Chapter 3: Friendly Faces, Sad Memory
I found myself in a library when I open my eyes, thus making contact to the ponies and the creature.
I honestly don't know how long I looked at the ponies or the small creature. As the time past, I took a further scan on all the ponies and the creature to get more detail. The pony on my left is a white unicorn. Her mane and tail are purple and curled. Her eyes are a azure color, as well as a light blue eyeshadow. The pony to her left is an orange, normal pony. Her mane and tail is blonde and each ends with a red ponytail. I notice besides her emerald eyes is her freckles under each eye. To her left is another normal pony, but her body, poofy mane and tail is pink. Her eyes is blue, the only thing that's not pink. Besides her is a blue pegasus with reddish-pink eyes. Her hair is what seems to be like a rainbow and her hair style is shorter than the others, leading me to guess that she might be a tomboy. The next pony is a yellow pegasus, but I didn't get much detail on her since she keeps hiding behind the tomboy. Her mane and tail is a light pink and her eyes is cyan. To my right is the unicorn from earlier, already describe her. Next to her is the small, purple creature. His body is purple, of course, with green spikes on his back, starting at his head and ends on his tail. His eyes is a green color. He seems to be a large reptile, but what do I know? I also notice the ponies had tattoos on their flanks. The white unicorn had three blue diamonds on her, the orange pony had three apples, the pink pony had three balloons (two blue, one yellow), the blue pegasus had a cloud with a rainbow lighting bolt coming out of it, the yellow pegasus had three pink butterflies, and the purple unicorn had a six-pointed pink star.
After examining each of these beings, their eyes staring at me was becoming a bit creepy so I spoke up. "Um," I said. "It's rude to stare at people for a large amount of time without introducing yourself , you know." The first to speak was the purple unicorn. "Of course," she said. "My name is Twilight Sparkle and these ponies..." She pointed her hoof at the others. "... are my friends."
Each came closer to me and each introduce themselves to me. The white unicorn is Rarity, the orange pony is Applejack, the pink pony is Pinkie Pie, the blue pegasus is Rainbow Dash, and the shy, yellow pegasus is Fluttershy. They, including Twilight, is very polite, which I didn't expect since when I meet people on Earth, they always called me a weirdo. "Nice to meet you all," I said. "My name is..." "Geoff Dowling," a voice said. My head move towards the owner of the voice, which was the purple reptile, holding my wallet. "Yeah, Geoff," I said as I took my wallet back from him. "But you may call me Draco if you want." "The name's Spike," he said. "And why should we call you Draco?" "I don't know, Spike," I muttered. "Probably something to do with my love to dragons." He smile when I said that. After that, he spoke yet again. "Well, you like me since I am a dragon." I raised an eyebrow and moved my head closer to Spike, saying, "Really? I didn't expect a dragon to look like you" Twilight, soon, spoke next. "What did you expect a dragon to look like?" "Well," I said as I try to figure out what to use as an example. Then, I noticed my tattoo on my right arm and my suitcase. "Something like this." Holding out my arm. "And that." I pointed at my suitcase. "Seems spooky," Dash said as she move towards at my case. "Yet, look awesome."
"DON'T GO NEAR THAT!" I shouted, which made everyone jump when my voice rang in the library. I ran towards my case, grabbed it and sat on the ground with it in my arms. "What is your deal with this suitcase?" Rarity said. "Is there something in there that 'all not letting anypony know?" Applejack said next. "Yes," I whispered. The next voice was Fluttershy, the owner of the quiet voice from earlier. "Can we see it," she said. "I mean if you want?" My eyes look at Fluttershy. Her cyan eyes were so beautiful and it felt like her stare are stabbing on my soul. Damn it, I thought when I look into her eyes. "OK," I manage to say. "But you must never tell anyone about this." Each of their heads shook in agreement, but Spike's. I open the locks on the suitcase, when Spike's voice came up. "You probably shouldn't open that." "And why's that?" I said as I start to open the suitcase, when suddenly black smoke exploded out of it. "(cough) HOLY MOTHER OF (cough)," I said when I was inhaling the smoke. The smoke filled the room, which made everyone, except Spike, cough. Windows suddenly open in the library, causing the smoke to escape to the outside. My vision return when I saw black ash in the case. "Who the hell did this," I said when I turn my head at the ponies and Spike. Spike spoke up. " I, sorta, looking in your suitcase and, then, suddenly I sneeze. When I sneeze, flames came out and burn all of your things you had in there. Sorry." I looked back at the black ash, saying, "nonononononoNONONONONONO!" I start to dig through the ashes, throwing it everywhere, looking for "it". Then, I felt a flat and smooth surface in the ashes.
Could it be? I thought. I shove both of my hands into the ashes and pulled out a black, metal box. "Oh, thank goodness!" I said in relief. I threw my suitcase to my right and set the box on my lap. I wipe off the ashes on the top and it revealed a gold plate with an inscription bolted on the box. It reads:
"To my son,
who I love very much"
I unlock the lock that is on the box and opened it. Inside was things that once belong to my father. On the top, his combat knife, blade as long as twenty centimeters. It have a dragon and a tiger engraved on the blade. Next to it was its housing, you know, where to put the knife in when I want to carry it around with me. On the bottom was his gun. A custom-made gold Desert Eagle with a lazer sights attached on the bottom of the barrel. Engraved on the handle, a blue tiger on the left and a red dragon on the right. Spare magazines rested below the gun. I noticed a picture sticking out below the butt of the gun. I grab the picture and looked at the image. It was me, age six, with a patch over my right eye. And the person's shoulders that I was on was my father.
"Father..." I whisper as I closed my eyes and a tear drop down on my face.
(Flashback, thirteen years ago)
"Come on, daddy. I want to play horsy again."
"Son, your old man is tired. Why don't you go play with your toys?"
"OK."
Ah, young Geoff. So young and filled with so much energy. His mother was in Florida and his father in the living room in a two-story home in Maine. His parents' divorced about three years ago. His father had rights to have his son during the summer and school breaks. Geoff love his father more than his mother. His father was a military man, a Sargent. When he is off in the battlefield, Geoff always wished his father luck and come back with stories.
This was a happy time for Geoff, until...
One day, during a school day in Florida, Geoff jumped off the bus when he saw his mother and a military officer. He noticed his mother was crying and the officer had a white note with a red spot on it and a large, black box. "Why is mommy crying, officer?" Geoff asked the officer. "Son, I have some bad news for you," the officer said. "Two days ago, your father was in a scouting mission with his team. The mission was a success, but with casualties." "Who?" the little boy said. "Well, your father wrote you a letter before he continued with his mission, before he..." He gives Geoff the note. "Read this."
It reads:
"Dear Geoff,
I might be on this mission a bit longer than I expected. I wonder how you are doing in school. I hope your grades are improving. When I come home, I want to take you out to a..."
The rest was unreadable due to the red spot. "Why is this spot covering the letter, mister?" Geoff asked the officer. The officer sighed, "That is your father's blood. He got shot directly to the head with a sniper bullet." The boy stepped back from the officer. "What are you trying to say?" "He's dead," the officer said. "I'm sorry."
Geoff was completely shocked of what he just heard. All the happiness in him vanished into thin air. He cried to his father's death, knees on the ground. The officer gave the black box to Geoff's mother, telling her to give the box to him when he is at least sixteen. Since that day, Geoff never acted the same way ever again.
(Present Day)
I don't know how long I was out, but when I open my eyes the ponies was gone, as well as Spike. I put the picture back in the box and locked it up. I placed the box on top of a nearby table when I noticed a note on the table. I pick up the note and read it myself. The note only had three words: "Follow the arrows" "Follow the arrows?" I questioned the note. "What did it mean by..." My sentence was cut short when I see arrows on the door in the library. I open the door and find more arrows, floating in the air. I followed the arrows when I noticed the sky was dark and the bright moon beaming down on my face. How long was I out?
The arrows soon lead me to a building. It look like a gingerbread house from that one fairy tale I heard when I was little. The arrows was pointed at the door of the building. I walked towards the door and pushed it open since the door here lack a doorknob. In the building, a note was placed on the counter across the room. I picked up the note and it reads: "Upstairs"
I looked around for the stairs. I found them on my left, so I started my assent up the stairs. The room on the top was completely dark. Windows must of been covered up with curtains, I thought. I felt around the wall near me for a light switch. I found the switch and flick on, then all of the sudden...
"SURPRISE!"
"OH CRAP," I shouted as I jump backwards towards the stairs. I fell down the stairs, hitting some steps along the painful way down. My fall stopped at the bottom, hitting the floor with such force, it cause one of the painting on the wall to fall and hit me on the head. I was knocked out before I could manage to escape from the object.