The fallen soldier

Chapter 18

"I'm not invincible, I'm just really hard to kill."

-Scott Anderson, Equestria, 1859.

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You ran your hand through your hair, it was time for a haircut. Long hair can interfere with the helmet. Also, you're gonna have to go visit Rarity, she gave you a shirt a size to small. Plus, you wanted different clothes.

She gave you a pair of Khakis, and a polo-shirt that was a little small. Though, luckily, she included a undershirt that fit pretty awesomely. You weren't exactly used to wearing polo-shirts, or khakis for that matter.

Jumpsuits, those are what you wear in most cases.

Jeans as well, when the occasion calls at least, and in this case, maybe even a pair of shorts. Nothing like showing off the manliest robotic legs around. But you wasn't going to a complain, free clothes are free clothes. Though maybe, you shouldn't let her pick stuff out for you.

Or maybe, you should have been more specific with what you wanted.

Whatever, no point in crying over spilt milk.

You work the undershirt beneath your khakis, then pull them up. You grab your under-armor and throw it over your shoulder. You take your towel and throw it in the dirty hamper, you and your armor exit the room.

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You walk downstairs, heading straight for the kitchen. Twilight was talking with spike.

"So he finally got it off?" Spike tossed a emerald into his mouth, eyeing the pile of Advanced armor.

"Yeah he-" Twilight turns and looks at you, "Oh, hey Anderson."

Spike speaks through his mouthful of Emeralds, "Hey."

"Hey." You reply, while approaching the AMAHS suit and tossing the Under-Armor on it.

"Can I leave the AMAHS suit here? I usually have a metal rack I hang it on. But I don't think you have anything of the sorts." You cross your arms.

"How heavy is that suit of yours?" She takes a sip from her cup.

"300 pounds, 567 whenever I'm wearing it."

"You weigh 267 pounds?" Twilight asked, raising a eyebrow.

"Yep, and it's all muscle." You pat your biceps. "And now if ya don't mind, I gotta get my shirt in a bigger size."

"Oh. . . Yeah, you probably should, that shirt looks like it's choking you." She sipped her drink, eyeing you.

"That's what it feels like. Now, I'll be going." You turn and start leaving.

"Bye." Twilight calls after you.

"Bye!" Spike shouts.

You forgot about Spike.

Okay. . You felt incredibly uncomfortable. The townsfolk seemed to be immensely surprised to see you without your AMAHS suit. Hence all the staring eye's.

Or. . It could be the super tight polo-shirt.

Probably the latter.

Maybe you should just take it off? But then. . . No. Fuck it, It's choking you anyway. You placed your hands beneath the edges of the shirt and pulled upwards. There was resistance when it reached your neck, but with some slight tugs, and some maneuvering of your neck, it popped right off.

The amount of stares seemed to tenfold, women AND men were staring now. But, you didn't care, you could actually breath now. So it was just a matter of walking to Rarity's boutique, and so you did, your Polo hung over your shoulder, and a happy bounce to your step.

Within 8 minutes, you found yourself at the entrance of her shop. You walked up the steps and pushed the door open, there was the ring of a bell, soon followed by.

"Be there in a moment darling~!" There was the faint sound of footsteps, in time, they got louder.

Rarity walked into the room, "How may I help-oh my! Anderson is that you!?"

"In the flesh." You walk towards her, stopping a few feet away.

"Oh my! You're certainly more fit than I imagined!" She brought her hand to her mouth, her eyes focused on your chest.

"Care to elaborate?" You ask, turning and admiring the mannequins bearing the latest 'fashion'.

"Well, hehe, you did say the armor added 4 inches to your actual height! So. . I kinda thought it made you look 'bigger' as well." She laughed a fake laugh.

"Anyway darling! What can I do for you?!" She smiled.

Ignoring her sudden change of topic, you spoke, "I was hoping I could exchange this polo, it was a size too small and it's kinda choking me."

"Of course darling!" She clapped her hands together. "And while we're at it, I can take your measurements too!"

"How long will that take?" You ask.

"You have anywhere else to be?" She countered.

". . . Touché." You chuckled.

"Well then! It's settled! Now, step into my office, I'll get you situated." She points at the door she originally walked through.

You follow her directions and enter the room, Rarity follows.

"So what happens now?" You look around the room, she had several mannequins half dressed.

"You strip." She replies, grabbing several items from her workstation.

"What." You turn and face her.

"You can keep your boxers on, and your undershirt if it makes you comfortable." She put a pair of glasses on, grabbed some paper and a single quill, and motioned for you to stand on a tiny stage.

"Okay." You bring your hand to your khakis, unbutton the button, unzip the zipper, and then pull them down.

Now you're standing in your heart covered boxers, you looked away in embarrassment.

"Don't be shy darling, you're not the only male I've seen with nothing but boxers on. In a strictly business matter of course."

"That's. . . Comforting." You man up and look at her.

"Now, please stick your arms out, this'll only take a moment."

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40 minutes later.

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"There!" She rolled up her tape measure, and wrote down the last of the measurements.

"That was a lot more draining then I thought it'd be." You rub your face, "Can I put my pants back on? I feel like I've had my manliness crunched up and tossed into a boiling pot of boiling acid."

"Darling, I was just stating the truth!" She argued.

"Please, that was nothing but weirdness." You slide your pants back on and zip/button them up.

"But those boxers are cute!" She replied.

"I don't do cute, I do dangerous and violent." You fix your undershirt.

"Darling, as long as you're in Equestria, you aren't gonna get to do a lot of that"

"Well then, I guess I'm gonna need to entertain myself." You shrug your shoulder's.

"Well, I'm always looking for a model." She pulled the glasses off her head, folded them, and gently placed them on her table.

"Hehe, no." You walked toward the exit but stopped at the doorway.

You turned and leaned against the doorway, "Though if you ever need a bodyguard, I'd be more than willing to help."

"That's what I have Spike for." She turned in her little 360 office chair and smiled.

"Yeah." You chuckled. "Oh, I need a shirt."

"Oh yes! I forgot! Here you go darling, this should suffice until I get your outfit done." She swiveled in her chair and grabbed a plain white t-shirt.

"I'm sorry it's not very fashion oriented, but I have no clothing that'll fit a man of your physique. I'm surprised those pants even fit you!" She tossed the shirt to you.

"It's alright Rarity, I'll live." You turn and begin to leave, throwing the shirt over your head and pulling it down.

"I'll see you whenever!" You shout as you exit the building.

You open the door and step outside.

The passing townsfolk glance at your now dressed figure and go about their business. You stick your hands in your pockets and look around, you think about going to Pinkies, but realize you have no money on you. Of course you could stop at the treehouse and get your money, and there really isn't anything stopping you from doing so.

But Vinyl lived pretty close by, one could easily tell by listening to the faint sounds of dubstep playing nearby.

Yeah, why the hell not, you haven't talked to her in a while.

You hopped off the stairs and started walking towards the music. You walked past a couple stall's and eventually found yourself outside Vinyl's home. You jumped up the stairs and onto the porch, you approached the door and knocked. Surprisingly, someone actually answered the door, though it wasn't Vinyl. It was some women with her hair swept to the left, and purple eye's.

"HOW MAY I HELP YOU!" She shouted.

"IS VINYL HERE!?" You shout back.

"YES, SHE'S UPSTAIRS! COME INSIDE, I WILL GET HER!"

You simply nod and step inside whenever she moves, she closes the door behind you and leads to a living room like area. There is a glass coffee table with two love-seats placed on the opposite sides of the table. You approached the white couch and took a seat, the women left the room for a few minutes and soon returned.

"SHE WILL BE DOWN IN 10 MINUTES! WOULD YOU LIKE SOME TEA?!" She stood by what you assumed to be the entrance to the kitchen.

"WATER WILL BE FINE!" You shout back, she nods and disappear.

She returns moments later, a large-ish cup of clear, fresh looking water in one hand and a teacup in the other.

"WOULD YOU LIKE TO STEP ON THE PORCH?!" She motioned to the door.

You nod and stand up, she hands you your drink and moves to leave the house. You follow and open the door for her, she mouths a thanks and steps outside, you follow after and close the door behind you. The enchantment started working instantly, the music turning into a series of heavily muffled beats.

The women sighed, and sipped her tea, seeming to have already forgotten about you. You silently stepped next to her, bringing the glass of water up to your lips and taking a rather large gulp. The women must've suddenly realized you were standing next to her.

"Oh, were are my manners, I'm terribly sorry. I seem to have lost myself in the silence, my name is Octavia, and you are?" She placed her teacup on her little plate and looked at you.

"Scott Anderson, though you can call me Anderson, everyone calls me Anderson." You grumble something and gulp down some more water.

"It's wonderful to meet you Anderson, and if I may ask, what is it you want from Vinyl? Are you another one of her friends?"

The amount of emphasis she put on 'friends' caused you to suddenly choke on your water.

"What!? No! I met Vinyl over 3 weeks ago! We haven't been talking the last couple days, I figured I'd visit. Though you weren't here last time I came over, are you visiting as well?" You calm back down and place your cup on the railing.

"I'm afraid I live here, I was just simply out-of-town last time." She sipped more of her tea.

"Ah, I see." You watched the town go about its day from the safety of the porch.

Silence inched its way into your conversation, and it wasn't exactly the comfortable kind. It was more of that neutral kind, but it was pretty clear she wasn't entirely fond of your presence. You eyed her through your peripheral vision, she talked with a slight English accent and wore clothes of a fancy or more 'clean' nature. She also seemed to be very well-mannered. Your best guess, she probably played the violin at some point in her life.

"So." You begin, "You seem like the type of person who plays instruments, what do you play?"

"The cello." She instantly replies.

"So you are a. . . Uh. . . Cellist? I believe that's what you call them." You scratch your chin.

"You seem to know a lot more than a lot of the males I've met before, even if it's only a tiny amount. Out of curiosity, have you played a instrument?" She looked at you.

"I use to play guitar, I dabbled in drums, and I had a 2 week course on the cello. But I wasn't really hyped about it, so I ended my lessons early and took up guitar again." You placed your empty cup on the railing.

"Did you learn anything significant while playing cello?" She sipped her tea.

"I learned how to play twinkle twinkle little star, and I tried learning a song far beyond my skill." You watched a little boy tackle another little boy.

"And what would that be?" She asked, seemingly curious.

"The HALO theme song. Don't worry about it though, I wouldn't expect you to really understand." You look into the sky.

You really missed you VRHS-3000, but maybe. . . Naw, they'd never mix business with pleasure.

"Okay then, what's this Twinkle Twinkle little star you speak of? I'm interested in hearing it."

"It's a very old song that parents sing to their children, make me think of home." You sigh and again, look at the sky.

"Well. . . If you wouldn't mind, could you play it? If you don't remember then its okay." She smiled and looked away.

"I'd play it, but I don't have a cello, Oh well." You shrug your shoulders.

"I am a cellist Anderson, I of course, happen to have a cello. That you may use." She placed her teacup and plate on the railing and turned to enter the house.

"Um, okay. I'll just wait here." You call after her, and you do exactly that.

She returns with a cello in her hands, "Careful please."

You take it from her hands and admire it, it was a finely crafted instrument. Most likely made of maple wood.

You take a seat in one of the chairs on the porch and place the instrument between your legs. You lean the neck on your left shoulder, the peg box barely pressed against the skin of your cheek.

"Forgive me, but it's been 17 years since I've held one of these, would you mind refreshing me on the strings?"

She nods and explains the sound of each string, you faintly remember the tune to the nursery song. You run the bow across the strings, getting a feel for the sounds. She also makes a comment on how odd it looks to have a man of your 'size' handling a cello.

Taking a deep breath, you start playing the song to the best of your ability.

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45 seconds later.
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You finished the song and bowed your head, Octavia clapped.

"So?" You ask.

"I can't say you did bad, as I've never heard the song before. But you could use a lot of practice, though you had some of the basics down. Which is a beginning." She spoke word after word.

"Uh. . Thanks?" You stand back up and hand the cello back to her.

She grabs it and turns to go back inside, but stops.

"Has it always been this quiet?" She asked you.

'Odd' you thought to yourself, she's right! has it always been this quiet? The beating of a very expensive bass system usually echoed, now it was no more.

"The music has been over for the past 5 minutes." A new voice called out, Vinyl suddenly walked outside.

"But you two were so engrossed in one another, I'd say you were too busy mentally undressing each other." She smirked and pushed her shades up, revealing the breath taking eyes beneath.

"Vinyl! That's very inappropriate!" Octavia's face turned red, she pointed a finger at Vinyl.

"Hey, it's all in good fun. Besides! You know its true!" She smiled and busted out in laughter when Octavia's face turned so red she covered it and ran inside.

With Octavia gone, Vinyl continued to laugh until it wasn't funny anymore. You just waited, when she did stop, she wiped a tear from her eye and looked at you.

She then said something that made you look away in slight uneasiness.

"She is totally into you."

This was followed by her trademark smirk, and a series of winks.

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HOW IT REALLY ENDED PART 3 OR 4

"And that would be?" She asked, seemingly curious.

"The HALO theme song. Though I really don't expect you to understand." You once again, looked up at the sky.

"Nonsense!" She waved her hand.

Then she reached into a cleverly hidden pocket, and pulled a odd looking device out. She pressed a button and suddenly 4 Grunts, 4 Jackals, 4 elites, and 4 hunters jumped from her upstairs window.

You froze in place, your head slowly turning to face the fictional characters.

"What da fuck!?!?" You shout, your hand instantly going for your handgun.

"Wait!" Called Octavia.

Her voice turned to a whisper, "They have not reached their true power!"

"What da fuck!?!?" You shout in reply.

Suddenly the group of Covenant soldiers, start yelling for no reason while obtaining a odd gold glow. Afterwards they all sport ridiculous golden hair, the kind of golden hair you'd see in a particular anime.

"What da fuck!???" You once again shout.

Octavia suddenly pulls a violin out and starts playing the halo theme song like a professional.

"I thought you played the cello?!?!" You grab your hair, entirely unsure as to what was happening.

"Nope!!!" She shouts, suddenly sporting a farmers outfit.

Then a grown man dressed in 21st century Kevlar, jumps from nowhere and shoots one of the elites. The elite dies instantly, and the man opens his mouth to talk, only he doesn't close It as he talks, it just stays open.

The man had the voice of what seemed to be a 12 year old boy, he shouted.

"GET WRECKED!!"

Then he proceeded to crouch over his face and stand up, then crouch and stand up, then crouch and stand up, then crouch and-

"Fuck it, I'm out." You turn, hop the fence, and run as far away as possible

Author's Notes:

So, Octavia been introduced.

And incase your blind and didn't pick up on the obvious hint at the end.

She is gonna be a romantic interest.

Also incase you didn't get the references at the end.

Screaming and ridiculously styled golden hair- Dragon ball z

Random soldier/ 'get wrecked' boy- Any modern Call Of Duty game.
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This story will never be cancelled, that is my promise to you.

BUT!!! There will be waiting periods, I'm not a very fast writer.

Second! I currently have a second story in the works, it takes place in the universe as The Fallen Soldier, and it pretty much has the same cast.

Meaning the protagonist is still Anderson.

Also, this new-ish story of mine will hopefully be written in 1st person instead of 2nd.