//------------------------------// // Start // Story: Fun Bug // by HJSDGCE //------------------------------// There was silence in the air. The trio AKA Saddy, Indigo and Haven, drove their reinforced jeep towards the broken town, which is now a refugee camp, known as Appleloosa, through the hot and sandy desert. The engine, which is a CDC, shines brightly like daylight and emitted laser-like sounds. Closer they drove, Indigo and Saddy started to get cautious, sweat poured through their faces, gulping down their saliva, wondering what we’re to happen next. The driver, Haven, drove to the gate of Appleloosa calmly, like he wasn’t worried of what we’re to happen. His face though, was not showing happiness, but instead, he was unsure but wasn’t scared, just unsure, like he knew what was to happen. He drove at a steady 30 km/h, going straight to the gate. As the trio reached Appleloosa’s entrance, they stopped. The we’re blocked by a large metal gate, made of barbed wire and some parts we’re covered by wooden planks and metal plates. The gate was connected with a link of fences, which is then connected to a wall made of old cars and trucks, welded and nailed together. A guard showed up from the other side of the gate, a unicorn, holding a StG 44, his face covered by a gas mask and wearing torn pieces of clothing. He pointed his gun at Saddy, the laser sight going straight between his eyes. Saddy, unsure what was happening, lifted his hooves up high, screaming to stop. “Stop! Stop! STOP! I’m not a bad guy! Please don’t shoot me!” The guard went forward to the trio, still staying behind gate as his only line of defense. “Identify yourself.” “Umm…” Saddy couldn’t answer. He was too deep in shock that he forgot his own name. More guards came by, still behind the gate. Some wore gas masks, while others wore bandanas around their faces or a party mask, made of simple paper. “I said, identify yourself!” The guards all pointed their guns at the trio, some having semi-automatic rifles with laser sights while others just a simple pistol, like a glock or a Desert Eagle. Indigo leaped onto Saddy’s hooves, both shaking like a pair of wet cats, coming out of a cold bath. They even had tears around their eyes, believing they might actually die before they even started a life as a somepony. Haven stood up from his seat, lifted his hoof in front of Saddy and Indigo. “Stand down, soldier. In case you know what’s good for ya.” The soldiers looked at Haven, examining his face. They then leaned back in shock, surprised to see a face they believed to have been forgotten. “Oh my… Open the gate! NOW!” the guard ordered. The others obeyed their commanding officer with no second thoughts, rushing up through a set of stairs and pulled a rusty, old metal pipe which was transformed into a lever. The gate slowly rises, gears cranked and chains moved. “Sit down, both of you. I think we’re going to have a warm welcome.” Saddy and Indigo didn’t have to be told twice for that. Haven drove the jeep slowly, not wanting to rush as they moved straight through the road, which on each side has a giant wall, about 20-feet tall. There, ponies, of all different colours and species, watched over them from the top of the walls, blinking and surprised. Saddy, thinking about fainting from all of this attention, started weeping and hugging Indigo tightly, who was choking from Saddy’s incredible hugging muscles. The jeep kept on moving slowly, not going faster or slower, as Haven drove it with one hoof out the window. He didn’t care about the ponies watching. He just kept on driving like it was nopony’s business. Finally, they reached the end of the road into the town centre. Haven parked the jeep just under a flagpole, holding the last known Equestria National Flag. The flag, blowing in the wind of the desert, being the last beacon of hope for the citizens of Equestria. Still though, the ponies kept on looking at them, each with a different expression. “I don’t like how they look at us… I’m not used to this much attention…” Saddy, who was still choking Indigo by his hug power, moved his head left and right, looking at all of the ponies watching them. Indigo managed to break free by moving his hoof under Saddy’s hug muscles and screamed as he exploded in strength, much to Haven’s delight. Saddy was knocked to the jeep’s door, his head bleeding again, but that didn’t stop Indigo slapping the living soul out of Saddy for hugging him to near death. “You idiot! You nearly killed me with those hug muscles of yours! Seriously, who hugs like that?! You don’t hug ponies in fear till they choke to death, you little son of a homosexual griffon!” Suddenly, a pony started to clap their hooves, and more started to do the same, followed by cheers and a pony fainting with white bubbles coming out of his mouth. Haven walked out of the jeep, dragging both the bleeding Saddy and the not-choking-for-air Indigo out of the worked-up vehicle. “See, nothing to worry about-“ A pony came from the sky (which is actually, just the top of the walls), falling in style, but crash landed at a fruit stall. A couple of silent minutes went by… “What the heck just happened?” Saddy said, still confused of the pony who just jumped off a 20-feet tall wall onto a fruit stall, currently still there, not moving. Suddenly, the pony jumped out of the broken piles of wood and fruit, which still failed to land properly, but recovered 3 seconds afterwards with a smirk in his face. But that smirk quickly disappeared, his eyes we’re locked to the trio and now, his face has a frown instead. Saddy looked at him back, examining his bleeding face (probably from the fall), his tattered clothes, his bottle of not-so-expensive alcohol, and the long mane he has that hides his eyes. “You shouldn’t have come back, Haven. You should’ve stayed dead.” “Umm… Haven… What is he talking about?” Saddy gave Haven a suspicious look. “Don’t worry… I’ll handle it.” Haven walked towards the drunk stallion, his face emotionless while the drunk one’s face was filled with anger. As they reached close to each other, Haven started a conversation. “Nice to see you again, Cotto-“ BAM! Haven was punched right in the face, throwing him right to Saddy and Indigo. They both caught Haven as he fell, but was thrown back a little as well. Haven stood back up, walking calmly towards the drunk pony. The pony punched him again, but this time, he wasn’t thrown back like before. Again, and again and again, the drunkard gave Haven a barrage of punches. Haven kept on standing still, keeping his ground. “Dude! Fight back! You’re getting pummeled out there!” Saddy ran towards the drunk pony, but was stopped by Haven. “No! This is not your fight!” Saddy stood there, unable to help his friend, who was being beaten countless times. Bruises started to show on Haven’s face, bloody nose and hoof marks as well. But Haven didn’t fight back. The drunkard gave Haven the strong punch, which easily threw Haven onto the ground, his back leaned on the dirt floor. Haven breathed heavily, exhausted and hurt from all those punches. He had a black eye, hoof marks on his cheeks and forehead, a bloody nose , even bruises but not just on his face, on his body as well. Saddy and Indigo quickly ran towards the beaten Haven, but the drunkard reached him first. The drunkard, who was a unicorn, used his horn and made a barrier around him and Haven, blocking Saddy and Indigo from reaching their friend. The drunkard then kept on punching him nonstop, gritting his teeth in anger. “Oh man! This is bad! If the drunkard keeps on punching him like this, he might die from internal bleeding and brain damage!” The punches went on until… Suddenly, orange spikes came out of the ground, shattering the shield like glass and making a border between Haven and the drunkard. The spikes then surrounded the drunkard, creating an orange, indestructible jail. The drunkard tried his best to break the spikes, but to no avail. “LET ME OUT! LET ME KILL THAT BASTARD OF A PONY!” “Stop it, commander. You’re not getting anywhere by beating him to death.” a feminine voice answered. Saddy heard exactly what the voice said, and asked himself. “Wait, commander? Did she said commander?” The drunkard kept on struggling to get free, but eventually, he gave up. The spikes slowly entered the ground once more, but the border between him and Haven was still intact. “There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” It was the feminine voice again. But this time, she showed herself from the shadows, the last of the spikes disappeared in her presence. The drunkard made a “Hmph!” sound and left the scene. Haven was then taken by some ponies wearing medical masks into the town. While that happened, Saddy was surprised to see her, while Indigo was drooling instead. “I’m sorry for that. My name is Carrot Top. Usually, ponies around here call me General Carrot Top. Welcome to the Resistance.” The mare, Carrot Top, was a regular Earth pony. She had an orange mane with a coat of a lighter orange colour. Her mane had a large curl at the front, while having smaller curls at the back. She wore a yellow sweater with a pink butterfly mark on its shoulder, probably taken from some other dead pony, and a pair of tight black pants, covering her cutie mark. As Saddy was still examining her, Indigo slapped him at the back of his head, snapping him out of his focus. “Dude, stop looking at her like that! That’s like, wrong!” Carrot Top gave a small giggle. Indigo trotted towards Carrot Top, his chest up high, wings folded and tried walking like a noble would. “Nice to meet you, General Carrot Top. My name is Indigo and I work out 7 hours a day, like romantic and comedy movies, loves eating spaghetti with a mate under the moonlight with a romantic Italian song and is willing to do anything for my mate. Also, my wings are blades.” Indigo said, giving a seductive-like face afterwards. “I’m sorry, Indigo is it? But I’m not looking for a relationship right now. We are at war, and I don’t want to fail my role as the leading commander of this army.” her face unamused by Indigo’s introduction. “Anyway… what’s your name? And please don’t give a flirting introduction like he did.” “Umm… My name is Saddy, and I’m supposedly his best friend.” “Nice to meet you, Saddy. I see that you we’re well acquainted with one of my top commanders of my army. You know, Haven?” “Wait, did you say Haven is one of your top commanders? Just like that drunkard who beaten the crap of him?!” “Yeah, just like that…” Carrot Top was embarrassed of what her two commanders had just did. Indeed, that wasn’t the kind of image she wanted to give to any new recruits. “Anyway… My army need some new recruits. Do want to work for what’s left of Equestria? We need some potential youngsters like you.” “Work for an army? Well, I never knew th-“ “We’ll do it! With 100% commitment as well! Free of charge!” Indigo interrupted Saddy, making the decision without his contribution. “Good! One of my commanders will see you tomorrow, so get ready by 7:00 a.m., sharp! One of my men will call you at your rooms. So, I’ll be seeing you later.” Carrot Top then left the town centre in a hurry, guards following her from the back (after all, she is the leading commander), and the crowd dispersed, going back to their regular lives. A pony came towards the duo, introducing himself with a big smile, which scared Indigo. “Hello! My name is Rothiel Hynames! But ponies usually call me Rothy! You must be new here! Cause I’ve never seen you here before! Did you see that fight?! It was awesome, wasn’t it?! But it wasn’t fair since Commander Judge Haven didn’t fight back! So it was boring! I hate watching boring fights! It’s like baking a cake without eggs! And ponies eat eggs! I wonder why ponies eat eggs?! I mean, it’s so weird! And I like eggs as well! But we don’t have eggs here though! Cause we don’t have chickens! I wish we had chickens! Then we can have eggs! And eggs are really good! You can make omelets, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, eggs and hay bacon strips, eggs in a cup, egg tarts, egg sandwiches, eggnog, frittatas, egg burgers, boiled eggs, half-boiled eggs, raw eggs, French toast (obviously made of eggs), egg muffins, egg salad, egg casserole, egg burritos, egg spaghetti, quiches, egg pizzas, egg tacos, meatloaf with eggs, and much, much more! Isn’t eggs great?! I wish we had eggs! But if we had one, we would let it hatch! And make chickens! And chickens make eggs! Or is it eggs that make chickens?! Which came first, the chicken or the egg?!” Rothy took a quick breath. “Also, do you like pie?” “Ok… Umm… I don’t even remember what pie tastes like. Also, did you say meatloaf? What’s meatloaf?” “Oops! I said too much! Never mind! Sorry! Let me show you around!” They followed Rothy around the refugee camp, but he prefers to call it a town, even though half of it is destroyed. They met with many residents there, from the lowest of class to the highest of ranks. In short, they met a lot of ponies. They learned that the ponies here aren’t all soldiers or refugees, there are also the natives and those from outside of Equestria itself, including dragons and griffons. Appleloosa was a town. A home. A loving home with a community. The residents here work together to survive the harsh and cold world. And they’re willing to give up their lives to protect what was left of their homes. Rothy showed them around their new home, introducing them to all of the ponies that they needed to know. Even the ones that are just there for drinks. After they met with all of the residents that are important, Rothy showed them to their rooms and gave them a small test, to see if they remembered all of the ones he introduced. “OK! Question 1, who takes care of all of the weapons and ammo?” “Night Fossil. The crazy archeologist who is obsessed with Princess Twilight.” “Good! Next question, who takes care of the food rations?” “Jack Lantern. He’s a stallion, but looks like a mare. And I should not have wet dreams about him.” “And?...” “Oh! Watermelon Rat! He that guy with buck teeth and wears that worn-out watermelon costume. I still think he’s gay.” “Well, he’s not. He’s just a bit cookoo in the noggin. Third question, who is the top commander?” “Carro- I mean, General Carrot Top.” “A very hot and sexy general too…” “Dude, you got problems.” “Ok, that was weird. Now, who are the commanders under her?” “It’s the three commanders, Judge Haven, Roboshi and Cotton Tales.” “Fourth question. If you get shot or bitten, who do you meet first?” “Brother Hurt, and she is a mare, not a colt. Her name is so confusing.” “How many sections are there in Appleloosa?” “Five! There is the Sky Section, where the commanding officers live, the Mountain Section, where the others live, the Farm Section, where the farming and marketing takes place, the Desert Section, where the soldiers live, and finally the Jungle Section, where the griffons and dragons live.” Rothy did a slow clap, hugging them afterwards. He even let out some happy tears, which felt awkward to Saddy and Indigo. “I’m so proud of you guys! I never had apprentices before! And you did quite well too!” “Umm… Dude, we not your apprentices, and all you did was introduce us to some other ponies as weird as you.” “I know! Isn’t it beautiful?!” Rothy, still crying and proud, let go of them and happily gave them a salute. He smiled at them, which they smiled back. He turned around and just before he left, he gave them this advice. “Remember, if you need to know anything about anything, just find me at the library. I check on everything around here, and the library is full of quills and paper for me to use. Good luck tomorrow, soldiers.” Rothy left afterwards. “Wow, that guy was weird, wasn’t he?” “Well, according to him, a lot of ponies here are weird. Not to mention the asylum they have at the other side of town.” Saddy and Indigo looked at their new room. They we’re roommates after all. It was a small room, with two metal-framed beds, one close to the door while ther other at the right corner, each having only a worn-out pillow, what’s left of a blanket, and a bouncy mattress that looks like the springs can break free at any moment. There we’re no windows, just one door to get out. There we’re two cupboards and a drawer, all three we’re still in good condition. There was a table lamp on the left cupboard, where the closer bed is, and a wall fan on the left corner. The wallpaper in the room was torn and scratched, the ceiling lamp was blinking continuously, and the room right next to theirs has a very loud radio. But they didn’t mind. They we’re just happy to get here alive and have a place to call home. “Dibs on the corner bed!” Indigo leaped onto his new, yet old, bed while bouncing on it a little. Saddy sat on his bed, which was closer to the door, adjusting himself to find a comfortable spot. He fluffed his pillow, grabbed his blanket and went straight to sleep. Indigo, on the other hoof, just lied on his bed, smiling with his mouth open. “Good night, Indigo. Have a pleasant sleep.” “Good night, Saddy. Make sure you kill those Pinkies in your nightmares.” The duo went to sleep, with smiles on their faces, happy of their new home. They couldn’t wait for tomorrow, where they will start their lives as soldiers, working for the Resistance. It was a very exciting day for them, and they we’re ready for the next. They slept without a sound to be heard. Well, that lasted for only a few seconds. “Saddy… Hey, Saddy… Wake up… I need to pee…” Even though that was just a whisper, it woke Saddy up anyway. “Go outside of our room, turn left and keep going straight. You can’t miss it.” Indigo hurried to the toilet, which was farther than he expected. --------------- It was a new day at Appleloosa. The birds were chirping, the chickens, which were brought back by the scouting team last night, coukoo’d at the top of their lungs, waking up almost half of the residents there. Saddy and Indigo we’re one of them. Saddy was woken up in surprise, falling of his bed, straggled by his own blanket, breaking free afterwards. Indigo was a lot worst. He was frighten out of his mind that his coat turned white and he jumped to the ceiling, clinging on it. Indigo even made hissing sounds. When they were fully awake (and Indigo was off the ceiling), they rushed to the bath house, went back to their room since they forgot to bring their clothes with them, rushed back to the bath house, and went on scrubbing each other’s back. After they were done, they went back to their room and grabbed their necessary stuff. Saddy took his glock and some extra ammo, while Indigo took his wing blades, sharpening it afterwards. They left the barracks and ran as fast as they could to the training centre. While on their way there, they took their food rations from Jack Lantern on the go, said hi to few other ponies and rested on a bench halfway. As they reached the training centre, the leaped through the door, only to be hit by something hard on the back of their heads, pummeling them onto the ceramic floor. Their heads were now planted into the ground. “You’re late, newbies. And that was just a little punishment for newbies who came late on their first day. Once you’re used to it, the punishment is different.” Saddy and Indigo lifted their heads, spitted out the soil they were ‘forced’ to eat, and wiped the dirt from their faces. They looked at their attacker, their faces un amused. It was the drunk unicorn from yesterday, who ruthlessly beat Haven in a duel (well, half of a duel since Haven didn’t fight back). And according to General Carrot Top and tour guide Rothy, he was one of the three commanders who take care of Appleloosa. That means, no one, but General Starly and the other two commanders, has the right to argue with him. Which also means, Saddy and Indigo had to keep their mouths shut. Though, today, he wasn’t drunk anymore. In fact, he looks a lot better than before. He was a pegasus, had a yellow coat and a blue mane. He styled his mane into a short afro, his tail is puffy like a bunny’s tail, and he’s wearing decent clothing for once. It was just a simple black biker’s jacket, but at least he’s not naked (even though ponies don’t usually wear clothes). He had a mean glare that seemed to have looked into their souls, which scared both of them a lot. He doesn’t have a cutie mark, which Saddy found odd for a stallion of his age not having a cutie mark. “Are you two just going to lie there all day or are you here for training? I don’t usually train newbies but since I got a recommendation letter from Starly, I suppose that you’re under my responsibility.” Saddy and Indigo stood up quickly, cleaned themselves and followed him to the training centre. There, they saw other ponies, not just them, standing in line. They stood straight, scared and quite frightened. Indigo leaned to Saddy, whispering his opinion. “I don’t like this guy… Those ponies look scared and I don’t see the problem of us being scared.” “Chill out, dude. It probably won’t be so bad.” “Says the pony who was afraid of a garage.” “I thought there we’re cannibals in it.” “Well, there weren’t. Just a commander who punched me out cold.” Saddy and Indigo stood in line with the other ponies, their chests up high and their spines straight like a pole. The commander walked across the line of ponies, in front of them and inspected everyone in the line. He looked carefully at each one, his face angry-like, and stopped at one of them. He sniffed at the mare, looking closely at her, and licked her chest (which gave Indigo a wing boner), making the mare blush. “You we’re eating while I was at the door, weren’t you?...” He looked at the mare in the eyes, a drop of sweat fell from her face, until… “OK! I DID EAT! I’M SO SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!” The mare was on her knees, crying and sobbing, tears flowed through her face like a river in a storm. She rolled around the floor, still crying, like her mind just broke from stress. The others wanted to comfort her, but they were too afraid of the commander. He stopped the inspection there, and introduced himself afterwards. “My name is Cotton Tales. But you may only and I mean ONLY call me Commander Cotton Tales. I am your trainer for today and any other day I am not busy to train you to survive what’s left of your stupid and pitiful lives. You’ll be listening to me from now on, since you’re all worthless and they give worthless ponies like you to me so I can make you LESS WORTHLESS. Even though I doubt that half of you won’t survive, I’ll still visit your grave afterwards. And for today’s exercise on making you less worthless, I’ll be gi- WHAT IS THAT CRUNCHING SOUND?!” He looked at the farthest in the row, which was where Saddy and Indigo were at. He walked in a firm stance, and as he reached there, he looked at Indigo, who was looking the other way and eating some potato chips from a bag. He kept on glaring at Indigo, who didn’t notice him, his face getting redder by the minute. Saddy whispered at Indigo, trying to avoid getting attention from the annoyed commander. “Pss… Hey dude… Pss… He’s right behind you.” “Whro’ze whright behrind mhe?” Indigo kept on eating his chips. “The commander…” Indigo was silent. He took his last bite, frightened by Saddy’s words. He slowly looked behind himself and saw the commander, glaring into his soul. Indigo dropped his bag of potato chips, his face more scared than ever. He lifted his hoof in respond, but fainted afterwards. “Urgh… I can’t believe he’s on my trainee list.” Cotton made a facehoof. Cotton Tales then looked at the pony beside Indigo, which expectedly, was Saddy. “You! You’re in charge of him until he wakes up. We’re going to do the training anyway, and you’ll be doing it TWICE to fill his role.” “WHAT?!” “Don’t argue with me! It’s his fault for eating during my speech! And for the punishment, you’ll also be doing his punishment as well. Or until he wakes up.” Cotton Tales moved to a different room, followed by a line of other ponies and the crying mare was still sobbing on the floor. Indigo, still out cold, was shook by Saddy, who was desperately trying to wake him up. “WAKE UP DUDE! WAKE UP! I DON’T WANT TO DO ALL YOUR TRAINING! THAT’S NOT FAIR!” Saddy ran towards the mind-broken mare, and asked her for something. “Can I borrow some of your tears?” Afterwards, he went back to Indigo, still out cold, with a bucket of tears from the mare, who was still crying and rolling. He looked at the fainted Indigo, who now looks like he was sleeping. Saddy poured the bucket of tears and the bucket itself of Indigo’s face, which managed to wake up Indigo. “Huh?! What?! Slendermane! Wait, what?” “You were out cold. Now let’s go! They probably already started the training without us!” The duo ran as fast as they could to the other room, leaving the sobbing mare behind. As they entered the other room, they kept on running that they ran into a deep abyss, in which Indigo had to save Saddy. Saddy, even though was already saved, screamed is fear. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” “Don’t worry, dude! I got you! Stop moving a lot!” Indigo landed Saddy back at the entrance of the room, while he sat next to Saddy. Saddy, breathing rapidly, tried to calm himself down. He grasped on as much as air as possible, only to scream again after seeing Cotton Tales. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” “Dude, what’s wrong?! Is it about the comman- AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” “What? Is there something on my face?” “YOU’RE A CHANGELING!” “Huh, I guess I am.” Commander Cotton Tales was actually a changeling. As he reverted back to his changeling form, he had a different look. His coat was dark and black, his eyes were blue, his entire body was full of holes, his skin was hard as chitin, and he has fangs that look like it can punch a hole in any piece of metal. He also had red lines from his eyes to his chin, which wasn’t something usual from a changeling. Awkwardly, it seems that clothing isn’t part of the transformation process, since he still has his biker jacket. He looked at the frightened duo, waving his hoof in front of them. “I didn’t break your brains, did I? Cause if I did, that’s a lot of paperwork to fill.” “How come you didn’t tell us that you’re a changeling?!” “It was kinda obvious. Remember yesterday? Now compare it with today.” “Oh… I guess that explains why you were a unicorn yesterday and today, you’re a pegasus.” “Exactly. Now welcome to Hell, ladies.” Cotton Tales pointed at the training grounds the centre had. 'Hell' was a long labyrinth, stretching like a maze. Monsters and unspeakable horrors lie in the labyrinth, ready to kill anyone and anything that dare cross their paths. According to Rothy, the labyrinth is filled with beasts from cockatrices, manticores, meat-eating plants and much more. It's like a mini Everfree, but ten times more dangerous. “Ok, since I already explained the rules, I don’t have to explain it again. Remember, this is NOT a race. You have about an hour to finish it, and I don’t care who finishes it first. Since this is your first day, I expect that you’ll fail anyway. Before we start, who wants to take the punishment instead of the test?” Four ponies raised their hooves. Saddy wanted to raise his hoof as well, but was stopped by Indigo. “Urgh… Why are there always sissies like you? Get out of here!” The four ponies left the room to the other one, where a very strict instructor punishes them for giving up too easily. Meanwhile, the other ten were ready for their test. Some of them stretched, like Indigo did, while others breathed heavily, panicking and sweating furiously, like Saddy. Cotton Tales left the abyss and instead, watched the trainees from outside. With him, watching from there, was General Carrot Top, some other ponies who were just walking by, the medical team who were always ready, and a bandaged Haven, standing there with the help of a pair of underarm crutches. There, he held a rusty revolver with him, using it as a starter gun. He raised his starter gun up high, pointing it to the sky. “READY! GET SET! GO TO HELL!” That last sentence made Saddy to think twice about this obstacle course, but it was too late for him anyway. The trigger was pulled and the bullet had left the barrel of the revolver, breaking the sound barrier. Unfortunately, since there were no blank bullets, Cotton Tales had to use real bullets, which then shot a flying raven, looking for food. The raven plummeted to its death, landing exactly on Haven’s injured head, knocking him unconscious. Medical ponies came to his side, lifting his body back to the emergency room, due to the raven made his bandaged head bleed again. “Damn, that never happened before. Oh well!” Cotton Tales smirked. And then, they were off. Each of them left the starting line at incredible speeds at the same time (except for Indigo, who was still stretching), conquering the first few obstacles and choosing the right paths. The crowd was surprised to the new recruits going through the obstacle course with confidence and skill. Even the commander and the general were impressed by the trainees’ skill and confidence. “You know, the ponies that came with Haven are quite unique. One of them has no memory of his past, while the other is a very skilled pegasus.” “So what? You like them now? I still think Haven was a traitor.” “You used the word ‘was’. That means that one day, you’ll be able to trust him again.” Cotton Tales stood silent for a few minutes, before replying General Carrot Top’s statement. “Yeah, I guess I might. Anyway, how did you know that one of them has amnesia?” “I have my sources. Besides, it’s kinda his job to tell me everything that happens around here.” Cotton Tales nodded as Carrot Top ended their conversation. Meanwhile, the crowd kept on cheering wildly, since watching recruits go through ‘Hell’, or so that’s what they call it, was a rare occasion. Usually, the course was only given for the Special Forces, which the members were handpicked by the commanders and general only. The cheers kept on non-stop. It was so loud, the citizens outside could hear it. But that only last for 7 and a half minutes, until they were all defeated by the impossible course. Saddy, Indigo and the other seven had fallen. They were all on the floor, unconscious and breathing heavily. All of them either had bloody bruises or broken bones, some even had both. The medical team, who was waiting at the top of the course, got in and pulled multiple stretchers, lifting each of the contestants onto it. They brought the injured contestants to the hospital as quickly as possible, wanting to avoid wasting time. Each of them was put in different surgery rooms, with specialists ready for work. Saddy was on the operation table. The bleeding on his head had become worse, he had several broken ribs, wounds covered his entire body, and the lightning shock from the 7th obstacle didn’t do him any good. The specialists went straight to work, doing their best to save the recruits’ life. Meanwhile, the crowd had surrounded the front entrance of the hospital, praying and wishing for the safety of the recruits who just went through ‘Hell’, and luckily will live through the day. “Do you think any of them will survive?” Carrot Top asked the commander. “I think they’ll do fine… Besides, I’ve had worst and that wasn’t even training.” “You both did. Haven and you.” “…” ------------ A few hours had passed, and all the contestants are doing quite well. Most of have woken up from their coma, and are happy. Saddy, who was the last to wake up, felt disoriented but relieved. He woke up on a hospital bed, his left side next to a window, while on his right was Indigo trying desperately to chew some icky, green junk which the hospital calls ‘food’. Saddy rubbed his forehead, still dizzy, and noticed that the wound on his head had disappeared. A door opened and entered, Haven. Unlike last time, he didn’t need crutches to aid him and the bandages around his torso had been taken off. Indigo didn’t notice Haven entering the room, even though Haven stole his piece of toast. He was too busy eating junk. Haven walked towards Saddy, took a chair and sat down next to him. He pulled the curtains, closing Saddy and Haven from the rest of the room. “How… How long was I out?” “About 12 hours or so.” Haven chewed his piece of toast. “So… I nearly died?” “Yeah, something like that. But we have specialists! So, going through a near-death experience is quite normal here.” “Really?..” Saddy said in a sarcastic tone. “Well, kinda.” It was silent for a minute or two. “Umm… Haven?” “Yeah?” “I don’t think I’m cutout for this line of work. And the only reason I’m here is because the general saw me with you. And from Rothy, I learned that anypony that was ‘suggested’ by a commander is part of the Special Forces.” Saddy gave out a small breath before continuing. “I wasn’t born to fight for an army. In fact, I don’t even know what I was born for!” Saddy looked down at his own two hooves. He wondered for some time already, and he is unsure of anything that’s happening. He just wished to live a happy life. Haven, who looked worried earlier, started to smile. He gave a small laugh before patting Saddy at the back. Saddy became confused on why Haven was happy. “Why are you laughing?” “I’m laughing at your depression! It fits your nickname perfectly!” “That’s the only reason you’re laughing? About my depression?!” Saddy used a harsh tone. He lifted his fist, wanting to punch Haven. But Haven replied before he could. “Of course not! Why would I do that? Why would anypony do that?” Saddy, more confused than before, lowered his fist, and calmed down. “I don’t get it. Then, why were you laughing?” Haven stopped laughing but kept smiling. He stared at Saddy, thinking of the right words before restarting the conversation. “Because you’re unsure. You don’t know why you were born for. Even if the answer is right in front of us.” Haven stood up, clutching his hooves together. “You, me, all of us, were born to exist. Our existence is then used to shape the very fate of the world, depending on which choice we make in our everyday lives. We learn from the experience we’ve had, and we do better than we did before. We grow into the world, become part of it, and leave it once more. But once we leave this world, all of our experiences, our skills, and our history, are left behind for other to use. We were born to learn from our mistakes, so that others won’t do the same. To exist, is to know why we are here. And from the looks of it, you’re fated to be part of this place, to be part of its history, to learn from its mistakes, so that it won’t be repeated. Now tell me, Saddy. Why are you here?” Saddy went quiet, his mouth partially opened. He never had thought of it that way, and never knew that Haven was that optimistic and far sighted. “Don’t worry, dude! I’m always there for you!” shouted Indigo for the other side of the curtain. “Wait, you heard everything? About what I said? About not knowing why I exist?” “Of course! Dude, I’m not deaf. And these curtains aren’t designed to be soundproof. But the point is that, we’re best buds! We look out for each other’s back! Heck, if I never met you, I’d probably went mad of loneliness, that I’d never reach Appleloosa!” Saddy blushed a little. “See… Indigo needed you that time. And you were there for him, even if you never knew him in the first place! Fate is a weird being. He tricks you on doing things wrongly, only for you to learn from it and hit Fate right in the face!” From Haven’s snicker, he continued. “My point is, even though you don’t know why you exist, other ponies know why you’re here. You’re here to help them, and that’s all that matters.” Haven ended his speech with a dramatic pause, and left the room. Indigo went back to chewing his dinner while Saddy sat in his bed, thinking of what Haven said. Curiosity had always been his ally but now, he felt like it’s now his enemy. He didn’t know what to think, but he knew what Haven meant. Fate is a bitch, aint it? Aferwards, his dinner came. It was just red beans and hay, with toast and the green stuff on the side. But he didn’t care anyway. Saddy went on, happily munching his food before going back to bed.