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Chapter 4

Chapter 4
Semper Fidelis

A/N This is where the dark tag comes in. Make sure you have no aversion to fighting/killing/finding enjoyment in said activities. Please don’t judge Clifton on what kind of person he is after only reading this chapter.

“So what does this thing do?” Asked the purple horse, somehow levitating something I had on my body. It was in some sort of holster and she was looking down its barrel.

“How the fuck should I know? I lost my fucking memory.” The human replied to the annoying purple horse who wouldn’t leave him alone. The horse winced.

“You don’t have to swear.” She said, flattening her ears against her head.

“Leave me the fuck alone. I am trying to sleep.”

“But I have so many questions!” She whined and his eardrums nearly burst.

“I don’t care.” He sighed out heavily. “I just want to go to sleep.” He thought trying a more subtle approach might work. It didn’t.

“No.” She stated stubbornly. “I’m not leaving till I get some answers.” He silently resisted the urge to get out of bed and strangle the small purple horse.

“What part of ‘Lost my memory’, do you not understand?”

“Well.....I....” He had stumped her.

“Leave me alone. Please.” Begged the human. The unicorn relented, but only slightly.

“Fine, but I am staying here and examining your things.” It was as far as he would get with the stubborn purple horse, so he just let out a “Fine.” and fell asleep in the silence that ensued.

~~~~~

Twilight was examining a strange device that the alien had attached to his clothes. It was a small metal device with some sort of small lever protected by a guard. It had a button, that when pushed, ejected a container of some sort that held a few small cylindrical objects. It looked like it could hold more, but it only had two in it. She shook the thing a bit, and nothing happened. The put the small container back in the main object and looked down the circular tube in the thing.

After looking at it for a few moments, she guessed a bit at its purpose. Judging by the length of the small container in the main contraption, the objects could be put into the main tube. She squeezed the lever and was surprised to find it prone, and unable to move.

She began to frequently pull it in an attempt to make it move, but the thing resisted her efforts. Frowning at the thing, she gave it another once-over. I was obviously designed for the strange appendages at end of his hooves, but there was no obvious purpose of the device. She shrugged and put it aside. So far, she was successfully distracting herself from the Nightmare Moon situation, but she had to get back to it eventually. Sighing in defeat, she walked out of the room, taking one more glance at the metal thing. She glared at it. Nothing happened.

Right as she was about to leave, she noticed a small horizontal lever on the left side of the weapon. She flipped the curious switch and there was a small click. Barely audible actually. If there had been any ambient background noise, she wouldn’t have heard it. Her curiosity once again piqued, she levitated the thing again and pulled the larger, guarded lever. Almost instantly, the thing repelled against her magic, let out a large crack with a flash of light, and it began to smoke a little bit.

She yelped in fear and dropped the device. Her ears were ringing because of the marble floors and ceiling. She shook her head, and crunched down on the ground, waiting for the noise in her ears to stop. When it did, she rubbed a hoof with her ears and looked at the device. It was sitting prone on the floor as if nothing had happened, with a smell of odd smoke in the air. Looking across the room, her gaze stopped on a shallow hole in the floor that was next to a small golden colored empty cylinder.

Around the hole, the marble floor was cracked severely, and there was a small flat, chunk of metal embedded in it.

“WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!?” Came a yell, and she looked up to see the human not in bed, but behind his small nightstand flipped over, and grimacing in pain as his still new injuries screamed in protest. He held a butter knife in his hand, clutching it in a death grip. His face held a sweaty sheen and his eyes were flicking all over the room, taking in everything.

“A-are you okay?” Asked Twilight worriedly.

“W-w-w....” He stuttered then inhaled fiercely and slumped over, unconscious.

~~~~~

The sound of a gun going off could be heard in the distance, as Lance Corporal Clifton Michael trudged through a small patch of mud on the street. He nervously glanced left and right, eying everything around him. Most of his squad had been killed in an ambush, and only him and Frosty - their squads combat engineer - were alive. His teammates quick thinking had saved their lives. And embedded a shard of metal shrapnel in Frosty’s leg. Their radios had been taken out in an explosion and he was going to get to the extraction point, get help and come back for him.

He was new to the Marine Corps, but was good as any other. He had trained for situations like this and he came to a stop. Up ahead, about in about five hundred meters, was the extraction point. However, there was also a particularly tall hill of concrete and brick debris blocking his path. He was in no condition to get through it right now, so he set off around it. The torn and snapped electrical wires and still-living streetlights buzzed around him, as the dilapidated city came to life with noise. Then it stopped again. He didn’t really care, but it did make him easier to hear. Then he spotted his salvation. There was a small narrow path conveniently left open and free from fallen buildings or wrecked vehicles.

Any decently trained person, hell even a dumbass could see the obvious trap that lied within, but Clifton was exhausted. He just wanted to get this mission over with to earn some R&R. He valiantly stormed through the passageway and into the opening. He smiled as he spotted a clearing coming into view beyond a mass of cars before he was tackled from the side. He caught a brief glimpse of the figure. It was a person completely covered in black garb, with two small holes for its eyes. One was a deep emerald green, and the other was a burning fire red.

After being caught off guard, his training kicked in and he pulled out his fourteen centimeter carbon-steel blade and jammed it into the stomach of his attacker, twisting it and pulling out the toothed side and tearing up his insides. His attackers eyes narrowed, but the corporal gained no other reaction, except for a few well aimed punches that hit his kidney and side of his neck and he fell to the ground. The black garbed figure followed up with a vicious followup attack by pouncing on him, but Clifton had predicted it and rolled away leaving his assailant stunned for a moment.

Taking his advantage while he had it, he jumped up attacked with nasty uppercut with his knife, that dragged all along his attackers stomach and ripped it open without remorse. This time, the reaction he elicited was a cry of sharp pain, and the figure trying to grab his guts as they fell out of the gaping hole in his chest. Wasting no time, he brought the knife up and thrust it into his enemies throat. He fell to the ground, clawing at the knife trying to pull it out. He continued to claw at the steel blade for only a moment before his own death.

His officers and Sergeants had always told him "You won't like killing kid, it's not a fun thing to have to do." They were wrong. It was glorious. The rush of adrenaline, the pounding of his heart in his ears. He loved every second of it. The was no regret in a single cell in his body. He loved it so much. He suddenly remembered that he was looking to get pickup for him and his friend, bent down to pull my knife out of the figures neck, wipe it on a nearby slab of concrete and kept going, making sure not let his guard down now.

His eyes were once again taking in all his surrounding, but no longer out of fear. He now wanted to fight again. He wanted something to attack him. He wanted to feel that feeling again. His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a helicopter coming down from above as he absentmindedly popped a flare to signal pick up, the colorful smoke towering up above the destroyed city.

~~~~~

Clifton jerked up with a start and by some instinct not-so-entirely unknown to him he lashed out with his good arm and socked the doctor horse that was trying to hold him down. The doctor skidded across the room and the marine shook his head for a moment.

“Sorry doc.” He grimaced when he noticed himself taking on a gentle attitude. Maybe these ponies were getting to him. “Bad dream.”

“NURSE!” Screamed the doctor. “RESTRAIN HIM!” and the nurse from earlier came charging in and stopped with a skid into the room.

“Wait!” He insisted, glancing around nervously. “WAIT!” He shouted as the nurse approached him. He tried to scoot backwards and found his legs working again. The human fell off the bed in shock.

“How long have I been out?!” He said, testing his newly healed arm and legs, enjoying the full mobility.

“Just hold still sir. It will be over in a moment.” Said the nurse, cautiously approaching him with a syringe held in levitation.

The human nervously glanced left and right, looking for a way out. There was none.

“Hey, back off.” He said, rising to his full height for the first time in a while. The nurse blanched at seeing his full height. She let out a blush and averted her eyes. The human looked down and groaned. He was naked. Thinking quickly, he grabbed his blanket and covered himself up.

“Alright you horses, listen up-”

“We’re ponies!” Protested the nurse, looking at him once again, but not continuing her assault on him.

“Whatever. It was an accident when I punched him, I honestly didn’t mean to.” The doctor got up, now sporting a black eye and glaring at the human with a deathly gaze. “Sorry doc, didn’t mean to punch you.”

The doctor continued his stare for a few more seconds, while the human let out an intimidating glare of his own. Eventually, after an eternity of silence, the small horse relented and hung his head down.

“I-it’s okay then.” He mumbled under his breath. Clifton breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the nurse again.

“Where’s my stuff?”

“It’s in the locker room we made sure to keep it all secreted away so nopony could get at it.”

“Thanks. You mind telling me where the locker room is?”

“NO!” Shouted the nurse a bit too quickly. “I-I mean, we can’t do that yet. Heheh, we have to make sure you are well enough to leave the hospital." His eyes narrowed.

Remember what I said. Whispered that voice he heard a while ago, in the back of his head.

“Yea.... Sure.” He started to roll with it. “How long have I been out?”

“Y-You’ve been out for about a month.” She winced as she expected him to be angry for some reason.

“Really?!” He asked shocked. It was clearly not the reaction the nurse was expecting.

“You’re not angry?”

“No. I’m just surprised. Normally my injuries wouldn’t heal that fast.” Replied the bewildered human.

“Really?” Asked the nurse. Now it was her turn to be confused. “Most injuries heal in that amount of time. Do things not do that in your world?” For a moment, he remembered the feeling of the blood in his ears, and adrenaline in his veins as he killed his first on his first mission. The barely felt resistance as his knife tore into the black garbed figures entrails and he smiled and took a deep breath in, relishing the feeling as it lasted.

It was over after that, and he was back in the hospital with colorful talking ponies. The nurse was looking at him with a concerned expression. His fists were clenched, he wore an evil grin on his face and was acting like he was somewhere else.

“Are you okay sir?” She asked, prodding his leg with a hoof. Without thinking, his hand shot down and grabbed the hoof, preparing to snap it with a single moment, but he stopped. His rational mind took over for a moment. He needed to keep a low profile, or these ponies would be all over him.

The human dropped the nurses’ hoof and shook his head.

“Yea.... Yea. I’m fine, just....” He trailed off, looking at the floor. “So!” Clifton said, jerking his head up suddenly. “Can I have my stuff back?”

“Sir, we have to run tests on you and make sure you are well.” She said, too quickly once again.

“Okayyy, at least tell me where the room is so I can get my stuff when we are done.”

“Uhhh, sure. Down the hall and to the right. The door says Locker Room. You can’t miss it.” Said the nurse after hesitating for a few moments. He had to remind himself that these horses were the enemy. They were keeping him from his combat gear, as he now remembered what it was. He nodded and went to the table to put on his undergarments, which they had left on the table.

“What’s that say?” Asked the nurse.

“Excuse me?”

“Your back. It says something, but I can’t understand it.”

“I don’t know. You have a mirror?” She nodded, and retrieved one from the closet. Looking over his back at it, he read what it said.

“Id praecipui infernum manet illis qui gaudent in bello.” The nurse was confused.

“What does that mean? I thought we spoke the same language.”

“It’s latin. I... knew what it said, but.... I can’t....” The human closed his eyes, and concentrated. After a moments thought, he opened them again.

“A special hell awaits those who rejoice in wartime.” He said. The nurses face took on a look of confusion mixed with horror.

“Do you have a lot of war where you come from?”

“I can’t remember.....” He trailed off again, remembering his sole memory of his past life. That fight, and the indescribable feeling of his opponents death.

There was a moment of awkward silence, and Clifton realized that the doctor had left the room. Probably trusting the nurse to take care of him.

“So. What are these tests you need to perform? I want to get out of here.”

“Well we have to test you for any more injuries. Your blood came back clean. You don’t have any diseases that we have encountered before. So I just need to scan you and you can leave.”

“Do it already then.” The nurse started for a moment, and then obliged and he felt a strange sense of calm washing over his body. He started to nod off. He wanted to fall asleep so badly, but he couldn’t. They were going to do something to him. Despite his efforts to resist, the spell began to take effect and he fell to the floor. He was about to close his eyes when it stopped. He felt the cool marble floor again and he came to his senses. He shot up and grasped the nurse by the throat, holding her in the air.

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!?” He roared at her.

“I.... I..... I...” She choked, trying to speak. Her face began to change color from white to a red and purple. “C-c-can’t breat-” He dropped her and she inhaled and began to cough. He glared at her.

“Tell me now.”

“I was scanning your body. I should’ve warned you that the spell contained a natural sedative in it. I’m sorry!” She curled into a ball and faced away from Clifton.

“Whatever,” he said and went to the locker room. He passed a few horses that saw him and bolted away in fear. He finally reached his destination, put on his combat gear, but found himself missing his knife and his gun. Looking around the room, he saw a safe in the back which was sealed. It looked very out of place. Trying the safe, and finding it unlocked he scoffed.

“Stupid horses.” Clifton checked inside and found his gun, and his trusty knife. He put the knife in its sheath on chest, and his pistol into its holster. Checking again in the locker and safe to make sure he wasn’t missing anything he set off out of the hospital with no particular goal in mind. After passing several frightened horses, a few of which had tried to stop him. After sliding his knife out of its sheath, they had turned pale and ran.

After his short trip, he reached the lobby and turned to the receptionist.

“Where should I go for tourist information?”

“Head to the library. Twilight might be able to explain some things.” Said the mare, not even looking up. Without another word, he set out to the library.

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