Explanations
Chapter 2: Explanations
Once she had finished crying, Scootaloo looked up at me with pleading eyes, “Please, will you help me get back home?”
I sighed and rubbed my temples, not sure how I’d be able to get her home, but at the same time not willing to say “no, I have no idea.”
That would break her heart even more.
I did the only thing that I could. I nodded and said, “Of course, I’ll get you home.”
Scootaloo’s grim face suddenly brightened up as she hugged my legs again, “Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!”
I smiled and bent over to rub her head, giving her a bit of a messy mane, which I thought was adorable.
“First thing’s first, we need to get out of this alley.” I said.
Scootaloo and I headed to the end of the alley, the light starting to brighten as we approached open space, when I suddenly remembered one; huge, vital thing that I couldn’t believe slipped my mind.
“Oh crap, I can’t let the others see you.” I muttered, which made Scootaloo stop in her tracks and look up at me.
“What do you mean?”
“Just trust me, okay.” I said as I looked around for some way to hide her.
Unfortunately, Charlie already spotted me and was on his way over. He ran into the alley, Brad and Davis right behind him.
“Steve!” Charlie shouted as he came closer. I knew that there was no way to hide her now, so I just shut my eyes and prayed that the three guys wouldn’t freak out too much. “Dude, where were you we’ve been worried….”
He froze when his blue eyes landed on Scootaloo, who looked back up into his eyes.
Brad and Davis finally reached us as well and stopped when they, too, saw the little, orange filly standing on the ground below them. Their eyes went wide and they began to shake their heads in disbelief.
Scootaloo seemed a bit frightened, but I held out my hand to her, “Scootaloo, it’s okay. These are my buds. They aren’t going to hurt you.”
Scootaloo relaxed a bit at my reassurances. She then stuck her hoof out towards the three soldiers and smiled the way only a child could. Pure enthusiasm.
“Hey, I’m Scootaloo.”
The three didn’t say anything and continued to stare down at Scootaloo like she had some sort of large mole on her face. Her happy expression fell, replaced by a somewhat aggravated one, “What? Haven’t you guys ever seen a pony before?”
“Not one with wings.” Brad muttered.
“Or one that’s animated.” David added.
Charlie kept silent until he looked up at me and pointed to my shoulder, “Hey Steve isn’t Scootaloo here the one that’s on your armband?”
I froze and glared at Charlie with pure anger, which made him hold his hands up like he wasn’t sure what he did wrong. I turned to look down at Scootaloo, who wasn’t even in front of me anymore. No, now she was at my right side, looking up at the armband that had her face on it. She looked at me with a scowl and pointed to the band.
“Why in the hay is my face on your arm?”
I didn’t know what to say. Eventually she’d have to know the truth, but did it have to be now, in the middle of a town that had just had a bomb go off a short time ago? Didn’t really seem opportune.
“Listen, Scootaloo…” I gulped and took a deep breath in, and then exhaled, “…I’ll tell you later. But right now you need to come with us.”
Scootaloo looked at me like I was some sort of liar. I was clear that she didn’t completely trust me, even after she seemed to be so “huggy” a few minutes ago.
“I don’t know…how can I be sure that I can trust you? I mean, some bozo with a filly’s face on his arm; sort of creepy if you ask me.”
“I understand your lack of trust with me, especially with this.” I said, pointing to the purple band on my arm that Scootaloo was still staring at. “But do you really want to stay here? There’s no telling when another bomb might go off, and I don’t want somepony as sweet as you to get hurt.”
“Somepony?” Brad asked. Having never seen the show, it would only make sense for Charlie, Brad and Davis to be confused by me using such words.
“It’s their version of somebody.” I replied. Brad nodded, but he still seemed a bit uneasy about the whole situation.
Scootaloo suddenly went back to her fearful state and looked down at her hooves, her eyes no longer looking angry, but now looked just as frightened as the rest of her body made her out to be.
She nodded, “All right, I’ll come with you.” She then looked up at me with the same, confrontational glare she had moments before, “but you’d better tell me EVERYTHING later.”
I agreed and with that, I turned to the others, “Can you three help me sneak her out of this alley?”
They looked at each other like they didn’t understand what I said until Brad nodded to me, “Yeah, hang on.”
He ran back to the hummer and grabbed a soft, blue blanket that he often used on injured soldiers who were cold. He ran back and handed the blanket to me, which I then used to pick up Scootaloo.
“Hey bud, be careful. I’m a pony, not a sack of potatoes.” She snapped.
“Good to see she isn’t scared anymore.” I thought as I wrapped her up so only her head was poking out of the blanket. It was like carrying a baby.
We all made our way back to the Hummer and I gently lowered her onto the back seat. I told the driver, who was oblivious to Scootaloo’s presence, to make sure no one stopped by the vehicle.
Apparently, he didn’t think too much of it and agreed and with that. I leaned into Scootaloo’s ear and whispered to her that she wasn’t to move at all until I got back. She gave me a small nod just before I covered her up with the blanket, making her just look like a small lump in a mass of blue fabric.
I left her in the Hummer and went over to join Charlie and the others as the Captain finished talking with another captain about the situation, and how the area was clean of any second bombs or insurgents.
He then turned to us and ordered us back to our respective vehicles. We all agreed and walked back. Once I was back in the truck, I gently lifted the blanket off of Scootaloo’s head to make sure she was all right.
Again, she looked annoyed, “It’s so hot under this thing!” she whispered as she pointed up at the blanket that I was currently holding just above her head.
“I know; just stay hidden until we reach the base.”
She rolled her eyes and pressed her chin onto the seat and let out a mumbled “fine” before I lay the blanket back onto her, but I decided to leave her head exposed so she could cool off a bit. She looked up at me, bewildered, but I just smiled back.
“I don’t want you to get heatstroke,” I whispered, “besides, no one will see you here anyway, as long as you stay low to the seat.”
She nodded and gave me a small smile before gently resting her head onto the leather seat. I gently placed my hand onto her head and stoked her mane in an attempt to calm her down when I felt the sudden lurch of the vehicle as we started to drive off. Scootaloo initially jumped at the feeling of the truck moving forward so suddenly, but eventually rested back against the seat and let out a sigh, as she realized nothing bad was happening at the moment.
She closed her eyes and started to drift off to sleep.
I looked up from her to see Charlie looking at me before asking, “Where did you find her?”
It was times like these I was glad that the hummer made so much noise, keeping the driver oblivious to our conversation.
“In the alley, she was behind a dumpster.” I answered before looking down at her with the utmost sorrow, “She was hiding from the bomb.”
“She actually heard the bomb?” Charlie asked and I nodded. “Jesus Christ; she’s gone through a lot already hasn’t she?”
“In-between being pulled from her own world and experiencing the worst of our own?” I asked, which made Charlie shrug. He pulled out his cross and began to mutter some prayers. I could hear him say “Scootaloo” and “pony” and “care”, so I assumed the prayer was for the little filly that was sleeping I the middle seat between Charlie and I; her eyes closed and her breathing calm.
After about an hour of driving through the seemingly endless desert, we reached our base. It was relatively large and filled with tents and Jeeps that drove around, driving captains and other officers around the camp to different locations for meetings to plan attacks or simply discuss overall strategy. A couple of soldiers were playing basketball at one of the courts that were available for recreation, and some were just walking around, discussing the day’s events from laid back and silly things, to things that almost resulted in their deaths.
Once the Hummer stopped, I gently scooped Scootaloo up and brought her out of the vehicle to meet with Captain Shore and the others. Once we were re-grouped, Captain Shore nodded, “Gentlemen, tomorrow we head back out at around 0700, so rest up.”
He saluted us and we returned it. For me it was a little difficult, having to balance the hidden filly in one arm and salute my captain with the other. Captain Shore nodded and we all dispersed, but not before he stopped me. “Private Clint, what’s that in the blanket?”
I gulped, “It’s nothing sir.”
“It’s some ammo we picked up in town.” Charlie cut in to save me.
Captain Shore didn’t seem to completely buy it, but he let us go on our way regardless. We both walked back to our tent and once inside. I put Scootaloo onto the floor and watched as she gingerly stepped out from within the blanket, her fur sweaty and her eyes showing that she had just woken up. She let out a sigh of relief as she was freed from the heat prison otherwise known as Brad’s medical blanket.
Charlie and I watched as Scootaloo trotted around the room, exploring a little bit before turning up at us, “Okay, now that we’re here I want answers.”
Both Charlie and I looked at each other and I motioned for him to leave.
“I can handle this. Besides, I watch the show.”
Charlie nodded and turned to walk out to leave me alone with Scootaloo. Once the flap shut, or as much as a flap can “shut”, behind him, I sighed and began my arduous task of explaining things to the little filly.
“Okay, I understand that you want answers?”
Scootaloo nodded.
“In this world, you’re not real.” I said, saying the word “real” with uneasiness as I realized how mean it sounded. Not to mention the look Scootaloo gave me once I did say it confirmed this notion.
“What do you mean, not real?” she asked, taking a step towards me.
“You’re characters on a television show…er…I mean, you and the other ponies of Ponyville are all fictional beings, like those that are found in books. Except with television shows, it’s visual, so we actually see you and your adventures.”
Scootaloo seemed confused so I decide to just put all of the cards onto the table, so to speak and show her an episode. The Wi-Fi at the base was surprisingly good, so logging into YouTube wasn’t a problem. I grabbed my computer and pulled up one of the episodes starring the Cutie Mark Crusaders, the one called “Stare Master” where she and her friends were being watched by Fluttershy, and put the computer onto my cot. I then picked her up and placed her onto the cot as well so she could get a better view of the screen.
About five minutes into the episode she looked at me with the most bewildered eyes, “How…how is this possible?”
“You’re asking the wrong guy.” I answered as I walked over and turned my computer off, thinking that she had seen enough to thoroughly mess up her mind.
“But…but then if my world is fiction here…where is here?”
“You’re on Earth, I’m not sure what your planet is called because I think Equestria is a country, right?” Scootaloo nodded, and I continued, “Well either way, you’re in a completely different reality. I mean, look at how you look compared to myself and everything that’s in this tent.”
She looked down at her own body, the body of a typical cartoon with an outline and very bright, optimistic colors that never belonged in a warzone except in times of great irony, and then looked at me, and then everything else. She nodded, “I see your point.”
Her ears went down and she let out a sigh, “So I guess getting home would be near impossible.” She whimpered.
I shrugged, “Well, if the Princess or Twilight finds you, maybe it won’t be.”
Scootaloo just kept looking down, so I decided to ask one more question that was bugging me since I first found her out in the alley, “How did you get here?”
Scootaloo smiled a little and let out a soft chuckle, “We were working on getting our cutie marks when Sweetie Belle decided to try out magic. Anyway, she decided to give simple teleportation a shot with me as her test subject, and…well…here I am I guess.”
I smiled, glad that she wasn’t as stressed out as she was before. Or if she was, she was doing a great job of masking it. God she reminded me so much of Amy, I could feel my heart warm when I saw the small pony as images of my daughter filled my mind. I let out a small chuckle when Scootaloo looked at me with irritation.
“Hey, why are you laughing? What’s so funny?”
“Nothing it’s just…you remind me of my daughter.” I manage to say.
Her irritated expression disappeared, replaced by a gentle smile and giggle, “Oh he-he, you have a daughter? What’s she like?”
Once those words came out of her muzzle, I froze and my own smile disappeared, putting me back into misery mode as the memory of that fateful day came back. The day when I was laying in the very cot I’m sitting in now, minding my own business when Captain Shore broke the horrid news to me.
“She…she was great.”
“Was?” Scootaloo asked when she noticed my expression and understood. She suddenly felt guilty and looked up at me with the same sad eyes she had when I first saw her, like my pain was her pain, “Oh, I’m so sorry Steve.”
I nodded, “It’s okay.”
But it wasn’t, it never would be. Until the day I died, cold and alone with no one by my side I would forever be haunted by that day.
Just then, the flap to the tent was pushed open and Charlie walked in with a smile on his face. Behind him were Brad and Davis, both of who had concerned looks on their faces.
“How is she?” Davis asked, pointing to Scootaloo as he walked further into the tent and closer to us.
“She’s fine.” I answered before I realized it was probably polite to ask her how she felt rather than put words into her mouth, “you’re all right, aren’t you?”
She nodded, “Yeah…I guess”
We all sat around and talked for a while, Brad telling Scootaloo how he was the team medic, or as he called himself, the “boo-boo soldier”. This only made Scootaloo glare at him and call him out for patronizing her like she was a little foal.
Davis was busy pacing back and forth, clearly bored. The guy was so A.D.D. that even a cartoon pony popping up in the middle of Afghanistan left him bored and craving something else to talk about. I just prayed that he’d never find himself on a mission that required him to remain hidden for hours on end. His inability to stay still for more than ten minutes would be his downfall.
Charlie just stood by and told Scootaloo everything about where she was, trying not to get into too much detail regarding the violence and bloodshed that often accompanied one’s stay in Afghanistan.
But even all of the sugarcoating and “skimping” in his descriptions couldn’t keep the young filly from shuddering in fear from the description of war that my friend had given her.
“But…how can that be? How is there such death and torment?”
“Welcome to our reality Scoots.” I said before I realized what I had called her. I suddenly got nervous as I waited to see how she’d respond to the nickname that I used without her permission.
“Did you just call me Scoots?”
“Yeah is…is that a problem?” I asked and she shook her head.
“No, not a problem. I just didn’t expect it.” She gave me a small smile, which I returned before petting her mane.
We all hung out for a little while more before Scootaloo let out a large yawn, showing how tired she was. We all decided to call it a night. Davis and Brad headed off to their tent, which was right next to ours, and Scootaloo fell asleep almost as soon as they left.
Each tent was about twenty feet by twenty feet, and they had enough at the base so there could be two men to a tent in some units, rather than large tents for entire units, where privacy didn’t exist. Our unit just happened to be lucky enough to have that luxury. Charlie walked over and threw himself onto his bed and kicked his shoes off.
“So, what are we gonna do with Scoots tomorrow?” Charlie asked, turning his head to me as he lay against his pillow.
I looked down at Scootaloo, who was sleeping by my side when I decided to answer, “I dunno, probably tell the captain about her being here?”
“Think that’s a good idea?”
“Do I have a choice?”
Charlie laughed and shook his head, “I guess you don’t.”
Charlie then reached into his shirt and pulled out his cross and began to say a little prayer. I sighed and lifted my own feet onto my bed and put my arm around Scootaloo so she was right by my right side. I was now in a white t-shirt and army shorts, thinking it would be inappropriate to go down to my underwear with Scootaloo sleeping by my side, but I also still wore my armband.
Yes, even with the real-life filly lying next to me I felt the need to wear the band. After all, it still reminded me of Amy.
Charlie did the sign of the cross and turned to me, “Hey Steve…”
I turned to look back at him as he gave me the sternest look you could imagine; “…you don’t have an excuse to play lone ranger anymore.”
“Why do you say that?”
He pointed to Scootaloo before pointing back up at me. He didn’t need to say anything else for me to understand what he was getting at. That I now did have something to live for, to protect Scootaloo at all costs. I would die to make sure Scootaloo got out of this world safely rather than by the hand of an armed insurgent. I nodded and Charlie gave me a small smile before he turned his light off and said “good night.”
I returned it and turned my own light off. As I lay back against my pillow my eyes fell on Scootaloo. I took note of how cute she was curled up next to me, sleeping like a little, orange angel. I smiled and closed my eyes, allowing sleep to take over.
******************************************************
I was at a park, watching Amy playing soccer for her club team while Carol cheered along side me. The sun beat down onto my face like never before, but it felt good. The world was vibrant, full of the most brilliantly lit colors, from the grass on the field to the sunlight that reflected off of Amy as she ran down with the ball before shooting.
Once the ball hit the back of the net, I jumped into the air with Carol and shouted, clapping my hands together like an idiot. What did I care? My daughter just scored a goal after beating two defenders; to hell what everyone else thought of my excessive cheering, I was thrilled with her effort and end result. As I continued to clap, I watched as she turned to me and gave me a small wave, a bright smile on her face as she jogged back to the center circle.
“Atta girl Amy!” I shouted, cupping my hands around my mouth to amplify what I said. I’m not sure my hands worked as a megaphone, but it’s instinct.
I turned to Carol and smiled at her as she turned back to me and gave me a big, bright smile of her own before we kissed each other in pride of our amazing daughter. We then looked out at the field just as the other team put the ball onto the center circle, the two forwards on the opposing team putting their hands on their hips as they waited for the referee to blow the whistle. But once he did, the sound that came out wasn’t that of an ordinary whistle.
It was much more forceful, almost violent and explosive.
I shook my head as I heard a voice, “Wake up! Please!”
I looked around for the source, but then I realized that my world was fading into a white void of nothingness. Amy, Carol, the soccer players, the referees, the other parents, the trees that bordered the field, hell the field itself, all disappeared. Only two things remained, the voice of a young girl telling me to wake up, and the sound of chaos and gunfire that echoed through the void around me.
**********************************************************
My eyes shot open to the sight of Scootaloo standing above me, her eyes wide in horror and her hooves on either side of my face. Apparently, she was trying to wake me up.
And then it hit me.
“BOOOMMM!!!”
I jolted at the sound of the explosion, almost knocking Scootaloo off of the bed, but she managed to stay on by snagging the sheets with her hooves. Once she regained her balance, she looked up at me, her violet eyes pleading.
“Hurry, get up!”
I looked at her in a panic when someone tossed me my MP5. I looked up to see that it was Charlie, who was grabbing his guns and pointing to the exit of the tent, a frantic look in his eyes.
“Come on man we’re under attack!”
I didn’t hesitate another second. I quickly got off of my cot and grabbed what I needed, which were only the weapons. I threw my guns over my shoulder, my gun having been equipped with a strap so I could carry other guns while still holding onto it.
I also snagged my camouflage shirt, planning to throw it on over my t-shirt later, and grabbed Scootaloo from my bed.
She looked up at me, her face the epitome of fright, “What’s going on!?!”
“The base is being attacked.” Charlie answered her question for me. "We need to join the others outside, now!"
I wrapped her in the blanket so only her head was showing and pressed her to my chest, protecting her the best I could. I neared the tent’s exit as Charlie held his gun up, “I’ll lead you to the truck so Scootaloo can get in, we need to get her out of the base”
I nodded and looked down at Scootaloo, who looked up at me with her scared eyes. Her size made it like I was holding a small child, around three years old. I looked deep into her eyes and said, “Listen, we will get you out of here safely, I promise you that.”
She nodded and buried her face into my chest. I sighed and looked up at Charlie and we both nodded to each other.
We exited the tent and entered the hellfire.
[A/N] I hope you enjoyed the first two chapters. Please let me know what you think about it so far in the comments.
Thanks for reading.
Go Giants!! Go Rainbow Dash!!!
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I'll read it later but......
..... Why the hell is Scootaloo in Afghanistan?
Sounds vaguely like My Little Dashie... I'll try it.
moar plox
871875
Thanks for the heads up. I'm not big on military knowledge so I appreciate the help.
I'll edit the gun name so it's more accurate. Thanks again
872162
Those mistakes are probably my fault. Remember I changed a few things up.
I love this fucking story. Keep the good stuff coming bro
872203 Is there gonna be any sniping? If so, might I recommend an M40A1 Bolt Action rifle loaded with 7.62×51mm NATO rounds.
873407 no the m24 is the standard army sniper my friend.
873484 I honestly prefer the M40A1. It's the first rifle I ever used. I used it at a shooting range, and I liked it.
873490i was saying the M24 cause it's the standard issue for the army, but the M40A1 is a very nice gun.
:C no plz tell me when the next chapter comes cuz i cant stand cliffhangers
Hehw, I know what happens in the 3rd chapter, er well most of what happens.
Fantastic! I've found another of your stories that I plan to read until the end!
Good job.I definitely want to see more chapters.
This is what you were doing after the other story?
Holy fuck do I ever like this. Track'd and fav'd. Let's see where this one goes.
871438
It's magic. I ain't gotta explain shit.
871531
Cool. Glad you liked it enough to send it to a non-brony.
873407>>873484
Thanks for the advice regarding sniper rifles. I actually will think about working in a sniping scene now that you suggested it (perhaps a bit like "The Hurt Locker", but I'm not sure)
874361
Awesome, always happy to have you follow my stories man
874865
This story was actually an idea I've had for a while (like when I was still writing my "Human Elements" story, but I only decided to go through with writing it recently. Glad to hear that you're liking it.
879348 Yes, now I have to decide exactly how I want to proceed for my own story. Chapter Two was quite interesting and all, but there is STILL so much left unsaid. I also need to figure out which of the Elements of Harmony is/are gonna turn traitor. Not to mention the internal struggles, the power plays, and the realization that true friends wont abandon you... and I've still gotta find a way to bring in Pinkie Pie's other side, Pinkamina, into all of this
Not to mention the Marines and Spetsnaz. I swear I'm getting too far in over my head for this story. So many ideas tumbling around in my mind and I have zero idea what to do with them all, so they all make sense once typed up.
....
....
....
And I totally just gave away too much info, didn't I? I think its time for me to go to sleep.
This story has some serious potential. I dig.
His comment about it being an MP5 is correct.
This reminds me of a hero of war
Sad, but great story. Look forward to the rest.
879348 To say about snipers... Well I'd suggest just a standard Barrett 50.cal Since that tends to be a standard equipped sniper.
902207 According to the Geneva Convention, you aren't allowed to use .50 caliber rounds on people. They are used for covering fire (suppressing fire) and as anti-armor rounds. Something tells me you play too much CoD...
913641 No, I'm basing it off of when it was majorly used during wwii
914373 My bad mate. I was in kinda a bad mood earlier, so sorry about that. Anyway, I find it ridiculous that the military spends $40 for a single bullet that they can't even use on people.
914580 Hey, don't sweat being mad. xD. Everypony gets pissed sometime! Sides, I do infact play CoD a lot so, you were right about that!
914596 Alright, let's not blow the author's notifications up with a conversation. So, bye for now.
914860 I'm on good terms with him, so I don't think he'll rage but, BYEZ! As you can see I quote "A special thanks to "RainbowdashEpicness" for helping me edit this story." Proves our, somewhat, good terms.
914873 Did not see that. If you ever need help editing this story (Or, author-man-lady-being, since you're reading this, if YOU ever need help editing) I'd be happy to help to the best of my abilities. And they go beyond just 'spell-check' ( the application).
915967 Now your making me look bad....
i will personally go to tom braddys house and steal that nigga's fridge
I didn't know that charlie liked to talk to himself
“Let’s check out the alley.” Charlie suggested, pointing to a small alley in-between the two buildings that were right near the site of the explosion.
“No man, it’s too risky.” Charlie answered, “Besides, if there’s a bomb, it’s more likely to be in the street than an alley.”
But its still a great story good job