Memory Lock

by Psychic Smith

Chapter 2: Waking Up

I opened my eyes. Blinding light caused my eyes to burn and water, and a high pitched whine filled my ears. I blinked away the tears forming in the corners of my eyes. I tried moving other parts of my body. I grimaced at the pain that shot through my arms as I flexed one of my fingers.

Fuck. That.

As my eyes adjusted, I gazed up at a beautiful blue sky, small white clouds dotted the azure canvas.

There was a light breeze that much I could tell. My body was still numb and in pain, and I wasn’t feeling much of anything. My senses limited, I had no other option but stare into the never-ending sky.

I felt something bump into my arm, sending more electric pulses through my body. I still was risking sending myself into a world of hurt, but I still insisted on letting my neck to twist slightly to try and see the foreign object that touched me. As I did, pain exploded throughout my entire body as expected, but what I didn’t expect was what I saw.

It was blurry, and I couldn’t make out any definite lines in its features, but there were two things that I could definitely see. Yellow and pink. It was some kind of animal as far as I could tell. However, it was unlike anything I have ever seen. It had a short snout, and impossibly large eyes. Seriously, they were the size of dinner plates.

And I could swear I could make out a wing.

Whatever it was, it was leaning over me, moving quickly around my body. The creature lifted my arm with its… leg? It wrapped a soft cloth around my bicep, the white fabric instantly stained with red. I felt… whatever this thing was, pulling the makeshift bandage tight, causing me to wince at the pain that shot through my body, and that’s when I heard a soft gasp.

My vision clearing slightly after a few blinks, I discovered that the thing tending to me finally figured out I was awake. It looked… surprised to say the least. Scared? No. It looked concerned, its giant eyes looking very watery. For what reason, I don’t know.

Now able to get a good look at the creature, I took it all in. Turns out I was correct about the wings, but what caught my attention most was its feet, or hooves rather, that were somehow able to hold and manipulate the roll of… something in her hoof despite their flat surface and lack of appendages. Her feminine like eyebrows, round eyes, and narrow build gave away her gender. I guess she was some sort of equine.

It took me a second to realize that there were things covering my body, causing my skin to itch irritably. Looking down at my chest, I noticed the multitude of bandages that covered my pectorals and stomach, the gauze mummifying my legs and arms, and a few bleeding lashes that remained uncovered. That explained why I was hurting this much.

I turned to the oddly colored mare next to me, and saw the first aid kit next to her, contents sprawling out across the ground. She was the one who dressed my wounds, it couldn’t have been anyone else. There was no one around. What was with this pony? Was she intelligent?

I found my answer in the tears that streamed down her eyes, and the sobs she was trying so desperately to muffle with a hoof. She was choking back the tears, trying to keep them from falling. It was a fruitless battle.

I remember this feeling. The feeling of failing. Failing to the point where you were overcome with grief. But, was she fussing over me like a woman whose dog was dying on a veterinary table? When was it when I last felt like her? The act of searching my mind caused a migraine to bludgeon my brain, causing my arm to reflexively shoot to my forehead, starting a chain reaction causing my arm to erupt in fiery pain, causing a muffled grunt to make it out past my gritted teeth.

The little pegasus next to me gasped in shock due to my sudden movements, and somehow, my actions have caused her to hide behind one of her wings, holding onto it tight with her forehooves. I could still hear her a soft crying behind the curtain of feathers.

Gingerly, I let my hand fall from my face, resting it on my chest. She shouldn't cry because of me. Despite the lingering pain, I picked up my other arm, once again ignoring the knives that tore through my nerves. I brushed her wing to the side, and the mare’s sobbing stopped suddenly, her eyes opening wide with her pupils becoming pinpricks in the whites that surrounded them. Her whole body trembled in fear, and I could feel my own heart instantly regretting my intrusion.

No turning back now, I slowly reached a limp hand towards her face. Pushing her mane to the side, I let my hand gently rest flat on her cheek, her whole body tensing at my touch, ears tall and alert. Shaming myself for my brashness, I internally cussed at myself. I brushed a tear on her cheek away with a thumb.

At the gentle touch she turned to me, eyes still in shock. When she looked me in the eyes, I just smiled as I stroked the fur on her face gently with my fingers. All the tension in her body seemed to melt away as I massaged her face in small circles.

Noticing that her ears began to fall, I reached up, lightly scratching where they met the back of her head. She let out another gasp. But instead of fear, her eyes closed as she smiled, humming happily, and melting into my hand, absentmindedly placing a hoof over it.

I couldn’t talk, or I was just too lazy to try. I felt like I was too weak to really form any words, so I guess I let my hand do the talking instead. I had to try and thank her somehow, cheer her up a little. Just enough for her to stop crying at least.

She opened her eyes halfway, irises and pupils at what I assumed to be their correct sizes as she looks at me, her bright eyes looking so gentle and at peace. I have to admit, despite their rather freakishly large size, the pegasus mare had quite pretty eyes of the softest teal with long, full eyelashes. She did have a rather nice mane too now that I thought about it. The way her long pink hair fell practically completely straight until it curls back up right around her shoulder. Honestly, not too bad looking for a horse. Not my type, I prefer things of a more bipedal stature, but still. She kind of reminded me of someone I think. I tried to remember. As soon as that thought popped into my head, the migraine returned in full force, like a mother smacking her child’s hand away from reaching the cookies. I gave up on the endeavor.

She gazed almost sleepily at me, and we both forgot that I was still bleeding. I just kept still, laying in the middle of the still cold cobblestone road, listening to the gentle breeze and the soft bubbling of what sounded like a small water fountain. Pushing my hand away, the mare returned to dressing the remaining wounds that crisscrossed my body.

She laid bandages across my still oozing lacerations, being a bit more gentle and relaxed. So relaxed in fact, she began humming to herself. Horses can’t do that! But then again, this pegasus wasn’t like any equine I have ever seen. I listened as her soft voice carry the beautiful melody as she worked the bandages on my chest.

I vaguely recognized the melody, and miraculously was able to remember how the next part went. I hummed the next few notes, my incredibly sore throat making the sound turn into more of a growl, but I kept on pitch the best I could.

Hearing my attempt, the pegasus’ eyes brightened and smiled with glee. The leaned a little bit closer humming the notes of a major chord, the notes flowing into each other harmoniously. I responded by doing the same, trying to match key the best I could.

My attempts at singing caused the mare to let a strange noise, kind of like the sound a pet’s squeaky toy would make. I tried to hold back my laughter, but was only able to stifle it with a chuckle. That made her blush in embarrassment. She let out a light laugh, covering her mouth with a hoof.

Her face suddenly shifted. Her pupils shrank again, and ears swiveling as if to focus in on something like how a radar dish would. The ground softly rumbled as I heard the sound of heavy footfalls coming from somewhere behind me, and approaching. I turned my head around, looking down a stone road flanked by houses with thatched roofing, and pink colored bracings. Plant boxes under the windows held brightly colored flowers, and some doorways sported potted plants next to them. I could see rolling hills of green trees beyond the houses, but what caught my focus was the moving mass of shadow that was approaching, filling the entire street.

As they got closer, I could make out a couple of shapes. They were definitely equine, like the mare that dressed my wounds, but they wore sets of armor. Helmets with glass facemasks looked at me through transparent blue shields. The shields looked similar to glass as well, despite the fact that ripples seemed to cause the surface of them to gleam slightly in the sunlight.

They flooded the courtyard. Some pegasi that I didn’t notice before flew out from behind chimneys and roof ornaments and hovered above the growing army of armored ponies. There were too many to count.

I couldn’t see most of their faces behind their tinted face masks and shields. I couldn't see much of anything under their armor except for some brightly colored forehooves that stuck out of their barding.

One of them, the one in front, held up a hoof, and motioned for the massive army to stop. I noticed that they weren’t necessarily looking at me, but at the courtyard around me.

Bodies. At least six or seven of them. Wearing a gilded armor. Some wore matching helmets, others with their helmets lying beside them on the stone ground, all donning bandages that have been stained red, and all unconscious.

Oh fuck.

---

Looking back and forth from the butter colored pegasus, to the weird ape-like thing, Colonel Barricade was, to put it simply, confused. As the two stared, frightened by the Colonel and his platoon, Barricade couldn’t help but ponder why this pegasus had decided to help such a strange creature. He was thankful that she dressed the wounds of his fellow guardsponies that were scattered around the courtyard, but the ape, he couldn’t figure it out.

“Ma’am, I’m going to have to have you step away from the creature.” Colonel Barricade announced. At the sound of the stallion’s voice, the… thing, flinched, eyes going wide in what could only assumed to be shock. The expression of the mare however, that was a different story. Her fearful expression had slowly hardened, sternly glaring at the commanding officer. One pony facing over a score of heavily armed guards. Getting up, she rounded the creature, putting herself between it and the army that threatened to take him away.

“No.”

Her voice was harsh, quiet, but still cut like a blade through steel. And her eyes. Her eyes stared down the ponies, and even though their masks were tinted, each of the guards felt like she was looking into each of their souls, freezing them to the spot. However, Colonel Barricade didn’t lose his resolve.

The Colonel was getting impatient. “This is a matter of Equestria’s security miss, I’m going to have to ask you to step aside.”

“Why?” the mare questioned, her voice cold as ice. “He hasn’t done anything wrong.”

He? Glancing at the creature, it did have a rather… masculine physique. What really was plaguing the Colonel however was what the mare had just said:

‘He hasn’t done anything wrong.’

But he was under orders.

“Miss… miss…,” the colonel paused, trying to think of the mare’s name, and realized that he had never asked for it. “What is your name miss?”

“Fluttershy,” was her blunt response.

“Ms. Fluttershy, under the authority of the princess’ I am required to ask you to-“

“And I already told you no!” Fluttershy said, cutting the guard short. “Can’t you see that this creature is hurt?!” The butter yellow pegasus stood firm, scolding the grown stallion behind the mask, reminding Barricade a little too much of his late mother. Against his own volition, the stallion took a step back, trying to avoid the verbal assault. Her name betrayed her actions.

“The last thing that this poor guy needs is to be dragged to a cage!” The mare continued, standing like a guardian over the ape. “He needs medical attention!”

“That thing knocked out six of our fellow ponies,” The colonel said, his own anger overcoming Fluttershy’s mental attacks. “You’ve seen what this creature can do. He needs to be detained.”

“He needs rest!”

“Do I get a say in this?” A fatigued, gravelly voice spoke. All eyes turned towards the ape lying on the ground. Fluttershy’s eyes widened with a look somewhere between shock, fear, and a foalish glee, barricade wasn’t visibly shaken, but was still taken aback. A few of the guards in the front row let out gasps.

“Should I take that as a no?”

---

I had the strange suspicion that I should have just kept my mouth shut. The enormous eyes of every one of the sapient, talking ponies were locked onto me. Some in terror, other’s in amazement. I couldn't see them, but I could guess. The courtyard was silent except for the wind gently pushing a creaky sign hanging from some sort of giant gingerbread house. Time seemed to freeze as nobody wanted to say another word.

“You can… talk?” The yellow pegasus asked, her voice barely above an excited whisper. Quite the contrast from how she was yelling at the stallion telling her to step aside.

“I could be asking the same question to a certain talking herd of horses,” I joked. I immediately questioned whether a sense of humor was appropriate for this situation. I was regretting my lack of skills in decision making.

The armored pony leading the group stepped forward, lifting up his visor.

“Well this changes things,” He said a slight grin crossed grey his muzzle. His army advanced, weapons still trained on me. Now that I could see him more clearly, I tensed up. His grey fur was rather unkempt, sticking out in some places. The scar on his cheek was easily visible.

“Colonel!” a mare from the crowd shouted in warning.

“Private, put your weapon down,” Barricade keeping his focus on me. “The situation has changed.”

One by one, the private (as well as the rest of the army) eventually lowered and put away their armaments, some even lifting their visors, a multitude of colored faces now stood out in the sea of black armor.

“Care to explain what happened?”

I didn’t know what kind of answer to give, so I just ran through everything (which really wasn’t much). Just darkness, pain, and headaches. Not much of a story to tell. It only took a few minutes.

“So… no explosion?” the private asked.

Explosion? What? The Colonel raised a curious eyebrow at my confused expression.

“You mean you don’t know?”

“I just told you,” I said, a bit frustrated. “I blacked out, and woke up here covered in bandages. It doesn’t help that I can’t move without hurting myself.”

“Can you feel anything at all?” the mare Fluttershy asked in a concerned motherly tone. Her voice was so soft I could barely hear her. If this is how she normally talks, I probably just saw the greatest case of split personality disorder of all time.

The question seemed silly to me. If I was feeling pain, that means I could feel something.

“Um, yeah. I’m pretty sure I can feel myself bleeding.”

“That’s, um… not what I meant,” She responded. “Try moving your legs.

Again I thought it was a rather silly request. Until I tried it anyhow. I tried to bend my knee, and it didn’t even budge. I poured so much effort into moving my leg that it started shaking. It didn’t even move. Felt something inside me burst from the strain I was putting into trying to move. I howled in pain.

“We need to get you to the hospital,” Fluttershy said demanded.

“Get a stretcher! Somepony!” the Colonel bellowed. “We need to get him to the nearest hospital,” he told Fluttershy. I could feel myself slipping. The Colonel's voice was muffled, like he was talking through a pillow. Darkness crept on the edges of my vision. Fluttershy’s face bent down over me, worry in her eyes.

“Sir, Stay with me…”

My eyes were so heavy. I just wanted to sleep. The exertion I went through trying to move my leg coupled with the pain I felt every time I tried to move was too much. It was like drifting away. Why should I fight it?

“He’s losing consciousness,” I heard one of the ponies say.

Was I dying? I felt myself cough, and I could feel some sort of liquid run down my chin through my dulling senses. My throat erupted into flames, and I could do nothing to stop it. It felt like flames licking my body, burning my skin, smoke burning at my insides. Why didn’t I feel this before.

Adrenaline.

That’s what they would say in school, right? In times where the body is in extreme agony, the body dulls the pain with rushes of adrenaline. I may have been dying this entire time and not have known it. But the pain was going away again. It felt so good to slip away. To just leave my body.

Fluttershy told me to stay with her. In consciousness I mean. But how could I do that when every second I’m awake is a real living hell.

“His heart rate is too high, we need to get him to the hospital, now!”

If I was dying, then why did it feel so good?

Comments

[Mix-up]

Interesting story so far. I am looking forward to see more of this story soon.

[thisistheusernameichose]

Well, it's definitely an improvement. Gotta say, it looks interesting.

As long as it doesn't go on hiatus for 6 months after every chapter.

[Psychic Smith]

7124506
Good thing I'm keeping a schedule of a chapter every 2 weeks