My little pony: Security Forces

by SyberByter

Misriah, a grunt in the Equestrian Defense Forces Royal Marine Corps, is sent to ponyville. While there, he meets the mane 6 and befriends them, but an unexpected insurgency starts a civil war, splitting the country. And worse, the Elements of Harmony may need to join in the conflict. He wants to protect his new found friends, but can the elements fight a war? Warfic. OCxApplejack.

1. Chapter 1: Intro

Authors note: Hey y'all! For the first time. So, before you go headfirst into this story, let me clear some things up

1) This is a war fic, meaning there will be war, and war related characters, war related violence, and such and such.

2) The characters are anthro, because it makes it so much easier on me.

3) "Princess Twilight" isn't a princess in this, nor an alicorn, as if she was, it'd kind of make the overall story a little more difficult.

5) Alternate Universe, in the "modern" fashion, so expect more modern tech (but there's still magic), so tanks, guns, grenades, and so on.

I walked down the dirt road, listening to nothing but the sound of my boots. Where I was walking? Who the hell cares, I didn't, at least, not at the time. It was the same old day. Walking down the same old dirt road, wearing the same old uniform, same old patches, and, as I looked to my right, same old battle tanks, parked on the side of the road. It wasn't long ago that Princess Celestia and Cadence had signed the Pony Peace and Protection treaty, which successfully united the two nations into the Equestrian Alliance, which basically meant that the Crystal Empire, and Equestria were just Equestria. Since there wasn't much of a difference than Nationality, the countries quickly adapted. The main impact was the merging of the two countries armed forces, now known as the Equestrian Defense Forces. Although on paper it was mostly referred to by politicians as "The Military for the Defense of Equestria". Either way, I was in the EDF's Royal Marine Corps. Simply put, I was a Jarhead Commando. What the hell…. I'm talking about myself, and you all don't even know my name. It's Misriah, just so you know.

The Royal Marine Corps is almost what you'd expect, quick-response rapid deployment from sea. However, we don't have any basic "Grunt". Infantry are all highly trained elite light infantry commandos, while vehicle wise we still have most of the heavy work gear as our Army cousins. And the thing is, I got one of the more interesting jobs. I am a General Duties Marine…. Alright, doesn't sound so great, but it really is! It's basically a rifleman, plus a whole other specializations, such as cleaning, and, other general duties….. Okay, not so cool, but it's still a rifleman position, meaning I get to shoot things, do PT, and all. But really, even with a job involving guns and blowing shit up, I still get bored. I attribute this to nothing has changed since the last 4 years I got here, it's been the same, old routine. Wake up, PT, chores, PT, walk home, wake up, PT, chores, PT, walk home, wake up, PT, chores, PT, walk home. It's the same damn thing. Over and over and over. However, that changed, on that day. Got home, checked my mail, and ya know what? It was late. "That never happens…" I said to myself. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. I opened it and saw who it was. I recognized the light green coat, and opened the door to find the mail-stallion.

"Damn, Corporal Grady, what took you so long?" I asked.

"Sorry, Misriah. I had just delivered the mail to the colonel, and he didn't like what he found, and you know what happens when that comes 'round" Said the Corporal.

"Either way, this is addressed to you." He continued as he handed me a couple letters.

I took the letters and examined them, mostly official stuff, some financial stuff, and, what's this? A transfer? The hell? To where? I quickly opened it and started reading. It had an official seal and everything, and to cut it short, I was going to be stationed at Watch Base Everfree. Sounds familiar? It's just the Marine garrison in ponyville, just over watching the Everfree forest, and doing regular patrols in there. Really just to keep tabs on it because at some point it was suspected to be suspicious, or dangerous, something like that. I don't know why we still have it, and why we haven't torn it down and relocated the assets elsewhere, like on the changeling border, to the north, or the Yakyakistan border, to the east. However, it's still there, like for the last decade or so. Really, a better question would be; why the hell are Royal Marines guarding the Everfree forest? Well, we aren't "guarding" it, more like, "monitoring", you're free to walk in and out as you wish. Next, to really answer the question; I believe it's because it's a "high threat area" or something like that, so we treat it almost like an embassy in which we have marines patrolling it. But yeah, that was the news. It was better than another day here, I guessed. However, it's not like I transfer that night, it was scheduled for the next month, so crap… Whatever, still better than staying here for another year.

I started packing that day. My rifle (an M16A4), my uniform, transfer papers, some bits, etc. When I was done, I took a shower, turned on my laptop and spoke to some friends, asked them if any of them had gone there, got some useful information, and such. Didn't sound too bad, or interesting either. Until one of my friends, also from the EDF RMC said "And the Elements of Harmony live over there, too." I nearly choked on my own spit. "Agh, Damn! Sorry, what the hell did you just say?"

"The elements of Harmony. Do you even read bro?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I know what they are. But I don't know who they are, not even their names." I replied.

"Well, actually, neither do I. I know they're there, but I never met them." He continued.

"Well, what the fuck dude! How the hell are you gonna tell me that they live there, but not who they are?" I groaned, annoyed.

"Holy shit dude, what the hell! Sorry man, I just know they live there!" He exclaimed.

"Damnit. Sorry, sorry. Well, alright." I calmed down.

Yeah, it annoyed me a little, and I'm not gonna ask any of locals, that'd make me sound like a tourist, which I ain't. Fuck my life. Well, whatever. So, a month later (actually, about 28 days later, but still no zombie apocalypse), I got on the plane, and took off to ponyville, with a couple other transfers. I took out my phone, plugged in some buds, and sat back as some cool music flowed into my mind. Alternative and classical rock, with some country here and there, and maybe a rap every once in awhile. I had let my hoof tap on the bottom of the plane, which I noticed was piloted by a Pegasus. It made sense, they usually get better piloting scores (born for flight, anyone?), however, there are still a fair amount of unicorn and earth pony pilots. It eventually got dark, and I started to lean farther and farther into my "seat" (it was made of steel, so I actually didn't get very far into it), and actually eventually managed to fall asleep. I woke up a couple hours later, mostly due to me smacking the back of my skull on a piece of metal. "Ouch. Dammit." I cursed to myself. I got up and went up the plane, to the cockpit. The pilot noticed me; "Damn. Sorry to wake ya, hit some turbulence." He explained.

"It's cool. How long?" I asked.

"About maybe 4 more hours. Plus 30 mikes top." He replied.

"Alright. Know of any good places to get some food down there? I'm getting kinda hungry." I continued, assuming he's flown this flight before.

"Actually, no. First time going to this place. I'm actually being stationed there for air patrol. I was just ordered to pick up some friends on the way." He answered.

"Ah, alright."

"So, what's your name, marine?"

"Private Misriah, sir."

"Cool. Nice to meet you. 2nd lieutenant Rolling Thunder"

"Good to meet you sir."

"Alright. We'll get some bites when we land. 'Till then, I must ask you to get back into your seat. Kinda against regulations. Like I get the whole 'what the hell, pilot?' thing, and I enjoy a chat, but, this is kinda my first time flying this thing, and I'd rather not have a casualty." Thunder explained.

"Aye, aye, sir."

I returned to my seat and sat back down on it. It was slightly comfortable when I first sat down, but since I got up, it was cold and harder than what it used to be (if metal can do such things). I noticed that my earbuds were no longer playing music. So, I just restarted the track, placed em in my ears, and continued on with my life. Well, that's just a statement, you don't have a life while on a plane. I eventually fell asleep again, as I was just bored.

When I came to, we were just getting off. We had touchdown nicely at the base's military airfield. I got off, and hunger instantly hit me. "Oh, fuck, shit, damn" I cursed, because it actually hurt how hungry I was. Either way, after he had safely parked, or whatever you do to a plane after you land it, the LT stepped out of the plane, and looked so damn tired, you could hit a representation of how tired he was from a mile away with a shotgun loaded with buckshot (Which shouldn't be impossible). He stretched and yawned as I walked over. "Hey, sir. Want to get some grub?" I asked. However, his baggy eyes just looked at me and he said;

"Not now, Misriah. Kinda just wanna hit the rack…"

Then it hit me; He was up the whole 12 hour flight, plus his normal 10 hours of work!

"Um, sir, did you stay up the entire flight?"

"Well, I was flying the thing,"

"No autopilot?"

"Not that I know of, although there….. Might be one…" He said, unsure.

I guided the sleepy officer through the process of finding his barracks. Wasn't hard, as officer and enlisted are always separated, it was merely a case of finding his number. I brought him at the door, and we said that we'd get lunch some other time. In the meantime, I was hungry as hell, so I checked in, and left. Work starts tomorrow, and it's fine to check out the town on the downtime, so I went out. Was still early morning, so a lot could be done. I dropped my uniform, gear, and boots all off at my racks, put on civilian wear, and walked out the front of the base. I had my ID, so I could get back in. And thought to myself; "Well, what to do now?"

I heard my stomach rumble for the 8th time in the past 12 seconds. "Damnit" I cursed to myself. Hunger... why body? Why must you need nutrition and sustenance? Well, all I wanted was something tasty, but healthy. However, I had no idea where to start. First time here, no real sense of direction, or where the hell everything is. Colorful houses, dirt roads… wait, what the hell?! Dirt roads? Fuck, good job Ponyville, you reminded me of my boring life just 2 days ago. Whatever, damnit. Until I could tell exactly where I was, I decided to ask "What do I want to eat?" Maybe a sandwich, or, a salad, or, damnit I don't even know what normal ponies eat! Maybe, a fruit? Or, cake? Cake? Hell no! Damnit, think healthier! I was already about to smack my head into a wall, angry at myself for being so damn indecisive. I decided to turn to the closest local, a violet coated mare. "Hey, any good eats around here?" I asked. She turned to face me, a little surprised, probably because she didn't expect to be talking to me.

"Uh… yeah. Just around the corner." She answered.

"Thanks. What's their menu?"

"Mostly sandwiches…"

"Alright. Thanks again."

I began to walk on my way, before I heard her voice again "Wait!" I turned around to see what the mare wanted.

"Yeah?"

"I was on my way there anyway, so, lunch?" She asked, a bit shyly.

I scratched my head, but eventually went with it.

"Alright, sure."

"Thanks. Follow me." She said, as she started to lead the way.

I started to formulate opinions on the purple mare. I had just met her, so I don't have much past the bare essentials. And by bare essentials, I mean nothing past her appearance, which wasn't bad, very attractive even. We eventually got to the restaurant.

"Table for two." Said the mare. A waitress was conveniently waiting for us, and escorted us to our seats. We both sat down and the waitress put down the menus, and we picked them up and started browsing. I didn't find anything out the ordinary, just different kind of sandwiches. I decided I'd get a crisp tofu sandwich. And waited for the waitress to come around take our orders. It then hit me; we haven't said much. I mean, I'm not one to start up conversation, as I don't have many original thoughts. Luckily, I didn't have to, she did it for me.

"Hi… Name's Twilight Sparkle."

"Misriah. Nice to meet you."

"So… new here?" She asked. It was a pretty obvious question, but enough to make conversation.

"Yeah. Actually just got here this morning."

"Oh. Business trip?"

"Of sorts."

"What do you do? For a living, I mean"

"General duties."

She seemed confused by that last statement, and I realized; civilian, not military. That's what happens when you live with military people for the past 4 years of your life. I mean, sure, there were civilians, but, it's not like I talked to them much.

"Basic infantry stuff." I explained.

"Infantry? You're in the military?" Asked Twilight.

"Yeah. Royal Marine Corps."

"And why are you here again?"

"I got stationed at Watch Base Everfree, which does exactly what the name suggests."

"Oh…. But the Everfree Forest has been here forever now, why does it still need to be watched?"

I believe I asked this question before, but whatever. I thought for a second, trying at least have a logical answer, so it at least might be the right one.

"What's the weather patterns here?"

"Our schedule is usually long durations of sunny days with occasional downpours of heavy rains." She answered. Seemed logical, to make up for extended periods of sunshine you need heavier rains.

"That might have a reason for it. Water based or intense environment training exercises may be a factor."

"Excuse me?"

"Marines. If there's a coastline, a lake, hell, a puddle, they can train there." I said, a little bit of sarcasm and humor.

"Ah. I get it." She answered.

The waiter eventually brought us our orders. I brought my plate closer to me to grab my sandwich. Taking a bite, it wasn't half bad. Pretty good, at least compared to base food. Twilight, being a unicorn, used her magic to hold her sandwich. I watched her horn as it glowed, and then looked at sandwich as it glowed with the same purple color. I always found unicorn magic to be fascinating, and I wish I could do "No hands" tricks. We continued to eat, unsure of what to talk about. I was almost done with my sandwich when Twilight continued to make small talk; "Got any plans for the day?" I finished off the last bite of my sandwich before responding.

"No, not really. I just wanted lunch."

"Then, can I show you around?"

"Sounds outstanding," I answered, and then a question came to my head; "What do you do?"

Twilight then thought out her answer, sighed. "I don't have much of an actual job. I mean, I do take care of the library… But, I also live in the library as well, so.."

"That is an actual job. Being a Librarian I mean." I commented, trying to be encouraging a bit. Although she didn't seem to get what I mean.

"There are Librarians in the military, and if the military has a job for it, it's got to be a legitimate occupation." I continued.

"Well, okay." Twilight responded. She finished her meal, and I asked for the bill. The bill was a bit more than what I expected, but not overly so. I placed a small bag of bits on the table, and the waitress took it. I gave a couple extra for the tip. Twilight and I both got up from our seats to leave the restaurant. As soon as we exited the building, we stood on the side of the sidewalk for a little. "Where to?" I asked. I didn't get much of a response, but we started walking down the road.

"Why are the roads still made of dirt?" I asked.

"I believe it's because the mayor doesn't think cement or asphalt ones are necessary." Twilight replied.

"Sounds like somepony I know."

Twilight looked at me curiously. I took this as if she wanted an explanation, and continued my sentence.

"The old base commander from before here. He also had our roads made of dirt. Wasn't bad for boots, a bit difficult for vehicles without treads. But murder on any and all dress uniforms." I explained

Twilight nodded in acceptance of the answer, and continued walking. We walked for about four more minutes, then she stopped. I stopped behind her, and she turned around. "What?"

She didn't say anything for about another minute. "You look like somepony I know too" Said Twilight.

I raised my right brow, "Sorry, but we haven't met before today, so…" However, I was quickly interrupted by the violet mare.

"No-no-no. You look similar to him. Your coat is red like his, but a bit of a darker shade. Same with your eyes. Green, just darker. However, similarities stop there… You are much smaller, and your mane is a totally different color." She explained.

I took in the information and analyzed it. "Is there a problem with a brown mane?" I asked, joking around. She didn't expect the question, and so took a little bit to answer;

"What? No! That's not what I meant!" She said. I gave a quick chuckle to show I was joking.

As we started walking again, Twilight had brought up another subject. "Have you met Pinkie Pie?" asked the purple mare.

I had no idea who she was talking about so I responded with "Who?"

Twilight had taken this for a "no" and continued "Alright then. If we keep walking we'll eventually find her, and she'll see you, and eventually will throw you a party, sometime in the afternoon probably." She explained.

I thought about it and responded; "A party?"

"Yeah. To be honest, since you are here under orders, you must have flown in with others?"

"Right."

"So she'll probably toss a party for all the incoming service ponies."

As she was saying that, we walked across a pink flyer, and, pink being the bright color it is, was very eye catching. I stopped to examine it; and sure enough, it was a "Welcome Party for Service Ponies", reading further, it stated that "Any and all may attend", and it was signed by a "Pinkie Pie". After reading through it, I pointed it out to Twilight. "Here, is this what you're talking about?" I asked. After she gazed through it, she nodded yes. I pointed at a spot on the flyer that told the location; "The town hall, huh? At 1905 to 2245" I read aloud.

Twilight looked at it and commented; "If everypony is welcome to attend she should really put it in civilian time so everypony can understand what time is at". Without speaking, I pointed to the civilian time written directly underneath the military time, and read aloud;

"That's 7:05 PM to 10:45 PM in case you don't know how to read military time". With that, Twilight gave a single blink, probably slightly embarrassed.

"Well, she does know how to throw a party… I don't know why I'm surprised" She said.

I thought for a second, unsure of if I should go or not, so I asked "Should I go?"

She pondered the idea, and responded; "It's a good idea, there will be food, and a bunch of people to meet, to get you acquainted to the town's population." Food? That's all I need to know, free non-MRE or mess hall grub! Of course, I didn't say this out loud.

What I actually said was; "I guess I'll go, then. I don't have anything else planned."

As we prepared to walk away, I heard a male pony's voice.

"Well, let's take a look see."

The pony was a light brown, golden eyes, and a black mane, short, in the military fashion. He examined the flyer. "Hey, Gunny! I found one!" He called out to a silver stallion with blood red eyes, and a white mane which was also in the military style. He quickly ran over, and I could hear the sound of his hooves against the dirt. The silver pony examined the flyer, and asked; "You think our newbie will be there?"

The light brown stallion responded; "Probably, he quickly checked out of the base, so he probably saw the flyer by now." The silver pony thought for a second, before continuing to speak; "Alright, we'll arrive about an hour early at 1805, just to make sure we don't miss him."

The light brown pony quickly responded "Aye, aye, Gunny!" as if it were an order, and they walked off.

Turning to Twilight Sparkle, she seemed rather surprised, and I must admit, I was too. "Who do you think they were?" asked Twilight.

I had gotten enough info in that one conversation to know the correct answer; "They were Royal Marines, looking for their new guy, the silver one's a Gunnery Sergeant, the light brown his subordinate. They are gonna try and find him at the party tonight. By the way, what time is it?"

Twilight looked at her watch, and answered; "eight past twelve". I still had plenty of time, so I assessed my situation; I had recently ate, met this mare, and am going to a party in seven hours. What to do, what to do.

We were interrupted for the second time, again, right before we were about to walk away. "So, you comin'?!" Asked a very enthusiastic mare with a high pitched voice. I didn't recognize who the hell was talking, so I turned to make visual contact. It was a pink mare, with light blue eyes, and a pink mane that was, I don't know what the hell it was. It was everywhere! I recognized her cutie mark to be some balloons, as it was showing on her shirt. Many ponies put their cutie marks on a symbol and displayed it on their attire to show them off without having to flash everyone their ass. Most pony related militaries in the world had it so you could put your cutie mark on a patch and wear it on your combat uniforms and fatigues. I had a patch of my cutie mark, but I don't display it often. Before I could answer, Twilight thought it was best to introduce each other.

"Misriah, this is Pinkie Pie" She said.

I looked at her, put on a friendly smile, and said "Hi".

Her response was without delay; "Hello ! Are you gonna go to the party?!" I came to the conclusion that this pony was really adamant about finding the answer, so I gave it to her;

"Yeah. I mean I guess so." Pinkie Pie jumped in excitement.

"Yes! Yes you should! There's no better way to welcome you to ponyville other than with a party!" The pink mare exclaimed enthusiastically. I was taken off guard by the fact she knew that the party was to welcome me.

"How did you-?" However, I was quickly interrupted.

"I know everyone from here, and since I don't know you, you aren't from here, and due to the timing of you getting here, you must be one of the ponies I'm welcoming!" She explained, and she was spot on.

"Well, you sure are observant." I complimented.

Twilight jumped into the conversation rather suddenly. "Pinkie, where's Spike?" Asked the violet mare.

The pink pony faced her and took a second to answer this time. "Well, he was helping set up the party, but then Rarity wanted to borrow him." She explained. I didn't know a damn thing about this "Spike" character, or this "Rarity" but I observed that they must at least be acquaintances to these two.

Twilight sighed. "Alright, we should at least go check on them." Said Twilight, and neither I, nor Pinkie had any objections. We got a move on towards this clothing store, which was odd for me, as I rarely had to buy any kind of clothing besides uniforms. We had entered the store, and I immediately noticed the only place I had seen clothes within a single fraction of fashion as the ones in this shop, was at the dry cleaners to get my class Bs and As cleaned. I eventually heard a feminine voice that said "Thank you spike. Now would you be a dear and put this over there?". In response there was another voice which sounded to be a male, although probably not a pony. "Alright. I got it." It said. After moving a couple meters, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and I had visual contact with a white mare with purple hair, and her cutie mark was displayed on her dress, which was a beautiful silver. She had noticed us and welcomed us here. "Why hello darlings! And who is this one?" She said. I assumed she was talking about me, and spoke up.

"Name's Misriah."

"It's nice to meet you! My name is Rarity."

"Likewise. Nice collection of dresses and suits. Wish I could get one…"

"Well why can't you?"

"Well, first, just by looking I can tell they are expensive, it wouldn't be practical for my line of work, and I probably would never wear them."

"Oh, is that so?"

"I'm afraid it's true. I have my dress uniform and ceremonial uniform, so I wouldn't find many times to actually wear any of these."

"A dress and ceremonial uniform?"

"Well, being in the Equestrian Defense Forces, everything you ever really need is given to you."

"Ah I understand! So, may I ask, what branch exactly?"

"Royal Marines."

"Well, I have always thought their dress uniforms are very nice looking, and it fits their aesthetic very well."

"Really?"

"Well of course. They look strong and courageous, yet uniformed and disciplined, it is a marvelous design."

"Well, thanks."

Twilight interrupted the conversation at that point. We had come here with a mission objective, to check up on Spike, now that Rarity seemed to be doing fine. "Hey, um, Rarity, where is Spike?" Asked the violet mare.

Rarity paused for a second, then turned to call for him. "Spike, you are wanted at the front counter."

The voice I heard earlier quickly replied "On my way!" A couple seconds later, a purple dragon with green scales dressed in camouflage pants and a white shirt walked forward. He was a tad shorter than I was, which is still pretty short, as I am most definitely not a tall or even average sized pony.

As he got to the counter he took a quick look at me, and then to Twilight "Oh, hi Twilight". However, before Twilight could answer him he looked at me. "Who are you?" He asked.

"I'm Misriah. And I think I have said my name more today than ever before." I answered, with a slight chuckle. He seemed to examine me, and if he got what I meant or not was apparently irrelevant.

"Cool. I'm Spike." Said the dragon.

Twilight finally got Spike's attention. "C'mon spike. We got places to be." Said the violet mare.

"Wait, what?" Said the dragon, unsure of what she meant. Twilight sighed.

"Spike, we got to help set up the party to welcome our new service ponies to town." Explained Twilight.

Spike didn't want to leave, and was quick to reply; "All that stuff is done. Cakes, pies, donuts, decorations, and everything that needed help is finished, all that's left is the stuff only pinky can do."

And Pinkie Pie was quick to affirm the statement; "Yep. And even that is complete. Or else I wouldn't be here, would I?" I figured that things weren't going in Twilight's favor, so I decided to intervene.

"Well, is there anyone else I should meet, I mean now that I am getting acquainted with all of your friends, I might as well." It was the worst excuse I could have ever made, but it was all I could think of, and it seemed to work regardless.

Working in cohesion with my statement, Twilight added "Yeah, and one of them called for you, Spike."

The dragon didn't fight, responded with an "Okay" and soon enough we were leaving the boutique, Rarity calling behind us "Later, darlings, I'll catch up after work today!"

About 45 minutes later, the party had led me to a yellow pegasus mare's house. It was interesting, there was an abundance of animals and animal related stuff, such as cages and food. The mare's name was Fluttershy, and she fit her namesake. "So, Fluttershy, how's everything been this past twenty-four hours?" I asked.

"A little hectic, Pinkie Pie wanted me to help set up a welcome party today, so I was helping to work with decorations and such." Fluttershy answered.

I thought for a second before continuing. I didn't have much to say, however, I did notice; "Pinkie really does get you all to help, huh?"

Fluttershy responded in her usual demeanor; "Well, yes. But we're glad to help!"

"Well, what are friends for?" I jokingly stated.

"Which reminds me…" Began Twilight Sparkle. "I still have some friends you should meet."

I looked at her for a second. "Yeah?"

"Mhm. They are actually within the same area, so we could meet them both at once."

"And who are they?"

Pinkie Pie jumped in "She's talking about Rainbow Dash and Applejack! Right? Right!"

Twilight then reassured Pinkie. "Yes. They are both probably at Sweet Apple Acres, I think we should visit."

Sweet Apple Acres. Right off the bat I started to make assumptions, judging a place by name. So, taking it apart, "Apple" and "Acres"... Probably an apple orchard… What kind of people do you meet on apple orchards? Hillbillys and rednecks! I stopped myself there. Those sorts of people aren't bad, and stop judging things by name, dingus! And wow, I should stop talking to myself, even if it's in my own head. But seriously, they are friends with Twilight, so they should be some cool people. My thoughts were interrupted by Fluttershy.

"They were having some sort of challenge or fight again, I think…"

"Well, that can't be good now, can it?" I replied.

"Actually, it's probably just a friendly match," Twilight added.

With that, we began our trek towards Sweet Apple Acres. On the way, I had started to reflect upon today, I think for maybe the second time? I have done a lot of walking, but I don't mind that. A good walk is great for the body. I looked at my watch; 15:24 (3:24). Still had about 3 hours until the party. Looking over my shoulder, I spotted a very bored and kinda annoyed dragon. He looked to be in his teenage years, maybe 16 to 17. Time aged, rather than greed, seeing as he isn't trying to rob me. "So spike, what's your story?"

"Huh?"

"Your story. Your life, hobbies, ambitions, watcha wanna be…"

"Oh. Currently I work as Twilight's assistant. But I plan on joining the defense forces when I can."

Twilight didn't seem to like the idea. "But Spike! What will I do when you're gone?"

"Get another assistant?"

"But no one can replace you!"

"They don't have to replace me. They just need to help you. I'll still be your friend after all."

"But why the military? You could get hurt!"

"I'm a dragon! I'm built for that sort of thing! And I am a citizen of equestria! As such, it is my responsibility, just as it is the responsibility of every citizen, to protect and support the nation!"

There was a moment of silence, no one had expected such a dramatic answer. I added on; "He's kinda right. But there are other ways to support your country than fighting, even in the military, most of us don't fight, we support the ones who do."

"Well, what do you do, Misriah?" asked the dragon, looking up at me.

"I fight. That's what I've always done. What I've always been good at."

Silence fell for the second time.

"Everypony has their part to play. You'll find yours."

The dragon seemed content with my answer, and we continued walking.

Our party arrived at 16:02 (4:02 PM) at Sweet Apple Acres. As we walked in, I heard rapid sounds of impacts, grunts, a yells. Making visual contact, there was a cyan pegasus mare facing off against a bright brilliant gamboge earth pony in a Mixed Martial Arts ring. The group decided not to interrupt until the match was over.

The fight was intense with the cyan mare (who Twilight had told me was Rainbow Dash) went for rapid strikes against the earth pony (who I figured to be Applejack). Applejack managed to dodge most of the blows, countering with a fast and powerful roundhouse kick, connecting with the side of her opponent, sure to leave a bruise. However, Dash remained unphased, using this opportunity to deliver a palm hand strike to Applejack's sternum, causing her to stagger back and gasp. The fight seemed to stop for a second, before Applejack went on the offensive, punching towards Rainbow's face, who either evaded or blocked every hit before managing to sweep Applejack off balance and to the ground. With her opponent on the floor, Rainbow Dash stood above her, waiting for her to get up or give up. But then, Applejack swiftly got into a crouched position and performed an uppercut right into Dash's stomach, knocking the wind out of her and causing her the match.

I clapped and applauded at the fight, as I had enjoyed watching it. Applejack seemed to notice and give a smile, before taking off her gloves and headgear. Rainbow Dash also removed her gear. The group and I approached the two ponies.

"Well what happened this time?" Twilight asked.

"Just a sparring match." Answered Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah, just wanted to get some practice in." Applejack added on with a southern accent. Though why I was surprised I don't know.

"And who might this be?" Rainbow Dash asked, most likely referring to me, so I stepped forward.

"Name's Misriah."

"Rainbow Dash."

"Nice to meet you, Rainbow Dash."

"Likewise. And this is Applejack."

I extended my hand to the gamboge mare.

"Hello."

"Howdy." She said as she shook my hand.

"You have a strong grip." I commented.

"Well so do you." She replied. For a second, we both tried to squeeze harder than the other, but no one seemed to win.

"So, I see you both fight?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'm a black belt in Karate." Replied Rainbow Dash.

"I'm taking kickboxing." Applejack answered.

"Nice, nice. I'm a brown belt in Taekwondo, but a black belt in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, working on becoming instructor qualified." I stated.

"Marine Corps, huh?" Rainbow said, kinda mischievously.

"Yeah. Problem?" I asked.

"Oh boy…" Sighed Applejack.

"Oh, there's no problem, Jarhead." Dash commented, I'm guessing in an effort to insult me.

"Throwing names around, huh? What service are you in, cause all I see is a civvie." I snap back.

"Wonderbolt reserves." She answered.

"So you are a civvie, with a reserve position in a quasi-military entertainment organization that models itself after the chair force?" I snicker. "Even if I was a pegasus, I'd rather be a grunt." I continue.

Rainbow Dash didn't seem to take it well. "Ya wanna fight, punk?"

"Frankly, no. I'd rather let this pass. I gotta say sorry to some of my friends for saying 'chair force' and you're all bruised up. It wouldn't be fair." I responded.

"Fine." Was all I got in return.

A couple moments passed, and pinkie pie then jumped in; "Wowee! That was interesting! First Applejack and Dashie are fighting! And it looks like Dash has won, then pow! Applejack wins, and then Dashie almost fights Misriah! Probably would have been a cool fight!"

Fluttershy seemed to have a different opinion; "I think it was kind of scary…"

"So, got plans for today?" Applejack asked.

"I got a party at 7 or so, but besides that, not much."

"Alright. I guess I'll show up then,"

"Cool. How about you, Dash?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Awesome. Well, I gotta go and get ready then, I'll meet you all there, right?"

All the ponies replied in a positive way, so yeah, they'll be there.

A.N: That was so difficult, and long… Which means the other chapters have to be long to fit this one… WHY! Oh well, it'll get done… To those who managed to read all that, PMs AND REVIEWS ARE IN POPULAR DEMAND, BY ME! PLEASE POST OR SEND ME ONE! FEEDBACK IS ALL I WANT. Thank you!