> Death is no Excuse
>  by Mr Foster
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Set Up
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Oi! You fuck! Look at me!”

Hernando slammed the butt of his rifle into Jack’s face, breaking his nose. Jack groaned in pain, already bleeding from a gunshot wound in his arm. So much for covert ops.

The mission had been a bust from the start. Jack knew it too, but his wallet was tighter than a hooker’s during sunday. Even though the job was from the ass-holes who had once employed him, the  mother-fuckin’ C.I of A, Jack thought it was going to be legit. Proves him to be dumber than he realized.

He was dropped over Spain at 0300 hours, and hit the ground at 0302 hours, East Coast Time. Jack was never fond of skydiving, but he just brushed it off as a C.I.A plot to kill him. He was too paranoid for his own good. Sometimes, being paranoid is okay. But not to the point when you hear a clock in the IKEA store, you pull out a DE.50 and turn it into dust. That was quite embarrassing for Jack.

He landed inside the compound of the famous Hernando Vega, who funnily enough, was not spanish. He was mexican, but played a good spaniard, seeing as how his skin was fair enough. He was wanted for drugs, murder, theft, human trafficking, border jumping, and finally, last but not least, pirating porn. Hey, a guy who is as ugly as Hernando is only going to be getting any action from his right hand. Or maybe its his left. Either way, a man who is missing half of his face at the hands of a dud-mortar in brazil back when he was still screwing drug-lord’s daughters, is not going to have any sex, any time soon. 

The compound probably knew he was coming, as within a matter of seconds, he was under fire from multiple positions. Now Jack, being more street smart than brains smart (didn’t even graduate from college) realized that there was no way to win. Especially after he suffered a .45 caliber bullet wound in his left bicep. Now, he was stuck in a small, interrigation room, with only the most wanted criminal in the world. Whoop de fucking doo.

“Do you think you are that privileged, to come into my compound, and try and shoot up the place? You are stupid as fuck, you piece of shit white trash gringo cracker,” Said Hernando, in a misplaced british accent. Probably picked it up from living in a british prison for so long.

“Woah, no need to get racist on me, ass dragon,” Jack said, and Hernando started to laugh. 
“You know,  I don’t think you get it. After I’m done torturing you in here, ass-fuck, I’m going to drive a fucking bullet through your goddamned brain,” Said Hernando, pulling out a Colt .45. American classic, being used by a mexican living in spain, who talks like a brit. Talk about cultural fusion.

“Good. It’ll get me away from my ex-wife’s constant badgering,” said Jack, completely unfased by the thought of death.
Hernando bellowed with laughter, slapping the grey walls of the room. Blood was splattered across them, but Jack just liked to think that it was paint. Same thing with the red hand prints on the two-way mirror. “You know, I actually kind of like you, Jack. How old are you anyway? You sound like a 42 year old who lives in his mothers basement and strokes the oak to furry porn all day.”

“I’m 24. I sound 42 because I drink too much whiskey. And there is nothing wrong with 42 year old men who live in their mothers basements, jerking to furry porn. It’s just their thing.”

“You mean like its my thing to shove sharp objects up womens ass-hole, and then twist until their colon looks like a mutilated baby?” asked Hernando, and Jack nodded.

“Yes, except yours is a bit more on the brutal side,” Said Jack, and the butt of the rifle was brought down upon his brown hair, splattering blood into his green eyes.

“Shut the fuck up, you stupid fucking gringo! I am in control here! So shut the fuck up, and answer these questions! Where were you born?” Asked Hernando, and Jack sighed.

“San Diego, California,”

“Where does your ex-wife live?”

“Dude, if you want to hook up with her, she doesn’t have rock bottom standards.”

“Just answer the fucking question, faggot.”

“Fine. Malibu.”

“Good. I can answer these questions. Sex? Male. Eye color? Green. Hair color? Brown. Height? 6’1”. Weight? 183 pounds.” Hernando went down the list, and then nodded.

“Okay, I think we’re done for now... I’ll come back when I see fit. Also, I suggest you tell your C.I.A handlers that you’re fucked  so deep my dick is coming out your mouth, faggot,” Said Hernando.

“Yet you’re the one using that analogy. I need a phone,” Said Jack, and Hernando shrugged.

“Why don’t you just tell them in person?” Asked Hernando, as a suited man opened the door into the interrogation room. He was wearing black everything, and smiled at Jack.

“You have got to be fucking joking. So my paranoia was correct?” asked Jack, struggling to get out of his binds. The only thing he got for his effort was a gun butt to the chest.

“I guess it was, Jack, you cocky ass fucker,” Said the suited man in a southern accent.

It was true. Jack was cocky. But he also knew his limits. Kinda a contradiction if you thought about it. He had a reason to be cocky though. 134 missions, only 32 of them failed. He did not have a reason to be such a bitter and angry bastard. Addicted to cocaine, alcohol, and pretty much hates everything around him. Makes him a good mercenary, though.

“So, the old and grand wizard of the C.I.A comes to greet me in my final hours, eh?” Asked Jack, and the suited man nodded, runnning his fingers through his silvery hair. “Goldburn the grey.”

Goldburn scoffed, nodding. He took out a lighter and lit a smoke. “You know, I pity you, Jack.”

“Oh?”

“You were such a good fucking agent. It was a shame that you had to kill that innocent child.”

“Such a shame that the real person who did it has now dissapeared off the face of this earth,” Jack replied, getting another rifle but to the chest. Blood splattered out of his mouth, onto Hernando’s pants.

“Ah, fuck! I just had these things stolen from sweatshops in argentina! These things are hard to come by!” Shouted Hernando into Jack’s face.

“Their Adidas. Deal with it,” Jack replied, before being punched in the face.

Jack fell over, blood pouring out of his broken left brow. He lifted his arms, and wiped the blood off on his intricate tattoo. A tribal mark he had received in Africa notioning that he was a great warrior.

Goldburg kneeled down next to Jack, and took off his glasses, looking Jack in his bloodshot eyes.

“Have fun in hell, Jack. Probably better than here,” He said, and Jack nodded.

“Yeah, especially when I don’t have your wife calling me 24/7 asking me to come and fuck her again,” Said Jack.

Goldburg turned around, and shoved his lit cigarette into Jack’s open bullet wound. Jack screamed in pain, until Goldburg released the cigarette from his wound.

“I want him dead, within the next hour. Okay, Hernando?” Asked Goldburg, and Hernando nodded.

“Consider it done, boss,” Said Hernando, looking at Jack. “Prepare to die, motherfucker.”

Jack saw the boot come down upon his head, and it all went black.

---

“Did you hear that, Angel?” asked Fluttershy, her ears perking up. She took her hands away from the tea cup she was holding, and looked out the window, which was facing the everfree forest. 

The butter colored pegasus stood up, brushing off crumbs from her stomach. She was still in her pajamas, or the bare minimum of what you could call pajamas (that of consisting of bra and panties) so she didn’t dare wander outside. Her small bunny companion tugs at her leg, angrily pouting about his breakfast cut short.

“Oh, I know Angel. I’m just worried. Weird noises have been coming from the forest lately,”Said Fluttershy, pulling her mane into a ponytail. She pushed the plate of salad towards Angel with her foot, and Angel hopped up, eating quickly, taking in the delicious cucumber-yogurt salad dressing.

The sun was just barely rising, and Fluttershy could make out a small glint of light on top of a boulder. It wasn’t there the last time she looked.

“Angel bunny, why don’t you stay here while Momma goes and takes a look?” She said sweetly. Angel just nodded with content, wagging his fluffy nub of a tail.

Suddenly, Fluttershy took her bra off, showing her bare breasts. Her wings fanned out and Angel looked her slim figure over. He reckoned her breasts, which he had been observing since the butter-colored pegasus had adopted him, were c-cups. One day, he vowed to touch them, feel her soft, warm, furry milk jugs in his little paws. One day...

Fluttershy then pulled on a pair of sweatpants, and a sweat jacket. 

"The zipper just really hurts when it hits my bra," She mutters to herself, as if she needed to explain herself to why she wasn't wearing a bra.

She then walked outside, examining the small, shiny object on the boulder outside her small cottage. 

It was a necklace, covered in blood. There were two tag like objects connected to the silvery beads holding the necklace together. Both had general information on it. 

“Hmm... What’s this? Jack Ross, born 2/21/1988, C.I.A, lucky number .20?”  Fluttershy read aloud as she examined the necklace’s tags.

Suddenly, she heard a very loud groan. She turned to the chicken coup, noting that was where it was from. She carefully walked over to it, when she saw some blood pooling out of one of the vacant coups. She covered her mouth, and walked over to the coup.

The door was half open, giving a small sliver of light to look inside. There was a tall-looking being inside, covered in blood, and looked terribly hurt. He was much too big to be a stallion. No, he had to be something else. Fluttershy gasped, pulling the poor thing out of the coup. He was brutally battered, his face morphed out of recognition, and there was a bloody hole looking like it entered through the very front and came out the side about 1 inch back. He seemed aware, but in shock.

“W-water...” He muttered, as Fluttershy looked him over.

“Water? Of course!” She shouted, running back inside.

Angel bunny stared at the creature in amazement. He was huge! Probably 6 foot tall, unlike the stallions here. If a stallion was tall, it usually meant he was around 5’8. Most mares were about two-three inches shorter than the stallions. This thing was a goliath compared to most of the ponies here.

Fluttershy burst in, filling up a jug of water, and grabbing a small, first aid kit. She sprinted back outside. Angel knew it was a bad thing, but the only thing he could focus on was her breasts, bobbing up and down, up and down.

Oh sweet mercy, those titties shall be mine, one day, Angel thought to himself.

Fluttershy ran up to the poor creature, and doused him with water. He swallowed some, but immediately coughed most of it back up. She wiped the blood from his face, and noticed that unlike her, he did not have fur. His face was much flatter, and he did not have they perky ears that most ponies had.  He had no fur, and he was massive, even for a tall mare like Fluttershy. She immediately started to clean out his facial wounds, pouring peroxide onto them, and then rubbing it with an alcohol wipe. She then turned her attention to the major wounds. Something had been lodged in his arm, and the hole in his head. Fluttershy decided best that she let Nurse Redheart do something about it, rather than try and operate herself.

“It’s going to be okay, sir. I’ll be right back, with help,” Fluttershy said, only getting a grunt in return.

----

“You stupid fuck! You made me miss!” Shouted Hernando at one of his henchmen.

“Sir, you’re drunk. You made yourself miss,” Said the henchman, and Hernando sighed.

“I know. I know. Well, at least he got a hole through his head, mate. Now... where was I? Oh yes, killing Goldburg...”





> Pain Brings Strength
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Jack woke up in a small room, his vision black and white. He was vaguely aware that he was in a medical bed, one much too small for him, and had a bandage over his bullet wound.

“Ma’am, it’s awake.”

“He not an it, nurse. He’s obviously some type of humanoid being. An advanced one at that.”
“Should we go in?”

“Let’s check. Sir, are you aware? Is it safe to enter the room?”

Jack ran his fingers down his face, touching the multiple scars, and a large bandage. How had he survived being shot in the head? It must have not hit the medulla oblongata, or the kill zone, otherwise it would have been lights out for good. He looked around. Everything seemed too small, as if it was made for teenagers, and not full grown adults.


“Yeah... It’s uh... It’s fine,” Said Jack, answering the previously stated question.

Two young women walked into the room, and Jack was taken aback. They had horse like faces, perky ears, yet they were both very beautiful. One had a purple horn protruding from her head, coming out of a flat, purple colored hairdo. She was the color of lavender herself, and seemed to be covered in a short coat of fur. She also had a tail, neatly brushed. The other looked like a nurse. She was a pinkish, off white color, with red hair and eyes. Her white skirt was much too short, and Jack could see what looked like the bottom of a cross poking out of the bottom of her dress.
Jack lifted himself farther into the back of the bed, slightly intimidated. He grimaced
in pain, as he put too much pressure on his wounded arm.

“Hey, easy there, sir. We spent a long time repairing that arm. We thought we would have to amputate. Same with your head, without the amputation part,” Said the nurse creature, putting her arm on Jack’s chest, pushing his back into the upright position of the chair gently.

“W-what are you?” Asked Jack, and the two creatures looked at eachother.

“I know this is scary, because you have no idea what- or who- we are, yet we probably know everything about you,” Said the purple creature.

“Can you just answer the question, please?” Asked Jack, and the purple creature sighed, running her hand down her face.

“We’re ponies. Humanoid versions, at least. I am Twilight Sparkle, and this is Nurse Redheart. You are Jack Ross, a human. Ex-C.I.A -Which we have no idea what that is- turned mercenary after you killed a child on a mission in somalia. You were married to Aleksa Rose for 4 years, straight out of highschool, but then divorced when she realized what you did for a living. You voluntarily gave up everything you owned, seeing as how you didn’t need it. You then dropped off the map for 2 years, and  now you winded up here. Half the things I just said I cannot make meaing of, but I’m sure you know what all of that is about,” Said Twilight, reading from her note pad.

“How the fuck do you know all this about me? And where is my equipment? Where the fuck am I?” Asked Jack, hyper ventilating. 

It’s just a dream, Jack. Don’t get worked up about it.

“Don’t worry, your equipment and weapons are in safekeeping. You won’t be needing them any time soon, and you’re in PonyVille general hospital. We know all this about you, because of this,” Said Twilight, holding up a small, laser light looking thing.

My data chip. But....

“Fair enough... how long have I been out?” Asked Jack, and Nurse Redheart looked at her watch.

“Approximately... 2 weeks, four days, 14 hours, 32 minutes, and 25 seconds. As of now,” She said, and Jack nodded, sitting up.

“So I’m guessing I’m an odd sight? To your kind, I mean,” Asked Jack, pulling his feet over the edge of the bed. He was wearing a small hospital gown, too small, giving an odd open aired feeling to Jack’s nethers.

“Not to me. For most ponies, yes. For one, you’re a different looking Goliath. You stand almost a foot over myself and Redheart. There is probably only two ponies that I know of besides me who won’t be surprised when they see you, and thats going to be the Princesses,” Said Twilight, and Jack scoffed.

“Princesses? You mean you don’t have a democracy here?” Asked Jack, and Twilight tilted her head.

“What’s a democracy?” She asked, inquisitively.

“People control the government. They vote in representatives and stuff. Too much to explain. Do you guys even have cars?” Asked Jack, standing up. He almost immediately fell to the ground, but he wasn’t going to let the wound in his head stop him from walking around.

“Well, we have prototypes for making cider... but...”

“Cars for making cider? Man, your priorities are way out of whack,” Said Jack, before stumbling. Twilight lowered her head, somewhat ashamed.

“Easy sir! You’ve just been out for a while, take it slow,” Said Nurse Redheart, jumping to Jack’s side. Jack groaned like a dying whale, and got back to his feet.

“Also, we noticed something weird about you. You have your cutie mark on your arm, not your flank,” Said Twilight, noticing Jack’s tattoo.

“‘Flank’? It’s called an ass, my lady. And what the fuck is a cutie mark?” Asked Jack, and Redheart winced.

“Please refrain from swearing, sir. Cutie marks are what show us what we’re good at,” Said Nurse Redheart, and Jack looked at his tattoo.

“I guess it kinda is a cutie mark... but its not cute, and its a tattoo,” Said Jack, trying to walk around again. This time, he was more successful. He started to stretch and jump, limbering up.

“Well, glad to see you’re back on your feet,” Said Twilight, and Jack just scoffed.

“I am in no means- by any circumstances- back on my feet yet. I’m more weak and helpless than a baby seal being clubbed by a poacher,” Jack said, and both ponies tilted their heads. “Sorry, human expression.”

Twilight simply nodded, levitating something over to her hand. Jack watched in amazement, his eyes bulging at the sight of magic. Her horn was glowing, yet Nurse Redheart brushed it off.

Must be a pony thing or some shit like that...

“When am I getting out of here?” Jack asked, and Twilight sighed.

“Not until maybe a month or two. We still have to study your anatomy, your speech patterns, do tests...” Twilight went off on a ramble, and Jack cut her off quickly.

“I have to get home, and I have to kill Hernando Vega. I don’t have time to be tested on,” Said Jack, and Twilight ran her hand down her face again.

“I don’t think you’re in the position to be choosing what happens, Jack.”

It was the first time she had said his first name. Jack angrily walked towards the door, not thinking. Suddenly. he was wrapped in a purple cloak, and was thrown back into bed, bounded there. He struggled against the binds, when suddenly, Twilight walked over to him.

“What the fuck? Why can’t I leave?” He asked angrily, struggling against the magical binds.

“We don’t know if we’re a threat to you, or if you’re a danger to us. Until further study, we  cannot release you. We’ll try to be as humane as possible,” Said Twilight, running her hand over Jack’s bandaged head. “You have a fever.” 

Jack ignored her remark, and strained with the binds again. Twilight shook her head, and walked out, Redheart following her out. Jack strained for a moment, and then sighed, closing his eyes.

Great. Stuck in a world with human like ponies who want to run tests and shit. Perfect.




---


Jack woke up to the feeling of heat around him. His eyes opened ever so slightly, noticing that the room around him was flickering orange. His eyes flew open, and he realized the room was on fire. The flames were spreading from the top, and he heard the yelling of the nurses and doctors.

“Get the patients out! Get them out!” Shouted a familiar voice.

Jack started to strain against the binds, adrenaline rushing through his body. His veins bulged out of his arms, as he ripped through the magical binds. He started to scream with rage, pulling the binds apart. Suddenly, burning beams blocked the entrance to the room, and he heard Nurse Redheart and Twilight yelling.

“The human!” Shouted Redheart.

“He can handle himself. He’s already ripped through my binds, he should be able to find a way out,” Twilight said.

Shit. How do I get out?

Jack sat up, and looked around. He noticed that the structure looked weakened on the wall connecting to the room next to him. He ran, and smashed through it, letting burning timber fall behind him. Flames licked his gown, forcing him to tear it off. Jack was left in the nude, in a burning room, smoke suffocating him.

“Find... a window...” Jack said, coughing through the smoke.

He jumped looked around the room, and saw that the door was open, giving an open shot through a window. He started sprinting towards it, when two hazmat ponies came up the stairs, carrying axes.

“There it is! Sir, you’re going to have to come with us!” One of them shouted.

Not today, you pony fucks.

Jack ran at them, delivering a punch to one’s gut. The other pony tried to subdue him, but was thrown through a wall at full force for his attempt. Jack began to run towards the window, when he heard the faint sound of metal clattering against the floor. He turned to see that somehow, a frag grenade had landed on the ground, the pin gone. Jack turned to run again, but it was too late. The frag grenade exploded, sending Jack flying out the window, then into a nearby hill. He hit the ground so hard, he passed out.


---


“So, you’re telling me... that there is a world, full of humanoid beings, who look like horses?” asked Goldburg, and Hernando nodded. “Sounds like a load of bullshit,” added Hernando.

“Look, Mr. Goldburg, I can’t explain it. I just decided to do some crazy shit with einstein's theory of relativity, divided by some very small numbers, shot a small laser through a small sphere, and then put the whole thing together, and boom, we have a wormhole,” Said the scientist, whose name was John Abernathy Jr. 

“Well then, lemme see about that, fucker,” Said Hernando, walking over to the telescope mounted in front of the large, purple-blue hole.

They were in a massive, grey room, complete with every type of scientific piece of equipment anyone would ever need. It was illegal, granted, but it had done more things for humanity than anyone with legal abilities ever had done. Such as? Wormholes and shit, yo.

Hernando, backed his eye away from the telescope, and looked at Dr. Abernathy, amazement in his eyes. He stood up, patting the doctor on his back.

“Either Goldburg laced my weed with some LCD and some cyanide, or I just saw 5 hot ass chicks having a pool party. Through a telescope. Onto a landscape that looks like its from nowhere on this earth,” Said Hernando, cracking his knuckles.

It had been 2 weeks, and 4 days since Jack’s execution, and Hernando had been looking for ways to expand his empire. He couldn’t go into America, Asia, or anywhere else civilized, or else he might be completely destroyed via airstrike or something of the other. While this wasn’t the most ethical solution, it was the most lo- Oh, who the fuck are we kidding? Hernando is an insane fuck, and sees this as a way to conquer more shit and fuck more bitches? Happy? Better fuckin’ be, because I just ditched all my regular writing, and broke the 4th wall right there.

“I think we might have to test it out, eh?” Said Hernando, scratching his small stuble.

“Uh, Hernando, might not be the best idea,” Said Goldburg, and the doctor also started to object. “It may not be safe!” 

“Does it look like I give a fuck? Look into my eyes, and really think. Does it look like I give a fuck?” He asked angrily. Goldburg and Abernathy looked at one another.

“Maybe I should hit two birds with one stone, eh? Goldburg, come here,” Said Hernando, and Goldburg stepped forward, not knowing what to expect.

Suddenly, a steely blade was pushing through Goldburg’s stomach. Hernando had his long combat knife shoved through Goldburg, and he pulled upward, separating the sides of Goldburg’s stomach. He then shoved what looked like a packet of incendiary C4 into Goldburgs stomach, and walked him over to the wormhole, throwing him in.

“Fucking C.I.A gringo fuck,” said Hernando, looking through the telescope. As soon as Goldburg hit the ground, Hernando pulled the trigger on the explosive, releasing a massive explosion.

He then pulled the pin on a frag grenade, and tossed it down the wormhole, smiling.

---

“Augh... What the fuck?” 

Jack sat up, noting he was still naked. The sun was just peaking over the horizon, and Jack was vaguely aware that his arm was bleeding terribly. He stood up, looking into the sky, when horror overcame him.

“What the fuck?” He asked himself, a large whirlpool of purple and blue circling in the sky. It looked vaguely like a wormhole, but he couldn’t be sure. He turned towards the hill, noting that there was a small cot at the top of it, complete with a small farm.

“I’ll hide there. Then, I’ll get the fuck outta dodge. I’m in no condition to be trying to run around like this,” Jack said to himself, running up the hill, towards the small cottage.

He was still fast, even though he was a he was bleeding terribly. While he was running he tried to think back on what had happened. He realized, he only knew the basics of who he was. He knew all the personal stuff, but could barely remember anything besides that. He kept on trudging up the hill, holding his arm to keep the wound from opening again, when he finally turned around. The hospital was directly underneath the hole in the sky, which was probably was the cause of the explosion. Everyone -or everypony, in this case- had been evacuated to the outside, and Jack could make out the slim figure of Twilight, and the shorter figure of Nurse Redheart, talking to what looked like a police officer. Jack turned around, and ran up the hill, only to find more officers standing around, talking to a butter colored girl. Jack hid inside a bush, his breathing uneven. It seemed like an hour, but after a short time, the officer walked off. The butter colored pony-thing sighed, and stretched, spreading her wings wide.

“What the fuck is up with this place?” Jack asked himself  under his breathe. Suddenly, he heard a low growling, and Jack kept stone still. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a menacing looking wolf, looking much like wood. In fact, it was made of wood. The smell coming from it was terrible, and Jack had to try hard not to throw up.

“Oh, hello Mr. Timberwolf. Are you lost?” Asked the girl, and the wolf growled.

That  thing is going to tear her apart!

“Oh don’t worry, I won’t hurt you, Mr. Wolf. I’d never hurt anypony, or anything,” Said the girl, but the wolf snapped at her, greenish saliva dripping from his lips. 

Jack then realized something was very wrong. Well, the wolf was made out of wood, but Jack had seen his fair share of rabid animals in his day, including wolves. He had realized that if a wolf was this close to town, seeking out something to kill, it is either stupid, or rabid. Either way, Jack didn’t want to take any chances.

As the wolf approached the girl, Jack creeped out of the bushes, grabbing a sharp stone from the ground. The girl backed up, realization slowly creeping upon her face. She hadn’t noticed Jack yet, which was good. But the Wolf had, and he perceived Jack as more of a threat than the girl.

The wolf turned around, facing away from the girl and the cottage, and ran at Jack. Jack dodged out of the way, delivering a deep stab into the wolfs back, spraying its green, acidic blood all over Jack’s arm. 

So thats why it smells so bad...

The pain was minimal, but Jack would have some nasty scars afterwards. The wolf growled, and turned around, sprinting at Jack again. It jumped on top of him, the claws tearing into Jack’s left arm. Jack used his left arm as a shield, using his right as a sword arm. He jammed the stone into the wolf eye, making it fall off of Jack. Jack got up with amazing speed, and grabbed a boulder, and threw it on the monsters head, spraying acid into Jack’s eyes.

“Fuck!” shouted Jack, falling backwards in pain. He grabbed his eyes, his vision blurry, and to his dismay, the Wolf getting back up again. Jack stood up, looking around for a weapon, when he saw a loose fence stake.

The Wolf lunged at Jack, but Jack delivered a heavy punch to the wolf, smashing the other side of its face. Jack then ran over to the stake, grabbing it, and pulling it out of the ground. He then turned around, and jammed the stake through the Wolf, plunging it back and forth, until he was sure the Wolf was dead.

Jack then fell backwards in pain, now having wounds on both arms, a terrible eyesight, and no memory. He looked around in pain, before looking at his stomach. There was a large splinter stuck in his bare skin, and Jack pulled it out, splitting part of his stomach open. A mass of blood poured out, and just watched, his eyesight wavering. He heard the faint sound of someone calling out, but before he could react, he just passed out.

> Disoriented 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack was running through the forest, his legs pumping him as fast as he could. He was vaguely aware of something following him. He didn’t dare turn around, knowing that if he did, he would be killed in an instant. Pain was pulsing through his shoulder, blood slowly dripping down his arm. He heard the sounds of gunshots whizzing past him, and ran out of the bush, faced with a cliff. 

Below was a massive valley, where a small town lay near a river, he turned, looking backwards, noticing the large amounts of silhouettes running towards him. They were speaking in a language that Jack couldn’t understand, but it mattered not. He turned back to the cliff, looking below, towards the river. It was way too shallow, but Jack could either risk being shot by AK-47’s, or jump into a river. 

“Now or never, Jack,” He said to himself, turning, and looking back at the men running at him, then back at the river.  He then turned to the river, and jumped off the cliff, flying towards the river from maybe 100 feet up. 

Jack hit the water in a cannon ball uniform, knocking the wind straight from his lungs. He plunged into the icy river, hitting the rocky bottom. Wind was knocked straight out of him, and he saw to the surface, his body pleading for sweet air. He breached the surface, the wonderful air seeping into his lungs. Bullets flew around him, as other soldiers jumped into the water. Jack swam over to the bank, quickly got out, pulled his own handgun out, checking if the magazine was full first, and pulled back the slide on the M1911. He aimed at the water, just as the other soldiers breached the surface. With extreme skill, Jack fired .45 shots into each of their heads, blood  spewing into the water. About four more breached just as Jack was reloading, and they drew their machetes. 

They were pirates, from the coast of Somalia, from the looks of their equipment and tattoo’s. They were no match for a well trained C.I.A operative. Jack drew his short bladed crescent knife, going into a defensive stance, on foot behind him, digging into the ground, the other barely put out in front of him. One of the pirates swung his machete, using his right arm as the swinging mechanism. Jack easily cut the pirates wrist open, tearing through bone and muscle alike. The machete dropped from the pirates hand, as Jack grabbed the pirates side arm from his holster, pushed it into his stomach, and fired a volley of rounds through the pirate, into the others. While it wasn’t very accurate, it did the job. All of the remaining pirates dropped to the ground, either wounded, or dead. Jack shook his head, and continued onwards, towards the town.



Jack opened his eyes, looking around the small room he was in. Once again, he found himself in a bed too small for him. The room was oval shaped, and had a small window, which golden rays were shooting through. He sat up, looking looking himself over. He looked at his stomach, which seemingly was sewn up, and his arm was sewn up as well, the multiple lacerations he had gotten from the wolf in his forearm healing slowly. He touched his head, feeling the large scar where his skull had been fragmented and put back together. He heard footsteps around the house, and there was a hot cup of tea next to Jack’s bedside. A small chair next to the bed, along with a wash pan filled with what looked to be fragments of shrapnel, and small blood droplets, marked that someone had been taking care of Jack.

He felt his back, realizing it had been filled with tiny particles of shrapnel and other unkindly things. Jack heard the footsteps getting closer to the room, so he laid back carefully, making sure not to strain his arm or stomach, and acted as if he was asleep again, eyes half open.

The door opened, and the young girl he had saved earlier walked in, carrying a small syringe. She then sat down on the stool next to Jack’s bedside, and cleaned the area connecting the forearm and upper arm with a small alcohol pad, then finding the vein gently with her finger tips. The soft fur on her fingers tickled Jack a bit, as she very carefully, and gently inserted the syringe into his vein. She did it so carefully that Jack barely felt the sharp needle pierce his skin. Within a moment, she drew the needle, and quickly cleaned the area once again. The girl then put a small smiley band-aid on the speck of blood that had appeared over where the needle pushed through. She then took a sip of her tea, pulling out a small, damp rag, and laid it across the Jack’s head, but not before feeling his head with her hand. Again, the fur on her fingertips tickled Jack a bit, but not too much. She placed the rag on his head, and stood up.

She walked out of the room, closing the door softly. As soon as she did, Jack sat up, grabbing the small vial that the girl had injected him with. He read the label quickly, horror overcoming him just as quickly.

“Rabies antidote?” He said silently, under his breathe. “I guess some of that glowy shit got into my mouth or something.”

He then looked around the room more closely, realizing that all of his equipment was in the closet next to the bed. Ranging from his M1911 and machete, to his dog tags. Everything. He reached out to touch it, when he heard some knocks on the entrance to the house. Jack quickly fell back into the bed, gasping at the pain pulsing through his still fragile body.

“Fluttershy, I’ve got more rabies antidote! Will 5 more be enough?” asked a voice that Jack registered as Nurse RedHeart’s.

He heard the door open, and the young girl, now revealed as Fluttershy, and Redheart converse a bit about how rabies was spreading through the communities animals, how rabid timberwolves were becoming a bit of a threat, who’s the best looking stallion in town, and finally, Jack himself.

“Have you caught that human yet?” asked Fluttershy, her soft, angelic voice carrying through the window in the bedroom.

“Not yet. We’ve found tracks up the hill, but that’s it. We think he may have died from blood loss, as the trail of blood stops right up your hill,” Said Nurse Redheart, hearing her breathe a heavy sigh. “Make sure to tell us if you find him.” 

“Oh, I most definitely will, Misses Redheart. You’ll be the first one,” Said Fluttershy. “I have some work to do, but I’ll talk to you later, if I can.” 

“Alright, see you around, Flutter. Also word of advice; Don’t let Thunderlane into your pants. He’s really rough, and can get pretty rowdy too.”

Yes, because I wanted to know that.

Redheart walked down the hill, and then Jack heard the door close. Fluttershy let out a loud sigh, and Jack sat up, when the door swung open.

There was a moment of silence between Jack and Fluttershy, staring into eachothers eyes. Hers were big and blue, almost luminescent aqua. Then, she started to scream.

“AHHHHH!” She screamed, running out of the room.

Jack shot up out of the bed, chasing after her. He realized he was still naked, but the last thing he needed was to draw attention to himself by a pony ratting him out. Jack caught up with her as he entered the kitchen, his long strides making him faster than the much smaller pony. He stopped Fluttershy by grabbing her from behind.

“Wait! Don’t freak out!” He said, trying to calm the still screaming Fluttershy. She continued to scream, and Jack let out an exasperated sigh. “Why are you screaming?”

“Get away from meeeeeeeeee!” Shouted Fluttershy, struggling out of Jack’s hands. He gripped firmer, trying not to hurt her, but to keep her from escaping.

“Why are you afraid! I won’t hurt you!” Jack said, vaguely aware that her fur brushing against his bare skin was slightly tickling him.

“You’re bigger than me and I saw what you did to that poor timber wolf!” Shouted Fluttershy, still struggling to get out.

“It was rabid! Do you know what rabies does to you?” Asked Jack, still holding her.

“Yes! I do! LET ME GOO!” Shouted Fluttershy, now more angry.

“I won’t hurt you!” Shouted Jack, and Fluttershy stopped struggling for a moment. She looked at him with her big blue eyes.

“Are you sure?” She asked, her eyes wide with fear.

“I promise I won’t hurt you,” Said Jason, his grip loosening. She pulled herself out of his arms, and went against the wall, looking him over. Her cheeks slightly flushed after her eyes passed over his nethers. Jack stayed still, and Fluttershy nodded.

“Okay... I’m sorry, I overreacted,” She said, and Jack nodded.

“Let me get clothed, and we’ll talk.”



So, about 20 minutes later, after donning his old combat fatigues, freshly washed with a rose smelling detergent, Jack was sitting across from Fluttershy, again, in a chair too small for him. His weapons and body armor was hanging on the counter next to him. The kitchen was small. There was a hexagonal cooking area, two sides open for exits and entrances. The side connected to the wall had the fridge and stovetop, and the little island had the dishwasher, sink, and the bar connected to it. Outside of the small cooking area, was a large oak table, complete with six seating arrangements. Fluttershy had a loose fitting yellow sweater, and a pair of pink sweatpants. Jack’s olive green tight fitting shirt and black fatigues contrasted his olive skin well.

“So... uh, why did you take care of me? You could have turned me in, to whats-her-face and Redheart,” Asked Jack, sharpening his combat KABAR knife on a rock.

“Well... I don’t really know. I just saw you laying there, bleeding, and I felt bad. So I took you in, stitched you up, applied medicine to you. I didn’t turn you into Redheart or Twilight, because they would have hurt you more,” Said Fluttershy quietly, looking into her lap.

“Thank you. It means a lot to me,” Jack said, looking at his arm. “I have rabies, then?” 

“I’m guessing rabies here is much different from that of which you come from. The rabies here can be easily cured, but only with rest and an ample supply of antidotes. It’s rarely fatal, only to young foals and animals,” Said Fluttershy, putting the case of syringes on the table.

“I see. Back on earth, rabies is usually fatal. Judging from all animal areas around your house, you’re not exactly fond of the idea of killing animals, are you?” Asked Jack, holstering his knife.

“Heavens no! Killing anything is frowned upon in Equestria. Judging from your teeth type, you have meat as a steady part of your diet. Us ponies don’t eat meat, but things like Manticores, Dragons, and Griffins do,” Said Fluttershy, and Jack nodded.

“You wouldn’t happen to have any guns around the house, then?” Asked Jack. Hell, he might as well inquire about any types of armaments.

“Guns? You mean like that weird looking metal thing you have?” Fluttershy pointed at the M1911 hanging from Jack’s bullet proof vest.

“Yeah. Like that,” Jack said, and Fluttershy shook her head.

“I have butter knives. Oh, and this one thing that shoots out flames. Applejack keeps it here, because she doesn’t want Applebloom to burn herself to death with it,” Said Fluttershy, and Jack’s eyes went huge.

“You have a flamethrower? Where?” Asked Jack, and Fluttershy’s eyes went a little wide.

“Oh no, I don’t think we should touch that. Last time, Applejack got really angry,” Said Fluttershy, and Jack sighed.

“Okay then... Any idea where I could possibly find a projectile weapon?” Asked Jack, and Fluttershy shook her head.

“I’m not really into weapons. I don’t like to hurt things. There is a general store in town, maybe you could try that?” Fluttershy fluttered her ears up and down, and Jack scratched his now growing beard, having not been able to shave it for a while.

“Do you have a scrapyard or anything? Someplace people throw away their stuff when they’re done with them?” Asked Jack.

“We have the western pass dump, but no people go there, just ponies.”

“That’s what I meant.”

“Oh, well, okay. I don’t think you should go out just yet. You’re still hurt badly, and I don’t want you to get hurt,” There was a trace of pleading in her voice, and Jack looked at her for a moment. Fluttershy corrected herself. “I just don’t like it when ponies get hurt.”

“Well, I’m not a pony, am I? I’m a big, strong human. I won’t get hurt,” Jack said, and Fluttershy’s voice went a little bit high.

“It’s not that... it umm, squeak.” Fluttershy said, and Jack shrugged.

“There isn’t anything out there I can’t handle. Trust me, I’ve been through a lot,” Said Jack pulling back the slide on his pistol. Full magazine, plus one in the chamber. He grabbed his bullet proof vest and his other equipment, and put it on. The whole process took about 10 minutes, but Jack wasn’t complaining. He was used to the fact that putting on loads of body armor and equipment took a while.

Jack was about to walk out the door, when Fluttershy stopped him.

“Don’t get hurt, okay? I don’t think I’ll be able to help you this time,” Said Fluttershy, and Jack nodded.

“I’ll be fine, don’t you worry,” Said Jack, walking out the door.

---

Jack followed his compass to the west, which he wasn’t sure was correct. Seeing as how it was always a peice of shit, and he was on a different planet, place, or dimension altogether, Jack couldn't be sure of anything. He was trailing on the outskirts of town, making sure none of the ponies outside could see him. The forest next to him was filled with the sound of growling, and the occasional yelp. Jack didn’t pay too much attention to it, stalking through the deep grass. He saw a large pile of rubble about a mile in front of him, so Jack betted that was where he needed to go. But something felt off again. He decided to trudge on, avoiding the town at all costs.

As he walked through the tall grass, slowly coming upon the western pass, he heard sounds of screaming. But these weren’t screams of fear and hate. These were screams of laughter. He decided to be wary, instead of running in, and trying to scavenge whatever he could. As he reached the hill, the laughter grew louder. Jack climbed up the hill, peering over the top, looking down into the junkyard. There was 3 small anthropomorphic children playing gleefully, hopping around what looked to be a metal box with windows. Jack looked more carefully at it, when he realized what it actually was.

“They have a Jeep Rubicon in the junkyard? I can do something with that...” Said Jack to himself, quietly.

Suddenly, Jack heard a barking noise, and out of the dirt of the junkyard, popped out 5 ugly looking dogs. They stood on two legs, had opposable thumbs, and looked like they had just gotten out of the pound. They surrounded the children, whose laughter had stopped. The small children, now identified by Jack as girls, were either wearing short skirts or short shorts, revealing they did not have their cutie marks or whatever the fuck they were called on them yet. One was the color of a yellow apple, with red hair, a bow tied together neatly on it. The other was white, with purple and pink hair, a horn protruding out of her head. The final one was the orange with purple hair, and small little wings coming out of her tank top. The dogs circled them, their claws unsheathing.

“Shit... those are just kids!” Jack said to himself, shaking his head. “I can’t just let them die!” 

Jack cursed under his breath, and pulled out his M1911, taking off the safety. He aimed the pistol downrange, breathed in steeply, and put his sights on one of the dogs heads. 

One of the dogs lashed out, his claws tearing through the white one’s arm. Blood gushed out, and suddenly, a loud bang was heard. One of the dog’s heads exploded in a mass of brain and bone, splattering the girls with blood. The dogs turned 360, surveying the area. They saw the glint of a piece of metal, and suddenly, another one of them fell to the sound of a gunshot, this one missing his throat. Jack ran down from the hill, knife in hand. He only had one magazine, so he had to make his ammo count. The dogs charged at him, running on all fours to gain speed.

“RUN! GO HOME!” Shouted Jack at the girls, and they ran off, the dogs more focused on tearing out Jack’s throat. The dogs came upon Jack, their black claws poised to strike. Jack rolled out of the way, slashing one’s stomach. Jack stood up, turning to face the remaining 2 dogs. They jumped at him, and Jack threw his knife into one, leaving him unarmed. The remaining dog circled him, then lunged, his claws about to break Jack’s skin. Jack grabbed the dog by the throat, and slammed him into the ground, knocking the wind out of Jack’s assailant. Jack then looked around for a weapon, spotting what looked like a machete embedded inside a rock.

He ran over, tearing the blade out of the rock with ease. It was a stainless steel blade, with a serrated edge on the back. It was 2 feet long, give or take, with a black handle and a small feather hanging from it. The dog was still recovering when Jack cut his throat open with the machete, spraying blood all over the gravel and dirt ground. Jack fell back, tired from the encounter. He was out of shape, and in no condition to be fighting this hard. He looked at the dogs, who were donned with precious gems and metals.

“Whatever those things are... They’re dead now. Now, about this jeep...” Jack said, walking over to it.

---


Fluttershy was taking a shower, when there was a knock on the door. She got out of the shower quickly, throwing on some comfortable clothes. She didn’t bother with a bra or panties, seeing as how she would have time for that later.

She walked over to the entrance to her small cottage, careful not to wake the sleeping animals. That reminded her to check the time. It was 9:00, and she was getting quite worried about Jack. Not that she had feelings for him, or anything. She saw him as a friend, and she would not let her heart tell her otherwise. He wasn’t even the same race, for goodness sakes! He had killed a timberwolf in front of her, and ate meat! That was reason enough for the two of them not to even think about getting into any type of relationship. While he was fairly handsome -and well hung, at that- he was just too violent and too different from Fluttershy. She blushed at the thought of Jack nude, but then shook off the feeling. The door was knocked on again, and Fluttershy opened the door.

“Yeah, uh, I got a car,” Said Jack, covered in grease and blood. His hands where bandaged, the knuckles seemingly split from working.

“Car?” Asked Fluttershy, looking outside. Behind Jack was a black looking metal box with windows and wheels, similar to the prototype that Flim and Flam had brought to Ponyville. Massive headlights were glaring at Fluttershy, and she shaded her eyes.

“Where did you get that?!” exclaimed Fluttershy.

“Junkyard. You seem to have a number of human things in there. Really simple to fix it. Had to change out the brakes, the engine, wheels, and everything else. It was trashed, but I scrounged around enough to find stuff,” Said Jack, and Fluttershy just looked dumbfounded.

“Well, where are you going to put it?” Fluttershy asked tentatively. “I don’t think we can put it here, otherwise, Twilight will catch on.”

“Good point. Do you know anyone -or anypony- who could possibly hide this?” Asked Jack, and Fluttershy thought for a second.

“I think I may know somepony...”


---

“AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

“Fluttershy, it’s just a little bump. That type of thing happens when you’re offroading.”

“GET ME OUT OF THIS THING!”

“Fluttershy, where is what's-her-faces house?”

“Oh, you mean Zecora? Right turn up ahead.” 

Jack pulled carefully through the thick forest in the jeep, careful not to scare Fluttershy any more than she already was. There was a small hut in front of the headlights of the Jeep. It seemed black inside the hut, and Jack turned off the headlights.

“I’ll go do the talking,” Said Fluttershy, and Jack put a hand on her shoulder.

“I should come,” Said Jack, and Fluttershy raised an eyebrow.

“Aren’t you afraid Zecora will maybe, I don’t know, act surprised?” Asked Fluttershy, and Jack scoffed.

“If she’s willing to hide a massive hunk of human made metal next to her hut, I’m sure she’ll be fine with meeting a human,” Jack said, unbuckling himself from the seat.

They both got out of the jeep, when a voice came from the hut.


“Who goes there? For it is no fair, to visit somepony in the night, to give them a fright!”

“What the fuck?” Jack asked, and Fluttershy made a shush sound.

“That’s just how Zecora talks,” Fluttershy said.

“She sounds african.”

“Okay then,” Fluttershy said, turning to the hut. “Zecora, it’s Fluttershy! My friend and I were hoping that you could do a favor for us!”

Suddenly, a black and white zebra anthropomorph walked out from the hut, completely naked. Jack averted his eyes, trying not to stare at her breasts, but sadly, he was not a master of self control. The zebra walked straight up to Fluttershy and Jack, and looked both of them over.

“This is the human?” Asked Zecora, looking Jack straight in the eyes.

“Yes, it is,” Said Fluttershy, and Zecora nodded.

“He looks like a capable warrior. And judging from the tribal tattoo on his arm, he is a fierce warrior as well,” Said Zecora, taking Jack’s hand. She placed his hand on her breast, and Jack didn’t break eyecontact with her. “He is also capable of controlling himself.”

Zecora pulled herself away from Jack, and Jack looked at his tattoo, noticing that Zecora had one exactly like it on her upper arm. Her and Fluttershy talked for a bit, and then Zecora nodded.

“I will take in the human machine,” Said Zecora, turning back to Jack.

“Thank you, Zecora. I am very grateful,” Said Jack, as Fluttershy started to walk back towards the cottage. She stopped about 20 feet in front of Jack, waiting patiently for him.

“You’re welcome, human. I hope you have the best of luck getting back to your home,” Said Zecora, waving goodbye to Jack and Fluttershy.

---

Jack took out a flashlight he had in his bullet proof vest, and continued through the forest quietly. Fluttershy walked next to him, thinking about what Zecora had said.

“He is a fine specimen, Fluttershy. Take care of him, and in return, he will take care of you.” 

What did she mean by that? How could Jack take care of her? Fluttershy wasn’t exactly needy. On occasion she needed help, but she could manage by herself. If anything, Jack needed more help. He was still weak, and did not know the culture of the ponies. Something told Fluttershy she should hold on to Jack for just a little bit longer.

“Something wrong, Fluttershy?” Asked Jack, as they came into a clearing, leading up to the cottage.

“Oh, no, nothing at all. We should get to sleep, its getting late,” Said Fluttershy, and Jack nodded.

“I concur,” Said Jack, as they walked to the cottage.

They both stayed silent, as Fluttershy opened the door, and walked in, making sure not to wake up the animals. Jack walked in, pulled off his vest, and went directly to his room. Not even a ‘good night’.

Fluttershy sighed, and walked into her own room, flopping down on the bed.

---

Jack laid there, staring at the ceiling. He was sharing a house with a horse. A anthropomorphic horse, who had C cups, but a horse nonetheless. She was pretty, kind, and caring, but she was a horse. Jack was beginning to think he overdosed on cocaine, which reminded him, he hadn’t had a hit in what felt like a month. Sure, he probably went through all the withdrawal symptoms already, but damn, a line sounded good right now.

Jack eyed his vest, knowing that there was one baggie of cocaine in his chest pocket. He scratched his stubble, and shook his head.

“Now is probably my one and only chance to get clean,” He said to himself, quietly. He reached over to his vest, pulled out the baggy of cocaine, opened the window, and poured the powdery drug into the air, in which it blew away. Jack nodded, falling into his bed. He thought about Fluttershy for a moment, then turned over.

“We aren’t even the same race...” Jack said, shoving his face into a pillow.

He just laid there, thinking about how fucked he was, and how he was going to get out of a situation like this. He was screwed, and he knew it. But death was no excuse, is it? You do a job until its done right. He had to finish what he started.

> Tasks
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack was running. He didn’t know where, or why. He was just running. The whole world was a black void, his vision tunneled. What he could see was a massive white plain, with a woman running in front of him. He instinctively sprinted faster. She had black pants on, and a white sweater on. She looked back at Jack, her eyes full of fear. She turned back, trying to sprint faster

Kill.

Kill.

As he caught up with her, he drew his knife. His blade was poised to stab, and he lunged, jamming his blade through her back, piercing the woman’s heart. She hit the ground, her blood the only color in Jack’s tunnely vision. He flipped her over, staring into the woman’s eyes. They were deep blue, and Jack then realized who it was.

Aleksa.

His grabbed her face in dismay, already about to cry. She was dead, her lifeless eyes staring into his. 

“Aleksa... Wake up baby. C’mon sweetie... Wake up...” He said quickly, his eyes wide with realization. He planted multiple kisses on his now dead ex-wife’s face, trying desperately to revive her.

“Aleksa, c’mon. Please, wake up. Wake up, please...”

Tears dropped from his eyes, as he shoved his face into her bloody sweater, sobbing. 

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his back. He turned to see a smaller, naked woman looking at him. She wasn’t human. She had long hair, with perky ears, along with wings spread out. Her own blue eyes stared into Jack, when he registered.

“Fluttershy?”  He asked, as she brought her arm around, stabbing him through his throat. He reached out, as he felt blood run out of his throat. He hit the white ground, his red blood spreading around his body.


Jack woke up, and rubbed his eyes. The young soldier looked around the room, and sighed.

“Still in this magical fuckin’ place. Balls...” The wounded man said to himself.

He got up, and pulled on his olive colored shirt on, and walked out of the room. The house was quiet, except for the occasional sound of the animals playing outside. There was no sign of Fluttershy, which seemed a little weird. Jack shook off the feeling, and walked into the kitchen. He was quite hungry, as he had hardly ate anything yesterday. As he walked into the cooking area, Jack turned his attention to a bag of potatoes lying next to the fridge. The hungry man grabbed them, and then opened the fridge, revealing a number of different fruits and vegetables. No meat.

“Fuck... I forgot,” Jack said drearily. He was stuck in a place where the dominant race was a bunch of vegetarians. He looked at the number of assorted herbivore foods inside the fridge, and pulled out a couple apples. 

Jack turned to see that there were pans hanging above the stove top. He reached for one -which was quite easy since it was at about eye level to him- and put it on the stove, turning the heat up. He then turned towards the cutting board, and pulled out his trusty knife, still covered in blood. The soldier-turned-cook washed the knife off, and began to chop away at the potatoes. 

It was only then, when Jack noticed the newspaper. On the very front page, was an article heading “Human Save’s Young Foals!” with a secondary headline of “Town meeting called to decide whether human should be captured!”


Jack shook his head, realizing that is probably where Fluttershy had gone. The merc continued to chop potatoes, and then brought them over to the pan, throwing them onto the black cooking tool sloppily. He then turned around, looking around the cottage. Suddenly, there was a little tug on Jack’s jeans. The towering soldier then looked down, to see an angry looking bunny staring up at him.

“Hey little guy. You want some breakfast?” Jack asked, kneeling down.

The angry looking lagomorph pointed at some carrots sitting on the counter, and Jack looked over to them. The young man then walked over to them, and picked a single carrot up. The bunny nodded happily, and Jack dropped it in front of him. The lagomorph picked up the carrot happily, and hopped away. Jack’s eyes followed the small bunny until it ran through the small pet door, smiling happily. His eyes then drew upward, to the outside. It was a bright and sunny morning, and the massive hole that had been in the sky seemed to have disappeared. Jack then turned back to the potatoes, which had somehow disappeared from the pan.

“What sorcery is this?” Jack asked looking at the pan in dismay. The merc’s eyes wandered around the room, until it came to the ceiling. Fluttershy was smiling, suspended in the air. She had the potatoes in her mouth, and flew down to the ground.

“Haha, very funny. You just stole my breakfast,” Jack said, and Fluttershy gave Jack a grin, along with a *squee* sound, defusing the whole situation.

“I’m soooo sorry, I was just sooooo hungry,” Said Fluttershy, in a playful mood. She was wearing a pink skirt and shirt, with small white dancing shoes, with long socks. Jack scoffed a bit, looking outside once more.

“So, you went to the town meeting, did you?” Asked Jack, and Fluttershy nodded.

“They’ve decided to catch you, to try and put you under furthur study. The three girls you saved made them promise that to let you out and go back home after studying,” Said Fluttershy, and Jack nodded. “Oh, by the way, who’s Aleksa?” 

Jack’s heart stopped, remembering the dream. He took a look at Fluttershy, his eyes glazed over. He walked over to the couch, and plopped down

“She’s... shes my ex-wife...” Jack said, looking down at his hands.

“What’s wrong?” Asked Fluttershy. He knew it was a touchy subject, knowing he’ll probably burst into tears. 

“Uh...” Jack started, wiping his wet eyes. “It’s just a subject that I find hard to talk about...”

Fluttershy nodded, looking over to the syringe case.

“How did you know?” Asked Jack, looking up at Fluttershy.

“You talk in your sleep. You must have feverish dreams. You were jerking around all last night, crying out her name in agony. I just felt so bad for you, so I decided to stay by you until you calmed down,” Said Fluttershy, giving Jack a warm smile.

“You stayed up all night, for me?” Asked Jack, and Fluttershy nodded. “Don’t do that. I’m not worth that much anyway.”

“Oh, don’t say that. You must mean something to someone, or somepony.

Somepony.

Jack shook his head, disregarding the last part of that sentence. 

“You want to talk about  it?” Asked Fluttershy, sitting next to him.

“No.” 

Fluttershy was taken back by the anger in his voice. She looked at him, but none of his anger showed on his hard face. His eyes were somewhat red, a small line of water trailing down his face. He just stared at the wall, and shook his head.

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Jack said, taking a syringe out of the case. He shoved it inside his vein, letting the purifying liquid run through his blood. He threw the syringe on the floor, and walked back to his room, shutting the door.

---

“So, will we be ready soon doctor?” Asked Hernando, looking over his multiple troops. There were about 25 of them, merely a forward scouting party to go and check out the new world that the doctor and the insane terrorist had found through the wormhole and telescope. Each of them was equipped with light gear. AK-47’s, M1911’s, the occasional grenade pack. Tank tops and sweat pants for the most part, along with balaclavas. There was a single high ranking merc among them, but he mattered not. At least, not yet.

“Well, yes, but you may have one teensy problem,” Said the white haired doctor, looking through the telescope.

“What is that, mano?” Asked Herndando, adjusting one of his soldiers grenade pouches.

“The man you killed about 3 weeks ago?” Asked Abernathy, pulling his face away from the telescope. “He’s still alive, and from the looks of it, still kicking major ass. Those weird dog creatures we saw yesterday were taken out like they were children by him.”

Hernando nodded for a moment, then looked over that the single mercenary standing among the weak militia. “Oi, Bear, come over here.”

The merc stepped forward. He was wearing blue jeans, with a neck hugging black jacket, with yellow stripes going down the sides of his outerwear. The gun for hire had fingerless gloves on well, making sure that the jacket was tucked into them. His hair was a simple brown, spiky mohawk, with a scar running across his cheek. His eyes were dark brown, and heavy, like he hadn’t gotten sleep in days. The merc had teardrop tattoos next to his eye, as well as a paw tattooed into the middle of his forehead. He stepped forward, looking at Hernando.

“Bear, I don’t want you to stick with these chicken fucks,” Hernando gestured at the soldiers. “I want you to find Jack, and I want you to cut his fucking throat out.”

Bear nodded silently, putting a hand on Hernando’s shoulder. The large merc, weighing in at 200 pounds at 6’ 5”, would easily overcome an opponent such as Jack. His enemy was wounded, probably weaponless, and was extremely vulnerable at the moment. Bear would have no problem at killing him. If he couldn’t get him up close, the merc would take him down at a range, using his M14 as a sniper. This would be an easy mission.

Hernando took a step back, handing Bear a parachute. He signaled for him to jump through the wormhole, and Bear did so without a single protest. The psychotic terrorist leader turned back to his group of followers, and smiled.

“Okay, attention! I want all of you fucking beady eyes on me, you whores! You see that fucking planet! It’s ours! It can be yours, if you do not fuck this up, comprende?” Hernando paced in front of the group of men, as if he was doing a revolutionary speech. “You are not to rape, pillage, fuck, or do anything else to the locals! Don’t even fucking interact with them, or I will slice your dick off, and shove it up your ass!” 

A couple men shuffled in discomfort, but Hernando continued. “The only reason you’re bringing  those fucking piece of shit Russian excuses for assault rifles, is because I know it makes you feel macho, and not a dick sucking Thai transvestite! Do you fucking understand! Until I give you the go ahead, I don’t want to see any blood shed.” Some of the men groaned. 

“But let me make this fucking clear! If any of you shitheads see that fucking excuse for a mercenary, Jack Ross, feel free to load his body with lead, and then proceed to ass rape him with a knife!” Shouted Hernando, and the men shouted with joy. “Now, make sure you get a parachute before you jump into the wormhole, you cum-guzzling pieces of shit! I don’t need to lose any more men!”

The soldiers lined up, grabbing parachutes one at a time, before jumping into the hole, being transported to the different planet. Hernando smiled to himself, watching his pawns jump into the hole. He turned around, walking out of the large room.

---

Jack had been staring at the ceiling for the fifth hour straight. He kept on watching the ceiling fan spin around and around. In truth, he was thinking. Thinking on how Zecora had the same tattoo as he had. It couldn’t have been a coincidence. She sounded African, and the fact that she was a zebra reinforced that. Maybe her tribes did the same as the ones on earth? Jack only got it because he had killed some big oil lord out of the goodwill of his heart for a small african tribe. In return, he got a tattoo, showing that he was a warrior. Big fucking deal. He was just wondering if she had come from earth, and if she had, was there a way off this place? 

But he also couldn’t get his mind of Aleksa. This happened every time he had that dream. He would get depressed, think about how much of an ass hole he was for abandoning her. Then he would get his shit together, kill a couple people, then have the dream together. Life repeats itself. Jack knew it was stupid to think about. He was no longer married, stuck on a planet with techni-colored ponies, with an unfinished contract. Granted, he no longer needed to kill Hernando, but he just wanted to kill him out of sheer revenge. Jack would enjoy the moment when he would get to sink his blade deep into the terrorist’s throat. Jack tingled with enjoyment at the very thought. 

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Fluttershy walked in. She was dressed same as before, except she had just enough make-up on to make herself look professional. Jack glanced at her, then continued to watch the ceiling fan spin around in circles.

“Jack, I’m going to go to the spa with my friends. I’ll be back in about 2 hours. Try not to get into trouble, okay?” Fluttershy said, and Jack simply nodded. The mare shook her head, then dissapeared out of the room. The human simply waited until she left the house, then shot up, grabbing his knife.

“Time to pay Miss Zecora a visit,” He said softly to himself, slowly walking out of the back door.

It was midday, and the sun shone down warmly onto the humans olive skin. He had his knife, his machete, his handgun, a canteen, and a depressed mind. Everything was set to go. He set off into the deep forest, stumbling over a few roots on his way through the small, green yard Fluttershy had between her house and the forest.

As he entered the thick forest, he turned around for one last look at the house, hoping that Fluttershy would not come home to an empty nest. Jack shook the thought off, and walked into the dark depths of the everfree.

The tall soldiers boots crunched against the soft undergrowth of the forest. He traced his path back to the cottage by kicking all the leaves off the path he took. Granted, Jack did not have a single clue where he was going, but he was rest assured that he would find the way to the hut. It was quite simple, really. There were a few bricks and stones doing a half assed job of paving the way to the hut. Plus, there was a terrible odor that smelled of rotten flesh, and a vagina that hasn’t been cleaned in years. Jack continued to walk the path, noting that the foliage was getting thicker. Many of the larger trees had scratch marks on them, looking large enough to be wolves. Jack placed a single hand on his machete, continuing to walk. 

Soon, the pathway opened up into the area around the hut. The smell was overwhelming, so much that it was painful to breathe. Multiple branches of wood were covered in glowing liquid, and Jack had an idea of what was happening inside the hut. The merc walked up to the hut, which seemed to be a mixture of a tree and multiple wood buildings around it. Looked very neanderthalish, but was probably very durable. Jack walked up to the door, and knocked gently. He heard some noises from the inside of the hut, but almost immediately, the door was opened by the still nude Zebra. The stench blew out from the inside, making Jack turn up his nose.

“Ah! Hello, human,” Zecora said, leaning on the doorway, making no attempt to hide her breasts or sex.

“Hello, Zecora. May I ask you a few questions?” Asked Jack, keeping eye contact with Zecora.

“Of course, of course. What brings you away from the horse?” Asked Zecora, and then shook her head. 

“That was a terrible rhyme,” Jack said, and Zecora nodded.

“Very hard to make a good rhyme while talking to a human. It always ends in ruin,” Said Zecora, and Jack raised an eyebrow.

“Do you always talk like that?” Asked Jack, still standing on the front doorway.

“It is the zebra way. I could do it all day,” Said Zecora, walking away from the door, gesturing inside. “Come in, come in. I’m making an potion out of rabid Timber Wolves.” 

Jack walked in, wiping his boots off on the floor. The main room seemed to branch off into other areas of the tree. It was also very large and cavernous.There were rugs and wood furniture everywhere, along with multiple cultural artifacts Jack could identify from his trips to Africa. He watched as Zecora walked over to the cauldron, and stir it up. The human could see multiple bits of the wooden wolves inside the boiling pot, and Jack raised an eyebrow.

“How did you kill all of them?” Asked Jack, and Zecora just laughed.

“Killed? No, I’m using the one you killed about 4 days ago,” Said Zecora, stirring the cauldron. “I do not believe in killing. In fact, nopony does. Perhaps the tribes of old from my homeland do still believe in such things, but for the most part, we do not.”

“You didn’t rhyme.”

Zecora looked back at Jack, and gave him a sliver of a smile, then turned back to the cauldron.

“I know why you came. For one question strikes you lame,” Zecora let her wooden spoon sit in the cauldron. “You’re wondering how to get home.”

“Correct, but there is another question,” Jack said, as Zecora slowly walked over to him, swinging her hips sexily.

“And what may that be?” Asked Zecora, finally making her way over to the human, sitting on his lap. 

“How you have the same tattoo as I do,” Jack said, as Zecora mounted him. He was slightly aroused, but Jack had never been one to get aroused easily. A large amount of foreplay would have to be involved to even get him slightly hard.

“Ah, the tattoo. I was wondering about that too,” Said Zecora, tracing Jack’s jaw with her finger, looking into his eyes. The zebra’s eyes were luminescent blue, almost like portals. Jack gave his hard green eyed stare back. “I do not know the answer. It grows in my mind like cancer. Though I do know someone who knows.”

Zecora unmounted Jack, and stood up, running her hand through her mohawk. She turned around, looking out the window. She turned back to the soldier, who had stood up himself.

“I got this tattoo from a very dear friend in my travels. She knew of a man who was in a similar predicament. She had a human child, about the age of 18 when I saw her 3 years ago. She may not be alive, but I’m sure her daughter is. She lives far into the mountains in the north,” Zecora said, looking at Jack, walking up to him. “I will give you what you need, in return for a favor.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. He had played enough Skyrim and Fallout 3 to know where this was going. He just hoped he didn’t end up having to do other tasks for other people, which then led to doing tasks for more people, just so he could get at the main objective of his quest. The human decided to take his chances.

“What do you need?” Asked Jack, and Zecora looked at him weird.

“Are you sure you’re up for such a task?” Asked Zecora, and Jack nodded his head. 

“Of course.”

The anthropomorphic zebra nodded, and then turned to a cookbook she had next to the cauldron. “If you could, please gather a rosemary beetle, a few petals of white gorge flower, and a drop of rainbow. It may take time, so do not worry about being slow.”

There was that rhyming again. Jack shook it off, taking the cookbook from Zecora. “I don’t even know what these things look like. I mean, besides the rainbow.”

“Do not fret, for I can bet, as the man you are, you need not go far. A rosemary beetle has been nesting underneath my tree for some time. Use what you need, but do not kill it. The wings are the prime ingredient. For the gorge petals, they are located outside in my garden. The smell, you will have to pardon,” Zecora said.

“What about the rainbow?” Jack asked, scratching his stubble. “Technically impossible to get a drop of rainbow.”

“Maybe in your world, but many things do not make sense here. Go now, for you may have it all done by sundown, if you are quick,” Said the Zebra, stirring the cauldron again. Jack nodded, and walked out of the hut, shutting the door behind him. 

The sky had become gray with clouds, and small droplets of rain pitter-pattered on Jack’s tan skin. He looked around, thinking that starting with the garden would be the best idea. He started to circle around the tree/hut house, looking for any type of garden. Of course, following his amount of luck he had been having in the past month, there was no garden in sight. Jack muttered a couple words under his breath, and looked around further. A small dirt path behind the huts led down to a small bog, bubbling with what looked to be tar. 

“This day just gets better and better, doesn’t it?” Jack said to himself, walking down to the bog.

There was a small island in the middle of the tar lake, with only a small stepping stone path leading up to it. Large amounts of steam was forming off the top of the lake, due to the cool water hitting the hot tar. Massive bubbles flung hot, gooey, mess everywhere. The human stood at the shore, wondering how he would get to the other side. The rocks did not look very stable, as if they were to crumble at any given moment. Jack paced around the shore for a moment, thinking hard on how he would get across.

“Perhaps if I made some type of rope line to the other side...” Jack said, looking at the surrounding trees. They were tall enough, with multiple vines hanging down from each branch. Jack decided that it was a chance he was willing to take. He walked over to one of the taller trees, wondering where he would start.


----

“Fluttershy, why are you so concerned about the human, darling? He probably means no harm.” Said Rarity to Fluttershy, who were both bathing in a hot bath, along with their 4 other friends.Aloe and Lotus’ spa -which somewhat resembled a roman bathhouse, if, you know, a roman bath house was filled with jacuzzis and saunas- was a greats place to go to after a long day, which is exactly what everypony in the bath’s had. Rainbow Dash had a hard day of weather patrol, Applejack had to buck over 200 trees, Twilight had book reports, Pinkie Pie had done a little over 100 cakes, and Rarity was dealing with a huge order of dresses, and Fluttershy had to deal with keeping the human undercover. Her friends didn’t know that, though. While Fluttershy found it quite relaxing, she couldn’t stop worrying about Jack. The way he was acting in the morning made her feel as if he was going to do something incredibly stupid.

“I just don’t want my animal friends to get hurt. I heard that humans eat meat,” Fluttershy said softly, massaging her temples gently.

“Oh, sugarcube, I’m sure the human will realize how important those animals are to ya’, darlin’!” Added Applejack, who was getting a leg massage. “But if he steps near that barn, I’m going to light him up like zucchini on a grill.”

Fluttershy looked at her earthpony friend for a second with a raised eyebrow. Surely she wasn’t serious, was she? The butter colored pegasus shook her head, diverting her attention to Twilight, who had been quiet the whole time. She looked troubled, as she was reading a letter that looked as if it had been mailed from Celestia.

“Whats wrong, Twilight?” Asked Fluttershy,  and Twilight sighed deeply, putting her letter down on the table next to the bath.The purple unicorn massaged her neck gently, her eyes closed in thought.

“Apparently, Princess Celestia needed some extra help on the human thing, so she sent down another pony,” Said Twilight, pushing the letter away in disgust.

“And?” Asked Rainbow Dash. “Wait, lemme guess; she sent your brother.”

“Not even close, Dash,” Twilight said, slight annoyance in her voice.

“Princess Cadance?” Asked Pinkie, smiling widly. “I really do enjoy my dances with her!”

“Close, but no cigar. Trixie,” Said the purple mare, and the remaining 5 girls gasped.

“Trixie?! But, but... She’s tried to hurt us twice! I will simply not stand for this, Twilight!” Shouted Rarity in disgusted, and Pinkie began to pout as well. 

“She took away my mouth! Do you know how hard it was to not be able to talk for that long!?” Asked Pinkie, her eyes as big as dinner plates.

“I hope she doesn’t try and banish you, again. That was really mean, and I don’t want to go on secret missions again...” Said Fluttershy, her voice just a squeak.

“Don’t worry guys. I’m sure everything will go okay. First sign of trouble though, and she’s out of here,” Said Twilight, leaning back in the bath, her eyes losing tension. 

Suddenly, a young purple dragon walked into the room, his green eyes fixated on all 6 mares. He was wearing a green tee-shirt, and a pair of loose fitting jeans, tucked into boots. He had a scared look on his face, obviously concerned about something.

“Hey spikey-wikey! Whats wrong?” Asked Pinkie, standing up from the bath, showing her naked body to the young dragon.

“I- uh... I-” Stammered Spike, staring at Pinkie’s small but perky breasts. Applejack forced her down into the bath, and Spike regained his speech. “There’s something happening with the big-purple-thingy above town. I think you may want to take a look.”


---


“And my dad said that I would never amount to anything!” Jack triumphantly stood on the top of a very large tree, the branches stripped. The soldier held what looked like a sharpened stick, connected to a very long rope made out of the meat of the tree’s branches and vines. Jack himself was covered in cuts, his fingers bandaged up, along with his wrists. And arms. And legs. It didn’t matter to him. Within 30 minutes, he had made a zipline out of vines and tree meat. He couldn’t help but take pride in what he had done.

Zecora walked out of her hut, staring at the now destroyed tree. Her jaw dropped, her eyes widening.

“Human! What have you done!?” Shouted Zecora at him, and Jack turned towards the zebra.

“What?” Asked Jack, and Zecora, pointed at the stepping stones, angrily.

“You could have used the stepping stones!” Shouted Zecora, and the human just laughed.

“Those things would have never supported my weight! Watch this!” Jack flung the wood stick over to the small island in the middle of the tar lake. It slid into the ground, giving a sturdy end point for the makeshift zip line. Jack then grabbed a larger, straight stick, and put it over the top of the zip line, jumping off the top of the tree.

Zecora watched, amazed, as Jack sped down the line, the vine barely holding his weight. He was moving at a good speed, up until the very last portion of the ride. Speed wobbles were getting the best of the zipline, and the vine suddenly snapped, sending Jack and his stick tumbling through the air, over hot tar.

“SHHHHHIIIIIIIITTTTTTT!” Shouted Jack. While his forward propulsion was making him glide through the air, towards the island, he was a good 30 feet away, making it very hard to see him landing without a broken bone, or at least a fracture.

Zecora facepalmed as the screaming human flew through the air, knowing that he was going to injure himself bad, and that she was going to have to either heal him using some potion or nurse him back to health using other means. She could only watch as he barreled towards the dark green grass of the island.

Jack was about 5 feet away, when he curled up into a ball. While it wouldn’t give him much protection, it would keep him from breaking his back, hopefully. He felt as if the ground was reaching out to him, as if it was going to pull him in and crush him into a pancake. 

It almost felt that way, as the human smashed into the ground, sending dirt and grass into the air. A sickening *pop* sounded as Jack rolled, his teeth gritted in pain. As he came to a stop, he laid on his back, hyperventilating from the intense pain coming from his right ankle. His eyes were huge, looking around, his vision changing colors from the adrenaline rushing through his now dilated veins. The human’s heart was pounding around 150 bpm, and he could feel his pupils constrict into tiny dots, letting in as little light as possible. He sat up quickly, staring at his ankle in horror.

It had been twisted all the way around. Instead of facing upwards, the ankle was dangling loosely around 150 degrees from where it should have been. It was only a dislocation, but Jack knew it was serious. One wrong twist, and he could lose use of that leg for a long time, and he couldn’t afford such a thing at this point. The soldier reached forward, grabbing his ankle gently, twisting it so that it felt as if it was in its natural position. Jack then slowly put pressure on it, until he could feel the ligament slowly pushing back into the socket. It felt like hours, but in a mere 30 seconds, he was at the wall, and needed one last push before he could try and walk again. The human pulled off his belt, and bit into it, before grabbing his ankle again.

“One...Two....THREE!” shouted Jack through gritted teeth, before shoving the ankle back into place. A satisfying *pop* sounded, as the ankle settled into Jack’s socket, leaving his yelling in pain. His eyes filled with tears, still biting into his belt. He fell back in relief, staring into the sky. 

Finally, he sat up, and looked around. A small bundle of white flowers were directly in front of Jack, and he walked over to them, pulling a single flower off. He shoved it into one of his pockets, and made his way over to the stepping stone bridge. He had wanted to rope climb his way back, but now, the only way back was via the stepping stones. He didn’t trust it, but against his better judgement, the merc sheepishly placed a single foot upon one of the stepping stones. It didn’t budge, so he took another step. This one didn’t budge either. He cautiously continued, making sure not to lose his balance. Slowly, but surely, Jack reached the other side without fail. Zecora looked at him with awe, as the human pulled out the flower.

"I got your damn flower. Now, tell me how to get under your house, so I can get this beetle," Jack said, slightly annoyed.

"There is a door to the basement inside the hut. There you will find the entrance to the gut," Said Zecora,  and Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever," He simply muttered, running up to the hut.

Above him, in the now grey sky, flew things that looked like birds, gliding slowly towards the earth. But they were not birds... 

They were humans.



> Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bear flew from the worm-hole at astonishing speeds. He was never much one for safety, but that was because he didn’t much care. Being a man who came from the same background as Jack, or “Wolf”, as Bear knew him, he was dissatisfied with his own life. The only things that drove him on where money, drugs, and sex. Very common with most mercenaries at this point. While he had known Wolf in a past life, he was just another target now. Easily killable. He was probably too busy trying to get in the pants of every chick he could find to notice the fact that this place, whatever the hell it was, was being invaded by a bunch  of paramilitaries employed by the very man that killed him. If Bear didn’t kill Wolf, then some other sap would, leaving Bear to take all the credit. He kinda hoped that would be the case. Wolf was a good soldier, and it would be terrible to look him in the eyes as Bear choked the last drops of life out of him.

Bear looked around, taking in the landscape. The town he had parachuted over was surrounded by woodland, except for a plain stretching towards a valley. On the top of the valley walls, which were towering mountains, was a golden and marble city, probably something of a capitol for this inferior race. Suddenly, a loud beeping noise sounded, and the merc’s parachute deployed, jerking him upward. It was approximately 20 seconds until he hit the ground, so he had to find a good landing spot soon.

There wasn’t much to land on. The forest was a no go, and the feilds were far off. The only place to land now, was a small clearing near a swamp. There was a small island, surrounded by what looked like tar. Bear swung his body in that direction, the wind carrying him softly until he landed safely on the island. He simply dropped his parachute, and looked around.

The island has a small stepping stone pathway back to the main body of land, giving Bear a safe passage over the bubbling tar. He took it gracefully, landing on the other side without fault. The gun-for-hire looked around  the area he was in, letting rain droplets hit his skin softly. There were boot like footprints in the mud on the ground, and Bear smiled.

“Gotcha, Wolf. Now, I’m the bigger hunter.”




----

“Welcome to Zecora’s basement. Filled with mud and skeletons and hundreds of flesh eating bacterias. Lovely.”

Jack had entered through the bottom of the hut, only to fall into a underground bog, filled with bones, mud, and what looked like oversized flesh eating worms. The merc had seen his fair share of nasty places, but this was in his top five, if not two. While his boots did give him some protection, he could feel the worms slamming into his legs, trying to take a chunk out of him. He hoped that this beetle thing wasn’t as bad as these worms.

The bog had a small amount of light pouring in from the caves attached to it. It had started to downpour outside, and the cool water mixed with the hot bog mud made it steamy inside the swamp, making it near impossible to see. Jack noted this, and continued on through the mud, letting the warm, thick, brown and red liquid cover his khakis. Jack heard the distant sound of thunder, but the headstrong human ignored it, trudging onwards.

After a while of walking towards what seemed like the center of the cave, the heat had a steep increase. It went from slightly uncomfortable to like seven inches from the midday sun in 10 seconds flat. Jack wiped his brow is discomfort, and trudged on. The mud became a little lighter, and a bit thicker, along with smellier. It felt as if Jack was trudging through a semen lake, and the fact that those fucking worms kept on biting him was not helping the image.

Water dripped from the ceiling, making Jack look as if he had gone swimming. As the cavern got hotter, it seemed as if it was raining from the cavern ceiling. Another weird ass thing to add to Jack’s increasing list about disturbing things in this cave.

Then came the groaning. The light was practically gone now, making Jack practically blind. The groaning was not of that of a hungry zombie, but of a teenage boy pleasing himself with his sisters lotion that she had used between her- well, you know where I’m going with this. The stink of the cavern had increased sharply, now smelling of a fleshlight that hadn’t been cleaned in a week. Jack’s stomach went topsy turvey, but he didn’t toss his cookies, seeing as how he didn’t have anything to hurl up. He could thank Fluttershy for that later, but right now, the merc needed to focus on other things.

Jack saw a bright light ahead of him, as well as moving objects in the room where the light was coming from. From the small reflection off the mud, he could see it was almost pure white now. The smell make Jack dry heave, tears coming to his eyes. He was almost afraid that his stitches were going to split open, he was heaving so much. Finally, after about 2 minutes of wanting to throw up, Jack trudged on, through the thick white goo, into the room.

Even though Jack had nothing in his stomach, he threw up right then and there. The Rosemary Beetle was not a beetle at all. It was a fat, tentacle covered blob with wings, with at least 7 penises raping what looked like the bodies of Hernando Vega’s grunts. Massive, long black tentacles shoved themselves into the bloody asses of the now dead soldiers, blood and semen spewing out with each thrust. The monster was groaning happily, using its smaller tentacles to jerk off the dead humans. Jack just kept on throwing up stomach acids into the pool of rotting semen he was standing in, so disgusted by what he was seeing, he thought about killing himself right then and there.

“New... Comer....” Said the monster, dropping the dead bodies into the semen pool. Its penis tentacles slowly slithered towards Jack. The merc raised his head, drawing his machete in one hand, and his knife in the other.

“You aren’t raping me, you faggot monster,” Jack said, spinning his blades.

The largest penis tentacle lashed out at Jack, slapping him across the room. The soldier landed on a cum-covered wall, before falling into the semen pit. There was no use trying to fight the massive dick-whips on this thing. Jack raised himself from the sticky white goo, and spotted one of the dead militia’s grenade packs. Jack lunged for it, only to get his leg wrapped with a dick-tentacle. The human reached up, cutting through the large black tentacle, leaving Jack flying through the air, towards the grenade pack.

The merc landed in the goo, grabbing the grenade pack, and swiftly opening it. He grabbed two grenades, pulling the pin on both, before chucking them at the monster. They landed near the top of the Rosemary Beetle, before exploding, sending chunks of the sex crazed monster across the room, including the wings straight at Jack. It smashed him into the wall, sticking him to the cum-covered barrier. The poor human was utterly disgusted, before sliding down into the now red and white pool of blood.

“Holy fuck that was nasty... I’m going to cry in the corner of a shower now,” Jack said to himself, grabbing the wings, folding them so that they were small enough to fit in his pockets. He looked around the massive room, noting that the source of light was from the small opening above him. He decided to climb the fleshy walls with his Machete and knife, going slowly upwards, leaving the disgusting place.

When he reached the top, he realized something was very off. Those were humans. How could they have been here? Besides that, they were Hernando’s humans. They were outfitted with heavy duty weapons too. Assault Rifles, knives, grenades. Something told Jack that this was not a political envoy. The merc stood up, when suddenly, more tenticle dicks exploded from the hole in a mass of jizz and blood, feeling for Jack on the surface.

“WHAT THE FUCK!” The human fell on his back, kicking the ground so that he could move backwards, away from the hole. The massive monster raised itself from the hole, its half destroyed head still splurting blood. The tentacles surrounding it’s body spread out, revealing one, massive, red eye. It threw up blood at Jack, who narrowly dodged it.

“What does it take to kill this thing?!” Shouted Jack, as the monster lashed at him, hitting him in the thigh. He flew across the clearing near the hole, slamming him into a tree. The human heard a sickening *POP*, as his shoulder dislocated. He screamed in pain, as the monster slowly surrounded his body with its tentacles, lifting him up in the air. Jack’s legs were spread apart, and one, sticky, slimy tentacle ran itself on the humans underside.

“F-fuck...” Jack said to himself, through gritted teeth.

Suddenly, there was an intense heat below Jack, and a screaming sound. The monster dropped Jack, letting him hit the ground with a *thud*, knocking the wind out of him. Flames licked the ground around the human, making him roll out of the hot zone. As soon as he was safe, Jack stood up, his shoulder still dislocated, watching as the monster turned into goo and smoke. He then also realized that somepony, or someone was using a flamethrower.

The humans attention turned towards the user, who had finished off the monster. Jack’s eyes went wide as saucers, as a massive man turned towards him, smiling. He had dark skin, a spiky brown mohawk, blue jeans, a black jacket and gloves. On his head, he had teardrops tattooed near his eyes, and a single paw in the middle of his forehead. His eyes were dark, nearly pitch black, and faded, as if they had seen things no man should.

“Well, hello there, Wolf. Fancy seeing you here...” Said the man, as he pulled the trigger on the flamethrower, sparking a flame in front of the barrel.

Jack simply stared at the man, a face or realization spreading across his face.

“Fuck.”

The flamethrower sprouted to life, sending a flame towards Jack. He didn’t even have time to react. The last thing he remembered was a massive, purple shield appearing before the flames engulfed him.

---

“You know what the difference between you and I is, Wolf?”

“What is that, Snake?”

“You care about who you kill.That’s why you’re in this situation right now.”

Snake stood over the body of the child, kicking his body. Wolf was sitting down, his legs given out before him. Well, that and the fact that Snake had just shot his foot out from under him. Snake kneeled down in front of Wolf, smiling. The small, asian man was always a bit weird. Never felt any reason not to cause collateral damage. He was a bastard at its finest. Wolf and Bear both hated him, but Eagle kept him on the sole reason that he was effective.

“You know, Wolf, you killed this kid,” Said Snake, smiling, licking his small M9 pistol. His tongue was split into two, hence his name. “You’ll probably lose your job.”

“Fuck you, you piece of psychotic shit,” Wolf spat at him, and Snake simply smiled.

“You know, its a shame, Wolf. You were the best of us. I think I’ll spare you the embarrassment, and just kill you,” Snake said, pulling a gasoline can off the ground, and emptying it all over the grass hut.

“You’re a sick bastard, you know that,” Wolf said, adrenaline rushing through his veins. “You killed that child for no obvious reason. A human BEING.”

“He’s not a human being. That thing right there,” Snake pointed at the body of the small Somalian child. “Is the dirt underneath my boot. I am of a higher race. These animals, do not deserve to be called human. More like... Caddle, or fodder, just waiting to be killed by other Caddle or Fodder.”

Snake pulled out a lighter, and threw it on the ground of the hut, lighting the gasoline and grass alike on fire, walking out. Wolf watched as the flames made their way up the walls, engulfing the whole room in fire.

“Not today, you fuck.”

Wolf stood up, besides his pain, and ran out of the burning hut, bursting through the flame covered hut, causing his own clothes to be caught on fire. Snake turned around, his pistol drawn, but he was too late. Wolf was already upon him, snarling in anger.

In one swift move, Wolf brought his elbow down upon Snake’s head, splitting his brow, causing blood to splatter onto Wolf. The massive agent had rage in his eyes. Snake would have no chance at this point.

“Time to die, you piece of shit,” Wolf growled, bringing his gloved fist down upon Snake’s face.

Blood flew everywhere, as Wolf’s first blow broke Snake’s nose. A second blow nearly dislodged his eyeball. A third actually did so. The fourth was the most powerful, snapping Snake’s delicate jaw. The powerful man then forced Snake’s mouth open, and grabbed his split tongue, starting to pull. He then put a foot on Snake’s throat, pushing down on it as he pulled his tongue. Snake could just jerk and scream in pain, as he felt his throat slowly be pulled apart and crushed at the same time. Blood splattered as Snake’s tongue split, muscle and veins tearing apart effortlessly. Finally, with a final pull, Wolf pulled the whole of the tongue out of Snake’s throat, crushing the asian agents neck in the process. A soft gurgling sound formed, as Snake silently died.

---

Fire surrounded Jack, as he stared lifelessly into the sky. He wasn’t dead, but Twilight had hit him with a braindead spell before he could try and run away. Now, the gang had to deal with this Flamethrower weilding human.

“Now how in tarnation did you get my Flamethrower!?” Asked Applejack angrily.

“Easy now, darling. I suggest you get back a couple feet back, before I burn your pretty, pretty fur off,” Bear said, sending out a plume of flames everytime one of the ponies took a step closer.

“Leave us alone!” Shouted Rainbow Dash, angrily

Just a couple minutes ago, the ponies had followed the landing pattern of the “birds” and ended up watching most of them- a good 20 out of 30- fall into the Rosemary Beetles lair. From there, they waited, until they heard explosions, loud bangs, and then, watched as Jack pulled himself out of the hole. They were about to seize him, when a the beetle came out once more, about to kill Jack. Not before another human came out, Flamethrower in hand, and burned the beetle to a crisp. Now, Twilight was trying to protect her friends, and her specimen. She wasn’t doing a very good job either.

“I’m going to take Jack, and that’ll be the end of it, ya hear? No more motherfuckin’ games, horsies,” Said Bear angrily, slowly walking towards Jack. He was slapped by a purple shield for his troubles. He sent a plume of flames at Twilight, who easily deflected it.

“You know what, you purple bitch,” Said Bear angrily. “I’m going to shove my dick in your ass by the time I’m done. and I’m going to rape you good, and long, and hard. You’ll be beggin’ for death.”

He aimed his flamethrower at Twilight, and sent a airblast her way, sending her flying back. She no longer could protect her friends, so they all jumped back. All except Rarity.

Bear lunged for her, grabbing the white pony by her small, soft breast. She squeaked in pain, as he flipped her in front of him, still gripping her breast. The fashionista groaned, as Bear put more pressure on her tit, licking up her ear.

“Wolf, your friend, and this flamethrower are all coming with me. Got that?” Asked Bear gruffly. Twilight couldn’t possibly get Rarity back. Not with the wind knocked out of her, and with that Flamethrower. Only one way to save Rarity



---

Jack woke up, his vision blurry. Bear had his back towards Jack, and was holding some poor soul hostage. He couldn’t move yet, but his muscles were slowly warming up. He slowly stood up, the sounds around him not registering yet. His vision finally cleared, and he saw that the whole clearing was scorched. An AK-47 was thrown onto the floor next to Jack, and the aging merc picked it up slowly. He aimed towards Bear, still off balance, and popped off a shot.

The bullet plunged through Bear’s lower calf, cutting through the muscle quickly. Jack attempted to fire another shot, but the gun just clicked emptily. Jack looked around for a magazine, and spotted one laying on the ground, only 2 feet away. Before he could jump for it, he was hit with an airblast, as was sent sprawling over the AK-47 ammunition.

Bear kept Rarity in front of him, until he reached the edge of the clearing. He dropped the Flamethrower, threw Rarity on his back, and limp/sprinted through the brush. The girls were about to take off after him, when Jack started sprinting after him, firing a new magazine of bullets at Bear.

“Stop! You’ll hit Rarity!” shout Pinkie. Jack finished off his clip, and then slammed the AK-47 on the ground.

“Fucking Shit!” He shouted angrily, before turning back to the girls. Twilight’s horn was glowing bright purple.

“Oh sh-”

Jack didn’t even have time to finish the sentence before he passed out.
> A/N: Apologies 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey guys, Stormy here.


Now, I know that the last chapter of "Death is No Excuse" Was a bit of a rushed and bad chapter.

Okay, it was REALLY rushed, and REALLY bad. It was my first time running without an editor, and was absolutely FILLED with plot holes and personal failures. So, in the meantime, I'm going to take the latest chapter down, until it is actually readable. I will also have at least ONE new chapter (Fully edited and non rushed this time) and I will try to make up for my utter lack of literacy next time. For all of you who have commented, liked, favorited, and given me feedback on this story, thanks a bunch. You've helped me more than you know on this story.

-Storm


P.S.: I know I can't just leave you sitting like this, so have a cute picture of Fluttershy eating a cookie.


Also, tell me  if you like the new cover art, or if you prefer the older one!

Peace!
> Hostage
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	[A/N: Think of the worthless chapter I posted as non-canon with the fic. It is not part of the storyline, as I have created a better one. Next chapter will be up soon!]





Spike sat sadly on the edge of his bed, looking at a small picture of his group of friends. They were all there: Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and last, but not least, Rarity. Oh, sweet Rarity. Torn from her friends from that dastardly human!

Spike angrily slammed his fist on the bed post, before shaking his hand out in pain. The love of his life was missing, and Twilight was preventing him from going out and looking for her! He was even beginning to think that Twilight didn’t even care about the kidnapping of Rarity. It was all about the human at this point. She wouldn’t even let her friends go out and try and find her.

	 “Too risky, too dangerous. What has happened, has happened. We’ll have to wait it out.”

“Wait it out my tail. I may never see my love again!” Cried Spike, falling to the floor melodramatically.

“Spiiiiiike! Where are those books I asked for!?” Shouted Twilight,  somewhat annoyed.

“Get them yourself, Twilight! I’m going on strike until Rarity gets back!” Shouted Spike, and Twilight swore under her breath, as she moved around the library.

“Spike, I don’t understand why you’re so annoyed!” Shouted Twilight, grabbing various books from the shelf. “We have guards out looking for her!”

“Because! You could care less about Rarity, and more about the human!” Spike ran over to the railing of the upstairs area of the library, so he could shout down at Twilight. “Aren’t your friends more important than a stupid human!”

“As much as my friends mean to me, they aren’t going to secure my future!” Twilight shouted up. “Princess Celestia wants me to keep a watchful eye over this human! I can’t have him slipping in between our fingers again!”

Spike frustratedly ran downstairs, to look Twilight in the eye. Sure, he was only 13 as compared to her being 22, so he was a good foot shorter than her, about 3” 9’. He gave her his most pouty look, and she sighed.

“Spike, sometimes, there are things more important than friendship. LIKE MY FUTURE!” she angrily said, frost evident in her voice.

“Twilight, I don’t get it. Friendship is everything to you, and now you’re throwing it away for this?” Spike held his stubby arms high. “It’s not natural.”

“Spike, this is a human. This thing is the most destructive sentient being we know of. Celestia will want to have control over it! I can’t allow it to escape!” Twilight said anxiously, looking through her numerous shelves.

“Fine. If you aren’t going to look for Rarity, then I am!” shouted Spike, as he made his way towards the door.

“Spike, you will do no such thing. Leave it to the guard, they’ll find her,” Said Twilight. “Besides, you’ll never find her. She’s in the everfree.”

Spike gaped at what Twilight just said, and stormed out of the house, trudging towards the town hall. Twilight just shook her head, and muttered a few swears, looking through her books on how to magically bind a human.



----


Jack angrily tugged at the chain around his neck, looking around the dark room. Heavy rain poured down outside, and a few leaks made their way into the dank, dark room. The humans eyes have long since adjusted to the darkness, and his anger has also brewed. He never did anything to these ponies. In fact, he had probably done more good for them than bad. Now they were imprisoning him in some dark room underground. Jack tugs at the chain again, and sits down.

“Fuck man... just...fuck,” Jack says to himself, massaging his temples. He stands up once more, looking at the chain that connects him to the wall. He stares at it for an agonizingly long time, before the human hears a door creaking open in the basement.

“You got 5 minutes, Shy. Make it quick,” Said a gruff voice. Small tapping sounds came from the inside of the basement, until a tall pegasus stopped in front of Jack’s cell, her soft face barely illuminated by the small fluorescent light above Jack.

“Jack?” asked the familiar, honeylike voice of Fluttershy. Jack looked up, and walked towards her, reaching out, held back by the chain attached to his neck.

“I’m sorry Fluttershy. Shouldn’t have gotten you into this shit,” The human said, and Fluttershy gave him a sad smile.

“It’s not your fault, Jack. I’m so sorry...” She said, her voice trembling, showing how close she is to the brink of tears.

“Didja find your friend?” Asked Jack, standing as close as he possibly could to Fluttershy.

“No. The other human got away with her. The guards are searching for her, but to no avail.”

“You mean you aren’t out there looking for her? Why not?”

Fluttershy sighed, and shook her head, her eyes watering now. “Twi says its too dangerous... That we might get hurt.”

Jack turned around, running his hands through his wet brown hair. He turned back to Fluttershy, who was still staring at the ground, small droplets of tears hitting the cobble floor.

“Thats a load of shit. She just doesn’t want to have to deal with more missing ponies. I can get your friend... whatever her name is,” Jack said, pulling at his collar.

“Rarity... Her name is Rarity...” Said Fluttershy, before a pounding on the door disrupted their talk.

“I  have to go Jack. Stay safe, okay?” Said Fluttershy, and Jack smiled, scratching his beard.

“Don’t worry kiddo, I ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

-------



“Well, well, well. Ain’t this a surprise,” Said Bear, standing over a human figure, bloody and battered. “Two of my old squadmates are here, on this fucking planet! Small world, ain’t it!”

The two men were in a small, wooden shack that had been erected overnight, much like many of the buildings in the small community of guns-for-hire were now living in. They had dubbed this small room the “Executioners Block”, due to the fact that Bear had already killed five of his guys inside there. This would be his sixth, but the merc really didn’t see the man before him as a man. More like a kid.

The human sat up, showing his face up to Bear. The brutalized man sneered, only getting another brass-knuckled blow to the face.

“You’ve got a lot of guts coming here, Jackal.” Bear pulled out his M1911, pulling the hammer back. “You always were the stupid one.”

“Obviously not as stupid as you,” Jackal said, sitting up again. The slender brit cracked his neck, slowly getting to his feet. “You still think you can overpower me.”

Jackal was the last operative of Predator Squad working full time for the C.I.A. The youngest member, as well. He wasn’t even old enough to drink yet, though apparently old enough to commit war crimes for his country because some politician told him too. The California boy was named after his first hunting kill, a golden Jackal he had killed in north Africa after nearly biting Eagle’s dick off.

The kid had been on a C.I.A. sponsored mission to hunt down each of the remaining members of the Predator squad, so that they wouldn’t have any problems with having the ghosts of old members, brainwashed by some terrorist organization, coming in and killing off new agents. As always, this was just another way to get a loose end tied up. The CIA blew his cover with a single phone call, and now he was stuck in a room, one on one with Bear.

So you could say things were going well.

“They don’t call me Bear for nothin’, kiddo,” Bear said, putting the muzzle to Jackal’s head. “I’ve always been stronger than everyone in the squad.”

“Strong isn’t always good,” Jackal said, grabbing a knife from the back of his boot, and keeping his hand behind his back. “Sometimes it pays to be fast.”   

Bear laughed, rearing his head backwards. Jackal took the moment to slap the gun from Bear’s hand, and slice at the large mans throat. Lightning fast, Bear grabbed Jackal’s hand, twisted it, and brought his elbow down on the kid’s back. Jackal yelped in pain, before rolling out of Bear’s grip, throwing him on the ground. The younger man stomped on the grip of the M1911, propelling it upward into his hand. Almost immediately, he blindly starting popping off rounds at Bear, who was rolling around in an attempt to dodge bullets.

“I’ve already been shot once this week, kid! I don’t intend on doing it again!” Shouted Bear, as Jackal finished emptying the clip at Bear. No hits, whatsoever.

Bear jumped to his feet, pulling out a machete from the back of his bulletproof vest. Jackal’s tank top and sweat pants would be cut through like butter with that thing. Bear licked the blade of the black-steel sword, smiling hungrily at Jackal.

“You know, the way you lick those blades, sooner or later somebody is going to get the idea you’re sexually attracted to them.” Jackal laughed at his own joke, giving Bear the chance he needed to strike.

Bear jumped forward, swinging a blow that would have cut through Jackal’s bone as if it were paper, if Jackal hadn’t rolled out of the way. Bear made a quick recovery, stabbing at Jackal this time. The young man kicked at Bear’s hand, knocking the machete out of his hand, then proceeded to do a flying lotus kick, knocking Bear on his ass.

“You want some more, old man?” Asked Jackal, running in place and throwing some fake punches.

“You know kid, you’ve got some balls, I’ll give you that.” Bear got on his feet, wiping the blood from his lip. “But you’re stupid as shit.”

Jackal raised an eyebrow, as he heard a loud click from behind him. A soldier had leveled an FN FAL at Jackal’s head, and was now about 3 pounds of pressure on his pointer finger from carving a 7.62mm hole through the kid's head.

“Escort Mr. Harper out to the edge of the camp, and put a bullet in his head,” Bear said, picking up his machete from the ground. “And make it snappy, grunt! I don’t want this prick to be a thorn in my side any longer!”

“Yes sir!” Shouted the soldier, nudging Jackal with the barrel of the gun.

Jackal  and the soldier made their way outside the shack, immediately being hit with the massive rainfall that had been pouring outside both days they had been there. The camp was busy with construction, as well as the new arrivals of more well armed para-troopers from Earth. Weapons were being amassed, as Hernando wanted to invade the near-by town as soon as possible.

“Too bad you’re gonna miss out on all the fun, Ben. Shoulda just worked with us in the first place,” Said the Soldier with the gun, making his way along the camp, his boots sloshing through the mud.

“Fuck off, Mink. You’re probably gonna die anyway,” Jackal retorted, before being hit in the back of the head with the butt of the rifle.

“You’re a cheeky peice of shit, Ben. I’ll make sure to prolong your suffering.” Jackal and the soldier made their way to the edge of the camp more slowly now, the kids head now pulsing with pain.

The forest at the edges of the new community was thick, not only with trees, but with shrubbery and mud. The few bodies of the dead mercenaries were all piled up in a trench that Bear had made himself. The smell of decomposing flesh and fresh rain was not a pleasant mixture.

“Welcome to your final resting place, kid,” The Soldier said, slapping the safety off of the Belgian made Assault Rifle.

“Wonderful. How much does the burial cost?” Asked Jackal, looking into the ditch, filled with the bodies.

“Fifty cents.” Said the soldier, dropping his FAL and pulling out his Five-Seven handgun. He pulled back the slide quickly, flipping the safety off.

“What do you mean about that?” Jackal said, slowly pulling a knife from his pants.

“About the cost of a round for a Five-Seven,” Said the Soldier, putting the barrel up the the back of the younger man's head.

Jackal spun, kicking the soldiers legs out from under him. A single gunshot sounded off as the man hit the ground. Jackal pounced him, slamming the short knife-blade into his throat. The man gargled, his eyes expanding as he died.

“So much for my funeral,” Jackal said, grabbing the mans Five-Seven, and shoving it into his thigh holster. He stomped on the wooden stock of the FAL, launching it into the air. Jackal grabbed the Belgian Assault Rifle by the barrel, and sprinted into the forest.

As he sprinted through the thick brush, he heard shouts behind him, signaling that the rest of the camp was now aware that he had killed one of their own and was escaping. Soon, there would be 7.62mm rounds flinging past him, and if he wasn’t lucky, one would hit its mark.

As if on mark, bullets starting flying past the young man, each one smashing against the ground in front of him or the trees around Jackal. Mud splattered against Jackal’s skin, now covered in sweat, as he sprinted as fast as his legs could take him through the everfree.

Then came the mortars.

The first one smashed not ten feet away from Jackal, completely obliterating the tree that protected the young CIA agent from the blast. The second one was a little farther away, as well as the third one. The explosive shells seemed to follow Jackal relentlessly, spitting up mud, rock, and silt with every touchdown.

Suddenly, Jackal was thrown into the air, a piercing hot pain shooting up his back. He slammed into some mud, as a tree fell down upon his left leg.

“Fuck!” Shouted Jackal, desperately trying to pull his leg from the tree. No avail. Now its was fight or die.

Jackal grabbed his nearby FAL, slapped the action on it, and sat up, already aiming down the sights. Almost immediately, he saw targets running out of the brush, running towards the blast crater of the mortar that had sent him careening through the air.

“Lock and load, motherfuckers.” Jackal pulled the trigger once, releasing a single burst of ammunition at an unlucky soldier, getting hit in the neck with all three shots.

The other soldiers quickly realized that they were under attack, but it was too late. Within seconds, they were hit with a wall of lead, tearing them apart. More soldiers sprinted through the forest, returning fire at the general area of Jackal. The pinned man kept on firing off bursts, but to no avail. The rifle ran out of ammo quickly, and the return fire shot up both bark, mud, and silt, making it not only impossible to see, but also making it rather impossible to even have the nerve to pop off a correct shot.

“You think he’s dead?” Asked one of the soldiers, as the shooting wound down.

“Yeah. You see all that mucky shit? I’m sure some of that is blood.”

“You don’t fuckin’ say Sanchez. It’s dark brown, and the rest of the mud is light brown. There is obviously some blood in there.”

I can see why these guys were sent in first. They’ve got about the intelligence of caddle. Jackal thought to himself, as he slid farther under the tree.

“Let’s get out of here, then. I don’t like being stuck out in the forest, we might get raped by one of those monsters or something.” The sound of sloshing mud slowly fading away marked the dismissal of Jackal’s enemies.

With one clean push, Jackal shoved himself into the mud beneath the tree, and swiftly out the other side. Sure, he was now covered in bark, mud, and a bit of blood, but he was alive, and that was all that mattered.

“Sir, theres a human!” Shouted a voice, and Jackal spun around.

As if he didn’t have enough troubles, in front of him stood a whole squad of short, anthropomorphic pony looking things, all with spears and bows pointed at him. Sure, Jackal still had his Five-Seven, but a well placed arrow could kill just as easily as a bullet could. He would just have to hide it, and hope for the best.

“Shine! Hit him with a sleep spell!” Shouted what seemed like the leader, and one of the bow-ponies horns glowed bright red, and Jackal’s vision blacked out.

“Good, we got another one for Twilight.” The leader walked over to Jackal, who was now sprawled on the floor.

“Sir, what about the other humans, and the explosions?” Asked Shine, and the leader waved off the question.

“We’d be killed in an instant. We need to focus on picking off the stragglers,” The captain said, grabbing the human by the shirt, and lifting him onto his back. “Let’s get back to base. I guess Jack has a new roommate.”


-----

“Wake up, Jack. You got some company.” A booming voice sounded, making Jack immediately jerk awake. Inside his cell were two large ponies, holding a man in between them. They were adorned with golden armor, and were holding spears. While Jack could probably still take them out in hand to hand combat, it would be a very, very brutal fight. Not one without a few stabbing wounds.

“Got ya a new friend. Looks like one of them damn soldiers, but he was shooting at them. Not sure what this guys story is, but we’ll interrogate both of you when he wakes up.” The one who looked like the leader dropped the human in the middle of the room, then left. The other pony grabbed the chain from the wall, and attached it to the other humans neck, before leaving himself.

Jack was just about to doze off to sleep again, when the human bolted up, turgging at his chain harshly. He swiftly pulled out a knife to cut through the lock, but the blade was not reinforced enough to  cut through the smelted iron. He began stabbing at it with an alarming pace, so Jack just sat back, and closed his eyes again.

“Well, aren’t you going to do something?” Said the other human, his voice mildly familiar.

“No point.” Jack scratched the  back of his head, before leaning back onto the cobble wall again.

“I have the tools to get out of here!” Shouted the other human, and Jack just scoffed.

“Yeah? And how are you going to get past the guards? Unless you got a gun, you ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

“That’s exactly what I got.”

Jack opened his eyes, and looked over at his new roomate. In his hand was a Fabrique Nationale Five-Seven handgun, something Jack was very familiar with.

“Now how the fuck did you manage to smuggle that thing in here?” Asked Jack, looking around the cell.

“I guess they don’t check crotches, eh?” The human shoved the gun into his pants again, and continued to stab at the collar.

“Thats never going to work, you know.”

The other human looked at him puzzledly, then shoved his knife into his boot. He tugged at the chain once more, then leaned back.

“So, how long you been here?” Asked the other human, and Jack shrugged.

“I don’t really know. Maybe six, seven hours?”

The other human nodded, then scratched his short, blonde hair. “Name’s Ben Harper.”

Jack sighed, wondering where else he had heard that name. “I’m Jack Ross. Nice to meet you, Ben.”

“I feel like we’ve met before.”

Jack nodded in agreement, staring up at the small white light which illuminated the dank room.

“So, any idea on how we’re gonna get out of here, Jack?” Asked Ben, and Jack smiled.

“I have an idea.”

-----

Spike was in deep shit. He knew it was stupid to go into the forest alone, yet he did it anyway. Now, he was surrounded by humans, all with their boom-sticks pointing at him.

“What the fuck is this thing?” Asked one of them, poking Spike with their weapon.

“Looks like a dragon or some shit.”

“No! That’s not what they look like on Game of Thrones.”

“Shut your fuckin’ mouth, Samuels.”

“Nigga, shut your fucking mouth. Samuels is right!”

“You shut your fucking mouth, you fuckin’ white-trash.”

Half of the words they were saying Spike couldn’t decipher, but he somehow he knew that nothing good could come of this.

“Oi! What in sweet-FUCK is going on over here?” Shouted a voice, and all the men backed off of Spike, their guns still fixed on him.

“Sir! We found a dragon lookin’ thing!” Said one of the soldiers.

Suddenly, there was a loud gunshot, and the man who had said the last sentence fell down, a huge flower of blood blossoming out of his skull.

“I told you not to fucking CALL ME SIR!” shouted the man who had killed him, who seemed like the leader of the humans. He fired more boom-stick shots into the dead human, from a much smaller boom stick.

“Alright, first we got this pony-thing-shit in the workshop, then we got a dragon. What’s next?” Asked the leader, throwing his small boomstick onto the dead body.

“I’m not really sure, Bear. What do we do?” Asked another soldier, and Bear smiled.

“I know exactly what we do with it.” The massive human picked up Spike, a smile on his face.

------

“Wake up!” Shouted an angry voice, as both humans were hit with a mass of cold water.

Jack shot up randomly throwing punches. Ben drew his knife instinctively, only to get it torn away by some telekinetic force. The cell door was swung open, to a very angry looking purple Anthro. Her eyes were red with rage, as well as her hair all out of place. She brushed right past Jack, and lifted Ben into the air with her magic, slamming him into the wall.

“Where is your camp!” She screamed at the top of her lungs.

“What?” Asked Ben, only to get his throat clenched by the magic.

“YOUR CAMP!” She screamed, sending spit into Ben’s face.

“Woah, woah! Calm the fuck down Twilight! What the hell is wrong?” Asked Jack, and Twilight looked at the other human with a twitch in her eye.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, letting Ben down from her grip. “I’ll tell you what’s wrong, Jack! I just got a little letter from the humans who have made their little camp up in the mountains, saying they have Spike, and Rarity!”

“Well no shit. Rarity has been with them since I tried saving her.”

Jack was slammed into the wall, and Twilight went face to face with him. “He’s like my brother! She’s like my sister! And I neglected to realize the danger she was in, so he went looking for her. Now they’re both missing!”

“My question is, how the fuck did they even get a letter to you?” Asked Ben, only to get launched against the wall again.

“So, what’re you going to do, Twilight? Waltz right in there and ask for them back? They’ll kill you, or worse.” Jack put his hand on Twilight’s shoulder.

“So what I do then? Hope they feel happy enough to hand them back over?” Asked Twilight, and Ben scoffed.

“As if. Bear’s a hardheaded motherfucker.”

Jack raised an eyebrow, looking Ben over. “You know Bear?”

“Yeah. I served with him in the CIA for about 4 years, Ever since I dropped out of high school.”

“No shit.” Jack decided that it would be better if he were to keep his own past with Bear to himself. Two members of Predator squad was a coincidence, but three marked that something definitely fishy was going on.

“Can you guys stop talking as if I’m not here?” Screamed Twilight angrily.

There was something more in her eyes than just rage and hate. There was desperation. Fear. Sadness. Something that told Jack that she wasn’t doing this for her. That she was doing this for them.

“Look, whats-your-face, we can help.”

Jack and Twilight looked over to Bem, who was wiping a line of blood from his lip. “I’m sure Jack, if you give him back all his equipment, can fit in as a high level PMC. He sneaks in, wrecks the place, gets your friends out, and everything will be all good. I mean, if his story checks out, and he actually did come down here with a bullet-proof vest and an M1911, he should have no problem.”

“Easier said than done,” Jack said, sitting back down. “One. How the hell am I going to sneak in. They probably got that place under lockdown, and Bear’ll notice me easily. Two: There is no guarantee they are even held there. Finally, I have no weapons, no ammo, and I’m rather crippled due to some wounds going untreated.”

“Then I’ll go.”

“Thats an even worse idea. They know who you are.”

Twilight watched as the two men argued, angrily boiling with rage. How could these two humans argue at a time like this? While she was fearing for the life of her friends, whom she had so idiotically neglected to realize they were in danger, they were bickering about plans.

“ENOUGH!” Screamed Twilight, tears nearly falling from her eyes. Jack and Ben both shut up immediately. “I’ll release both of you, if you get Rarity and Spike back. It doesn’t matter how, just get them back.”

Jack and Ben looked at one another once more, then back at Twilight.

“So, you’re just going to let us go?” Asked Ben, and Twilight nodded, falling to the floor, and burying her face in her knees.

“What choice do I have?”



    
> War
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ben and Jack walked out of the Town Hall, flanked by two pony guards. There were four more behind them, one carrying Jack’s equipment, the others with their spears at the ready. The rain was pouring heavily onto the ponies and the two men, as they were marched up to Fluttershy’s house.

“So, who is this chick anyway?” Asked Ben quietly, his voice barely reaching Jack’s ears through the downpour.

“A friend.” Jack didn’t even look over to Ben as they trudged forward. The other human simply shrugged, and continued on.

As they approached a small cottage on the hill, the mud got thicker. While Ben had no problem trudging upwards through the slimy-yet-thick mud, Jack was barefoot, and could not keep his grip through the sinking substance.

“Oi, get a move on!” Shouted one of the guards, and Jack turned back, an angry look on his face.

“It would be easier if I didn’t have some stone-brained fuckhead about to stab me every two seconds,” Jack said, only to get poked in the ass with the business end of the guard’s spear.

“Don’t mouth off to me, human. I can destroy you in one swift move if I wanted to.”

Jack shook his head, and continued uphill, slipping and sliding into the mud. Ben stifled some laughs as the other human stumbled up the path, looking like a midget with down-syndrome.

“Jack, you keep exerting yourself like that, you’re gonna be dead by the time you get to the top of the hill,” Ben said, half speaking, half laughing.

Jack was about to respond, before he face planted into the mud once more. Now the guards were laughing at the poor human, they themselves falling into the mud. Ben was laughing so hard he started to slide down the hill. Even Jack was laughing at this point.

“Is everyone okay?” A rather soft voice cut through the laughter. All the men bogged down in the mud, looked up to see the tall pegasus at the top of the hill looking down at them.

“Well hello, Fluttershy! Just taking a dip in the mud with the guys!” Shouted Jack, and the pegasus just simply shook her head, smiling.

“Alright human, you had your fun. Let’s go,” Said one of the guards, getting up from the mud.

“Whatever,” Said Ben, who hadn’t even fallen in the mud. The group started trudging up the hill again, towards Fluttershy.

When the finally made it to the top, they were all winded, and had to catch their breath. Fluttershy waited patiently, as one of the guards finally spoke up.

“Ms.- uh- Fluttershy. We’ve -uh- come to -uh- drop off these two -uh- humans-” The guard started, but Fluttershy simply shushed the guard, smiling.

“Oh, its okay, Mr. guard. I understand,” Said Fluttershy, and the guard nodded, signaling to the others.

The guard with Jack’s equipment walked it over to the porch of the house, dropped it, then immediately left, forming up with the other guards. They walked down the hill, and the two humans faced Fluttershy.

Jack didn’t even have time to say, before Fluttershy pounced Jack into the mud, spraying her own butter colored coat with the thick brown liquid. They rolled down into the mud, laughing as they entangled one another in their arms. They came to a stop in a puddle of dirty water, still laughing.

“Happy to see me, eh?” Jack said, smiling widely. The first time he had done that in a long time.

“How did you get out?” Asked Fluttershy, her mud-splattered face looking up at Jack.

“Let’s just say that Twilight has entrusted us with saving your friend.” Jack saw Fluttershy’s face flush with concern. “Don’t worry, Shy. We’ll get her back.”

“So, there are, um, two of you now?” Asked Fluttershy quietly, and Jack nodded, running his hands through his muddy hair.

“I’m Ben!” Said the other human walking over to Fluttershy, shaking her hand rapidly, as well as lifting her up at the same time.. Fluttershy lowered her head, blushing intensely. While she thought this was human was a bit cute, he was definitely not Fluttershy’s type.

Fluttershy shook her head, and just smiled meekly back to the human. Ben turned back to Jack, who was absolutely covered head to toe with mud, the rain droplets creating small craters in the outer layer of the mud.

“So, um, I guess we should get inside then,” Fluttershy said, smiling at Jack.

“Yeah, don’t want to get a cold, right?” Said Ben energetically, obviously trying to suck up to the pegasus.

Jack got up from the mud, and then looked at Fluttershy, frowning.

“Sorry to get’cha all dirty, Shy.” Fluttershy awkwardly giggled, smiling.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be easy to clean up.”

Ben rolled his eyes, before approaching the house.

----------------

“I did you the liberty of getting some clothes for you. I figured you’d be coming back sooner or later, and you’ve been wearing your regular clothes for like a week straight. I think these are your size, unless you changed measurements from when I measured you when you were out.” Fluttershy gestured to a pile of folded clothes on the couch as the three entered the house.

Jack wiped his hands on his pants before picking up one of the shirts. It was a simple button down yellow shirt, with a single pocket. It’s short sleeves were embroided with pink and blue butterflies.

“A little... feminine, for my taste.” Ben snickered, only to get elbowed in the gut by Jack.

“It’s great, Fluttershy,” Said Jack, smiling. “Lemme get cleaned up, and I’ll hop into them.”

“Oh, I was going to-  nevermind,” Fluttershy said, Jack raised an eyebrow.

“What were you going to say?” Asked Jack, and Fluttershy shook her head, smiling.

“I was going to get in the shower first, but it’s okay. You can go.”

“Why don’t you two shower together?”

“Why don’t you fuck yourself?”

Fluttershy slightly giggled at Jack’s retort, and secretely entertained the idea of taking a shower with Jack.

Fluttershy pushed the idea out of her head, shaking her  head once more. Jack looked at Fluttershy, raising his eyebrow in question of her awkward behavior. The pegasus smiled awkwardly, looking downwards, and Jack simply waved it off.

“Whatever. I’ll go first. What time is it anyway?”

“4:00, apparently. Unless these things have a different way of telling time,” Ben said, and Fluttershy piped up, her voice barely audible.

“Um, we’re not ‘things’, sir. We’re ponies,” Fluttershy said, and Ben waved the comment off.

“At any rate, I’m hungry. Get washed up so we can have dinner or some shit.”

----------


Hernando scurried quickly down the black hall, looking around at the multiple bloodstains. So many... things had died here. He had hoped he wasn’t next.

He  turned a corner quickly, keeping one hand placed on his DE.50 so that any creature of this leader could not stop him. No matter what you were, a .50 caliber round would take you down like you were hit by a tank shell.

“Ah, Hernando! Glad you came. I was worried that I may have to instruct some Diamond Dogs to rip your camp to shreds.”

Hernando heard the voice, even when he had not entered the dark chamber of where it resided. The spaniard breathed in deeply, and continued walking.

“What are we, unnerved Hernando? You know I wouldn’t kill you. Not after you brought me Twilight’s dragon and her friend. Now she’s bound to break down, along with my spells.”

Hernando finally reached a massive, crystalline door, which seemed out of place in these dark halls. The man stopped right in front of it, and looked down.

“You summoned me, my lord?”

“Yes. Yes I did.”

Hernando sniffed silently, knowing with one wrong move, he could be turned into one of his masters disgusting creatures.

“Jack Ross, and Benjamin Harper are on the loose in PonyVille. Do you know what this means, Hernando?”

“What, y-your highness?” It was the first time Hernando had stuttered in front of his master.

“It means you failed me twice. Your cocksure demeanor is becoming the death of you, Vega.” He heard the scream of the white pony inside, a mixture of pain and pleasure. “You don’t have control from earth. I gave you the tools so that you could communicate with your soldiers, even with lack of radio-waves and telephone wires, not to mention wifi, whatever that is to you humans. Even my dogs failed to kill him.”

“Yes sir...”

“You’ve said that before, Hernando.” The sound of moaning came from the room, as well as the masters himself. “You must promise me that you will get the job done.”

“But how, sir?” asked Hernando, and the master chuckled.

“Jack gets very reckless when angry. While I may have been banished, I can still watch him. It seems to me that he is very close to Fluttershy. Rape her, but don’t kill her. Make her feel pain, as she and her friends have made me feel.” The Master chuckled to himself. “Jack and Twilight will feel rage. One of them is bound to do something stupid.”

“Yes, my lord.” Hernando bowed, and turned, to see that a very large, black portal was now opening in front of him.

“Don’t fail me, Hernando. Or you might end up like the others.”

The master cackled, as Hernando entered the portal, being swept into the ponies world.

-------

Ben simply stabbed at his salad, his appetite ruined by the small bunny that inhabited the house. Who knew that rabbits could be so fucking horny? I mean, he had seen dogs try and bone humans, but a rabbit that tried to have sex with a horses tits? This place was like a bad trip on acid.

“Ben, I suggest you eat. You’re gonna need it.”

“How am I supposed to eat fucking flowers?”

“Well, for starters, you put it in your mouth-”

“I didn’t realize you were giving instructions to suck dick.”

“Well, seeing as how you do it often enough, I didn’t realize you needed them.”

The whole night up to this point had been a battle of wits between Ben and Jack, each one trying to win over the lovely mare. Ben was doing it for some sweet ass, seeing as how he’d fuck anything with a vagina, and Jack was doing it to prevent Ben from getting some sweet ass, seeing as how, well, he’d fuck anything with a vagina.

Fluttershy, on the other hand, had had about enough. The whole night was filled with vulgar comments that she couldn’t believe would come from Jack, whom she though was sweet and sensible. Perhaps it was common talk wherever they came from, but here, it was downright disrespectful.

“Um, could you guys-”

“Hey, Jack, those petals are white, like jizz! I bet you like that shit too!”

“That was the worst fucking possible joke I have ever heard. Like, seriously.”

“Could you plea-” Fluttershy’s soft voice was cut off by Ben’s loud laughter.

“At least I can make jokes!”

“Oh for fucks sake, can you please shut the fuck up before you cream your pants, little boy?”

“Guys, I think we sh-”

“Little boy?! I’m twenty years old, and I’ve STILL gotten more ass than you!”

“Don’t tell me: You run a donkey farm.”

“ENOUUUGGGHHHH!!!!” screamed Fluttershy, practically sending the two humans flying with massive beats of her wings. The pony then pointed at Jack, her eyes filled with a rage the ex-merc had never seen. “You! I thought you were diffirent! Instead you spout of vulgar and sexual terms like its nopony’s business! I thought you were sweet and kind!” Fluttershy then pointed at the other human. “And you! You come into my house, and start spouting off nonsense and stupid sayings like there is no tomorrow! Why do you guys have to be so mean to eachother!”

Fluttershy looked on the verge of crying, before she retreated into her small room, slamming the door behind her. Jack and Ben looked at eachother, each of their mouths dropped in awe, their eyes wide with surprise.

“Holy fuckin’ shit.”

“I...”

“That was fuckin’ powerful.”

Jack looked around, their salads spread across the room due to Fluttershy’s rage. He looked at Ben, his eyes narrowed with what looked to be anger.

Then he punched him.

Now, when Jack punches, it isn’t like getting hit once, and a flash of pain.

It was like being hit with a steam engine going at about 300 miles per hour.

Jack’s fist connected with Ben’s lower jaw, causing Ben to bite down upon his tender tongue. Blood practically misted out of Ben’s mouth, shooting through the cracks of his teeth. The younger human flew backwards, slamming into the wooden floor of the house. Critters scattered everywhere, as Ben got up, rage in his eyes.

“Consider that a warning shot, kid.”

Ben stared at Jack, gritting his teeth, looking as if he was about to tear the older human’s throat out.

“Hey, fuckface. Don’t make shit worse than it already is. We both pissed her off.”

“You did it more.”

Jack facepalmed, and looked out the window. “Just give her some time to cool down. I don’t think she’ll stay angry for long.”

------

Bear sat at the edge of PonyVille, his M14 DMR mod set up on a bipod. His night vision scope illuminated the small cottage on the hill-top that his boys were targeting. He was not going to fuck up again. First, Wolf had escaped. Now Jackal had. While he could take on either one of them solo, the two of them were a killing machine. They had proven their worth in China three years ago. A mission the large merc would not forget.

“Bear, Cheko checkin’ in. Are we ready?” Asked a voice through the radio, and Bear sighed.

“Lemme try and get one of them through the scope, first. We’ll then move in, capture the pony, and kill the two fuckers.”

“Copy that.”

No sooner had Bear said that, a tall figure had appeared in one of the dimly lit windows, its eye glinting green in the scope. The merc slowly put pressure on the rifles trigger, focusing the reticule of the scope on the head of the silhouette.

CRACK!

The glass in the house shattered, and the silhouette disappeared. The militia soldiers moved in, a mixture of newer well-armed soldiers, and the original scouts swarming into the cottage.

“Fire at anything human! I want the horse captured!”

-----

Jack hit the floor as the window shattered, and a bullet flung past his head. Fluttershy came out, looking around with her eyes wide. Ben drew his Five-Seven quickly, looking around.

“Why’d you break the window!?” Asked Fluttershy frantically, and Jack started rolling and yelling simultaneously.

“Get down!” He shouted, rolling towards his bulletproof vest and handgun, which were laying on the couch nearest to the door.

As soon as Jack reached the couch, the door flung open, a soldier in a bullet proof vest and holding an FAL now entering the home.

Two gunshots sounded, and the soldier fell backwards, blood spouting from his neck and upper chest area. Jack turned around, looking at Ben, who had shot the man.

“Stop fuckin’ screwing around Jack! Get his gun!” Shouted Ben, as the back door exploded with automatic rifle shots.

Jack grabbed his pistol, and returned fire. The .45 caliber shots were more than capable of tearing through body armor, so if he hit his mark, whoever was on the business end would be having a very bad day.

More sniper rifle shots tore through the wooden walls of the house, destroying bird cages, glass, furniture, and pottery alike. Fluttershy was screaming at the  top of her lungs, and Jack was struggling to get his vest on.

A more well equipped soldier dived through a window, just as Jack had finally finished strapping his vest on. The soldier blindly fired at Ben, but was quickly cut off by Jack’s far more accurate shots.

“Grab his vest! We don’t know how many more there are!” Shouted Jack, picking up the FN FAL from the ground.

Jack had no sooner grabbed the  assault rifle, when a scout jumped through the window, his AK-47 firing randomly. Ben popped five rounds into the scout, leaving the scout in a bloody heap on the ground.

“Fluttershy! Fly out of here! Get to Twilight’s!”

“But Ja-”

“GO!”

Fluttershy needed no more. She ran past Jack, into the outdoors, spread her wings, and flew off at a speed she didn’t even know she could reach.

“Well, now we’ve got the collateral damage gone.” Ben grabbed the AK-47 from the ground, opening the chamber to see if there was any ammo left. “Let’s kick some ass.”

More gunshots smashed through the wall, one hitting Jack square in the ribs. The older merc hit the ground, gasping for air, as Ben returned fire.

“Fuck! My ribs!” gasped Jack, rolling onto his stomach, and crawling over to Ben, who was hiding behind a couch at the adjacent side of the living room. He heard more glass break, as another Scout dived in just above Jack.

The prone merc jumped up, drawing his knife from his vest, before engaging in combat with the Scout. The scout turned around, drawing a machete, when suddenly his chest exploded with blood. Jack looked at Ben, who had now dropped his AK-47, presumably out of ammo, and had picked up an FN FAL from the ground.

“Oh Wolfy! Time to come out of your house and die!”

Ben looked at Jack, and raised an eyebrow. He then turned towards the window, shouting a response.

“My names Jackal, you idiot!”

There was a pause.

“Jack hasn’t told you yet, has he? I guess I won’t give him the chance to.”

Ben looked at Jack, a look of dismay on his face. The other merc didn’t even have time to nod, before a grenade was chucked inside the cottage.

“Fuck! Grenade!” Screamed Jack, running over to kick it.

His foot connected, and sent it launching towards the window, when it detonated. Jack was flung backwards, his leg surprisingly intact, as two more soldiers ran inside. Wolf blindly fired at the one on his side, while Jackal grabbed the machete from the dead scout, and stabbed the one on his side through the throat.

The soldier Jackal had stabbed was taken out, but Wolf’s shots were to no avail. A loud yell came from the other side of the room, and Jackal looked over to see that Wolf was on the ground, blood spouting from his shoulder, the bullet tearing right through the vest. The soldier was now standing over him, his rifle at his temple. Jackal raised his gun, ready to shoot the soldier, when another shot sounded, the bullet tearing through Jackal’s left leg. Ben dropped his handgun, putting pressure on his wound.

“So, this is what the dynamic duo has done to my soldiers. You killed most of ‘em, I’ll give you that. But you’re still amateurs.”

Jackal gritted his teeth, as he heard the familiar voice of Bear, as his boots clicked on the hard wood. What surprised him was the subtle sound of AC-DC playing from what looked like an iPod, which was sitting in the chest pocket of Bear’s bullet proof vest.

“So, which one of you should I kill first?” Asked Bear, standing in the middle of the destroyed house, his M1911 in hand. He walked over to Wolf, and smiled, kneeling down.

“I think I’ll kill you first, Jackie boy.” Bear dug his pistol’s barrel into Jack’s open wound, causing a groan to escape the lips of the merc. “You tried so hard, and failed so miserably to preserve this world from our grasp.”

“Fuck you, you piece of shit. I should have left you for dead in China!” Shouted Wolf, spitting into Bear’s eye.

Bear fired a .45 round into Jack’s leg, tearing a hole right through his new pants. Jack screamed loudly, getting a giggle out of the remaining soldier. That only ended in another shot being fired, this one tearing right through the soldiers head.

“So, I’m guessing you’re angry. I get that. I’ve only shot you, hmm, how many times was it now?” Another gunshot sounded, followed by Wolf’s screaming. “Three times?”

Jackal couldn’t do anything except watch in horror, as blood poured out of Wolf’s multiple wounds, writhing in pain on the ground. Bear then turned his attention to Jackal, who was grimacing in pain.

“Ah, and you, Benjamin.” Bear kneeled over Jackal, putting the barrel of the gun up to his forehead. “I guess I’ll just spare you the pain of bleeding out, and just shoot you.”

Jackal watched as Bear’s finger tightened on the trigger  of the M1911, when a voice shouted out.

“Leave them alone!”

Bear turned around, his vision landing upon a tall, butter colored pegasus. The massive merc smiled, holstering his pistol.

“Well well well, ain’t it Wolf’s love interest,” Bear said, walking over to Fluttershy, who was standing there, her legs shaking.

Wolf turned over, his body weak from blood loss. “Fluttershy, run. Don’t worry about us.”

Bear kicked Wolf’s weak body, getting a grunt out of him. He then continued towards Fluttershy, smiling an evil grin. Fluttershy’s legs were shaking so badly, Jackal thought she was about to piss herself.

“Aren’t you a pretty one?” Bear said, finally reaching Fluttershy. He stopped in front of her, the massive merc looking her over. “Nice, round, bouncy tits.”

Fluttershy squealed in pain, as Bear took a handful of breast into his digits, clamping down with dangerous force. Wolf, groaned, trying to crawl towards the duo.

“You’re going to be my personal sex-bitch, you know that?” Bear took his other hand, and clamped into Fluttershy’s nethers, evicting another squeal from the pegasus’s lungs.

“Leave... her... alone...” Wolf was now barely 5 feet away, still crawling with his good arm. Bear rolled his eyes, pursing his lips. The massive merc pushed Fluttershy into the dirt, and then proceeded towards Wolf.

“Do you know what death feels like, Jack?” Asked Bear, kneeling in front of the wounded human. Jackal couldn’t do anything but watch, as his body started to go into shock. He felt helpless, watching Bear slowly draw his machete, about to deliver his coup de grace to Wolf.

“Yeah, actually. I do.”

Bear licked his machete, looking into Wolf’s eyes. There was a small flickering sound behind the larger merc, but he payed no mind to it, too focused on his new achievement.

“Do you know what death feels like, Willis?” It had been a long time since Wolf had called Bear by his first name.

“No, I don’t, really. I’m sure you can tell me how it feels the second time around in hell.” Bear raised his machete, about to bring it down, until something caught Bear’s ear.

Tink.

Tink.

FSSSSHHHHH.

The unmistakable sound of a German Flamethrower.

“How’s about ya’ experience it first hand, Mister ‘Bear’.”

The thick southern accent caught everyone - and a single pony- but suprise.

Then came the heat.

The scream that soared out of Bear’s lungs was that of a mixture of rage and pain, as the massive merc was engulfed in red-hot flames. Wolf rolled out of the way painfully, his vision too blurry to make out the  figure who had just saved him.

Bear fell to the ground, his screaming reduced to squealing, his charred body polluting the air of the smell of burned corpses. He convulsed for a few moments, much of his body still burning, before becoming still. The flamethrower had died out, and the user dropped it, running over to Fluttershy.

“You okay there, Shy? Ah’ didn’t scorch ya now, did ah?”

Fluttershy didn’t respond, instead rushing over to Jack’s side. He had passed out from blood loss now, and was going pale. The pegasus tore off three sheets of fabric from her dress, and wrapped them tightly around Jack’s wounds.

“Fluttershy, are ya’h okay? Are ya’h sure you ain’t hurt?”

Fluttershy ignored Applejack, trying to pick Jack up. Suddenly, a loud sound exploded from the barrel of a pistol. Both Applejack and Fluttershy recoiled, as they saw the other surviving human, standing over the body of Bear, despite a large bloody hole through his leg. He was holding a pistol, aimed at the burned merc’s head. Another loud bang sounded, as Ben shot Bear in the head again.

“Well, glad thats over,” Ben simply said, dropping the pistol.

He looked at Applejack, then at Fluttershy, then collapsed.