made their way to the cages. The dragon had moved further away on the other side of the camp, leaving some of the Lotkin to do as they pleased. Unfortunately, what pleased them was rushing into combat against James, Flash and Feather. The two ponies rushed forward, blades drawn and began hacking and slashing while James hung back and put holes in anything that tried to get the jump on them. After a few skirmishes here and there, they had finally reached the area the captives were being held in. Twenty cages sat in two parallel rows, the guards were absent, having left to join in the glory of battle. Of the cages, only seventeen were occupied, each holding a malnourished looking unicorn. Feather quickly got to work unlocking the cage doors while James and Feather watched his back. The earth pony was just finishing up on the eighth cage when they were interrupted.
"Just what the hay do you think you're doing!?"
James snapped his aim to the source of the voice. A few yards away stood a heavily scarred brown pegasus, a familiar yellow streak running through his mane.
"YOU! What the hay are you doing here? No, of course it would be you! You were always screwing up my day!" The brown pegasus hollered at the human.
"Lightning!? You're the one helping these things!?" Flash asked in bewilderment.
"How do you think they got the air ships? You know your freak friend there really did a number on my face! Prison doc said I'd never look the same again."
"You're lucky he didn't kill you!" Flash retorted.
James stepped in, this fight wasn't doing any good and time was short, "Lightning, I know we have some differences, but think about what you're doing here. Working with these things will only bring you more pain."
"What I'm doing here? What I'm doing here is becoming stronger! Stronger than the weaklings in Celestia's happy little country! Stronger than YOU! These guys here get me. After I jumped bail, I had to hide out in the Everfree. They came across me, hungry and cold. At first, I thought they were gonna kill me, but when they learned how useful I am, they took me in." Lightning ranted.
"And once that usefulness is up, they'll just discard you like trash. These things don't work like you think. How much longer before they decide one pony can no longer continue helping them?" James tried to explain.
"HA! You think I'm the only one? There are scores of ponies helping us, sick of Celestia's 'perfect little realm'. Now lock the cages back up and put down your weapons or I'll use THIS." The brown pegasus produced one of the magical explosives from a pouch on his side.
"You don't want to do that." Flash warned.
"Or what? You think you can run over here and kill me faster than I can throw? Not likely." Lightning scoffed.
"I don't need to be over there to kill you." James informed him. "I don't think you've ever encountered me with my firearms."
"Whatever. Now put down the weapons or your precious unicorns go boom!"
"Suit yourself buddy." James said dismissively.
The human aimed down and shot out the stallion's legs. Lightning dropped the explosive and went down, screaming in pain. Miraculously, the magical weapon did not explode, but landed softly in the loose dirt. Feather had finished unlocking all the cages now and was corralling the unicorns. Flash got their attention and started to lead them back to safety with James. When the human passed the disabled pegasus, he gave him some last minute advice.
"This is your last warning. Don't fuck with my friends again." He said menacingly before continuing on.
As Feather followed behind them, he briefly looked down at the bleeding form of his former gang leader and spat in disgust before moving on.
The operatives kept close watch on the ponies in their custody, helping up any that collapsed or fell behind. They weren't losing any of them now that they had been found. The group neared the docks, the sound of automatic weapons tearing through the air in a rapid staccato beat. The Clipper was in position, its two gunners moving down waves of hostiles attempting to assault their position. The new armor was doing its job, many crossbow bolts were fired at it, but they merely glanced off the side of the hull. Sparks was on the MG3 and saw the group of unicorns approaching. He quickly shifted his fire and opened up a path for them to move through and get to safety. Once in the docks, Flash and Feather herded the ponies into the air ship they were using for their extraction. James did not follow, but instead boarded the fire ship. Alister was there waiting for him.
"Is everything ready to go?" The human asked.
"Ready and waiting on your order."
"Good. Cast off all lines and then board the other ship and do the same. Have Flash and your two pegasi take the ship and head to the north." He ordered.
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to make sure that dragon doesn't follow you. Now go!"
Alister did as he was told and soon they were all ready for lift off. The Clipper was hovering only a few feet away from and below the main deck of the large air ship, so James jumped over onto the Clipper's upper deck. The Nightstalker unicorn was up there on the M249, firing away at the hostiles below. James descended to the main cabin and stowed the Barrett before climbing back onto the larger air ship and ordering Myst to tow them into the sky. As he predicted, once the dragon noticed the the two large objects trying to escape, it gave chase. Once it closed in, James began using his rifle to attract its attention. He knew he wouldn't be able to actually hurt something that massive with such small rounds, but that wasn't the objective. The ploy worked and the other air ship escaped to the north without incident. Now James just needed to bug out of there. The dragon came up behind the fire ship and opened its great maw, exposing hundreds of dagger like teeth. Knowing what was coming next, James ran to the bow and grasped the rope attached to the Clipper, severing it with his knife. The human safely swung away as the fire ship was engulfed in the ensuing inferno. Charges set in the ships hull cooked off and created a nicely sized explosion, sending burning timbers falling to the mountainous ground below which that dragon thankfully followed. Before he knew it, James was being lifted into the main cabin of the Clipper by the winch. When he got inside, Sparks was waiting for him.
"You're crazy, you know that?" The unicorn said.
"You ever try being sane? Its just not as fun."
They both had a short chuckle at that.
"James, you ok back there? You make it?" Flash asked over the radio, concerned for his friend.
"Yeah, I'm good. A little bit singed, but otherwise ok."
"Good, 'cause we have a bit of a situation over here."
"What? What is it?"
"We have an uninvited guest. You should probably get over here."
"Roger that, I'm on my way. Myst?"
"Yeah, yeah, on our way." She sounded annoyed. Then again, James had just risked her beloved ship in some crazy scheme.
Myst expertly piloted her aircraft and brought it along side the weather deck of the larger air ship. James and Sparks moved the machine gun emplacement out of the way, allowing James to hop across the small gap and onto the other ship. Once on board, he headed down below to find Flash.
"What's the problem, where's this 'guest'?"
Flash pointed to a barred door near the back of the compartment.
"A hostile somehow got onboard. We have it contained in that space."
"Shit. Alright, get ready to open it up." He said, drawing his pistol.
The two went to the door, James putting his back against the wall on the side it would open to. The human counted down from three and Flash removed the bar, allowing the door to swing open. James flew around the frame, pistol at the ready. The space was small and appeared to be used for storage, though it was empty at the moment. Empty except for a Lotkin standing in the middle of the room, weapons drawn. James fired and put two in its chest before it could react, the rounds punching through its armor. It crumpled to the deck, up against the aft bulkhead. James walked over and was about to put a bullet in it's head when it surprised him by speaking.
"You not able to defeat us." It croaked.
James was intrigued at this first attempt at communication, but he did not lower his sidearm.
"Why?" The human demanded, "Why not? Why are you even doing all this, all this unnecessary violence?"
The creature made a huffing sound in its throat, like rocks grinding together, in a cruel replica of a laugh.
"You not know. You not know!" It made the laughing sound again. "We come to take what was ours. Ours before the one of the sun rose. Ours before the time of Discord. Ours before the time of the two goddesses!"
At this last exclamation, one of the magical explosive orbs appeared in its hand.
"EVERYONE OUT!" James bellowed. Flash and Alister had entered the room moments before to hear the thing speak. Alister was closest to the exit and was first to escape. However, Flash had come to stand by his friend and was no closer to safety than James was. As the pegasus galloped, he felt strong arms wrap around his torso and heave him through the doorway. James had just made it to the threshold when the Lotkin behind him crushed the orb in its hand. James was propelled through the door frame by the force of the explosion, slamming into a bulkhead opposite, crumpling to the deck. The last thing he remembered was panicked yells and the sound of hooves pounding on the deck all around him before he finally faded into oblivion.
Chapter 30: Darkness Inside
He was aware. He was aware of himself, yet he was not awake. In all directions was only darkness. Not even the smallest most insignificant feature graced the empty plane. However, he was not alone. Faintly, the flapping of wings could be heard. He looked up to see a murder of crows flitting about on tattered wings, hardly seen as they were almost as black as the darkness itself. They began to caw, bloody beaks demanding flesh and thirsting for blood. Together, they began to descend on him, a cloud of flapping feathers made of misery, anger and pain. He reached for his sidearm, it wasn't there. He reached for his knife, missing as well. He wore no armor or clothing. The crows harassed him, buzzing his head and biting him. Upon the first bite, images flashed through his head, images of his childhood. His father beating him with fists, mother just standing by in a drunken stupor. Another bite, another flash; he was older. Running from home, running from the pain. Another bite on his arm; joining the Navy, finding purpose, training, building strength to fight the pain, earning a family. He flailed his arms about, trying to disperse the demons of his past. He only received yet another bite; meeting Jackson, graduation, becoming brothers. Another bite on his back; his first op, his first kill, the slippery feeling of his knife gliding through flesh, scraping on the cartilage of the trachea. He remembered the blood, the body slumping to the ground, the pleading eyes of a man not yet dead, yet doomed to die. Air whistled through the gap in the man's neck as he silently screamed. A picture that tumbled out of his shirt pocket, a picture of a young woman and two small boys. Without provocation from the flying wretches, another image sprung into his head unbidden; the helicopter, an unknown assailant, finding the source of fire, stopping the threat.
All at once, the crows lifted, but the did not leave. They remained, circling above. He heard the soft padding of unshod feet behind him. He whipped around, ready for a fight, but he wasn't prepared for the sight before him. It was the boy. One accusing eye glaring at him, the other was missing, instead just a gaping bloody hole. The wound dripped as if still fresh, shredded flaps of skin hanging loosely from the forehead and cheek, glistening red muscle exposed. The boy did not speak, just simply stared with the one liquid brown eye. He stared back at the boy, unsure of what to do or say, conflicting emotions boiling up and fighting for dominance. They stood there for a moment, neither moving nor speaking.
"I'm sorry..." he said weakly to the boy.
The boy did not respond, he still stood there, staring blankly. Blood began to leak from his wound, crimson tears crawling down his face and dripping from his chin.
"I don't know what you want, but I'm sorry! I didn't have a choice. It was either you or us!" He said, almost pleading.
Now the boy raised one arm, finger pointing at his chest with the authority of the damned.
"What do you want!"
"Kill" A deep otherworldly voice boomed in his skull.
"What?"
"Monster, Kill!"
"No, just leave me be, I'm sorry!"
"Kill, Destroy, BRING DEATH!"
All at once, the crows descended and tore into his exposed flesh, ripping chunks of skin and muscle from his body.
"NO!"
James sat up, his mind still clouded. He was in a bed somewhere, all manners of tubes and needles attached to his body. He launched himself from the bed, tearing everything from his body. Nearby, a heart monitor flat lined and emitted a long shrill tone as the sensors were stripped from his body. A doctor rushed into the room at the sound. Upon seeing the crazed human, he hit a button on the wall with a hoof. Within minutes, three orderlies rushed in to restrain the human. James still wasn't in his right mind, training and reflex overriding rational thought. As one of the orderlies rushed forward to grab him, James intercepted the foreleg and threw him into the equipment against the wall. The other two decided to attack him together, one brandishing a syringe filled with a sedative. One orderly managed to wrap his forelegs around the human, the other prepared to administer the shot. James snatched the syringe from from the orderly and stabbed it into the shoulder of the one holding him in place. The pony slacked and slid to the ground. The orderly James had disarmed tried one last attempt to restrain him. He only got within two steps of the warrior before he received a punch to the side of the neck. James ran past the doctor and into the passageway. Waiting for him were four members of the RSTG, two unicorns, a pegasus and an earth pony. The pegasus and earth pony both ducked under his swings and rugby tackled him to the ground. Then the unicorns ran up and placed their horns on his body. A powerful shock shot through his chest, limbs and head, sending him back into the inky darkness of his mind.
=====================================================================
Slowly, James came back into consciousness, as if through a thick haze. He tried to move his arms and legs, but found that they were immobilized. He opened his eyes and looked around, trying to assess his situation. He was in a small hospital room. To his left was a door, on his right was a small square window set in the middle of the wall. The shades were down, but the warm light of a morning sun still seeped through. Directly at his right side was an end table with a few objects on it; a couple of 'get well' cards and letters, some cupcakes and a bottle of the special hot sauce from Cloudsdale all placed upon a hardcover book. He looked down at his body and saw that his limbs had been strapped to the bed frame. In both his arms were IV needles, steadily feeding him a stream of hydration and nutrients. On his chest was a sensor node, a wire connected to it ran up to an ECG machine which was repeating a beep at consistent intervals. His entire body ached in pain, especially his head and his left knee.
Once again, James tried to free his arms, but to no avail. The straps were too well secured. It was the same for his legs. Thinking of no other alternatives, he did the only other thing he could do.
"Hello?" He called to the door. "Is anyone here? I could use some help."
Almost instantly the door burst open, Flash, Sparks and Feather all piling through at once. Together, they rushed to the side of his bed.
"Finally! You're awake!" Flash exclaimed.
"You gave us quite a scare there." Sparks said stoically.
"Where am I?" James asked the trio.
"You're at a hospital in Canterlot." Sparks replied.
"What happened to the unicorns we rescued, are they all ok? The last thing I remember is the explosion."
"They're all fine, just really hungry and dehydrated. Fortunately, it seems we got all of them." Feather told him.
"Yes, the explosion took out a good chunk of the airship, but it didn't inflict too much damage. You were knocked out, concussed pretty badly. Good thing for you, one of the Nightstalkers was a medic in the Royal Guard." Sparks said, filling him in.
"How long have I been out?" James asked the unicorn.
"About eight days now."
"Ok, one last thing. Why am I currently strapped down to the bed?"
The three stallions glanced nervously between themselves.
"There was an... incident the other day." Sparks told the human.
"What incident?" James asked, now highly concerned.
"You kinda... went a little crazy and... beat up some of the hospital staff..." Flash said uneasily.
James felt like a large rock had dropped into his stomach. He had no memory of such an event.
"You're kidding." He said in disbelief.
"No, we're not. It took Captain Alister and three of his team members to take you down."
"Is everyone ok?"
"Aside from some bruises, everypony's fine. The hospital are still a little shaken up, but that's about it." Feather reassured him.
"Good." He lay his head back on his pillow, face becoming a blank mask. "Well then, could you undo the straps please? They're starting to chafe."
"Sure thing." Sparks said, horn beginning to take on a glow.
With a quick spell, Sparks undid the bindings on the bed. James rubbed his wrists a little, trying to get the circulation flowing again.
"Anything else we can do for you?" Feather asked.
"No I... I just want to be alone and chill for a little." James said with a voice devoid of emotion.
"All right, but if you need anything, one of us will always be out in the hall." Flash informed him.
The three ponies left the room, closing the door quietly behind them. James closed his eyes and tried to clear his head. He lay there like this for several minutes. After a while, he got curious and picked up the pile of objects beside him and began sorting through them. He put the cupcake and hot sauce back on the table. There were a bunch of cards from the girls back in Ponyville, some letters and the book. The title of the book was 'Daring Do and the Dragon's Gem'. On the cover was a picture of a tan colored pegasus mare in a vest and pith helmet, dodging a blast of fire from a very agitated dragon. He put it aside, maybe he'd read it later. He picked up the two letters and opened one. It was from Alister. The Captain started his letter off by wishing James good health and then went on to explain that he had taken care of the After Action Report and all the other paper work so he wouldn't have to worry about it. He put this aside as well and picked up the second envelope. His face grew serious as he noticed that it was heavily embossed and bore the royal seal. James tore it open and pulled the parchment out from inside. Of course, it was from Celestia.
'To my faithful protector of the peoples,
I would like to express my deepest gratitude for returning my citizens to safety in such a daring rescue. I was pleased to find that they are all doing well and each one of them is expected to make a full recovery. Without your quick thinking and the steadfast dedication of your team, a feat of this magnitude would surely have not been possible. Therefor, it is with great pride that I inform you that each and every pony involved in the success of the mission is to be awarded the Star of Equestria, our nation's highest honor. The ceremony shall take place in due time. For now allow your team and yourself to rest. You all have certainly earned it.
Princess Celestia'
James put the parchment down and contemplated everything he had just read. The last thing he wanted was to have to get up in front of a large group just to have a piece of metal pinned to his uniform. He never did like going to awards quarters, even when he was a recipient. It just felt like a waste of time. He put those thoughts out of his head and decided to try and walk around a bit. It had been over a week since he had even walked, he also wanted to take a look out the window, having not seen the capitol city except for the flight over it and the interior of the palace. James swung his legs out to over the edge of the bed with a wince. He then lowered himself to the cold floor. As soon as he put weight on his left leg, a lance of pain shot out from his knee, causing him to fall over onto the floor. As he went down, the IVs and the ECG's sensor were ripped from his body, making his arms bleed and the ECG to sound its alarm. A doctor rushed in flanked by four orderlies, who took up positions around the human.
"It's ok, i'm fine. Just took a little spill." James explained.
The doctor trotted over to the fallen biped, "Good to see you're back in a lucid state." Sensing no danger, he waved the orderlies from the room.
"You really shouldn't be up, you must get back in bed." Continued the doctor.
"Yeah, I will. Could you just tell me what's wrong with my leg?" James asked.
"Your knee took quite a hit, it's a wonder it isn't broken. what we found was that a large piece of wood had lodged itself in the back of it. We got you into surgery and removed it, but you will have some difficulty walking for the next two weeks."
"A couple of weeks on crutches, not bad." James said, relieved.
He climbed back into the hospital bed at the doctor's order and waited patiently as the medical pony and a nurse replaced the ECG and the destroyed IVs. When the finished they exited the room, leaving James by himself again. Finding the profound silence profoundly boring, he decided to pick up the book. As he opened the cover and flipped to the first page, a small piece of folded paper fell out onto his lap. Curious, he picked it up and opened it.
'James,
Hospitals can be lame and boring, so here's a book from one of my favorite series. I used to not be so keen on reading, but a stay in a hospital changed that. I hope it cheers you up. Now, as soon as you get out, hurry up and come visit. Remember, you still owe me a favor.'
He chuckled a little bit and put the note on top of the pile of papers. Sometimes life could be harsh, but at least he had some good friends to go with it
Chapter 31:
Small Talk
After two more days in the hospital James was finally released. He exited the building with his three teammates, limping along with a crutch under his left shoulder. The doctor had said that he would need to use the crutch for at least two weeks and afterwards he would still need to take it easy. Fortunately, James was a fast healer. Together they stepped out into the bright chilly autumn day of the downtown area of Canterlot. The first thing on all their minds, especially James', was to get some good food. The chow in the hospital wasn't very appetizing and the human made a mental note to thank Pinkie and Dash for sending him the cupcake and hot sauce.
James was looking forward to exploring the bustling city that reminded him so much of the metropolises back in his own world. He'd had many good times in large cities like; Chicago, Manhattan, San Diego and San Francisco. Thanks to his job, he'd also been able to enjoy cities overseas like Hong Kong and Dubai. Now he would get the chance to explore a sizable city from a different dimension or universe or where ever the hell he was. Should be interesting.
"Thanks again for bringing me some clothes, Flash." James said to the pegasus beside him.
"No problem, it's the least I could do. Especially since you pretty much saved my life."
"I just did what anyone of you would have done for me. Anyway, where are we going again?" James asked Sparks.
"I thought you'd probably like to check out the markets. They usually got a bunch of interesting street vendors there and also a few good restaurants."
"Sounds good."
The three made their way through the winding streets, strolling towards the growing sound of a large crowd. Soon they emerged into a busy square. Everywhere there were stands of merchandise and goods, ponies selling and buying, haggling for a good price on their wares. James was intrigued by all the activity going on around him, it was truly a fascinating sight. They wandered around for a bit, casually eyeing the many objects for sale. They found one stand that was selling deep fried apples on a stick. Never having tried such a thing before, James bought some for him and his friends. The outside of the treat was a crispy golden brown and when he bit into it, the sweet crunchiness of the apple mixed with the fried batter shell to create a delightful taste and texture in his mouth. Crunchy yet juicy at the same time and piping hot. It was almost like a small apple pie.
They spent some more time walking around and enjoying the scene of commerce. Occasionally they would stop to look at something that caught their interest. At one end of the market was a space set aside for street performers. James wandered off from the group, a little nostalgic for Venice Beach. There were a few ponies playing various musical instruments, a tight rope walker doing a balancing act, even a powder blue unicorn performing magic. Suddenly, James' stomach rumbled. It was past noon and all he had eaten was that apple treat. He began to make his way back to where he had last seen his friends, but was unfamiliar with the area and quickly became lost. He entered what appeared to be the main thoroughfare and scanned the area for any hint of his teammates. He looked hard enough to the point that he forgot to pay attention to where he was going. Quite abruptly, he found himself knocked to the hard pavement, his crutch flying out from under his arm..
"Watch where you're going, whelp!"
James looked up to see a large tan colored griffon standing over him menacingly, a wicked curved sword strapped to his side. Behind the lethal amalgamation of animals was a group of about five more. In an instant Feather appeared at the human's side from out of thin air, producing a blade from no where. Quickly, the griffon drew the sword from his hip, ready for a fight. The two stared each other down until the group of apex predators behind parted and a lone raven feathered griffon approached the three.
"Now Tartus, that isn't any way to treat friends, not to mention comrades in arms. Sheathe your weapon this instant." The dark griffon ordered.
"Yes sir, my apologies." The tan griffon said, complying with his master's orders.
Feather put away his own weapon and went to retrieve James' crutch.
"Please excuse him Commander, he is only doing his job." The griffon extended a claw and helped the human up.
"Admiral, it's good to see you again!" James happily exclaimed, accepting the crutch from his friend.
"Like wise! I've heard all about your courageous raid in the Blasted Mountains. Is that how you earned that wound?"
"Yeah. Ain't too bad though sir, should be good in a week or so."
"Oh, please dispense with the formalities. Say, how would you like to join me for lunch? I would like to make up for this dreadful faux pas."
"Only if my teammates can accompany me."
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
Admiral Darkwing absorbed James and Feather into his entourage while they searched for Flash and Sparks. They found the two ponies wandering about, trying to find both James and Feather. Both were relieved to find that the human and earth pony were ok. Together they all followed the high ranking officer, interestingly enough, to the palace. The guards at the front gate stepped aside to let them all pass.
"Uh, Admiral..."
"Please James, call me Silus."
"Ok... Silus. What are we going to the palace for?"
"Recently, I've been serving as an ambassador to Equestria. I am currently staying here in the castle. I must say, I'm very glad to have run into you, this job is so much more tedious and far more impractical than serving in our Imperial Navy. I find the nuances of politics baffling and unnecessary."
The Admiral lead them all into the grand foyer and down a side passage to a suite over looking the palace gardens. They were seated at a large dining table with places for at least twenty guests. One of the Admiral's staff left to inform the castle cooks they were ready for a meal. In no time, elegantly constructed menus appeared before them all. James, Flash, Feather and Sparks each received a green colored menu while Admiral Darkwing and his staff received red ones. James looked at his menu and saw that everything listed on there was of course vegetarian. Curious, he asked one of the griffons sitting near him to see his menu and was surprised at what he saw. Almost all the dishes offered on the red menu featured a meat of some kind. It mostly consisted of chicken and pork, but there were a few unusual items. James asked one of the palace staff if he could order off the red menu, to which they informed him he could. Seeking to try something new, he ordered the manticor steak. While they all waited for their food, a few stewards served them wine. The Admiral took this opportunity to engage James in some conversation.
"So James, I was wondering, exactly how just you and nine ponies were able to pull of such a difficult task and escape without taking any casualties? If any of our own elite warriors had gone, it would have been suicide!"
"We adapt on the fly, improvise. Any good unit is a flexible unit. It also doesn't hurt to throw in a pinch of crazy. Sooner or later, though, it'll come back and sell you the farm. Tactically, what we're able to do comes out pretty good, but it doesn't exactly help lengthen your life span."
"Improvisation you say? Well we must incorporate this into the training of our own forces. As it is, our own regimens are so rigid and traditional. A small change shall do us some good, I think. Maybe you could help train them yourself?"
"Ha ha, I'm flattered, but you'd have to ask Celestia first. I don't think she'd appreciate me running of to another country to train foreign soldiers without her permission."
"I have another meeting with her grace tomorrow, perhaps I shall bring the subject up."
About this time, the food was ready and being served to all the guests. A large plate was placed in front of James. On it was a round, flat piece of red meat about the size of his outstretched hand. Tentatively, he picked up the ornate silverware and cut out a small square chunk. He gave it a sniff before popping it in his mouth and chewing. A burst of flavor exploded across his taste buds. He quickly chewed and swallowed, cutting out another piece of the delicious steak. Oddly, the taste almost reminded him of a kangaroo steak he'd once had while passing through Australia once. Next to him, his teammates gave him a strange look.
"Hey, don't judge. You guys know I used to eat meat." James said casually.
They all rolled their eyes and began to dig in to their own dishes. The meal passed, casual conversation going back and forth between the two groups. James was thoroughly enjoying his meal. He hadn't had a chance to eat like this for half a year now, he'd almost forgotten what a good steak tasted like. Just as he was finishing, a griffon entered the room and whispered into the Admiral's ear.
"James, it seems your presence is requested elsewhere." The ink feathered griffon relayed to him. "There is a guard out side my quarters that will escort you."
"Ok then. Thank you for the wonderful meal, Silus. I also enjoyed our little chat." James said with gratitude.
"The pleasure was all mine, I would like to do this again sometime."
James carefully got up and hobbled over to the door on his crutch, his three friends following close behind. They exited the suite and found a member of the Day Guard waiting. The brightly armored pony walked up and addressed them immediately.
"My apologies sir, but it was requested that you come alone. Your companions can wait for you in the foyer."
"Alright," James turned to his three friends, "I'll try not to take too long, hopefully it's nothing too important."
They nodded and proceeded to make their way back to the entrance. Meanwhile, James was led in the opposite direction. The guard took him down several corridors and through a large ballroom before exiting the grandiose building and entering a large garden. They took a path that wound in between the healthy bushes and around the bare trees, soon arriving at a clearing somewhere in the middle of it all. Centered in the clearing was a small wooden gazebo. In the gazebo, laying on a comfortable looking rug and reading a book that was floating in front of her face, was Celestia. She closed her book and set it down beside her as she noticed the two coming towards her.
"Guard, thank you for bringing the Commander here, you may leave us now." She said in a gentle tone.
"Yes, your majesty." The guard replied before leaving the clearing.
James continued towards the gazebo and stopped at the bottom of three small steps that led up into it.
"Ma'am, you wanted to see me?" James inquired respectfully.
"Yes, I was glad to hear that you were on the premises. Please, come sit with me."
James hopped up the steps on his good leg and sat across from the most powerful being in this world. They sat together for a few minutes in silence before the princess of the sun spoke again.
"In the short time you've been here, you've built quite a reputation for yourself in the strangest way. Almost the whole of Equestria knows of the great feats you and your unit has accomplished and yet, except for a few privileged souls, nopony knows who you all are."
"Yes ma'am, and if it's ok with you, we'd like to keep it that way."
"Oh? Why so?"
"Well, for one, what we do is highly dangerous in itself. I don't want anyone getting distracted by unwanted attention. Also, operatives in our profession tend to make enemies. The less anybody knows about us, the better."
"That's such a shame. I was planning to have such a nice ceremony for both yours and Captain Alister's team. Are you sure?"
"I'm sorry ma'am, but yes. We'd be honored to receive the prestigious award you're presenting us with, but it would be best if you kept it low key."
"I'm sorry to hear that. However, I will take your concerns into consideration. Other than that, James, how are you feeling?" She asked the human kindly.
"Good for the most part. My knee got a little busted up, but the doc said it should be fine in a couple weeks."
"James, you're smarter than that. You know what I meant."
The human's breath caught in his chest. He did know what she meant, he was just trying to deflect. Slowly he released the air from his lungs and took a deep breath.
"Some days are better than others."
"Like the day in the hospital."
"Yes."
"Have you considered asking your friends for help?"
"I have. Flash, Sparks and Feather already know what's going on. I don't want to burden them though."
"James," she began in a crestfallen voice, "you should never be afraid to rely on your friends."
"Ma'am, I appreciate what you're doing, but I think it's time I left. My friends are waiting for me after all." James said apologetically while standing up. His face transformed to a blank mask.
"I understand. When you're ready to talk, don't hesitate to come find me."
"Thank you ma'am, I'll keep that in mind."
The human hobbled down the steps and limped back to the palace, his face retaining the blank expression devoid of emotion. The same guard from before appeared from a side door and took him back to his friends. James was glad when they reached foyer, he really wanted to leave.
"So what's going on?" Flash asked while trotting up.
"Nothing, Celestia just wanted to check in on us."
"Oh, ok. You ready to get back home?"
"Yeah, let's get out of here."
Together the four left and made their way to the train station and bought tickets to Ponyville. They would have flown, but Myst had been called away to consult on a project to produce more airships like the Clipper. They boarded the train and took seats at the back of the car. Feather, Flash and Sparks decided to take a nap during the trip, leaving James alone with his thoughts. The entire way, he couldn't take his mind off how he had lost control.
Chapter 32: Home, Sweet Home
When they finally arrived in Ponyville station the sun had set and the town was shrouded in darkness. Nobody was waiting for them, there was no fanfare, as they had not told a soul as to when they would be coming back. It did not matter, they weren't doing their jobs for the notoriety. Quietly, James and his three companions cruised through the lamp lit streets at a leisurely pace, taking their time and enjoying the crisp night air. Eventually they reached the edge of town and parted ways; Feather to the HQ where he was quartered, Flash, Sparks and James to their house a short distance away. When Sparks, James and Flash reached the house, Sparks went up and unlocked the door, grating the three of them entrance. It was only eight in the evening, but James was tired so he went straight to hopping up the stairs to his room. Flash and Sparks did the same.
Before he went to lay on his mattress, James went over to his desk and opened the right hand drawer. He reached in and pulled out the revolver that had once belonged to the lieutenant. He ran his fingers over the scroll work, wondering for the millionth time how his old team was doing without him. If he could have one thing, it would be to at least have Jackson at his side again. The man was one of very few that had been kind to him in his life and during their time working together they had been as brothers, inseparable. They had saved each other's asses so many times that it had become custom to just buy each other a beer whenever they finished a mission or returned home.
James' thoughts were put on hold when he heard a knock at the door. He waited a moment, hoping one of his roommates would answer it, but all that earned him was another knock at the door. Cursing to himself, he put the weapon away and grabbed his crutch, then he carefully hobbled down the stairs to the front door. He was a bit irate and was ready to tell off the untimely visitor as soon as he opened the door. However, when he pulled it open half way, instead of some random solicitor, he saw Rainbow Dash standing there.
"Oh... hey. How did you know we were back?" James asked the colorful mare standing before him.
"I was up and noticed your lights turn on. I don't live all that far away from here."
"Uh, ok. Was there something I could help you with?"
"Well, I just came over to see if you wanted to hang out for a little, seeing as how you just got back and all." She said a little shyly.
James really didn't want to. He liked her, but all he wanted to do now was sleep. At the same time, he didn't want to be rude to the pegasus mare that had been anything but unfriendly to him ever since they first met.
"Ok, but just for a little. I'm pretty tired. My roommates are sleeping too, so we probably shouldn't hang here, care for a walk?"
"That'd be cool." The shy blue mare said, eyes lighting up a little.
James quietly limped outside and gently closed the door behind him before turning around and carefully stepping down off the porch. Now that the door no longer concealed his frame, Dash could clearly see the damage done to his leg.
"Ouch, what happened to you?" She asked, some concern coloring her voice.
"Nothing, just an accident."
"What kind of accident did that to you?"
"The painful kind."
"Well, duh. I meant how did it happen?"
James remained silent as they slowly walked out from the house and towards a small grassy hill nearby. Eager to change the subject, he shifted the focus of the conversation to the mare walking steadily beside him.
"What've you been up to since I've been gone, create any new tricks?"
"Just a couple. I have this one I think you'd like though."
"Oh yeah? What do you do in it?" He asked her.
They were climbing the slight rise of the hill now.
"Well, first I start it off with a couple of corkscrews and some barrel rolls between a few clouds. Then I go up over by the lake and gain a little altitude. After that, I drop to the ground and gain as much speed as I can before shooting low across the lake surface, sending a spray of water up behind me!" The rosy eyed pegasus explained fervently.
They reached the top and James grunted quietly as he sat down on the cool soft grass. Dash trotted over and picked a spot right next to the human. James lay back, resting his head on his arms behind him, and stared up at the brilliant show of twinkling light spread out across the night sky above them. Tonight was a new moon, and so almost the whole area was lit entirely by starlight. Without the light of the town or the moon interfering, the two could see just about every single pinprick of light that adorned the great dome of darkness overhead. If they looked hard enough, they could faintly make out translucent hues of orange, green and red.
"That sounds damned impressive, Dash. I'd love to see it." he said sincerely.
Almost unnoticeably, the cyan pegasus sidled a little closer to the human's side.
"You ever wonder what it's like up there?" She asked him, also gazing up to the dancing celestial bodies high above.
"All the time."
"Someday, I wanna try to fly as high and fast as nopony ever has before. I want to try and knock one of those stars out of the sky."
"Dash, knowing you, you'll probably end up bringing a few back with you."
The mare slowly made another advance, now almost pressing up against James' side. She made a few nervous glances in his direction, but he was wholly focused on the tapestry of light stretched across the sky. They lay there for a moment, just drinking in the beautiful view together. James' breathing slowed, actually feeling relaxed for the first time in a few weeks. Even if it was a little cold outside, he felt as if he could lie there all night. Even the soft grass on the side of the hill was comfortable and inviting.
"Hey, James. I still don't know a lot about you or what you do, but I saw some newspapers and I think they were talking about you and Flash and Sparks. If so, that was really brave what you guys did." James did not respond in the negative, or any way at all for that matter. Plucking up her courage, Dash continued. "Still, that all must've been hard and besides Flash and Feather and them, you'r usually alone. I was just uh... I was uh... wondering... if you.. had a uh.... special somepony?" She uncharacteristically forced out nervously.
James still did not respond. Fearing she may have somehow upset him, Dash looked over and tried to talk to him.
"Uh... James? I don't know if you heard me, but I'm sorry if--"
When she turned her head, James had a peaceful look about his face. His chest was gently rising and falling and his eyes were closed.
"Crud, I'll let you get away with it this time." The rainbow maned mare mumbled grumpily.
Going for broke, she closed the gap between them and cuddled up against his warm side. Then she just lay there, enjoying his presence. Soon she felt a little sleepy herself. Gradually, her eyes began to drift shut.
A few moments later, James awoke on the side of the hill. He felt a new sensation on his right. He looked over and saw Dash was now pressed right up against him, fast asleep, her body heat lending him some warmth. Gently, he shook her shoulder, trying to wake her, but to no avail. He shook a little harder, but she was out cold. The night was getting older and a chill began to creep on. James didn't want to leave her there, but her house was too far away and also needed to be able to fly to get there. That left him only one choice. He got up and, balancing on his good leg, scooped her up onto his right shoulder. He then began to carefully limp back to his house on his crutch. As he did, he noticed the pegasus slung over his shoulder was surprisingly light for a pony.
He carefully stepped up onto to porch, taking care not to jostle the sleeping mare while avoiding hurting his knee. Quietly opening and closing the door proved to be a challenge, but it wouldn't be the hardest part. He reached the bottom of the staircase and leaned his crutch against the wall before placing a hand on it to steady himself. Slowly he began to ascend the stairs. He reached his room and gently placed the multi colored mare on his mattress and pulled the blanket over her. Then, as silently as he could with his damaged leg, he limped out of the room, closing the door behind him. He hopped back down the stairs and grabbed his crutch, using its support to make his way to the couch. He set it down and flopped onto the cushions and got as comfortable as he could. He was beat. He didn't want to think, he didn't even want to dream. All he wanted was to sleep. And for once in a long while, that's all he did.
=====================================================================
James woke up to the sound of hooves softly clopping across the floor followed by the sound of the front door opening and closing. He opened his eyes and looked around. It was still early morning, the sun only just beginning to peek over the horizon. On the coffee table next to the couch was a piece of paper. He reached over and brought it to his face so he could read it.
'James,
I'm sorry you had to carry me in last night, I can be a really heavy sleeper. I'm also sorry you slept on the couch. Anyway, thanks for giving me a place to sleep after I passed out. I wanted to maybe stay and have breakfast, but I have work this morning. I'll see you later!
-- Dash'
James put the note back on the table and decided to get up. It had been a long time since he'd had the chance to cook himself breakfast and the mention on it in the note had made him hungry. He picked up his crutch and gently swung his legs to the floor, using the crutch to help himself up. He hobbled over to the kitchen and opened the icebox. There were the usual greens, a gallon of milk and some beer on the bottom shelf. In the corner he noticed a carton with half a dozen eggs. Getting an idea, he went and checked the pantry. Inside, he found some flour and sugar. In no time, he was whipping up some pancake batter. James dropped some butter into a skillet on the burner and spread it around, pouring some batter in after. He had just flipped it over when Flash's door swung open.
"You're up early! Hey, what smells so good?" The matte black pegasus exclaimed at the sight of the cooking human.
"Yeah, I'm cooking pancakes. Want some?" James asked him without turning around.
"Sure, can't pass up a free meal. Especially one cooked by the friggin' Commander!"
"We're off the clock buddy, stow that shit." James said with a chuckle.
He cooked up a few more pancakes and served them to Flash on a plate with some hot syrup and melted butter he had sitting on another burner set low and in a couple of ceramic mugs. James finished up another batch when he heard the door at the top of the stairs open.
"Hey, what's cookin'!" Came Spark's voice from the top of the stairs.
"Sparks, you gotta get down here, the boss is cooking breakfast for us!" Flash yelled back.
Rapid thumps could be heard as the unicorn practically galloped down to the kitchen. James put another plate on the counter just as he arrived.
"Damn, you guys must be hungry, huh?"
"Well, we didn't exactly have dinner last night." Sparks said.
"Speaking of last night, what's with the note?" Flash inquired.
Sparks was a little confused, "What note?"
James and Flash looked at each other, neither moving a muscle. Suddenly, Flash bolted for the living room while James attempted to vault over the counter with one good leg. All it resulted in was him flopping to the floor as Flash walked back in with the note and began to read it aloud.
"..... I have work this morning. I'll see you later!' He finished. "Wow, sounds like you had a fun first night back!"
James had gotten on his good leg by now and snatched the paper away from the pegasus, stuffing it into his pocket.
"It wasn't like that." The human said a little angrily.
"Oooo, touchy!" Flash teased. "Maybe it wasn't like that for you." The stallion then mumbled under his breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing..." the stallion said innocently.
"Then shut up and enjoy your meal, dammit." James snapped back as he returned to the stove and used the last of the batter to make a couple of pancakes for himself.
"All right, all right, sorry!"
James finished making his breakfast and turned off the burners. Then he reached into the icebox and pulled out a beer before retiring to the small dining table adjacent to the living room. Sparks picked up his plate and joined him.
"A bit early to be drinking, isn't it?"
"Sparks, we've been beaten, shot at with crossbows, attacked by a dragon, blown up, hell, me and Feather survived that cave-in somehow, but then we spent over a week finding our way out and then drinking our sweat and urine in the desert just to stay alive. It's time for a beer."
"Ok, ok. Don't bite my head off!"
James put down his fork and sighed, "You're right, I'm sorry. I just got a lot on my mind is all."
"It's fine. Everypony was a little stressed after all that and all the time we spent trying to wind down, you were in a small coma."
"That's no excuse, he was sleeping the whole time!" Flash called out from the kitchen.
This got all three of them to laugh a little.
"You see? It's all good, you're with friends here." Sparks told the human.
"Yeah, I am. Flash, get on over here. And bring a couple more beers, will ya?"
"I thought you'd never ask!" Came the reply from the kitchen.
Flash entered the living room, balancing a plate with a few beers on it. James took the plate from him and opened one of the beverages, setting it down in front of the engineer.
"Really?" Sparks said flatly.
"Yup. We all went through that BS, it's time we shared a drink. We're gonna go get Feather in a bit and do it again any way, so you might as well get in on it now."
"Fine." Sparks conceded.
"Good, 'cause today is gonna be all about gettin' loose."
"To kickin' flanks in the face of adversity!" Flash shouted out.
"Well put!" James complimented.
They all clinked their bottles together and downed their drinks in only a few gulps.
"Ok, let's go get Feather and get this over with." Sparks sighed.
James put a smile on his face as he stood up and gave his friend a slap on the back.
"That's the spirit!"
Chapter 33: Fright Night
Down in Ponyville, away from the cold mountains, the weather was still comfortably warm during the day and the the group laid out on the warm grass by the lake were enjoying the warmth of the sun while it lasted. Sparks and Flash were tossing a Frisbee around, Sparks was launching the disc into the air while Flash would zoom up to catch it as fast as he could. Feather was propped up against a tree, reading a book he had brought. James was stretched out on a blanket, peacefully snoozing with his boonie drawn down over his face. His knee was healing nicely and he was starting to get around without his crutch. He hadn't even brought it with him today.
The human's nap was interrupted when his hat was suddenly whisked off his face, allowing the bright sunlight beating down onto his eyelids and waking him up. He raised an arm to shield his eyes from the sun before opening them to identify the being that dared disturb his slumber. Shadows fell across his face as he was now looking up into the faces of six mares.
"Hey, what brings you all out here?" He asked them.
"We were all out for a picnic day when we noticed the four of you over by the lake. Would you like to join us?" Twilight offered.
"C'mon! It'll be super duper luper fun!" Exclaimed a certain springy pink mare as she bounced around.
"Oh, I don't know. I was really enjoying my nap here." He said, retrieving his boonie and placing it back over his face.
"Too bad James, you're comin' with us!" Said Rainbow Dash as bit down onto the collar of his shirt and began to drag him away.
"Hey guys, a little help here, I'm being kidnapped!" The human called out to his three friends.
The three of them dropped what they were doing and trotted over to join the group. Flash swooped down and alighted next to Pinkie.
"What's going on?" Sparks asked the mares casually.
"We're having a little get together over here and were wondering if you handsome stallions would like to join us." Rarity said flirtatiously.
"Sounds good to me!"Flash said happily.
"Yeah, me too!" Agreed Feather.
"Some friends you are!" James shouted jokingly, eliciting a laugh from all of them as he continued to be dragged away.
The girls brought them all to a large blanket with a couple of baskets of food on it. The girls assured their new guests that there was plenty for all of them and began distributing it. James, who had pulled himself to his feet, limped over and sat down on the soft cloth with the rest of his teammates. Fluttershy surprised him by coming over to talk.
"Is your leg feeling all better now? I noticed you don't have your crutch anymore, but your still limping." She said to him in that sweetly soft voice of hers.
"It still has a ways to go, but it's a lot better than it was last week. I think I get the stitches taken out in a few more days."
"Oh, I'm so glad to hear that."
"Thanks, I can't wait to get its full use back. I haven't gotten to run in a while."
"Hey James, we was wonderin'," Applejack began, "now that yer leg is startin' ta heal, what's y'alls' plans fer Nightmare Night?"
"What's Nightmare Night?" He asked the farm pony.
Pinkie gasped with a sharp inhale of air, "You don't know about Nightmare Night!? It's only the most fantastical ecstastical super scary duper fun night ever! How could you not know!?"
James and the rest of the picnic attendees just sat there and gave her the 'Really?' look.
"Oh, right." She giggled.
Flash leaned over to his buddy and filled the human in, "Nightmare Night is a once a year thing where everypony dresses up in costume. Foals usually go door to door asking for candy. There's also usually pretty big party. It's pretty fun actually."
"Sounds familiar. What's it all about?"
This is where Twilight took over, "It goes back to over a thousand years ago when an evil pony called Nightmare Moon tried to take over Equestria and plunge it into eternal darkness. She was stopped by Princess Celestia herself and banished to the moon. After while, it all faded into an old mare's tale. Now, every year on the anniversary of her banishment, ponies dress up in disguise and foals go around collecting candy and offering it up as tribute to Nightmare Moon so she doesn't eat them instead. It's all very cute." She finished with a perky smile.
"The best part is all the pranks and scaring ponies though!" Dash added.
James' mind flashed back to the bas relief he saw in the old castle many months ago. The whole thing was very similar to the Halloween of his old home, yet.... different. There wasn't any mention of scaring away demons or sins or anything, just this Nightmare Moon' character.
"Sounds like a whole lotta fun, when is it?" He asked.
"Only five more days!" Pinkie shouted, jumping up on the spot.
"So, what do you think?" Twilight asked.
"Hmm, getting dressed up and scaring everyone? I'm in." The human replied with a devilish grin.
=====================================================================
Four days later, James was walking past the Clipper, as Myst had now returned, and into the Fixers' HQ. He entered the readyroom and made his way over to his locker. The stitches had been taken out from his knee and although it was still sore when he walked, it was only slightly so, nothing unbearable. He opened the door to his locker and rummaged around through the uniforms hung up in there until he came upon the one he was looking for. It was going to be his Nightmare Night costume, and although it wasn't all that original, he had made it himself and he was certain that except for the ponies he trained and his own teammates, none of the townsponies had seen it ever before. He reached in and took out one of the sniper's best friends and inspected it for damage, satisfied when he found none.
"Oh, this is gonna be good...."
=====================================================================
"James? Where are you? C'mon, we're gonna be late!" Sparks yelled out as he searched the are around the HQ, his costume a collection of bright shiny metal parts which encased him almost completely, except for his face which was painted silver.
The crazy human had told him and Feather to meet up with him there before they headed into town. Only now that they had arrived, he was no where to be seen. It was beginning to get dark and the unicorn was losing his patience.
"rrrRRRAAAAaaawwgh" Came a threatening growl from around a corner covered in bushes.
"Ha ha, very funny. I suppose your plan is to jump out from behind the building and scare me?" Sparks predicted sarcastically.
The engineer rounded the corner and.... saw nothing there.
"James?"
He heard a soft rustling behind him and turned around. Suddenly, where there had only been empty space before, a great green shaggy beast now stood.
"RAAAAAGH!" It bellowed at him, raising its powerful arms above its head.
"YAAAAHH! WHAT THE?"
The unicorn stallion reared back and fell onto his back, loose parts of his costume clanging together in a great clamor. Suddenly, the mottled creature burst out into laughter, the earth pony behind it soon following suit.
"Huh? Wha--. James, is that you!?" Sparks said, voice tinged with annoyance.
The mossy green monster lifted the front of its face up to expose another green, black and brown stripped face laughing beneath it.
"That was absolutely perfect!" James forced out through his laughs.
"Very funny, you're wearing you ghillie suit."
"Not tonight. Tonight I'm the swamp monster! What are you?"
Sparks stoically brought a foreleg up to his chest, producing a loud clang. "I'm the Steel Stallion! He was the main character in one of my favorite comic books as a foal."
"I thought we were going for scary, not corny!" James teased. "I mean, look at Feather."
The dark blue earth pony was clad in ripped and torn clothing, and a clever paint job had been added to make it appear as though his flesh had been shredded as well, exposing the flesh and bone hidden below. The illusion was especially well crafted on the left side of his face.
Sparks rolled his eyes, "Anypony can throw on some ripped clothing and make up, I constructed this from scrap metal myself." He said proudly.
"Yes, you are quite the master craftsman, er, pony. Now let's go, I want to see what it's like in town."
The three then set off to the small town of Ponyville to join the night's festivities. Flash and Myst would be meeting up with them later, right now he was spending time with his marefriend and she was showing her little brother, who had come to visit from Fillydelphia, around town. James couldn't wait to see how the evening was going to turn out. Halloween was already one of his favorite times of the year, hopefully this wouldn't let him down. As they neared the town, he could see decorations of bats and spiders adorned the buildings all around. Everywhere there were ponies in costume and various disguises, little foals running about, going door to door for treats. Closer to the town center several stands and games had been set up for the enjoyment of all the townsfolk.
They entered the town square and almost immediately ran into three familiar little fillies. A small red haired sea pony, a little ninja with a horn and a hat and a miniature purple haired pilot in a green jumpsuit and goggles with a white scarf tied around her neck. All of them had large bags of candy slung over their backs and were accompanied by a blonde lumberjack and a curiously jeweled butterfly.
"Howdy there Mr. Sparks, Feather and uh... James, that you under all that?" Greeted the lumberjack.
James cleared the strings of fabric away from his face, "Yeah, it's me. Nice costumes. How're you doing?"
"Absolutely fabulous. I think the gems on mine really bring out the beauty of such a delicate creature." Rarity expoused.
"He was askin' about all of us, not yer fancy get up Rare."
"Oh, of course. My apologies." The gilded butterfly said humbly.
"Any who, we was jus' a chaperonin' our sisters and their friend around fer treats." Applejack continued.
"Yeah, except Pinkie practically cleaned the place out already...." Applebloom said dejectedly.
"Hush 'Bloom, ya got plenty this year." Applejack said to her sister.
James knelt down to the foals.
"And what are you little ladies this evening?" He asked them with a friendly smile.
All three sounded off at once.
"I'm a merpony!"
"I'm the Mysterious Maredowell!"
"I'm the Angel of Whitecrest!"
The human's breath caught in his chest upon hearing the last one.
"She's almost as awesome as Rainbow Dash! Almost..." Scootaloo added.
"I'm sure she'd still be very flattered to know that someone was dressing up as her." James told the little filly.
"Yeah, except that nopony knows who she even is."
"I'm sure word will reach her somehow." James said with a wink.
James stood back up as Rarity began to herd them away, "Ok girls, that's enough, it's almost time for the offering. James, would you and your two handsome friends like to join us?"
He looked to his two friends who both nodded, eyes transfixed on the mare in the flashy costume.
"Looks like it's unanimous, lead the way."
James and company were taken out away from the town, with a large stream of other nightly revelers. They were all going into a large cluster of bushes, trees and other foliage. After walking down a small yet wide path they came to a clearing with a large threatening statue standing towards the back. It featured a terrifying looking alicorn mare with menacing armor and a ghastly visage. James stayed to the rear near against the tree line while the girls continued on ward, just wanting to observe the ceremony. One by one, the little foals would walk up to it and deposit a portion of their haul at the base of the statue.
Almost every one of them had finished when dark billowing clouds suddenly rolled across the sky, flashing lightning and throwing thunder. A chilly wind rushed through the clearing, howling a piercing keen and a haunting moan. Suddenly, with a particularly bright flash of lightning, the statue transformed from cold solid rock into the flesh and blood form of the evil it represented. She reared up on her hind legs, laughing maniacally, causing all the ponies before her to cower in fear.
Then, with dark slitted eyes and diabolical looking fangs and in a voice on par with the wail of the haunting wind itself, she addressed the huddled mass of terrified ponies.
"I, the Ruler of the Night, have returned! It has been long since I've eaten and my hunger is great, perhaps I can find a tasty little foal to fill my belly?" She proclaimed loudly while scanning the costumed crowd. "'Tis a Shame! I see none here! Then I suppose these treats will have to do," she said before leaning down and lifting the mask off of one of the little ponies' face, "instead of eating YOU!"
The children screamed and began to flee as she reared up again and laughed her devious laugh. James backed away from the oncoming stampede and laughed at the display. Soon, nearly all of them had escaped the scene, leaving just James and the frightening mare. Once all the children had left, the evil being standing up on the pedestal flashed and began to shrink, transforming into a slightly smaller and far less threatening Princess Luna. Slowly, James began to clap, having enjoyed viewing such an exotic custom.
"That was quite a show there!" He complimented.
Luna searched for the source of the voice having believed herself to be alone, "What? Who is there? I demand you show thyself."
"Oh, yeah," James removed himself from the tree line and removed the head covering of his ghillie suit, temporarily having forgotten it would practically make him invisible in the darkness and brush.
"Oh, 'tis only you. You are the 'human' that has entered our service, are you not?"
"That's correct ma'am, and may I just say that was an impressive performance. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that."
"You... really liked it?" She said almost skeptically.
"Well yeah, sure. I mean, 'dark' and 'scary' often finds it's way into my job description, so I learned to get comfortable with it."
"So I have heard."
The princess of the moon and stars began to make her way back to the town, James joining her at her side.
"So, ma'am, you're in charge of this night, yeah? I gotta say, I've enjoyed all of it so far, it must be fun getting a whole night for yourself once a year."
Luna's expression became one of indifference, "As much fun as one can have on the celebration of one's imprisonment."
"Oh... wait, so all the stories, the battle a thousand years ago, that was all about you?"
*sigh* "Yes, though everypony appears to have forgiven me for my transgressions now. And I will admit, scaring them is a bit fun." She said with a small half smile.
"So, if you don't mind me asking ma'am, what's the plan now?"
"I shall join in the festivities here for some time, however, this is but one of many stops I must make this night and I shan't stay for long."
"Hmm, almost like Santa..." James wondered out loud.
"Pardon?"
"Oh, nothing ma'am. Any way, if you will please excuse me, I'd like to go track down my friends, they seemed to have run off. Maybe we'll see you around town."
"Yes, of course. I bid thee farewell."
"Er... yes, have a good night ma'am."
James peeled off from the royal pony and ran into town to find his friends. After some searching, he had to stop and sit down, the night was brisk, but the ghillie suit was thick and it wasn't designed for a large amount of movement, he was starting to overheat. He took a spot on a nearby bench next to a mint colored unicorn in an odd clown costume. Odd because she was wearing the shoes with over sized toes when she didn't have feet and she was sitting in a manner that resembled his own posture. This caused him to do a double take. The unicorn just stared at him with a dumbfounded look. It was a little unnerving.
"Uh... can I help you?"
She just continued to sit there and stare.
"Are you ok?" He asked with some concern.
"Can I have one of your hands?" She asked abruptly.
"Wait, what? Uh... sorry, but these aren't detachable."
"Hm hm hm, no I want to make a plaster mold!"
"Uh, ok. What for?"
"Ohhhh.... nothing."
"O.... K....?"
"Meet me tomorrow at this address."
She handed him a card and hopped off the bench, disappearing into the night. James just watched as she went, a little confused at the whole experience. He sat there for a minute, wondering what the hell just happened to him.
"James."
"YAAAHH! The hell?"
Feather had materialized beside him, seemingly from the blackest of voids.
"You really gotta stop doing that to me Feather, you'll give me a heart attack! Christ, you're a silent sunovabitch."
"Who's--"
"Nevermind, what's up?"
"We've found Flash and Pinkie."
"Yeah?"
"Well, we could use you're help."
"Help with what?"
=============================================================================================
Thirty minutes later, he was laying in a cluster of corn, stalking two young ponies. Cautiously and quietly, he silently crawled closer to the two unsuspecting lovers, preparing for the his final action. At a snail's pace, he low crawled up to his final position. He could see both of them clearly now, nuzzling each other's necks, whispering sweet nothings. It was the perfect moment to strike. James reached up to his throat and clicked the mic button three times, signaling that he was ready. Then, he waited. After a few minutes, a bright red flare shot up straight into the sky, illuminating the whole corn maze. Simultaneously, the two ponies directed their vision to the night sky above. James took this opportunity to step out of hiding.
"RAAAAWWRR!'
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" The pegasus screamed screamed while Pinkie just laughed. Flash immediately placed himself between his date and the perceived danger. It was then that a flash of lightning cracked through the air behind them.
James disappeared into the crop of corn while they were distracted and circled around to their rear. In no time, James, Feather and Sparks had them surrounded. James once again revealed himself and Flash's training kicked in. The pony spun and tried to buck the monster, but James simply side stepped it, grabbed a hold of one of his legs, placed his other hand on the pegasus' chest and twisted around, throwing him at Sparks who caught him mid air with his magic. Flash fought and struggled in the unicorn's magical grip before calming down and observing his surroundings. James took off his head piece and began to chuckle. Beside the human, Pinkie was in a full laugh riot.
"Ha ha, very funny. Now would you please put me down?" Flash said a little angrily.
"That was great!" Pinkie exclaimed, still laughing, "Especially the lightning!"
"Yeah Sparks, when'd you learn to do that?" James asked, still smiling.
Sparks looked at him quizzically, "Lightning? I didn't create that. I thought you some how arranged for it."
They all turned to Feather, "it wasn't me..." he told them.
Just then, rain began to pour down onto the group, which was strange because aside from Princess Luna's grand entrance earlier, there hadn't been a single cloud in the sky.
"Aw crap, I can't get this wet, it'll take a week to dry it out!" James said in annoyance.
The group dispersed and he began to head towards shelter but stopped when he noticed it was abruptly no longer raining. He turned around and looked behind him to see that it was only raining in a small localized space about ten feet wide. As he stood there confused, the rain suddenly shifted back to him, once again drenching him. James stepped out from it again, only to have it shift again. Then he began to run, zig zagging and side stepping, but everywhere he went, the rain followed. He tried to find the entrance to the maze, but gave up and simply barged through the stalks of corn, scaring many other ponies in the process, until he emerged from it. The rain was still on him and clearly not part of the maze. By now, he was soaked through and didn't even try to run, he just walked in submission to the persistent weather over to his friends who were waiting and now laughing hysterically. Finally, the rain stopped and a lone cloud descended to the ground, carrying a rainbow maned vampire bat doubled over in a fit.
"Well, that makes sense." He flatly muttered.
"You have to admit," Sparks said to him while walking over, "that was pretty good!" The engineer gave James a pat on the back causing his ghillie suit to squish loudly, which in turn only made them all laugh even harder.
"He looks like Rarity from the last time she got caught out in the rain and her hair got all clumped up!" Pinkie pointed out, eyes filled with mirth.
"Yeah, you got me good. Can't say I saw that coming." James admitted. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go hang this up to dry before mildew decides to build up."
"Ew, don't worry bud, I got you. Just stand still." Sparks told him.
James did as instructed as the unicorn's horn took on it's bright blue aura and enveloped the human with it. In an instant, there was flash and James could a sensation akin to a sunburn race across his body briefly. A cloud of steam shot out into the air as the water in his suit almost instantly evaporated. James checked himself and found that he was completely dry.
"Hey, thanks! When did you learn that little useful spell?" James asked, clearly grateful with his friend's assistance.
"Meh, you pick things up as you go."
Feather suddenly spoke up, "Ok, all pranking aside, it's getting late, who want's to go party?"
Pinkie began to bounce up and down, "Ooh ooh, I do, I do!"
"Mind if I tag along?" Rainbow asked.
"Sure, let's go." James replied.
Dash hopped off the cloud and kicked it back into the air over the corn maze, causing it to rain again and several shouts of annoyance to erupt from within the tall stalks.
"Oops..."
Chapter 34: Compromise
It was just past midnight in the park by the town, but the party was still going strong. All the little foals had been tucked into bed and the adult drinks had been broken out. Music was loudly thumping into the cool night air from a ridiculously large set of speakers. Old wooden wire spools, large and small, had been placed on their sides to be used as tables and chairs. James was currently sitting at one of these with Feather, both enjoying a couple of beers while the rest of their group went to go cut the rug - or grass, in this case - with all the other dancers.
"You know, there's something I always wanted to ask you..." The earth pony said to the human.
"Shoot."
"Some of the strange words you use. I mean, you mostly speak the same language as us, but there are certain words you use whose meanings often escape me."
"Like?"
"Fuck, shit, damn... to name a few."
James smiled and chuckled to himself, "Ah, ha ha. You mean cuss words."
"Cuss words?"
"Yeah. Their words I usually use for emphasis or when I'm pissed off."
"Pissed off?"
"Yeah, that's another one. Means I'm angry."
"So, like the way we say 'what the hay' or 'horseapples'."
"Yeah, I guess."
"What's their context?"
"My my, Feather. Do we have a budding linguist here?" James said playfully.
"Well, I can't say I'm not curious..."
"Hey, learning another language can be fun. For instance: Me danee keh me toonam zebaneh Farsi sohbat beh konam?"
"What's that?"
"Another language from where I'm from. It came with the job, but I had a lot of fun with it. Especially learning things like: Keeram mesalsal hast. You can say shit like that to the ladies and they'll think you're all cultured and all that BS."
"What does it mean?" Feather asked, now intrigued.
"My dick is a machine gun." James said with a non-chalant smile.
The pony nearly spit out the beer he had been drinking, "That makes you seemed cultured?"
"Yeah, it's important that the girl you're talking to doesn't also know the language when you say stuff like that.... trust me. No amount of fluently spoken and eloquent compliments will forget what you just said."
The earth pony shared a chuckle with the human at this. James began to explain the meanings and uses of his native tongue's colorful expletives, having some good laughs in the process. James was especially happy to have one of his own friends taking an interest in his own culture and sharing a mutual fascination with other languages. Soon enough, the human had him cussing like a pro.
"So, what would you say about that busted up building over there?" James asked, pointing at an old decrepit shack.
"Looks like a piece of shit."
"Damn dude, all you need is to learn how to tie some knots and you'd practically be a real sailor." James laughed.
"Hey, do you think you could maybe teach me that other language too?"
"Sure. I haven't gotten to use it in a while, so teaching you would help me pick it back up again."
"What are you boys talking about?" Came a familiar scratchy voice from behind.
James spun around in his seat to see Dash standing there.
"Nothing much." He replied.
"Uh... do you mind if we talk? Alone?" She asked with only the slightest hint of nervousness.
"Uh... sure, in a bit. I'm kinda in the middle of a conversation with Feather."
"He left already." She flatly pointed out.
James looked over his shoulder to see that he had indeed quietly slipped away somewhere.
"Slick sonovabitch..." he muttered under his breath. "Alright Dash, let's go for a walk, shall we?"
James finished his beer and stood up. The two meandered away from the loud music and hopping revelers to a quieter area of the park. For a time, neither of them spoke a word, an awkward tension hanging in the air between them so thick it was nearly tangible. James could almost feel it begin to build, making him uncomfortable enough that he considered heading back, until...
"The... the other week we hung out and just looked at the stars... well I wanted to... I uh.... Ugh, I'm no good at this!" The pegasus mare said, exasperated.
"I know."
"Well, you don't have to rub it in!" Dash said to him angrily.
"No, I mean I know what you're trying to say."
The weather pony was taken aback at his statement, an expression of bewilderment tinged with a pinch of ire upon her face.
"What the hay!? So all this time, you knew, but you didn't do or say anything!?" Her expression transformed to one of deep anger. "Do you know how that feels!? For months, here I was, watching you leave, wondering if you'd return or if you even liked me back!"
James stopped her explosive tirade by raising a hand, carefully choosing his next words. It was times like this when he thought he'd rather be getting shot at instead. At least then, covering his ass simply meant finding some solid, physical cover to get behind. Right now, however, he felt as if he was trodding across a tightly laid minefield while blindfolded.
"I understand where you're coming from, and I'm sorry. But you also have to understand where I'm coming from here. You know what I do?"
"Well, yeah. You fight, you protect everypony!"
"No, I kill. That's what I do for a living, that's my skill set, death. And that is only half of it. There are forces out there, dark forces, evil things that just want to cause as much pain and destruction they can, sometimes for such a little thing as making a point. It's MY job, and all the other's I've trained, to physically put ourselves between them and everyone else, including you. Getting attached to some one like me can only end in pain. What will you do when I got back out there and I don't ever come back?"
"If that happened, I would--"
"Not IF. WHEN. I'm a person that willingly and oftenly puts myself in a position of mortal peril. The odds will never be on my side. Don't you see? You'd just be setting yourself up for heartbreak. Go find a pony like yourself, there's plenty of good guys out there who would be more than lucky to have some one like you." He finished with a microscopic hint of sorrow.
The pegasus mare standing stubbornly before him hung her head low, contemplating his words. After a minute, James thought she would finally agree, but then she looked him straight in the eye and stomped her hoof on the ground.
"I don't care! You can't tell me what's good for me! Out of all the others I've been with, you're the only one that actually seems to care! For Celestia's sake, you don't even have wings, but you jumped out of an airship just to spend time in the sky with me! I calling in the favor you owe me! Just give me a chance." The rainbow maned weather mare said to him sternly.
James stood there, a little impressed with the strength of her conviction. He would follow through for now. He would never go back on his word with a friend. However, the future still remained uncertain to him. He knew it couldn't last long, especially if past experience was anything to go by. Not to mention the fact they were both of a completely different species, even if she was sentient. For now, though, he would honor his obligations. Albeit, deep down inside, a small part of him hoped his doubts would turn out to be groundless.
"Fine then. What did you have in mind?"
"How about we start with a real date. Maybe dinner out in town? No more just hanging out."
"Oh no, Miss Dash. You just bought yourself a ticket for a ride on the Crazy Train. Prepare for a whole day."
"What are we gonna do?" She asked perplexedly.
"Don't you worry about that, I'll let you know in time. For now, I think it's best if we call it a night."
"Fine, but this better be good."
The pegasus trotted off back to the party with a noticeable pep in her step. James turned around and began to make his way back to his house. He pulled his iPod from out of his pocket to check the time and saw that it was nearly 2 AM. Nothing good ever happens after two in the morning. Now he had another thing adding weight to his mind. Slowly he walked back to his residence, trying to figure how his new situation could possibly work out.
"Looks like that went well."
"Jesus!" James jumped back, startled by Feather's sudden appearance at his side. "How you do that, I will never know. Wait, were you listening in the whole time?"
"Well not the WHOLE time. Just that last part."
"Dude, if you were anybody else, I might kick your ass."
"So, you got a plan?"
"Only one thing comes to mind at the moment. But I'll need Sparks' and Myst's help."
"Well, you know us. We are at your command."
"Which is why I'll never want kick any of your asses."
=====================================================================
The next morning, Sparks was in his workshop, tinkering with his CO's NVGs, attempting to repair them. Replacing the lenses were easy, but electronics inside were still complex, and most of all, highly interesting. Carefully, he maneuvered a small rod of metal, preparing to solder two frayed wires together. With his magic he slowly began to heat it up until it was just a few degrees away from it's melting point. Gradually, he moved in for the finishing touch. Suddenly, the door burst open, causing him to lose his concentration and drip molten metal all over the infernal contraption.
"Sparky, I need your help!"
"Damnit James! I almost had your night brights fixed!"
"Heh, 'sall good. Wait, did you just cuss?"
"Yeah, feather's been spreading it around. Kinda catchy actually."
"Well, just be careful about who you use it in front of. It's unbecoming."
"You got it boss. Anyway, what the hay was so important that you had to interrupt my work?" The engineer said with annoyance.
"You heard about HALO*?"
"Yeah, you mentioned it a few times. What about it?"
"How would you like to help me and Myst pioneer it in Equestria?
====================================================================
Drifting peacefully above the clouds, the Clipper sat supported on nothing but the density of the air itself. Inside, Sparks was fitting a strange mask to an even stranger being.
""You sure you got this right?" The human asked with a muffled voice.
"I followed your description as best I could. The only difference is that instead of tanks, you have a small crystal set in the intake enchanted to compress the air it takes in to pressures like the ones found at sea level. Unless you go completely out of atmosphere, you should be fine. What about the ridiculous suit you're wearing?"
"What's to worry about? I designed it, and Rarity stitched it together."
"The fact that you designed it is what worries me. You look like a giant flying squirrel!"
"Whatever, I still got the parachute. You got the other mask worked out?"
"Yup. In fact, Myst and I will be wearing a pair of them in your crazy ass scheme of yours."
James ripped off his full face mask, "Hey, I said if you didn't want to help, you didn't have to. You're here on your own initiative."
"You know we're all here for ya, no matter what." Myst said over the radio.
"Love ya, babe." James teased.
"Watch it buddy, I got a coltfriend!"
"May Celestia have mercy on his soul!" Sparks exclaimed.
They all had a good laugh at their playful exchange. Behind the unicorn, the side door was wide open and James could make out a broad spectrum of colors fast approaching their small craft.
"Shit, here she comes. Showtime." James warned.
"We gotta talk about you using national assets for your own private applications." Sparks scolded.
"Comes with the privilege of rank." James simply relied.
"Oh, so you would have no problem letting me take the airship to Las Pegasus?" Sparks countered.
"Ask and you shall receive. Although, you'd still have to convince Myst. It IS her ship after all."
"I don't come cheap!" She said over the channel.
In no time, the flash of colors had solidified into a certain sky blue pegasus. She came to within a few yards before flapping her wings to bring herself to an abrupt stop, sending a dense blast of air into the compartment. With a flap and a flutter, she alighted into the cabin with deceptive control.
"What the hay are we doing up here? I fly this high up all the time. And why are you in that crazy looking get up?" She complained.
"Just wait, we're going higher." James informed her.
"Higher? What're you up to?"
"Just be patient, this may take a moment." James keyed the mic around his throat, "Myst, can you take us up? Go as high as you can, really push the envelope."
"You got it boss. Though if something goes wrong, I don't think the Princesses are gonna like whatever excuse we come up with...." the pilot cautioned.
"You let me worry about that. Just take us up." James ordered.
Their skilled pilot charged the bladders hanging above the main body of the ship, causing the whole thin to rapidly ascend to the heavens above. Higher and higher the ship rose, the air becoming thinner and the ground becoming nothing but a flat white expanse, extending in all directions. James donned his mask while Myst and Sparks did the same, the rusty colored unicorn affixing another over the face of pegasus that had joined them. James keyed his mic and initiated a radio check.
"Sparks here."
"Myst here."
"Uh... Dash here. I guess. What's going on?"
James briefly ignored her and continued with what he was doing, "Outstanding. Keep us going until we reach the outer atmosphere. Sparks, the spell if you please."
The engineer walked up and began to cover Rainbow in his distinctive electric blue aura.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Dash said angrily.
"Dash, just sit still. It's necessary." James cautioned.
"What do you mean it's necessary? What the hay is going on here?"
"We're performing what people in my profession call a HALO jump. It stands for High Altitude, Low Opening. Myst's ship uses a special form of helium that should be able to take us to the absolute outer reaches of the atmosphere. Sparks is casting a spell on you to insulate your body against the cold. The full face mask will supply you with oxygen and keep your eyes from freezing solid, as well as providing air and fostering communications between us." He explained.
"O... K..."
"I'm wearing what's called a 'wing suit'. You're about to see what it's gonna allow me to do." The human moved over to the open door and peered outside to the scenery below. They were so high up now that they could just about distinguish the curvature of the planet.
Dash walked over and stood by the human's side as they looked upon the world far below.
"Hey Dash? Remember what I said about buying a ticket for the Crazy Train almost a week ago?" James asked with a hidden smile.
"Yeah?"
The human unzipped a pocket on his breast and pulled out his iPod. He pushed a button and slid it back into the pocket, securing it once again.
/ALL ABOARD! HA HA Ha Ha ha ha..../ the music began.
James backed up to the large open door, threw up the devil horns, and proceeded to do a back flip out of the perfectly good airship. Dash, never one to back down from a clear challenge, leaped out after him with a smile. James was waiting below, facing towards the aircraft he had exited and the blackness of space. He had his arms and legs at his sides and when he saw the athletic mare jump after him, he made a 'come hither' signal with his index finger.
She narrowed her eyes and tucked her wings to her sides, rapidly closing the distance between them both. When she had just about reached him, he spread his arms and legs, opening up the webbing that was sewn into the spaces between. James was snatched up by the thin air and started to glide haphazardly through the air high above the ground. This far up, and with almost one hundred thousand feet to fall, he and Dash had plenty of time to screw around. Dash flared her wings to bring herself level to the human, only to see him once again tuck his limbs in and spiral straight to the terrain below. The whole time, Ozzy was blasting into their ears through the custom made masks they were wearing.
Of course, the speedy pegasus quickly caught up with him, so he flared his webbed wings again and contacted her through their comms.
"You ready for a real challenge?" He asked of her.
"Yeah! Where are we going?"
"We jumped out over one of the small mountains close to Ponyville, I've mapped out a valley that runs down it to a field below. It starts near the top an runs about three miles down to the base. I'm gonna shoot right down it, you down?"
"You kidding? That's crazy! Fortunately for you, I love crazy!"
James still had some time before entering the valley, so he decided to pull a few tricks. He didn't have wings in the conventional sense, but he could still use the ones he had to his advantage. He spun, flipped and tumbled through the air, a happy Rainbow copying his every move, sometimes showing him a few of her own. As he flared his limbs again to bring him closer to the target mountain, she spun upside down and over him, looking 'up' at the human below her. He countered by flipping over and throwing up the 'Peace' sign before diving straight for the beginning of the valley run.
James dove straight in and flared his 'wings' once again, sending him speeding down the open wedge of earth at high velocity. Dash soon over took him and led the way down the valley, through twists and turns and over sharp ridges and clefts. Soon they swiftly shot out over a high rising cliff, which was James' cue to pull his chute. The high octane fall immediately transformed into a nice tranquil drift through the air as the pilot chute exploded out and pulled his main wide open. James reached up and gripped the two dangling wooden handles to help steer his new airfoil back to the nearby town.
"That was awesome! I don't think I've ever been that high!" Dash spouted off gleefully as she pulled up beside him. "And where did you come up with that strange suit? You could practically fly with it!"
"We have them back in my world!" He shouted back over, "Pretty fun for us humans, huh?"
"No kidding! So what's next for the day?"
"Well first I have to land somewhere close to town and wait for Sparks and Myst. Which might be a problem, 'cause it's a little further away than I thought..." James said with concern. At the moment, he was rapidly descending to the Everfree.
"Does this mean you get to owe me another favor?" Dash said excitedly.
"Yeah, looks like it!"
*HALO means High Altitude, Low Opening. referring to a stealth tactic used by paratroopers to avoid detection on a jump, NOT the video game.
Chapter 35: An Unwelcome Interruption
The two crunched through to snow and the growing darkness of on coming night. Their stomachs grumbled in anticipation of the meal they were both making their way towards. They rounded a corner and finally came to their destination, a tall, strange two legged being holding the door to the restaurant open while a pegasus mare trotted inside. He then followed her, closing the door behind him and sealing them into the warm interior of the eatery. The human talked to the hostess and got them a table for two in a secluded section of the room. She seated them both and left them with the menus to attend to another table.
"I still don't know why you didn't just cook again, you did pretty good last time."
"Because Dash, I can cook a few things really well, but that's about it." James said with a smile. "Besides, Flash is trying his own hand, er hoof, at it tonight with HIS date."
The weather mare chuckled, "He should probably leave that to Pinkie, she's real good at baking."
"Yeah, I'm half expecting to return home to a house fire." James said, joining her.
"Ooooh, then you might need to find a new place to live. Hmmm, I wonder if Twilight could find a permanent cloud walking spell?"
"Coming home to sleep on a cloud," James pondered, rubbing his chin in a mock of deep thought, "sounds tempting, but I'm afraid I'd never wake up again."
"Yeah, I remember. You loved that way to much."
"What can I say? After years of sleeping on rocks and in sand, and then jumping on that delightful fluff?"
They both laughed again. Their waiter came and took their orders for food and drink. When she left, the two resumed their conversation, reminiscing about past events and talking of future ones. Dash was wrapping up a particularly humorous story when their food finally arrived.
"I swear, I've crashed into that library so many times, I'm surprised Twilight still hasn't put up some kind of force field!"
"Ha, nice."
Two plates and glasses levitated from a tray onto their table. James inhaled the spicy scent of the curry dish he had ordered, mouth watering in anticipation. He was about to dig in when he noticed that the waitress still had not left yet. She looked like she had to tell him something.
She leaned over and politely spoke to him in a soft tone, "Uh, excuse me sir, but there's a unicorn standing out front looking for you."
"Did he say what it was for?" James asked her, fearing that his house fire joke had become an unfortunate fact.
"I'm sorry sir, he wouldn't tell me, all he said was that it was urgent and it couldn't wait."
"Thank you ma'am, I'll take care of it."
She nodded and then went off to to take care of the other tables under her responsibility, once again leaving the two alone. James turned back to his date to see a look of annoyance now occupied her face.
James sighed and shrugged his shoulders, "I'm sorry, it sounds like Sparks. He wouldn't do this unless it really was important."
"It's fine, just try and get back before the food gets cold." She said dismissively.
"Dammit." James muttered under his breath as he stood up and picked his way between the tables to the entrance.
He stepped outside into the cold, boots crunching into the freezing snow. He looked around and spotted the rust colored unicorn standing at the corner of the building. The stallion motioned for the human to follow and disappeared into the dark alley around the corner. James breathed into his palms and rubbed them for warmth as he crunched through the stiffening snow to the space between the buildings enshrouded in dark shadow. Waiting for him was Sparks, a serious expression set into his face.
"I'm sorry for interrupting your nice dinner there,"
"You're telling me...."
"But we got a message from the big boss, it doesn't look good."
With his magic he produced a letter from a small satchel slung over his side and floated it in front of the human. Quickly, James plucked it from the air and inspected it. On the face of the letter was the Royal Seal, stamped in bright red wax.
"How do you know it's bad? You haven't even opened it yet."
"Flip it over."
James did as he was told and turned it over. On the back, stamped in large red letters, was URGENT. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE IS THIS CORRESPONDENCE TO FAIL IN REACHING ITS INTENDED RECIPIENT.
"Shit, that is bad."
James broke the seal and pulled out a carefully folded parchment.
To The Capable Commander Of Our Valiant Special Forces,
I hope you are in good health and your team has been enjoying their time off. I apologize as I had intended this to be a letter to inform you of the time and location of yours and your team's pinning as bearers of the Star of Equestria. Unfortunately, I have received daunting news in relation to Captain Alister's disturbing report on the raid in the Blasted Mountains. It is with heavy heart that I urgently request your presence here in the capitol. Please make haste, as now I truly fear for my citizens' safety.
--Princess Celestia
"What's it say?" Sparks inquired as James dropped his hand to his sides.
"Well, you're wrong. It's not bad."
"It's not?"
"No, it's worse. Does everyone else know yet?"
"No, I came straight to you as soon as this arrived."
"Ok," James said with a heavy sigh, "go ahead and track them all down. Let 'em know we're leaving early tomorrow. Flash should be back at the house, but be careful about how you tell him, he's with his lady friend. I'll meet you back at HQ later."
"Got it."
Sparks galloped off, intent on completing his task. James turned around to head back into the restaurant, head down and running a hand over his short cropped hair. Then he took a deep breath and smoothed out his clothes before putting the most convincing fake smile he could on his face and stepping back inside. He picked his way back to his table and sat down to his food. Dash had already begun to eat hers so he hastily took a few bites of his own.
"What was it about?" She asked him.
He looked up into her face and flashed his faux smile, "Nothing too bad, he just needed to ask about acquiring some more equipment. Stuff we need." He lied.
The rosy eyed pegasus sitting across from him looked unconvinced. "That smile doesn't reach your eyes. You're leaving again, aren't you?"
James swallowed the food he was currently chewing and put his fork down. His smile had disappeared.
"Yes."
"Why? You practically just got back!"
"I'm sorry, its the nature of the beast. They call, I answer. For now, let's just enjoy the time we have. Ok?" A small sincere smile formed on his mouth.
"Ok...."
====================================================================
It was dark, the sun not having yet risen. Out in a secluded clearing, just a few miles away from Ponyville, five figures exited a building clad in heavy cold weather gear, white as the surrounding snow. On their backs, they carried heavy bags packed densely with gear. The rest of it was already packed into a large metal contraption sitting on two skids not far from the building the night before. In silence and under the cover of darkness, they walked over to it and opened a large side door. One by one, they filed inside. The last one, a biped, stopped with only one foot in the door, the other still on the ground.
He looked out over the nearby trees where he could just see the tops of buildings in the slowly intensifying light that heralded the coming dawn. In the back of the vehicle he was about to board, an engine hummed to life. He inhaled sharply through his nostrils, the cold air slicing it's way down his throat and into his lungs. With a loud puff, a cloud of warm vapor exploded from his mouth. Next to him, two loud bangs of a hoof striking the metal bulkhead caught his attention. Then, with conviction, he pulled himself into the compartment, the airship lifting into the sky as his boot left the ground. He closed the door behind him and took a seat next to Flash on one of the benches.
"How'd it go last night?" The dark pegasus asked his friend.
"Probably about the same as it did for you." James responded.
"Yeah, it went good at first, but that news really put a damper on the mood."
"Yup."
Absent mindedly, James put his hand in his shirt and fingered a small round object that was attached to a simple aluminum chain, much like the one that held his dog tags. His dog tags he left at home, this hanging in their usual place. It was a small clear gem that would be normal in every way, save for the fact that in the center a swirling burst of color featuring every shade of the visual spectrum. Every time he looked at it, he almost thought just see the faintest amount of luminescence hiding deep inside. Every time he tried to focus on it, the ethereal glow would mysteriously disappear.
Last night, before James left to prepare for his trip, he had walked Dash back to her home. Underneath her fluffy floating residence she made him wait while she flew up into her house. The returned shortly with the gem and gave it to him. Before she let him go, she made him promise that he would bring it back no matter what.
"What's wrong with your chest, got an itch?" Feather asked him, instantly bringing him back to reality.
"What? Uh... yeah." He let the trinket drop back down his shirt where it hung. "Hey, Myst, how's the weather looking?" He called to the cockpit.
"Lookin' good, ETA about forty-five minutes!"
"Outstanding. Everyone get some rest, we got a meeting to attend and I want you all to be alert. I'll wake you guys up when we're fifteen out."
=====================================================================
They stood at a large square table with a gigantic map spread out on it. To James' right sat Admiral Darkwing and his staff. On his left, was the Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor and two representatives from the Day and Night Guards. James had elected to remain standing with his team between the two groups. A heavy silence filled the room as the waited on the last member of their meeting to arrive.
After a few moments, two large doors at the far end of the room swung open to admit both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, each of them looking rather distressed. After they both had entered, Celestia flared her magic and closed every door and drew every curtain of every window. At the same time, Luna flared hers, but with less visible effects.
"Thank you all for coming. We have ensured that no ears can hear us nor eyes see us. We have a very sensitive matter to discuss." Started off the Princess of the Sun. "Luna, if you will?"
"Certainly dear sister. Through my guards of the night, it has come to my attention that very sinister things are afoot in our nation. At first there were only whisperings, but after I ordered the guard to investigate, they found this:" she produced a photo of a restrained earth pony, face down on the ground. In the photo, four familiar softball sized orbs were in a padded box lined with straw.
"He was found in Manehatten with these in his possession."
"So sorry for interrupting, but if he was found in one of your cities, why are you including me?" The Admiral asked Luna.
"Because we also found this on his person:" she produced another photo, this one of a scrap of paper.
The griffon took and examined it, a look of pure shock spreading across his face. He threw it upon the table. James picked it up and read the writing on the paper in the photo:
Manehattan
Fillydelphia
Las Pegasus
High Tower
Canterlot
"Where's High Tower? I'm not familiar with it." The human asked.
"It's the largest griffon colony in Equestria. It's also the first one founded when our empire crossed the great sea in search new lands. It is here in the Foal Mountains, very close to the town of Whitecrest." The admiral explained, pointing to a region of the mountain range just north and east of the settlement they had both defended.
Luna continued with her brief, "When interrogated, the pony made mention of others like him spread through out the country in many of our cities. We believe this means there are groups of these ne'er do wells embedded in our population centers. What exactly they have planned, we do not know."
"So we flush them out! We find out where they're hiding and saturate the area with guards until we catch them all." Shining armor suggested.
James chuckled to himself at the suggestion, but it did not go unnoticed.
"Human, why do you laugh, do you find this funny?" The unicorn chastised.
James regained his composure before responding, "No this is horrible. But you want to flush them out? That's something an amateurs would do."
"Oh? And I suppose you have a better idea?" The Guard Captain scoffed.
"Not to offend you, but you have no experience in this. That ONE pony was found with FOUR explosives. It stands to reason that there are more. Given the fact that they have a list of cities they're obviously smuggling explosives into. Cities with high populations. An attack is being planned. They tried head on assault, that didn't work. Now they're resorting to terrorist tactics to cause panic and confusion." He explained.
"Commander, if I may ask, how do you know this?" Celestia asked him.
"Ma'am, this is what I was primarily trained to fight. Training that I passed on to many of your own citizens. Domestic attacks on civilians will just be a part of it. We know that there are ponies now working with the Lotkin. That means there will be cells in the cities waiting on a signal to detonate the explosives. In the ensuing confusion, the main host will attack, we just don't know where. That said, if we find the cells and saturate the area with guards, they'll just detonate the ordinance anyway."
"What solution do you propose?" Asked the Admiral.
"We send in small teams to each of the cities on this list. We move covertly and catch them off guard. We take them out before they even know what's happening. The RSTG can handle this. If I'm correctly informed, then we now have thirteen fully trained teams ready for tasking. We send two teams per city and hold the other three in reserve in case anything pops up. The teams will track down the threats, neutralize them, then gather any and all intel they can find in the process."
The room fell silent as they all waited on the decision of the Princesses.
"Very well, Commander," Celestia said, "see to it that it is done."
"Yes ma'am."
Chapter 36: The Other Visitor
James was never a trusting man. He was far more comfortable taking care of a problem himself than delegating the task to some one else. Which is why the Op he was now in charge of made him nervous. It would be spread over five cities across the country and involved far too many moving parts. He couldn't be in five places at once, the only solution he could think of was to put his trust into those closest to him, the ones he had personally mentored and lived with for most of the past year. Thus, he gave his teammates their final instructions and sent them off to their AORs. Sparks went off to Las Pegasus, Feather to Manehattan, Flash to Fillydelphia. Admiral Darkwing would oversee the operation at High Tower with Captain Alister. James would remain in Canterlot where he could receive communications from all over the country much more easily and respond accordingly. Staged at towns between the large cities were other units of the RSTG. They now had their very own Clipper Class airship and could rapidly travel to any destination at a moment's notice.
To assist them in their communications, Princess Celestia had provided them with the most powerful unicorns in the Guard's service. Their concentrated magic would allow them all to keep in touch over the great distances using five of Sparks' specially designed repeaters. There was still some lag between transmission, but it was still a brilliant piece of work, all designed by the engineer himself. James made a mental note to put the unicorn up for some kind of award when this was all over.
At the moment, the human was standing in front of eight ponies of the RSTG, all in civilian dress, but packing concealed weapons. Especially the unicorns who were all carrying suppressed pistols in their saddle bags. Similarly, James was also dressed in his own civilian clothing and concealed firearm. Their goal was to sniff out the cells and find the cache of explosives, if it existed, without arousing suspicion. James would stick out like a sore thumb, but hopefully, any that saw him would assume he was just another tourist on vacation in the county's capitol. The metropolis was filled with a variety of creatures from griffons to Diamond Dogs, especially in the markets. This was where they would start their search, listening in on conversations and subtly asking the right questions around town. With any luck they could catch a lead.
"Remember, keep your eyes and ears open for anything suspicious and don't forget to keep in contact regularly. If you do find anything, you are to immediately report it. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT act until we come to follow it up or you or anybody else is in immediate danger to life and limb. Am I clear?"
"Yes sir!"
"Good, now disperse. I want you all to check in on the radio at the top of every hour unless you are in a situation where doing so would compromise the mission. In this case, just give the talk button three rapid clicks and make your report when convenient."
The stallions all snapped to attention and quickly filed out of the room. James walked over to the window of the vacant apartment they were using as a base of operations and watched as they left the building, one by one and at staggered intervals. He picked up his own radio and dialed it to the command channel.
"Mike, charlie oscar is underway."
"Copy, charlie oscar."
"How's the rest doing?"
"All oscars currently underway."
"Outstanding, keep me posted. Out."
James stepped away from the windows and went to a small table in the corner of the room. On it were his pistol, suppressor already attached, a hand made shoulder holster, and his knife and sheath. He pulled up his vest and long sleeve shirt and strapped his knife belt around his waist so the sheath sat sideways in the small of his back. It would be uncomfortable, but all he would have to do is reach around and pull it out. He then took off his vest and donned the shoulder holster and picked up his firearm. He racked the slide a few times to make sure it still worked ok before sliding a clip in and placing the weapon in its holster. The last thing he did was throw his vest back on and button it up, finishing with a black watch cap and a pair of sunglasses he picked up.
He exited the building, stepping out into the crisp winter air. Casually he strolled down the street towards the large bustling marketplace, even in the dead of winter it still thrived. All the snow had been cleared off to the sides of the buildings and alley ways and was beginning to turn a dirty dark gray. James walked over to a fruit stand and bartered for an apple. He paid the merchant his fee and continued his walk while munching on the delicious green treat.
"Charlie oscar."
James meandered to a more secluded section, which was hard to find in such a packed place, "Charlie oscar here, what's up?"
"You got a call, patching it through."
James waited a moment while the techie worked. After a few minutes: "Charlie oscar, this is Papa oscar." Came Sparks' voice.
"I hear you buddy, what's going on?"
After almost a full minute, "We might have found a possible tail."
"Good, follow it up, but be cautious and keep your distance."
Another minute, "Roger that. I also had another concern."
"Shoot."
This lag was beginning to get annoying, "it's this whole thing, these diversionary tactics, smuggling explosives, it doesn't fit their usual M.O."
"I agree. I can't help but feel there's something else in the works here, something we missed."
Another minute passed, "Yeah. I think it's that list. Why would one guy in Manehatten be carrying a list of all the other cities?"
"I don't know, but I think it's best we stay flexible. There's always the chance that this isn't what we think."
James scanned the area around him while he waited for his friend to respond he became worried when almost five minutes passed. Finally, the words came through his earpiece.
"James, I gotta go. One of our guys thinks he may have found something."
"Ok brother, stay safe. Out."
His conversation over, the human resumed his leisurely patrol through the crowded trade hub. As he walked, he would pick up snatches of conversation, read the movements of the customers and merchants as they went about their day. He listened and watched for anything that might be suspicious or out of the ordinary. In just two hours, he made a full circuit without seeing anything that might appear 'off'. He decided to make another sweep and was about halfway through when he finally saw something worth noticing. Although, it wasn't anything threatening. One of the operatives under his command caught his attention with a subtle twitch of his head.
The human made a mental note of the pony's position before turning away and walking in a different direction. He took a scenic and round about route to his subordinate. He was sure he wasn't being specifically watched, but it didn't hurt to be cautious. Besides, they didn't know who was who here. When he reached the operative, the pegasus was sitting at a table with two cups of hot steaming tea. James sat down and took a sip from one of the cups, then began to speak in a low tone.
"What have you got for me?"
"North east corner of the market. I was buying some oranges when I noticed something in the pile of oranges that wasn't an orange," the pegasus reported, "I pretended to accidentally drop a few bits on the ground and got a good look underneath the stand and behind the vendor."
"What did you see?"
"Wires. So what do we do?"
"Simple. Follow the wires."
======================================================================
The first thing they needed to do was get the merchant away from his stand. So what James did was to inform the nearby guard presence of his intentions. For this next part they would have to play the part of the cops that were never there when you needed them. The next thing he did was use some sweets he bought to bribe a couple of playing foals into stealing some oranges. Then it was sit back and watch while his operatives got the scoop on the vendor.
The plan went off without a hitch. The two little colts nabbed some oranges from the stand. The merchant called for some guards, but when none came to his aid, he took it upon himself to chase the children down. He wouldn't catch them though, James had also arranged for a highly inconvenient obstruction to be created by another two operatives. Now that the stand was vacant, the pegasus James had spoken to earlier and his teammate. Quickly they pawed through the fruit until they found what they were looking for.
The pegasus' teammate, a unicorn, removed the object from the pile of fruit and placed it in his saddle bag, filling the hole back up with oranges. Meanwhile, the pegasus went around back, to the wall behind the fruit stand. After a moment he returned and the two took off in different directions. Satisfied his plan worked, James headed back to their apartment. The last thing he did was press the talk button on his radio.
"Good job on the grab everyone. I want four of you to maintain patrols and keep your ears open, the rest meet back at the safehouse."
=====================================================================
"I don't like this. Not one bit. You're sure this is all that was there?"
"Positive. That's it."
"And where did you say the wires went again?"
"Into a storm drain."
*sigh" "Shit. Ok, I want the most recent blue prints of the sewer system they have, yesterday."
"Yes sir." A pegasus smartly replied before jumping out the window and flapping off to the castle.
James stared down at the object they had recovered. On the table sat a clear glass ball wedged between two actuated clamps. The whole set up was very convincing. Except that the wires were soldered directly to solid metal and the small motor casing was empty, not to mention that the glass orb, while resembling the object they were looking for, was completely inert. It was a clever trick, but that's what worried him. Their enemies, while clever, were never this sneaky. They were brutal and direct. Even if they had a pony to help build this, it was still highly irregular.
He was now worried for all the other teams out there. Nothing fit. They had hit a snag. Disquieted by this, he issued a sitrep for all teams out in the field. Every one of them came back green. Sparks' lead had come to a dead end. The human felt like he really needed more information, something he could get an angle on. At the moment, there was only one way to get it that he could think of.
It was nearly nightfall by the time the winged operative returned with several scrolls packed into a satchel strapped to his back. One of the unicorns magiced them out of the bag and spread them out across the table. Another, a native of Canterlot, marked the drain where the wires had led.
"Ok," started the human, "that's where we found the device. Where are the nearest entrances?"
The native stepped forward and started pointing out spots on the map, "you can access the sewers in that area here, here and here. There are plenty of maintenance tunnels that run in all directions in this section of the city. It's just one big labyrinth if you don't know where you're going."
"How do you know all this?" James asked, curious about the pony's unconventional knowledge.
"I used to play down there as a foal. Growing up here... you find your own adventure." He chagrined.
"Well now it becomes an asset. You're gonna be our guide. Suit up gentlemen, it's time to go hunting."
========================================================================
It was dark, damp and smelly. The human's boots sloshed through the tepid water as he advanced to the next corner. In front of him, on point, was the unicorn pony who had been leading them through the fetid maze of twisting corridors and dead ends. Bringing up the rear was two more operatives from his team, another unicorn and an earth pony. The four of them had entered the subsurface about a mile away from the markets. Up above, in the fresh night air, the other five were keeping watch at possible exits that could serve as their targets' bolt holes, should they be found.
Currently, they were making their way towards the area they had found the decoy earlier that day. When James reached the corner, he snapped up his pistol and scanned the next tunnel. behind him, the earth pony quietly splashed up to his position while the last unicorn covered their six with another suppressed weapon. Once they had all moved up, they repeated the process. At every stop, they sat silent and listened for any unusual noises. As they went, they would mark each passage so as to be able to quickly find their way out. For a time, this was tedious and uneventful. However, as they neared their destination, knocks, scrapes and whisperings could be faintly heard.
Slowly, they edged their way to the source, the sounds gradually gaining in volume. At the next corner, their guide peeked around for a look.
"I see three stallions. All armed, blades. None of them Royal Guard." He reported.
"Ok, here's how I want this to go down. We have the element of surprise here. I want them taken down quietly and quickly, but don't kill them. Just knock 'em out, we need prisoners we can interrogate for information. Clear?" James laid out.
Each of them nodded.
"Good, now go."
James raised his pistol and sighted on their targets from the corner while the other three silently crept up to their soon to be victims. Their targets were talking amongst each other around a small lantern, their natural night vision would be useless. Carefully, he sighted in on the source of light and once his team was in position, he squeezed off one round with a muffled snap. The lantern flared and went out, instantly throwing the tunnel into darkness. Through his NVGs, James watched as his three operatives pounced on the now panicky group, making short work of them. When it was all over, they waited and listened for any sign of alarm. When they confirmed all was silent, James moved up to join the rest of the group.
At his feet lay the three stallions, now tightly bound and gagged. All were unconscious and ready for transport. They continued on ahead and at the next storm drain they came across, James held his radio up to the opening and reported their encounter and where to find the prisoners. After he completed the task, they moved on. Soon they heard louder talking echoing down the passage. Then the thunk of metal on wood. Quickly enough, they came upon a large opening.
James cautiously moved up to get a better view through it and had to take off his NVGs to get a good look as the chamber was well lit. He was standing in a small depression in the stone that drained water runoff from the chamber. To he left was a set of narrow stairs that led up into it. Above him was a ledge about seven feet high and over head was a large make shift chandelier made from about eight hanging lanterns. He ascended the rough hewn steps until he could just barely peek across floor and around the room. He saw about seven stallions sitting at a table and pouring over some maps, arguing amongst each other. To the back, near another exit was two more. All were armed.
He crept back down and informed the rest of the team of their situation. Then they huddled down and began quickly discussing possible strategies on how to deal with it. When they finally landed on one, they all went to their assigned positions in preparation for the strike. One unicorn and the earth pony went up and crouched at the top of the stairs. Then, when they were ready, James and the second unicorn aimed their pistols and set to the task of eliminating the light source.
In only four seconds, all the lanterns had been shattered, glass raining down onto the table and its occupants. Before the last shard even began its fall, the operatives had their goggles down and were charging into the chamber. The first two rushed the two guards near the back while James and his partner got to the table and began knocking skulls and securing their weapons. The entire moment only lasted ninety seconds. The four then moved to check all the surrounding spaces, ensuring there would be no surprises. Fortunately, they all gave the all clear. When all was said and done, James was looking down upon a pile of ponies, bound and gagged.
"Outstanding job. You two," he pointed to the earth pony and a unicorn, "start searching the area for any Intel. Don't overlook anything, the tiniest detail could be the biggest clue. You," he pointed to the last member of the team, their guide, "head to the nearest exit and get some bodies down here to help with the prisoners. Hubba hubba chop chop, let's go."
All three quickly moved to obey his orders. Their guide galloped down the passage they had come from while the other two began rummaging through a row of packs and bags they had found on the far wall. Meanwhile, James walked over to the table and began picking up papers to inspect them. There were various inventory lists, maps with towns circled and open areas X'ed off. Nothing looked especially important, but he began to collect and organize them all for transport anyway. Later, they would have time to properly examine them for any pertinent information. For now, all he wanted to do was get everything and the prisoners out of here as quickly as possible. The sewers were an expansive system, they had only seen a fraction of it and there were a number of places they had passed by that could have been hiding anything.
Suddenly, he heard splashing coming up the tunnel they had assaulted the chamber from. Assuming it was the rest of the team come to help, James walked over to the ledge to greet them. He was about half way there when there was a loud reverberating detonation behind him. He spun around to see that the other exit tunnel had collapsed and the two operatives that had been near it were now sprawled in a heap at the center of the room, having been thrown by the concussion.
He turned and ran back to the other tunnel in an effort to warn the others of the impending danger, but when he reached the ledge three small metal projectiles slammed into his chest plate, dropping him to the ground and knocking the wind out of his lungs. Four large humanoid figures, only three in the familiar mismatched metal armor, charged into the chamber, one carrying a distinctly shaped weapon. James struggled to get air in his lungs and up on his feet but was stopped by a boot pressing down on his throat.
"My my, what have we got here. Looks like I was right about you staying in the main city. So you're the thorn that has been sticking so painfully in my side all this time." Said the masked figure standing above him with a gruff, but clear voice. "Funny that you're here. And here I thought I was the only one. Well, since you were able to track the 'IED' down here, I guess you're everything I heard about from my scouts. Don't worry about your chest, I know all about that armor you're wearing. These are subsonic rounds," he said, tapping the side of his weapon, "if anything did get through, it'll just be shrapnel."
The figure looked up to the three creatures he had come in with.
"Tie this one up good or he'll be trouble. Kill the others, we got what we came for."
The next thing James knew, his goggles had been ripped from his head and something smashed him hard in the face, ending his current hold on awareness in general.
Chapter 37: Unmasked
*drip*
*drip*
*drip*
*drip*
As he came to, James could feel the steady beat of drops splashing onto the back of his neck. He inhaled sharply, his heart beating a staccato rhythm against his rib cage. He picked up his head and looked around, trying to get his bearings. In front of him, about fifteen feet away, was a damp stone wall. He was stripped down to his boxers and his back was against something hard and wooden. He tried to move his arms, but they were stretched out to his sides, wrists shackled to the frame. His legs and bottom rested on the cool stone floor. He gave his arms a shake, causing the shackles to rattle and clink. Behind him a door suddenly creaked open and banged shut, the sound of hooves on stone receding into the distance.
Instantly, his training kicked in. He inspected his fetters, finding that they were made of black steel. The wood frame he was against was sturdy and strong. He lifted his head and opened his mouth to catch a drop of water. It was salty. Either he was beneath an underground river and the soil had a high salt content or he was somewhere on the coast. Most likely it was the latter.
Once again, he heard the sound of hooves stomping down a stone floor, echoing down a corridor, only now they were accompanied by the the solid thud of a pair of boots. The door opened on un oiled hinges and slammed shut, this time he heard the unmistakable click of the door being locked. The boots thumped on the floor, coming closer to him, yet whoever it was remained just out of his vision.
"So you're awake. Tsk tsk tsk, shame on you letting your guard down back there. I was almost sure you would have evaded the trap. But don't feel too bad. Traps, ambushes and sabotage is somewhat of a specialty of mine." Came the smooth gruff voice.
"Now, I do know what you are. Your physique, the scars, that tattoo. But who are you? More the question," he continued, "why are you? I've been here nearly two years now. So c'mon, what's your deal?"
James remained silent.
"Cat got your tongue buddy? That's ok. Didn't figure you for a talker. I would use some of my... techniques to get you to, but I think we both know how that'll go. Man, did SERE school sucks, huh? It's fine. For me, it's less a tool and more recreational."
A masked man appeared to his right, the same one from the sewers. Covering his face was a simple torn ski mask. He was dressed in a dirty uniform of indiscernible origins. On his feet were the same brown leather combat boots that James last remembered feeling on his own throat.
"C'mon old buddy, old pal. You know, you have some pretty well maintained equipment. A sure sign of a master in his craft. That old 1911 of yours looked as new as the day it came out the factory. But what I really liked was the knife." From his back, the stranger produced James' blade.
"Clean and pristine. Honed to a razor's edge. A real killing tool. You're aware of the bones in your arms, right? The Radius and the Ulna? The pace in between?"
The man grabbed James' left wrist with his free hand and then plunged the knife between the bones in his arm hard enough that the tip of it embedded itself in the wood, sticking there.
"UNGH" James gritted his teeth in pain.
"Just a grunt? Impressive. You should try not to move too much now, you might damage something important."
James' arm felt like it was on fire. He could feel every little detail of his injury. The pain if the cold metal stretching and tearing his flesh. The warm flow of blood flowing down his arm and tickling him as it dribbled off his elbow. His fingers starting to numb as they lost oxygen.
"So, you don't want to tell me about yourself? Fine, I'll start. Hiya there, I'm John Kraster, nice to meet you!" The man said, extending a hand before snatching it back, "Oh, right." A smile crossed his face as he looked at the shackles.
James just stared at him angrily.
"Wow, you're anti-social. Ok, I can work with that. How about a little story. Maybe you learn a little about me and open up yourself. Well, turns out we have something in common. I used to be special forces myself, Green Berets. Of course that was before they gave me an OTH. Booted me out, called it 'unnecessary roughness'. Job prospects were slim, but boy those paramilitary companies just gobble people like me up. Didn't give two shits about my record. Man did I like that gig. A lot more pay and a lot less rules. Kinda brings me to how I ended up here. You got some pretty nice scars. I'll show you mine, you show me yours."
With a flourish, he whipped the mask off his head, exposing the twisted and gnarled skin of his face. James just continued to stare him down, unfazed.
"And you still don't flinch! Wundebar! Then again you've probably seen worse. Caused worse. Got this little number cruisin' around Afghanistan on a contract. IED. Flipped the car. Burned for almost three minutes before the explosives in the car finally cooked off. And not a single one of those rat bastard teammates of mine tried to pull me out. Woke up here, survived somehow. Now what about your story, buddy?"
James continued to keep his mouth shut., his arm was now throbbing intensely.
"Still no? That really hurts, I put myself out there. Don't you know that sharing is caring?" *sigh* "Doesn't matter, you're gonna be here a while. Sooner or later, you'll tell me. For now, I'm afraid I have work to do. You know, I don't know why you've been working under that god forsaken government of ponies, it baffles me. My little monstrosities here might be a little uncooperative at times, but kill enough of them and they practically worship you. You'd be a dead shoe in."
The man got up to leave and walked to the door before briefly returning.
"Whoops, can't leave you with something you can use." He said as he yanked out the knife.
He then left for sure, the door clanking and locking behind him. James was now left alone to his thoughts, the first of which were of escape. The second...
"What an asshole."
=====================================================================
The next day a unicorn entered his cell and loosely bandaged the wound. The only other thing he did was give James some water before leaving. After he did, James set to work devising a plan for escape. He needed to get out. From what he could see, the corridor outside his cell was well lit, everytime the door opened light flooded the room. He needed to find his gear, just the essentials, and bug out of here, where ever 'here' was. Getting his hands free would be difficult and his left arm was now near useless.
He gave the chains a tug again, but this only caused the metal to bite into his wrists. Out of frustration, he tried to punch with his right which only worsened the feeling, but this time something else happened. The spot where the chain was secured to the wood gave way a little. As James eyed it he could see that is had moved from the frame by just a fraction of a centimeter. If he was in such luck, they had been nailed in rather than bolted. If he could get some leverage, he might be able to pry them off. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of boots outside his door. It unlocked and swung open as something stepped inside.
"Wakey wakey, how are we feeling today?" Kraster asked in a mocking tone.
James still refused to respond.
"Still not very talkative I see. That's ok. I just came by to ask you about this curious little gem we found hanging around your neck. It has some interesting properties. Definitely not something you'd find back on earth, so I wonder, who gave this to you? It's very nicely cut, has a beautiful little swirl of colors in the middle. Maybe you have a little chat with me and I don't go track this individual down?"
James just tightened his mouth in furious resolve.
"C'mon, start with something simple, like a number. Maybe the number of just how many of those ponies you trained? They've been really troublesome. Seems they're trying to find you. Ha, fat chance. Pretty sure they won't find this place, it's quite far off the map for them. However, they did just butcher two of my scouting parties. Shame on you, teaching such innocent creatures the horrors of war. That's MY job."
James just continued to try and bore a hole through the wicked man's head with a tempestuous gaze.
"Seems as though you're trying to kill me with that look! Tell you what. I'm a busy man so I have to go. I think I'll keep this though," he said while holding up the gem, "kinda fun to look at. Well, so long!"
As soon as James heard the guy's foot steps fading away, he flipped onto his back so he could put his feet up against the chain. He grabbed a hold of it with his right hand and began to push it away from the wood frame with his feet. It was slow going, but he managed to get another centimeter out of it. With his hand, he felt around and inspected it. Once, he accidentally pushed it back in. He was alarmed at first, but then found that once it had been loosened to a degree, he could push it in and pull it back out to where he had pried it before with relative ease. This was good as now he could try to disguise his efforts.
For three more days he worked. Kraster didn't come back for anymore chats, he was only visited by the same unicorn that brought him water and fed him a bland gruel like paste. On the fourth day, he finally managed to pop the large nail out from the wood, but now was not the right time to try and escape so he put the nail back in. By his reckoning, it was probably around mid morning. The pony that brought his food did so at maybe five hour intervals, with one long one every day. James assumed that this was when night fell. So he waited. He waited and patiently ate and drank every meal the unicorn brought him. After what he thought was the last meal of the day, he counted one more hour and got to work.
He plucked out the four inch nail with his right hand and removed it from the chains. Then he used it to pry off the nail pinning the chains on his left arm from the frame. With a tool to assist in the task, he was free in no time. However, he still had the chains attached to his wrists and he left arm was still virtually useless. He slung the chains of his left arm around his neck and pinned the end to a link near the manacle with one of the nails to create a makeshift and very uncomfortable sling. He just simply wrapped the chains dangling from his right wrist around his arm.
James then moved to the door and pressed and ear up against it. He couldn't hear anything so he dropped to the floor and peered out from the narrow space beneath the door. To the left there was nothing, but on the right was a pair of ugly clawed feet. This wasn't going to be easy. He searched around the room until he found a reasonably sized rock for his task. Then he hurled it as hard as he could at the door, flattening himself against the wall beside it as fast as he could. Nothing.
He checked under the door again and saw that the feet were now facing the door. However, the guard had decided not to open it and investigate the source of the disturbance.
"I don't have time for this. HEY ASSHOLE!" He pounded forcefully on the door a few times. "I'M ESCAPING!"
This time, James heard a key being hastily forced into the lock and opening the door. As soon as it was wide enough, a large Lotkin entered only to receive the second four inch nail straight in its throat. The thing clutched at its neck and tried to gurgle an alarm. From its belt, James snatched a wicked looking dagger and ended the beast's spasms with a quick thrust. James searched the corpse and found the key to the manacles, but nothing else. He slipped it into his mouth and continued on.
Stepping out, he discovered he was in a wide rough hewn corridor with low ceilings. All along the walls hung lanterns. James began moving up the gentle slope of the passageway, alert and wary of any and all danger. He needed to find some of his gear, and fast. He remembered Kraster talking about how he had admired James' weapons and gear, so he smiled when he spotted the unicorn that had been feeding him carrying a platter filled with assorted goodies and meats all expertly roasted. Silently he crept up behind the stallion. When he was within just a few feet, James pressed the dagger up against the throat of the unsuspecting pony from his rear.
"Don't turn around, don't yell or scream. Just take me to where your boss sleeps. Nod if you understand."
The unicorn nodded, James could hear an audible gulp as he did.
"Good. Lead the way."
The stallion did as he was instructed and took him down a maze of corridors. After a time, the emerged out onto a wide wooden platform hanging on the side of an enormous cavern. Down below was a great lake of water, ships of all kinds floated upon its surface. Directly under the platform were a series of piers. Currently, many ponies and Lotkin were loading and offloading cargo below. It was a massive operation. Lashed to a large platform were four large crates with the lids off. Inside, James could see four of the largest round crystals he had ever seen, their deathly familiar glow shining against the high ceiling. Far across the cavern, James could distinguish a large opening leading out to the sea, moonlight was shining through the entrance.
The unicorn soon led James to a tall wooden structure that had been receded into the wall of the cavern. It was a small wooden tower about forty feet high, the only windows it sported were high off the ground. They reached the door at the bottom and the unicorn produced a key and inserted it into the lock. James raised the dagger in his right hand, ready to counter any threats.
"You go first." He ordered the stallion. "No funny business."
James followed the stallion into a brightly lit room filled with swords, spears and other knick knacks. To the rear was a set of stairs that led up to the upper floors. He urged the unicorn up them and they came out into a decently sized bedroom. So far, the structure was devoid of its occupant. James left the unicorn and started searching the room.
In one corner, he found his boots. In another, there was a closet with some clothes in it. He took a button down short sleeve and a pair of shorts, then he found some socks and slipped his boots on. Over by the bed, he spotted his pistol with the shoulder holster next to it. He grabbed it and donned the holster, shoving the 1911 in it when he was done. James opened and closed drawers until he found the most important thing. The small gem he had been tasked to keep safe. He stared into its depths, temporarily captivated by its beauty.
*CLANG*
A blunt metal object smacked against the back of his head. He whipped out his pistol and spun around, shoving it into the face of his attacker. All he saw was a very scared unicorn. Rubbing the back of his head, he stowed his weapon.
"Ow! What the hell you do that for?"
"Sorry!"
"Get the hell outta here, and don't come back! This place is bad for you!"
"Y-yes sir!"
The pony quickly bolted from the room, hooves stomping down the stairs and out the door.
"Shit!" James yelled out in anger.
He now had about three minutes to bug out due to his lapse in judgement. If it wasn't known he was out and about, it sure would be common knowledge now. James affixed the gem around his neck and scrambled to find his knife. After a minute and a half, he had been all around the room and still hadn't found it. He gave up and made for the exit, pausing by a cabinet before he went out the door. He opened it up and was delighted at what he saw.
Outside, a host of vicious warriors were on the march to his position. Thirty Lotkin trod down the platform and staged themselves before the small tower. From behind them, Kraster emerged.
"So! Got a little spunk, do ya? Stretching your legs? How's that arm of yours doing? I imagine it's still quite painful."
Inside, James used his key to unlock the manacles on his right wrist and tossed them out the window where they slid and clattered to the despicable man's feet.
"Got some attitude, do you?" Kraster yelled. "Why don't you be a good sport and come on out of there peacefully. I promise it won't hurt as much!"
"How about we have a little chat?"
"Oh, now you want to talk!" Kraster exclaimed in an exasperated tone, "Well hell. Ok then, what did you have in mind?"
"Why are you here, why are you doing this?" James asked.
"Why!? Why, why, why... Why not!? Hell, it's not like I got anything else better to do! I have the skills! Might as well topple another government! This time, instead of that shitty paycheck, I get a whole empire! What's not to like!?"
"How about all the deaths you've caused?"
"Deaths? Of what, those fucking horse things!? Who gives a shit!?"
"They're not animals, John, they think and feel just like you and me. Some are even smarter than the two of us!"
"Yeah, so were a lot of the people YOU'VE killed! How many, huh? Two hundred? Three hundred? It's what we do, we're killers!"
"We don't have to be."
"Oh really? So what is it you've been doing in the time you've spent here!? Picking daisies!? You practically have your own army of blade wielding, gun toting ponies!"
"It's not the same!"
"Really!? How is it not the same? Enlighten me!"
"They were trained to protect, not murder!"
"Oh, just like you were? Got any more hypocritical philosophical bullshit you want to sling at me?"
"No. But I do have something important to tell you..." James stated calmly.
"Yeah, what's that?"
"I found your toys."
James pulled the pins out of two M67 grenades and tossed them out the window. Kraster stared wide eyed at the small metal balls and immediately started running. Meanwhile, James popped up and started hosing the platform down with an Israeli made Uzi he had also found in the cabinet. He ducked a second later as the grenades detonated, sending shrapnel everywhere. Then he stood up and expended the rest of the mag at now scattered force.
He dropped his weapon and climbed up to the third story as the surviving warriors began to pick their way around the massive holes he had blown out of the platform and charge the structure. On the third story, James found somewhat of a study. There was another desk and a bookshelf against the back wall, lanterns lit the four corners of it. Frantically, he searched for his knife again, but it was nowhere to be found. Down below, another detonation rocked the structure as one of his pursuers tripped a trap he had left them. Nothing complex, just a thin wire wrapped around the door knob, the other end looped through the pin of a grenade secured to the wall next to the door.
"Oh for the love of... Ok Mr. No Name, booby traps are MY deal. And just look at what you did to my humble abode!" Kraster complained while he stepped over the now ruined door of his residence.
James began searching for a way out. He had left one more surprise for them, but now they'd be more cautious in their advance. He looked out the window, to far of a drop, if he injured a leg he would never escape. He felt along the walls with his good hand, trying to find a hidden door somewhere, nothing but solid wood. He could hear them coming up the stairs now. In frustration, he gripped the edge of the bookcase with his right hand and threw it on the ground. Behind it was a bolt hole.
"That'll work." James said to no one.
He pushed the heavy bookcase over the opening in the floor that led downstairs. He then jumped back as bullets tore through the wood.
"I got my toys back!" Kraster hollered from below.
James wasn't around to hear it, he was already sprinting down the hidden passageway, his injured arm flopping against his chest with each stride. The narrow stone passage started gently sloping up, a cool fresh breeze signaling a way out to the surface. He had nearly made it to the top when a round bounced off the wall next to him, spraying sharp chips of stone at him. Reacting quickly, James drew his own firearm and loosed a few rounds down the corridor behind him.
All of a sudden, James burst from the tunnel into a cold and snowy night. There was fresh snow on the ground and more was beginning to fall around him. He swiveled his head left and right, trying to decide which way to run. He took off to his right and ran a dozen yards before he came to a cliff, only freezing water below. He doubled back and ran the other direction only to encounter the same thing. Becoming increasingly agitated at his plight, he circled around behind the hole he had fled from and began running, just to once again find himself at the edge of a large cliff, a violent surf crashing against the cruel rocks far below.
"Looks like it's the end of your run, buddy."
James turned around to see Kraster and about nine Lotkin accompanied by four stallions, one of them disgustingly familiar. Kraster was pointing a Glock at his chest, daring him to make a move.
"Why don't you be good and tell me your name now? Don't you think I've gone through enough trouble for it now? It's not like it'll make it any easier for me to find you, we're the only two humans in this whole damned world!"
James peered over his shoulder at the cliff behind him, judging his odds.
"No. You don't deserve it." He replied to the man. "You're a disgrace to people in our profession. We may have had to take lives, but that doesn't mean we have to like it."
"Aww, that's too bad. Well, can't say I can let you live after all this. It sucks, but you did just take out a bunch of my fighters. Last words?"
"Just a few." James directed his attention to a certain pegasus with a yellow streak through his mane, "Remember my warning Lightning. And Kraster, you can go fuck yourself."
With that, he threw up the one fingered salute and began to run to the cliff edge. He leaped off as Kraster opened fire at him. As he fell, James crossed his legs and pulled his arm against his body in preparation for impacting the water. Up on the cliff, Kraster was shaking in a furious rage.
"Stupid, he won't survive that." Lightning remarked as he limped over to his master.
Kraster turned and struck the pegasus in the face, "IDIOT! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE'S CAPABLE OF! HE'S NOT DEAD UNTIL I SEE A BODY! FIND HIM, FIND HIM, FIND HIM!!!" He bellowed, tossing one of the Lotkin off the cliff.
Chapter 38: The High Seas
James swam as far as he could away from the island in a dead reckoning direction. For hours he pushed on through the darkness and freezing waters with only his right arm to help pull through the surf. His body was shutting down, he could feel it. His movements became sluggish, it was a huge effort just to breathe. Hypothermia was setting in. Still, he pushed on. He kept going when his extremities went numb. He kept going when his limbs turned stiff. He kept going even as he began to slip beneath the waves.
Finally, he bumped into a small piece of driftwood. He reached out and clung to it like it was his only hope for salvation. In the back of his mind, he knew done. He was alone and adrift in some unknown ocean with no land in sight. On top of that, the sea was so cold that he estimated he would probably have only a few minutes of consciousness left. Maybe half an hour of life. So there he floated, his right arm slung over the driftwood to keep him afloat, his left still strapped to his chest, the hand absently clutching the gem that still hung from his neck....
=====================================================================
An inky plane as black as pitch yet no where near as tangible. A swelling pulse of clouded malevolence surging all around him. James became aware of feet that were not his, hands that did not belong to him a body that was not his own. And yet it was his. He looked around, trying to figure out where he was. The place certainly felt familiar to him. Then all at once, his surroundings pulsed a dark blood red, shrieking gore-crows swarmed from all sides and he knew.
He threw up his hands to ward off their attacks, but none ever came. Instead, they began to cluster and swirl to what he guessed to be the floor. They merged and melded into the single small form that forever haunted his dreams. The child. Again, the boy stared at him with a lifeless eye and a broken face. James just stared back, still unsure of what to do.
"You're back." He said. "Why can't you just leave me alone!?"
The child did not respond. Suddenly a searing pain lanced up James' forearm. He gripped it and clenched his teeth as an ugly scar grew and pulsated on it.
"Just leave me alone and get out of my head! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
=====================================================================
Rocking, gentle rocking. The creak of wood rubbing together. The slosh of waves against the hull of a ship as it carved its way through the water. James opened his eyes. Above him was a thick wooden ceiling. He was laying in a hammock. His left arm began to itch so he reached over to scratch it, but stopped when he saw that the manacle had been removed and the dirty bandages had been replaced with bright white clean ones.
He sat up and looked around to see that he was in a small cell with thick iron bars on three sides, the back wall was curved and made of solid beams. From the sounds, smell of salt and the rocking of the room, James guessed himself to be on a small ship somewhere out in the open sea. James eased himself out of the hammock and dropped to the deck.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" He called. "Hello!"
Somewhere, a door opened and slammed shut. Uneven steps accompanied by the solid thunk of wood on wood slowly approached.
"Aye, so you return to the land of the living, pulled from icy embrace of Pony Jones' locker." A rough gravely voice born of the sea echoed from the shadows.
From down the passageway a peg legged pony strode. He sported a frizzled salt and pepper beard with a matching mane. Atop his head rested a large elegant hat. His ears were pierced with several gold ear rings. Strapped to his side was a sharp menacing cutlass. His coat was a dappled white and brown.
"Who are you?" James asked him.
"Ho, now why would I be goin' tellin' a stranger that without knowin' his intentions?"
"It would be a place to start."
"That it would, aye. So why don't we start with you?"
"Fair enough. I'm James. I just need to get back home."
"And where'd that be, James?"
"Equestria."
"Any port in particular?"
"Just drop me off anywhere, I'll be fine from there. Now, any chance I can get your name?"
"That depends. What be your profession? Your trade?"
James thought quickly. He had no idea where he was in the world. He was with an unknown number of individuals. Plus he had no idea what they did. However, he DID know that he was on a ship traveling across the sea. He thought back to his training at its earliest. He thought back to boot.
"I'm a sailor."
"A sailor, you say? Then you won't mind demonstrating a few things for me. Here," the swarthy pony tossed in a few lengths of rope and a sack of potatoes, "why don't ya secure that. To the overhead."
James picked up the rope and searched for a spot to start. In approximately the center of the overhead was an iron ring. James reached up and tied a bowline knot around it. He did the same with one of the iron bars that constituted his cell. Then he tied off the overhead line to a ring set in the sack's opening. He followed through with the other, creating two points of contact to prevent the potatoes from swinging about.
"Aye, that be good. Ok, we'll take you back, but ye must earn your keep 'round my ship lest we toss ye back from whence you came. I be Captain Easton and this here's my vessel, the Luna's Revenge. The next port be more than a few days away."
The Captain pulled out a key and released his prisoner. James stepped out and joined Captain Easton as he walked down the P-Way.
"'Tis a pleasure to meet your acquaintance James. If ye don't mind me askin', from what land do ye sail from? I've ne'er seen a manner of being quite like yourself."
"I uh, come from America."
"America? Can't say I've ever been to such a place in all the seas."
"Yeah... it's kind of out there."
"Then what, pray tell, be you doin' 'round these here parts?"
"My ship was on an expedition when we were attacked. I was imprisoned on an island until I escaped."
Captain Easton stopped in his tracks.
"An island ye say... Did this island happen to have a large covered harbor?"
"You mean like a cavern?"
"Aye."
"Why?"
"'Twas our home, our own port in the storm. 'Til those heathens came and TOOK IT FROM US!" Captain Easton bellowed.
"Captain?"
"Ah, my apologies lad. We lost many a good stallion that day."
James was led up to the weather deck and the cold ocean air.. All around, ponies were scrubbing the deck and rigging lines. From somewhere cheerful accordion music flowed.
"Go find the Bo'son, he'll give ye your assignment." Easton ordered.
"Aye Captain."
James left the salty sea captain and walked about the deck. He wandered around until a shout caught his attention.
"You there! Biped!"
James stopped and turned to a green pegasus, "Are you the Bo'son?"
"Ye be correct! Now stop lollygaggin' about and get to work riggin' th' sails!"
"Aye aye!"
James swung up onto net that was lashed to the deck and the top of the main mast. Up on the cross bar, he started to reef the main sail to help better catch the wind. As he edged his way towards the crow's nest.
"You the new guy we picked up?"
"Huh?"
James looked up to see a blonde coated earth pony with a black mane and an eye patch over his left eye.
"The name's Han Ken. My friends usually call me Hank or just Ken." He offered a hoof to shake.
James took it in his hand and gave a firm shake, "James."
"A pleasure, I'm sure. I'm the ship's lookout, why don't you join me?"
"Alright, just hold on a sec."
James finished his task before making his way back to the nest an hurdling over the railing.
"So Ken, what's this ship all about?" He asked.
"You don't know?"
"No."
"We're pirates."
"Really?"
"Sure as the north wind blows."
"Huh. So you steal goods from merchant ships?"
"How else would a pirate make his living? Course, now a days it's hard, what with most countries ferrying most of their valuables via airship. We used to have one ourselves, but those violent savages took it for themselves when they raided our refuge." Ken explained to the human.
"That so?"
"Oh sure, the skipper was furious. Captured a few of them in the escape, he did. Though he slew the lot of them in a fit of rage."
"Harsh."
James spent the next few days rigging lines and swabbing the deck. He even spent some time working down in the galley. He earned his his keep and even got his pistol back once the Captain felt he could trust the human and his strange gadgets. He even gave James his own cutlass. James was grateful for it and immediately took a liking to the versatile weapon. Every day he would practice sparing with it against Ken. He became quite proficient with it and earned a spot as one of the ship's Masters at Arms, helping keep the peace among the crew.
One foggy night he was standing watch on the port side of the bow, gazing into bleary darkness. His thoughts began to wander and he soon found himself thinking of his new home. What his friends were doing. What Dash was doing. He'd probably get a beating when he got back. James laughed at the thought. Then his mind went to darker areas. His one sided conversations with Kraster. The points he had made.
"I know that stare."
James looked over his shoulder to see Captain Easton walking up.
"Aye, that'd be the gaze of true fighter, a killer even." The skipper continued, "that's the stare of somepony that has seen more of his fair share of death. You're not the simple sailor ye claim to be."
*sigh* "Yes Captain. I'm afraid that's correct."
"Buck up lad. We all have our ghosts. The best we can do is make our peace with them." The old sailor said solemnly.
"What if you did something so horrible, that even under given circumstances you find it utterly inexcusable?"
"Lad, ye must not try to rationalize it. Death is an irrational thing. I've found that as long as ye do it for the right reasons; defense of yourself, of others, then it's not somethin' ye should be beatin' yourself up over. Killing for the sake of killing or for the sake of greed or lust, aye, detestable those acts would be. Ne'er ye shall be sorry for doing what must be done."
"Thanks Cap, I'll keep your words in mind."
"'Twas my pleasure. All tortured souls deserve some manner of--"
A blindingly bright light suddenly shined down upon their vessel from above, sending both of them diving for cover. Black ropes whipped down to the deck, quickly followed by several ponies in dark dress and armor. Captain Easton galloped over to the ship's bell and began to sound the alarm.
"To arms, to arms, get up ye lazy sea rats! We be needin' to repel boarders!
Ken was one of the first to emerge from below decks, sword at the ready. He was soon followed by a gang of the ship's crew who immediately engaged the intruders. James was stupefied, rooted in place, until he was rushed by one of the masked assailants. James drew his cutlass and began to block blow after blow. The fighter lashed out with several quick strokes of a short sword and began pushing James back towards the edge of the deck.
They fought for a few minutes until James saw an opening and swung his sword low, bashing the stallion in the foreleg. The blade bounced off fine armor, but it still swept the support of the limb out from under his opponent. James immediately brought the blade to the stallion's neck and removed the mask. Flash blinked at him.
"Flash!?"
"James!?"
"What are YOU doing here!?" They both exclaimed in unison.
"We've spent the last few weeks looking for you!" Flash yelled.
"I escaped not too long ago. I'll go into details later, but first we have to stop this fight."
James helped up his friend and strode to the middle of the deck.
"ALL OF YOU STAND DOWN! This is Commander James Kaughn of the RSTG, lower your weapons!" The human roared.
All the fighting stopped almost instantly, the combatants standing around in stunned silence.
"What manner of trickery be this!?" Captain Easton demanded.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I didn't think you'd--"
"What, ye didn't think I'd like knowin' we had a dog of the crown in our midst? Did ye set this all up, tryin' to catch an old stallion off guard?"
Ken quickly came to the human's defense, "Captain, he's been nothing but helpful to us. I don't think--"
"Shut your muzzle or I'll have lashes awarded to ye!"
James started to speak again, "Captain, you have my apologies, this is not what I intended. It's true I was captured and escaped from that island. Right now, there are many innocent souls in danger and I need to get back to my superiors. I'm going to order my soldiers off and go. You'll never have to see us again."
The ship captain glared at James with narrowed eyes filled with the hate that can only be forged by a broken trust, "Fine, then go. But if I ever see ye again, it won't be under a white flag, that ye can be sure about. Cryin' shame, it is, ye be a capable sailor."
"Thank you sir. I'm sorry we have to part ways like this."
Down from the heavens, the Clipper descended and came along side the large sailboat. Some of the deck ponies ran a brow over to the open side door, allowing James, Flash and the rest of the assault squad to cross. Inside the cabin, Feather and Sparks were waiting, looks of disbelief upon their faces.
"The hay have you been!?" The engineer asked in shock.
"Long story. Right now, we need to get back to Canterlot as fast as possible."
"I hear ya boss, it's good to have you back!" Myst yelled from the cockpit.
"On top of things, like always. Glad to see you Myst." James replied.
After the last operative crossed, the brow was pulled back onto the Luna's Revenge. James looked down at the ship as they pulled away, her wrathful Captain never taking his eyes from the human.
"They should all be locked up." Sparks said at his side.
James watched the ship receding into the distance as Myst fed power to the engine.
"They aren't that bad. Besides, we may need their help in the future."
"What? Why?"
"I'll fill you all in soon. I'll tell you what though, the future doesn't look too good for us."
Chapter 39: Confrontation With The Heart
After traveling all night and through most of the next day, the task force finally arrived at the nation's capitol. James immediately stormed straight to the castle, barging past any guards that tried to bar his way. Shouts were heard and threats of arrest were made, but these were quickly silenced by the entourage that followed close behind him. Celestia was hosting a full court when the human shoved the large throne room doors wide open. Gasps and expressions of shock made their rounds around the room of dignitaries at the sight of his entrance and disheveled appearance.
"Princess Celestia, we have to talk." James said sternly.
"Commander, I am glad to see that you have returned and are well, but this is highly irregular and I must ask you to--"
"My apologies ma'am, but this is highly important." James interrupted, "I need to talk with you, Captain Armor and Admiral Darkwing. Now."
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"... and that's what we're up against here. There is an invasion force staged somewhere in the seas to the west. Possible landing areas include the steppes north of Van Hoover, the coast just south of the Smokey Mountain and the San Palomino Desert. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say the two most likely choices would be the first two. The Steppes would be easier to navigate than White Tail Woods, but the Smokey Mountain site would allow them to advance more quickly to the capitol and end the fight faster."
The two Princesses, the Captain and the Admiral studied the spots on the map that the human had marked off with expressions of deep concern covering their faces.
"Is there any way we can hit them first?" The Admiral asked.
James looked over his shoulder, "Myst..."
The foggy gray unicorn stepped forward and began tracing lines on the map, "During our search, we came to the coast at the Smokey Mountain via Unicorn Range. That's where we lost the trail. We spent the next weeks going north and south along the coast, intercepting any suspicious vessels on the ocean. Four carried hostiles. This is where we found them;" she marked spots off the coast from the desert all the way to the Frozen North,"the boarding parties reported scant supplies on board indicating these were short range patrols."
When she finished, she went back to her place with the rest of her team. As she passed James whispered, "Good job," then he addressed the rest of the counsel.
"From what I've been told, the island I was incarcerated on was only one of many. Our opponent is smart, he's scattered his assets so that if one spot gets hit, the vast majority of his operation will survive." James informed them.
"You said 'he', do you know who's responsible for all this?" Shining Armor inquired.
"Yes, I do."
"Then who is it?"
"I don't want to say yet. Ma'am," James looked to Celestia, "I'd like to speak with you before I divulge that information."
"Very well, Commander." She replied.
Luna looked up from the map, "Commander, from what you have seen, how long do you think we have before our enemy takes action?"
"I'm sorry ma'am, but I can't say for sure. It could be a few months, it could be a year. The best we can do is try and locate our enemy's resources and in the meantime, prepare to defend the country."
Celestia gazed around the room and in an authoritative voice proclaimed, "Very well, we shall mobilize at once. Luna, Captain Shining Armor, please see to it that the Guard is informed and ready for tasking. Commander, please come with me."
The room's occupants set to their tasks, Shining Armor and Luna went out a side door, followed by Admiral Darkwing and James' team. James, on the other hand, followed Celestia as she left through the door behind her, entering a long hallway the almost went the length of the castle. She led him up a tall spiral staircase to an area of the castle James had never been to before.
Together, they walked down a long passageway lit with sunlight through intricately wrought and colorful stained glass windows on either side. James studied them as they passed by. He saw depictions of Equestria's past. Celestia and Luna arriving to the land, the two sisters defeating some strange dragon looking thing with body parts from multiple animals, Luna's fall into darkness and subsequent imprisonment, the return of Nightmare Moon and her redemption at the hooves of six very familiar ponies.
James stopped and stared at the window, "Ma'am, are these..."
"Yes James. And please, while we're here, you can drop the formalities."
"Yes ma- uh... ok."
"Yes, these are your friends. For the past few years, they have been the defenders of our nation, especially with threats that dealt with matters of the heart. They are the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and you'll need their help." The solar princess explained to him.
"I'm sorry, but this isn't a 'matter of the heart', this is war. Unless there's an element that can cure death, I want them far away from all this."
"I don't mean for them to fight like you do. Rather, you'll need their help in your battle against yourself."
"Princess..."
"James, you are not well. Your heart is fractured. You lie to yourself, you may be quick to laugh, but rarely is it sincere. You show kindness to others, yet are filled with such hatred. You give all of yourself to the point that it does more harm than good. You've lost the magic of a positive outlook. Your only redeeming aspect is your fierce loyalty to those you care about."
James just stood there, at a loss for words. In a single masterful stroke of a verbal blade, she had cut him straight to the core. His mouth acquired an angry scowl. The human's hands balled into fists as they began to shake. Remembering who he was with, James calmed himself down, however, his right hand continued to tremor.
He started to turn to leave, "If you'll excuse me ma'am..."
"James, stop!" Celestia demanded with all the authority of one befitting her post.
The human halted in mid step.
"You shall not run away from your insecurities this time, you will stand and face them! I'm sorry I must be so coarse with you, but the lives of my subjects are at stake and I need you at your best. You need to get help. Please don't make me order you again, but I will if I have to."
Whipped around violently to face the large regal mare, "Fine. What do you want me to do then, huh? See some condescending shrink who'll tell me that it's all in my head? The last time I talked to one, he almost declared me unfit for duty! Almost took away my job, my friends, the only real family I had!"
Suddenly, Celestia's voice took on a softer tone and her eyes projected a warm kindness, "James, that is not what I want at all. The only thing I want you to do is return to your home. Spend time with your friends. You have been a great service to my country and its subjects, but you have done enough for now. Go rest and enjoy life a little. We shall keep the watch."
"And if there is an attack?"
"You have trained many capable ponies, they should be able to handle anything short of an all out invasion on their own. Go now and find your peace."
James bowed his head in thought, eyes gazing forward, yet focused on nothing. Then he slowly raised his head to give his reply.
"Fine then, I will."
"Good. Now please, tell me who is responsible for the plight of my ponies?"
"It turns out I'm not as alone as I once thought. His name is Kraster. John Kraster. He was trained by the same government as I was and in the same ways of combat. He is a very dangerous man." James warned.
"How so?"
"First you have to understand something. In my profession, fewer than twenty five percent of the people who make it to retirement do so without any serious mental issues. They may appear fine and interact with others fairly well, but they still have problems. Kraster is not part of that number."
"What do yo mean by all this?"
"What I'm telling you is that he's lost his grip, he let's his violent nature run free without restraint."
"Is that how you got your new scar?" Celestia asked while eyeing the two thick four inch long lines that ran parallel on opposite sides of the human's forearm.
James gripped his arm with his right hand, covering the scars, "Yes, it is. He described torture to me as something of a sport for him."
Celestia looked absolutely horrified, "That's terrible!"
"Yes, and this man has an army under his control." James said seriously.
"Then we must be extra vigilant. Such a twisted mind can be unpredictable. Thank you, James. We have much work to do. Now please go and return home, we shall contact you if the need arises. Oh, and just one more thing," magically, she produced an ornate envelope, "please take this with you, as a gift."
James reached out and took it, stowing it in a pocket on his borrowed shorts.
"Thank you ma'am." He stood at attention before saluting and tuning on his heel and striding back down the spiral stairs.
With quick steps, he made his way back through the castle. In no time, he was in the main corridor leading back to the grand foyer where his team was patiently waiting. As he strode into the room, they all got up from where they had been sitting and lined up at attention.
Sparks stepped forward, "Orders, sir!"
James looked at each of them. They all looked ragged and exhausted. Baggy red eyes, uniforms ripped, manes a mess. From what he had been told, they'd rarely slept a wink while they had been searching for him. Even during the entire time they'd been here at the castle, they'd stayed awake and alert.
"Guys... let's go home."
They all seemed a bit confused at James' words, expecting to be tasked with some difficult assignment. However, not one of them said a word in reply, instead just nodding slightly, shoulders slumping subtly as the finally relaxed. Myst led them all back to the Clipper where they boarded and began preparations for departure. The sun in the west began its march towards the horizon as the engine spun up. The three stallions took their seats right next to each other, leaving an entire fold down bench for the human. James plopped down onto it and swung his legs onto the bench, understanding what they were doing.
James let the vibrations and gentle movement of the craft as it took off lull him into a drowsy state. Then, even though it was still cold, he gently dropped into a dreamless sleep.
=====================================================================
About an hour later, James was woken with a soft shake. He sat up and was slightly surprised when a parka slid off his torso. He gave his eyes a rub and looked around.
"We're home." Feather said from his side.
James swung his legs to the deck and hopped out of the small aircraft. He began to sluggishly plow through the deep snow to the ready room and his locker.
"Uh... boss? You need us to do anything?" Myst inquired of him.
James looked back over his shoulder to see all four ponies standing tall and waiting for instruction in the cold dark of night.
"Just... go home for now. Rest up and take some time off, that comes down from the Princess herself. I'll find you If I need you."
Then he resumed his trek. Behind him, the four ponies just shrugged and parted ways. James entered the building and opened his locker. Inside was a couple sets of uniforms, his cold weather gear -- which he removed -- and some tools for cleaning his equipment. He donned the warm clothes and retreated into Sparks' workshop where he took out his pistol and began stripping it down. It had been exposed to sea water and the elements and needed a good cleaning before he felt confident he could use it without causing it further damage.
After reassembling his sidearm, he began to polish the rust and grime off the cutlass he had brought from the ship he had spent those weeks on. It was a fine weapon and he had decided to keep it. It wasn't a fitting replacement for his knife, but could prove to come in handy at some point. He was in the middle of honing its edge when he heard a soft knock on the front door of the building. James didn't know what time it was, but he estimated it to be pretty late by now. Thinking it was one of his teammates come to ask him a question, he grumpily pulled himself from his chair and strode to the door.
Swiftly, he grabbed the handle and pulled it open, "I thought I said go ho-- Oh, it's you..."
Standing in the snow before him was a cyan sky blue pegasus, a colorful scarf wrapped around her neck.
"Hey, I saw you guys coming back. Is it ok if I come in?"
"Uh... sure." James stepped aside and allowed her to enter. "Oh yeah," he said in sudden realization, "here, I brought this back, safe and sound." He told her, removing the small gem from around his neck and offering it to the mare.
"That's ok, keep it. You came back safe, so it must be good luck for you."
"Alright then." James returned it to where it had been hanging on his chest. "Where did you get this anyway? I don't think I've seen anything like it." He asked, examining the curious gem once again.
"That's what happens when certain gems are exposed to liquid rainbow concentrate. A long time ago, there was an accident at the weather factory in Cloudsdale and a bunch of it was spilled all across the ground below the city. It seeped into the soil and contaminated the dirt. A few years later, a treasure hunter was digging around there and found one of those. A lot of ponies started to dig up the place to find more, but it turns out they're pretty rare. Speaking of, Rarity actually found that one."
"It's pretty, I can see why she gave it to you."
Dash blushed a little, "What's with the flattery? You tryin' to butter me up for something?"
James went and sat down on the bench in front of the lockers. "Just an honest thought. I do need to talk to you though."
"What about?" Dash took a seat across from him.
He took a deep breath, "Dash, I don't think we should see each other."
The two just looked at each other for a moment, the words hanging in the air between them. Then James winced as Dash practically exploded.
"What!? Why!?" She shouted angrily, "Am I not good enough or something!? Is it because you're not a pony!? I'm sure Twilight could probably find a spell somewhere that could--"
"Dash! Please, let me explain!" James shouted over her protests.
The rainbow maned pegasus crossed her forelegs and glared angrily at the human as he began to describe his reason, "I understand you're upset, but please hear me out. First of all, I love spending time with you, really, I look forward to it. Secondly, me not being a pony isn't the issue. Plus, I'm sorry but I like my body the way it is and I don't like the idea of getting used to a new one."
James briefly paused, but Dash just kept glaring at him, so he continued, "The problem is that there's a person out there that knows what I look like and wants to hurt me. That wouldn't be much of a deal to me, but this person has no problems using the ones I'm close with to get to me. That's why. I don't want you to become a target."
"Is that really the reason?" Dash asked suspiciously.
"As Pinkie would say; 'cross my heart, hope to die, stick a cupcake in my eye.'" James promised while going through the motions.
"Well, that's not good enough!" Dash replied stubbornly.
"Dash, please, just being around me could potentially be hazardous." James pleaded.
"Don't care!" She sniffed.
James thought for a moment, trying to figure how he could persuade her to go. He knew she was as stubborn as he could be sometimes and wouldn't go without a fight. Then an idea popped into his head.
"Ok then, we'll keep seeing each other, but only on one condition." James told her.
"Oh? And what's that?"
James smiled menacingly, "You let me teach you how to fight properly. That way my mind can rest a little easier knowing you can at least defend yourself."
The weather mare smirked, "You kidding? That's it? Bring it on then, tough stuff! I'm a champ!" She proclaimed smugly.
James expression didn't change, "Oh, this ain't gonna be just some walk in the park, you're going through boot."
Chapter 40: Lazy day
*WHUMPF THUMP*
"Ah, the hell!?"
James rubbed his head and pulled himself up off the floor.
"C'mon c'mon c'mon, let's go!" Dash exclaimed in excitement while hovering in the air.
James groped for his iPod on his desk where he had left it. When he found it, he checked the time. It read 0400.
"Dash, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but don't you think it's a little early? And who let you in here?" He asked groggily.
"Flash did, and besides, you said you were gonna train me to be like you! You were up earlier than this when you trained the others!" She pointed out as she settled down on the bed she had just knocked James off of.
"Yeah, but I thought I'd take a few days rest first." James sat up, almost every muscle in his body screaming in protest at the sudden motion. After his ordeal, he was still quite sore.
"Aw, but why?" The rose eyed pegasus pouted.
James stood up and started to stretch, causing several snaps and pops to erupt from his joints and limbs.
"Ew," Dash cringed, "why does your body do that?"
James twisted and cracked his back, "It comes with the job. You get beat up and blown up enough over the years and this is what you get. Now, I'd still love to spend some time with you today, but can you at least let me get dressed first?"
Dash's face began to accrue a slight blush as her eyes migrated from his face and wandered down his body only now realizing that he was clad solely in his boxer shorts.
*POMPF*
"What's with your wings?"
Dash looked over her shoulder, "OH! Uh... I'll just wait downstairs then!" She then proceeded to hastily struggle through the doorway and down the stairs, her outstretched wings bumping into and getting caught on various objects all the way down.
James just watched as she left, absolutely puzzled at her strange body language.
"Whatever." He shrugged.
James went to his closet and threw on a pair of long pants, a shirt and finally his socks and boots before heading down to the ground floor. When he reached it, his guest was no where to be seen.
"Dash? Where you at?"
"Just a minute!" Came a reply from behind the closed bathroom door.
"Something wrong?" James concernedly asked.
"No, n-nothing! Just... hold on!"
"Alright, I hear you. Take your time in there, I'm gonna make some breakfast."
James shrugged his shoulders in ignorance again and entered the kitchen. Using just a skillet, some eggs and some veggies he quickly put together a couple of omelettes for the two of them and poured two glasses of orange juice. Just as he finished setting the small kitchen table, his blue pegasus friend trotted in to join him. James was still confused about her sudden change in behavior in relation to the peculiar way her wings had flared up, but he didn't press the issue.
The two quickly ate their meal, eager to get on with a day for which they still had no plans for. Dash was of course the first to finish. While she waited for James, she found herself studying his form again, her eyes eventually coming to rest on his left forearm.
"What happened to your arm?" She asked, pointing to the two thin scars that ran opposite each other.
Without looking up from his food James replied in a flat tone, "Accident."
"Really?" Dash didn't buy it, "What kind of accident?"
"The kind that hurts."
"James, you've tried this on me before, I know you're lying." She said dismissively.
The human put down his fork and swallowed what he had been chewing, "Fine, you really want to know what happened?"
Dash nodded in the affirmative.
"I was stabbed."
"What!?"
"Comes with the job."
"You say that too much."
"That's 'cause it's true. Don't worry though, this crazy chick gave me a good luck charm that's come in handy so far, I'll be fine."
This got a little chortle out of her, "Ok, I think I feel a little better about it now. I just wish you didn't have to leave so often."
James smiled, "well, as luck would have it, I'll be sticking around here for a while."
Dash's face lit up, "Really!?"
"Yeah, doctor's orders, you could say."
"Oh, does this mean you'll still be here for Hearths Warming Eve?"
"Uh... I guess. When is it?"
"Just over a week from now."
"Yeah, I should be here. Probably for a few weeks after that too."
"Really?" The weather mare enthused, "This is gonna be so awesome!"
=====================================================================
Later that day, James was back in his room, reading one of the adventure books that Dash had lent him. They had decided to at least go for a morning run through the snow. They were going to head into town later, but Rainbow was called into work for an emergency, something about one of her co-workers accidentally putting a hail cloud over the town square instead of a light flurry of snow.
He finished another chapter and placed a small piece of paper inside as a book mark. Going over to his pile of laundry, he began going through the pockets in preparation for washing them. He came to the pair of shorts he had stolen and was surprised when he extracted an ornately detailed envelope stamped with the royal seal from one of the pockets. James broke the seal and pulled out its contents. Inside were five tickets and a letter. Curious about what all this was for, James placed the tickets on his desk and flipped open the letter.
James,
I'm glad you have returned safe and sound from your ordeal. Inside this envelope are five tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala to be held in Canterlot this coming spring. There is one for you and each member of your team. Each of these tickets will allow entry for the recipient and one accompanying guest. In addition, I request that you get fitted for the dress uniform that is traditionally worn by members of the Royal Guard at formal events such as this. I hope to see you there.
--Princess Celestia
"Well, looks like a trip to Rarity's." James said aloud to himself.
Stashing the tickets in one of his desk drawers, James grabbed his parka and left the house for town. He spent about ten minutes trudging through the deep powdery snow when a silhouette appeared at the top of the next hill. As it grew and acquired detail, James could see that it was Sparks on his way back from a grocery run, his back laden with bags. The human broke into a lazy jog to intercept the engineer.
"Hey, Sparks!" James waved.
The rusty colored stallion halted as James ran up to him.
"What's up? You need something?"
"Yeah, just a question."
"Shoot."
"In the Corps., do you guys wear dress uniforms?" James inquired.
"Dress uniforms? Well uh, yeah, sometimes. What's the occasion?" Sparks asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'll let you know later. I'm heading into town to get mine right now, later I'm gonna need you to show me how to wear it properly, sound good?"
"Yeah, sure. Just come find me when you get it."
"Alright, thanks bud."
The two parted ways and continued on their separate tasks. James got to Rarity's in due time. He talked to her and it turned out that she still had his measurements from when she had first constructed clothes for him. However, she told him that the dress uniforms for the Royal Guard were traditionally done by a shop up in Canterlot. She assured him that she could simply send them his measurements and she'd have the finished product delivered to his house.
Confident that the matter would be taken care of, James took his leave and started off for the town square. He thought he might surprise Dash and they could get a bite to eat. It had been a few hours since she'd left so he figured she would be finished by now. James entered the square and began looking around for her. It looked like an easy enough task to him given the fact that the area was strangely devoid of the usual market traffic. In fact, it was down right barren.
Then he remembered why she had had to come down here in the first place, "Wait...."
Suddenly, he was tackled to the ground as a large round white object smashed into the spot he had just been standing. James opened his eyes to see a bright pink mare standing over him.
"Wowee, that was close! You know, you really shouldn't be walking under hail clouds like that, you might get - *GASP*" her tail began to go berserk, "TWITCHY TWITCH!"
Pinkie gripped the collar of James' parka in her teeth and began violently dragging him across several yards before stopping under the awning of a near by house. Almost as soon as they were under the shelter, fist sized chunks of hail began to fail from the sky in a lethal shower.
"Thanks Pinkie, you damn well saved my life there." James said gratefully as he stood up and began to brush the snow from his clothing.
"It was no biggie!" She beamed.
"How'd you know that was going to happen, Dash fill you in?"
"Nope, it was just my Pinkie Sense!"
"Right... anyway, have you seen her around?"
"Probably up in the sky." She said as she bounced off to Sugarcube Corner.
"Uh, ok..."
She left the human under the awning and scratching his head as she bounced around, still somehow dodging several falling chunks of ice. Chalking it up to Pinkie being Pinkie, James just sat down against the wall of the house and waited for the hail to stop. It was almost ten more minutes before it finally did. As the rain of damaging objects came to a halt, James peeked out from under the awning and took a tentative step out into the open. When nothing else came screaming down from overhead, he strolled out into the open and decided to make his way towards the market. He barely walked twenty feet when something came screaming down from overhead.
"LOOK OUT!"
James was slammed hard in the back and was sent tumbling through the snow with the object that had struck him. When his body finally came to rest, several bruises he had forgotten about painfully re announced their presence. What's more, his limbs were now entangled with those of what ever or who ever had struck him. He once again opened his eyes, only this time all he got was a face full of blue feathers.
"Uh Dash, what's going on?" He asked the pegasus on top of him.
The wing in his face folded down and the weather mare turned her head to look over her shoulder at him.
"Oh, sorry about that. This clouds been kind of a hassle. Just gimme a sec, I'm almost done."
She pulled her legs from his limbs and pushed off his chest with a loud whoosh. James watched as she shot into the low hanging clouds and vanished. After a few moments of waiting, she finally returned. She appeared a little haggard, her already messy mane sticking out at odder angles, but from her confidence, he could tell she had been successful at her task.
"Rough day?" He asked her with a smile.
"Yeah, but nothing somepony like me couldn't handle." She boasted.
"I'll bet. So, you wanna go get some chow? It's on me."
"Free food? How could I pass it up?"
They both then happily set off together in search of sustenance. Not having anything else to do that day and to get out of the cold, they ended up ducking into a bar, the Hoof and Mouth. Dash grabbed a couple of seats at a table while James went to the bar to order some food. He didn't really like eating at bars, but this was more a snack than a meal, he could use a beer or two anyway. So he ordered what amounted to Equestria's version of bar food, beer battered fruits and vegetables, and brought a couple of brews back to the table with him while they waited for their food. He sat down, passed a bottle over to Dash and took a few sips from his.
"So when do we start?"
"Huh?" James looked up from his drink.
"The training, when do we start?" Rainbow ask anxiously.
"Oh. Well, we can start the PT routines now, but how about we wait until after Hearths Warming Eve to hit it hard?"
"Oh, all right." She replied grumpily. "What's PT?"
"Physical Training. It'l just be a lot of running around and conditioning, you know, push ups and sit ups. When it warms up, we'll start swimming. Doesn't have a lot of practicality in self defense, but it's a great way to tone up." James explained to her.
"Running and push ups? Ha, easy. Why swimming though?"
"Meh, it's fun and a great way to stay in shape."
"Uh, can't we just do sky diving instead?"
"For fun, sure. But you're not gonna get a good workout in by just falling through the sky. Well, except for your wings, maybe, but we're not trying to work on your wings, those are strong already."
"Uh... ok... then." She seemed a little nervous.
James picked up on this, "What, you don't like swimming or something?"
"I-It's not that, it's just..."
"Wait. Can you swim?"
"Sure I can! Just... maybe not all that well...."
"That's it?"
"What do ya mean 'that's it'?" She angrily blurted out.
"Nothing, just that if you need help, I can teach you." James offered.
"Maybe just a little help..." Dash grumbled. James just smiled and chuckled inwardly.
The bartender brought out their food which they quickly ate. Dash was hungry from getting the rogue hail cloud out of town, James from dodging the rogue hail, or rather getting dragged across the cold bumpy ground by Pinkie who was dodging the rogue hail. After finishing their meals, James walked Dash back to her house, promising her that the next day they would begin PTing together. After dropping her off, James walked back to his own residence thinking that, all in all, compared to what his days were usually like, today was a good day.
Chapter 41: New Threads
In the shadows at the back of the theater, James smiled and began to clap as the rest of the audience seated in front of him erupted into cheers and stomped their hooves in praise. The finale of the Hearths Warming Eve Pageant had just wrapped up. The human had loved it, the play had really given him some insight to Equestria's past. He honestly never would have known that all the pegasus, unicorn and earth ponies had once been as separated as some of the races back in his world during darker times, some still were. Not too long ago, during some training down in Florida, Jackson had been denied entry to a bar just because of his skin color. James had nearly trashed the life out of a bouncer that had uttered a particularly despised word towards his friend.
Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle departed the stage with the rest of their class as the audience continued to laud them for their excellent production. The curtains began to draw to a close and the audience started to file out from their seats. Taking this as his cue, James slipped out a side door and began the long walk back to his house. The night was especially chilly, his breath nearly freezing in mid air and falling to the ground in a dense mist.
He had the house to himself for the next few days, having sent all his teammates home for the holiday. It would be the first time in a long time he would be living in a quiet house. As he crunched through the snow, a light shower of the fragile ice crystals commenced their gentle fall through the air to the ground. As he walked, his ears picked up the sound of multiple hoof steps coming up behind him. For a split second, his training almost took over, urging him to assess and stop a potential threat, but fortunately he was able to suppress the feeling. Glancing over his shoulder, James spotted three mares closing the gap between them.
"Oh, hey guys. What's up?" James stopped to let Dash, Applejack and Fluttershy to catch up to him.
"We were just wondering, um, where you were going, that is.... if that's, um... ok with you." The yellow pegasus said shyly.
"Uh, yeah, I was just going home."
"Alone?" Asked Applejack.
"Yeah. Why?" James asked, turning around to face them.
"Oh dear, aren't you lonely?" Fluttershy asked him in a concerned tone.
"Nah, not really. I'm kinda used to it. Back home, we had a holiday around the same time as this one, kind of similar too, but for me it was just another day. Well, sometimes my friend, Jackson, would invite me to his place, but I always felt like I was intruding on his family."
"But nopony should spend tonight alone! Oh, sorry." The pink maned mare exclaimed.
James turned back around and resumed his walk, "Eh, it's fine. Like I said, it's just another day."
Behind him, the three mares looked at each other.
"He's lyin', I can tell." Applejack whispered.
"You think so? But why would he?" Fluttershy asked her friend.
"I dunno. RD, he's kinda sweet on ya, go talk ta him!" AJ gave Dash a slap on the rump to get her moving.
"Ok, ok! You don't have to tell me twice!" Dash snapped back.
Dash trotted forward, quickly catching up with the human.
"Is everything ok?"
James looked to his right, "Hmm?"
"AJ said you weren't being entirely truthful, what's wrong?"
"No, nothing wrong." He answered her in a calm neutral tone.
"James, she tends not to be wrong about these kinds of things. Now quit it and tell me what's up." Her tone was flat and un amused.
"Fine. I'm just not a really big fan of the holidays."
"That's not all, c'mon, you can tell me, can't you?"
James thought about it for a moment. He was never very trusting, even among his friends, but he was beginning to feel like Dash wasn't just a friend. He'd let go, just this once. A tiny bit.
"Ahhhh, it's just that..." he started to rub the back of his head with his hand, "where I'm from, the holidays were all about getting together with friends and spending time with family and... I just didn't really have all that. My parents were never really around and I was kind of a loner. That changed with Jackson and my buddies in the service."
"You miss them, don't you?"
"Yeah... for the first time, I had friends that actually seemed to care. Jackson would sometimes invite me to come with him and visit his family during the holidays. Hell, they practically adopted me, made me part of their family. It didn't really feel right to me though, always felt like I was bothering them."
"Why weren't you with your own family?"
"Ugh, don't take this the wrong way, but that's something I don't really want to get into. It... it was bad..."
As they started wrapping up their conversation, James' house was in view and just a stone's throw away. Eager to get out of the cold and the rapidly increasing snow fall, James quickened his pace.
"Thanks for walking back with me. The day after tomorrow come meet me at our training grounds on the outskirts of town, we'll get started on teaching you the basics. Well, good night."
James stepped up on the porch and unlocked the door. He began to cross the threshold, but stopped when he heard the sound of hooves on the wooden deck behind him. Turning around, he saw Dash approaching the door.
"Do you mind if I stay here tonight? The snow is really picking up." She asked him.
James looked past her and saw that she was indeed correct. It was really starting to come down, the wind was picking up and the snow was rapidly accumulating on the ground.
"Yeah, sure. Come on in. House is empty, so make yourself comfortable where ever."
"Thanks."
James let her enter and closed the door to keep out the cold. Feeling very tired, he simply left the mare to her devices and retired to his room for the night. Stepping into his room, James didn't even bother closing his door all the way, opting to just strip down to his skivvies and hop in his bed after turning off the light. Tired as he felt, he did not quickly fall asleep. Instead, he just lay there, staring at the ceiling and thinking about the conversation he'd just had. When it came to his past, James was notoriously tight lipped. Jackson nearly had to shove slivers of bamboo under his finger nails just to get him to open up even a little and that was a man who he had lived and fought with for years . So why had he so easily done so with Dash, who he had only known for less than a year?
James closed his eyes and attempted to relax and drift off into the realm of dreams, dreading what they might show him while he had a guest in the house. He was on the cusp of falling asleep when his hearing, heightened by the darkness, picked up the faint flap of wings outside his room. His door creaked open slowly. The muffled steps on the carpet made their way to where he was laying. The edge of the blanket on his right lifted up and a warm body slid in next to him. James just lay there, pretending to be sleeping. He was surprised when a warm leg went over his chest and a head nuzzled into his shoulder.
From her breathing, James could tell she fell fast asleep fairly quickly. It had been a long time since anyone embraced him like that. He'd almost forgotten how it felt. Going with the moment, he put his arm around her. Finally feeling a strange peacefulness settle into his mind and his chest, he began to drift into that restful unconscious state called sleep.
=====================================================================
"Alright, now do it again, only this time faster."
James grabbed a hold of the large sand bag and held it in place as Dash landed a flurry of blows upon it, each strike jostling him again and again. He stepped out from behind the training tool when the mare finished her combination of attacks. On the other side, she stood there panting heavily from her effort, her breath billowing out in large white clouds in the cold morning air.
"This is a lot more tiring than the workouts. Those were way easier." She said between breaths.
James smiled, "That's because instead of using only one group of muscles at a time, you're using all of them at once in conjunction with each other. That's why you strike hard and fast, the quicker you end the fight, the better."
"Got it."
"You need a rest?"
"No, I wanna keep going." The pegasus said determinedly, taking up the ready stance again.
"Outstanding, let's get to it." James said happily while retaking his place on the other side of the heavy bag.
He had her repeat the set of strikes five more times before taking a break. The rainbow maned mare went to take a seat while James fetched her some water. As he returned, he saw a white purple maned mare sitting with her, a package wrapped in brown paper and tied off with twine and a long thin box resting next to her on the bench.
"Hey Rarity, what's up?"
The fashonista turned her head at his voice, "James! Just who I was looking for! I've come by to deliver your uniform. I must say, you should look quite dashing in this outfit, all the mares will swoon at the sight of you!"
A barely noticeable expression of jealousy and annoyance flashed across Dash's face at the comment.
"What, a grizzled old man like me, all cut up and scarred? Ha, I was lucky to catch the eye of that one right there." James gestured to Dash.
"Oh stop it, you're far too modest. Any bachelorette would be so lucky to land one like you, so considerate. And you cook!"
"Ah ha ha ok, whatever you say Rarity."
"By the way, have you decided who you're taking with you to the Gala?"
"The Gala? How'd you know?"
"Please darling, we got our tickets far in advance and I see no other reason for one such as yourself to be wearing something so decorative."
"Oh. Ok. Well I figured I'd just go with Dash there."
"Uh... I was already gonna take you with my ticket." The weather mare told him.
"Ah. Alright then, I guess I'll just give away mine then."
"Really!? Would you consider giving it to me? I think I know just what to do with it." Rarity batted her eye lashes at him.
"Sure. I'll drop it off at your shop tomorrow."
"Splendid!"
James bent down and picked up the parcels, "Now if you two lovely ladies will excuse me, I have to go try this on. Dash, go ahead and take off, we'll pick this back up again the next day."
"Sure thing, see ya later." Dash replied to him.
James took off at a jog with both packages tucked under his arm. He made good time in getting back to his house. Bursting into the living room, James scanned the space until he spotted Sparks sitting in the corner reading a book.
"Hey buddy, guess what!"
The unicorn looked up from his literature, "Hmm?" He spotted the items his friend was carrying, "What're those? Hey, is that your uniform, it came in?" He put the book down and stood up.
"Yup.wanna help me out?"
"Yeah! Hold on...."
The engineer rushed upstairs to his room and returned, levitating a large mirror down in front of him. Sparks set it up against the wall and took the packages away from James, opening the square one first. Inside were neatly folded garments.
"Woah, looks like they even gave you pants!" Sparks remarked.
"What, why so surprised?"
"Well the top is the same, but we don't wear pants with the uniform."
"Yeah, that would be a bit awkward to me..."
Sparks pulled out a red wool top with a high golden yellow collar and a ton of shiny buttons going straight down the front. At the ends of the arms were cuffs the same color as the collar. Included were bits of shaped metal and a large breast plate featuring the emblem of the RSTG on it's face with two white straps running through the back of it and crossed, a darker red belt joined by a golden buckle and a nice pair of black wool slacks with a crimson red stripe running down the outsides of both legs.
The unicorn assisted James in putting on the uncomfortable uniform and arranging all the pins and buttons, finishing with the breast plate. As James looked himself over he had to admit, he looked pretty sharp. Walking over to the table, he picked up the rectangular box and began to open it.
"What's this thing?"
Sparks walked over, "That should be your ceremonial sword."
"Ceremonial sword?"
"Yeah, you're an officer. At formal events like the Gala you'll be expected to go under arms."
James removed an ornate thin straight blade with an intricately wrought cross guard. Upon closer inspection, he could see that the sword wasn't actually sharp, but in fact too dull to even cut a tissue. With it came a stylized sheath and holster to be attached to the belt.
"Unless I need to bludgeon someone to death, this thing is completely useless." James complained.
"Well of course it is, it's just a decoration."
"No, hell no, homie don't play that."
"Who's homie?"
"Not important. What is important is that I'm already wearing a stiff uniform that limits my movement, I'm not tacking on another pointless accessory." James said while ascending the stairs to his room.
"What're you doing?"
"Getting my sword!"
"Your sword? You mean that piece of crap you brought back with you?"
James came back down with the cutlass he had earned during his time on the sea. Now, instead of the rusty old piece of metal it used to be, it was a shiny well oiled instrument, highly sharpened and free of corrosion.
"Doesn't look so bad now, huh?"
"Wow, you really cleaned that up good!"
"Yup. Been spending time on it every day since I got back. Something to keep my hands occupied."
"So, you're gonna wear that instead?"
"That's right."
"Heh, I don't think the palace guards will like that."
"Meh, screw 'em. Can you do a couple of favors for me though?"
"Sure, what do you need?"
"I want you to make a sheath for the cutlass and turn my boots black."
Sparks looked at him with a smug grin on his face, "That's all?"
"Yeah."
"C'mon James, I thought you were going to give me something challenging. The sheath will take a few days, but the boots I can take care of now. Let's go."
Chapter 42: New Tool And Bad News
In the cold, still air of the forest the din of battle could be heard ringing through the trees. It was faint at first, but as you neared the edge of the trees, the clanging of swords grew in volume. In a small camp situated on the outskirts of a quaint little town, two skilled warriors fought against each other in a large circular space cleared of snow and ice. One, a rusty red stallion, was using his magical energy to swing a short sword at the head of his opponent, a nearly six foot biped armed with a well cared for cutlass.
The unicorn swung at the human's head again, but suddenly changed the direction of his strike in mid blow. The human barely caught on the flat of his blade before the short sword slammed into his left kidney.
"Oh, nice! You're getting better at this James!"
"Yeah, looks like I'll be leaving with less welts today."
"Not if I can help it!"
Sparks resumed his attack, trying desperately to land a blow on his sparring partner. The two exchanged a flurry of blows, driving each other back and forth across the patch of hard packed earth frozen the winter cold. Then, without warning, a white snowball encased in an electric blue aura came whipping through the air, slamming into James' face and temporarily blinding him. James jumped back and swung wildly, trying to deflect the blow he was positive was driving straight towards his body. He succeeded in warding off two blows, but as he finally began to regain his sight, he felt a sharp sting across his ribcage.
"Ah, cheater!" James exclaimed, rubbing the now sore spot on his chest.
"Weren't you the one who taught me there's no such thing as a fair fight?"
"Ah yes, I taught you well."
"That you did. At least you're getting better. You just seem a little uncomfortable with that sword.'
"Yeah. It's got great balance and it feels like an extension of my arm, but... eh, it's just not the same. Honestly, I miss my knife." James confessed in a slightly depressed tone.
"Oh, do you?"
Sparks trotted over to his bag, which was sitting on a bench near by, and retrieved a sixteen by four inch rectangular box. He trotted back over and and offered it up to his human friend.
"Happy birthday brother!"
James looked at his friend with an expression of bewilderment, "How the hell did you know? I didn't tell anyone!"
"Well, when you went missing after that botched op a few months ago I found your iPod under a bench in the Clipper. I hope you're not mad, but I looked through some pictures that were on it and saw some labeled with today's date that looked like birthday parties. By the way, there was some weird stuff in there. Why did you have a cake shaped like.... well, they were like what mares got, only they were big, round and hairless."
"Oh, you mean tits!"
"Uh.... I guess, yeah. So that's what's on those human females in the other photos?"
"That's right."
"Huh. Kinda weird how they're not, like, down there like a mare's."
"Uh... sure."
"Well, aren't you going to open your present!?"
James looked at the box in his hands, "Yeah, yeah. Just do me a favor and keep the fact that it's my birthday on the down low."
"What!? Why?"
"I've just never liked being the center of attention. It makes me uncomfortable."
"Ok, you got it. I'll pass it on to the others."
"Oh, c'mon, you told them too?"
"James, shut up and open your present."
"Alright, alright."
James removed the top of the box and peered inside. Slowly, his eyes went wide and bright and a large shit eating grin appeared on his face. Out from the box he pulled a large knife in a long black sheath. The handle was four inches long and covered in textured black rubber. Gripping the sheathe in one hand and the handle in the other, James slowly extracted a long thin twelve inch long, two and a half inch wide black blade. The sharp edge started at the hilt and ran strait and true to the tip where it slightly curved up into the lethal point.
"Holy shit, this is awesome! Did you make this yourself?"
"As a matter of fact, I did." Sparks stated cockily, why don't you give it a try? I already put the temporary dulling spell on it."
James' shit eating grin transformed into a wicked smile, "Don't mind if I do!"
The human tossed aside all his equipment except for the knife and jumped back into a ready stance, handle in his fist, blade pointing out away from the right side of his right hand, left hand raised up in front of his chest. Across from him, his quadruped opponent lifted his own weapon with his magic. They both circled each other, trying to read their body language and anticipate an attack. Then Sparks lunged forward, striking at the human's left thigh. James side stepped it and stabbed at the unicorn, but had to quickly retreat when the sword came swinging down at his left shoulder. James caught the sword on his new knife at the sword's hilt. Moving quickly, James grabbed the sword's handle with his left hand and yanked it out of the magical aura, spinning around to bring his knife to Spark's neck.
However, the stallion ducked the slash and stepped past the human's guard, kicking low at his legs. James jumped above the kick and attempted to bring the short sword down on the unicorn's head. Sparks leaped aside and kicked the sword out of James' hand as it struck the cold ground. Sparks immediately caught the blade with his magic as it tumbled across the ground and started swinging it at his opponent. James dodged each swipe with amazing dexterity before finally savagely swatting aside the weapon with such force that it sent a tingle up his arm. Sparks responded by pulling back the sword and launching it in a brutal stab at the human's chest. James got a running start and propelled himself into the air, splitting his legs and allowing the blade to pass uncomfortably close to his crotch. With a vicious war cry, James landed next to the stallion and swatted him on the flank, hard.
"HYAAAA, HA HA HA!"
"OW! Dammit, that smarts!"
"Yes! Got your ass! Literally! Damn I feel great! This thing is perfect brother, thank you!"
"Glad you like it buddy...." Sparks said while wincing and rubbing the spot James had struck him, "ugh, I won't be able to sit for a week."
"Ha ha, sorry about that. C'mon brother, let's go find the others, drinks on me."
=====================================================================
/Looking for some action,
Nothing short of bad.
I need a quick reaction
'Cause it's late in the evening./
James looked over to the pegasus standing next to him, excited yet breathing calmly in his full face mask as the song began to play through their headphones. She smiled at him, her mouth was covered by her own mask, but he could see it in her eyes. Together, they stepped up onto the guard rail and balanced themselves, staring over the edge ant the distant ground far below.
/Radar radar radar, rider!
Radar radar radar, rider!/
As the chorus kicked on, they both kicked off rail. James swung himself into a lateral spin while Dash barrel rolled down past the side of the Clipper. As they sped past the side door, a coal black pegasus with a giggling pink mare strapped to his front and a chute on his back tumbled out after them.
/On the streets it's like a crap game,
You take the roll of the dice.
Put your money on a hard way,
Hoping something looks nice./
To the beat of the drums and the wailing guitars, James and Dash began performing aerobatics together, thoroughly enjoying their time with each other high above ground. They laughed as they tried to one up each other with complicated tricks. James just finished one he particularly proud of, he spun on a diagonal axis while twirling his whole body, when a warm mass slammed into him and he felt his torso being embraced, it was Dash. He returned the embrace and looked into her eyes as they whirled through the freezing air at terminal velocity.
The remained like this for a few seconds before separating. James flared his limbs and Dash her wings, allowing Flash and Pinkie to catch up. The bubbly party mare was having the time of her life while James could see that Flash was a little more than uncomfortable, James noticed that his friend was constantly shuffling his wings under the straps in a subconscious attempt to free them and fly. They were still some ways from the ground, but James went ahead and sent Flash the signal deploy the chute for his sake, doing the same with his own shortly after.
James pulled away and flared his chute to get up and above the tandem jumpers and laughed when he saw the pegasus struggling with the pink earth pony who was flailing in ecstasy at her first skydiving experience. Dash pulled up alongside him, mask dangling freely from her neck. James now noticed that they were at a much lower altitude, the cold of the air not as biting as it was higher up, so he removed his own and clipped it to his harness.
"How you feelin' there, champ?" She inquire of him.
James looked her in the face and smiled, "You know, just... happy. I just feel good. I haven't had one of my episodes in a long time. Thank you."
"For what?"
"Just being you. Being here. Being here and being you."
Dash laughed a little at his comment, "What, are you drunk?"
"No, but I think I saw Flash take a shot before strapping up to Pinkie!"
"Ba ha ha! Yeah, she did nearly squirm out of her harness in joy!" Dash chortled.
Together they all floated lazily down to the cold white earth. Every once in a while, James and Flash would execute some tight turns to the amusement of their two companions. As they neared touch down, James could see a small purple form waiting on the steps of the HQ building. Gently, they all alighted on the ground and began to shed the harnesses and reel in the parachutes. James talked to Flash as Pinkie bounced over to Twilight with Dash.
"You looked a little shook up there buddy, what gives?"
Flash snorted in annoyance, "I just don't like not being able to control my own flight. The harness kept chafing my wings the whole way down."
"Ha, I kinda know how you feel. My first jump was a little messy. For some reason I just couldn't stop spinning, they almost failed me because of it."
"Hey James...."
The human turned around to see all three mares walking up to the two of them, Twilight being the one calling for his attention, a concerned look upon her face.
"Yeah, what's up?" He asked her.
"I need to talk to you about something important."
"Alright, go ahead."
"Privately."
This was strange and disconcerting to James. Twilight had never asked to speak with him in private before, thoughts of possible scenarios began to race through his mind.
"Ok... we can use the ready room."
"Lead the way."
James quickly rolled up his parachute and walked up to the entrance to the building housing the ready room, holding the door open for the lavender colored unicorn. He closed the door behind himself and made his way over to the mare who had taken a seat at one of the desks that were still in there.
"So what seems to be the problem, was there an attack or something?"
"No, I've just been doing some research in my spare time and found some... strange things in relation to you and everything that's been happening."
"Uh huh... what about?"
"Certain things about your arrival here and those things that showed up and started attacking everypony."
James felt like a dense cold stone dropped into the bottom of his stomach as his mind pondered what she had just said.
"So you know how I got here and where the Lotkin came from?"
"Not exactly. Those things you call the Lotkin were actually natives here, back before Tartarus was sealed off and set under the guard of Cerberus."
James' mind did a flip in his head as he processed this new information, "Wait, what? Ok, in all the historical carvings I've seen and everything you guys have told me, I have never heard of this before."
"I know, this info was extremely hard to find, I spent many nights in the Starswirl The Bearded section of the Canterlot Royal Archives to piece it all together. They were here thousands of years ago, long before Equestria ever even existed, before even Discords reign over the land. From what I could find, they settled this area, hunting and battling amongst each other, but were driven from their lands by an over population of dragons, burning and slaughtering all in their path. They were forced into the dark lands of Tartarus. I'm sure they planned to return when it was safe again, but by then Tartarus had been sealed off and established as a holding area for vicious and evil creatures."
James paced back and forth, considering everything she had just told him, "Ok, that's pretty heavy. What does this have to do with me appearing here?"
"Well, not so much you as the other human you mentioned. Whatever caused you and him to be transported to our world also tore holes in the fabrics of space, time and magic. Whatever magic was in place in the area you appeared would be severely weakened by these tears. In addition to this, due to the way our world is so intertwined with magical forces, the environment around the location of these tears would begin to deteriorate catastrophically."
"So, what, you think Kraster may have popped up in or near Tartarus or something?"
"My thoughts exactly. It's my hypotheses that he arrived somewhere near the border of Tartarus, weakening the barrier in place around it and allowing those creatures to slip through. We must plug this hole, so to speak, before anything else gets out." The purple unicorn told him in a serious tone.
"Ok, so how do we go about doing that?" James quandered.
"Well, as to that, there's a catch."
Alarm bells started going of in the human's mind, "What kind of catch?"
"There are only two ways I can think of to repair the tears. One is to send you both back through at the locations where you entered this world."
"Which I've been told time and time again is completely impossible, what's the second?"
Twilight closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before letting it all out, "You die."
Chapter 43: Unexpected Guest
Myst dropped off the group of ponies and one human in a clearing where they tramped through the forest to the location where they had first discovered James. As they drew near the clearing a large translucent magenta bubble covering the area. The group marched up to where the bubble met the frozen icy ground. Together they all peeked inside and surveyed the clearing.
The damage was horrific. Everywhere, the scenery seemed to be melting slowly. Rocks, snow, dirt and trees alike were melding into each other like a great melting pot. The entrance of the cave he had used as a shelter was sagging and drooping towards the ground.
"What in tarnation is goin' on here!?" Applejack exclaimed
"Holy shit, is this what you were talking about Twilight?" James asked her.
"Oh my, all the poor plants and animals," Fluttershy softly said sadly, "Twilight, is there anyway we can help?"
"I'm afraid not Fluttershy. This barrier I put up is the only thing keeping it contained and even then, I have to return every once in a while to renew the spell."
"Twilight, I am so sorry about burdening you with this." James apologized.
"It's ok, there was no way we could know this would happen."
"Just one question though. Why is this happening here, but no where else? I mean, I found plenty of other items in the forest before, but nothing like this was happening near them."
"I don't know, I just don't know James."
"Is there any way we could stop or reverse it? Besides the other option we discussed."
"I'm sure there must be some kind of spell, but if there is it'll be extremely difficult and there's no guarantee it would last."
"Well, we have to try."
"Yer darn tootin' we do. Twi', do ya think ya could find somethin' ta help? There's no tellin' what could happen if this spreads."
"You're right AJ. Everypony, I think I need to make another trip to Canterlot."
Rarity started positively beaming, "Ooh! I'll go with you! I just must get my hooves on some more choice fabrics, among other things."
"Rar', ya ain't gettin' no fancy idears like last time, are ya?"
Rarity was taken aback at the farm mare's question, "Applejack... well... I never! The very thought!"
"Jus' checkin', heh heh heh."
Before they left, Twilight renewed the barrier spell to make sure it would be secure until the next time she could visit. Then together, they walked back to the Clipper. As they all piled in, Myst spun up the engine and took to the sky. As they flew back to Ponyville, James sat down with them to have a little chat.
"Girls, I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I need you all to do me a favor."
"Aw shucks, jus' name it."
"I want you guys to keep this from RD, I don't want her to worry."
The four mares just looked at him in an appalled silence.
"Hun, I understand yer reasons, but that ain't a good idea sugar."
"Why, that's absolutely ghastly."
"James, um, please listen, uh, I mean, if that's ok with you, lying to Rainbow Dash wouldn't be very nice. I think you should just tell her."
Twilight stepped in, "Fluttershy's right James. You should just come clean with her. She'll be more upset if you lie to her and she finds out on her own."
James looked down at the deck dejectedly, "Ughhh... alright. But I do it myself and on my terms, none of you are allowed to jump the gun and warn her, ok?" He asked kindly.
"You have our word." Rarity promised.
"Pinkie Promise."
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in our eye..." They said in unison while going through the motions.
"Myst?" James called to the cockpit.
"Don't worry about me boss, I'll consider it an order." She replied.
"That's why I love ya sister. So we are all in agreement?"
They all nodded.
"Outstanding. Myst, why don't you go ahead and drop me and AJ off in Ponyville before taking Twilight and Rarity to Canterlot. I'll throw in a bonus for you, drinks on me when you get back."
=====================================================================
"...and so that's where we stand on the issue. This guy Kraster is now an HVT, if he wasn't already. However, he is still highly dangerous. If he is located by any of you, you are to call it in and sit tight until reinforcements arrive. No matter how few hostiles are with him, you must always assume there are more out of sight near by. Now, are there any questions?"
James was standing on a high stage in a large auditorium in the castle of Canterlot, concluding his briefing to the whole of the RSTG, save one team whose where abouts he was currently unaware of. He had gone against Celestia's wishes in informing them all of the dire situation. In his opinion, he felt that these would be the soldiers bringing the fight to the enemy, so they deserved to know everything about them. Not a single stallion raise their hoof at James' askance for questions, so he decided to wrap it up.
"Outstanding, now return to your divisions and remain alert. We will have nine different patrols on task at all times with three in reserve. You will all rotate out of your patrol patterns once a month, that's three on, one off. Your team leaders have the maps, dismissed."
All the ponies stood up and began to shuffle out of the lecture hall, murmuring to each other about what they had just heard. James exited through a side door by the stage and began walking back to his castle quarters that Princess Celestia had assigned him to begin packing for his return trip to Ponyville. He was eager to get back as Spring was only just around the corner and the girls had been explicit in insisting he be home for something they called 'Winter Wrap-up'.
From what he could discover, it was the time of year that all the townsfolk of Ponyville chipped in and helped clean up all the snow and such in order to allow the season to change into Spring. James was still amazed at how involved the ponies were in the cycle of the weather and the seasons.
As he closed the distance to his room, James felt as if he was being watched. While keeping his pace, the human looked over his shoulder to check the passageway behind him. Nothing. Shrugging it off, James continued on, reaching the door to his room in short order. As he reached for the handle, he suddenly noticed that something was off. Slightly, just ever so slightly, the door was cracked ajar.
Drawing his knife, James put his back against the adjacent wall and quietly listened for any sign of an intruder. After a minute, he thought he might just be too paranoid and was about to sheathe his weapon when he heard the sound of a hoof on the wooden floor inside. Hands and weapon up at the ready, James backed away from the door, took two steps and kicked the door wide open on the third.
"SURPRISE!" A bubble gum pink earth pony was jumping up and down on his bed.
Instead of a room full of enemies, James barged into a room full of friends. Thinking quickly, he tossed the knife in the trash can by the door and threw on a smile.
"Oh, hey everyone, I wasn't expecting you all to be here, what's up?"
Pinkie began to throw a rapid fire explanation at him, "We came to see how Twilight was doing with all her researching, sometimes she gets carried away and forgets to eat or go outside and we thought she might be lonely 'cause Rarity said she'd been in the library for the past two weeks and maybe she would like some company to ride home with 'cause she's needed for the Winter Wrap-up 'cause she's the only mmmph mmh mmmhhmm fiphim mmmfmph hmm--"
Pinkie's seemingly unending speech was brought to a halt when Applejack stuck her hoof in her mouth.
"Excuse her, she's jus' a might exited about bein' here. We're here ta get Twi' and thought we'd drop in on ya 'fore we grab 'er ta see how you was doin'."
"I hope you're not angry that we're in your room, we were just bringing some lemonade for you, that is, if you're thirsty, but if you're not, that's ok...." Fluttershy added.
"No no no, I'm glad you guys are here, it's been a long day and it still ain't over yet. Where's RD at?" James asked the three mares.
"She's busy organizin' all the pegasi fer the Wrap-up. She wanted ta be here, but itsa demandin' job." AJ informed him.
"Ah, well. I'll see her tomorrow. You all took the train here, right? Why don't you guys save some money and ride back with me in the morning, Myst'll be flying us back."
"That's mighty kind of ya, we jus' may as well do that."
"You three need a place to stay?"
"No, we'll just stay with Twilight and Rarity. *GASP* It'll be like a sleep over!" Pinkie began to bounce around.
James grabbed a bottle of lemonade off a near by table and opened it up to take a sip, *gulp* "Mmm... damn, that's good. Alright then. Thanks for the lemonade, it's delicious. Right now, I think Twi' is in the library, still, and I have a meeting I have to attend soon."
"All right then James, Ah reckon we'll go see ta Twilight, see ya later."
The farm pony led her two friends out of James' room and on to the library, leaving the human by himself. With a tired sigh, James flopped onto the bed and closed his eyes for a second. He had been in the capitol for four days now, inspecting all the teams that had been formed in the past year. He was glad to see that every single one of them were well trained and ready for tasking. He had even learned that some of them had been instrumental in dismantling a few criminal organizations in a couple of Equestria's major cities.
All in all, it had been a productive, but draining, visit and now all he had left to do was meet with his bosses, the Royalty. Fortunately, he still had almost an hour before the meeting. So, after first retrieving his knife from the trash can, he kicked his boots off and set iPod alarm for thirty minutes, James inserted his earphones, put on some Gorillaz and sank into the bed for a nap.
=====================================================================
*GASP*
He sat up in the bed, breathing heavily with a cold sweat. He had just had a dream. One of those dreams, the first one in over a month. This one was particularly bad. The damn kid had lined up his old squad mates in front of him and mowed them all down with that fucking automatic rifle. James had just stood there, helpless, somehow unable to move or even scream in rage and sorrow. The worst part, he couldn't look away from their faces, filled with accusations and betrayal, as their flesh was stripped from their bones in the onslaught of copper and lead.
James shook his head, trying to rid himself of the images, but they wouldn't leave his mind. Picking up his iPod, James saw that his alarm was due to go off in only a few minutes, which meant that his meeting was in ten. He jumped up out of bed and moved to the bathroom, checking himself in the mirror. He looked like absolute hell, the nap maybe not being such a good idea. However, he still had somewhere to be, so he splashed some water from the sink on his face and dried of with a towel before pulling on his boots and rushing out the door.
James trod quickly through the high vaulted passageways towards their usual meeting place. When he reached the large double doors, he saw two guards on duty, standing on either side. James increased his pace. When he reached the entrance one of them stepped in his path to block the way.
"Commander, please excuse me, but I've been instructed to inform you that the meeting place has changed."
"Where to?"
"Princess Celestia said that she is 'making a withdrawal'. Her majesty said you would understand what that meant."
"Alright, thank you."
Turning on his heel, James stepped off in the direction of the spiraling stone staircase the descended into the depths of the castle. On the way down, he wondered why the meeting place had been changed at the last minute, for whatever reason. As he came around the final turn, he was a bit surprised at the large number of guards stationed in front of the huge thick iron bound doors.
"Who goes there?" One of them challenged.
"Commander Kaughn, Royal Special Tasks Group. I was told to meet the princesses here." James replied.
"Enter."
The towering doors swung open on eerily silent hinges for such a large portal. James passed through and was again astonished at the amount of guards also within the secret vault, all armed and standing at the ready. The human continued all the way to the back where he had first removed the weapons from Celestia's private vault. He cut around a corner and spotted her speaking in hushed and hurried tones with her sister.
"Tia! I still think you shouldn't have gone over his head like that!"
"Luna, everything went fine, besides, the ends justified the means. These are troubled times, we must take risks to protect the citizens of our lands!"
"But what if one of them had died!? I have only spoken with this human a few times, but he does not strike me as one to take something like this lightly."
"I'm sure he will understand. From what I have gleaned from his origins, humans in his line of work make grave sacrifices all the time, it's practically in their job description."
"Shh shh, Tia, he's here!"
James strolled across the gargantuan chamber to them.
"Your Highnesses, please excuse me if I'm interrupting anything."
Celestia stepped forward to greet him, "Not at all, Commander! Please join us, we have some very important issues to speak of."
Behind her, Luna wore an expression of worry on her face.
"What is it ma'am?" James asked her seriously.
"Please, come with us..."
Both princesses of the sky led him to the far north wall of the large space to a wide passageway he had not noticed before. Marching down the corridor, James saw that here and there were side passages. In each one, he thought he could see what appeared cell doors.
"Excuse me ma'am, but is this a prison or something?"
"It once was, hundreds of years ago. But no more." Celestia explained.
"In the early years of my absence, I was told Tia tended to be somewhat.... emotional." The moon princess teased.
"Luna!"
"Hm hm hm!"
"Not funny!"
Soon enough, they came to a lone cell at the very end of the passage. It was guarded steadfastly by two members of the RSTG. A unicorn and a pegasus, members of the missing team. James recognized them both as members of Captain Alister's team.
James was alarmed at the thought of what they could be guarding, "Ma'am, what the hell is going on here!?" The human ran up to the cell and looked inside, as horrified as he was puzzled by what he saw.
"James, wait!" Celestia called after him.
In the center of the cell, sitting in an iron chair and lashed to the ground with so many chains as to obscure his view of the creatures body, was a member of the violent species he had been fighting against for the sake of the beings that lived in this peaceful land. Lotkin.
Chapter 44: Unlikely Ally
"How in the hell?"
James looked at the captive creature, its head bowed and unmoving. He whirled around and faced the two princesses before him.
"How did you manage to pull this off? Besides that, why wasn't I told?"
Then he looked left and right at the stallions guarding the door. Suddenly, he had a dreadful realization, his face becoming flush with anger.
"Where is Captain Alister!?"
"James, he's fine. Just resting--" Celestia began to speak, but was cut off.
"No, Alister doesn't just rest!" He took three angry steps towards her, "I know him, he's like me, he likes to oversee things personally, he'd be here, where is he!?"
When neither Celestia nor Luna responded to his rage driven questions he turned to the two Nightstalker members behind him.
"Where's your team leader?"
Celestia once again began to talk, "James, I've asked them not to speak to you about this. Please understand, I shall explain everything to you--"
"Sir, Captain Alister is currently in hospital with Starlight and Moonfire." The unicorn responded to James.
Expressions of bewilderment blossomed on the two princesses faces when the unicorn obeyed the human's order rather than their own. James turned back around to face them.
"No, you understand! They may be your subjects, but they're my soldiers. I trained them to fight, I taught them how to survive, they are part of my family! You don't get to gamble with their lives, that's my burden! Do you fucking understand!?"
Celestia suddenly became very angry herself at his insolence, "You forget your place, human! The reason we sent them was because you trained them! Maybe if you had done a better job, they wouldn't have been so injured."
"And you forget who the fuck you're talking to!" James spat back, "Training doesn't hold a candle to actual experience. The next time you want to do something as dangerous as capturing one of those things alive with my soldiers, unless you prefer wasting lives, you come fucking talk to me first!"
With that last explosive tirade, James stormed furiously past the two goddesses and down the passageway into the large chamber of the secret vault. He paced about angrily until he spotted something in one of the adjacent side rooms. He strode over to the old beat up training mannequin and began punching it. And punching, and punching, and punching, letting loose a guttural yell with each strike. Then in one fluid motion, he drew his knife and beheaded the mannequin before burying the blade up to its hilt in the training tool's chest.
After releasing all his pent up anger, James put his back against the wall it was standing against and slid to the floor, head down, arms resting on his knees, eyes blank. As he sat there a moment and contemplated just how out of line he had been, his ears picked up the steady sound of hooves on the cold stone floor approaching him. James stood up and straightened out his uniform, preparing himself for the inevitable ass chewing he was sure to receive. When the hoof steps stopped a few feet away fro him he looked up and was surprised when instead of a wrathful Celestia, a calm Luna stood in front of him.
"Commander, I know we don't know each other well, but please forgive my sister. She is only trying to do what's best for our country." The moon princess cringed a little when she noticed the mannequin.
"No ma'am, I was out of line. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that and for that, I apologize."
"That is quite all right, Commander. Commander, may I please call you James?"
"Your the boss, ma'am, you can call me anything you'd like."
"Right then, James, those three ponies in the hospital are fine, they just suffered a few broken bones and should be up and about in due time." Luna assured him.
"I know, I just really wish she'd come to me with that task, a lot of those injuries could have been avoided."
"Trust me when I say she wanted to, but the opportunity was there and she felt you still needed some rest."
"Ma'am, I've had plenty of rest, I've had whole months of rest, I'm ready for duty."
"Really? Your appearance when you first came to speak with us earlier told me otherwise." Luna said knowingly, "I know of your condition, you had another dream, didn't you?"
"And how would you know anything about that?" James said guardedly.
"James, I too have done terrible things in my past, things that still bother me to this day. In addition, I have been studying your home culture and aspects of your world through the items and information my dear sister has amassed over the years. Your path has not been a happy one."
James strode past her and into the main chamber, picking up and looking at random items within the vault, "Yeah, it wasn't the cheeriest of rides, but there were people who had it way worse. At least I had a job with caring friends. Where's Princess Celestia? I'd like to apologize to her personally." James asked Luna, noticing that the solar princess was no longer present.
"I'm sorry, but she is a bit.... indisposed at the moment."
"I guess I'm in for it, huh?"
"Actually, you've made her quite upset. Almost immediately after you left our presence, she transported herself straight to her room and won't come out."
James was a caught a little off guard by her candid demeanor towards him, "Well, now I feel worse." He said, putting down an old faded Frisbee.
"James, If I may, I'd like to clarify a few things with you."
"I'm all yours ma'am. Shoot."
"You told us that this man, Kraster, used to be what you called a 'green beret'. In my investigations, I found that both your organizations often worked with each other and for the same country."
"Your point, ma'am?"
"Why would somepony from such a revered group of individuals be doing something like this?"
James pondered her question for a moment before answering, "Honestly, I don't know. It could be a number of reasons. He probably finally snapped. It's actually quite common in our community. Not many of us make it to retirement with all of our faculties intact, and those that do still have problems. Even I have my issues as you well know."
"Yes, the dreams. But you aren't trying to destroy a whole country on a whim." Luna pointed out.
"Well, from what he told me about himself during my time as his prisoner, he was already a violent man to begin with. Men like that don't think too rationally. The ones that do are even more dangerous."
"So how will we defeat him?"
"Well, first off, we need some Intel. And thanks to Princess Celestia's actions, we may have a viable source if our guest was close to the man somehow. I figure we should start there."
"Yes, but these ancient creatures are hardly civil, how would you communicate with it?"
"You just leave that to me, ma'am."
=====================================================================
The creature looked up from its lap as the lock of the thick door before it clicked, clanked and disengaged. The heavy door swung open to reveal a being clad in boots, dark pants and a dark t-shirt bearing an uncanny resemblance to the one that had escaped from the island fortress some months ago. The being closed the door behind it and the lock re-engaged. Then, it walked up, pulling a spare chair from the corner, and sat down.
"So, I see they've been treating you well." James started off, "mind telling me where you've been at, Kraster's plans?" He asked with a smile.
"Seraktosh akhthub!" The creature snarled back at him.
"Yeah, didn't think so. Well, I ain't gonna torture you, that's his thing, not mine. However, I have a fairly good idea about how you tick. So let's make a wager, huh?"
He pulled out a key and began unlocking and removing the numerous shackles and chains restraining the creature as it looked on in baffled astonishment with its bloodshot yellow eyes.
"I beat you, you tell me everything. I know you've been taught English. You beat me... well, you'll be on your own from there. What do you say?" The human proposed as he stepped back away from the prisoner.
For a few seconds, they just stared at each other. After a minute, James wondered if there was something wrong with the prisoner, maybe it had been struck on the head too hard during its capture. Then the beast exploded out of its chair, lunging for the human. James ducked under a swing of its muscular arm and punched it twice in the approximate area of its liver before jumping behind it and raising his guard.
The thing spun around and began swinging again, attempting to rake its claws across James' body as he ducked and blocked the savage attacks. James quickly got two jabs in to the creature's face, disorienting it for a fraction of a second, but that was all he needed. He threw a right cross into the Lotkin's jaw, knocking it to the side. He followed it up with a swift kick to its side. This time, though, the feral beast caught his leg. Then, with enormous strength, the Lotkin warrior picked the human up and threw him across the room into the door with a loud thud.
James was back on his feet in an instant and with good timing as the creature rushed him as soon as he had impacted the ground. Still a bit dizzy from the impact, James struggled to block all the incoming blows, catching a fist in his gut and a strike to the side of his head. The next thing he knew, a massive foot found its way past his guard and impacted him full on in the chest, sending him sprawling across the ground before coming to rest on his back.
Seizing the opportunity, the savage warrior charged and leaped at the downed human. However, James was prepared for this and kicked the creature in the chest with both legs, vaulting its body over his head and into the iron chair behind him where it bounced off and slammed into the ground. In a flash, James was up and on the dazed warrior, putting it in a vicious choke hold, slowly crushing its throat with his arm.
"With honor, I pass into the void at the hands of Ahrhati Khot!"
James shocked at the sudden outburst of comprehensible speech, "Holy shit, you really do know English... Well guess what, today's not the day you die."
He removed his arm from the creature's neck and dragged its massive frame to the chair, propping it up in the seat and waited for it to catch its breath. When it had, James decided to try and pry more words out of it with more gentler tactics.
"Alright, now how much exactly do you understand?"
"Do not insult me with petty words, Ahrhati Khot. Kill me and end my dishonor!" It spoke in a rough gravely voice and an accent that made it sound as if it was chewing on each word before spitting it out.
"Oh, no no no, I'm not going to kill you or even torture you. All I want is your cooperation."
"Vile, sehrot arthish, it is not the way. You have defeated me, take my life and restore my honor, Ahrhati Khot!"
"Nobody is killing anybody here. All I want is some information."
"You spare my life?"
"Er... yeah, I spare your life."
"Then I, Garthogh, am beholden to you, Ahrhati Khot, until I regain my honor in battle!" It proclaimed.
James took a few steps back and threw up his hands as if in defense, "Whoa whoa whoa, what are you talking about?"
"I am now thokrhi, your slave. I will serve you in life and join you in battle to my last days. You may slay me on your whim." The large brute slid from the chair and dropped to its knees in reverence, head bowed low.
"O.....k.... you can sit back in the chair now."
"By Ahrhati Khot's will!" It exclaimed while backing into the seat and sitting up straight.
James stood there and scratched his head at the unusual turn of events, "Ummm, shit. Alright, moving on, who or what is 'Ahrhati Khot'?"
"You are."
"Really? And what does that mean?"
"In your simple tongue? Death's Keen Sight. So many have fallen before you. You are revered by all and all seek honor at your hand."
James began to pace back and forth, frantically rubbing his head with his hands, "you gotta be fuckin' kidding me. Ok ok ok, we'll come back to that later. What did you say your name was, Garthogh? Can I call you Garth?
"I am thokrhi, you may name me as you please!"
"Cool, cool. Ok, Garth, who taught you this language?"
"Shahatrhasti Khot and his thokrha, the four legged folk."
"Who is Shahatrhasti Khot?"
"Death's Delivering Hand, the only one of your kin."
"Good, now we're getting somewhere. Can you tell me where you were captured?"
"On the borders of my homeland, far to the north."
"And where is that?"
"Present me with a map and I will show you."
"Outstanding. Please wait here, I'll be back in a moment."
James turned to the door and knocked on it with a 'shave-and-a-haircut' rhythm. The door unlocked and opened, allowing him to exit the cell. As he did, one of the guards caught a glimpse inside, seeing the prisoner unshackled and free. The guard swiftly closed and locked the door in a hurry.
"Commander, it's trying to escape!"
James turned to the frantic pony, "Stand down, he's not going anywhere. By the way, it's a he and I found out he has a name. Right now, we're going with Garth."
"Sir?"
"Yeah, I know it's strange. Listen, I need you to go get me a map."
"Which one sir?"
"The one with the largest one you got of the northern lands."
"Yes sir!"
The stallion galloped off at a rapid pace to fulfill the human's request. While he waited, James leaned up against the cool stone wall and rubbed his face. He had just found out that not only was he viewed as some kind of death god by an entire race, but that their form of worship consisted of trying to brutally murder him. At least now, he had a viable source of information to use.
"James."
He looked up to see Luna standing about ten feet away, some how having silently approached him, "Yes ma'am, what can I do for you?"
"I've just come to inform you that my sister will see you as soon as you are finished here. On that note, how is your progress?"
"Well, since we last spoke, I've been talking to him and what a talk it's been."
"He's talking? Wait, excuse me, you said he?"
"Yes ma'am. Right now, he's going by Garth and in a moment Garth will show me where he was captured on a map."
"But we already know where 'he' was captured."
"Yes, but this is something of a truth test. He's agreed to answer all my questions, but I want to see if he's for real, although I doubt that will be an issue."
"How so? You have only been with the prisoner for less that two hours, how is it he is being so forthright with you so willingly?"
*sigh* "This is where it's going to get a bit strange. We had a little fight. I ended up beating him, but when he discovered I wasn't going to kill him, he declared himself my 'slave'."
Luna looked at James with a befuddled expression, "Slave? Slavery in Equestria is unlawful!"
"You can tell him that ma'am, but I don't think he'll listen." James warned.
"Is it possible for me to... speak with the creature?"
"Sure, just let me enter first. Just in case."
"By your lead, Commander."
James turned and approached the door, accepting the key from the remaining guard. He slipped the key into the lock and disengaged it, pulling the door out and walking briskly inside. Luna followed close behind, suddenly back pedaling when she saw the prisoner seated in the chair, but completely unfettered.
"You set it free!? Why would you set it free!?"
In the chair, the grotesque warrior let out a low growl.
James leaned over to her and reassured her, "Don't worry ma'am, watch this," he faced the Lotkin warrior, "Garth, approach the princess and kneel before her." He ordered.
"By your will, Ahrhati Khot!" Garth stated as he complied with the order.
Luna watched the display in utter disbelief, "It-- He really can talk!"
"The wily mountain fox, a beast he may be, yet can posses more thought than even me..." Garth replied to the comment, lifting his head and gazing into luna's eyes.
Luna began to feel uncomfortable and backed out of the cell, "James! Please speak with me in the corridor!"
"Yes ma'am, just one moment. Garth, please retake your seat and wait here for me."
"By your will, Ahrhati Khot!"
"You don't have to say that every time I tell you something."
"By your will, Ahrhati Khot!"
"Stop doing that."
This time, Garth remained silent. Shaking his head, James stepped outside and closed the door behind him. Luna was waiting for him, something clearly on her mind.
"James, do you know what this means?" She hissed.
"It means a lot of things; we can finally get some good Intel, we can learn about a previously thought to be extinct race and we seriously can't afford to underestimate our enemies. To name a few."
"Then you understand, we must tread carefully. I want him to remain here until we know exactly what we are dealing with."
"If I may offer another suggestion..."
"Please."
"Let me take him back to Ponyville."
Luna was shocked at the mere thought, "Out of the question! Ponies might get hurt!"
"Ma'am, please hear me out."
"Very well, but do not expect me to agree."
"I'll house him and provide him with food far away from the town at our headquarters there. From what I've learned so far, his culture is very similar to an ancient one from my own world. This may give me a rare opportunity to get to know who and what we're fighting better. You saw how he followed my commands, I can forbid him from setting foot in the town or being aggressive towards any of the residences. In fact, they won't even be exposed to them. As a bonus, my team and all six elements of harmony are right there in case anything goes wrong."
James waited patiently as the lunar princess considered his proposal. For a moment it appeared as if she would shoot him down. But then to his surprise, she agreed as long as her sister would also. James thanked her profusely as the guard he had sent to fetch the map earlier returned with the item in question. With glee, James returned to his foreign guest to begin extracting more info.
=====================================================================
As he walked down the passageway to Celestia's quarters, James check his iPod for time. The banner read 0016, just past midnight. In just a few hours, he had chewed out his own boss, gotten into a fight with an experienced brawler, earned the undying loyalty and services of said brawler, learned his name and origins, struck a deal with his other boss and now he was on his way to receive his own ass chewing. He was beginning to feel sore from the fight and all he wanted to do was sleep. However, duty calls.
James strode up to the large ornate double doors to the royal chambers, a bit puzzled at the conspicuous lack of Royal Guards. With suspicious thoughts and a wary mind, he approached the left door and lightly knocked on it.
"Come in." Came a soft voice from the other side.
James turned the handle and cautiously entered the room. After closing the door behind him, he spotted the sun princess sitting at a table at the far end of the room beside two large glass doors leading out to a balcony. James marched over and placed himself in front of her at attention.
"Ma'am, I apologize for my earlier behavior. I had a lapse in my military bearing and inappropriately lost my temper towards you, I meant no disrespect."
Celestia simply smiled at him, causing James to feel uncomfortable until she surprised him with her first statement.
"I'm sorry too, James. You are right, those soldiers are your responsibility and I should have consulted you first."
"Ma'am?"
"All I wished to do was gather more information on those that would see my citizens suffer in the most effective way possible and in my inexperience, got three hard working and dedicated members of your family hurt, maybe even almost killed, and for that, I too apologize."
"Uh... I accept your apology?"
"As I do yours."
"Thank you, ma'am."
"Now, please tell me about this idea of yours is concerning our prisoner that Luna has informed me about..."
=====================================================================
An hour later, James was trudging down the passageway back to his room. Celestia had berated him for a while for even conceiving such a harebrained idea. Even so, James had convinced her to follow him back down to the vault so he could demonstrate his newfound mastery over Garth. He was still uneasy about the whole situation, but it was just something he felt he had no choice but to go with. After he showed her how dedicated Garth was to following his instructions, Celestia reluctantly agreed.
Now all he wanted to do was was kick off his boots and collapse in his bed. He only had about four or five hours to sleep before it was again time to get up and start a new day. Then, he still needed to figure out a way to get Garth into the Clipper without being seen. And then he still had to explain to the girls, get him shelter, food, water. And after that, he still had the whole Winter Wrap-up to do. James swore to himself that once he was finished, he would sleep for a whole day, uninterrupted.
James stepped into his darkened room and shut the door behind him. He shot straight for the bathroom, stripping down the whole way, hopping into the shower as soon as he got his skivvies off. After a refreshing wash, James went to his overnight bag and pulled out a clean set of boxers, freezing in place when he noticed a body sized lump under the covers of his bed he had previously overlooked on his way in. Quickly donning his boxers, James silently crept to the side of the bed, one arm wound back in preparation for either sending or blocking an attack.
On his mental count of three, he gripped the edge of the blanket with his other hand and ripped them of the bed. He relaxed when all that was revealed was the peacefully sleeping form of Rainbow Dash. it was a welcome surprise. He didn't know when she had arrived or why, but at that moment, he just didn't care. Simply glad that she was here, he cleaned up his room a little bit before gently sliding himself in next to her. Finally feeling his limbs settling down, he threw an arm over her shoulder and made himself comfortable. As he began to drift off, he was suddenly jostled when Dash flipped herself around and pulled him close in a passionate embrace which he happily returned. Then at last, hugging each other close, limbs intertwined, the two of them fell into a warm and restful slumber.
Chapter 45: Gettin' Back
A subtly spicy scent filled the human's nostrils as he gradually returned from his peaceful slumber. A faint and warm breath gently blew on his face. He opened his eyes to see the serene face of a certain sky blue pegasus mere inches from his own. James would have liked to stay just like that all day, but from the amount of light coming in through the windows he estimated it to be about seven in the morning. Unfortunately for him, it was time to get up.
Gently and carefully, he extricated himself from the tangle of limbs and pulled himself from bed, taking care not to wake his companion. As soon as he moved, he regretted it as several spots on his body where he had been struck the previous night began to painfully scream at him in anger the moment he moved. Quietly, James extracted his last clean set of clothes, getting dressed and sneaking out the door. Walking towards the stairway to the secret vault, he grabbed one of the palace staff that was trotting by and politely requested that some breakfast be sent to his room.
In good time, James descended the stairs and was admitted through the tall standing doors into the vast underground chamber. Stepping quickly through the wide passageways and to the section of the vault that housed the small dungeon, the human arrived at the cell containing the new addition to his collection of acquaintances. Though, he was a little bit surprised when he found not only Celestia, but also Twilight waiting for him as well.
"Good morning Commander, I trust you slept well?" Celestia asked of him.
"Yes ma'am. Better than I have in a while. If I may ask, what is Twilight doing here?"
"As my protegé, she has certain privileges as well as being instrumental in smuggling our guest out of the palace undetected."
James addressed the unicorn directly, "Twilight, do you know what's in there?" He asked, gesturing to the cell behind her.
"A potentially hostile being that I'm about to disguise as a pile of Rarity's luggage and help transport all the way back to Ponyville?" Was her immediate answer.
James was a little astonished at her understanding of the situation, "Yes, absolutely. So, we're ready to proceed then?"
"Yes Commander," Celestia replied, "ready when you are."
"Outstanding. Let me just go notify my pilot and I'll send someone down to notify you we're ready to on load. But first..."
Stepping past the two of them, James took the key from the guard and entered the cell. As he did so, Garth looked up from where he had been sitting and stood up straight as the human walked in.
"Garth, we're about to perform spell to disguise you so we can get you out of here safely. You are not to resist or take hostile action against any anyone unless I authorize it, understand?"
"Yes Ahrhati Khot."
"Good. Now let me introduce you to the one casting the spell, Miss Twilight Sparkle. She is a friend of mine, so please treat her with respect." James looked over his shoulder to the door, "Twilight, please come in here!"
The purple unicorn apprehensively trotted into the cell and stood next to James who began introductions, "Garth, this is Twilight, my friend. Twilight, this is Garth."
The flaxen black haired warrior bowed to the scholarly pony, "A friend of Ahrhati Khot is a friend to me, your enemies are now mine, may they drown in an ever deepening pool of their own blood."
"Heh heh heh, he's quite charming..." Twilight said uneasily, shying away slightly.
"Yeah, we're gonna have to work on that... Any way, you ready Twilight?"
"Yes, I think so, but I would like to explain to him what I'm doing first."
"Go right ahead..." James told her, taking a few steps back.
With caution, Twilight approached the hulking green mottled being, "Garth, was it? What I am about to do is place a couple spells on your body. The first will put you into a deep sleep, the second will cause you to appear to be a large bundle of baggage, is this ok with you?"
"I do whatever Ahrhati Khot wills." Came his gravely reply.
A little befuddled at the warrior's answer, Twilight turned to James, "Who is 'ahrhati khot'?"
"It's a little complicated, I'll explain later. By the way, he means 'yes'."
"Ok, well here goes..."
Her horn flared up in its characteristic liquid purple aura, soon engulfing the Lotkin warrior in front of her. Garth looked at his chest and limbs, an expression of restrained alarm growing on his gnarled face. Then all at once, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell gently to the dirty floor. James would have thought he was dead were it not for the slight rise and fall of Garth's chest. Then with a sudden flash, his body was replaced with a pile of dark pink bags all tied up together. Next to James, Twilight began panting from the toll the the spells had exacted on her and stood unsteadily on her hooves.
"Hey Twilight, Are you all right?"
"Yes, *pant* I'm fine. It's just that *pant* an illusion spell like this one *pant* is really difficult."
James walked up to the luggage and hesitantly ran a hand over it, only to find that it really felt like a bunch of luggage.
"Wow. Great Job."
The purple librarian had finally caught her breath now, "Thank you, I'm quite proud of that one. I'll make sure this gets delivered to your airship. For now, I think you have a certain somepony to go wake up."
James looked at her, astounded, "How did you know? You ain't spying on me, are you?" He asked jokingly.
With a giggle, Twilight replied, "No, silly. Last night Rainbow Dash showed up looking for you. I didn't know where you were at the time so I just directed her to your room. I hope that didn't bother you."
"No, I'm actually glad you did. You're a good friend Twi', thanks."
"My pleasure! Now scoot, I have it from here."
"Alright, I'll see you in a bit."
James rushed into the passageway, eager to return to his room, but was intercepted by Celestia before he could even get to the main chamber of the vault.
"James, a word with you please."
"Yes ma'am, how can I be of service?"
"I would just like to remind you of your responsibilities regarding this matter. You are not to allow any harm to come to Ponyville because of this creature you are now harboring."
"You know I wouldn't dare let that happen. It's the only home I have now."
"I just wanted to be sure. On another note, how are you feeling since last night?"
"A lot better now, thank you. Again, I apologize for my actions, what I did was wrong."
"It's ok, I understand. Luna informed me of the condition you were in when we met here last night. How is your progress going, by the way?" She asked in a motherly tone.
"It's going. Yesterday was the first time in a while I've had an.... episode. The girls have been a great help. Maybe soon it won't happen anymore. Hopefully." James said, downcast.
"Just keep working on it. Remember, you have an astounding group of dedicated friends to help you."
James looked back over his shoulder to the open cell door far down the corridor, "Don't I know it..." Suddenly remembering what he was doing and looked at his iPod. 0748. "Uh, please excuse me ma'am, I have something important to do."
"Of course."
With that, he took of down the passageway, through the main chamber and up the towering spiral stair. As soon as he reached the top, he made a mad dash for his quarters and was happy when he saw one of the palace staff exiting quietly, silently closing the door behind her. It meant that maybe, Dash would still be asleep and he would get the chance to wake her himself.
Soundlessly, he cracked the door open and peered inside, seeing the tell tale lump still under the covers on the bed. In the corner of the room, near the doors to the balcony, a tray sat on the table, loaded with all sorts of fruits, hash browns and to his delight, waffles, all complemented with a small pitcher of orange juice.
Careful not to be noisy, James stepped softly across the room and made for the side of the bed Dash was still laying on and sat down next to her. For a second, he just watched her serene and tranquil form, enjoying the moment. Then, with some regret, he reached forward a hand and began to gently shake her shoulder.
"Dash, Dash it's time to get up." He whispered quietly.
No response.
"Dash, wake up, there's breakfast." He shook a little harder.
The pegasus stirred and for a moment, James believed he had succeeded, but she instead rolled over away from him and went back to sleep.
"Dash." James said a bit louder, "Dash!"
Suddenly she sat up, "Wha- huh?"
"Good morning sleeping beauty, rest well?"
The colorfully maned mare groggily looked around for the source of her disturbance with bleary rose hued eyes before locking in on the human.
"Oh, James, good morning..." she said with a yawn, "When did you get in?"
"Pretty late last night. It was a busy day. What about yourself? I gotta say, it was a real nice surprise to back to bed with you in it."
"Yeah, i finished up with the weather patrol yesterday and decided to come see you. I got here at about eleven."
"You know you could have just waited until later today when I went home." James chuckled.
"Yeah, but I didn't want to wait."
"Well, you gotta be hungry from that flight. Why don't you come have breakfast with me?"
"Sounds good!"
Dash threw the off the covers and hopped out of bed to Join James as he sat down at the table. James poured them both glasses of orange juice and began to divvy up the food onto a couple of plates. There they sat, eating and drinking. Dash would tell James all about her experiences the past few days while James remained mostly quiet about his. Especially when the subject of his bruises came up, which he attributed to a training mishap, which was only half truth. A few days ago there had been a training mishap, but of course that wasn't the source of his injury. Then, a subject James had entirely wished to avoid arose.
"Oh yeah, and Twilight said that you have something you needed to talk to me about, what's up?"
James was dreading this conversation, but he had been putting it off for far too long now. So with a deep breath and a mental brace, James began to explain what they had found deep in the forest at clearing where they had first met, and the consequences of it.
"...and if Twilight can't find a way to reverse it or at least permanently contain it then...."
"What? Then what?" Dash asked anxiously.
"I might have to go away, to leave..." He put gently, not elaborating on what he meant by that.
"What do you mean you might have to leave!? Why!?" She exclaimed angrily.
"Now don't worry. If I do have to go, it wouldn't be for a while. Right now, Twilight is exploring every possible avenue for a solution. We'll work through this, ok?"
"Ok..."
"Ok."
There was a knock at the door, "Commander, your presence is requested at the docks."
James looked at Dash, "We'll talk more about it later, right now we have to go catch our ride."
They quickly finished breakfast and checked to make sure James was all packed up and ready to leave. Satisfied he hadn't forgot anything, he hefted his pack and stepped out into the corridor, momentarily holding the door open for Dash as she followed close behind. Then together they walked down the passageway to the grand foyer. In quick stride, they exited out into the courtyard and through the front gate. However, instead of peeling away to the docks, James made a detour to the Canterlot Hospital, he wanted to at least check in on Captain Alister and his two teammates.
When he tried to gain access, the hospital staff informed him that all three were sleeping and it was best they not be disturbed. James asked if he could at least see how they were, the staff obliged and led him up to the room they were being kept in. In three beds rested the stallions. All had casts on various limbs, the pegasus even had both wings wrapped up, but none looked too worse for wear. The nurse on duty told him that they'd all be up and about again in just a few weeks and sent the human on his way.
Glad that they would all be all right, James hurried down at a quick clip to the docks with RD at his side. They entered the docks and trod over to the small airship set on the end of the wide pier between two of its significantly larger cousins. In front of the Clipper's side sliding door sat five mares, three stallions and an enormous pile of Rarity's luggage.
"Everyone ready to go?" James asked them.
All replied in the affirmative.
"Awesome. Hey guys, where's Myst?" The human asked his teammates.
"I'm in here!" Came the pilot's voice from the engine compartment.
"She went in to make room for all the bags and ended up staying to tweak the engine. Again." Sparks told him.
"Ah shut up, half the time you can't keep your own hooves off my engine!" Myst snarkily replied.
Her comment caused the girls to break out in a mass of giggles as Sparks shrank back in embarrassment.
"Ho ho! What's that all about buddy?" James asked his pal.
"Nunya!" Sparks said as he bounded into the Clipper, "Let's go already, I wanna go home and sleep in my own bed tonight."
"Alright, alright. Looks like our chief engineer is getting cranky, everybody load 'em up!" James ordered while trying to stifle a laugh.
They all helped in loading all the bags into the Clipper, except for a small portion of Rarity's which Twilight insisted on loading herself. Then they all hopped in and took their seats as the engine spun up and Myst began her final checks. Within moments, they were finally in the air and on their way home.
Chapter 46: New Addition
Almost an hour later, the girls had been dropped off at the edge of town, some of Rarity's luggage mysteriously disappearing, and the Fixers were now unloading their own personal effects back at HQ. Flash was about to open the door to the engine compartment when James rushed to stop him.
"Hold on there buddy, I have to talk to you all before we open that up."
"Why? What's going on?" Flash asked suspiciously.
"I'll explain in a moment. First I want you guys to get situated, then meet me in the readyroom. Understand?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now pass on the word and have everyone seated there in about ten minutes."
James sat and guarded the door while the rest of his team went about taking their effects off the transport and stowing them somewhere nearby until their leader released them to go home. James waited until he saw each and every one of them enter the readyroom before opening the door behind him and entering the engine compartment. Laid out on the deck against an adjacent wall was Garth, the illusion spell had worn off now, but he was still fast asleep. James knelt down by the hulking mottled skinned warrior and began to wake him.
"Garth, wake up. We're at your new home." He said, lightly slapping the slumbering giant's face a few times.
Like a flash of lightning, the behemoth's eyes shot open. In shock, Garth jumped to his feet and began wildly swinging at some hostile threat he had perceived in his half-wakefulness. James ducked the first few blows, but had to block and catch the fourth and fifth, wrapping the fighter's arms with his own and throwing him against the bulkhead. Garth bounced off and charged him. James quickly ducked another swipe at his face and nearly took a kick to the face, but instead caught the strike and ran forward, throwing the Lotkin off balance and putting him on his back. Moving swiftly, James immediately pounced on Garth and held him down as he tried to calm the furious warrior.
"Hold on, hold on buddy, no reason to fight, you're safe."
Garth slowly ceased struggling and looked around at his surroundings, "Many apologies, Ahrhati Khot! I did not mean to cause you harm, I merely thought I was back in battle once more."
"It's ok, I know the feeling. You ok to get up now?"
"Yes, Ahrhati Khot."
James stood up and moved to the side as the fierce fighter got up off the deck and arose to his full height of six feet eight inches, stooping slightly to avoid bumping the ceiling.
"And by the way Garth, you can just call me James."
"Zhe-aims." Garth tried to pronounce.
"Close enough. Alright, come with me. I'm going to introduce you to the rest of my team. Try not to make any sudden movements."
"Yes... Jaims."
"Better."
Together, they walked up to the building, the human stopping Garth at the door before entering.
"Alright. Now I'm going to go in first and set you up. When I knock on the door, enter slowly."
"I understand."
"Good."