Snake opened the door to leave Fluttershy's cottage, knowing that it would be another day filled with Twilights constant pestering about Earth. It was the third day in Equestria, and the girls all devised a plan that he would alternate living quarters each day. Sighing and adjusting the Auscam, Snake walked across the small bridge Fluttershy had to cross a small stream and walked along the dirt road leading into ponyville, where she had left for earlier. Snake looked in the sky and brought his left hand up to block the glare of the sun. Judging by the position of the sun and his internal clock, it was nearing noon by the looks of it. Grumbling, Snake increased his pace to a brisk jog, knowing he was late for meeting with Pinkie to discuss his living quarters and for him to tell her that he didn't want a party.
As he walked into town, they were supposed to meet at a resturant and she was nowhere to be seen. The waiter walked up so Snake.
"Good afternoon, sir. May I take your order?" The waiter looked at Snake, who thought for a moment before replying.
"I'd like pancakes and a fried egg."
The waiter nodded and trotted back inside. Snake looked around before adjusting himself on the hay seat. Where could Pinkie be? As far as Snake was aware, she was usually good with time and meetings. Minutes passed and the waiter returned with Snakes food. He thanked the waiter and began to eat. He wondered what could be holding Pinkie. As he finished his meal and paid the correct amount for the food, he got up and headed for sugarcube corner. He would have to thank Twilight for teaching him about bit exchange and for the money. As he neared the cake's shop, he saw one of the mates Pinkie spoke to regularly and stopped at her stand.
"Hey Rose" Snake stopped in front of the flower stand
"Hello Snake! Do you need something?" She knew Snake didnt really buy things, so it was rare to speak with him.
"Yeah actually, you know where Pinkie is?" Snake looked over his shoulder, half expecting her to jump out of nowhere.
"She's been following Rainbow Dash and some Griffin named Gilda." She told Snake, who nodded and said thanks before walking off.
"A griffin? Hmm." Snake muttered to himself
After walking around looking for Rainbow, he spotted fluttershy guiding a group of ducks and ducklings through town. Then she bumped into a giant mound of fur
"Watch it, dweeb!" The creature shouted at Fluttershy, who turned tail and ran away crying and wimpering.
Snake tried to stop her, but she was already gone when he reached where she was. Lookig to the side, he saw a creature with wings, a beak, and lions paws for back feet standing about ten feet directly away from him.
"Didn't you hear me? Move it squirt!" It shouted at Snake, who turned his body to the side and put one hand on his knife hilt and the other on his Mk.22's grip, ready to engage in combat.
"You can't honestly expect me to move. I dont take orders from anyone or thing anymore." Snake stated, obviously enraging the furry beast.
"I'm warning you, if you dont move I'll make you move." It growled back at him.
Snake removed his left hand from the knife grip and went to unscrew the silencer from the pistol. When the silencer was off, he reached his hand back to the knife and said "Good luck. Im judging by the fact that you have wings that i'll have around a four second window to make my move and dodge your assault before retaliating."
It was the final straw as the creature shrieked and took off into the air. Snake rolled to the side and drew his knife and pistol, immediately bringing them together and taking aim at its neck. Pulling the trigger, the shot rang out and could be heard theoughout the area. The round connected with its shoulder, only for it to rip the dart from its skin and look Snake with a fiery hatred renewed in it's eyes. Snake cursed his luck and moved his knife, ready for some dangerous CQC. When the creature charged Snake, a voice shouted "Gilda, Big Boss, Stop!"
This caused Snake and the feathery being to look in the direction of the voice. It was Rainbow Dash.
"Dash?!?" Snake's eye widened "You know this thing?"
"Of course I know her, she's my friend! So why were you fighting her?!?"
"You didn't see prior to the engagement." Snake got into a position where he could move if necessary.
"You know this dweeb, Dash?" Gilda looked at Snake, not knowing how to react.
"Yeah, his name is Big Boss." Dash turned to him.
"I've told you before, it's Snake." He grimaced at the title as memories of The Boss returned to his head. After all, she was dead by his hands.
"Big Boss? That's a stupid name." Gilda looked at her claws, as if bored by the receiving of his identity.
"And 'Gilda' is a stupid name." Snake shot back
That hit a nerve and Gilda charged Snake, who grabbed one of her outstretched claws and threw her to the ground before pressing his pistol to the back of her neck.
"Too slow." Snake said
"Let her go, Boss!" Rainbow was getting irritated at him.
Grumbling, Snake removed his hand from Gilda's claw. She immediately turned to face him, but didn't do anything else, except say "I've got my eye on you."
"Same here." Snake moved his bandana and made the eyepatch obvious.
"Nice fake eyepatch, dweeb." Gilda turned and kicked dirt at him before flying off.
Snake looked at Dash and shook his head before saying "Don't follow her."
"She's my friend, Boss. Besides, you don't know her." Dash sped off after Gilda, leaving Snake looking around at the ponies who had come to see the commotion he had caused.
"She's a big meanie pants, that Griffin." Pinkie was standing next to Snake.
"That was a Griffin?" Snake was surprised at what griffins looked like.
"Come on, Snake, let's go over to the library and devise a plan." Pinkie had an oddly serious tone in her voice.
"Are you alright Pinkie?" Snake turned to see her already trotting off in the direction of the library. Sighing, he gave chase.
When he entered the library, Pinkie was already talking about how "mean" Gilda was and how she was planning to steal Dash from them. To Twilight, it all sounded like a relatively stupid theory, but to Snake, it made sense. The fact that the fight ended on a few words and Gilda's aggression showed how Gilda wanted everyone to see that she was as tough as Rainbow Dash put herself out to be. Snake turned to Twilight.
"Twilight, are Griffins an aggressive race?"
Twilight looked at Snake strangely "Not normally, but they can be exetremely territorial. You don't think.."
"Yep, Gilda's trying to claim Dash as territory." Snake crossed his arms.
"But why?" Twilight was confused at Snakes theory, "And how are you so sure?"
"When I was fighting her, Dash shouted 'Stop!' and Gilda stopped on the dime and flew away shortly after, as if expecting her to follow. Obedience, you could say." Snake scratched his facial hair and began to pace around the ground floor.
"Rainbow is the element of Loyalty, so I'm not sure it wasnt obedience." Twilight didn't want what Snake was saying to be true.
"Are you 100% sure she knows Dash is the element of Loyalty?" Snake put the prices together.
"I don't know." Twilight looked down and shuffled her hooves.
"Relax, we'll find a way to fix it. Right Pinkie?" Snake turned to Pinkie, who was jumping up and down frantically.
"We can throw her a party! Then she won't be such a grumpy pants!"
"Pinkie, I dont think that'll work." Snake wanted someone to punch his forehead repeatedly. Remembering the beating Volgin gave him in Groznyj Grad, he dispelled the thought.
"Anyway, say this party does work, how will we tell Dash the truth?" Snake brought up that point
"Hmmmmm." Pinkie rubbed her chin. "We'll just do it as it comes."
Now Snake facepalmed. "Thats the master plan? Well, I'll be there as backup, just in case."
"Alrighty Snakey!" Pinkie turned and bounced out of the library.
Snake turned to Twilight and she rolled her eyes. "What? It's Pinkie being pinke."
He sighed and walked out. Now he would have to wait for the party to resolve the problem. Back in the town square, Snake began to fiddle with his radio.
"Major Zero, can you read me?" Snake called Zero's frequency. No response. He then tried Para-Medic. Same thing. Grumbling, he tried Sigint, but to no avail. "Damnit!" Snake punched the bench, causing mixed stares to look in his direction. deciding there was no further use in trying to contact his former support team, he turned the radio off, and decided to check his firearms.
"Well if it isnt the dweeby wierdo." A female voice said behind Snake.
He turned around to see Gilda staring into his eye. "What do you want?" He truned back to his M1911 and removed the magazine to unload the live round.
"I want you to stay away from Dash, and I'm not taking 'no' for an answer." She spoke
"I've told you this before, I don't take orders." Snake reloaded the pistol and holstered it. He then drew out his AK-47 and checked the slide for rattles. A claw immediatley cut the AK on the grip and Snake looked up.
"I said you WILL stay away from her. Do I make myself clear?" She stated
"As clear as muddy water." He replied as he grumbled at the damaged rifle.
"Good." She flew off.
Snake unloaded the magazine and reloaded it. "I dont take orders." Snake shifted his attention back to his AK, ejecting a live round.
Later
Pinkie was bouncing around the floor of Sugarcube Corner as guests were trotting in. She kept an eye out for Gilda and Snake. When Gilda lumbered in with Rainbow Dash in tow, everypony turned to face the griffin and Dash.
"Something funny looking?" She growled at the ponies, who immediately turned back to the party.
"Gilda!" Pinkie shouted excitedly. "So glad you could make it!"
"Uh sure I guess." She shrugged off the greeting and continued walking around with rainbow talking to her friends.
"Pinkie, wheres Snake?" Fluttershy asked in a squeaky voice.
"He should be here soon." She said calmly.
"Soon?" Applejack tilted her head in confusion.
As if on cue, the entrance opened and Snake walked in. He glanced around and spotted Dash, and he made a beeline to her.
"Hey." He said
"Hey Boss." Rainbow replied
"You can call me Snake, remember?" He glared at her.
"Yeah, but calling you Big Boss annoys you, so..." She looked to her side.
"What's wrong?" He looked where she was glancing, only to see Gilda fast approaching.
"Why are you talking to this loser?" Gilda said to Dash.
"I can talk to others, can't I?" She shot back.
Snake glanced between the two before getting a devious idea.
"Gilda, I'd like to apologize and give you a gift." Snake pulled a stun grenade from his pack and handed it to her.
"Now, for the surprise to come out, you need to pull this pin out," he pointed to the pin "And then this piece needs to come off." he indicated the grenades safety. "Finally, wait a few seconds for the gift."
Gilda took the grenade from Snake and pulled the pin with her claw. Meanwhile, Snake was getting all of the ponies to a safe distance. By the time they were at a safe distance, he heard the safety hit the ground. He then covered his ears as a familiar explosion was heard. When he turned around, Gilda was on the floor, unconscious. The ponies in the room were shaken up by the blast, but the griffin took it the hardest, being within 2 feet of the blast. Snake received stares from everypony in the room and shrugged. "She got what she deserved." Snake said. He didn't have to hold back, since he wasn't affiliated with any government group. He was hoping Pinkie would have done her prank by now. As Gilda began to wake up, she grumbled as Snake quickly hid himself away in the kitchen.
"Where is that dweeb?!" Gilda swivled her head, looking for him.
Snake stayed put as the "party" continued, with plenty of pranks from Pinkie. Snake chuckled at the Griffin getting extremley mad to the point where her face was turning a bright red and literal fire spitting from her mouth. Snake soon notice that everyone at the party was seeing how bad of an influence Gilda was, and it began to form in Rainbow's looks and tone. Soon enough, everyone was staring at her and Snake stepped back out.
"Dash, come on! You don't want to stick around with these losers, do you?"
Gilda stepped back, right next to Snake. "Heres a little advice, make your first impressions the best." He said to her.
Gilda began to say things and left the bakery.
Rainbow looked at Snake, "Thanks Snake." She shuffled her hooves.
"No problem." He replied calmly.
"Now that we've got that out of the way," Snake turned to Pinkie, who had the girls in a group hug. "Never mind." He sighed. This was going to be a long stay.