//------------------------------// // Sensitive Items // Story: Assist, Protect, Defend... Equestria? // by Dat Merc //------------------------------// Chapter 3: Sensitive Items Shortly after Twilight and her friends headed home, Garrett returned to the guest room to take another look at his belongings. He picked up his assault pack and began consolidating his the items on the bed he was lying on earlier. After what felt like at least ten minutes, the items from his assault pack were as followed: a pair of MultiCam coat (complete with nametapes, rank, unit patch on each shoulder, an IR (infrared) American flag patch, but no MP brassard) and trousers, a MultiCam combat shirt, two pairs of tan-brown shirts, and two pairs of underwear and socks. To top it all off was green pouch containing an AN/PVS-14 monocular night scope attachment for his helmet. “Hmm... Well, at least I know I have extra pairs with me all along...” The soldier quietly sighed and picked up the empty assault pack to inspect its exterior. "But... I don't remember carrying this. How odd..." He saw a one-quart canteen tucked safely on the side pouch and started digging into the pockets. He pulled out two pairs of washcloths, personal hygiene items, and a fist-sized weapons-cleaning kit. Garrett had almost forgotten how much an assault pack can carry. "Um... Do you need any help with your belongings, Garrett?" Fluttershy's voice grabbed the soldier's attention as she watched what he was doing. Garrett looked down at the yellow pegasus and chuckled. "It's ok, Fluttershy. I can take it from here," he replied as he continued digging into the pockets and found another item: a bracelet, black in color with the 1st Infantry Division insignia on it. Placed over the insignia was white text saying: R.I.P. Specialist Kevin A. Weinburg March 13 1986 - May 21 2011 Kandahar Province, Afghanistan Operation Enduring Freedom "Garrett, are you alright?" asked Fluttershy. Silence ruled the room as the confused pegasus looked up at the human. "Garrett?" This was a similar vibe to what had happened while Twilight was asking him questions earlier. Garrett shook his head as he returned to reality. "Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just daydreaming, heh..." he replied as he put the bracelet back into the assault pack. "Oh... Okay then." Fluttershy nodded her head as she continued to watch Garrett look into his belongings. He kneeled down to pick up his weapons and cleared them. Then, he pulled out the magazines for his weapons from the pouches of his IOTV and counted them: seven magazines for his M4 carbine and three for his Beretta M9 pistol. Garrett scratched his chin, thinking of what to do next, until he looked at his watch to check the time, which was about 1826. This prompted him to walk out of the cottage again, and Fluttershy followed him. -- Garrett sat under a tree, enjoying the air around him. The dirt-filled air of Afghanistan had nothing on the air he was breathing now. That, however, made him realize something! What happened to his buddies during that ambush? Were they safe? Did they manage to repel the ambush? The MP soldier then noticed a brown rabbit near him, staring at him. "I suppose I can't ask you anything about my squadmates' whereabouts." He chuckled as he petted the rabbit’s head, until the alarm on his watch went off, which made the creature run away. "Oops. My bad." Garrett shut off the alarm and saw Fluttershy approaching. "Pretty quiet out here, huh?" Fluttershy asked as she nervously walked toward him. "Indeed." Garrett nodded his head in agreement. Aside from the crickets chirping, it was very quiet. "I just hope I find a way home soon." He let out a sigh as he looked up at the starry sky. ”I hope you do too.” The yellow pegasus reassuringly smiled at the human as she sat to enjoy the starry night as well. -- Twenty minutes later, the two were back inside the cottage. Fluttershy was feeding her pet rabbit, Angel, and Garrett was back in his room checking on his Camelbak. The reservoir had less than half of water left, but he doubted he would be going anywhere soon that required him to have a full reservoir. As soon as the hydration pack was set aside, a knock came from the front door. Fluttershy opened the door to a panic-stricken Applejack and Rarity with Twilight behind the two. "Girls? Is something wrong...?" "Fluttershy, have ye seen Applebloom around, by any chance?" the orange mare asked. "She hasn't come back home, even when Ah came back." "Or even Sweetie Belle," Rarity added. "I haven't seen her since I came home as well." Fluttershy gasped upon hearing the news her friends had given her. "No... I haven't seen either of them." "Ah bet Scootaloo is missing too. Where in tarnation could they be right now?" Applejack asked as she grew more worried by the minute. "We looked everywhere for them. Everywhere except..." Twilight paused for a moment, thinking about the matter at hoof. "Except the Everfree Forest." Rarity looked at Twilight with fear in her eyes. "If they're in Everfree Forest, what could they possibly be doing there?" The white unicorn looked down, trying not to think about the possibility. "Everypony knows the forest is dangerous at night. They should know better, too." -- Little did the mares know, Garrett was eavesdropping on their conversation. He backed away and returned to his room. The MP soldier was about to do something that was unthinkable in his case; helping others he had barely met. In the past, he did provide help when needed. This was a different case somehow... Maybe it was just is normal instincts kicking in. After putting on his MultiCam coat, Garrett immediately slipped on his IOTV and Camelbak, securing them on his body after seeing his weapons' magazines properly secured in their pouches. Grabbing his monocular night scope, he attached the device on the adapter on his helmet before securing the headgear on his cranium when he made final adjustments to the night scope. "Alright. Here we go." He loaded his sidearm and secured it in his leg holster with a coil lanyard attached to the weapon and his belt. With his M4 carbine in his gloved hands, Garrett stepped out of his room and headed out to meet Fluttershy and her friends. -- "I would like to go into the Everfree Forest, but it's just too dangerous to go in there," Twilight said hesitantly. She willing to help her friends, but she wasn't sure if she could go into the forest at night again. "But, Twilight. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo could be there," Rarity objected with fear and worry. "It's the last place they may be, I reckon," Applejack said as she tried to calm Rarity down. "If we don’t go now, who knows what will happen to them?" Another voice rang out of the room. "Then, I say we go there and find them anyway." All heads turned to sound of the voice. It was Garrett, in the odd attire he was wearing when Fluttershy first found him. "Fluttershy found me out there, right? I think it's fair if I tag along." "You were listening to our conversation earlier, Garrett?" Twilight asked, seeing the human standing in front of her and her friends. Fluttershy walked over to him with concern in her eyes. "But, you're still recovering from those wounds. You can't go out there while you're still healing." "Don't worry, Fluttershy. I can take care of myself. I'll be fine." Garrett looked down at Fluttershy and gave her an assuring smile. The timid pegasus looked the other way, avoiding eye contact with the human while she was blushing. "Um... If that's fine with you, then... Okay." She nodded in agreement. "Then Ah'm putting my trust in ya, sugar cube." Applejack looked at the human with determination. "And so do I, dear," Rarity spoke out. "Me, too," Twilight added after her friends. Fluttershy looked up at the human, putting her trust in him also. As Garrett, Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity walked out of the cottage, Garrett inserted a magazine into his M4 and chamber loaded the weapon, after putting on his clear-lens ballistic glasses. "I'll stay here, in case those three come find their way out of the forest," Fluttershy stated as the others stepped out. "Come on, everypony. There's three fillies we need to find," Twilight said as Garrett, Applejack, and Rarity followed her into the Everfree Forest.