Author's Note:
Yea, I'm back, we'll see how long that lasts. Anyway my buddy S1K got me into MLP so I decided to see what I could come up with.
So please, sit back and enjoy the read and if you think its a shit (opposite of the shit) then let me know so I can fix it. Not sure how many chapters this is going to be, probably only a few cause I get bored quickly.
(and if you think I need to put in a disclaimer saying that I don't own MLP other than whatever OC's I decide to pull out of my ass then you're higher than pinkie pie eating a strawberry cupcake laced with purple kush.)
Chapter 1: Flashbacks, PTSD, and talking ponies?
"Hey Marine! What the fuck are you doing!?" startled from my thoughts I spun quickly to face the man yelling at me. Instantly I glanced at his collar, noting his rank, an easy enough task to do in desert cammies. Instantly I snapped into a recruit style parade rest.
"Surveying the area to find the best arrangements to emplace obstacles, Gunnery Sergeant." My response was immediate and I threw in some big words, hoping it would make me sound more confident and he would leave me alone, luckily it worked.
"So you think you're an engineer huh?" trying to act tough, instead of admitting his mistake, he crossed his arms over his barreled chest and glared up at me.
Impassively I looked him in the eye, hiding the annoyance building in me, "Yes, Gunnery Sergeant, Lance Corporal Swift, I'm with 1st Platoon from Alpha Company."
He sniffed and uncrossed his arms, "Very well, carry on devil, and just remember I'm blaming you if a hajji-bob comes strolling through our line with a party wagon full of anthrax."
It took a great deal of discipline not to roll my eyes at his stupid accusation, "Aye, Gunnery Sergeant." Finally he strolled away; it wasn't long before I could hear him blasting another Marine for something equally pointless. It was men like that, that made me hate the Corps. Sometimes I had daydreams about stepping on an IED or getting sniped, just to see if I wouldn't have to listen to that every day in the afterlife. Of course I bet I would die and go to hell, knowing my luck and it would be nothing but a room full of staff NCO's and Officers waiting to blast my ass there too.
I huffed and shook my head, turning back to face the endless plain of dirt, dust and more dirt. I wondered whose genius idea it was to build a FOB (forward operating base) here; the place was a strategical nightmare. Unfortunately, being only one of three 1371's (combat engineers) assigned to this unit it was basically my job to do everything, cause the Staff Sargent and Gunny certainly weren't gonna' bust their asses to help.
Whatever, I had a job to do, so it was time to stop bitchin' and get to it. Carefully I took notes on every depression and bush in sight, writing down my observations in my field book, as well as a horrible doodle of what I though it looked like from an aerial view. In the doodle I made marks where I thought the fence line, ditches, and wire obstacles should be placed. After I had finished I went to the other sides one by one and repeated the process. It took me nearly half an hour to finish my notes and as I finished I removed my bright yellow hardhat and wiped the sweat from my forehead as the Afghan sun began to rise over the horizon.
I kept the hardhat in my hand as I slowly paced my way over to the command tent so I could hand in my notes. On the way I glanced down at the hardhat over and over again, whoever thought that the engineers should where bright yellow hardhats must have been fuckin' high. Any raghead with a half decent rifle could have spotted our glowing domes from a mile away, making us easy targets for the greasy bastards.
That thought had wormed doubt into my mind as I warily glanced over my shoulder, scanning the distance for any sign of insurgents. Far off I could see a black speck, but it quickly disappeared and I told myself to snap out of it, it was only paranoia. I hadn't gone two more steps before the loud retort of a high caliber rifle echoed across the flat desert plains. My last thought as I saw the ground rushing toward my face was simply, FUCK!
I've read how others describe the afterlife, some say it was dark, and some say it was bright, but for me… It was soft. Even to me that sounded pretty gay, but that was the best way to describe it. It felt like a gentle breeze was drifting through and the temperature was slightly warm, but whenever I tried to focus on one or the other the feeling disappeared, so I just contented myself by closing my eyes. There wasn't anything to see anyway so I just half sat, kind of floated there, doing nothing, waiting…
An eternity had felt like it had gone by or maybe it was only a few minutes, but a voice finally spoke out. "I apologize to have kept you waiting for so long human; this war of yours has kept me extremely busy." His voice, which was clearly male, was deep and powerful, but not loud. However I could tell that whoever it was carried the authority of judgment in his hands.
Well I was already dead so fuck it, I might as well grab my balls and grow some confidence, "It's no problem sir, I'm used to waiting around until somebody decides to tell me where to dig."
The voice chuckled and there was a slight glow as a dim light spread through whatever existence I was in. My jaw dropped as a massive man with the head of a jackal appeared. "Anubis?"
The jackal impassively looked at me, "Yes, and no. Some people call me the grim reaper, others call me death or the grey lord, it changes depending on the religion, but since you have no religion I can choose whatever form I wish, so I chose the one you respected the most."
Puzzled, I scratched my neck as my ever burning curiosity got the better of me, "Why would you give two shits what mortals care for, you're a god?"
Anubis laughed and kneeled as he looked down at me, "Because the balance of the universe must always be upheld, if mortal creatures didn't have something to believe in, then they would all spend a pointless eternity in limbo, and then it would become crowded, and the universe would tip over. Not literally of course but bad things would happen, anyway you're not here to talk to me, you're here to decide your next life."
Momentarily caught off guard I looked at him blankly, until I could process the thought, "You're saying I get to choose? Why, I'm by no means a good person, I don't deserve that…"
Anubis stood up and crossed his arms, his powerful muscles rippling like water under his black furred skin, "Are you saying you want to spend an eternity in torment?"
I shrugged, "I'm not sayin' that, I'm just wonderin' is all."
"Because of balance, do you honestly believe you are a bad person?" I stayed silent, knowing that any answer I could give might press his judgment unfavorably. Amused he shook his head, "From the moment you entered here I have read your memories, your thoughts, and the kind of person you are… You left your family and friends who loved you and looked up to you to defend millions more who will never even know you existed. You've placed your life on the line, knowing full well it could end at any moment, but you chose to keep fighting, why?"
Ashamed I looked him in the eyes, "I left because I was selfish, because I never believed anyone knew I existed anyway, I thought that if I could die I might as well had something to show for it."
He nodded approvingly, "I know this, although your actions were selfish in the beginning you could have given up at any time, you could have run away, but you chose to be a better man. Are you the same man you were when you made those selfish decisions?"
I shook my head and rolled my shoulders back as I answered him, "No."
"And now our argument has ended, you left your old self behind to be a new, selfless man, one who fought not to die, but so his friends, family and fellow countrymen could live, that is the ultimate sacrifice. That is why you choose your afterlife, because selfless acts must be balanced with peace and the selfish must be punished with agony, now choose, there are many other dead waiting to be judged."
A smile crept its way across my face, all that hard work had finally paid off, "Well, I don't care where I go, I'm just tired of all the hatred and fighting that people bring upon themselves, if possible I would like to go somewhere without pain and hatred.
The immortal judge nodded in understanding, "Very well, however you must know that there is nowhere in the universe where there is only peace and harmony, but I can send you to a place that counteracts Earth's hatred and war."
There were no flashing lights or twinkling bells, no fanfare or ringing chimes. It was just as if I had woken from a dream…
"Ooh, what do yeh think it is Applejack?"
And into another dream…
"Ah don' rightly know Applebloom, go an' fetch Twilight, maybe she'll know what in tarnation this creature is?"
Groaning I sat up and looked around. I was on a ranch from what I could tell, but everything seemed off. The colors of the sky, grass, trees, the barn, everything looked as if I had just woken up in a cartoon. Even the horses looked like they were in a cartoon. I could tell from living in rural Nebraska growing up that the two standing on either side of me were some breed of pony, but one was a mare and the other a stallion. The mare's coat was a light brown almost tan colored and her mane was golden blonde, done in a braid, and for some reason she was wearing a brown Stetson hat. The stallion on the other hand was powerfully built and his coat was a bright red while his mane was a light shade of orange.
"Well it's awake, watcha think we oughta do with em' Big Mac?" I looked around searching for the owner of the voice, confused I rubbed my head, it was throbbing painfully and the memories I had of the, who was it again? They completely faded and I could no longer recall how I had gotten here.
"Aahh dunno, yeh reckon it's intelligent, looks that way ta me sis, mayhap it ken talk too?"
My head was aching, I'd never been shot before, but if I had then this is what I imagine it would feel like, "Well I never would have guessed that ponies could talk, I guess that's cool, um I don't spose yall know where I'm at do yeh?"
They looked at me with wide eyes and shifted nervously, staring at each other then back to me. Awkwardly I rubbed my head, trying to ease the pain and in doing so I felt a small patch of rough skin, the contact brought back a memory flashing through my eyes.
A yellow hardhat, a black speck in the distance, the ground rushing toward me. Suddenly I remembered that I should be dead, I was killed somewhere, long ago, but I couldn't remember a damn thing. Frustrated I let out a burst of air and focused back on the ponies, they were looking at me funny, finally the tan one spoke up, "Um, are yeh all right there partner?"
Irritated I shook my head and tried to stand, the world spun as I lost my balance and fell, staring at a beautiful, clear blue sky, so I just lay there as I responded weakly, "No, not really. I should be dead but somehow I'm not and instead I wake up in a land of colorful talking ponies that look like they came from a children's cartoon…"
The entirety of it all nearly overwhelmed me, I considered myself a very open-minded person, but this was almost too much, I laughed as I imagined how the other guys in my unit would take it. Wait, my unit!? I remember, I was some sort of soldier, but where? Dammit, what's wrong with me!?
Suddenly there was a bright flash of purple light and a loud crack, instinctively I rolled to the side and sprang to my feet. I scanned the area for any sort of cover, but there was nothing within reach, so I did the best I could with what I had and ripped my brown MCMAP belt from the loops around my desert patterned cammies and stood ready.
Foolishly I stood there, facing off against a lightly purpled coated…is that a unicorn!?
The unicorn looked at me and blinked several times, then turned to the Stetson wearing mare, "So this is what Applebloom was so excited about, wow, I've never seen anything like this before!" Suddenly she trotted toward me and that's when another memory came rushing forward.
Operation Phantom Fury: Initial push into Fallujah
"Jesus fuck, I fuckin hate this heat…" I muttered low enough that none of my squad mates could hear but I cursed over and over again, needless to say, I was on edge. Warily I held my M16A4 at the ready, furtively scanning the windows of the first and second stories of the mud-brick building. After finding no trace of movement I continued toward the door with utmost caution, knowing that we could be ambushed at any time. Completely trusting my brothers to guard my back, I let my weapon fall to my chest, supported only by the three point sling around my torso and neck. Swiftly I pulled off my day-pack and yanked out the Valens metal detector. My heart raced as I flipped the switch into the on position and waited for the obnoxious, high-pitched beeping to stop and tell me it was ready. Extreme paranoia built up in my gut as I meticulously swept the door, the detector didn't give off any warnings other than the occasion beep to tell me the battery was still good.
Sighing, I packed it away, in the distance I could hear the cracks and spattering of constant gunfire. It was the second day since we had rushed Fallujah, and we were moving so fast and violently the insurgents couldn't even think Allah before we mowed them down. But the rush had cost us, our supply groups had been left behind while the engineers and grunts had moved steadily forward, leaving nothing but destruction and burnt rubble in our wake. I knew I had to finish quickly, the longer we were in the streets the higher our chances became of getting fucked up.
Okay, next step… Ever so gently I took off my gloves and set my palms against the door, I couldn't feel any unusual vibrations or heat, I couldn't hear anything either. I stepped away and put my gloves in my pocket, looking bat at my squad I nodded, "Fuck it, yall ready to fuck some ragheads in the ass!" Most of them grinned and yelped excitedly as I shrugged and held up my rifle, then kicked in the door.
Suddenly a bright flash filled my vision and I began coughing violently as I was tackled to the ground, a hajji was standing over me with an AK in his hands, ready to fire before a three round burst knocked him backward with blood spewing from the holes. I was just about to stand when another flash blinded me and the memory faded.
"That's enough o that partner! You sure as hay aint goin nowhere until Celestia decides what to do with you!" I could tell from the tone of her voice that something bad had just happened. My vision cleared and I found myself with my limbs hogtied around my back and a painful hoof digging into my skull. From my limited viewpoint I could see the unicorn sitting on her haunches a ways from us, crying unstoppably into her hooves. The bright pink bruises around her neck told me all that I needed to know, I had lost it during the flashback and the PTSD took over.
My chest was being crushed painfully and I could barely breathe, but I forced in air so I could speak, "Listen! Please, I didn't mean to, it was an accident, I'm sorry!"
The pony on my back only dug her hoof harder into my skull, "Yeh gotta be dumber than a pile o rocks if yeh think ahm gonna believe anything out o that flat gob of yers!"
Out of nowhere, another bright flash appeared and standing right next to the unicorn was a tall, majestic, unicorn? Pegasus? Thing?
I wasn't sure what it was but I could tell it was a mare, but unlike the other unicorn, or Pegasus, this one had both wings and a horn. Her mane flowed elegantly in the breeze and was made up of soft, multi-colored streaks, whereas her mane was a pure white that gleamed in the sun.
Unfortunately, after a brief discussion with the little violet unicorn, she turned toward me, and from the blazing expression of rage and anger that contorted her muzzle I could tell that this wasn't going to end well.
Again I tried to breath, hoping that I could make amends, "Please, it wasn't-," my own scream cut me off as the Stetson wearing mare on my back twisted her hoof so violently that several cracks ran down along my rib cage and the burning agony of multiple broken ribs dominated my mind. Soon I began to lose feeling in my body and I knew that the pain receptors in my mind had just shut down, overloaded from the excruciating pain.
"You may stop Applejack, you do not need this creature's blood on your conscious." The voice drifted into my daze like a warm summer breeze, but with a hint of a storm front brewing just over the horizon.
"But princess, yeh seen what he did tah Twalight, what if he tries tah hurt somepony else!"
Stars and flicks of tiny speeding dots floated through my vision as I tried to remain awake, "Trust me Applejack, I have something special in mind. Go make sure Twilight is okay."
Grunting, I tried to sit up as the pony's surprisingly substantial weight left my back, but found I still couldn't move, except to fall over on my side. My limbs were still hogtied, only now I was facing toward a large orchard of apple trees, but behind me I could hear the soft hiss of grass being pressed down as something approached me.
Goddamitall! Enough with the bright lights already!
Said light enveloped me as the orchard disappeared and a loud crack deafened me as the light faded and I found myself staring into a vast expanse of dry, heated, desert floor. Dizzy and sick, I managed to roll on my stomach as I began dry heaving onto the ground. Clenching my eyes shut I just rocked back and forth, waiting for the nausea to pass.
Once again, my best of luck returned to slap me in the face as my brain decided it wanted to turn the pain back on and after screaming in agony for a minute or so my world faded to black. I fought to keep consciousness, knowing I would probably end up a snack for some mythical being that would love nothing better than to pull my skin from in between its teeth as it finished devouring me, but I quickly lost the fight. One last snort of sarcasm escaped my lips as I heard the buzzing of a ridiculously large bug land above me, but I gave up, so much for a life of quiet peace! My head slumped against the hard-packed dirt ground as something began dragging me away.
Another Author's Note
Just so yall know I don't have PTSD, nor have I been to Afghanistan, or Iraq. I'm using first hand accounts from others who have, to describe the general state of conflict during the time.
