Location- Equestria, Ponyville. Time- 0700 hours Day 2 in Equestria No sign of other humans in the area. The ponies lack any sort of radio equipment, and my own is only effective for short-range use. I’ll be stuck here until I find a way back, and from the looks of it, that could be never. I haven’t seen the other two creatures since the incident. That’s something to be happy about. A unicorn named Twilight set me up with a house, which strikes me as odd. She may seem kind, but I couldn’t help but notice her eyeing my equipment. It might be paranoia, but I’m going to make sure to stash my weapons around the house. Can’t have anyone finding them. On another note, I attended a party yesterday, though I didn’t leave on the best of terms. I let my feelings get the better of me, not one of my finer moments. Like Evans said, “You’re not here to feel.” I’ll see about apologizing to Pinkie Pie about walking out on her party. [End of Entry]
Stashing your weapons you head outside for your morning run, pistol still handy. You left your combat armor behind, keeping your fatigues on. No p0ny is up this early in Ponyville, giving you free reign to look around. You remember a few places Twilight mentioned and check them out. There’s Sugarcube Corner, pieces of cake splattered on the windows. How anyone could look at that place and not get fatter is beyond you. The Carousel Boutique is down the road. One of Twilight’s friends runs the place. Twilight’s house, a tree library thing is only a bit off of here. Sweet Apple Acres is down the road… After several laps around Ponyville you think you’ve got a mental map of the area. *sniff* B.O. as well.
You make it back home, door hanging ajar. “Paranoia my ass.” Drawing your pistol you silently enter your home. The door creaks closed trapping you with your intruder. You wish you had your tracker right about now. Downstairs is clear in a quick sweep. Your guns are all accounted for. *creak* something moved a floorboard upstairs. Up the stairs, you approach your bedroom. Kicking open the door you burst in pistol drawn. There next your bed is fucking Twilight Snoopsalot and some yellow Pegasus. The Pegasus squeaks when she sees you, trying to hide behind Twilight. “Explain.” Never dropping your guard.
”I- uh, thought you said something about going for a run.”
“Never told you that. You watched me leave didn’t you? You know what, don’t answer, I already know.” You motion your gun to the other p0ny. “Why are you here and who is she?”
”I don’t take your hostil-“
“And I don’t take kindly to people breaking into my house. So, I’ll ask again. What’s your business?”
”Fair enough, I came to see you about last night. I talked to Pinkie Pie and found out why you were upset.”
“That’s one way to describe it. Now who’s the lass in yellow?” The Pegasus says something, but she’s so quiet you can’t hear her for shit.
”Her name is Fluttershy, and I think she can help you.”
“I’m all ears.” You keep your gun trained on Twilight.
”Fluttershy lives in a cottage a bit away from town, and she takes care of animals there. I had hoped you two could talk about how she could help.” Another incomprehensible mutter from Fluttershy. This is going nowhere fast. You lower your weapon.
“If we’re going to talk then let’s be somewhere more comfortable.” You motion them down the stairs, gun still in hand. You check on your tracker which is currently offline. It was on when you left… Twilight…
They’re sitting down on the couch when you get downstairs. Twilight has on her best poker face, still not good enough. You holster your pistol and sit on the couch across from them. “So…” you say, unsure of how this is supposed to go.
”I’ll leave you two to it.”
“Stay,” you order, “I need you to aid in the negotiations.” She sits back down and starts things off.
Fluttershy is really nice when she comes out of her shell. Though she didn’t initially contribute to the conversation, she made up for it later on. She understood better than others about how eating meat was beneficial to certain beings. She cared for several carnivores and fed them adequately. Eventually you wound up agreeing on certain terms. She would allow you access to the meat she uses as feed, and in return you help her at her request. There’s a lot of manual labor that she can’t get done without certain expertise, and your hands can simplify those tasks.
After the negotiations you bid Fluttershy farewell, hoping you made a friend today. Twilight on the other hand… She tries to leave, but you close the door before she can. “We need to talk.”
”About what Anon?” droplets of sweat running down her neck.
“Don’t play dumb, I’ve seen you eyeing my equipment, and I don’t appreciate it.” Talking a few steps forward you have her on the defensive. “You broke into my house under the guise of aiding me.”
”No I-“
“How long did you search for them Twilight? How long before you headed into my room?”
”I was just-“ she’s casting her head in shame.
“You turned off my tracker, why is it so interesting to you? I want some answers.” She doesn’t look at you, keeping her head down.
”Alright…” You ease her onto the couch and sit beside her. ”I’m the personal student of Princess Celestia, the co-ruler of Equestria.” You nod egging her on. ”As her student I have been tasked with discovering the magic of friendship here in Ponyville.” You snicker at her, earning a glare.
“Apologies please continue.”
”I report to her with any new findings I might have discovered, and then you walked into town.” Ahhhhh… ”I needed to find out more about you, so I put you here.”
“And what did the mayor think?”
”She respected my opinion and allowed you to stay so I could- study you.” All in the name of knowledge.
“So that’s why you broke into my house and tampered with my stuff?”
”Yes.” She turned her head away.
You get off the couch, your back to Twilight. “And the princess?”
”I haven’t had anything to report. She doesn’t know you’re here.” A high ranking official could become useful in the future. You turn back to Twilight.
“How do you send your reports to the Princess?”
”I- write a letter and Spike sends it.”
“Alright, where’s Spike?”
”He’s back at the library, why?”
“I want to send her a report of my own.”
You follow Twilight back to her house, if you can call it that. ”Spike?”
”Yeah Twilight what’s up?”
”I need a letter sent right away.”
”Alright ju- What is that!?” he says hiding behind a table.
You turn to Twilight, “This purple lizard is Spike?”
”He’s a dragon, and yes.”
“So much for dragons being tough…”
”I’ll have you know I’m as tough as they come,” he says stomping towards you.
“Whatever, just send it.” You say throwing your scroll at him. He yelps, a blast of fire engulfing the scroll and almost your hand. “Fuck!” you shout jumping out of the way. Spike seems to have done the same, nowhere to be seen.
You look toward Twilight who seems amused at your reaction. She won’t look so amused when you have your boot up her- *belch* Another wave of fire and a scroll plops on the ground. Twilight magics it up and begins reading. “Private Anonymous, I apologize for the behavior of my student. Her actions were not condoned by me, and I give you my word I will speak to her of it. The location you requested to meet is acceptable as are the terms. I look forward to meeting you in person. ~Princess Celestia. Where are you meeting her?”
“Sorry Twilight, but information is on a need-to-know basis,” you walk out the door, “and you don’t need to know.”
You make a stop at home before departing. A quick shower eliminates that B.O. you’ve been sporting. You grab an apple out of the fridge as your lunch. Slinging your tracker and pulse rifle around your shoulder you head out. Following the river you backtrack to where you arrived. Celestia in wait.
Location- Ponyville River. Time- 1845 hours. Turns out I wasn’t paranoid after all. Twilight made me feel welcome only to attempt to learn more about me, covertly that is. Right on the money again Anon. She’s a student of the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia. I sent her a letter, asking for an audience away from prying eyes. I let her know that I meant no harm to anyone. She agreed to support me while I stay in Equestria on the condition that I relay all information regarding my mission and how I got here. A fair deal I guess. It’s not like I know anything important. I’m coming up on the rendezvous. Hope my stash is still hidden. [End of Entry]
You make your way through some bushes, reemerging into the field you woke up in. Flipping on the tracker, you scan sweep the area hoping to locate the princess. Nothing yet. She’ll be here soon, you just know it. You pull out your hidden equipment making sure nothing was snatched while you were away. Everything seems to be accounted for. You can’t shake the feeling that something is watching you. The tracker still comes up clean, though you don’t know how accurate this thing is anymore. *ba bleep* Approaching your rear and fast. Swinging around you aim down the sights. ”That won’t be necessary Private Anonymous.”
You blow a sigh of relief. “Just jumpy, I apologize.”
She looks over you and the supplies, curiosity clearly evident. She appears to be some combination of a unicorn and Pegasus, bearing the unique wings and horn. Her skin is pearly white and her sparkling mane exhibits various colors. A sun appears on her flank, apparently a ‘cutie mark’ according to Twilight. *ba bleep* More movement from your flank. You pivot and aim into the forest, nothing in sight. Celestia laughs, “Calm yourself Anonmymous, let us talk.”
“Yes ma’am.” You reply lowering your weapon.
Sitting down on your sentry crates, you relax. That mission still has you jumpy. “Where should we begin princess?” The sooner this is over the better.
”How about a formal greeting? My name is Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria. Pleasure to meet you”
You stand up and salute. “Private Anonymous, United States Colonial Marine Corps. Echo Squad rifleman, under the command of Sgt. Barret. The pleasure’s all mine princess.”
”Quite the title, may I call you Anon?”
“Yes ma’am.” *ba bleep*
You twitch at the alarm, keeping your eyes on the princess. ”First Anon,” becoming critical, “I want your word as a marine that you will not harm my little ponies. I will not tolerate such action.”
“I give you my word as a marine that I will not harm any p0ny of this land. I will protect myself as trained if need be.”
”Fair enough. Now about this support you requested…” *ba bleep*
You aim towards the forest, trees rustling in the wind. There’s something in there, you may not see it, but you can feel it. “Trust, princess. If I tell you something, I want you to take my word for it. Like right now, I know you don’t see anything in there, but you have to trust me in the fact that there is.” Celestia walks over to you, peering into the blackness of the forest.
”I trust you Anon.”
“Good, you have access to magic right, like Twilight does?” She nods. “I ask that you teleport my equipment back to Ponyville. I’m not turning my back on that forest.” Her horn glows a vibrant blue, your stash disappearing from the field. Unicorns could become quite handy.
The tracker’s been silent for some time now, but you know it’s there waiting. You back up in front of Celestia, acting as a human shield. “Get us the hell out of here,” you whisper.
”As you wish.” *crack* A ball of blue flame shoots out of the trees.
“Get down!” You shout dragging Celestia to the floor. The object explodes behind you scorching the landscape. You stand up firing into the trees. *ba bleep* It’s moving fast, slower than those bugs though. This is something different. “We need to get out of here now!” Her horn glows again as another bolt rains from the forest. Fuck, you land on Celestia shielding her from the blast. Your body tingles before disappearing into another burst of light.
You open your eyes, Celestia’s mane clouding your vision. Getting up, you find yourself back in Ponyville. No p0ny is sight besides the princess who’s still on the ground. Whatever that thing was, it seemed to have it out for you. But it’s gone… for now. You help Celestia back to her hooves. ”I hope you have an explanation for that little predicament.”
You hold open the door granting access to your humble abode. “I wish I did.”
She speaks as you unbuckle your armor and helmet. “Are we going to be disturbed again?”
“Hopefully not,” placing your helmet on the counter, “you want me to turn off the tracker?”
”No,” she blurts out before resuming in a calm tone, “it has been quite helpful thus far.”
“My thoughts exactly,” resting it down next to your helmet, “So about my mission here-“
”Do you trust me?” she interrupts.
“Of course I do princess. I cannot expect you to trust me without it given back.”
”Good, you know, I do not appreciate those who lie to me, would you agree?” Kind of a strange question seeing as how you haven’t hinted at lying yet.
“Yes ma’am, do you doubt it?”
”I may trust your actions Anon, but words are far more deceptive in their intent.” Stepping forward, “I would like to see what you speak of.” What the fuck is that even supposed to mean? She detects your hesitation, “Do you still trust me?” Mind melding with a unicorn Pegasus princess isn’t exactly what you had in mind when you joined the Corps. You take a deep breathe before answering.
“Yes,” sitting before Celestia. She places her hoof to your head, horn shimmering. “Will it hurt?” You’d like to know what you’re in for.
”Only if you fight it.”
Your eyes glaze over as her horn grows in intensity. Scenes of your past flash by. Basic training, graduation, mission briefing, cryosleep. You relive years of your life fly in a matter of minutes. Tranek-5, landing at the campsite, the temple. You wince trying to stop the memories. The descent into blackness… You don’t want to live this, not again. The chamber, platoon splitting up. *ba bleep* “N-noo…” Gunfire rings in your ear, your friends getting slaughtered. “Stop…” Leaving Evans in the void, abandoning him. ‘We hold.’
You cling to a wall as you have heave for air. It was so vivid. His face, his words, so real. ”You left him to die there…” Her words sting, though you know they’re true.
“I was a coward, unfit for a marine.”
”It was your first mission Anon, you weren’t ready.”
“I should have been, Evans would still be alive if I hadn’t…”
”It’s wasn’t your fault Evans died. It was his choice to stay.”
“And I was supposed to have his back, side by side until the end.” You clutch his dog tags, another reminder of your failure.
“Do you hold your honor so highly?”
“It’s the only thing I have left…”
Neither of you speak for a while, your mind still weary from her mental thing that she did. “What will you do now?” Celestia asks breaking the silence.
“Now? I hunt down the bug that wiped out my platoon. That ‘thing’ that attacked us wasn’t from here; it was in that room with me. I know that much.” You reload your pulse rifle. “If it’s here then that bug is here as well. I won’t let my platoon die in vain.”
”I’m sorry Anon, but I can’t let you do that in your condition.”
“I’m at my prime ma’am, best condition I can go in.”
“You aren’t thinking clearly. From what I’ve seen, those creatures are a threat to this land as well, let me help you.” She’s right, your emotions are going to get yourself killed. Besides, you could start something new here that doesn’t involve military conduct.
You take out the research papers you picked up and hand them to Celestia. “I haven’t gotten around to reading these yet, but you may find something useful in it.”
”Weyland-Yutani?”
“It’s the corporation the scientists worked for.”
”I’ll have Twilight take a look at it. Stay safe.”
“Yes ma’am.” Celestia flies off, leaving you to organize your newly acquired goodies.
You spend the rest of your day funneling equipment into your upstairs office turned armory. It’s basically a redneck’s wet dream, with more firepower than you could ever hope to use. Boarding up the windows and locking the door you head out into Ponyville, leaving your armor and weapons behind. Just your trusty pistol to keep you safe.
The starry night is simply refreshing, the breeze sapping you of your woes. Some music can be heard in the distance coming from some sort of club. You haven’t been to a bar since you joined the Corps. Making your way inside it seems none of the ponies mind your appearance here. They’ve either gotten over your presence or have downed so much alcohol they can’t tell the difference. Either way you’re not going to start complaining. You motion the bartender over. He’s a bit skeptical at first, but eventually services you. Seems it was the latter.
”What can I do you for?”
“How much for a beer?”
”That’d be two bits.”
“Bit?” He pulls out a gold coin letting you see what he means. “Oh.” Your night seems to have ended before it began.
Pulling out a beer he slides it over to you, “On the house.” Bartender = New Best Bro.
You raise the glass and take a sip. Good ol’ liquid happiness. The night drags on as you sip the same beer, trying to lengthen the inevitable. You may not be a big music fan, but this place has some rocking beats. The DJ keeps the music flowing from track to track, easing you along. The DJ’s a unicorn, female from the looks of it, her skin an even white and displaying a blue mane with light blue stripes. You close your eyes and absorb the music. *crash* Everything goes quiet, music, patrons, crickets, everything. “God fucking damnit…”
A drunk is making a mess at the end of the bar, the bouncers trying to get a hold of him. Let’s just say it doesn’t turn out well. Two bucks and the bouncers are down writhing around in pain. Pretty pathetic actually, and that drunk is still up and about. You just wanted a nice drink, but we can’t have that now can we? Picking up your drink you walk over to the deranged patron. ”You want some too!?” he shouts at your approach.
“Look, I just came here for a good time, how about you sit down and enjoy your drink.”
”Buck you weirdo. I do what I want!”
“Now, I don’t appreciate that kind of language, especially not in front of the ladies. Now, why don’t w-“
”For all I care these ladies can all go suck my di-“ You punch him square in the jaw shutting him up.
“Now,” you say calming yourself down, “I think it’d be best if you left.” The drunk has other plans, aiming to buck you like the bouncers. You sidestep out of the way causing him to fall on his stomach. “I hate drunks…”
Picking him up you head out the front door and plop him on the ground. “A punch will be the least of your problems if you cause trouble again, understood?” He nods his head before falling unconscious in a puddle of his own piss. No decency…
The club gives you a round of applause as you enter the bar. You wave a bit thanking the patrons before returning to the bar. Empty, so much for that. ”Nice going with that guy.” The DJ takes a seat next to you, the bartender slipping her a beer of her own. ”I think this pony needs another round, ey Raúl.” The bartender, apparently Raúl, nods and grabs you a fresh one.
“Thanks.” You give your beer another sip, delicious.
”You’re Anon right?” The DJ asks.
“The one and only, heard much?”
”Just that you came into town yesterday and scared the entire town like a bunch of fillies. ‘Private Anonymous Colonial Marines!’ I wish I was there.”
“Well you didn’t miss much,” Taking another sip, “and who might you be?”
”Names Vinyl Scratch, nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
”So what do you think of this dinky little club? Everything as expected?”
“Besides that drunk everything’s perfect. Best I’ve been to actually.”
”I know right, I don’t know what I pay those pathetic bouncers for. They always end up an utter disappointment.”
“You own this place?”
”Sure do, my own little slice of heaven. Why, you think a mare couldn’t handle it?”
“Not at all, just surprised the owner is this in tune with their patrons is all.”
”Well I like to keep them happy; music is one of the ways I can do that.”
“I can drink to that.” You take another sip of beer. “I have the feeling you want to ask me something besides how I’m doing.”
She shifts her shades, revealing her brilliant red eyes. ”Pretty fast aren’t you? You’d be correct on that.” She continues, taking a swig of her own beer. ”You saw how those bouncers were, not being able to handle a single disgruntled p0ny, but you…” Another gulp, “I figure you can do better.”
“And whatever gave you that idea?” you chuckle.
”I’m offering you a job, double the regular rate, benefits and all.”
“You don’t seem very good at negotiating,” letting out another laugh.
”Every time a stunt like tonight happens I lose business here, but with you… I might actually make something of this place.” She seems pretty desperate, and you find yourself out of these ‘bits’. Overall it looks much like a win-win scenario. Besides, it’s not like ponies are jumping at you offering jobs. You could be a good bouncer, might be a downgrade, but it’s still a grade.
“Free drinks wouldn’t happen to be a benefit would it?”
She smiles, “But of course.”
“Why didn’t you just say so?” You chug the rest of your beer. “When can I start?”