Two weeks later
It took me nearly a week to make every person a grave. It would have been faster if I didn’t have to collect the…bodyparts and try to match them with the original owner. I didn’t want to desecrate their memories and bodies more than they were already. The stench was unbearable but I just couldn’t leave them there like that. So I set out for making the proper amounts of graves, which was a hard task considering that i had other needs and the fact that I had a hard time deciding what part went where. And I wasn’t sure that I managed to pair up everything with everyone so I have to ask for their forgiveness in the afterlife.
Of course I went back to Lightning’s hut to tell them that I was okay. I can surely say that that meeting was less than stellar.
Flashback: The day after I went back to Trot.
I knocked n the door to the hut and I heard some shuffling on the other side. Obviously Lightning was awake but she didn’t open the door yet.
“Who is it?” she asked from behind the door and I told her it was me. Opening the door I saw that she was looking really exhausted and was nearly on the verge of fainting, she must have stayed up all day to protect Evelyn and to see if I came back. When she saw me she threw the door open and ran out, hugging me.
“What happened Jack.” she asked me but when she saw my face and the sorrow on it she started to understand it. “Please tell me that it isn’t…” she trailed off and I did nothing just nod.
“I’m sorry, so sorry. I wasn’t fast enough and now Trot is…” I just couldn’t finish and broke down into sobs as I hugged Lightning closer to me, whom also started to cry. After what seemed like hours of crying Lightning softly started to speak to me.
“It’s not your fault Jack, you couldn’t have known that this would happen. Nopony would have known this. You did what you could so please….don’t blame yourself for something that was out of your reach. Please.” she pleaded to me but I didn’t say anything. And then a thought entered my head.
“How is Evelyn, Lightning?” I asked her and saw that realization hit her like a bolt of lightning (no pun intended) and she looked back into the hut and then gasping. Following the line of her sight I saw that Evelyn was standing in the center of the hut and had a shocked and confused expression on her face. Slowly, oh so slowly she made her way towards us.
“What do you mean that its not Mr. Jack’s fault Lightning?” she asked her with desperation in her voice, she knew what we were talking about but she wasn’t about to accept it. She came closer asking again. “What’s wrong with Trot? Is mommy and papa alright? Did something happen to them?” by this point a fresh wave of tears started to flow from both mine and Lightning’s eyes.
“Come here Evelyn.” I said to her and she complied. “Evelyn, I’m sorry that I have to say this but Trot is…gone.” the confusion on her face twisted the metamorphic knife in my heart as I knew what was coming.
“What do you mean gone?” she asked fearfully and I took in a deep breath preparing myself.
“Evelyn, I-i..I’m so sorry.” I hugged her as close as I could and she didn’t understand why was I behaving in such way but she got a really bad feeling about it.
“Why do you say sorry? I don’t understand, what’s wrong? Mr. Jack, are my parents alright?” there it is, the question I just don’t want to answer.
“No Evelyn, they aren’t alright.” I answered her. By this time her legs started to tremble as the truth dawned on her but like every living being, she too didn’t want to accept the cold, harsh truth. Clinging to the metaphorical last straw she asked me with trembling voice.
“Are they sick?” she asked in hopes that that was the only problem. I looked helplessly at Lightning asking her silently of what to do. But like me, she too had no idea of how to do it. I knew I could do nothing else than tell her the truth.
“Evelyn, your parent….they are in a better place now.” this was it. I saw the horrible realization dawn on her and she immediately started to protest.
“No, NO! They can’t be….They are…They…” she didn’t continue as she knew I was telling her the truth and instead broke down into crying as she buried her head into my chest. I looked over to Lightning to see that she was crying again as well. Evelyn cried for hours until she finally fell asleep due to both physical and emotional exhaustion. I carried the poor girl to the bed and let her sleep, hopefully without any nightmares and bad dreams. The zebra mare walked next to me and looked at me questioningly.
“What will you do now?” she asked me and I turned to her.
“I’m going to go back. They deserve a better resting place. I can’t just leave them there.” she nodded knowing that it was for the best and even if she wanted she couldn’t say anything to change my opinion of it.
“When will you go then?”
“Now, the sooner I start the sooner I finish and the faster they can be at final peace.” she looked surprised that I was going out this soon but knew that I had to do this.
“Can we help?” she asked me and I shook my head.
“No, what happened to them is not something that you should see. And especially not Evelyn, she would break even more than she already is. So please Lightning, take care of her until I come back. I will check back regularly to see if everything is alright, okay?” I asked her and she nodded solemnly. Standing up o walked out the hut and teleported back to the small and now dead town.
Flashback: end.
After that I started to dig the graves just outside the town. True to my words every few days I would go back to the hut to check on them to see if they need anything and if they are alright. Evelyn had became very distant and it was starting to worry me. I knew that she was in a shock and was just coping with this the best she could but I hope that she will snap out of this. And if she doesn’t then me and Lightning will have to do something. And that’s another thing, I talked to her about this and she had agreed to come with me. If she stayed here then she wouldn’t have any way to get further supplies and sooner or later she would have to move either way. And truth to be told…I kinda wanted her to come with me too. She was the first person…pony…zebra here whom I met and she is really kind and fun. And I have the feeling that she wanted to come with me too. So with mutual agreement we decided that she will come with me along with Evelyn.
And I didn’t just bury the populace of Trot, I decided to train myself in case something happens to us on our travels. And I knew that something WILL happen, that thing won’t let me be if what I read about its Earthen counterpart was true. I tried out everything I remembered from my martial arts training from long ago and found out that I could perform them unnaturally easily, probably thanks to the feline-like agility and grace that came from me being a part feline now. Various forms and stances were re-practiced every day for hours until I was somewhat satisfied with them.
But I wasn’t about to use just my body only for defense. For the first time since I came here I tried out my bag for something I had never thought would use it for. Weapons, any weapon I ever dreamt of using, I tried them out at least once (expect for one). And I tested the limits of the bag. And boy I was surprised, it seems that any weapon I pull out will automatically disappear after 24 hours, no matter what. I actually found it out when a special blade I got disappeared when I wanted to use it the next day. And it was thanks to this blade that my accuracy with thrown object increased. Even before I came here I had the annoying (to others) habit that I was throwing everything that I had. It didn’t matter where I was throwing it, up away or down, I just threw stuff. It was even better with this blade as it always came back, heh the fun you can have with vorpal blades.
But weapons were not the only thing I tried, money gems various clothes and fabrics were pulled out and I was delighted that none of them had the time limit that the weapons did. So it would seem that money wasn’t an issue and that was quite the relief.
So now we (Lightning, Evelyn and me) were standing in front of the now finished graveyard, ready to go but we still had to do one thing. A proper farewell.
With enough work I managed to get the names of everyone in Trot. Those names were now engraved in a large stone so it may be forever remembered. Additionally I wrote a final message and warning to those whom would find this place. To warn them of what happened here, and the tragic fate that befall them.
Know this traveler,
Who walks this way.
That in this place,
A hundred and twenty lay in peace.
Killed by those who wanted no change,
Avenged by the one who here had no place.
Another thirty forever lost,
Taken by the one born from the shadows.
We all stood before the graveyard especially one pair of graves, Strong Wind’s and Aria’s. We stood there in silence as Eve was starting to sob with Lightning trying to reassure the young griffin girl. I watched the scene with moist eyes, thinking about all of these lives that were lost in the…massacre, there is no other word for what happened here.
I walked away from them a bit and took off my bag, opening it I started pulling out various non-sugary cakes and started to make a cross out of them of the ground. By the time I finished both of the girls came over and watched with interest of what I was doing.
“What are you doing Jack?” Lightning asked me and I stood up since I was finished.
“There was an old tradition from where I came from. After a person was buried they usually made a cross out of food, preferably non-sugary cakes, and then pour it with some wine or other alcohol on the cross.” and as I was explaining it I pulled out a bottle of wine (Tokaji Aszú) and opened it.
“But why?” asked Eve, finally talking for the first time for two weeks. Despite the situation this put a small smile on my face but before I answered I took a gulp from the wine and offered the bottle to Lightning who eyed it verily but then accepted and drank from it too.
“Because it was believed that this way the soul of the dead will have a sweet afterlife.” after this I took back the bottle from Lightning and poured the rest of its contents on the food drenching them. With that finished I decided to say my final farewells of the ex-residents of this town.
“I don’t know what to say, as I hardly knew everyone here but I can say that wherever you all are now is a better place than here. Strong, Aria if you hear this then know that I will take care of Evelyn. I will see it that she will have a great life and beat any potential suitors that I won’t like.” this got giggles out of the females and I smiled. “And for what its worth, I give my word that I will have revenge on that thing. Goodbye.” and with that I finished saying my last words to them and stepped back.
Thinking about it i knew of a song that would fit in here.
Looking over to my two companions I saw that their tears had dried and like me, they were ready to go. Asking them if they wanted anything else got a negative reply from them I touched them softly and went back to the hut to finish the packing. While I trained my teleport power, which I named Blink (I like the name so piss off) it still took a considerable amount of effort and energy to transport others with me for great distances. I’m gonna have to work on that.
Anyway, packing up was short since everything just went into my bag since it could hold it. Soon we were finished and since it was too late to start going we decided to sleep here for the last time and start early tomorrow. I didn’t want to spend any more time here than it was necessary, something was off about this place and I don’t mean the amount of dead that I buried. No, what I was thinking about was less direct. During the two weeks that I spent there I sometimes had the feeling that I was being watched and that wasn’t a good sign.
Thinking about this i slowly succumbed the clutches of sleep, hoping that the future will be brighter for us from here on.
Well here it is. Albeit short i hope that you guys will like it.