//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: The Things He Carried // by Makerofthebuttswagger //------------------------------// Pain. Toby was used to pain. Daily it invaded his life, his social life, and, ultimately - his thoughts as well as emotions. Right now, pain decided to inhabit his physical being. All he remembered was falling from that tree... he must have been knocked unconscious from one of the first couple branches. Then, nothing. Just pain. Every cell in his body ached, like he had collided with something large and hard - which didn't make any sense, because below his tree there was only mud. But this surface under him - that was definitely concrete. Or bricks. Something solid, anyway... much more solid than mud... He pushed himself over onto his back, and doing so he rolled onto his right arm, which gave a splitting pain. Toby looked down and sighed as he saw the strange angle that had become of his forearm. His leg throbbed painfully, but not sharply, which means he had sprained something. Broken... great. Just wonderful. He strenuously pushed himself into a upright sitting position with his good arm. All around him he heard a collective gasp. Gasp? He couldn't remember anyone except Marietta close by when he... died... He wasn't dead. He fell from a sixty foot tree and didn't die. He groaned and looked up, feeling slightly shaky. His vision was blurred, but he could make out short figures surrounding him. He couldn't see what they were; they just resembled one of those prismatic spectrums he had seen in his school days when his science teacher had shown the class a prism. He grunted and keeled forward once more, his legs sliding uncomfortably out from under him. There were some more murmurs, but then he heard the voice of a small child. She was close, too - probably no more than five feet away, unless his ears were deceiving him. "What is it?" "Shining Dusk! You get right back here, you foolish filly!" "It looks hurt, mom, look..." "I said get back here! NOW! Get away from that - that thing!" Thing? That thing? Who were these people... was this some sort of sick joke Marietta was playing on him? He grunted and placed a hand to the ground to push himself up, but then paused. Cobblestone. He was laying on cobblestone. How did he not notice it before? The hard, lumpy texture... that hardly mattered at the moment. Did he survive the fall? Did Marietta bring him back and lay him on a cobblestone surface? No, that was stupid. The fall should have killed him; maybe it did. Was this the afterlife? Could you fell pain in the afterlife? "Think, Toby, think!" Toby hissed softly, accidentally putting weight on his broken arm. Pain shot up his arm, but he swallowed the groan that fought to get out. He had suffered worse... much worse. One thing was for sure: there was nothing but mud under the tree he had jumped from. So how in the world did end up on a cobblestone surface amidst all these talking colors? Think! It was as if a cloud of angry bees had risen up from the ground around him; the buzz of the crowd began to rise. "It looks mean - you think it would eat us?" "I dunno, sweetie - but look at its mane! It's in one place!" "It kinda looks like a monkey - a big monkey..." "Come on, children, it isn't safe here! Back to the school!" "Ugh... wwherream I?" Toby said, groggily, trying to sit up again. "Issthis heaven?" There was a scream, and some shouted, "It can speak! RUN!!" The noise that followed made Toby imagine a herd of frightened calves fleeing over an asphalt road. "What's all the ruckus?" asked a male voice in a firm, urgent tone that Toby recognized immediately. A fellow soldier! Then he heard the chinking of... armor? Was it armor? He couldn't tell. A large golden blob loomed over him, and Toby looked up at it. "Please... help me..." he said slowly. The blob seemed to recoil, then moved back in aggressively. A split second before it happened, Toby finally understood. A blunt metal object collided with the side of his head, knocking him out cold. It was turning out to be one of those 'how did this happen' days? First, his attempted... you know. Next, he was beaten unconscious by a golden blob, and he had yet to figure out what was going on. Now... he was in prison. It wasn't the kind of prison they used in America, either. It was the equivalent of a dungeon; the walls were carelessly shaved off, leaving them uneven and rough. There were very large iron bars separating him from the narrow passage beyond as well as a thick steel door to keep him in. The only source of light were the torches that lined the walls at equal intervals. A dingy, undersized cot sat in one corner of his cell, and there was a small slot in the door - presumably to slide his meals through. It could have been worse - the floors were fairly smooth and at least swept, and there was plenty of space in his cell to pace is he felt like doing so.He didn't feel much pain in his arm or leg, which were now in a cast and splint. He found this very odd considering he had sprained a leg before - which HURT, even with the splint. He also had plenty of time to consider the situation - and think about other things. He still didn't know where he was. He didn't know any country on Earth that held prisoners in places like this, but on the other hand he had no experience in that sort of thing, so maybe there were, and he was unaware of it. Another thing he had considered was that those who were holding him here were not human. Was this hell? If so, he would have imagined someplace that involved more torment and anguish than this... than again, he may be waiting to get placed somewhere... he shuddered at the thought. Many hours he spent pacing his cell, thinking and speculating. After a while, though, he began to be thinking the same things over and over in his head, which became quite annoying. At one point he even punched the wall, not hard, but hard enough to make him yelp and nurse his throbbing hand, feeling quite stupid. He was not at all concerned about the time he had spent in his cell, though... it wasn't like he had anywhere to be. Before he was now occupying space at home - but now he was out of his parent's hair... they wouldn't have to worry about taking care of their sorry excuse of a son. Surely they would miss him... but how much? Then there was Marietta. What was she up to? Did she find his body? Was there even a body to find? He had been laying on his cot (which was scratchy, itchy, hot, and uncomfortable enough to keep him from sleeping) pondering these things when he heard clip-clopping noises echo down the corridor. He sat up and gazed through the bars to the other side. Then, finally, one of his questions were answered. Just not how he imagined it. A unicorn in golden armor - probably a guard - trotted over to his cell door, magicking along a plate of what looked like beans and some strange sort of bread. He took in the appearance of the horse - no, pony, it was much smaller than a horse. It had unnaturally large eyes and a small muzzle. Its coat was an indigo color, and it seemed capable of emotion. The thing that really frightened Toby was that it looked at him and... spoke. The guard gave him admonishing look and grunted, "Dinner." It then used its magic to slide the plate through the slot in the door. Toby flattened himself against the wall, terrified. This didn't go unnoticed by the guard, who, as he turned to leave, raised an eyebrow. Despite the professional manner, Toby could see the small glint of curiosity in its eyes. There was something else there, too - was it afraid? It then snorted and turned to walk back down the corridor, as if to say pathetic. The echoes of his hooves grew faint, finally stopping after a soft bang of a door. Toby slumped down against the wall and ran his good hand through his hair. What had he just witnessed? Was this really the afterlife, or was this an entirely different world? The horse had looked, if not acted sapient - were they the equivalent of humans in this world - dominant and superior in relation to the other species? Toby inhaled through his nostrils and exhaled through his mouth - a trick his army instructor used to teach them to calm down. What else did he say that day, when you found yourself facing the unknown? Think, Toby. What would be more useful then speculating right now? He paused to think, but his mind yielded no results. Then - Observe!! he thought with a pang, snapping his fingers. But what was there to observe? He had seen everything he possibly could - including the weird pony-soldier. What was up with that anyway? He sighed and ran his left hand through his hair again. Maybe he should just wait this out. Yes... there was not much else he could do at this point. He moved carefully towards the food, which was cold, and ate the beans. After one bite of the roll, however, he spat the lot out immediately. It felt and tasted like he was eating alfalfa - did the guard give him its meal? Already disgruntled by the food, he gave the cot a scathing look, but laid down on it anyway. Within the next minute he felt himself begin to itch, and he stared miserably at the stone ceiling, forcing himself to think about his home. His parents... they would surely be worried now... right? Or at least his mom would be. And Marietta - was she looking for him? Did she find his body, or was there nothing to find? Was she okay? ... Not that I care, he thought sheepishly, grabbing a tuft of his hair angrily and pulling slightly. The way she had come looking for him... had it been genuine? If so... no. It couldn't have been. As he stared up at the ceiling, he thought about his mother again, then Marietta, feeling incredibly stupid for trying to kill himself. All the while... why did everything have to happen to him? Night had fallen over the Song Tra Bong river. The ripples that moved gently among the surface glinted innocently in the moonlight. But Toby knew better - under the surface it was a raging torrent of darkness, waiting to suck unwary travelers into the pits of Hell. He, along with his friend Milo (or Garbanzo, as the others called him) were stationed on either sides of their camp, which was stationed fifty feet from the riverbank. Garbanzo was assigned to watch the riverbank, and was currently hidden away in one of the tall trees next to it. He was impossible to spot - despite his rotund shape, he was able to disappear completely when he wanted to. Toby, on the other hand, was stationed next to a path that ran about seventy yards due west of the camp. He sat huddled against a tree, clutching his weapon - a Colt M16, apparently - but to him it was just another tool to kill. He never liked killing, but his captain wouldn't let him do anything else when the enemy was present. Nights in Vietnam were, to put it simply, terrifying beyond comprehension. Every little sound made you jump; every little shadow made you instinctively aim your weapon. You would never fire, though - if you did it would mean instant death for your whole company. He remembered wanting to do anything for his captain the previous day, just so he wouldn't have to be assigned this task. And yet, here he was - in the middle of the jungle, poised and ready to eliminate intruders. How dearly he wished for a fire, but that would be one of the least intelligent things to do on nights like these. So he sat in the darkness, gritting his teeth hard so as to not flinch at the sounds of the river, which seemed to be magnified through the woods. A rock skidded past, causing Toby to quietly scramble into a ready position. He waited, not daring to breath... rocks didn't move by themselves... The next few minutes were unimaginably tense - there would be nowhere to run if this was an attack, he'd be gunned down in seconds, he had to fight - Another couple of minutes passed. Nothing. Then - A small shape snuck around the bend in the path to the right, not making a sound. It was moving carefully, looking like it was taking each step with extreme care. Without second thought, Toby ripped the pin out of one of his grenades and rolled it down the path towards the figure. He took cover behind a thick tree, crouching against the ground and covering his head with both arms. There was an immensely loud snapping sound, then silence. Toby peeked through his arms and saw smoke blowing across the path. Slowly, he crawled back to his bush and peered down the path. The dark figure was now laying down on the path, motionless. Breathing hard, Toby emerged from his hiding spot and cautiously moved towards the body. When he arrived, he felt his heart explode into a million pieces. The person on the path was as dead as you could get, but when Toby took a closer look, he retched, horrified. It was a child, maybe in his early teens - he had a chasm in his face the shape of a star. A loud metallic clang woke Toby from his slumber. He blearily looked around to see that the unicorn guard had returned. It gave him a scathing look and whinnied, gesturing with its head move along! When Toby didn't move, the guard scowled and pointed to its left (Toby's right). Toby's eyes followed the direction in which the guard's hoof was pointing, and when he saw it his insides were filled with ice. He felt his jaw slip, but did nothing to prevent the gawk. A large, white unicorn with wings stood impressively in the hallway, looking down at Toby with a mixture of curiosity and shrewdness. It wore a crown upon its head as well as a golden breastplate and golden horseshoes. He assumed it was some sort of princess by the way it carried itself. She surveyed him for a moment, then neighed importantly. Was it trying to communicate with him!? Toby stared. The princess seemed to notice that he couldn't understand her, and whinnied to the guard, who then looked a bit sheepish. It pulled out a large key chain full of iron keys and slid one into the door of Toby's cell. It creaked open, and the guard walked into the cell and hauled Toby to his feet. It bound his hands in rope, then led him out of the chamber. There was something distinctly dehumanizing about being bound in such a way, but protesting of any kind was not an idea that crossed his mind. Not only was he in any condition to fight, but he also felt kind of... dead. Now that he thought about it, he didn't really care about being somewhere else. Sure, the fact he was being kept in a cage for no reason (as far as he knew) did irk him a little. He couldn't explain why he felt this way... Perhaps it was because he knew he deserved it. After the stunt he pulled, what, not twenty four hours ago (how fast did time move here?), of course he would. Perhaps it was just his guilty conscience, but if it was, the guilt was well earned. He had chosen to end his life like the coward and disappointment he was. A sharp poke in the back by his equine buddy jolted him out of his thoughts. He had been so deeply invested within himself that he hadn't even noticed where he had been led. He felt his jaw hang there loosely in astonishment. He was in a massive hallway lined end to end with stained glass windows. The ceiling rose above him at an incredible height - the place made him think of a cathedral. The princess-horse walked regally to the end of the hall, and that's when Toby realized that he was right about the horse being royalty. Two thrones sat at the end of the room, each one with a different design. The one on the right seemed to be themed around the sun; the one on the left, the moon. Upon the moon-throne sat another giant horse-thingy that resembled her sister - apart from the fact that she had an army blue coat and a mane that resembled the sky at night. Judging by the black regalia, she was a princess as well. Which didn't make Toby any less scared. This whole equestrian theme was really starting to freak him out. The dark princess eyed Toby suspiciously for a moment, then stood up and trotted over to the other princess. Now that the two stood next to each other, he noticed that the moon princess was a head smaller than her comrade. The moon princess whinnied something to the other with a pointed nod in Toby's direction. Clearly he wasn't trusted. The white princess turned to give Toby a searching look while Moony looked at him disdainfully behind her. A small indignant feeling began to swell up in his chest. Why was she looking at him like that? Had he done anything to offend them? The white princess turned to her friend and neighed in an impatient tone. The other replied in such a way that Toby imagined it to be a quip of some sort. He studied the way the two princesses acted towards one another - slightly impatient, but in a comfortable way, as if they had a connection. Then it hit him - these weren't companions... they were sisters. The white princess turned back to look at Toby, who had only just noticed the tattoo of the sun on her butt. Well, I guess that makes sense, he thought. Sunny cocked her head to one side curiously, staring intently at Toby. It was then he realized he had been staring at her flank, and blushed. He tried to step backward, but the guard behind him shoved him roughly forward. He fell to his knees and found himself stuck due to the rope around his wrists. The white princess walked towards him, and neighed something. The way she was looking at him when she did - there was some sort of meaning behind it, maybe? The princess neighed again, almost emphatically. Then, with an uncomfortable jolt, Toby understood. She was trying to communicate with him. "Er - sorry," he said nervously. His voice shook as he spoke. "I-I can't understand you." Sunny looked taken aback as well as confused all at once; could it be that neither of them could understand the other? The princess gave him a hard look, then shook her head slowly. Then her sister walked up behind her and neighed something. It must have been rude, because Sunny replied very curtly. She then lit up her horn, and the pressure on Toby's ears began to change dramatically. At first it wasn't bad; then it started to build. It felt as if his ears were imploding, he half expected them explode at any second. Then - POP! "- sure this is going to work?" said a soft, doubting voice. "It was worth a try," said a firmer one. Toby blinked the tears out of his eyes. The pressure, along with the pain, in his ears had passed, although his ears were still ringing. "Let's try this again, shall we?" said the firm voice. Toby looked up slowly, hardly daring to believe his own ears. Sunny was looking down at him with a calm but slightly apprehensive look. "Who are you, and where do you come from?" she asked calmly, but there was an urgent tone in her voice. Toby froze. That horse just spoke fluent English. "Well!?" asked Moony aggressively, but Sunny gave her a quelling look. Toby took a deep, shaky breath. "AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGHH!!!!!"