My Little Airman pt 18 Recovery

Part 18 Recovery

 

>You're in your F-22

>You see a truck parked in Col. RT's place

>FUCK THAT TRUCK

>You drop a JDAM on it

>Wait for it

>Wait for it

>Wait for it

>GODDAMNWHYISN'T IT GOING OFF?

>You see a Metal Gear Rex

>It shot your JDAM in mid-air

>It takes aim at you

>NOPE

>Split-S and Supercruise

>It fires at you

>Well, you always wanted to die in a blaze of glory

>You relax your body, close your eyes, and wait

>You feel some bumps

>Your F-22 is still intact

>In fact, it appears undamaged

>But you keep going because there's a Metal Gear Rex back there

>Fuck that shit

>You land in a proper runway...or as proper as a desert can provide you

>Fucking shitholeistan

>You get out of the jet, and see the ground crew laughing at you

What's so fucking funny guys?

>"Captain, you have spaghetti and gumdrops all over your jet!"

>The unrelenting laughter

>You look at your F-22, and find it to be true

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

>You wake up

>It's a sad day when that's the best dream you've had here in Equestria

>A dream like that back on Earth would depress you like no other

>Seriously, who could look at an F-22 with spaghetti and gum drops and not feel disturbed about it?

>You see a familiar ceiling today...and a couple of guards

>You're in a bed

>No, you're tied to a bed, feeling very sore and beat up

>There's medical stuff around your bed and oh shit you're back in the hospital

Hey. What's-

>You cough up blood before you can finish

>The guards look concerned

>One runs out to get a doctor

>When the doctor arrives, you're splitting up blood. He has a syringe in his hoof

Hey doc *COUGH* is that-

>He stabs your chest with it

>OHFUCk

>....

>Well, you've stopped coughing

>What the hell is that shit? It definitely wasn't morphine because you were still in plenty of pain.

>No seriously, how did you stopped that? What was that shit?

>Nevermind, it's not what you need

Hey doc, can I get some morphine?

>He looks at you somewhat reproachfully. "You've had enough, I should think."

No, seriously, I need something...

>He leaves

Hey, guys, why am I tied up?

>"For your own protection, Captain."

From what?

>"Yourself, sir. You aren't in any shape to move about, as much as we know you would."

What time is it?

>"It's 1634, sir."

>Way too early for this shit

What day?

>"It's still Thursday, sir."

>So you were asleep for about...fuck it let's just say about 8 hours, and that's being conservative

>One of the guards leaves

Hey buddy, where you going?

>"Sir, we are under orders to alert the princess when you were awake."

Oh, ok

>Wait, what?

>Before you can protest, the door opens, and Celestia comes in.

>The guard still by your bedside bows, and she smiles at him

>"Thank you for protecting Captain Anonymous. Please wait for us outside."

>Why did you have a sense of dread?

>He dutifully exits the room, leaving just the two of you

>"Anon, please relax. I just want to talk."

>Sigh. Might as well get it over with.

>"First off, I must congratulate you on your successful mission today."

Operation: Guns of Navarone succeeded?

>"Yes. The conflict is now over, and thanks to you, the Griffon Kingdom has it's peaceful government back."

All in the job, Celestia.

>"I'm glad to see you take your job seriously."

To me, it's a duty I have to my country.

>Her face blushes a little. "You mean, Equestria?"

Yes. My duty to Equestria, you, Princess Luna, and all the citizens of Equestria. You accepted me into your society without anything more than a curious glance. You've always assumed the best of me, and I can never repay Equestria in full for the kindness I've received since I've arrived here.

>She looks down, her blush leaving her face

>"Thank you."

>A small silence fills the room

So, why am I tied down right now?

>She avoids eye contact with you. "The official reason is that you're likely to injure yourself if you get up. This is because the real reason would conflict with your public image."

Public image?

>"I am hailing you and Shining Armor as heros of Equestria. Everypony will know that you two saved Equestria from Gilda's tyranny. It's all true, if you're wondering."

So why am I really being held here?

>"I wanted to talk to you about...some unpleasant business. I didn't want you to leave before we could talk."

Why would I leave?

>She looks you in your eyes

>"I want you to know that I do not intend to imprison you, provided you explain yourself clearly."

>Jimmies just went full rustled

What are you-

>"I heard about you taking morphine and adrenaline early this morning. I also heard about your "interrogation" after you landed in the city."

>You stop making any effort to talk. You were frozen in fear

>"Let's do this one at a time. Explain the morphine and adrenaline."

>That should be obvious

>BUT DAMNIT BRAIN SAY SOMETHING

It should be very obvious that I still haven't completely recovered from my injuries from the torture I endured. I just needed more painkillers...The doctors here have been quite reluctant to give me any more, so I did the only thing an irrational sentient being in pain would do: just go get some."

>She raises an eyebrow. "Ok, I can understand that. And the adrenaline?"

>Shit.

>Why did you take that stuff?

I...can't give a good reason for that one. All I can say is that I was a quite irrational from my pain, and I was also...tired beyond all comprehension. I would not have had the energy to complete the mission. I stumbled across the adrenaline, and being in an irrational state, took it. I can't say that was the smartest thing I've ever done...And I'm sorry to have disappointed you. I really did need that morphine just to walk around normally, but that adrenaline was unnecessary..

>You actually feel regret

>Jesus, feels weren't a normal thing for you

>She looks...forgiving?

>"Anon, I wish you would've told me about the pain you were dealing with. I could have helped you..."

>She lowers her head, and her horn starts to glow

>Oh god damnit why?

>An aura surrounds you and you feel...slightly better?

>"Twilight Sparkle, being my most faithful student, has told me that almost all magic has a limited or delayed effect. I estimate that you will be able to walk in a few hours. You'll more than likely heal at a faster rate, but at this rate, you won't be fully healed until Monday."

Well, thank you Celestia. I can't wait to walk around Ponyville again.

>"Hold on, you didn't answer the other part. What about that brutality against a captured griffon?"

>That should be easy

When I heard that Gilda was at the top of everything, I knew that we could only end this if she was captured. I had to use every resource available to get Gilda's location. In this case, that guard was one of my captors. He remembered me, and I had to remind him of what I've been trained to do. On Earth, we call this a "ticking time-bomb" scenario, where the question of ethics get's brought up; is it ethically ok to torture somebody to get information about a bomb that is about to explode? In this case, if Gilda escaped, she could've raised another army, and we'd have to deal with her and we would've run the risk of her invading Equestria again, a risk I was not willing to take.

>She's silent for a moment. A very LONG moment

>"Anon, I don't like that scenario. I don't condone torture in any event...But you acted with Equestria's best interests, so I will not imprison you, this time. Consider this a warning. We accepted you with open arms, and you have done your best to serve us, but I would hate to have an uncontrollable...monster wreck havoc upon my faithful subjects. Please, don't ever do such terrible things again."

>Tears are in your eyes. She really did care for you, and was looking out for you. Hearing all that really made you feel worse.

Of course, Celestia. I won't...do such...

>Sob

>She brings herself next to you, removes the rope via magic, and embraces you with her wings

>"It's ok, I forgive you."

>You two stay there like that for longer than you'd have admitted

>You're the one that breaks the contact, with dryer eyes

>She smiles, and gives you a nod

>And like that she makes her way out the room

>Before she leaves, she has one more thing to say. "Please remember that there are some ponies out there that really care for you. Keep this in mind when you... fight."

>As she left, Shining Armor came in

>"Anon! You're awake!"

Yeah...why?

>"How are you feeling?"

>If one more pony asks this you swear there will be blood

Feel like shit Captain. Tell me the details of today's mission.

>"Well, you should have a pretty good idea. We saved Equestria and restored the former government of the Gri-"

No captain, tell me the numbers.

>"Oh, er... Without that ambush, we wouldn't have stood a chance against the griffons. By the end, we had taken out over 600 of them."

What about ours? Did we lose anybody?

>He sighs. "We did lose some. Thirty pegasi gave their lives..."

>You always hated those numbers. Fuck the griffons, they deserved what they got, but the guards... They probably joined without the intention of ever seeing war. They probably never thought it would happen, and now thirty families are broken

>Because of you

>You didn't fight hard enough

>You could've shot more griffons. Better yet, you could've bombed a couple more barracks while they were full.

>"Hey, Anon. Don't blame yourself. Those guards knew what they were getting into. Even though they joined in a time of peace, they were more than willing to give everything. Especially since you're on our side."

Me?

>"Yeah. You've got a bit of a reputation now. I don't know if you heard us down there, but when you turned your...jet?"

>You nod

>"When you turned it, you gave us a look at the new image on your wing. We all presumed it to be your ancestor, the Spartan, and I doubt you heard us, but we cheered, knowing we had your support. You even have something of a nickname. To some of the guards, you're warmly referred to as the Beast of Sparta."

Beast of Sparta?

>"Yeah. You've become a hero, Anon."

>You look out the window, noting the end of a colorful, sunny day

I'm no hero. I just do my duty.

>You sigh

When is the service for everyone who lost their lives?

>"We're planning it to be this Sunday morning."

Is Goodwill...?

>"Yes. We thought it would be appropriate if he were honored with everypony there."

I'll be there, and I'll perform a three-volley salute.

>"Three-volley-"

Yes. A three-volley salute. It's a tradition in my home world, to honor the deceased."

>"What other traditions do you have?"

There's plenty, like the 21-gun salute, the missing man formation, burial at sea, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier... the list goes on. I'll tell you some other time."

>"Ok. In the mean time, I expect you to take some leave. You've earned it."

Where am I going to go?

>"I don't know, but if you're in the neighborhood, I'd like to buy you a drink Friday night."

>Uh..wait a second.

>You remembered your invitation to Twilight...and your plan.

Actually, I did make plans tomorrow night. I was going to go drinking with-

>You stop. It would be a breach of brotocol to tell Shining Armor you're drinking with his sister

Some friends in Ponyville

>"I understand. You should rest so you're up to it."

>He heads to the door. Like Celestia, he has one more thing to say before he leaves.

>"Please make sure she makes it home safely."

>Ok, so where did he hear about it?

>And that means he's ok with it...perhaps he knows of your little plan, and he approves

>You stop thinking, and take Shining Armor's advice

>Closing your eyes, you let sleep take you