Lost and Fallen
Chapter 8: Mission
My eyes shot open from the cheer, my mind feeling suddenly groggy. I slowly climbed out of the bed, rubbing my eyes, and went up to the door, opening it. I was greeted with nothing, and when I looked over to the buildings and streets, I could see what had awoken me.
The ponies were having their party; cheering for the return of a princess and the other Elements of Harmony. Lights were lit all along the street, and everyone was having a blast. I could clearly see Applejack, Twilight, and Rainbow laughing together, probably talking about the times before the invasion. I couldn’t see Pinkie anywhere, but I didn’t expect to see her. She was, after all, in depression - and a bit crazy.
Watching the scene, I gave a long sigh, and leaned against the side of the shack. It figures that I was brought out of that dream by a cheer. It must have been really loud to have traveled all the way to me. And the dream itself, with Luna, it got me thinking about Celestia. If the ponies were holding on to hope that she’s still alive, then their spy network wasn’t as good as I thought. I was quickly brought out of my revery by a grunt from beside me.
“Relax, human,” I heard someone growl, and when I looked over, I saw Dusty, sitting there with his whiskey bottle. “There’s nothing you’re missing.”
Just what I needed, a pony that’s literally standing outside to watch me. I had forgotten that I was supposed to be monitored. Groaning in irritation, I went around back to have a smoke, and when I walked to the other side, I found there were steps leading to the roof of the shack. Curious, I made my way up, carefully testing the floor to make sure it could support my weight. When it seemed safe enough, I stood in the middle, and gazed upward.
I was amazed by the beautiful night sky that was presented to me, each star standing out like the sun itself. It mesmerized me, and I felt like someone had done it just for me. It was an impossible feat in itself, but it was what I felt. I took out the box that held my cigarettes and took a peek inside, suppressing a groan.
I had six left.
It didn’t occur to me earlier that I would eventually run out of cigarettes. I wasn’t a heavy smoker, but I knew I would still have withdrawal symptoms and such in due time. Not only that, but I wouldn’t have my stress-reliever anymore, and that made it much worse. Shaking the thoughts off, I took out a cigarette and put the box back inside the pouch.
I sat on the ledge of the shack, legs dangling over, which overlooked the momentous party that was taking place. I took out my silver lighter, and within seconds, I had a lit cigarette that I had placed in my lips, taking a long drag from it. My thoughts were my own as I tried to figure out what I was going to do. I couldn’t leave this place for whatever reason, I couldn’t have Vera, and I wouldn’t be able to go back to Earth. Now, instead, I was trapped in this city, caged like a zoo animal, that is, if the animals were being actively hated at the same time.
I had hit a new low, and it wasn’t doing anything for my mood. I had that feeling when someone is stuck someplace, and there’s no way out. It was very uncomfortable, but who would care what I thought, what I did? To the humans, I was a criminal that needed to be put down like a rabid dog. To the ponies, I was just the enemy, nothing more, nothing less. I took another drag hastily, hoping it would hide away the depression that had suddenly set in. So much for staying positive.
Looking over to the party, seeing the ponies laugh and have a good time, left a hole in me that was already big enough after losing Emma. What was the point of doing anything now?
That was when Carrot Top rounded the corner of a building and came into view. She didn’t look too happy herself. Her head was a little low, and in her mouth was a plate holding two muffins. At the sight of the food, my stomach gave a low growl, and I realized I hadn’t eaten anything for hours. She continued to trot over to my shack and when she was within a few feet of it, she looked up at the door with saddened eyes. Was she sad because I was treated badly?
“You need something, miss?” Dusty asked rather politely. I didn’t think he was capable of such feats.
Carrot Top placed the plate on the ground gently before facing Dusty again, “I just want to give Nolan something to eat.”
She must have been unable to see me on the roof. I wasn’t too surprised though, there was no light source anywhere near the shack. There was a few moments of silence as Dusty contemplated what to say. Instead of waiting for him to respond, however, I decided to speak up. “I’m up here, Carrot Top,” I said softly as to not startle her.
She jumped a little nonetheless, and turned her eyes at me, squinting. After a moment, she gave a sad smile, and picked up the plate again, looking around for someplace to climb up. “There’s a set of stairs on the other side,” I explained, inhaling more of my smoke.
She quickly trotted to the other side, out of view, and Dusty mumbled, “What makes him so important?”
Ignoring his comment, I listened as Carrot Top made her way up the steps and walked over to me, standing to my left as she placed the plate of muffins between us. Sitting on her haunches, she looked away, as if unsure on what to say or do. I gave a humorous grunt at her behavior and picked up a muffin. Looking it over, it was like any other muffin I’ve seen from my world. Disregarding any caution, I bit into the muffin, and was shocked by the taste. It was nothing like I had tasted before, and it was too difficult to describe. All I really cared about was savoring the flavor for as long as I could before I swallowed.
“Umm, do you… like it?” Carrot Top questioned slowly, raising a brow with a hint of hope.
I nodded, too busy devouring the delicious muffin. She smiled at that and continued, “Derpy made them. She was always good at it, but she liked eating them more than anything. I had to sneak these away so she wouldn’t eat them.”
I chuckled as I imagined Derpy eating her own creations without a care. After finishing the muffin, I took another smoke from my cigarette, feeling much better than I did five minutes ago. I faced the party again, my sadness slowly seeping back in. Even with this small break, it wasn’t enough to tide over everything that had happened in this city. Glancing over to Carrot Top, she looked to have realized that she couldn’t replace my mood, and her ears folded back while she faced the ground.
“Hey,” I said, as she looked up at me without moving. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve… gotten through worse. You can head on back if you want.”
“I know, but…” she muttered, shaking her head. “But they were just so unfair to you. They wouldn’t even listen to you. It just doesn’t make sense why you have to stay over here while everyone else is having fun.”
She was practically reading my mind, and it was very thoughtful of her to worry about a human like me. “Thanks for your concern,” I replied, as I faced the party again, “But it’s hard to change how you view someone after what their species does to you.”
Carrot Top thought over those words as she remained silent, then she looked up to me with curiosity. “If the ponies hated you so much, then why are you helping us? If what you said about being from another world was true, wouldn't you help the other humans instead?”
“I don’t judge others from my first impressions,” I explained, my left hand idly rubbing my leg. “I felt like there was a reason why the ponies were acting like they were. And when you told me that they enslaved the ponies here, I knew I would never join their side.”
I ran my hand through my hair as I prepared to speak again. “Back in my world, there was a civil war over slavery. One side supported it, and other wanted to abolish it. Differing sides, differing viewpoints, leads to war eventually.”
Carrot Top gulped as she looked straight into my eye, “And… who won?”
“I’ll tell it like this,” I said, a hint of a smile betraying my answer. “Currently, it is illegal to practice slavery. And in everyone’s eyes, it’s something that any good person will never do.”
Carrot Top gave a weak smile, obviously very glad of the outcome. We watched the party that was going on in front of us, simply enjoying the view that the city and the sky gave us. After a few moments, Carrot Top faced me yet again, but was drawn to the object in my hand.
“I’ve been wondering about this for a while, but what is that?” she asked, pointing a hoof at the cigarette.
I gave a small smirk, “It’s a cigarette. It helps me get through tough times.”
She continued to examine it, and an idea crossed my mind that caused my smirk to intensify. “Want to try it?”
She was taken back by the question, and uncertain whether to follow through. “I guess,” she answered, “It won’t hurt, will it?”
I could understand her caution, for I was the same way a few years back, and I was very patient with her. “You may cough a bit, but it’s worth a try,” I stated truthfully. I wasn’t sure if the humans here had cigarettes, or she really had never seen a cigarette before, but it would be worth a little laugh to see how this went. After all, it wasn’t like she would try using it again after only one single smoke.
I placed the cigarette in her mouth carefully so it wouldn’t fall out, and backed away a little to give her space. It was pretty comical to see a pony with a cigarette, probably because it seemed too unreal if compared to the ponies of my world. “Now what do I do?” she asked, looking down at the cigarette.
“Just inhale from it, and it’ll do the rest,” I explained, holding back my laughter until the moment arrived. She gave a nod, and inhaled. In an instant, she spit the cigarette out, hacking and coughing like she had breathed in a cup of water. She beat a hoof against her chest as I was laughing my ass off; it was all worth it.
“How… can you… stand that stuff?” she asked between fits of coughs.
My laughing diminished after a few seconds, and I eventually controlled my breathing enough to respond to her. “Sorry about that,” I said, but the small amount of joy in my voice said otherwise. “I was the same way, and I couldn’t resist.”
“Hey! What’s goin’ on up there?” Dusty asked from underneath us, stepping away from the shack to see us.
Carrot Top hastily waved a hoof, still coughing, “N-Nothing is… wrong. Nolan… was just showing me something.”
“Keep your human stuff to yourself!” he shouted at me, as he went back to his post, mumbling kid-friendly curses at me.
Taking a deep breath, my attitude swiftly shifted to a somber one. “To answer your question,” I started, playing with my hands. “I said it helps me get through tough times, and I wasn’t lying. Everyday, it helps me forget about my troubles, if only for half an hour.”
At last, Carrot Top had given her last cough as her jaw opened a bit, as if she wanted to speak but feared it would be the wrong thing to say. Instead, she closed her mouth, and scooted over to me, bumping the plate back so she could sit right beside me. Then, without any warning, she leaned into to me, causing me to freeze up.
“Maybe being with a friend can change that,” she said nicely, as any response was lost in my head. I hadn’t really thought about it, but maybe she was right. Having someone as a friend could- Wait, she considered me a friend? A human?
I didn’t say anything, but couldn’t stop a smile from creeping on to my face. I guess I considered her a friend too, especially if she’s willing to stay with me after my dumbass stunt.
{~+~}
I woke up rather early the next day, feeling a bit sore. I wasn’t visited by Luna again, but maybe she thought that was enough for one night. Whatever her reasoning was, it was a good sleep, I had to say. After sitting on the roof for about an hour, Carrot Top and I parted ways, with her going back to the main city, and me just going downstairs. I got out of bed and put on my armor again, I reached for my weapons, but I remembered that the ponies had taken them. Growling slightly, I grabbed my mask, but left it off, thinking it would seem less intimidating towards the ponies.
When I stepped out of my shack, shutting the door behind me, I gazed over to the city to see very few ponies out of bed, and even those that had looked tired. I stood there wondering what I could do that day. I knew I had to find a way to get them to see me as an ally instead of an enemy if I wanted to get anywhere, and that meant mingling with the ponies. That moment, I declared in my head that I would try everything I could to try to get out of this rut that they had put me in. It was my mission.
Glancing to my right, I knew the first thing I had to do was wake up Dusty to ‘escort’ me, though I found the notion completely ridiculous. It was out of my hands, however, and if I was caught walking alone, I could get shot again, and I might not be so lucky this time. Dusty, himself, was sleeping against the wall of the shed, snoring loudly. Some guard he was.
“Hey,” I exclaimed, “Wake up.”
All that did was have him wave me off with a hoof as he turned away from me. Rolling my eyes, I spoke up louder than before, “Get up, Dusty, I want to go for a walk.”
When the words left my mouth, I realized I was acting like a dog, if dogs could talk that is. Nevertheless, I wanted to get something done today, and I wasn’t going to be foiled by a sleepy pony trying to ignore me. “Fine,” I said, “I’ll just wander by myself.”
With a groan, Dusty finally picked himself up, looking over at me with half-closed eyes. “Why can’t you just sleep like any other human does at this hour?” he asked, rubbing his head.
“Because I’m not like any other human,” I retorted, already walking away, “Now come on, I need to get stuff done.”
“What do you mean by that?” Dusty questioned harshly, his tiredness washing away instantly as he trotted to my side. His glare was near piercing, but I was already used to being hated, and it hardly fazed me.
“Relax,” I said flatly, “I just want to talk to a few ponies and get to know them.”
Dusty looked like he wanted to argue further, but held his tongue for some reason, and we walked towards the main part of the sanctuary in silence. Suddenly, the shot of a gun resonated through the streets and I tensed up, expecting to take another blow. Thankfully, the shot didn’t hit me, nor did I think it was intended for me. Dusty wasn’t bothered by the gunshot, and in fact was raising a brow at me. I relaxed my body, and looked around for the origin of the shot. Another bang caught my attention, and I looked down the street to see an open area where a building should be, but was noticeably absent. Like one of those small sandlots in the city.
Deciding to investigate, I made my way for the area, and when it came to view, I saw a surprising sight. A Unicorn was levitating a gun as she aimed down the sights of what looked like a makeshift firing range. An old-fashioned red and white target was on the other end, and it was obvious that was what the pony was aiming for. The pony herself - as it was a female - had a light blue coat and a pale blue mane and tail. Her Cutie Mark was a wand and a sway of magic, at least that was what it looked like to me.
I grew closer to get a better look, wanting to see how well ponies could shoot guns, but mostly to see where these ponies got them in the first place. The pony heard my approaching footsteps and turned, showing an unamused face. She gave off a smug grin that just oozed with superiority, and I knew I wasn’t going to like what she had to say. “Oh, the big bad human wants to see the Great and Powerful Trixie shoot a gun,” she taunted, lowering the weapon a bit.
“Great and Powerful?” I questioned when I was close enough, crossing my arms as Dusty stood by my side. “You look like a normal Unicorn to me.”
“Well, that’s because your feeble little mind can’t comprehend the magnitude of her magic ability,” she responded. Talk about snooty; I was willing to bet not even the other ponies liked when she was around.
“Right,” I drawled, not wanting to start a big argument over her capabilities with magic, seeing as I have no idea how well she was with magic. “What are you doing anyway?”
“If you must know,” Trixie said exasperatedly, looking back down the range. “Trixie is practicing with these guns.”
She talks in the third person, wonderful. “And how’s that going for you?” I questioned, unable to suppress a smirk. The ponies couldn’t be very good to begin with, seeing as they aren’t even used to war.
However, Trixie simply shot a smirk back at me. “Trixie would have to say she’s pretty good,” she said, as she glanced at me, “She did shoot you.”
I failed to stop my shock as I blinked in surprise. I knew some pony must have shot me, as there was no chance it was a human, but to face that pony so soon was too convenient in my opinion. “You,” I emphasized with a pause, pointing a finger at her, “shot me?”
She nodded with a proud look on her. “Hold your applause, human,” she said, holding up a hoof, “It was an incredible feat that only the Great and Powerful-”
“Anybody could have made that shot,” I interrupted, putting a hand on my hip. Trixie lost her egotistical look as she looked at me in disbelief. I wasn’t saying that because I was jealous, but in fact it was true. Seeing as I was about five yards away from the wall, she may have shot me through a crack, and that can’t have been difficult. Even a recruit at the Police Station could pull it off. Trixie shook off her stupor and gave the same glare everyone else had given me.
“That is impossible,” she said, waving the gun around like it wasn’t loaded, putting me on edge. “From what Trixie has seen, no other can shoot like her.”
“Exactly how many times have you seen someone else shoot?” I questioned, getting really tired of her obnoxious attitude.
“Why, many other Unicorns here, of course,” she explained, her irritating smile returning, “And I doubt a human can repeat what the Great and Powerful-”
“I bet I can,” I interrupted again. I was mostly interrupting her so she would stop saying that stupid line of hers. I mean, seriously? How self-centered could one pony be? Trixie was doubtful as she looked me over before simply staring at me.
“Trixie thinks you are lying,” she announced, making me furrow my brow at her.
“I can prove it,” I said, displaying my hand for her to put the gun. Before Trixie or I could do anything else, Dusty jumped in between us, his eyes set on me as he shook his head repeatedly.
“Nice try, human,” he spat, “There’s no way you’ll get a gun like that.”
I was going to argue that I just wanted to put Trixie in her place, but I knew he wouldn’t believe me. So instead, I rubbed my eyes, and walked away, Dusty following behind.
“Ha!” Trixie shouted from the shooting range, “Maybe next time, you’ll remember not to mess with the Great and Powerful Trixie!”
Holy crap, that girl was infuriating!
Taking many deep breaths to calm myself, I strolled down the street, admiring the plantlife as ponies tended to them. They were only watering and picking fruit, but I was still reeling over the thought of a whole street being a garden. I focused my mind back to the matter at hand, which was still to get on these ponies good sides. And I knew where to start.
“Dusty,” I asked, and he grunted to show that he was listening, “Where can I find the medical place here?”
Halting in his tracks, Dusty looked at me, his shades doing well to hide his emotions. “Why in all of Equestria do you want to go there?”
I shrugged, stopping a few paces ahead as I looked over my shoulder to him, “Just want to help.”
Dusty scoffed, continuing his walking, “Right, like a human like you just wants to help ponies.”
He was half right on that. Though I may not be like the humans here at all, I had an ulterior motive to assisting the doctors here. It kind of made me sad that he was right about me. That’s when I noticed that he was walking away from me, heading near the entrance of the sanctuary. He must have been leading me to the medical area, and I aptly followed along, jogging a bit to catch up with him. If I knew anything, it was that the best way to show that one wasn’t evil was to help the doctors. It wasn’t like I could hurt anyone, and I’d get points for helping them out.
In a few minutes, Dusty brought me to a building that had only one floor. The large red plus sign pointed to the conclusion that it was a clinic back in the day. He gestured his hoof towards the building, a silent way of showing that this was the place. Nodding in understanding, I briskly made my way to the wooden door and swung it open.
“Unless you’re sick or injured, come back later. We’re busy,” a feminine voice instantly said from a desk, where a Pegasus pony was sorting through papers with a concentrated expression. She was pink, like Pinkie, but had a blonde mane and tail. I couldn’t see her Cutie Mark, but it hardly mattered at the time. The room was small, and a few chairs to my left were the only furniture. A door to my right lead to the rest of the building.
“I, uh, wanted to help with anything you had,” I explained, stepping through the door while rubbing the back of my neck.
“We don’t need assistance currently, so I must insist that-” she stopped herself as she faced me, jerking her head back in surprise. She was not expecting a human to be here, that was for sure. However, she quickly turned back to a bored and irritated gaze.
“What do you want, human?” she said with a sigh.
“I just told you what I wanted,” I replied, trying to be patient with her.
Sighing again, she hopped off the chair she was seated at and walked around the desk to come over to me. This time, I could see her Cutie Mark, which was a golden Caduceus, showing that her profession was definitely medical. “Look, no offense, but I doubt our patients want to be ‘helped’ by a human,” she stated plainly.
She was probably right. Why would a pony want to be helped by the species that enslaved them? Still, I had to persist. “I don’t have to help the ponies,” I insisted, taking a few steps forward, which made her take a few steps back. “I could… sweep the floors or something.”
It was very obvious that I was desperate to help around, and that could be a good thing or a bad thing. It may show that I truly wanted to assist them, or it could show that I wanted to look like I wanted to help them. I hoped they thought it was the former.
The Pegasus pony gave me an odd look, attempting to judge my intentions as I stood there, silently wishing she would accept. It was at that moment, another pony walked in with a large stack of papers levitating in his magic.
“Angel, did you get those files I asked for?” the stallion asked, unable to see me thanks to the paper stack that was directly between his eyesight and me. From what I could see, he had a light blue coat that was a shade darker than Rainbow Dash’s, and a messed up light brown mane and tail.
“I was,” she said disdainfully, keeping her eyes on me. “Until the human came by.”
“Human?” the stallion said, shifting the papers away from his eyes to see me for the first time. His eyes widened to a humorous size as he blinked at my appearance. “Oh.”
A long and awkward silence came down on us like a wave of water, as I wasn’t sure what to say at this point. Dusty slipped by me, looking between me and the doctor as he raised a brow behind his shades. “Yeah, he’s a human,” he said nonchalantly, shaking the doctor out of his stare.
“So he is,” the doctor agreed, with a nervous chuckle. “Can… I help you?”
“I-”
“He was just leaving,” the nurse interrupted, walking towards the doctor. “We can’t have a human making the patients nervous.”
The doctor lifted a hoof and rubbed his chin in thought, “Quite true, I suppose…”
“Look, just listen for five minutes,” I put in, clenching my fists. “I want to help around here for a little while, maybe get to know you guys.”
“Get to know us?” the doctor repeated, tilting his head, “That doesn’t sound human.”
“That… what?” I responded dumbly. I wasn’t expecting a response like that.
“I have never heard a human say those words before,” the doctor elaborated, “Granted, I haven’t met any humans before, but from the reports from the spies, I’d say you’re the first that wanted to ‘help’ ponies.”
“You do know why that is, don’t you, Doctor Styles?” the nurse asked harshly, “Humans are enslaving ponies here.”
“Yes, yes, I understand that,” Doctor Styles waved off, “But the tone, how desperate he is, it’s unheard of.”
That pony. That pony with the medical degree, was the very first to say that I wasn’t like the others, besides Carrot Top. I wanted to shout out a thanks to whatever deity was watching over me for giving me a break, but I knew that it was weird to even think of doing that. Instead, I said, “Yeah, well, I’m not like other humans.”
It was getting really old repeating that line to almost every pony I came across, but it seemed to be requirement at the same time. The doctor was instantly over me, the stack of papers leaving his magic hold, floating to the floor in a mess, as he looked at me every which way. It was a bit uncomfortable being this closely examined by a pony, but he was a doctor, so he must have known what he was doing. He even used magic to drag me to his level to look over everything above my torso, which was pretty startling the first time.
After a few minutes of examination, he stepped back, with the nurse walking up to his side. “Why did you do that, Direct?” she questioned cautiously, as if she was afraid of the answer. “Besides doing the basic physical test.”
“I have a feeling about this one,” he mumbled, squinting his eyes at me, “I can’t put my hoof on it.”
Feeling like the conversation was going nowhere, I opted to change the subject back on track. “Can I just have something to do in this city?” I said, my head rolling back in exasperation.
“Perhaps you could…” the doctor muttered, making me turn to him, eagerly anticipating the rest of that sentence. I had to start somewhere to get anywhere, and if I had to clean the floor with a toothbrush, than by God I would.
“You can’t be serious,” Dusty said, shaking his head disapprovingly, “He’s a human.”
“And you’re a pony,” he snapped back, pointing a hoof at him, “she’s a pony, and I’m a pony.”
“And that’s supposed to mean…?” Dusty followed up, leaving the sentence hanging.
“What I mean is that though he may be a human, he might not be the humans we know.”
“Don’t get philosophical with me, Doc,” Dusty practically begged, putting a hoof over his muzzle.
“Then instead I shall do research,” Doctor Styles exclaimed, putting a hoof in the air in declaration. “You wouldn’t, by chance, know where Princess Twilight is, would you?”
“She’s probably in the library,” Dusty said, nudging his head to the door behind me. As quick as a flash, Doctor Styles was out the door, leaving us in bewilderment. The nurse, rolling her eyes, chased after him. It was just Dusty and me standing there, and we weren’t sure what to do now.
“What is he up to?” I asked, more to myself than to Dusty while looking towards the door.
“He does that more than I’d like,” Dusty said with a sigh, and I involuntarily chuckled.
“Dusty!” the unmistakable voice of Rainbow Dash shouted through the streets, “Where are you and that human!?”
She sounded pretty frantic and panic-stricken, maybe even a bit pissed. Dusty brushed past me as he trotted to the door, stopping just outside the entrance. “Over here, Dash,” he hollered, and Rainbow landed right in front of him as he stood at attention.
“And the human?” she questioned with a straight stare.
“In the building,” he said, and I stepped out to present myself. She looked skeptical for a second, looking at me, the building, then me again.
“Why were you in there?” she asked in an aggressive tone, walking over to me in an intimidating fashion.
“I wanted to help around, see if I could get you guys to believe me,” I expressed honestly, shrugging my shoulders. I had no reason to hide what I was doing. If anything, she would see me in a new light, even if it was a bad one.
“Sure, whatever,” she said rolling her eyes, looking back at Dusty, “Get to the Post Office, I’m going to Appleloosa.”
If Dusty wasn’t wearing his shades, I would swear his eyes widened. “You’re heading there!? Are you going-?”
“Dusty!” Rainbow hissed, shifting her eyes towards me. He, too, glanced at me, his jaw open in shock before closing shut and giving me his cold stare. Of course, another bloody secret that they’re keeping from me. I wondered if it was the same one that Derpy nearly let slip.
“Just head to the Post Office,” she repeated, launching back to the air.
Dusty turned to me, “Alright, back to the shack, buddy.”
“Like hell!” I exclaimed, throwing my arm to the side for emphasis, “Take me to the Post Office, I want to know what’s going on.”
“Why?” he snapped, walking up to me, poking my stomach, “So you can report to the humans. To the Baron!”
“No!” I screamed, “Get it through your thick skull, you son of a bitch! I’m not with them!”
I had lost my temper, and I didn’t regret it. All that built up tension just burst out of me like a shaken up bottle of soda mixed with a whole pack of mentos. I was tired of everyone just accusing me for something I wasn’t even involved with. Hell, I didn’t even know about this place until a week ago!
“Well if you’re so sure of it,” he shot back, as he glared at me, “then prove it! Show that you’re not with them!”
“I don’t have any-” I stopped myself, a realization hitting me.
“Yeah, that’s right,” he taunted, “You can’t because you don’t have any proof!”
I didn’t say a word, mostly because I was still in shock of my stupidity for not bringing it out sooner. Carrot Top had told them about my bounty, but they still didn’t believe it. If they wanted solid proof, they were going to get it.
Dropping my mask to the ground,I reached into my pocket, dragging out the few papers I had accumulated over my travels thus far. Dusty simply raised a brow, not seeing the significance of a piece of paper. I quickly rifled through the papers and found the bounty that I had picked up in Ponyville.
“Remember when Carrot Top said I was wanted?” I asked, my voice oozing with suppressed rage at both myself and the pony.
“Yeah,” he replied slowly, “What of it?”
I threw the bounty to the ground, “There’s your proof.”
I would have felt better about myself once I saw his face fall as he read the poster, but I was still ticked off about the situation as a whole. He read it over and over again, glancing between the amount of bits on my head and the image itself. He also looked up once in awhile, comparing the picture and myself. Finally, he sighed, taking off his shades with a hoof as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“Alright,” he muttered, as if he hated to admit it himself, slipping his shades back where they belonged, “So you may not be with the humans, but that doesn’t mean that we fully trust you.”
“Like I give a shit about that,” I said, crouching and snatching my mask and poster again, “Just take me to the Post Office.”
He had no basis for an objection, but he was digging real deep for one. I could tell. Eventually, he gave a curt nod, avoiding eye contact with me as he began walking for the Post Office. I stood still for a moment, trying to absorb what had just happened. In a sense, I was finally being trusted, if only by a slight margin. They couldn’t say I was with the humans in this world, but I doubt they thought I was completely off the hook. Shaking out my thoughts, I quickly caught up with Dusty as he rounded the corner. I hoped I would be getting somewhere.
{~+~}
The Post Office entered my sight as we rounded another corner of the streets. It was rather simple looking, with only one floor and a small lot adjacent to it. That same lot had many ponies surrounding what looked like three wooden delivery trucks. As Dusty and I neared them, however, they all had one very obvious difference: they had no compartment for the drivers to sit, and were replaced with a carriage-like area where the ponies could hook themselves up to it.
“Quiet down, everypony,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she stood atop the vehicle, causing the crowd to go silent. “Now, I know this is a risky mission, but you all know this is important.”
Many members of the crowd dipped their heads, whether in thought or sadness, I didn’t know. As I scanned the ponies, I saw Applejack, Twilight, Derpy, and Carrot Top amongst them, including those I had met that day. Pinkie, once again, was not there. One pony caught sight of me, which caused a chain reaction as the crowd slowly saw my entrance to the area, whispering to each other in discontent.
Stopping short of coming too close, I looked up at Rainbow, who scowled at me, or maybe it was Dusty, considering he had brought me here. “What are you doing here?” she questioned, pointing an accusatory hoof at me.
I shrugged, “Seeing what’s going on. Why? You hiding something?”
“From a filthy human like you,” a pony from the crowd added, “Of course we are!”
Dusty sighed with a shake of his head. “Rainbow,” he called to her, looking at his hooves, “He’s… well, not with the other humans.”
Raising a brow, Rainbow glided to the ground, landing right in front of Dusty. “I thought you’d be the last person to say that,” she admitted, glancing at me as I crossed my arms. “What happened?”
Without waiting for anything else, I revealed my wanted poster that I was still clutching in my hands. No one was really stunned by the display, but Rainbow stepped closer to it, squinting at it. Then, her jaw dropped.
“The Baron even signed!?” she squeaked, causing a collective gasp from the crowd. He did? Why didn’t I see it? I turned the poster to myself, but still didn’t see what she meant. Looking over to Dusty, he was nodding grimly at Rainbow’s claim, making more of the crowd nervous.
I faced the poster once again, but this time I looked for anything that was out of the ordinary, and that was when I spotted it. It was incredibly small, so I was surprised that the ponies were able to see it at all, though they were probably used to looking for it on stolen documents. It was a small scribble on the bottom right corner that I must have passed off for an accidental mark. I was willing to bet that it was the Baron’s signature, as Rainbow had pointed out.
“So that means…?” Carrot Top said walking out of the crowd with a puzzled expression.
“It means,” Rainbow emphasised, suddenly getting in her face fearfully, which made Carrot Top jump back. “He really is a wanted human!”
Seriously? That was all that it meant? From her reaction, one would think I was a legendary monster coming back from the grave. “What’s so special about that?” I questioned, putting all the attention on myself, “I told you I wasn’t with them.”
“You don’t understand, do you?” Derpy whispered, stepping from the crowd, “If you’re wanted by the humans, then that means your a bigger threat than we thought!”
You have got to be fucking kidding me! I finally prove I’m not with the humans, and all it got me was that I was a bigger danger than before, in their eyes at least. “Well, I really dug my own grave, didn’t I?” I muttered to myself, closing my eyes to clear my thoughts.
The ponies were talking amongst themselves, ignoring my presence for the time being. Not that I was complaining, it gave me a chance to think up a response. As I tuned out the noise, I weighed my options. I could simply leave and find the rest of the Elements of Harmony without their help, which would probably be a bad idea, seeing as I have no idea where I would go. I could also just stay here for the rest of my life, but I tossed that idea out as fast as it had entered my mind.
Then, there was compromise.
“Hey,” I said, returning back to reality, but everyone was talking too loud to hear me. “Hey!” I shouted, and they listened that time. I wasn’t sure why, but I think the fear factor had something to do with it. “Why don’t you guys try giving me a chance instead of shunning me away, huh?!”
Rainbow Dash looked to the side, her eyes unfocused as she thought about it. Then she turned to her friends, who took silent demeanor for a question.
“He can get a job done,” Applejack admitted quietly, “And I don’t think I could’ve gotten out of Ponyville without him.”
The other ponies in my group agreed with her statement, and Rainbow glanced at me again, her face unreadable. Then, he face lit up like an idea had struck her, and she gave a sly smile. Why did I have a bad feeling suddenly?
“Give you a chance…” Rainbow repeated as she strolled over to me, her smile getting wider. “Okay, how about this? I have to… do something at Appleloosa. If you can get it done, then we might give you the benefit of the doubt.”
I held my breath as I asked the obvious question, “And if I fail?”
“Then the humans kill you,” she said like she was just telling me the weather. “Either we get the mission done, or you die. It’s a win win situation.”
“For you it is,” I grumbled, knowing full well that I had no choice if I wanted to get back to Earth in the long run. Sighing, I glanced at Rainbow again with contempt, “Fine, what do I have to do in… Appleloosa?”
“That,” she said, her smirk getting even bigger as she turned away with her nose in the air. “is a secret.”
I gaped at her, and a few of the ponies hid their laughs at my dismay. “How do you expect me to accomplish a mission I know nothing about?!” I shouted, throwing down my mask in rage.
She glanced back with that sly look that made me seriously reconsider her offer. “You’ll know what to do when you see it,” she explained, walking over to the carriage. “Now get in, or you’ll be left behind.”
What did she mean by that? Would it be that obvious? Still, I was about to run to the carriage when a thought struck me. Turning to Applejack, who was still wearing her saddle bags, I crouched down and held my hand out, confusing her. “Can I have my weapons?” I asked firmly, causing the crowd to hush itself.
Applejack, looking conflicted, glanced at Rainbow, who rolled her eyes with a grimace, but nodded. Given permission, I reached into her saddle bags, and pulled out my stuff, putting it on their respective places. My shotgun on my back, my revolver in my holster, and my knife in its sheath on my shoulder. It felt good getting my stuff back, and now I was ready for anything.
As quick as a whip, I climbed into the back of the truck-like carriage, and the doors were closed behind me by the ponies. There were a few moments of wait before we set off for Appleloosa, which I used to get comfortable in the empty compartment. We were soon moving, but then, completely unexpected, we took off. We were off the ground, from what the vertigo was telling me, and soaring through the air.
I panicked a bit, as would anyone who was trapped in an enclosed space miles above the air, but I soon settled down as I got used to it. I had no idea how far the town we were heading for was, but it had to be pretty far, and I decided to get some sleep. It would be a long flight, and an even longer mission afterwards. I leaned against the paneling of the compartment and drifted off to sleep.
{~+~}
I was instantly awoken by the rough landing as we ran through a bunch of large rocks, based on the bumpy ride I had. When the carriage stopped, I pulled myself off the floor I had fallen onto and stumbled my way through the dark and to where I thought the back of the compartment was. When I found the wall, I pushed to open it. I felt resistance, so I pushed harder, and suddenly the resistance was gone, making me fall through the open doors and onto…
Sand.
Lots and lots of sand.
From where I was lying, I found an endless sea of sand in all directions, with quite a few mesas scattered around. As I pushed myself to my feet yet again, brushing my clothing off, I saw cacti as well, with dry bushes mixed in. We were in another desert, and the sun was in the afternoon position.
“Enjoying the scenery, human?” Rainbow quipped as she stepped to my side.
Growling, I turned back to the carriage, and saw two other carriages as well, pulled by a few other Pegasi. Why would they need to bring so many transport vehicles here, in the middle of nowhere?
“Your mission is to head to Appleloosa,” Rainbow instructed, walking past the carriages as I followed along. “Once there, infiltrate a prison that’s on the other end of the town.”
A small town came into view, and even from this distance, I could tell it was an old Frontier town, straight from the Wild West from my world. Equestria was getting way too close to Earth. I pointed at the town, “That’s Appleloosa?”
“Yep.”
“Alright, so what am I supposed to do at this prison?” I asked, rubbing my chin as I was already thinking up a plan.
“You’ll see when you get there,” Rainbow said, reminding me why this mission was so bad for me. As I looked at her, prepared to complain about the vagueness of her answers, I saw that she didn’t have her usual smirk. Instead, she had a frown that held sadness and despair. She caught me staring and quickly shook out of it, putting on a neutral face.
“J-Just get it done, human,” she said heading back to the carriage to hook herself back up.
“Wait,” I called as she used her mouth to tighten the belt on herself. “What do I do when I finish the mission at the prison?”
“Then lead them to Saddle Mesa,” she ordered, pointing to a mesa that did indeed look like a saddle on the top. I turned back to ask to clarify, but she had taken off already, just missing me. “Be there by tomorrow at midnight, or we’ll leave you here!”
“You have to give me more than that!” I complained loudly, but it was futile as the three carriages were too far to hear me. I turned back to the town with a huff, my hand still clutching my mask. I had little choice, but if it got me home, then it would all be worth it in the end.
Taking a deep breath, I walked through the desert, heading for my destination. The blaring heat was much worse than in Las Pegasus. I didn’t know what it was, but the sun must have been at least ten degrees hotter, and that made a lot of difference. As I neared, the town I had already seen the familiar things I would see in Ponyville. Ponies enslaved and humans walking around like they owned the place.
There were differences, though, which made the area unique. The humans wore white jackets and dirtied pants, with a strange scarf-like belt around their waists. Also, because the town was smaller, the streets were crowded, making it chaotic for everyone. The last thing I noticed was the familiarity of the town compared to one in the late 1800’s. I had watched quite a few Western films when I was young, but the situation didn’t call for me to gush over everything because of nostalgia.
I idly faced the clear blue sky, glad to see that I wouldn’t have to worry about rain. Then, I saw a blue pony zoom across the sky. The pony was so fast that I only caught a glimpse before it was out of sight. It had to be a pegasus - what other pony could fly like that? - but what was it doing exactly? Did Rainbow Dash already have spies here? Shaking my head, I continued on my way; I could ask Rainbow Dash later.
That was when I spotted the prison. It was really big, almost as wide as the town itself, and it was mostly made of cobblestone. Watch towers were on each corner, and guards patrolled the outside. The sheer size of the place made me think that the towns purpose was just for the prison. As I examined it from a distance, though, the look of the prison felt too fresh, too new. If I had to make a conclusion, I would say that the prison was built recently.
Now the question was how I would infiltrate without drawing attention. From the looks of it, it wouldn’t have some secondary way of entering, as a large gate took up the front, facing the rest of the town. A disguise would be better suited for the mission, so I could move freely once I get inside. I just needed some drabs and I could-
“Out of the way,” someone exclaimed, roughly shoving me out of the way. As I quickly regained balance, I looked over to who had pushed me, and saw a line of people heading straight for the prison. They were probably new recruits for the building, as they all had bags slung over the shoulders, no doubt holding personal items.. Well, there was my ticket in.
Thinking fast, I looked to the back of the line to see a mildly-built young person that was nervous for whatever reason. I could take him out, hide his body, steal his clothes, and then get back in line before anyone noticed. Hopefully that was all I had to worry about, unless these guys had a secret code or something.
Ignoring the risks in my plan, I briskly walked to the back of the line, surveying the area for any straying eyes. Though the area was crowded, I could use it to my advantage and hide in plain sight. When I reached the person in the back, I tapped his shoulder. He jumped from the sudden touch, and whipped his head towards me, eyes wide.
“Hey, can I talk with you a second,” I request, jabbing a thumb towards an alley; nothing suspicious about that.
The man rubbed his head, glancing around, “I don’t know. I was told to stick with this unit.”
“Fine,” I said, feigning surrender with a shrug, “I guess I’ll have to tell the Baron that you didn’t listen. I’m sure he’ll love to hear your explanation.”
He went really pale when I mentioned the Baron, and hastily ran for the alley without any more motivation, scared out of his wits. That had worked pretty easily. Keeping a smile hidden, I strolled to the same alley, acting as normal as possible. When I was in the darkened area with the other guy, he looked around fearfully.
"So, what does the Baron want?" he asked, looking directly behind himself in a paranoid fashion..
I took out my revolver, "Absolutely nothing."
And before he could make another move, I clopped him over the head with the handle. I holstered my revolver afterwards, and he swayed for a second before tumbling down to the floor face first, his brown leather bag falling with a thud by his side. This time, I failed to hide my smug grin, the plan coming to fruition as I crouched down to his prone form. I still had to hurry, as the line of people wouldn’t wait for me.
"Better get this on," I muttered, taking off my holster.
{~+~}
As I promptly put in the last boot that was required of the uniform, I knew I was running out of time. The the outfit was a size too small, but it fit me nonetheless, and I didn’t really care if the shirt was a bit too tight. I picked up my bag, holding my armor, shotgun, and other clothing, and bolted out of the alleyway, confident that the unconscious man wouldn’t wake or be found until morning. It was a good thing these buildings had storage rooms behind them.
I saw the line already starting to enter, with a short man holding a clipboard, probably checking to make sure all the men were there. I rushed all the way there, hoping I would make it on time as the last guy in line was being checked off by the guy with the clipboard. When I finally reached over there, I was breathing pretty hard, standing at attention.
The guy with the clipboard, who was short with balding brown hair and an overweight frame, looked up from the object in his hands, giving me a glare. “You’re late,” he remarked gruffly, “I’ll have to mark you on that. What’s your name?”
“It’s…” I hesitated, knowing I couldn’t use my real name as it would give me away some time in the future. “Chris, sir.”
It felt strange to acknowledge these humans, who had treated the innocent ponies here unfairly, as someone above me. But I had to keep appearances up. The balding man glanced up narrowing his eyes at me. “Chris, eh?” he asked with a snort, scribbling my name on the clipboard. Then, clearing his throat, he said, “You’re officially under the control of Miss Megan, the current Warden. Whatever she says goes, no objections. Are we clear?”
He glanced up at me for my answer, and though I had no intention to follow this Warden, I still had this feeling that I should watch my step around here. “Yes sir,” I reply with a nod. When I thought about this Warden’s name, I realized it was a woman’s name. This would be the first time I heard of a woman at all in Equestria, granted I had only been in one town. I guess I’d have to see what she was like when I met her, if I ever did.
The man in front of me grunted and gestured inside towards the gates where the other recruits were already waiting in a dark room that must have led to the other side of the room, probably to a courtyard. When I entered, the man behind me came in as well, closing the door behind us and putting us in complete darkness.
Before I could question why we were standing around in a pitch black room, the door in front of us began to slide open, gears whirring like crazy to do as they were intended. My eyes were used to the darkness at that point, so the sudden light made me flinch and cover my eyes. The door clanked to a stop as the recruits moved forward, from the sound of it. I followed along, my eyes too blurry to make anything out.
To better adjust my eyes, I faced the ground, and the lighting slowly got better as I blinked a few times. Then I faced forward to see where we were, and it only took a few seconds for me to register what was going on around me. My heartbeat quickened as my jaw dropped, my eyes wide in shock. I lost my grip on my bag as it fell out of my hand, but I hardly cared as I stared at the scene, still trying to wrap my head around it. The sight nearly made me fall to my knees as I tried to control my breathing.
Foals.
Pony children all over the courtyard.
They were holding kids in a prison.