Chapter 1
Bill awoke with a shiver and a jolt. His eyes opened quickly, and looked around in shock. Where he was laying was surprising. He was in a forest, dense and thick with oak and birch trees. Bill also noticed he was in a sitting position, almost exactly as he was in the generator room...
This can't be really heaven, can it? I hate the frickin' woods... Bill thought bitterly as he got up and inspected the environment more thoroughly. He tripped on something, and he found that it was his M-16 rifle. Bill chuckled, and picked up the rifle from the grassy ground. 'Least I won't have to worry about forest critters getting the jump on me. Bill chuckled again, and slung the rifle on his back. He instinctively checked his pistol holster, and surprisingly he also found his sidearm, a 1911.
"Hell, it's like 'Nam all over again..." Bill muttered as he thought back on his two tours in the jungle country.
Bill looked around himself once again, and he realized he had one problem;
"...Horseshit, I'm frickin' lost in a god damned forest..." Bill unleashed a slew of colourful repertoire of curses as he looked around him. "Screw i-"
Bill was cut off by a scream to his right, as well as a rather foreboding roar.
"...Had to open my damned mouth..." Bill bitterly grumbled as he jogged toward the scream's direction. Then he felt that uncomfortable pain in his knee. "Sunnava bitch," Bill cursed as he continued to limp-jog to the scream.
Bill inspected the forest as he jogged through it; the leaves were dense, only a few small rays were poking out from the gaps in the leaves, and the forest itself had a foreboding aura to it, and Bill didn't like it one single damned bit. Another scream pierced the silence of the forest, along with another roar and what sounded like howls.
"Aw, hell. Wolves."
Fluttershy stood in the hollowed out husk of a dead tree as a battle raged on in front of her. A large manticore battled an entire pack of Timber Wolves that rudely interrupted a negotiation to relocate to another part of the Everfree. Now Fluttershy was trapped in the middle of the battle, with no guaranteed way out alive.
She sustained an injury on her left wing thanks to a Timber Wolf, and the husk of the tree was small. She was stuck, until either the Wolves or manticore was dead and finish her off.
"Oh, my, oh my..." She squeaked as she made herself as tiny as possible. She closed her eyes, and covered her ears; she didn't want to hear the fight rage on any longer.
But then, three loud, thunderous claps were heard along with a voice.
"Over here, you sons of bitches!"
Bill had found the group responsible for the noises. He spotted a... giant lion with bat wings and a scorpion tail, and ten wolves made of... wood.
"You have to be frickin' joking..." He said to himself. As he took aim, he saw what looked like a woman stuck in a hollowed out tree, cowering and shivering with fear. That poor...
That set Bill off as to who screamed, and that she was in a deadly situation.
Bill looked down the sights of the M-16, and fired a three round burst at the ground in front of the lion-thing.
"Over here, you sons of bitches!" Bill yelled as he let loose a torrent of bullets at the wolves. The wooden abominations splintered and split as bullets tore through their timber hide. The ten wolves were annihilated within a few seconds.
Bill swapped the empty mag for a fresh one, and slammed it into the rifle before cocking it. He then focused on the lion. He fired controlled bursts at what he thought was weak spots and vital areas. Empty shell casing flew out of the ejector in calculated bursts, the bullets' marks were true as splatters of crimson flew out of the beast.
Bill's M-16 was yet again empty and he quickly replaced the empty magazine with a new one. Bill fired a few more bursts, then the beast growled weakly, and then it fell onto the mossy ground, dead. Bill lowered the rifle, and inspected the corpse of the creature.
"What in name of God...?" Bill said, his voice filled with shock and awe. He then heard whimpering and crying, presumably from the woman in the...
Ah, hell I forgot about her, Bill scolded himself She's probably scared out of her wits...
Bill slowly approached the tree, then he laid his rifle on the ground.
"I'm not gonna hurt ya. Come on, I'll help you ou-" Bill was surprised as to how the appearance of the woman looked; she did have the same body structure, with hands and feet. Except the head was... different. She had a muzzled face, long flowing pink hair and... a pair of wings... on her back. And her skin was butter yellow.
Her eyes were large, and her pupils were a aqua blue-ish colour.
Bill inspected her clothing, looking at the once-beautiful green sundress with a floral pattern. She also wore those weird sandal-high heel hybrid shoes, and she a blue butterfly hair clip nestled above her right eye. He also noticed he was staring in awe at her for about five minutes.
Bill then said the one thing that was appropriate in his situation:
"Shit."
"Y-you shouldn't curse..." The woman said as she shakily got up from her uncomfortable crouching position.
"Can't. It's a bad habit like smoking." Bill replied as he held out his hand. The woman reluctantly accepted and Bill helped her out of the husk.
"Thank you." The pink haired woman timidly squeaked.
"What was that? Speak up a bit, kid."
"T-thank you, mister..."
"Overbeck. William Overbeck. But Bill is fine." Bill held out his hand in greeting.
"I'm Fluttershy." The woman said quietly.
"What?" Bill asked.
"My name is Fluttershy."
"...Fluttershy? I admit, and also no offence, you have a pretty weird name."
"You do as well, Mister Overbeck."
"Like I said, Bill's fine." Bill held up a hand, before he noticed the stain of crimson on her left side. "You okay?"
Fluttershy forgot about her injury, and quickly put a hand on her bleeding wing. She had a feeling of light headedness, and she collapsed onto the ground.
"Ah, shit..." Bill picked up the girl, and he looked for a trail. Luckily, there was one to his right, and he hauled the girl down the trail, to hopefully find a hospital or some sort of medical facility.
Bill went as fast as his legs could carry him, but with carrying the girl and his bum knee, it would indeed prove a difficult challenge.
"Come on, Overbeck," He recounted his LTs words, "Double time it!"
Fluttershy awoke in an unfamiliar room, with a blinding light above her. She threw a hand to block the brightness, but she felt a bit numb. Once the light was blocked, she noticed a spot of green, and she saw the man who helped her, Bill. He was asleep, and he looked peaceful, and tired.
She heard the door open on her right and looked to see her friends entering the room.
"Oh, my goodness, Fluttershy!" Rarity ran up to her friend. "When the doctor called, we came here as soon as we can."
"Yeah," Rainbow Dash rasped. "I thought you were more... hurt, but you suffered blood loss, from what the doc said."
"Would you mind keeping it down? This old man needs a rest after that God-awful jog..." The elderly, masculine voice in the corner yawned.
Everypony in the room looked to see what looked like a pony-like male creature in well worn military clothing, with an equally worn face.
"Excuse me sir, but..." Twilight began. "...But who are you?"
"'Names Bill Overbeck, and I saved your friend."