Writer's Blok: Air Rattle

by Clockwork Pen

Big B

I
J.E. Clockwork

When I made the turn into the driveway, the golf course lodge stood just beyond a gravel parking lot, several cars were parked here, but their owners were scattered shooting golf balls around the massive eight hole golf course.

“Is that the main lodge?” Rarity asked looking at the antique looking building.
“Yup, it is.” I glanced at the passing building.
“How quaint, I very much like how it looks like a cabin, very rustic.”
“There is a cafe’ and store inside, pretty much where we are going to head during lunch.”

We passed through an open gate that was the start of a dirt road that contours along side the artificial grass field. Nature itself also grew around the fake grass, a stream sliced through the landscape, a neat bridge covered the gap on the golf course while we drove over a culvert that was covered by the dirt and gravel.

What did pass us on our right was a wall of blackberry with the groundskeeper’s house and shop just before the wall began. As we came to the wall’s end, a quick right turn and there was a large, flat, open patch of dirt that was a parking lot for the saturday games.

“Looks like some of these guys are already here.” Fluttershy noted the six other vehicles present with wide teal eyes.
“Oooo, this looks exciting!” Pinkie became suddenly animated after being still for most of the car ride.

“This is cool,” Rainbow sat up, taking her boots off the dash, “where’s the boss of this place?”

Funny how she mentioned that as I pulled left then back the car up between an old, beat up white and yellow pick up and a sleek, dark green, SUV. I came to a stop with plenty of space to set up. Behind us was a custom built trailer with an open air vendor shop with it’s steps folded down. Beside that was a smaller clearing with a beat-up looking table where two partially geared up teens stood zeroing in their guns.

“Here we are ladies,” I exclaimed turning the car off then pressed the trunk release, heard a muffled click as the trunk opened, “Everybody out.”

II
Rainbow Dash

When we got out of the car I was greeted with the cool scent of rain damp dirt and vegetation. I snapped my attention to the strange noise coming from the kids that stood at the bench. A quick electric whine with a plastic pop that came before a faint metal ping down the long clearing in front of them. The second kid, or teen or whatever, raised his weapon before pulling the trigger to his rifle. The similar sound emitted from it but instead of a single pop, a repeating cycle of the whine and popping sound.

“Those the-”

“AEGs?”

“-yeah, yeah the AEGs you mentioned?”

J.E. nodded, “yup, the bread and butter of airsoft.”

“Huh,” I closed the car door, “They sound different in person.”

“And louder!” gasped Rarity as she walked around me towards the nose of the car.

“This is going to be so much FUN!” Pinkie sprang out of the car as if she was a pony-in-the-box, darting up beside J.E. briefly clinging onto an arm.

“You said we had to do paper work, right?!” I rolled my eyes at her before meeting up with Rarity.

“That’s correct, Just need to talk to Big B over there.” He gestured to the guy that stood in the trailer who looked up from a clipboard. This guy had apparently long hair (pulled back no doubt), a scruffy beard and wore an eyepatch over his right eye. He nodded to our awesome host before stepping down from the trailer.

Pinkie let the human go before as he walked up to the taller man, J.E. gave him a salute, The man grinned before returning the salute before he shook his hand with his, the fuck? Is that hand made of metal?!

“Good to see you, sir.” Nodded J.E.

“Good to see you come back finally,” Big B nodded, he didn’t seem to smile much, “Who are your friends?” he looked at each of us with his only good, blue eye. When he looked at me, felt a chill shoot down my spine and if they were there my wings would shutter, it really was a look of a man who has seen some serious shit but yet had lived a humble life in the end; Is he, a vet too? If so then, AWESOME!!

“‘B’ these ladies are friends of mine from out of town.” He simply described us before quickly pointing up to each of us. Fluttershy had exited the car and was standing beside J.E.

“They intend to join the fight or stay on the sidelines?” the older man asked.

“Well, everyone of them aside of this one here.” He looked at Fluttershy and gestured to her with a faint smile. “Ma’am.”

“Uhm, uhm, H-hi m-mister…” she squeaked as she shifted slightly more behind J.E.; heh, she really is attached to him isn’t she? Eh, then again, I couldn’t help but recall the number of times she stood behind him like that, as if she looked up to him like a protector of sorts.

“So, you know I’m not much of a paperwork kind of guy, so, while I get the waivers, you get the cash out for all of you, the quicker the better.” he turned to head back into the trailer while I walked over to the two.

“You sure you’re not going to play shy?”

“Uhm, I don’t think so, this whole fighting thing sounds scary.” she meekly stated as she placed a hand on her opposite arm nervously averting her eyes from me.

“B-but I can still cheer you guys on, If that counts...” she looked up to me then at J.E. while He fished into his pants pocket to pull out his wallet.

“I’m so glad the sisters are financially backing your visits to my world.” He noted as he pulled out a small green, paper-like bill from the wallet. Human money looked funny in comparison to our bits, but I doubt anyone of these humans would take our bits for anything.

Kinda glad J.E. is a bit of an egg head in that department, then again, he and Twilight tend to lose me in their conversations that tend to change subjects rapidly.

I turned my attention back to BIg ‘B’, I got a better look at him from this angle.

He was tall man that that wore green fatigues like Fluttershy was, only more neatly, one sleeve was rolled up to the elbow as that metal hand was attached to a matching, metallic gray forearm. It seemed to work like as if it was just a costume piece as the metal fingers operated like a normal hand as the guy dug out a small packet of papers. His face looked like it went through a pile of glass, scars over the corner of the mouth, across the nose and one right over his good eye. Right above the patch was a very huge scar, from the way it neatly healed, it was surgical unlike the more jagged marks.

I glanced over to see the teens turn to walk back towards the other side of the parking lot. I could see their eyes stare at each of us. One of them had a big smile on his face as if he was in a candy store. I almost wanted to say something to the squirt, but refrained because I don’t want to make a bad impression to Big ‘B’ by kicking some brat’s teeth in for gawking at me like that.

Behind us I could hear Rarity making conversation with the other players, couldn’t really pick up any real words, but I just know that she was either complementing their clothing and gear or talking about herself and us (in that order too), all the while coating it all in a flirtatious layer of yuck.

Then I looked back to see a second person walking into the trailer, where did she come from?

She had short, brunette hair, she was young looking and for the most part, was more fuller than me In cup size holyshit! Even wearing casual clothing, one could tell very much so. She tapped on Big ‘B’s shoulder to get his attention for a moment, she raised her hands in a series of strange gestures to him.

B simply nodded and said something to her that I couldn’t really hear before she nodded in response before she turned to look at us. She noticed J.E. then waved at him, “Wow, hey Shizuka, Thought I recognized your car, is it new?”

She nodded with a kind smile before glancing at each of us again, then gestured at us with a questioning look.

“They are friends of mine, from out of town.”

Shizuka mouthed ahhh before showing him her hands with interlocked fingers, quickly darting her eyes between each of us again. Is she implying that one of us is with-

“Oh no, no, Just friends.” She nodded with another smile before walking out of the trail, B right behind her. She came up to give J.E. a hug before backing off to let the head admin hand him the papers attached to a clip board. Shizuka started to gesture to J.E. before he put a hand up to her politely.

“I’m sorry, Shi but I didn’t really practice my Sign language as you have asked me too.” her expression changed to a deadpan with arms folded before looking at B who looked at her before she repeated the pattern of gestures.

“She asked if you will be sticking together as a team today.”

“Oh yeah, I would like that if it’ll be possible.”

“Sure, at least there will be someone to lead the way,” B nodded as he fished a pen out of a breast pocket to hand to him.

“That’s Right, so that way we can ace the competition like a boss!” I chimed in boldly stepping up beside J.E.

Shizuka covered a smile but a giggle escaped her throat as Big B looked at me funny, “Like a-” he Looked at both J.E. then his friend, “-Now that is some bold words coming from some chick I haven’t even seen before today.”

“More bold than bold there buddy, I have what it takes to take anyp-anyone on!”

J.E. Simply shook his head as he turn to hand Fluttershy her copy of the waiver with the pen. As he walked over to the nose of the car, Shy sat back in the car to fill out the papers.

“Hey Rarity! Forgetting about something?” J.E. called out to her.

“Bold words don’t mean shit unless you got the skill to back’em up.”

“Oh duh,” I waved the old man’s words away, “Like, I’ve been taught by our buddy everything he knows about airsoft and I’M ready for action!”

III
J.E. Clockwork

“You enjoy yourselves darlings and may we all have a plesant game.” I hear Rarity as she waved to the other players as she walked back towards the car. She put a little extra sway in her hips as she walked back.

Why, Oh why do i feel this is going to be an interesting day?

“What a way to stir the competition, You know they will try to gun for you today right?”
“Psshh,” She rolled her eyes with a scoff, “Hungry Apes they are, all of them…” she took a blank waiver from me, “I seriously doubt they’ll want to shoot me at all today, don’t want to mess up my pretty face correct?” Fluttershy had finished her waiver and passed off the pen to Rarity, “of course I did notice the extensivity of their equipment, I think we will have an interesting fight on our hands, right?”

“Clockwork has the stuff to fight, but how am I supposed to know that you picked up a thing or two from him for today’s game?” I looked over as Big B had knuckles on his hips and towered over Rainbow Dash like General Patton staring down an Army recruit. The girl was either too headstrong or too stupid to still be staring right back at the old man unphased by the test he was pulling on her.

“Just wait and see, you’ll be taking notes from me before the day’s over mister, Just you see!”
Oh gods, why is she-no, just, just stop Rainbow, you’re only digging a deeper hole for not only yourself but for the rest of us too.

Big B looked at Shizuka pointing a prosthetic finger at rainbow, “Okay, i’m convinced, she sounds like tough shit but she looks like she’ll break easily.”
“Excuse me?!” she planted her hands on her hips, “Just so you know, I’m one of the best in my hometown and seen a fair share of scraps before coming here, so you think i’m going to break like that, you got another thing coming!” That was my cue to step up and place my hands on her shoulders.

“Okay Dash, that’s enough,” she wasn’t moving at first before I started to apply some force as I started to pull her away from the conversation, moving her till I was between her and the head Admin.
“We will win, just you see!”
“Down girl, go fill out your damn papers, I still have to pay for the admission.” I turned back to the admins as I walked up to them.

“Sorry about that, she’s, well a bit excited of being here today.”

“She’s got spunk, I can give her that,” admitted Big B, “Yet, it’ll mean shit when the high rollers show up today.” We both looked at Shizuka as she gestured a sentence to me.

“She says she is like a little Sparrow trying to screech like a hawk.” Big B translated,

“I heard that!!” I hear Rainbow squawking from the car, ignoring it for now...

“Well put Ironically enough, you have no idea how bad she wants to join the wonderb-i mean the Air Force.”

“Good on her, they are going to need more mouthy hardasses like her.” I noticed Shizuka look at something which I glanced over to see Fluttershy walking up beside me again, she blushed slightly and held onto my arm with both hands nervously. Shizuka smiled kindly to the shy girl who, for once, didn’t look away, with an assuring nod. Fluttershy’s smile became more visible as she glanced up to me. Fluttershy had a keen sense for body language since her specialty was animals, it kinda translated well into communicating with humans.

“Hey, where did Pinkie go?!” Rainbow glanced around before both her and Rarity jumped as the energetic humanized pony came running in from somewhere, up the hood of my car and bounced into a sitting position on the roof.
“Prrrresent!” Pinkie exclaimed with a salute before Rainbow begrudgingly handed her the last waiver that I handed off to her before hand.
“Ooo, A paper to autograph!” she pulled a pink pen out of her pocket before speed writing her information down, could almost say it sounded like a saw cutting wood.

“That, I’m not going to question” B pulled a cuban cigar out another breast pocket of his shirt before sticking it in his mouth, “She seems to have too much go juice-” he was about to light it with a zippo before Shizuka snatched it out of his mouth with a quick slight of hand.
She scowled at him before gently bopping him on the nose with it.

“Hey, you know I have been doing better on cutting back.”

Shizuka folded her arms with a cocked brow before lifting a hand, tapping her fingers with her thumb several times as if trying to count with one hand while glancing up to the sky thinking of numbers.

“Okay, okay, so I’ve slipped a little.” she stared back at him unconvinced,

“Okay, a lot, how about at least that one around after lunch and no more for the rest of the day.” She pointed an accusing finger close to his unflinching face before she slipped the cigar back into his shirt pocket, her brown eyes boring holes into him before turning to walk back to the admin booth.

“Still having issues with the smoking problem?” The old man shrugged in response before I handed him the payment for today’s game,

“Fifty to cover the admissions and keep the change for donations.”

“Preciated it, as always,” he simply tucked the fifty dollar bill into a pocket, “The waivers?”

“Girls, are you done with the waivers yet?”

“Alll done!” Pinkie slipped from the roof right over my trunk, which closed it shut, with the wad of papers attached to a clip board. Taking the clipboard I walked up to admin booth, or trailer, however you want to call it. Big B looked up and reached out to take the clipboard that I handed up to him.

He glanced down at the top page, then flipped a few pages to examine them before turn to tap his friend on the shoulder, who glanced up to take the board, she turned to walk out of the trailer when she froze in step, I noticed her brows rise as she thoroughly read the information that was jotted down on each waiver.

Shizuka gave me a confused glance to where I only shrugged in response to the look on her face. She looked back at the papers then, with a shrug, continued to exit the trail, she quickly turned to gesture with one hand back to ‘B’ before he gave her a thumbs up.
“Alright, show starts in ten, see in a bit.”
Shi gave him a thumbs up in response before jogging on out of the parking lot, probably headed to turn the paperwork in.

At the same time, another SUV was pulling in, I heard a catcall whistle coming from the car as it pulled up besides Shizuka’s car. I had the trunk reopened, tossed my pocket things into the driver's seat to lighten the load. I could hear Rainbow dash already working the compact table out of the trunk.

“Oh my, what do you have in here?” Rarity observed as she saw the rest of the trunk’s contents as Dash folded the table up. Inside the trunk were two boxes, several ammo cans and a rifle case; the boxes being one solid wooden gun crate and a modern plastic trunk that was the first to be pulled out and placed on the ground next to the table once it was fully set.
“Everything we are going to need for today’s game.” I replied as I unclipped the lid. When I lifted the lid, I started to pull out the new weapons I bought for my new teammates.

The Cybergun EVO Famas F1, customized with the foregrip and a reflex sight; Rarity picked out for it’s unique look. I explained to her, when i was building the shopping list, that it was a good choice because of the magazine placement as well the built-in bipod. The extras were from my suggestion.
Next was Rainbow Dash’s pick, A G&P M4 dubbed the “Viper”, a decent if not expensive pick for someone who kinda did their own homework (well if you mean play a lot of COD and Battlefield research then go for it); It was outfitted with the trimmings seen on it’s page, with my suggested modifications too.

I did have a few extra guns set aside for if I wanted to play a different style for a match or not but I did ask the rest of the girls what they wanted but only pinkie, aside from the curious two, had interest, Fluttershy, but she didn’t really know what to even think of hurting another living being, even after explaining to her that Air soft isn’t really hurting anyone, just stinging them with tiny plastic BBs. She still didn’t buy it...

So, aside from that, for now I went into the trunk to lift out the khaki tan rifle case, set it on the table, unzipped it and out came the ICS M1 garand that i’ll be plugging brats with today, for a few matches at least.

I dug back into the main box, “start gearing up ladies,”

“Once you get my vest out of the box.” Rainbow chirped while waiting “patiently”.

“Already, SIR!” I hear pinkie joyfully exclaim while I glanced up at her, she skipped in place while tapping the grips of the dual CYMA CM thirties.

Me and the other girls could only look at her slightly confused or annoyed.

“How did you-”

“Oh I had them already ready to go before we left this morning!”

“Buut, you do know that the batteries would-”

“Don’t worry, I put them in while you were busy getting the rest of the stuff out.” She twirled the antique Electric pistols before holstering them both before Skipping to the nose of the car to wait for the rest of us. When she skipped, I could tell underneath the face covering, she had a smile on her face, when wasn’t she smiling I thought.

Remember to smile…

Turning back to the box, I pulled out everything from the box before turning my attention to the ammo cans in the trunk. As I was setting at least two of the six cans on the table while Rainbow Dash was already zipping her vest up while Rarity fiddled with the FAMAs to get the battery in.

“You got that?”

She sighed harshly, “No, here.” I quickly corrected her mistake and had the battery hooked up and stored in the buttstock of the rifle before handing it to her.

Dash had her rifle already powered up and was loading magazines from the ammo cans of containers filled with BBs. She requested the mid caps because it sounded cool when i explained to her the playstyle they reflected, little did she realize what mid cap means, thus why I ordered double of what she asked for, so there is a pile of fourteen mid cap AR/M4 mags that she has to load with the speed loader, at least she’ll be able to carried it all as she was able to put to use the collection of double mag brackets to make it easier to reload mid fight.

I just had to sling on the shoulder straps and buckle a belt before loading the deep pocket/pouches on my shirt and the pouches on my belt down with the unique mags for the M1, a speed loader, two containers of BBs, and the holster was filled with the Co2 Webley I decided to bring to today’s game.

Dash had finished loading her mags before doing a gun check at the shooting range, she kinda knew what was going on and where to go to at least get ready for the first match of the day. Could hear her firing her new rifle on semi-auto to make her adjustments to the red dot fixed on the rifle. All the guns present today I made all their hop-ups pre-adjusted to make sure they shot straight and balanced for most ranges of combat.

Rarity had clipped on the french vest, before loading the hi-caps into their pouches, I explained to her step-by-step in what she’ll need to at least survive the first match of the day.

Fluttershy watched on in wonder as the three of us had put gear on, loaded up and did a final weapons check.

As both me and Rarity had stepped up to the table, Rainbow had tested the configuration of the double mag brackets, trying to either decide on having one reversed or have both mags pointing in the same direction. Meanwhile I could hear the noise of the AEG plinking away at the metal targets down range.

“I must say darling, just shooting this now just makes this all the more exciting to play!” remarked the posh humanized unicorn as she flipped the fire select from semi-auto to tri-burst. When she tried it out she was caught by surprised by how the gun functioned. The motor, gearbox and air piston punched out three bbs in what sounded like three rapid pops.

“Just wait till we get out there,” I smiled at her as she let lose a couple more bursts, “but remember, before you step away from the-”

“What was that?” She stopped shooting as the gun was louder than my voice.

“I said, before you step away from the table, take the mag out and put the safety on.”

“Oh, of course!” she did just that actually before walked back over to the table, having already memorized how to load, she topped off her mag before taking her place at the nose of the car as well.

I clicked the first mag into the M1 before clicking the safety forward, raised up, then fired. Unlike my real steel counterpart, this AEG didn’t kick at all, just a whine-pop as the shot pinged against the distant metal target, a couple more found the metal targets.

“Step aside hot stuff,” I hear the cocky, humanized pegasus elbow her way to the table, which was kinda amusing for I was the only guy standing there at the moment. She clicked the first mag into the gun before flipping the safety off. She let off a controlled burst as BBs tattered off the metal targets.

I watched as she dumped the first mag doing this before quickly drop-swapping the attached spare magazine. She must of decided to go with the double magazines pointing the same direction. Wouldn’t blame her either, the other method would of ran the chance of the mag falling out of her hand while trying to flip the doubled mags around.

I watched her empty the second magazine before walking back to the table to reload. I shook my head at how fast she went through them, i think the motor upgrade was a bad idea in terms of playing with mid-caps.

I emptied the magazine from my rifle before slinging the M1 over my shoulder. I used my speed loader to top off the mag as I walked by the table towards the nose of the car.

“Remember to shut the boxes before joining us.”

“Got it,” Rainbow replied simply.

“Alright!” I hear Big B’s voice ring up from the admin booth, “If anyone who has yet to sign in, do so now, we are about to get this thing started!” as I met up with the girls, I watched as six players walked or jogged by us to do just that.

Some of them I noticed were looking or staring at my charges. Sure, each of these ladies are attractive, but I still have to keep an eye out for them for my world is not really a happy-go-lucky place in comparison to Equestria. Yet, watching teens and young men ogle at them was harmless in all aspects, but I knew what they were thinking and for some reason I couldn’t help but look right at them, which caused them to either avert their eyes or simply look away.

In a matter of a few minutes, we all hear his voice again, “Alright, Form up in the middle of the parking lot, we’re going to form the first teams!” he called out.

“Right this way ladies,” I turned to walk just a meager ten feet from the car before stopping. There was a small group that was growing with other players, but it’ll still be another few more minutes before anything can get going.

“Final check, anyone that has not signed in, do so now!” by now the admin had been walking towards the forming group with the sign-in sheet attached to a clipboard tucked under an arm.

“You’re gunna try to stick togeather today right?” he tapped that same clipboard against my arm to get my attention as he asked.

“Yes, sir, these girls are new to this, so try to keep us togeather.”

“Like before, It may not be like that for the opening skirmish, but I’ll see what I can do.”

As he made his way into the middle of the crowd, he took a final look around before calling out to the stragglers one last time

“FORM UP!”