“Congratulations, men. I am securing Hell Week.”

Everyone cheered at the most beautiful sound they had ever heard. Hell Week was aptly named, what with so little sleep, constant working, mental challenges, and a never-ending loop of that damn bell going off.

Ryan was in the center of the group, a relieved and joy filled smile crossing his face. He had made it through. Around him, the guys were high-fiving and missing every time, trying to hold each other, shivering, and nearly collapsing from relief.

“Get to the medical tent and get cleaned up.”

Everyone shouted back, “Yes sir!”, and ran off. Ryan let the other guys go first, taking the very back. He watched them through the whole ordeal, and he knew they had earned it.

They all marched off to medical, minds numb and bodies number. No one spoke on the way there, the congratulations and cheers had already come. Now, they just wanted relief. But when they got to the tent, there ended up being a line, albeit a short one, so some guys had to wait.

Ryan waited outside the tent and let his mind wander. He thought about what brought him here. So long ago, though it was just a few years, he was taken by Narendra and his men. It skyrocketed him into an adventure no one in this world could ever conceive. He received wounds and scars that would last him a lifetime.

When he signed up for the Navy, he had to go through the same medical checks as everyone else. When the examiner came across his scars, he actually cried out in shock at the unexpected sight. Instantly, he tried to tell Ryan he was not qualified, but Ryan insisted that they go through the tests. He passed them all perfectly fine. The doctor demanded a checkup on Ryan’s chest, for the old bullet scar, but nothing was wrong. Pony magic could do wonders for healing. Of course, he never told anyone that.

It didn’t take long for the scars to become known by every candidate and instructor in his training. The other guys would always ask about them, to which Ryan would say, “It’s a long story.” It always worked, because they never had time for long stories. The instructors never asked, but that was because they knew better. Most of them had scars of their own.

Ryan had to go through numerous mental evaluations before they let him in. It was flagrantly clear that the scars were no accident, and they had to make sure Ryan still had all his faculties. Ryan made it through, but it was a bit of a challenge. That was when he was forced to reveal how he had actually gotten the scars, and the interviewers were more than a little shocked. When Ryan came back, the news never heard about it, so the world thought he was dead. Harris, as far as Ryan knew, still thought Ryan was gone.

But that was probably for the better at this point; Harris would never see Ryan the way he used to.

He made it through, and found himself in training. The training was everything he had heard about and then some, and then some more, and then a whole lot more than anyone could have bargained for. It pushed him to his limits, limits he had only surpassed after going completely insane. Maybe he was insane again, but this time, he was insane in a good way.

The kind of determination he needed wasn’t the sort he could have gotten here, on Earth. He owed it to the ponies. Standing in line for the tent, as he was still pretty far back, he let himself mull over his time in Equestria. The ponies had taught him more than anyone else could. He had given up on himself, and they gave him his belief in himself back.

There was, of course, Luna. She had been there from the start. Back in Asia, she was trying to push him in the right direction. Would she have supported Ryan taking this path in life? Ryan thought so. He wasn’t doing this for anything other than personal satisfaction. He wasn’t here for fame or revenge against the bad men of the world. He was here to defend the people who couldn’t defend themselves. It was why he came home. Equestria didn’t need him. It never did, actually. But he needed Equestria, and when that need was over, it was time to go.

Ryan saw the line moving and stepped forward. But something to the right caught his eye. He dismissed it as the other line, but soon grew curious and looked over.

There she was. Luna stood between him and the other line, watching. She wasn’t accompanied by anypony, she was standing there alone, proudly looking on as Ryan walked on in his life. She wore a gentle smile, filled with pride and joy at Ryan being here.

She was slightly ahead, and when Ryan was called into the tent, he passed her. As he passed, Luna continued to look on. She didn’t say anything to him, and he didn’t say anything to her. But they both knew that he’d made it.

In the tent, Ryan went through his medical check. The guy checked him for gangrene, trench foot, and every other war affliction known to man. He also checked Ryan’s scars and made sure he wasn’t having trouble breathing. Ryan thought it was silly, all this fussing over him. But then, he wasn’t a Special Warfare guy. Not yet.

When Ryan was released and left the tent, he looked around. Luna was gone, leaving only a few sparkles in the wind. Other guys saw them, somehow, and watched them as they fluttered away in the ocean breeze. Ryan smiled and watched them go until they were no more.

He looked down at the ground on his way to the bunks. He had been through so much in his short life. He had had so many experiences, such unbelievable adventures, seen horrible tragedies and seen the most wonderful moments life has to offer. He had seen it all, done something on every section of the spectrum of life… He had been through so much.

The sand beneath his feet crushed and shifted for him as he walked. The softness really made him feel light, like he was floating away. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation. Maybe it was thinking about the past.

Ryan looked up at the stars, the never-ending cosmos above. In the stars, he would swear that he could see the ponies, his friends, watching over him. They would always be there, they would always be keeping an eye on him to make sure he was okay.

What did the future hold in store for him? The stars held no answers. They couldn’t, not here. Here, people make their own futures. Would it be like the past, or something different? Would Ryan look back and say that he would do it again? The future is like the vast expanse of space; we can never really know what’s out there. Only guess.

With an eager grin, Ryan kept on walking, ready for whatever bullets and hurdles the future was going to throw at him. After all…

Author's Notes:

Thanks to everyone who stuck with me from the beginning! It was a long road, but I'm proud to say that it's been walked. To give you an idea of how long, A Colt to Forget and A Colt Once Forgotten total to 506,345 words. Over half a million words.
Thanks to everyone for their comments, helping to build the story into what it was. Couldn't have done it without you.

So, what does this mean for Ryan? Who knows? He's still alive. Maybe he'll show up again someday, somewhere else. The future is never certain.

So thanks to everyone who stuck with me from the start and everyone who came in later too! It's been great, and I hope you enjoy my future works as much as this one.

Sincerely,

CptBrony