He jolted up, sweating slightly. He looked around the room, scanning it for anything out of the ordinary. He noticed the red glow, and he looked down at his hip. He pulled out the worn energy pistol, and examined it. It was a CX-11, one of the old military standards. While it was similar in shape and weight to the classic desert eagle, it had red lighting running along the barrel. He deactivated the trusted side arm, and sighed. He must have turned it on in his sleep. He got out of bed, and stretched his body. He figured that he would have a couple more hours before they reached their destination, so he pulled out his rifle, and began cleaning it. It was an M4A4, and while he had been carrying it since the beginning of the war, he had kept it in top condition.
As he cleaned the carbine, his thoughts drifted to his surroundings. He could hear two distinct noises, the creak of the aged vessel and the steady hum of the Steam engine. He laughed to himself, remembering how skeptical he had been when he had been informed of Steam. Apparently at some point in the war, a large amount of magical energy had been released into the environment. He suspected that it might have happened during the second campaign for Atlanta, but no one ever confirmed it. Effectively, most water sources now had a large amount of energy, allowing Steam powered machines to last far longer than most other power sources. The Solar Empire had taken control of most of the companies that were designing and manufacturing Steam devices, but a few hold outs were keeping the prices low enough for the resistance back home.
It occurred to him that his duster was going to mark him as a Ranger, and given that the home he had fought to protect it was likely that those who recognized the outfit would try to turn him in. While it would have been smart to ditch the worn duster, he couldn't bring himself to get rid of it. While it was tattered, and had many holes which had been repaired, he still valued it more than his rifle. Each tear was a memento to a battlefield, every fixed hole a small memorial to the men and women who he had fought alongside. He would die before he gave in his duster, though he didn't plan on just letting the Solar Empire put him in that position.
By the time he finished cleaning his gear, it was morning. It didn't take him long to pack, seeing how light he was traveling. As the vessel got closer to his destination, Gateway, he made sure to keep an eye on the other passengers. He didn't plan on traveling all the way out to this new world only to end his life as someone's bounty. He glanced at the town, and smiled. While the town was only a couple years old, it already had mostly covered the mountain it was on. The citizens had made a deal with the local government, Equestria. He thought it was a strange name, but then again he supposed that it fit in given the local population. He noticed a large castle city on a distant mountain, and decided that he should make his way there. It looked like a place of importance, and he could probably get transportation to nearly anywhere from there. He planned to drop off the grid, and hoped the Solar Empire would waste their resources hunting for him.
The ship shook a little as it landed in the harbor, and he got off the ship. As he walked through the crowd, he heard a distant boom. He turned and looked to the sky, expecting to see a fighter plane, or something man made. To his surprise, he didn't see anything of the sort. He wondered if it was worth looking into, but threw it aside. He needed to get some food, and a bearing as to his location.
He looked around for a vendor, and quickly found one. He walked in, and gathered some general supplies. As he was paying for the goods he had gathered, the store clerk tried to sell him a Technicolor apple.
"What is this?" He asked, curious about the fruit before him. He almost thought it was mutated, or something. He then remember that this world had much brighter colors, so the apple was likely extremely common here.
"The locals call them Zap apples. They are extremely filling, and are full of most of we need. Protein, calcium, carbohydrates, you name it. A person could live off of these things, provided you can stand only eating apples." He considered the offer, and decided it couldn't hurt. Having some of the local foods would likely help him build a cover.
"Okay. So, thirty dollars altogether?" The store clerk shook her head.
"Sorry, but I can let a Ranger pay for food." He looked up, surprised.
"How did you…" She cut him off.
"I know a Ranger when I see one. " She smiled. "56th air cavalry. You?"
"42nd." He replied solemnly. Her smiled faded as she took in the implications, her face paling taking in the full meaning of the statement.
"You guys went through hell. Twice. And you still held the line to get the rest of us out." He nodded.
"Well, none of us really felt keen on dying. Besides, who else was going to keep those damn Solars at bay?" He replied with a slight smirk. The store clerk nodded, and handed him a small leather bag. He took it, and looked inside. He was surprised to see gold coins, and began to say he couldn't take them.
"No, it's the least I can do. You guys made it so the rest of us could regroup and push the Solars back. This is the Equestrian currency. They're called bits, and yes they are real gold. Not worth as much as an apple here, but this should get you by for a few days. I have a friend over in a small town called Ponyville, and she's looking for farm hands. She supplies the Zap Apples, and pays a fair amount for help. If you're here looking for work, I could put in a good word for you." He considered the offer.
"I'll look into it, after I finish some business." The clerk nodded, and sent him on his way.
He spent the rest of the day avoiding the guards, and waiting for his train. Fortunately, the only way to most of the other rail connections in this region was through the castle city in the distance. He paid for a ticket, and had been staying somewhat close to the station. As his train came in, he quickly made his way to the train. As he handed his ticket to the conductor, he looked back and saw Solar guards looking for him. He smiled, knowing they wouldn't be able to catch him at this point. He walked onto the train, and looked for a seat.
He found a seat, and smiled once the trained started moving. He watched the station slide by, and leaned back in his seat once the train was up to full speed. He noticed that the car was occupied, and he got his first glance at the locals. They appeared to be small horses, though they had varying appearances. There were six, each being unique from the others. There were two 'normal' ones, though he couldn't exactly say that pink was a normal, due to the high speed of her speech. He had issues following what she said, and decided to move his attention to the rest of the group. There were two unicorns, and while he found that interesting, it was the pegasi that held his attention. One of them was hovering, its wings holding it up with ease. The other one, a yellow pony with pink hair, was talking with the rest of the group, and pulled something out of her bag using her wings. He was fascinated with the wings dexterity, and he wondered if their bones were hollow like birds.
He sighed, and returned his focus to the world outside the window. He could tell from their voices that they were all female, and excited about something. As the sunlight faded, he decided to try to get some sleep.
He stalked the shadows, passing by several enemy squads. They didn't notice him, allowing him to close on his objective. The rest of the 42nd was holding up in the suburbs outside Pittsburg, not wanting to engage the Solar forces quite yet, due to the large amount of civilians still in the area. He made it to the crash site, though he couldn't see what had made the crater due to the thick fog in the hole. He jumped down into it, and saw something glowing in the mist. He leaned down to grab it…
He jolted awake as the train hit a couple bumps. He sighed in relief, glad that it was nothing serious. He looked around, and noticed that the blue Pegasus was looking at him strangely. It unnerved him slightly, though he couldn't place why. She looked him over, like a cop would a potential criminal. She moved towards the purple unicorn, and said something he couldn't hear. He felt his left arm twitch a bit as adrenaline started rushing through his veins, and he began looking for ways out of the train car. The entire group of ponies was now whispering, setting off every alarm his years of training and experience had given him. The train was slowing, and he saw that they had reached his stop. He got up, and walked casually towards the exit. He heard them following, and he knew he would have to lose them somehow.
He quickly examined the station as he stepped onto the platform. Due to the late hour, the crowd was sparse at best. He started walking a little faster, decided that he should try to lose them in the alleys of this city. He moved silently through the night, almost a shadow under the moon light. He glanced behind him, spotting the six mares behind him. He sighed.
"Fuck my life." He said flatly, as he turned swiftly and darted towards a nearby alley. His sudden sprint caught the group off guard, but the blue Pegasus flapped her wings and was closing on him. He made repeated turns, and somewhat negated the pegasus's speed advantage. He saw a stack of crates, and ran up them. He made it up to the roof, and ran across the roof tops with expert skill. He had learned during the war the usefulness of parkour, mainly to avoid enemy patrols.
The pegasus was closing on him, meaning he was rapidly running out of options. He ducked down, letting his pursuer blast past him. He slid down to the ground, and darted for a particularly dark shadow. He saw the group together by a fountain, and decided to listen in on their conversation.
"It looks like it's gone." The blue one nodded.
"I know! I almost had it too." The purple one nodded in agreement with the blue one's statement, and appeared to be deep in thought.
"We need to tell the Princesses about this. Whatever that was, it could be a threat." The yellow mare was more timid than the rest of her friends.
"Maybe it was just a human…" Her voice trailed off for a bit. "How do we know its evil?"
The other unicorn laughed slightly. "Darling, while I am glad that you are optimistic, it did run away from us. And it escaped Rainbow Dash. Whatever it did, it cannot be good." Her voice was much more aristocratic, though not completely self-consumed. "Besides, you know how dangerous humans can be."
"Doesn't give you the right to pursue me through the town at the dead of night." He spoke up, startling them. He slowly walked out of the shadows, M4 at the ready and aimed at them. He had the safety on, but they didn't know that. The yellow pegasus ducked behind the Dash, obviously scared. Dash got over her surprise quickly.
"So, are you a changeling spy?" She asked, appearing ready for a fight. He had to give her credit, she was brave, although a bit foolhardy.
"Is that really why you were after me, because you thought I was a spy?" He didn't sound convinced.
"No, its because you have been touched by darkness." The purple mare replied, which confused him. They saw his confusion, and relaxed a bit. He was about to speak again when he heard something. He pivoted, aiming his carbine at a nearby shadow. He saw a familiar pair of pale blue eyes, and felt a slight chill run down his back.
"You need to run." He said calmly, knowing who he was facing. He had no fear of this foe, and was ready to fight. He waited for it to make a move, the street silent as the two held their ground. Just when it seemed that the attacker would strike, it faded back into the shadow.
He sighed, knowing what this meant. He had hoped that he could escape this foe by coming to this world, but now he saw that it would follow him no matter where he went. He would have to find somewhere isolated, and fast. He knew what kind of collateral damage this thing could cause, and he didn't want innocent lives lost because of his fight.
"It…It ran away?" The purple unicorn started, confused.
"Looks like it." He replied, relaxing.
"Why?" The unicorn continued, clearly confused.
"I'm sure it has its reasons." He stated. He needed to leave, before anyone got hurt. He doubted anyone here could help him, anyhow. The group was still wary of him, obviously unsure of his motives.
"So, where are you heading?" The purple mare asked curiously.
He thought about his answer. While he hated giving vague responses, he didn't want them to come after him at a later date. He had been planning on melting into a distant town, to avoid the Solars. However, the reappearance of his enemy made it clear that he couldn't find a new place to live, lest the monster burn his new home.
"Away." He replied, trying to think of a new plan. The gaps he moved through were getting smaller. On one side, the Solar empire hunted him, and on the other that nightmare pursued him. He was running out of margin to hide in.
"Perhaps you should come with us." The unicorn offered. "Maybe we can help."
"Sorry, but I don't think that's a good idea." He sighed, looking back on his life for a moment. Everywhere he went good people seemed to die around him.
"Don't worry, the Princesses will know what to do." The unicorn replied, clearly confident in her statement.
His face paled a bit, and he backed up. The Princesses, theses ponies' leaders, would definitely know who he was. The unicorn picked up on his apprehension, though she didn't know why he was nervous. She was about to ask him why, when a deep blue blur flew into him, and threw him down the street. It flew off into the night, cackling darkly. He felt blood leaving his body, and the world started to fade into darkness. He saw Dash rush up to him, and he tried to speak. However, darkness took him before he could say anything.