• Published 23rd Jun 2019
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A Forgotten Trooper - TheIronPone035



A lone clone trooper finds himself stranded on a planet previously unknown to the galaxy. A planet, inhabited by a race of pastel ponies, all completely oblivious to the war just beyond their sky...

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Chapter 8: Everfree March (Revised)

"Are we there yet?" Pinkie Pie asked, bouncing forward alongside Fluttershy and Rarity.

"Not yet Pinkie." Twilight answered, already getting annoyed with the whole situation.

The group of ponies plus Strider were currently walking around a mountainside that rose just above the treeline. There were a few swirling clouds scattered about the night skies, some intertwining in patterns while others simply looked like the tops of large twisters.

"We should be there soon Pink--- AHH!!! Twilight’s original sentence never left her lungs, being replaced by a scream as the ground below the group broke free from the mountain.

"Everypony grab onto someth'n!" Applejack shouted, using her mouth to grab a stray root that was sticking out of the mountain.

Fluttershy grabbed Rarity while Rainbow Dash grabbed Pinkie Pie, using their wings to quickly get them to safety. Strider frantically looked around for something to grab onto and spotted an outstretched branch. His hand gripped the branch, instantly halting his descent down the mountainside.

Twilight wasn’t so lucky, not finding any outstretched roots or branches. She ended up hanging by her forehooves over the edge of the newly formed slope. She tried to pull herself up, but as her back hooves met an overhanging rock, the stone broke free and fell into the valley below.

"HELP!" Twilight cried out, her grip beginning to slip.

Strider glanced down at Twilight, instantly processing the unicorn’s rather dangerous position. He was about to call out to her, but stopped when he saw Applejack slide by towards Twilight. The pony caught Twilight just before she could fall, saving her life as well as impressing the trooper.

"Heh, reminds me of the boys back in the simulations." Strider commented, smiling at the memory under his helmet.

The memory was forced to go on hold when a large snapping noise rang through the trooper’s ears. He looked up just in time to see the branch he was holding onto break free from its spot in the cliff. Strider instantly began tumbling down the slope, soaring right off the cliff and into a nearby tree.

"I, :crash: HATE, :smack: CLIFFS!" Strider shouted, his body getting battered against several branches until he fell out of the tree.

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but chuckle at the scene she had just witnessed, nearly losing her grip on Twilight, who she had just caught after a trust fall from Applejack. She and Fluttershy set the unicorn down next to Pinkie Pie and Rarity, before flying over to the base of the tree where the trooper was quietly muttering under his breath.

"You alright Strider?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah, i'm fine, let's just keep going and pretend that never happened." Strider grumbled.


The group made their way down the path, going deeper into the forest. Twilight was currently listening to Rainbow Dash’s boasting over the save she and Fluttershy had done when the cliffside broke free. Strider was bringing up the rear, making sure to watch the group’s back incase of a sneak attack.

The trooper didn’t like how quiet it had gotten, besides Rainbow’s constant talking. Where there once were owls hooting, and crows cawing, now stood eerily quiet. The group soon ended up walking towards a valley between two cliffs, making it the only way through. Before they could enter the valley however, Strider heard movement.

"Wait, I heard something." Strider exclaimed to the group, raising the DC-15A in preparations for a fight.

Right after he said those words, a familiar beast shot out from the underbrush, its eyes locked onto the group.

"A Manticore..." Twilight said, looking at the beast, fear seeping between her words.

So that was what that beast was called. If this was the same one that had attacked him before, then he had a score to settle with it. Strider aimed at the Manticore, but right before he could pull the trigger, a yellow hoof rose in front of him.

"Wait! Don't shoot!" Fluttershy shouted, surprising the whole group at how loud she had said that.

Before Strider could object, Fluttershy advanced alone towards the Manticore, showing no signs of fear as she did.

"What are you doing!? Your walking onto death's doorstep!" Strider claimed. He tried to aim around Fluttershy but he didn't have a clear shot anymore.

Fluttershy trotted right up to the Manticore, who glared down at her. Instead of stopping, she got even closer and began talking. She was actually talking to the thing that had nearly killed Strider just a day earlier.

"Are you kidding me." Strider muttered. Now it really was like that story from the archives that younglings always seemed to enjoy. That was, until something set the Manticore off, causing it to roar right into Fluttershy's face.

"FLUTTERSHY!" The rest of the group shouted, clearly worried for their friends safety.

Strider rose the blaster again, his finger hovering over the trigger. But he lowered the barrel when he noticed that the Manticore was licking Fluttershy's mane like it was ice cream that was given to younglings as a treat.

Seeing an opening, the group made their way past the Manticore, who had stopped licking Fluttershy and walked away into the forest. Strider looked at Fluttershy, amazed at how that pony, who a few hours ago was terrified from dark mist, just faced down a Manticore and somehow managed to befriend it.

True, it was an impressive sight as well as keeping the forests population one Manticore up. But deep down, Strider knew that if Fluttershy tried doing that to all the other beasts in this forest, and possibly beyond, she would end up failing in the worst ways possible.

He looked at the blaster in his hands, before following the group as they made their way down the valley and back into the underbrush.


As the group continued onwards, the trees above the group began to get thicker. Outstretched branches that held massive leaves on then blocked out the moonlight from above, casing the area below in a thick sheet of darkness.

Strider felt around his utility belt for a flashlight attachment, which was quickly grabbed upon finding its location. He attached it to the DC-15A and activated it, allowing the blaster to act as a makeshift flashlight for the time being.

Soon, the group of ponies ahead of him began muttering to themselves about the darkness. He simply ignored them and kept moving, until a strange noise began to fill the area. He stopped in his tracks, along with the rest of the group who had also heard the noise.

Strider scanned the area with the DC-15A’s flashlight, trying to see what had made that noise. He aimed the blaster to the right, only to be greeted with a horrific looking face that had been carved into the tree.

The trooper actually stumbled a little at the sight, but quickly regained his composure. The ponies on the other hand, had already started screaming, and he didn’t blame them. These trees definitely looked the part, but the growing fear in the group slowly began to vanish when they heard something that didn’t sound like screaming.

Strider quickly noticed that Pinkie Pie wasn't screaming, but laughing. How in the world was she laughing at the disturbing images around her? Strider gave a nearby tree a poke with the back of the DC-15A, before focusing back on the laughing pony.

Then, she broke out into a solo musical number. Strider had to hold back a groan of annoyance at the sudden outburst of singing, but he couldn't help but chuckle a little under his breath at the lyrics. He noticed that the other ponies had begun to laugh at the trees, causing the carved faces to vanish and be replaced with normal trunks.

"How did those vanish?" Strider wondered out loud, also taking note that the moonlight had somehow broken free through the trees and leaves, banishing the darkness around them.

Pinkie finished her song, laughing on the ground with her friends. Strider looked at the sight and smiled. It was rare to see these sights because of the war bringing terror to everyone, involved or not. But every here and there, he would stumble across true happiness, a spark of light in this dark war.


"I have no words..." Strider exclaimed, gazing at the sight.

Rarity had just snipped off a large portion of her curly dark purple tail and had given it to a serpent, THAT HAD A MUSTACHE! It made zero sense! Why did he have to crash on a planet that seemed to literally laugh at the laws and rules of the galaxy!

Strider could get behind the fact that some serpents had managed to hide out here, but the fact that this one was crying over facial hair that should of been impossible to grow considering their anatomy was like a punch to the archives he had studied on Kamino. Not only that, but this serpent was completely fluent in galactic basic as well! Able to hold solid conversations with Rarity and actually seemed to show manners!

Strider's avalanche of questions in his mind left him standing there, blankly while the group made their way over the serpents outstretched tail and to the other side. The serpent looked at Strider for a few seconds, before picking him up and setting him on the other side of the river.

Serpents had their own language style which consisted with clicking noises and sometimes slithers from their tongue! They also shouldn't have that much hair on their heads! Bright orange hair to be exact! First talking colorful ponies who have a strong government of some sorts as well as having currency and what seems to be trading posts. But no, the planet just had to have other creatures that can disprove facts that had been standing for ages in the Republic archives!

Strider didn't even notice Fluttershy pulling him by the hand as the group continued on through the forest.


"Are ya sure he's alright?" Applejack asked Fluttershy, looking at the Trooper, who was still mumbling under his breath.

"Well, I thought he might have finished by now, but he's still going." Fluttershy answered.

"If he keeps going then he might get into the top three ponies/people that can talk for hours straight! I'm number one." Pinkie claimed.

Strider's mind slowly began to slow down from his rambling wave of questions and he finished it up for good with a slap to his own face, or helmet.

"Sorry, this planet is just so strange." Strider stated.

"Eh, ya get used ta it." Applejack told the trooper rather blankly.

Strider looked over to see Rainbow Dash trotting over a very rickety rope bridge, a smile on her face.

"Come on! We have some element's to find!" She reminded the group, before flying into the sky and across the bridge.

Once the group was across the rope bridge, they advanced towards what looked like the ruins of an old castle. Cracked walls covered with dust and cobwebs, broken glass and a missing roof, definitely ruins of some sort.

As they entered through a pair of large wooden doors, they failed to notice a midnight blue and purple starred mist squeeze through some cracks in the walls. They reached the other side with ease, blending in with the shadows of the room as they waited for the perfect time to strike.

Author's Note:

Yeah, this chapter was a little rough. But the continuity for the old battle between Nightmare Moon and the elements has been...

'altered' a little

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