I think we're lost

by Poetic Brony

Welcome to the jungle there won't be fun and Games part II

Midnight slowly opened her eyes. She was so startled by her surroundings she jumped, her horn brushed against the top of the tent when she did so. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and the panic and fear she was feeling instantly melted away. When she reopened her eyes she noticed that Arron had left the opening unzipped so she could get out.

She stretched out her forehooves and then each of her back ones, the soreness she was feeling from all of the lashes was gone. Midnight bit the bandage where it was tucked in and using her head pulled it. The bandage, now loose was easy for her to take off. She smiled at her healed back and legs, even her coat had taken on it's rich glossy luster. It has been a really long time since I've looked this good, she thought. I wonder if Arron is around?

Midnight poked her head out of the tent to look around the camp. She notice Arron sitting on a log by the smoldering ashes of the previous night's fire. About to call out to him she immediately felt a wave of anxiety take hold, making her choke. Come on Midnight, she scolded herself. Get a grip! Arron is nothing like those diamond dogs. He's a nice.... nice... She floundered to find the right word. What is he?

---

Arron heard a noise coming from the tent. Midnight must be up, he thought before going back to reading. I was starting to get worried.

A few minutes later, Arron glanced up from his book and noticed the unicorn mare's head was stuck outside the tent. Midnight was looking rather befuddled, so he closed the book so hard the sound startled her.

"Good afternoon Midnight," Arron greeted her with a goofy grin.

Afternoon, Midnight thought confused, looking up at the sun through the canopy of leaves. How long have I been sleeping? She shook her head, trotted over to Arron, sat down on her haunches and stared at the ground.

He set his book down next to him then, getting off the log he knelt down to look over the unicorn who blushed and again stared at the ground. She stiffened a bit when he began running his hand over her coat, apparently looking to see how she was healing.

Wow, he thought surprised. Ponies really do heal fast! I mean Rainbow Dash's broken wings healed in what? A week, but this is ridiculous! It's only been three days and all of the cuts and lashes are completely gone! "I guess you must be feeling alright if you took the bandages off and there's not even a mark on your body!" She giggled while he checked under her barrel. "Sorry, I didn't mean to tickle you."

Midnight covered her muzzle with her hooves, her ears flattened against her head and she was blushing like crazy. "It's alright," she whispered. This is the first time any pony... or whatever Arron is... to actually care about me. "What are you?" She realized she had thought out loud when Arron stopped his inspection and smiled.

"I'm sorry!" Midnight cried. "I didn't mean to offend you!"

He shook his head. "You didn't and I'm a human from Earth."

"What's a human and where's Earth? Do you mean you're some kind of Earth Pony? Are there a lot of hum-mens there?"

"Slow down," Arron said gesturing with his hands. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions and I can answer all of them, but I've already been delayed long enough." He stood up and went over the tent, with Midnight right on his heels.

They talked as Arron took the bedroll and sleeping pad out of the tent. Then they picked up the tent itself and put it back inside of its bag. Midnight eagerly listened while Arron explained in more detail about where he was from and how he ended up in Eqestria. When they were all done, Arron hefted his backpack onto his shoulders and looked around the camp. He finished up by putting what was left of the campfire out and headed back to the trail. He was a bit shocked and confused when Midnight continued to follow him.

"Don't you have somewhere to go," he asked her when they got back to the trail. "I mean don't you have to get back to your family? I'm sure they're worried about you."

Midnight halted, her eyes fell and she again stared at the ground. She kicked at a protruding rock with a hoof. "No," she said after a moment passed in silence. "My parent's... abandoned me soon after I was born, they left me out here. I don't really remember why, but apparently there was something wrong with me."

She looked up at Arron, tears forming in her eyes. "There was a group of diamond dogs that discovered me. They treated me like family, but a few years ago they couldn't stand my magic anymore. So, they kicked me out of their community. Soon after, I fell in with a group of bad diamond dogs. They only used me and my magic in their hunt for gems, I tried escaping a few moons ago and well, they didn't like it when I ran off," She wiped the tears that were falling from her eyes. "That's when you found me." She closed her eyes and smiled.

"You were lucky, I came along," Arron said. "Though honestly I really wish I didn't."

"Why is that," Midnight tilted her head with a bewildered look on her muzzle.

She wondered why he didn't answer the question, he only readjusted the pack on his back and kept moving forward. The sounds of the jungle fell silent, Arron halted. Midnight trotted up next to him wondering why he was looking off in the direction where the diamond dog's camp was. He lightly patted the top of her head and headed off.

The least I can do is bury the ones I killed, he thought.

Midnight was hesitant to follow him this time. She frowned and her ears flattened against her head. Why is he going back there, she thought.

The camp was in the same condition he left it a few days ago. The only difference was the stench of the diamond dogs was now one of decay rather than lack of hygiene. Midnight crinkled her nose as she pushed through the brush at the edge of the camp. Arron took off his back pack, laid it down next to the closest tent before rummaged around the camp to find a shovel. After finding a well worn spade in a pile of discarded junk he started digging.

His unicorn companion trotted inside one of the tents. In the corner was a box of old rages, after picking through them and giving them a quick sniff she found a clean one, using her magic she tied it around her muzzle to drown out the stench. After she emerged, she went over to where Arron was busy digging. Seeing that he was going to be awhile she laid down cross hooved on a patch of grass.

The time passed slowly, Arron had two graves completed and was now working on the third. Midnight was resting her head on her hooves. "I wonder why he wont let me help him," she muttered to herself.

Arron shoved the spade into the pile of dirt, wipe off the sweat on his sleeve and turned to look at her. "Because I'm the one who took their lives," he said.

His answer startled her a bit. "did you really have to kill them?" Midnight quickly covered her muzzle with her hooves after she realized she said what she was thinking out loud.

Arron leaned on the spade, looked up into the sky and smiled. "At first I wasn't going to do anything," he smiled at her. "But, after I saw you I had to act... so I did!"

"What do you mean by that," she asked.

Arron wiped the sweat off his forehead. "We all have choice," he said with a frown. "I was about to leave them alone, but after I saw you I needed to act." Midnight looked confused. "Listen Midnight, as I said we all have choice and," he gestured to the ones he buried. "When they took your freedom, they made my choice clear."

Midnight tilted her head. I still don't understand, she thought.

Arron jumped out of the hole, pulled the last diamond dog over to it and rolled it in. He clapped his hands to get the dirt off from them, then he walked over to Midnight and sat down next to her.

"You see Midnight," he said gently taking her chin in his hand and tilting her head so he was looking her in the eyes. "Where I'm from, we believe that all men... er... beings are created equal and they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, such as the right of life, liberty and the ability so pursue their own happiness." Midnight noticed the tears that were forming in his eyes. "Our country used to allow slavery, but thanks to our sixteenth president Abraham Lincoln signing the emancipation proclamation followed by the ratification of the thirteenth amendment he ended slavery... but it wasn't without cost."

Midnight was now tearing up. "Why? What happened?"

"A Civil War broke out," Arron sorrowfully replied. "I lost several family members in the battles of Antietam and in the siege of New Orleans, a lot of good men on both sides fought for their own ideals, but in the end my family's side won the day, our country was whole once again."

A country divided;
a country at war:
Old honest Abe said we can no longer ignore.
A spark was lit as the cannons roared;
for this battle we called our civil war.
It was about rights that was fought for.
Old Abe said freedom that is why we're at war,
but little did he know what was in store.
The blue and the gray in the grizzliest war,
but freedom would hold in those years that were four.

After Arron wiped his eyes and took a few calming breaths he spoke softly. "That is why I killed them, they,—" he nodded to the graves. "— took away your freedom, so they gave me no choice but to act," he smiled at her. "I seriously doubt if I just talked to them and ordered them to release you they would have granted me my request."

Midnight glanced over at the graves of her former captors. "No," she slowly shook her head "They wouldn't."

Arron got up gave Midnight a few quick reassuring pats and began the macabre process of covering the dead diamond dog with dirt.

Comments

[mastermenthe]

Cancelled? Woohoo! Freedom at last!