//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Necessity // Story: Birds of a Feather // by All American //------------------------------// -Ryan’s helo, early morning- THUMP… My eyes flickered back to life, surveying the inside of the helo. The helo seemed to be the way I left it when I passed out. I grabbed my rifle from my lap climbed to my feet. THUMP… ‘What the hell is that?’ I thought to myself. I pulled the charging rod back on my rifle and let a round slam into the chamber. I grabbed my helmet from the floor and put it on, letting the visor darken the world around me. THUMP… Looked at my watch and saw that the time was around 8am. I grabbed the latch on the passenger cabin’s door and slid it open. The sun flew high overhead as the birds flew gracefully in the morning sky. I had a fleeting thought that I was back in Ohio before I saw an unfamiliar Pegasus fly near the birds. I cursed that pony for a moment for ruining my false sense of home. I looked down at my suit and found that my chest was covered in dried blood and dirt. I turned back to the emergency kit and retrieved some spare combat fatigues. THUMP… That was getting on my nerves. My head was still throbbing in pain from the previous night. Not from a headache but from the injuries I had received from the fight. I adjusted my new fatigues and found they were of a woodland camo. I fitted myself with some ammo and other necessities and climbed out of the helo. I felt my feet connect with the damp, morning dirt. I turned and slid the door shut and locked it. I slung my rifle over my shoulder and rested my hand on my pistol, which was still in the holster. THUMP… I felt my stomach give a heavy rumble in protest. With my rations low, I needed to either go hunting or shopping. Considering the fact that I didn’t have any money, I figured that would limit my choices. I turned my attention to the forest and began my early morning trek into the woods. As I walked, I could see the town coming to life in the distance. The pegasui were lifting off and shops were opening. I turned my head to my other side and could see that Applejack was kicking some of her trees. As she landed a firm kick, the apples fell from the tree and into the surrounding baskets. With the red pony from last night was probably still out of commission, so I assumed Applejack had to start earlier in the day to pull up the slack. I thought about helping for a moment before remembering that she landed a hoove on my chest the first time I saw her. I turned my attention to the woods and walked in. The woods seemed to be unnaturally dark. The tree canopy cut off almost the entire sky box. I had this thought that by the end of the night I could have some fresh deer or rabbit. As I walked deeper and deeper into the forest, I began to see some alien plant life. I could see some flowers that glowed blue in the dark, followed by a patch of purple moss. I tried my hardest to avoid the plant life for fear of unknown effects or poisons. After a few minutes of walking, I came to a clearing in the woods. I found what looked like a large circular path with what I estimated to be a 100ft diameter. In the center of path was a single large tree. I jogged up to the tree and tried to estimate whether or not it would hold my weight. The tree seemed to be around 30ft tall and 5ft thick. I shrugged and grabbed the nearest branch. I used my upper arm strength to pull me up. I planted a boot on the branch and climbed to the center of the tree trunk. The vantage point was comfy enough, if lacking in scenery. I hunkered down on a nearby limb and leaned my back against the trunk. I grabbed my rifle and brought it to my lap. I sat it the tree for a minute and gauged my surroundings. The path seemed to be used often due to the lack of vegetation. I watched as some birds flew overhead and some small creature jumped around in the distance. I reached into my vest pocket and retrieved my radio. If they wanted me, they would call me. I turned the radio on and was met with a soft hiss of static. I attached the radio to my chest and kept vigilant. This could take a while. -- I have been sitting in the tree for almost 2 hours at this point and it was getting old. My father used to tell me that I was impatient and impulsive. He would take me on hunting trips when I was young and would make me sit in a tree stand for hours with nothing but a shotgun and my wits to keep me company. After I fought my way through high school, I joined the marines and was taught the meaning of patience and discipline. Being in the marines was nothing like the movies or games. Sure you fought once in a while, but most of your time was spent either staring at a wall or training. It still amazes me how much I miss it here. I sat in the tree thriving off of nostalgia when a small pegasus flew overhead. The Pegasus was yellow with a long pink mane and tail. She didn’t seem to notice me as she landed on the ground below me. I could hear her humming a small song that I didn’t know. She stopped humming and started to search the area for something. I could hear her talking but it was so quiet that I couldn’t make out what she was saying. After a few minutes of this I saw a few rabbits and a deer approaching. The creatures surrounded the Pegasus and I leveled my rifle with the deer. I tried to get a line of sight on the deer but the Pegasus kept blocking my shot. I cursed and kept the deer in my sights. My mind tried to find a reasonable explanation for the fact that the Pegasus was talking to a deer, yet the deer wasn’t running. After a few moments, the Pegasus sat down and the deer stood over her. I was mentally screaming at this point for the Pegasus to leave. I watched for almost 10 minutes as the Pegasus talked with the small woodland creatures. Soon enough, the Pegasus flapped her wings and flew above the tree canopy. The deer lifted a leg and was… waving? Seriously? This place is fucked up. I sighted in the deer and locked on to the kill-zone. I placed my finger on the trigger and slowly squeezed. I watched at the deer dropped its leg back to the ground and stand there, unaware of its impending doom. I pulled the trigger back and felt the rifle spit out a round. There was a loud crack followed by the deer dropping to the ground. I gave a little cheer and slung the rifle back onto my shoulder. I really hoped the Pegasus didn’t hear the shot. I climbed back down the tree and let my boots land on the earth below me. I watched as the sun reached its highest point in the sky, shining light in the dark recesses of the forest. I walked up to the dead deer and knelt down. I pulled my knife from my boot and went to work. -- I left the remains under a tree and put my spoils of war into a dark plastic bag. My hands and wrists were covered in blood. I turned back to the direction of the farm and began walking. As I walked I could hear the sounds of the forest emanate around me. All the sounds seemed alien to me. I could hear something trudging around deep in the forest and decided not to investigate without support. I wasn’t far out when I heard the sound of rushing water nearby. I turned to my right and tried to locate the sound. I pushed aside some branches with my sleeve and saw a small creek. I stepped off the path and ran to the stream. I shoved my hands and sleeves into the water, watching as the water carried away the blood from my hands. I tried to scrub the blood out of my fatigues and was met with mild success. Most of the blood came out but the green around the sleeve was stained a bit darker than the rest of the outfit. After filling my canteen, I stepped back on the trail and continued to head back to the farm. Not long after, I saw the farm come into view. I checked my watch and found out that is was nearing 4pm. I could see that most of the farm had been taken care of, save a few trees here and there. Impressive work for a pony that was half my size. I walked past a barn and could see the side of my helicopter in the distance. I turned my head and could see the red pony from earlier resting on a bench near the farm house. I shook my head and made a mental note to ask what that dam pony’s name was. I was about 10ft from my helicopter when I heard voices from the other side. I set down my bag of deer meat and walked around to the other side. I could hear crying at this point and figured that this wasn’t good. Why can’t these dam creatures take a hint? I turned the corner and saw that yellow Pegasus from earlier, followed by Dash and Applejack. I took a seat on a nearby log and laid down my rifle with gunpowder residue still clinging to the barrel. “What is it now?” I asked coldly. The sobs from the yellow Pegasus increased in volume. I shrugged and walked into my helicopter and retrieved a magnesium rod. I stuffed the small rod into my pocket and took my place on the log again. “I’m gona ask again,” I said in the same voice “what is wrong?” The sobs died down and I received looks of disgust from Applejack and Dash. The sobbing Pegasus tried to speak but was cut off by Dash. “What did you do in the forest?! She has been like this for hours!” she yelled at me. I held my hands up and said “Looks like we got a badass over here.” Dash flew up to me and grabbed my collar. I smiled at her and said “Can’t we be civil?” I watched as her anger levels in her eyes reach a boiling point. “Go ahead hit me. I didn’t do any-“ THWACK! My head bounced back as a hoove connected with my face. I felt my nose nearly snap again as blood ran down my face. Dash let go of my collar and retreated. I leaned forward and let the blood fall onto the ground. I started mumbling incoherent curses. “That for making her cry.” She said with a tone of anger. “You realize that I beat the shit out of Applejack’s brother last night and only sheer civility is holding me back.” I watched as Dash drew away from me in fear of retaliation. I didn’t want to fight today but I didn’t want any friends. The bleeding stopped relatively quickly, so I decided to try again. “Last time, what did I do?” the resentment in my voice was becoming apparent. “Fluttershy said that she hear a loud bang,” Dash began while Applejack tried to console Fluttershy “and when she returned, you were cutting up a deer.” It immediately clicked in my head. Ponies were strict vegans. Great. I raised my voice and said “I’m sorry for being human, I’m a goddam omnivore! I don’t like handouts, so I went hunting! It was just a dam deer.” I saw a look of anger come over the group of ponies and Applejack said in a low voice “Get off ma’ farm.” I threw my hands up and walked to the other side of the helo. I retrieved the bag of meat and got into the pilot’s seat. I checked the power gauges and hit the ignition button. I felt the rotors come to life and begin their acceleration. I jumped out of the helo and grabbed my rifle which was still against the log. I gave a half-assed salute and a smile to the ponies and climbed into the helo. I pushed up on the throttle. The rotors responded by lifting the helo in the air. I watched as the ponies struggled in the wind for a moment before Dash and Applejack looked up to me. I mouthed a ‘fuck you too.’ and gave the helo as much altitude as possible. I watched as the figures on the ground became smaller and smaller. I gained about 700ft before I pressed on to the opposite side of town. I heard the radio flicker to life. “Ryan, what happened?!” I heard Twilights voice call out. I looked at the radio and turned it off. They had their chance. I pressed on into the open field on the opposite side of town. I reached 200mph and watched as the town became a speck in my rear view mirror. -- After a few hours of flying north, the power gauge read 10%. I could see what looked like a castle in the distance. That would be my destination for later. I turned my attention to the matter of a landing zone. I could see that most of the land below me was mostly green fields like those back in Kansas. I could see a small patch of trees in the distance and figured that I would land near them. I pulled the helo near the trees and landed. I hit the kill switch and waited as the propellers slowly died down. I grabbed the rifle from my side and jumped out of the helo and slammed the door. I slung my rifle and bashed my fist against the side of the helicopter until my hand was bleeding. I turned my back to the helicopter and leaned against it. I watched as the sun go down and the moon replaced it. The night was brisk but bearable. I turned to the forest and gathered some wood from nearby trees. I was thankful that this land was unwatched; branches seemed to litter the ground at every step. After gathering an arm load of wood, I walked back to the helo and set the wood near it. I piled the wood 10ft from the helo and grabbed the magnesium stick from my pocket. I cursed and babbled incoherently in anger as I striked with magnesium rod with my knife. The magnesium stick kicked sparks into the wood and caught fire. I sat there on the ledge of the helicopter and was met with a slew of different emotions. I had anger kicking as screaming in my head while at the same time loneliness over took me. I asked myself if I would ever see another human. Considering the past events, not likely. I grabbed the meat from the passenger cabin and skewered it on a stick. I took my ‘meal’ and started to cook it over the fire like a s’more. I heard something rustle in the trees in front of me. I looked up and saw nothing. I knew something was there but at this point, the darkness encompassed everything. I set the meat on the floor of the helo and grabbed my rifle from the cabin. I flicked on the light and pointed it toward the forest. I saw something rustle in the wood before darting back. Whatever it was, it seemed to be more curious than anything. I propped the rifle against the side of the helo, within arm’s reach. “Ya know, whoever you are, you need to try harder.” I said as I went back to cooking. The meat had become browned by this point, but not quite ready to be eaten. When you are starving for days, anything ‘home made’ looks 5 stars. I watched as the Princess from the radio encounter walked out of the forest. “I would offer you some but your kind doesn’t take kindly to carnivores.” I said before taking a bite of the deer. From my point of view, the deer seemed like the best thing I had ever eaten. I slowly savored the first bite and let it go down ever so slowly. I watched as, Celestia I think her name was, approached me with a graceful stride. “You realize,” she began “that they care for you right?” I looked at her with an eye brow cocked and said “Bullshit.” She gave me a distasteful look, most likely due to either my choice of food or language. She turned and walked to my side, stopping about 3ft away from me. She looked at the helicopter with the royal equivalent of awe. “She’s a beaut’ isn’t she?” I said as I took another bite. I swallowed and continued “Still haven’t given her a name.” She shrugged of my measly attempt at small talk and said “I heard about what happened. Why did you run?” I dropped my meal to the ground and felt anger begin to build within me. It felt like a primal animal wanted to burst from my chest. I got up and threw a finger in her face “Back where I came from, no one cared for me! The only reason the military did was because they wanted to protect their investment! My mother abandon me when I was twelve! She left right in front of me!” my hand dropped to my side “My father died soon after of a broken heart. They say it was a sickness, but I knew better. He gave up. Not long after that, I left school as soon as I finished and walked into the recruitment office and signed my name. For the first time after my father died, I felt like I belonged somewhere. I fought in wars, I killed people, but nothing could compare to the idea of being totally alone in this god forsaken place!” After finishing my rant, I sat back down on the ledge of the passenger cabin floor. I felt my face land in my hands. I felt a hoove on my shoulder and this time, I didn’t brush it off. “When I returned to the landing site after hunting,” I said with a small amount of sadness in my tone “I was met with crying and a punch to the face. They wouldn’t want me back anyway.” I grabbed my handgun from my holster and set in my lap “Give me a dam reason why I shouldn’t put this gun to my head and end it here. I’ve come to terms with the fact I’ll never see my world again.” I sat there for a moment and waited for a response. I got nothing. I looked at her and she looked like she was about to shed a tear. “Just as I thought.” I climbed to my feet and jumped into the pilot’s seat. I sat there for a moment before I felt a soft mane brushed the side of my face. I turned and saw Celestia standing in the door way to the cabin. “Turn on your radio.” She said before walking away. I sat in the seat and watched as she jumped out of the passenger cabin and flew away into the night. I sat there for a moment before I noticed the gun still in my hand. I thought about ending it right there but something held me back. My curiosity wanted to at least her Celestia out. I laughed a bit and hit the radio switch. The radio spit static at me. ‘I knew she was full of it.’ I thought. I waited for a moment while the static flowed through the cabin. Out of nowhere, a few voices broke the silence of the static. They sounded familiar and my mind wanted me to switch the radio off. I waited as a small bit of the call made it through. “We’re… *zzzzzzzzzzz*. Please come… *zzzzzzzzzz*.” the radio said in an unrecognizable voice. The radio was out of range but the message was clear. I still didn’t trust them but at least I could give them a shot. I jumped into the passenger cabin and grabbed my rifle from the open door. The fire was still going on the ground. I sat down in the door way and put my feet up. I holstered the handgun and pulled my rifle to my chest. The power was too low to travel tonight, so I figured that I would leave later tomorrow. I had no idea what the ponies had in store for me but I had a feeling that it would be better than living alone.