I'm not sure how much time passed whilst I was unconscious, it could have been a few minutes or even days. Slowly my senses begin to return to me one by one. I'm first able to smell my surroundings, the distinctive smell of spent casings and gunpowder, which I could only describe as smelling acrid, was missing from the firefight leading me to believe that I have either been moved or have stationary here for a substantial period of time.

Sound was restored next. Hearing only distant wildlife such as birds and what sounds like rope being strained below me...? FUCK! Have I been captured? The Taliban must have been able to recover me in my unconscious state after the firefight, Lord knows what they will do to an army officer in order to gain information. Panic soon begins to force itself upon me, mental images of horrific torture infesting my mind. Images of my teeth being removed, nails ripped out and my flesh being carved up with a knife in attempts to get me to talk.

Touch begins to resurface, I can feel the solid cold floor pressed against my back. Small rocks and branched poking against my assault vest and skin leaving me in discomfort. My mind is consumed with anxiety when I feel something wrapped tight around my ankles holding my feet together. Thankfully though no over part of my body seems to have been restrained giving me my first shred of hope in this dire situation.

Gently I manage to turn my head to the side at a slow pace as the ability to move my body reappears. My vision restores rapidly as I turn my head to my right. What I see next catches me off guard, I am no longer in the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan but instead find myself in a poorly illuminated Forrest. An abundance of sombre trees fills my view, each appearing as if they aren't too far from dying based on their colour. The trees themselves also appear to be wrapped in some sort of black vines covered with sharp pale green thorns and spikes.

I roll my head to look straight up at the sky where I observe a phenomenon which should be physically impossible. The sun and moon are both in the sky, not one obstructing the other as if there was a solar eclipse but instead each orb is side by side causing one-half of the sky to be day and the other night.

"What the actual fuck is going on?" I mumble to no one in particular. Hesitantly I sit up to look at what I previously felt slithering across my boots. There wasn't a rope restraining my legs but another of those strange vines scattered across the ground and various trees, and it's actually moving on its own accord.

Stretching to my left I retrieve my rifle from the ground and bring it to my chest, reaching for my bayonet still attached over my barrel. Gradually I remove it, noticing the dried blood from the previous engagement. Positioning the blade in my hand against the vine I press it against the vine as I begin a sawing motion making quick work of the vine allowing me to cut through and kick my legs free.

Immediately I lift myself in an attempt to stand, my vision blurring at the sudden movement causing my balance to falter. Collapsing onto my hands and knees, the combination of shock and lack of senses results in me losing my stomach contents onto the floor before me. I continue to wretch until there's no more bile in my body, shakily I rise again to my feet wiping my sleeve against my mouth.

"Okay..." Panting I look once again to the sky. "I've got no idea where the hell I am, I need to find some sort of town before this day becomes even more fucked." Contemplating the time of day I glance at my watch to see it's 13:17. Who knows what state the sky will be in when it's supposed to be nightfall. Studying the nearby trees I locate some sort of pathway and make my way towards It, I need to find a town, hopefully, I will find one with relative ease.

Pausing at the entrance of the path I run my hands over my pockets to inspect what else I have on my person other than my standard gear. My left leg pocket holding my pack of cigarettes, with only nine left, my stainless steel zippo lighter and my black iPhone 5 with a reinforced grey case. My right pocket only contains a pack of gum, it's times like this I wish I took a page from Williams book and stored some food on me in case of emergencies.

Satisfied all my kit is in order I reach to the rear of my vest and take hold of my canteen taking a swig before securing it to my person again. I have no idea how long I'll be out here so I better make this water last. Popping a piece of gum in my mouth I set off along the dirt path. With any luck, I will be out of here sooner rather than later.

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I've been advancing through this forest for the last half an hour at a steady pace yet seem to have made no progress. Along the entire trail, I've come across no wildlife and no people, just nothing but these mysterious black vines plastering the track and plant life. A light ahead gains my attention suggesting that I've finally found an exit from this forest, finally I can gain a bearing on where I am and find a way back to allied forces.

As I approach a low growl immediately breaks out from the lit up area causing me to instinctively crouch as low as I can and unclip my rifles sling. Removing my magazine I inspect how many rounds I have left before I'd have to switch to another mag, I still have about half a magazine. Content with the number of rounds I insert the magazine back into my rifle and reach into my vest to retrieve and reattach my bayonet onto my rifle.

Cautiously I step into the opening to find what appears to be a hard-shelled reptilian, the lack of lighting obscuring my view of the creature. The initial light I witnessed turned to only be a large break in the tree cover above revealing a wide opening before me. Stepping closer to gain a better view I soon realise it is some sort of Crocodile, except its exterior appears to be coated with rocks or itself is made of rock.

What would you even call this thing? A Rockodile...? For that matter what even created this thing? Nuclear radiation? Scientific experimentation? Or just pure Darwinism? Survival of the fittest and this new species of Crocodile being the new master race amongst its species.

The creature itself has been tied down with more of the spiked vines reaching across its body in various positions and holding it in place with the surrounding trees. Each limb is secured essentially holding the creature flat on the ground will all limbs spread apart, almost like a frog in a biology class.

I circle the creature to step to the side of its head, remaining over two arm's length away. Its eyes now fix onto me with an angry expression, well I suppose if I was in a position like that I would also be pretty ticked off. Stretching the rifle out before me and stepping into range I tap the bayonet against its skin, it's completely solid almost as if I was actually hitting it against a large rock. The contact immediately results in another low and stretched growl.

I'm an idiot for doing this, believe me I know, but fuck it. This creature has peaked my scientific curiosity. I attempt to pierce it's skin with my bayonet yet to no surprise the strikes just result in my bayonet bouncing off. As my theory predicted it did absolutely nothing but piss off the creature. It rapidly begins to try and break free from its bonds, the trees it was secured to bending inward against the pressure threatening to allow it to break free.

Before I do something else I regret I move toward the new pathway which connects to this same opening, giving the Crocodile a wide birth to ensure it doesn't break free and fuck me over. At the passageway, I pause as I finally see some movement within the forest. About two-hundred and fifty meters down the path I can see a change in the tree line indicating something or someone in the tree ahead. Aiming down my SUSAT I can make out a small purple creature in the tree top. As I lower my rifle and begin to make my way towards it some sort of pale green mist or fog can be seen coming from the bushes below.

Jogging towards the source the creature soon leaves the tree before I get anywhere nearby. Closing in on the bush I can hear some sort of gas or spray being emitted as what sounds like a female is coughing. Stepping into the bush I look over to see four of the shadowed vines, except they seem to be split at the end almost resembling the form of a giant spider or maybe even a facehugger from Aliens. They are spewing a large concentration of the gas towards a figure I am unable to make out in the mist.

Time to take action against these things, someone's life may be in danger. Raising my rifle I take aim and the one closest to me, its back facing me, and pull the trigger.

PHAT

The head erupts in dark chunks, sickly green ooze spraying from the opening created from the bullet. Before the others can react I line up my next shots, targeting the one on my left making my way across to the right.

PHAT PHAT PHAT PHAT PHAT

All three of the plants erupt with the slimy substance and collapse motionless on the ground around the presumably unconscious form. Grasping my rifle I move closer, using my hand as a makeshift fan in an attempt to reduce the mist cover surrounding the silhouetted figure before me.

As the mist clears I'm met with an outlandish sight before me, and not for the first time today. The figure was... is a horse? And not just your regular run of the mill horse, it's a winged unicorn. A creature from mythology is lying right before me. Examining it closer the coat appears to be lavender, with the mane itself being a dark purple with a pink and lighter purple streak through it. The horn and wings match the colour of the coat. It even has some sort of crown upon its head, well it more of a golden tiara with a magenta star-shaped gem within.

A strange mark seems to located above its hind leg. Moving alongside the figure I position myself on one knee and place the butt of my rifle on the floor holding onto the hand guard to support myself. The mark appears to be a six-pronged magenta star with five smaller white stars spread around it, similar to the gem on top of the creatures tiara.

Slowly the creature's eyes begin to open, and I could swear it was making some sort of groan. The eyes locked onto me and widened in what I could only guess was fear or confusion. The eyes themselves seemed a lot bigger than those of horse back home, in fact the whole body seems a bit off. The purple eyes seemed to scan my body as the creature seemed to try and shift further away from me.

I steadily reach out my free hand before its face with my palm flat out. "Hey... It's okay," I try to put on a smile but somehow I doubt it knows I'm trying to comfort it. "I'm not going to hurt you," As I move my hand closer to its face I'm alerted to a rustling behind me.

"HEY, GET AWAY FROM HER!" Rapidly turning to face the noise I only catch a glimpse of light blue and a multicoloured figure before it makes contact with the side of my helmet knocking my to the side onto the floor, my grip releasing the rifle causing it to drop on the ground where I was.

I roll on the floor as my head feels as if it has been assaulted with a sledgehammer. Rolling on my back with my hands still over my face the person who attacked me straddles over my stomach and begins delivering blows to my chest and arms. Before too long this is going to cause some damage. Hooking my right elbow I manage to jab my attacker in the face before rolling over leaving me on top with the blue horse underneath.... HANG ON A SECOND!

My attacker is another of these creatures?. This one is light blue in colour and is a Pegasus. The mane is even multicoloured like the bloody rainbow, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and red stripes through its mane. I'm seriously being attacked by a packet of skittles. Rose eyes looking upon me with both rage and anger, I'm pretty sure it's a girl based on the voice before I was attacked. This one has a golden necklace with some sort or red gem resembling that of a lightning bolt.

As I lower my fist, reluctant to actually strike her, the voice of another female calls out from behind me. "Hold on, Dash, I'm comin'!" The accent itself seems to be that of a southern American. Almost as soon as the voice calls out a rope is wrapped around my waist. Attempting to grasp it to pull it back off I am immediately yanked backwards causing my back to impact with the floor. I roll onto my chest and look ahead to my new attacker.

This new one is not a unicorn or a Pegasus just a basic horse. Her coat is orange with a blond mane and tail both of which are tied off with a red ribbon. She has white freckles on her cheeks and emerald green eyes. Sitting on top of her head is a stetson, way to make yourself a stereotype, girl... Yet again another golden necklace, but this time with a gem of an orange apple.

Moving to my knees in an attempt to stand she runs full speed towards me before stopping in front and pivoting on the spot, almost instantaneously she delivers a strong two legged kick directly to my chest propelling me across the ground until I'm stopped by gravity itself. I may be wearing Kevlar armour but that kick did some serious damage. I roll onto my knees and start coughing, each cough producing a small speckling of blood onto my hand and the floor. My chest feels as though it's on fire, I'm pretty sure I have a few broken ribs and maybe even a punctured lung from that kick.

I pull my impaired body forward toward a tree before me, approaching it rapidly I roll to lean back against it. Both horses are slowly approaching me, fire burning in their eyes as they seem content on trying to kill me. You know what... FUCK THIS. Reaching down my right thigh I unfasten my Glock 17 from its holster and draw it in front of me. I grasp the slide and pull it fully back loading a round into the chamber. I lift it fully up and aim at the bitch who fucked up my ribs and ease the trigger...

"Surprise Attack!" A pink blur suddenly dives at me from the tree I was resting against, I have no clue how she got up there. She lands on top of my helmet and knocks my arm as I pull the trigger, causing my aim to go off and the shot to be fired in between both of my approaching attackers, hitting the ground next to the blue one.

The gunshot seems to stun them all as they all give out a pained scream and cover their ears with their hooves, I guess they have more sensitive hearing and probably have never been this close to a weapon firing before. While I have the opportunity I grasp the pink one and hold her in front of me. As I said before the coat is pink as well as her mane being a darker shade and a poofy mess. Another necklace around the neck making this a recurring theme amongst them all, a baby blue balloon as the gem. Her blue eyes look up at me as I scowl directly as her, "GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" I scream at the top of my voice directly into her face. I throw her towards the other two, her body landing and rolling in front of them both. Lifting my pistol I aim towards them again as they all stare back at me with fear in their eyes, I guess they now realise what a gun is.

"ENOUGH!!!"

Myself and the three in front of me are all enveloped in a magenta aura, prohibiting me from moving any part of my body except for my eyes. The lavender one from before steps into view from the right accompanied by three others, her horn glowing the same magenta as the fields holding us. The first is the purple reptile I witnessed in the trees earlier, it's smaller than the rest and has green spikes across its back, its eyes are also an emerald green.

The other two are more of these horses one being a unicorn and the other a Pegasus. The unicorn has a pristine white coat with a mark of three blue diamonds above her hind leg. Her mane and tail are purple and have both been stylised to curl towards the end. Her sapphire eyes seem to look towards the three before me in disappointment, Is she wearing fake eyelashes? Her gem is a purple diamond which matches the mark on her hind leg.

The Pegasus has a yellow coat with a mark of three butterflies above her hind leg. She has a long flowing pink mane and tail which she seems to be actively hiding behind, around the corner of her mane I can make out light blue eyes looking towards me with what seems to be concern or worry. The necklace around her containing a purple butterfly same as one of the ones from her mark, apart from the colour and the number of them, her mark has three pink butterflies.

The lavender one turns towards the three frozen together. "This creature saved me, now I'm going to release you all and I don't want any more fighting," She turned towards me and stepped closer "That goes for you as well. When I release you if you would be kind enough to drop that... thing. My friend will then be willing to look over your injuries," Stepping back she looks back and forth between our figures and closes her eyes, shortly after the field around all of us releases giving us control once again.

They all seemed to be looking at me, my breathing was hoarse and my arm was trembling as I continued to keep my pistol raised. Letting out a sigh I rest my pistol on my leg before I position it back in my holster and secure it. Reaching to my chin I unfasten the straps of my helmet and removed it placing it on the floor beside me. Looking back up I can see that all seven of them have positioned around me in a semi-circle with the purple one in front of me.

"My name's Twilight Sparkle. Thank you for rescuing me," Her expression shifting to one of concern as she looks down at me. "If it's okay with you, my friend can take a look at your injuries then we should be able to fix you up." As she said this the yellow one shuffles slightly closer, still hiding behind her hair.

With very little option and being in an excruciating amount of pain, I could only nod in agreement. I reach down my chest and unbuckle the front before lifting the Velcro straps and releasing the interior buckles. Groaning in pain at the contact with my chest I'm able to lift the vest over my head and place it down beside me.

The yellow one approaches me slowly as I enter a coughing fit, the taste of blood in my mouth as I find it increasingly difficult to breathe. She seems to say something but I am unable to hear her through my shaky breaths and her quiet voice. My breathing becomes more shallow as my vision starts to blur, I slump to my side and lie down facing toward the group. My vision deteriorates fully as I slip into unconsciousness.

Beaten by horses.

My training instructor would be so proud.