Can Fluttershy handle the field?

As the days went on, Fluttershy had improved in her training, she was doing the basic exercises easier, soon the Obstacle course also became an easier feat for her, and she got to show off some flying prowess, despite her usually being shy about the flying at least back home, here everyone was impressed.

Soon came time for some hand-to-hand combat.

"Ok Fluttershy, time for some CQC", Raiden said.

"What's CQC?" Fluttershy asked.

"Close Quarters Combat, it was innovated by an old solider known as 'The Boss', she taught Snake's father, Snake learned from researching his moves", Raiden said.

"Snake's father was a solider?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah, Snake can tell you all about it, if he wants to", Raiden said.

"I'll tell you later, it's a long story, for now just practice it, we even have a volunteer", Snake gestured to Akiba.

"Who me?" Akiba said.

"Yes you, get your ass over there", Snake said.

Akiba went to Fluttershy and got into a fighting position.

"Ok you both ready?" Snake asked.

"Um, I don't know what I'm supposed to do", Fluttershy said.

"Right, I'll demonstrate it", Snake approached Akiba, "Ok, attack me"

Akiba hesitated before attack, prompting annoyance from Snake, "Do it!"

Akiba went to attack but Snake grabbed his arm and flipped him down and went for a punch but stopped inches from his face, "Something like that, it's more about taking your enemy down, a good form of non-lethal combat"

Fluttershy nodded, "Ok"

"There's many ways to do it, but try it out, just take him down as he's going for an attack", Snake said.

Fluttershy nodded and waited for Akiba to attack, when he went in she freaked out and flew away from him.

"Ok that didn't go well, try again", Snake said.

Fluttershy flew to him, as he went to attack again, she flew away again, causing an annoyance from Akiba.

"I can't work with her, she's too afraid"

"Don't go in too rough, take it easy, she's a beginner", Raiden said.

"Aw come on, when I went to boot camp I got yelled at and beaten on day one, she's been training for days and she still cant cut it, why does she get it easier?" Akiba asked.

"Because I said so, now stop your complaining and do what I say!" Raiden said.

Akiba groaned and went to Fluttershy again, and did a light jab at her, hitting her face, causing her to whimper.

"I said take it easy!" Raiden shouted.

"I did! She's just being a wuss!" Akiba argued.

"You fucking jackass, when I get my hands on you!" Raiden went to him but Snake held him back, while Akiba got into a fighting stance.

"Raiden, calm down!" Snake shouted.

Raiden huffed a bit before cooling, "Sorry, lost my cool a bit"

"A bit?" Akiba asked.

"Akiba, shut the hell up!" Snake shouted.

Akiba pouted a bit.

"Meryl, think you can handle things for now?" Snake asked.

"Sure thing", she approached Fluttershy, "Ready?"

Fluttershy nodded and put her hooves up, ready to fight.

"Here it comes", Meryl did a very slow punch, allowing Fluttershy to grab it and twist Meryl's arm, but she rolled through and then grabbed Fluttershy and held her close to her body and aimed a knife at her throat, much to Fluttershy's shock.

"You need to be a little quicker and make sure they stay down, otherwise this can happen", Meryl explained.

Fluttershy gulped and nodded, they got into a stance.

"Why don't you try attacking me, and I can show you first hand how to do this"

Fluttershy looked unsure, "Um...'m not too sure if that's the best idea"

"I won't hurt you"

"Yeah but I don't wanna accidentally hit you either"

Meryl scoffed, "I can take a punch, just try it, attack me with ferocity"

Fluttershy nodded and approached her, she got into a position and threw a punch, a really light and soft punch that Meryl didn't even bother trying to grab into a CQC hold.

"Really? That's it?"

"I'm not very good at fighting, I can't throw a punch"

Meryl sighed, "Gotta teach you to really throw a punch, ok just punch me however you like and I'll show you"

Fluttershy nodded and punched again, this time Meryl grabbing the punch and then bringing Fluttershy down into a pin.

"Like that"

Fluttershy nodded, "Ok"

Meryl helped up Fluttershy, "That wasn't so bad right?"

Fluttershy shook her head, "Not really"

"Ok, let's keep practicing"

They spend the next hour practicing the take downs, Fluttershy started getting a knack for it, though her take downs at first were a little soft, Meryl encouraged her to be a little more rough, saying she can take it.

Soon Fluttershy had gotten good at the CQC, at least the basics.

"Good work, you're getting much better", Raiden said.

"Wow, I'm really doing it aren't I!" Fluttershy seemed so excited.

Meryl patted her a bit, "Yeah, not bad there"

"Thanks, though I hope I didn't hurt you"

"I'm fine, like I said, I can handle it, I've been doing this around 10 years", Meryl said.

"Who taught you this stuff?" Fluttershy asked.

"I had some basic training, though I had to learn a lot on the field, Snake managed to help me in that regard during the Shadow Moses Incident"

"Shadow Moses, Raiden mentioned that to me, saying something about it being Liquid Snake's first major attack"

"Yeah it was", Snake said.

"So Snake, you said you researched these techniques from your father?" Fluttershy asked.

"He's sorta my father, I'm his clone so on technical terms that makes him my father", Snake said.

"A clone? How does that work?"

"It's complicated to explain, they just go this DNA, made it exact and had a woman be the surrogate mother, me and Liquid were both born like that"

"Oh, but why did they wanna clone your father?"

"Because he was considered one of the greatest soldiers of all time, he made a name for himself during what was known as Operation Snake Eater, where they encountered the Shagohod, an inspiration for the Current Metal Gears, he destroyed it and became a legend, known as many names, Naked Snake, Punished Snake, Venom Snake, or his most recent one, Big Boss"

"Wow, so is he retired?"

"No...he's dead"

Fluttershy's ears drooped, "Oh, sorry to hear"

"Don't be, I'm the one who killed him"

Fluttershy's eyes widened, "What!? Why would you kill your own father!?"

"I had no choice, while he was once a great solider, over time his mind became corrupt with wanting his own world, and he was gonna do anything to get that, no matter the price"

Fluttershy couldn't believe it, "Your father became evil?"

"Sorta, not evil, just misguided, me killing him is like putting a poor animal out of it's misery"

Fluttershy looked infuriated, "How can you think like that!? He's your father! And DON'T use that putting an animal out it's misery term with me! I absolutely HATE that term!"

Everyone looked taken back.

"Wow, she's pissed, has anyone seen her all pissed? This is new to me", Akiba said.

"Shut up Akiba!" Fluttershy shouted, causing him to hide behind a crate, earning a chuckle from Raiden.

Fluttershy turned to Snake, "Do you have anything to say for yourself Snake!?

"Kid, you don't understand, this isn't your little Harmonic world of Equestria, in this world things like this just happen, besides he was barely a father, he gave up me and my brother at birth, that's one of the reasons he's so messed up in the head, luckily I became devoid of emotions at a young age otherwise I would be as pissed as he is"

"Snake, he was your father though, it's like you don't even care"

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't, it doesn't matter in the end, I do my duty and what's right for this world"

Fluttershy looked away, "I can't bear to hear anymore"

"Point is, you know about Big Boss, and quite honestly, he himself barely considered me his son, so I barely consider him my father"

Fluttershy growled, "I don't want to hear anymore! I'm going to my room for now!" Fluttershy rushed off, with Raiden following her.

Akiba came out of his hiding spot, "Wow, she's a real jerk under all that niceness"

Everyone glared at him for that, "What? What did I say?"

Raiden went to the room to find Fluttershy, who was sitting on her bed and tending to her shoulder, "Are you hurt?"

"Not too much, I think I strained my shoulder a bit during practice, but I should be fine"

Raiden sat on his bed adjacent to her, "Looks like you got a little steamed back there, never seen you blow your top"

"Yeah, sorry about that, maybe I just got a little frustrated about what Snake said, it just sounded so horrible"

"It does sound horrible, unfortunately it's a fact of life as far as he's concerned"

"Still, I think I also just feel bad for him, his brother and his fathers are enemies of his in a war, and he doesn't seem to care that they oppose him, what about his mother?"

"His mother did care for him, so there's that, she actually considered Snake her son"

"Well that's one bright spot"

Raiden put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes, "Just remember, things are just different around here, this world is not the best place right now, that's why we're here, to take down these robots and save this world, then maybe families can just live together in peace, now truth be told I once scoffed at the idea of Peace & Kindness, thinking it's a longshot, but you've shown to me that it's not as big of a longshot as I once thought it was, that maybe it is possible for a world to be peaceful, maybe not perfect but peaceful for the most part, even Akiba said Kindness is a good thing, granted he's being a bit of a jerk, but Meryl said he's just like that sometimes, nothing personal, one thing that worries me though is that if you join us and fight with us...I'm worried you'll lose that innocence to you, you have such a loving and caring personality, I don't want that tarnished by war"

Fluttershy nodded a bit, "I appreciate your concern, but I still want to join you, since this training I've felt a bit better about myself, more confident, I can finally toughen up and really protect people, those I care about, my friends, and you"

Raiden nodded, "Just promise me that you'll never stop being the caring Pegasus I found the other day, you'll always have a reason to be kind and gentle"

Fluttershy put her hoof on his face, "Ok Raiden, I promise you"

Raiden smiled and kissed her head, "Glad to hear that"

Fluttershy then hugged him, he returned it and rubbed her mane.

"So...it sounds like you REALLY love animals"

Fluttershy nodded, "Yeah, my job is to take care of them after all"

"It's also your special talent too, I take it you have a lot of animals in your home"

"Yes, I have a whole cottage full of them, sometimes I even find more exotic types, like Breezies"

Raiden raised his eyebrow, "Breezies? What are those?"

"Really tiny creatures, almost insect like, they speak their own language, I visit them on occasion, sometimes with a friend of mine named Tree Hugger"

Raiden held in a laugh, "Tree Hugger? Wow"

"She has a neat way of looking at life, she can sense vibes in people"

"Vibes? What is she a hippie?"

"Huh?"

"Nevermind, but tell me, what is the most strangest creature you've ever seen"

Fluttershy pondered, "While I wouldn't say strange, the most interesting creature I know is my friend Discord, he's a Draconequus"

Raiden once again was confused, "A Dragon what?"

"A draconequus, a hybrid creature with a horse's head, he has body parts of many different animals"

"Hm, sounds more like a Chimera"

"No, a chimera is 3 creatures, with 3 heads, Discord has one had and interspecies body parts, you'll have to see him for yourself to understand, but he's a good friend, he used to be our enemy, once we reformed him we became the best of friends"

"Good to know, gee with your love of animals, you'd fit in well as the leader of Foxhound, their agents are named after various animals"

"Sounds neat! Like what though?"

"There was one group from Shadow Moses, Sniper Wolf, Vulcan Raven, Psycho Mantis, Decoy Octopus, Gray Fox & Revolver Ocelot just to name a few, I don't really know any of them, except Ocelot, Snake knows them, he killed most of them"

Fluttershy pouted, "I thought for a moment they were good"

"They were led by Liquid Snake, except Gray Fox, he was against Liquid, they were known as FOXHOUND, Wold was the lone sniper as her named implied, Raven was the Shaman and used heavy weapons, Mantis was the group psychic, he can use psychogenesis, telekinesis & telepathy, Octopus was a master of disguise, Ocelot was second in command but soon took over, and Liquid was the mastermind, he wanted to use a Metal Gear, a model called REX to take over the world"

"That Psycho Mantis guy sounds pretty scary"

"Yeah, Snake said he was a freaky person to fight"

"Sounds like it, so Snake killed them all?"

"Yeah, truth be told he sorta regrets it, since they were all just doing their jobs, some of them barely liked the fighting, and they even gave Snake a few words of their wisdom before dying"

Fluttershy sighed, "Being a solider seems hard"

"It is, we go through a lot, which is why I didn't want you becoming one"

"Raiden, I understand the risks, I'm willing to take them, I know you care but please stop worrying so much!" Fluttershy stated aggressively.

Raiden stared a moment, "You do want this...I won't deny it any further...I just hate the idea of something bad happening to you, I really care about you Fluttershy, these last few days getting to know you, you're an amazing person, and you're not even technically a person, I think you've gotten a little bold based on how vocal you were before, I just want to make sure you truly are willing to take these risks, a key part of being a solider is taking an opportunity and knowing when to strike, that's something we really need to instill in you, just promise me you'll be careful if you ever go out there, I mean I'll be there for you, but remember to always follow our orders, my goal is to get you back to your home world in one piece"

Fluttershy looked a bit surprised, "You really do care about me, don't you?"

"Yes, I do, you're the best thing that's happened to me lately, but I need to know that you'll stick by me, you'll stay at my side, also hone your instincts"

"How do I do that? I mean lets say I feel something, do I go for it?"

"Only if you know for absolutely sure, in the heat of battle we have to make quick decisions, I need to know you'll know what to do when the time comes, I gotta come up with something to test your intuition, maybe that can be your next training exercise, before the guns...well maybe not guns, I don't want you to really have to kill anyone, you can go non-lethal"

"Um Raiden, I think I know one way to practice being bold and following my instinct"

Raiden turned to her, "Sure, what do you have in mind?"

Fluttershy didn't say anything, she simply leaned in and planted Raiden with a kiss, a real passionate kiss, much to Raiden's surprise, he liked Fluttershy but it felt so weird to have a pony kiss him, it seemed unnatural, but at the same time, it felt normal to him.

Fluttershy pulled away after a bit, blushing madly, and shyly smiling.

Raiden looked surprised, "Did...did you just...kiss me?"

Fluttershy the realized he's probably not happy, then her ears dropped, "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done that!" she then turned around and ran out the room in shame and humiliation.

"Fluttershy wait...", she was gone, "Damn can't believe she kissed me though, seems so weird, she's a pony, yet she's not that different from most girls, she's also intelligent, so does that count as kissing an animal, or kissing a person?"

Raiden laid back to think about this and everything it means.

Fluttershy walked off, feeling shamed before approaching Snake, "Oh, hi Snake"

"Hi kid...you ok? You look a little...weirded out"

Fluttershy shook her head frantically, "Oh no, I'm fine"

"Ok, now then I need to-"

"Wait, first thing's first, I'm really sorry I snapped before, I just never heard anything like that"

"It's fine kid, stuff like that would shock a lot of people, I know you're very caring by nature, and you come from a caring world"

"Still, I just feel so bad for you, it's like you don't have anyone to care about"

Snake kneeled down to her, "Don't worry about me, I'm fine with things how they are, truth be told I'm more concerned about the likes of Raiden, Meryl, Akiba and you involved in all this, I'd rather do everything myself, but I know you all have that drive and I can't stop that, just do Raiden a favor and be careful"

"Yeah, we just finished talking", she blushed a bit, Snake seemed confused but didn't press it, "Anyway The Colonel just alerted us that in a couple days we're gonna arrive at another base for a raid, if you want to join us and be ready, you're gonna have to do a little extra training, did Raiden happen to suggest anything?"

"He did suggest practicing following instinct to make snap decisions"

"Not bad, how about weapons?"

"He said he wouldn't want me killing anyone, I don't think I want to either"

Snake pondered, "Maybe you're right, killing is not easy, so I'd like for you to avoid that too, but learning weapons couldn't hurt, you never know, plus understanding weapons can help you defend against them too, and not all weapons are lethal, I can teach you how to use Tranquilizer Darts"

Fluttershy nodded, "If you say so Snake, though I think I still need to practice the CQC a bit"

"I think that's a good idea, now let's go, is Raiden coming?"

Fluttershy shook her head, "I don't think he is right now"

"Fine by me, I can handle your training", Snake said and went with Fluttershy back to the training area.

Coming up, Fluttershy embarks on her first mission with the group, plus her actions with Raiden will be addressed, whether something comes of it or not remains to be seen.

(Don't be shy to give feedback on the stuff with Raiden & Fluttershy, I don't want this to be too mushy and I wanna keep them in character but develop said characters)