//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: StoneHeart // by JT //------------------------------// I lay asleep in my cell, tossing and turning as my dream took a turn for the worse. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I'm so sorry, Jack." I whispered as my friend died beneath me, my hands still gripping his heart. His eyes teared up as he brought me close to him. His brown hair was flaked with his own blood, his life running out of his body. "I understand, keep safe." I cried as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, a final breath leaving his lungs. I slowly put my head on his chest, the still warm skin making me feel sickeningly guilty. "I'm so, so sorry." I closed his eyes before I stood, tears still flowing down my cheeks as I observed the battle around me. All around, my 'Brothers and Sisters' fought like wild animals, fists flying, blades clashing and guts spilling on the floor. The world seemed to go wrong as it turned a bloody red color, then I charged into the fray. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I bolted upright with a start, grabbing my blades as I did. My breathing became ragged and labored as i struggled to calm myself down. I threw my legs off of the hay pile, my hands rubbing my temples in an effort to calm the growing headache. A scuff against the stone of my cell brought me back to my attentive stat and away from regret. My eyes met the face of a pony mare, her eyes a gentle brown, her mane and tale were a rosey red. On her flank was the picture of a quill. Her wings were folded up into her sides, and her horn shone with grace. She watched me with an air of curiosity and desire, her eyes sparking as she crept closer. Her lips quivered as she placed a hoof onto my chest, rubbing it into the muscle and machinery below the skin. When she spoke, her voice was as sweet as honey, and more alluring than a siren's. "Through all my years have I longed for someone to share them with. I couldn't with my ponies as they are all like my children." She brought her face down closer to mine as she stared deep into my eyes, fire sparking within them. Her breath was hot on my neck and chest, and blew with the delicacy of a gentle wind. "But you, are no pony, and you are here, and you are a beautiful creature, life so alive with emotion and adventurousness.You have caught my attention since you came here, and many a night were filled with thoughts of you. Long have I searched for a lover." My breath was taken away as she placed her lips on mine, savoring the kiss. When she pulled away, her eyes were alive with lust and passion. She leaned down and whispered into my ear. "And you are that lover." The sounds of hooves sounded off down the hall, slowly getting closer. She planted one last kiss on my lips, before whispering back in my ear. "Remember, even when the light is gone, I will be there to guide you." She stepped away and teleported away, the energy casting a golden blue glow on the cell walls. Soon, a white pony with a blonde mane came into view, along with a group of guards behind him. He unlocked my cell door and stepped inside, the guards following him as well. He stared at me with his eyes, arrogance filling them. "So you are the barbarian that hospitalized some guards? Oh when I get done with you, those peasants will fall down at my hooves and worship me! So prepare yourself fiends, these walls will be painted in your blood!" He pulled a small dagger out of....Somewhere, the guards snickering at my apparent 'Misfortune' He screamed a rather ladylike warcry and charged, the dagger raised high above his head. Whenever he closed the gap, I acted. I swung my arm low and caught him by his throat. He dropped the dagger in surprise as I lifted him above my head, my hand still clasped around his neck. I spat on him and snarled. "Big words for one so small. Maybe I'll kill you, and the peasants will worship me. Maybe I'll bleed you slowly and write journals in your blood. Maybe I'll make you my bitch?" The pony visibly gulped and whimpered, his eyes growing large with fear. I was about to snap his neck whenever I felt a blade touch my own neck. I looked over to see a guard holding a longsword against my throat. His eyes held a confidence that screamed newbie. I stared him down with all the hatred I could muster. "And what about you, newblood, maybe I'll kill you and cut you up and sew you to this one and make him walk around?" The guard blew air out of his nose and chuckled. "You kill me? HA! I'd like to see you try." I leaned down closer to him, his blade bringing a trickle of blood. "Buddy, I've killed before and I'll do it again. I was made to kill, to maim, and to murder. Have you ever stopped someone's still beating heart by crushing it to a bloody mass? Have you ever killed someone to survive? Have you ever killed something by biting into it's neck, filling your mouth with blood? I have. And I'll do it again." The guard paled and backed away. The pony in my hands let out a choked cry and I let him go, he collapsed on the floor, choking and wheezing. I kicked him in his ass, sending him flying into his fellows. "Go and fetch your Princess. I would have words with her."