Equestrian Wars

by Saacsa

Suited Up

"Who are you?" I asked intimidatingly, trying to look tough.

"No need for the malice, dear. I am a friend." She said with reassurance.

"Who are you?" I repeated, except with a little less intimidation.

"I am Rarity. The designer of that gorgeous combat suit you're about to put on and all of the guns in the other room." She said proudly. I relaxed enough to nod.

"Impressive." I said

"Thank you. Now, if you don't mind. Get out of those ghastly things that you are wearing. I need to get you into your armor before Twilight blows a gasket." She said with a little exasperated drama in her voice.

"Y-You want me to strip?" I asked, feeling a blush creep onto my face.

"But of course, darling! How ever else are you going to get into your combat suit?" She said obliviously. She was acting like it was natural to be naked.

"C-Can you see me?" I asked nervously.

"W-What? No! Of course not!" She said in an outraged tone. I sighed in relief and began to strip down, removing my military uniform that signified me as an American soldier. I folded them neatly and tucked them in the corner of the chilled chamber as its air graced my muscle toned skin that was sword scarred from many hours of practice with George.

"Done." I said as goosebumps began to well.

"Very good." She said then paused. "Now, if you please, step into the chamber." She added and a crack split down the middle of the door opposite of the one I had entered and slid open. A new burst of cold air made the hair on my back stand up. Then a sudden thought hit me. She called my old clothes ghastly!

"Wait... If you can't see me... How did you judge what I was wearing?" I asked. There was a short pause on the intercom.

"I-I was.... At the announcement gathering of your arrival!" She said quickly, her extravagant voice cracking and changing into a flustered tone. I suddenly felt very self conscious about how well these ponies would respect my privacy, mainly due to the fact that she was NOT at that announcement.

"Okay then," I said in an unbelieving voice, not wanting to pry anymore. To be honest, I actually didn't want to know.

"Please, mister Halok, step inside the glass chamber." She repeated with a hint of relief. I quickly walked over to the glass chamber and stepped in. It was fairly large. The door slid shut behind me and I walked into the center of the room where two foot marks were placed.

"Commencing procedure." A female robotic voice sounded in the room.

"Procedure?" I asked with a hint of worry finding its way to my voice.

"Do not be alarmed. Stand completely still. You shall be battle ready in no time." It answered. I obeyed the AI and stood in shock as machinery spun around the room. It looked like a video game. Kind of like Starcraft II, but the armor was sleeker, blacker, and cooler. Each piece of the machinery gripped a chunk of the armor from the battle suit. Not like it had been ripped apart, but more like it had been taken apart skillfully and was now ready to be reasserted to a body. The all came down around me and fit on directly, almost like a second skin. Then plated boots rose up from the ground at my feet and cascaded all the way up, going under the armored plates and then connecting them together. I stood in awe at how light it was. Seriously, it was like a second skin!

"Procedure complete." The voice sounded as the machinery spun back up into their previous spots.

"Wait? What about the helmet?" I asked in confusion.

"There is a small blue button on the inside of your collar. Press it." The voice instructed. I looked around the suit and found it in no time, but I also found a small red button on the opposite side.

"What does this red one do?" I asked.

"Await Miss Rarity's instructions for the use of said button." The voice answered immediately. "In the meantime, press the blue button." I pressed it after a shrug and heard a click. I felt metal begin to click its way up my neck and to my head, forming to its shape and size. Yep, it was freaking cool. At first it was nothing. Just blackness, then two bright green slits lit up and an image of the entire room was projected into the helmet, making it look as though I were looking through my normal eyes.

"Whoa..." I said in amazement. This technology was way more advanced than anything I had ever seen. How did a society of ponies create such massive advances, more importantly, how much time did it take? Oh well, answers were going to have to wait. The door to let me out opened and I walked through it. Looking up at the speakers, I got an idea.

"Hey, Rarity?" I asked.

"Yes?" She replied instantly.

"How do I look?"

"Simply magnificent, darling!" She exclaimed. I smirked in victory. "Why are you smirking like-" The realization must have finally hit her. "Blast! You win, darling. I can see you." She came clean, "But, if it makes you feel better, I liked what I saw." She added in a seductive tone. Or not so clean. There was an awkward pause. A pony just flirted with me. The thought ran through my head multiple times before it actually registered. "Go on, dear. Twilight is waiting." Her voice found its way to me again. I breathed a sigh of relief as the door in front of me slid open to reveal a smiling Twilight.

"Whoa!" She exclaimed in awe, "You look awesome in that armor!" She added with glee, "Now, you see the wall of weapons, choose three, then meet me at the shooting range to test them out." She said, gesturing to the weapons. She trotted out of the room with a skip in her step. She was oddly cheerful for a creature in warfare. Not like it mattered, but whatever. It was good to see her happy.

I looked around the room and saw three different categories to choose from and five guns in each. Next to them were ammo pouches and belts. I scanned through the area of combat rifles and picked out one that looked closest to my M16 that I was so fond of. I took out the clip to examine the bullet type, but was surprised by the neon green light fading from the gun and into the rounded magazine. I furrowed my brow in confusion and turned the clip upside down, shaking it to see if anything would fall out. Nothing did. I shrugged and inserted the clip back into the gun, but instead of a click, there was a charging sound and the gun lit back up.

"Interesting..." I said and secured the gun to my back. As it clicked into place, a loading bar appeared. It read 'loading HUD', then a computerized image of the gun appeared in my helmet and its stats with it. From fire rate to weight, accuracy, and range. It was a fairly balanced gun. For what it lacked in range, it made up for in accuracy and fire rate. Its weight was about the same as my M16, so hopefully this wouldn't be to hard to figure out how to use. It's name was The Grim Reaper. Awesome. I tried to sweep the image away, but nothing happened. I frowned.

"Hey, computer. How do I get rid of this image?" I asked.

No answer. I should have expected that considering that I was no longer in the suit chamber. Then I got one of those weird ideas that you only get when you are either high or desperate. I squeezed my eyes shut and focused really hard on the image moving away. I would have looked constipated if my helmet was off. When I opened my eyes I gasped in surprise. The image had gone. It just... Disappeared! Holy shit, I couldn't believe that worked. I felt like a little kid discovering candy for the first time. With a grin, I grabbed an ammo pouch and secured it to my waist.

I walked over to the section of snipers. Their elegant design was unmatched by any of other guns with engravings and decals of beauty. I marveled at them for a minute, but finally selected a medium-large sized sniper. I clicked it onto my back and examined its stats. This particular rifle was named the HF 50, or Hail Fire 50 caliber rifle. It was a semi-auto rifle with precision accuracy, but it wasn't exactly the lightest of guns. But, not the heaviest either. It naturally had a large range effect due to it being a sniper. I smiled and willed the image away and let out a small chuckle at it again. I wasn't going to get over it either.

On my way over to the handguns, I picked up an ammo belt. I picked out medium sized one and clicked it onto the side of my thigh. It stuck there like a magnet held it in place. Its stats, along with an image of it and its name, popped up. The Grave Digger. Kind of morbid, but I liked it. The description for fire rate said 'As fast as you can pull the trigger'. I liked that too. It was accurate enough to where it would hit anything that I was aiming at. I willed the image away and sighed deeply in satisfaction while picking up a few clips and attaching them to my opposite thigh. I exited the room and began walking down the hallway. Then I stopped in my tracks when I remembered something kind of important. I didn't know where the shooting range was. Okay, so it was really important.

"H-Hi there... You must be Jack, w-welcome to Ponyville." A sweet and quite voice said from behind me. I turned and saw a yellow Pegasus looking up at me. She was in a full combat suit like the other ponies, but she only carried a small hand--- Hoofgun on her side and had a red plus sign painted on the flank of the suit with three butterfly's behind it.

"And you must be the medic. What's your name?" I asked gently. She was about a head shorter than me, along with the other ponies, so I crouched a little to become eye level.

"F-Fluttershy." She said, trying to hide behind her rolling, pink mane.

"I'm not going to hurt you, we're on the same side." I said with a warm and comforting smile. "I just need to know where the firing range is. Twilight has to be getting impatient with me." I added with a light chuckle.

"It's down the hall to the left." She said, her icy blue eyes peeking through the mane. Blue eyes. Icy blue eyes. Why was that so familiar? I tried to shrug the thought off and I nodded to the pony.

"Thank you, Fluttershy." I said and got back up. I turned around and started walking towards where she had told me to go. But the blue eyes invaded my mind again as it wondered. Why were they so freaking familiar?... Then the thought hit me. My eyes widened and adrenaline kick-started my heart. I snatched the handgun from my side and snapped it around. The Pegasus had now changed and was black, its wings were bug-like and holes were scattered all over its body. Its horn began to glow a mucky green and it shot a green bolt of magic at me. It scraped a piece of the armor as I made a timely dodge. The brunt of the force scorched the wall behind me. Yikes. It hissed at me and I pulled the guns trigger, sending a bullet, or whatever they fired, into the changelings skull. Instead of the crack that I was use to, the gun made a, much quieter, fum sound. The Changelings body stood there a moment, as if in shock, then shuddered and crumpled lifelessly to the floor with a thud. Twilight came running, or should I say galloping, into the hall at top speed.

"Is everything-" She cut herself off when she saw the body on the ground, "Seems like you have the situation under control."

"Yes, it was posing as your medic, Fluttershy." I said back, reloading the handgun.

"How did you know?" She asked with confusion.

"What?" I asked, equally confused.

"How did you know it was a Changeling?" She added that last little bit of information.

"It had bright, icy blue eyes that sort of... Pierced your soul. Just like the Changeling that attacked at the speech." I said. Twilight frowned in thought.

"Now that I think of it... Chrysalis was the only Changeling that had green eyes... While all of the others had the same icy blue that you are talking about." Her eyes widened in glee. "Oh thank you, Jack! You may have just saved many lives!" She jumped with joy.

"But wait... Aren't ponies eyes sometime naturally blue?" I asked. She stopped and frowned again.

"Not as bright or as icy as the Changelings... I will inform the ponies of this development immediately." Twilight thought aloud.

"Go find Pinkie Pie, get her to show you around. I'll be in Headquarters at any point in time if you should need me." And with thought, she began to trot down the hall.

"Wait," I called. She stopped and looked back, "What does this 'Pinkie Pie' look like? Where and how can I find her?" This made Twilight stifle a laugh.

"You'll know her when you meet her. As for where and how to find her, just walk outside, she will find you." She said very vaguely. She started to trot off again, giggling and laughing at my question. She sure had a habit of forgetting to tell me where things were.

I was left alone in the hallway, very confused, I might add. I sighed deeply and walked outside. A gentle, cool and refreshing breeze that only Autumn knows graced my skin in the very few exposed parts of the suit. Otherwise it had a temperature controlled gel layer on my body that I was in charge of. The warm sun shone through the leaves over overhead trees and everything looked peaceful and beautiful. Until I noticed something that made the hair on my back stand up. This was the exact place from my dream... Everything was perfect. But real. It looked odd too. Like an animated reality. This dimension had was warm, bright, and colorful. But it lacked any vivid details such as hair follicles and the visual texture of an iris.

I sat down on a cartoon-like bench and scanned for whatever would give me a clue to the whereabouts of this 'Pinkie Pie'. I sighed and look down in defeat, shaking my head slightly. Then the scent of cotton candy drifted by, invading the helmet and my nostrils. I furrowed my brow in confusion and rose my head up, looking around. Then I caught a glimpse of pink sitting on the bench beside me.

"Who ya lookin' for?" A sweet, sing-song voice said from where I had glimpsed the pink. I snapped my head to the voice and saw a hyper pink pony with a puffy pink mane smiling brightly at me. She wore an eye patch with a scar under it and beaten battle armor that was chipped in places. She looked rough and less new than the other ponies. Yet she had an air of friendly fun about her.

"A pony named 'Pinkie Pie.' Twilight told me to come and find her so she can show me around." And hopefully back to my quarters. I need some time to think. And sleep. During all of the 'excitement', I had forgotten how tired I was. After all, I was asleep in my tent before I was so rudely awakened by Arab gunfire.

"Really?" She said and looked at me strangely. "I'm Pinkie Pie!" She exclaimed, jumping up from the bench. Oh joy. "We've been walking together since you got outside."

"What?" I asked with worried puzzlement, searching my memories for what she was talking about. I found nothing, so I just stared at her with confusion.

"Well, you've been walking. I've been bouncing behind a few meters!" She said with another massive smile. This one was an odd-ball, but she made me want to laugh, so I did. "Come on! Twilight said to show you around." She pulled me up from the bench with her hooves. To this day, I still wonder how she had done it, but she was really strong. I could tell by how fast I was actually pulled up.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed as my stomach lurched from the sudden movement.

"I didn't hurt you, did I? Oh, I'm so sorry!" She said with complete sincerity in her voice. She dropped to her knees and put her hooves together as if to beg for forgiveness. Just when I thought a pony society couldn't get any weirder.

"Pinkie." I said and kneeled down on one knee, putting my hand on her puffy mane."Its okay, I'm fine." I assured her with a gentle smile. Her face lit up like I had given her the best news in all of Equestria. For all I knew, I had. She jumped up and smiled brightly.

"Yay!" She exclaimed, reverting back to her hyper and happy state.

"Pinkie! Jack!" Came a voice from the side of us that I recognized as the cyan Pegasus that killed that Changeling at the speech. But her voice was urgent. She quickly flew to us and screeched to a halt.

"Dash? What's wrong?" Pinkie asked her friend.

"You two need to get to the war room immediately." She formally reported. There goes any chance of sleep.

"What? Why?" I asked with irritation that wasn't meant to come out. I needed sleep more than I knew.

"The Princess has requested us." She said with a slight glare.

"Wait, I thought that Celestia would only talk to me after the war was won?" I asked her.

"Well, you obviously don't know your Equestrian facts. We had two Princesses. One to raise and lower the sun,
Celestia, and one to raise and lower the moon, Luna. You are going to meet Luna." She said, giving me another tidbit of helpful information.

"Alright then, lead the way." I said, softening a little.

"Duh." 'Dash' said and motioned for us to follow. She floated in front of a bouncing Pinkie Pie as I trailed the bouncing pink blob of hyper.

She lead us through the town quickly. The ponies of the town just walked and talked like nothing was going on. Like there were no Changelings endangering their existence. They ran stalls of pretty much everything you could want or need. Food, clothes, jewellery, exotic items, weapons, etc. The only sign that war was an issue were the guards outfitted in battle suits carrying the same advanced weapons as me, except theirs were made for hooves, not hands. Also, every civilian carried a less advanced weapon. Other than that, this looked like a normal, happy society of ponies. Though, normal probably isn't the best word for describing talking, multicolored ponies. But, hey, who am I to judge?

"So, Jack, what were you doing before Twi zapped you here?" The rainbow maned Pegasus interrupted my train of thought nonchalantly. Small talk. I guess ponies did it too. My memories flew back to the end of the barrel of a Colt M1911 and the bullet that was going to kill me. I wondered if I would ever see one again. The gun, I mean. "Hellooo? Anyone home?" 'Dash' asked with slight sarcasm as she poked my head with her hoof.

I swatted at it in irritation and said, "Yeah, I'm here. Before you guys 'interrupted' me, I was about to die. I was staring into the black abyss of a guns barrel. The thing that would have ended my story. But, I was suddenly surrounded in a purple light, which I'm guessing was Twilight's magic, and I blacked out. When I woke up, I was here. And greeted by more guns. In my face. Everything was explained, that Changeling attacked, I got suited up, killed my first Changeling, found Pinkie, you said the Princess needed us, and here we are." I said to Rainbow and Pinkie. Pinkie's mouth was agape in wonder and excitement as I had told my story. Changing emotions and gasping once in awhile, at first, I thought it to be sarcasm, then dismissed the thought when I saw the that she wasn't joking. Rainbow just nodded with a lightly worried expression.

"So, we saved you seconds before death. It seems like you owed us anyway." She pointed out.

"Yeah, but then I woke up in a different dimension." I countered. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." I said with no intended pun. Pinkie burst out in laughter anyways, making Dash lightly chuckle.

"Hey, we're here." Dash said and landed. She walked up to the door of a massive, and I mean MASSIVE, like gargantuan, tree and knocked in a pattern of four three times, instantly reminding me of Doctor Who. Damn, I was going to miss that show.

"Your Headquarters is a giant tree?" I asked with skepticism showing in my voice.

"Yep!" Pinkie said with a delighted jump.

"Wait until you see the inside." The Pegasus said with a knowing wink and smirk as the door swung inward.

Author's Note:

If i made any mistakes, feel free to inform me and i shall fix them as soon as possible! Hint, most of my references are musical XD Stay Brony, my friends.

Comments

[One fat apple]

seems a bit rushed and the passing is a bit quick :/

[hammerhead6000]

That is a Dead Space suit isn't it. Whatever it doesn't matter good story so far by the way, when its showing the assault rifle it says 'what it lacked in range will be made up in range and fire rate' which sound confusing to me anyways nice story