9/14/97…

1425 Hours…

Open Waters…

I cling to the railing as I hear the sound of the spinning rotors of Charlie's Helicopter as I keep an eye on the drifter in front of us. I ordered our ships to stop and allow us time to keep the drifter in sight. I was nervous, a little too nervous.

My body was trembling, my forehead was sweating, and my palms became extra clammy. I wasn’t ready to find out what was in that boat, I truly wasn’t.

But I needed to, for the sake of the human timeline, I need to find out what's in that boat. I noticed the change in the choppers pitch and sound as I felt the wind coming of the sea and now the Helicopter. The chopper speed past the bridge and headed straight for the wooden raft.

Then it began circling around the lifeboat.

“Alright, I got the boat in my sights, deploying divers.” Came the radio that Charlie held in his hand. The chopper lowered down to nearly sea level and two men in diving gear jumped out and landed in the waters next to the boat.

“Alright I got eyes on someone, he’s a sailor.” Hearing that voice, my heart instantly was lifted from my anxiety and was flowing in the breeze, I was so happy I was almost about to scream out of pure joy and excitement, if I didn’t hear what came next.

“Captain,” Came the radio. Charlie and I looked at each other. Both me and him wore the same expression. The tone of the pilot sounded low and deep.Charlie clicked the radio on,

“What is it, what?” He asked, voice speed up with adrenaline.

“He’s dead.”

I looked at Charlie, his eyes were glassy and wide as he stared at the life raft that drifted in front of us. I did the same, my mind wasn’t clear on what to do next and neither was charlies. We just sort of stared at nothing for the longest time, until he snapped out of it.

“Uh, l-like do you mean, physically dead or like what.” He said into the radio.

“No sir, dead.” The radio came back.

“Like…. dead?”

“Sir, with all due respect, He’s deader than dead, he has what looks like a bullet wound to the chest, and the bottom of the raft is red and wet, his skin is almost as white as his uniform. He’s beyond redemption, he’s gone, passed, pushing daisies, five feet under, need I say more?” The radio said and clicked off. Charlie was choking on air as he fought the urge to scream. His fist that was holding the radio began clenching harder as is his eyes began twitching.

I began to feel a little uneasy next to him, I took a few steps back as I watched in horror as, my normally calm friend, began to unravel before my eyes.

His eyes became bloodshot as he was nearly shaking with rage, actually scratch that, he was shaking with rage.

“Return to the Yarnell, we have work to do.” He said lifting the radio to his mouth. He voice was scratchy and uneasy, like a new evil had been born. His tone was deeper than ever before.

“Captain, what about th-” The radio tried to say back, but was instantly cut off by Charlie.

“I SAID, RETURN TO THE YARNELL NOW!!” He screamed at the radio.

‘Aye aye Captain.” Came the radio before it turned off.

“Charlie, are, y-you okay?” I asked . He turned to me with his hand balled in fists with rage, the radio in his right hand began shaking nearly as much as him, before it was crushed.

“No, I-I don’t think I am…” He said, dropping the crumbled radio and let it smash to the ground. He began walking towards me, I would have backed up, but, a wall meet me as I push myself up against it.

“Charlie?” I said. I began sweating rapidly. He came closer, and closer until he was nearly right up against me. I could feel his rage pulsing from his body. His eyes stared right into mine.

If looks could kill, this ship would have been sunk, right then and there.

“Charlie please, can you give me some space?” I asked nearly trembling. He opened his mouth and tried to speak. But he couldn’t. He tried again, and this time, something did come out.

“If, we ever find the, this, ship… I want, your men, to locate and kill, whoever killed that sailor. And if, there is no crew, which is more than likely true…. I won’t stop, until I find, the BASTARDS, who killed them… and I hope, you will be on my side with this.” He stepped back from me and looked out over to the Yarnell.

“What do ya say?” He asked. I still wasn’t sure what his problem was, but, whatever it was, it had faded for the moment. Now, one thing is for sure about this whole situation… The crew is
dead. I know that for a fact. The ships crew wouldn’t let the Missouri run around free in uncharted waters, especially if it could hostile waters. So know that the crew is gone, and that sailor says so. We could well be facing, war…

“Yes, I will join you. Lets find this damn ship…” I said walking away from Charlie and walk down from the bridge and onto the top deck. I walk all the way to the front and watch as the life raft passes us by as the current carries it away.

I watch it pass the port side. The sailor inside was in a sad display. But, I could sense something was wrong with him. He seemed different.

I’ve seen plenty of dead bodies, but his, looked different.

Then I saw it…

In his Uniform, carved into his back, his flesh and blood shone brightly on his white uniform.

“Turn, Back, Now.”

Someone or something had carved words into the back of a dead sailor, I didn’t know what to say at first. My mind just couldn’t comprehend. Then, I didn’t feel anything at all. My body became engulfed in rage. My hand hands shook, my teeth slid against each other. Tears flowed freely from my eyes as I could feel reality slip away from me as thoughts filled my head.

Terrible, awful, demented thoughts. I imagined the killer, his legs broken, him or her bleeding out, and a knife in the side of there lungs. and connected to that knife was my hand. I laugh as I dig the knife further and further into their lungs as they begin to suffocate on there own blood.

“They,” I say after the raft floats by, “They, are going to pay, for what they have done.” I say. I turn on a dime. And look up to the top of the bridge.

“START THE ENGINES, NOW!” I scream. A near by sailor jumped back out of fright and nearly landed on his ass. The shadowy figure behind the glass of the wheel room saluted.

1825 Hours…

The next thing I knew, I was gripping onto the chains of the Boston and was watching carefully ahead. Scanning for targets, and if I see something, ill have it blown from the water.

I was a little too into it, for I didn’t hear the hoofsteps of a little yellow pegasus behind me.

“John?” Came Fluttershy. I turn around quickly and was about to scream at whoever interrupted me. But, upon seeing it was Fluttershy, I quickly dropped all the anger I held before now and let it all go. I dropped to my knees and looked at her in the eyes.

It was like, when I looked into her eyes, all my anger would be lifted away and wouldn’t return. I felt much better after seeing Fluttershy, let alone talking to her.

“Yes Fluttershy?” I asked in much smaller and softer tone. She looked like she was scared of something, scared of me. I couldn’t live with myself if I scared her, I guess, like Rainbow Dash, my emotions get the better of me.

“Are, y-you, okay?” She asks. I looked away and took a deep breath and counted to five, or ten, something like that and looked back to her.

“Yes, I’m, I’m fine… It’s just that, this whole situation, is driving me mad. And the dead sailor isn’t helping… You know…” I said trying to act as calm as I can. “I’m sorry you have to see me like this, I guess, I got a little bit of Rainbow Dash in me…” I say trying to be playful.

“Hmmm, what do you mean by that?” She says moving as bit closer to me, putting one hoof in front of the other, slowly making her way to my torso. “Are you quick to act, and lash out. Or,” She paused for some reason, “Just quick in general…” At first I didn’t feel like something was going on. But when I felt her chest was against mine I could feel the, well, whatever it was in the air, I couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Uh, quick to act?” I said in a questioning voice. Her muzzle was a little close to my mouth, and either it was the wind of the waves passing us by, or, I swear I could feel her breath against my own.

“True, true, I could definitely see that in you.” She said, a blush forming on her face. I could definitely see some part of her was making her do this, but I could feel that another part of her was still trying to act shy, and be like her normal self. Put those two together and, well, it’s just cute looking on her. But what came next was a little too much for me.

“And I could truly see how fast you were to come onto me.”

Uh… oh boy, here we go…

Author's Notes:

Welp, here you go... I think this chapter was a bit dark, but, I think it's worth it... Plus, I think we are seeing a side of Fluttershy that we have never seen before.