//------------------------------// // Until We Meet Again // Story: Dawn of the First Day // by Miniscule Literary //------------------------------// "Ok..." Alfonz began, making sure the coast was clear with a quick glance to his left and right. "We need to proceed very, very, very carefully." Spike did not respond. The dragon still seemed to be shifting in and out of consciousness; his gaze seemed unfocused and hazy, and he teetered ominously, as if about to faint. "Damn it Spike, snap out of it!" Alfonz growled, trying to grab the dragon by the shoulders. When his limbs didn't respond, he opted to crouch down to Spike's level instead. "I know you've been through some shit, but if you don't focus there is a very good chance that both of us will die." Spike's eyes widened a bit, and for once Alfonz felt as though he was actually looking at him. "Good enough," Alfonz said, giving the dragon a firm nod. "As long as you can keep up and shut up, we may make it out of here alive." The man stood slowly, making sure they were still alone. He felt the door behind them would open at any moment, and a horde of very angry, very bruised ponies would pour out and drag them to their doom. They needed to get moving. But where could they go? The only remotely safe place - and he used the term "safe" lightly - was Canterlot. Even then, it was trading one evil for another; he still owed Celestia, after all. Getting to Canterlot was easier said than done. Without wings of their own - Spike being far too out of it to be of use in that department - they had very little options available to them. Alfonz had no clue how to get to Canterlot on foot, if such a thing was even possible. "The train!" Alfonz exclaimed, trying to make a gesture to coincide with his epihany, only to stare hatefully at his unresponsive limbs. "You know, this is getting old." A short yell shattered his concentration. Muffled and incomprehensible, it clearly came from the library. Now was not the time to wait around. "Come on Spike," Alfonz began, nudging the little dragon with his foot. "We've got a train to catch." Progress was slow. Spike moved like a zombie, shuffling slowly through the streets of Ponyville without much conscious thought. The speed Alfonz had seen him move in the library - a slow trot - seemed like wishful thinking at this point. Although he himself moved with determination and care, he was not without his own hangups; his ruined limbs burned mercilessly, and the sensation seemed to grow more intense the longer they walked. He found himself grinding his teeth to suppress the pain, even with adrenaline and fear pumping through his veins. Alfonz had chosen their path wisely. Instead of cutting through the town square to reach the train station - an arguably quicker route, but many times more dangerous - he decided to circle around it instead, keeping them in deserted-or-very-nearly-so streets to avoid detection. Things had gone quite well for most of the journey, but of course, Alfonz's good fortune would quickly run out. "There he is!" The sound made his blood run cold. Looking back, Alfonz quickly spotted the source: a lone earth pony mare, pointing in their direction, her head turned down around street corner. The low rumble of a crowd sounded in response, and the situation became quite clear quite quickly. An angry mob of ponies - all mares, of course - poured into the street, arguing loudly with each other. Once he and Spike came into sight, however, their behavior took an even darker turn: the front of the herd broke out into a stampede, screaming their displeasure as they charged toward the man and dragon. "SPIKE!" Alfonz cried, turning back around. The dragon had not stopped his shambling, and was several meters ahead of Alfonz at this point. Even so, it took only a moment for the man to run to his side, desperately trying to urge the dragon to speed up. "Spike, please! Gems! Rarity! Freedom! Twilight! Other good things! Not dying!" the man screamed in rapid succession, trying to spark some life in the dragon. Spike finally stopped, looking at the man through glazed-over eyes. "We are going to die!" Spike's eyes widened, the dragon shooting a glance behind them. The mob had reached the half way point in their direction. With a short shout, Spike broke out into a frenzied sprint, waving his arms hysterically as he went. Alfonz took off after him, his arms moving limply at his sides as he went. The sound of the charging crowd lit a metaphorical fire under his feet, allowing him to push his own limits as best he could. Spike was surprisingly fast; despite the dragon's stature, he moved with incredible haste, much to Alfonz's delight. The train station was barely within sight now. Maybe, just maybe, they would make it. "...But what if there isn't a train?" Alfonz asked himself as he ran, his eyes widening at the horror of the revelation. How had he been so stupid! It wasn't like there were trains there at all hours of the day! And even if there was, who could say that there was one going to Canterlot? This plan was looking more like wishful thinking with each passing second. But with a mob of furious, horny ponies behind them, where else could they go? "I see it!" Spike called ahead, almost causing the man to trip. He did not expect the dragon to be capable of speech, let alone aware of the situation. "There's a train pulling into the station!" "Hot damn you're right!" Alfonz replied with a wide grin as the station drew closer and closer. Indeed, a multicolored train, like he had seen in the show, was chugging its way to the station. At this rate, it would arrive before they did, and without a moment to lose. Now they just had to get onto it before being torn apart by the town's residence. The sound of their pursuers had been growing progressively louder as they went. Despite their best efforts to outrun them, and despite their generous head start, the ponies were gaining on them at an alarming rate. There was no way they could reach the station before being caught, not at this speed. Alfonz could think of only one solution. With a short yell, the man channeled the Princess' magic into his legs, tripling his own speed in seconds. In but a moment, he was at Spike's side, hoisting the dragon off the ground with both arms, which trembled weakly under the strain. The pain was excruciating, but Alfonz willed himself onward. His body could not take much more, but he refused to let it fail. Not yet. The man's new speed allowed them to easily outrun their pursuers. In a few moments, the man was within a few meters of the station itself. It was only then that he noticed the train was still moving. Not only that, but they were alone on the platform; the train must not be stopping, as it had no ponies to pick up. "No, no, no!" Alfonz cried in despair as the train began to pull away. Slowing to a stop at the edge of the platform, the end of the train car was already several meters ahead of him, and increasing in distance rapidly. They had been too slow after all...or were they? The man hesitated. He knew what he had to do, but damn it, why did it have to be this way?! "This is the last time I'm going to save your dumb ass!" Alfonz yelled to Spike over the cavalcade of noise, from both the train and their pursuers. "What're you-" the dragon began as he was lifted above the man's head. "Get to Canterlot, get to the palace!" Alfonz explained, taking careful aim. "Keep out of sight! If you get caught again, I swear to God...!" "Alfonz, wait!" Spike cried, but it was already too late. Using what remained of his strength, Alfonz launched the dragon into the air like a football. Soaring the distance to the train, Spike collided with the door leading into the end car with a loud thud, slowly sliding to the base of the door shortly after. Alfonz immediately cried out in pain and collapsed onto his knees. Blood trickled down from his forearms, creating small pools beneath his hands. The man's head was pointed back, staring into the heavens, breathing heavily. If his arms were totaled before, they were beyond redemption now. He almost didn't notice the crowd circling around him, murmuring angrily amongst themselves. "Good work, ladies!" the proud voice of Ponyville's Mayor echoed over the lot of them. The crowd parted, allowing the older mare through. "Now this ruffian can finally face up to his crimes!" The crowd yelled their approval. "What...crimes..." Alfonz breathed, looking at the Mayor weakly. His vision dropped in and out of focus, and he feared he would lose consciousness. "Disturbing the peace! Assaulting a public official!" the Mayor replied, earning a cry from the crowd with each sentence. "You thought you would get away with it, too! And we even tried to make you welcome here. I hope you're proud of yourself." "What do we do...now?" Alfonz asked, trying to rise, but found his legs to be almost as bad as his arms. He was powerless. "You heard him, citizens of Ponyville!" the Mayor cried, looking around at the crowd. "What shall we do with him?"