//------------------------------//
// Prologue  
// Story: A US Marine in Ponyville 
// by Silver Wrench 
//------------------------------//

Prologue

Company C has taken an enemy building in the middle east, the facility was believed be used to make explosives. 
All of the Marines of “Charlie” Company (as the military phonetic alphabet goes) wanted this place destroyed. 
Too many brothers in arms are slain due to improvised bombs, and the sight of one too many children missing limbs due to traps intended for them, the Marines, the American forces here token their toll on the minds of the troops here. 

Sargent Cage nicknamed Silver Wrench by the infantrymen for his skills with mechanics is quietly investigating what appears to be a crudely built workshop. Truth is Cage is a motor T mechanic whose detached to a infantry company as they are need of one for their convoy. The area was thought to be explosives manufacturing facility. A electronic soldering station sits at the entrance to the room, the soldering iron has many hastily done repairs, old tape and fabric dotted the device's cord. Old and worn out tools cluttered the work area.  A hydraulic press stood in the middle off the room, its many various coats of paint each a different color was through out the years shown though at various points making the machine look older than it should be. In many places exposed metal is coated in rust, only the hydraulic press’ cylinder arm was free from rust. Although a hydraulic press would be the last piece of equipment that would be used to make mines and other explosives Cage carefully inspects the device. 

If this place was used to make explosives Cage should not be here, this was a job for EoD (explosive ordinance disposal) or maybe the MPs, not a motor T mechanic. Either way there is job that must be done and EoD is eight days away. Cage and the other Marines tread carefully as to not to set off any traps. It would be too easy to pull on a trip wire or to trigger some explosive.

Cage notices there a toggle switch on the machine, Cage figures it ether operates the press or provides power to the press. Here is where Cage earns his nick name as Silver Wrench, if a man can patch together a Humvee with balling wire, chewing gum and duct tape, there no telling what the guy can do with the proper tools and materials. The switch seems to be connected to the presses main power supply like he previously though. Confidant that the switch did not lead anywhere else Cage flips the switch with an audible click. Across the room Cage sees that there under a layer of dirt and filth is an old-fashioned digital read out, a set of old nixie tubes with the numbers counting down, Cage tried the switch again the numbers did not halt, from the look of thing there was maybe seconds left. Cage curses to himself how he could be so foolish, that is when Cage's logical side of his mind shuts off and he relies on instinct, he shoves his fellow marines out the door and he turns back at the clock. Then it happens, the room exploded!

Anyone tells you that the idea of time does not slow down when you are near death, they never had a real near death experience. Time did slow down to a crawl to James Cage’s mind, milliseconds passed by like they where years. James thought how he got here in this predicament, what he was doing in that room, about his family and friends back in the United States, to his home of Baltimore Maryland.

The ringing in his ears are deafening, the presser of the explosion not just knocks the air out you, it shakes your very core. James felt his skin burn, his extremities start to crisp and crumble away, next thing he notice his sight is gone.
James did not know if he blacked out or his eyes are burned away part of him does not care anymore, the other part is screaming for bloody mercy. Then he finally what felt like eons he hit the ground hard. James did not notice is squad mates attempting to run to his aid or the corpsmen trying desperately not to lose another man in the field. 

Then what was not burning or in pain went numb;  not the kind of numb where you sleep on your arm or when your hands get cold in winter this is like his body was not there, as if it was shutting down. Cage can feel his lungs collapsing, his heart slowing to a stop. The icy cold grip of death was nearly upon him. Then Cage felt nothing, not numbness, nothing. No pain, no physical sensation of any kind, James felt weightless in the black void that surrounded him.

They say the first sensation that returns is pain, and oh man does it hurt, James felt like his whole body was torn apart that reassembled on the atomic level. He struggles to feel his surroundings; James could not feel his fingers. The logical part of James' mind felt they must have gotten blown off in the accident, the emotional part was screaming bloody murder.
Next James notice the air smelled quite different, no longer did James smell dust and the heat of the desert air, he smells apples? The faint sent of apples linger in the air.

James opens his eyes, the bright light assaulting his retina. James though he must of be in some hospital somewhere, when right as his eyes focus he notices the place, way too bright , too cheerful it is almost like he was living in a cartoon.
It just registered in James’ mind that he is in an apple orchard.  

James always been a fan of science fiction novels, especially books where people were transported unwillingly to strange unknown locations like A Princess of Mars or Wasp. Often, the more off beat the story, the more James liked it. So somehow James was more than willing to accept that this was that same kind of situation. He would never have told anyone, but he had always had a fantasy of something similar happening. The best he could figure was that there had been something in the machine that had caused this.  All thoughts of how stopped when he looked down at his body. Instead of human arms and hands James saw a foreleg covered in purpleish blue fur ending in a hoof. James looked back and saw a sliver colored tail with blue streaks. Yes in some of Jame's science fiction books the protagonist gets changed to a new form when they get sent to a new world, but he never imagine this will happen to himself.

Laying there in the soft grass on that relatively cool morning James did not notice a certain orange and blond pony approach him. “You all righ’?” spoke the orange pony in her southern accent.