//------------------------------// // Rennen in den Wäldern // Story: Being of Two Minds // by cosmofur //------------------------------// As Banyan tried to help his father up to his hoofs, the older unicorn looked around with a mixture of confusion and grumbling questions, most of which made no sense to the young colt. It seemed that his father was upset that Banyan was here, though he hadn't since awakening really yet said a complete sentence that Banyan could understand. But Banyan was happy, his father was alive, the ghost had saved him! Things couldn't be better! That is, until the stamping of hoofs marked the return of the cultists. Banyan spun around when he heard the approaching cultists. They had entered the clearing surrounded by a light halo of floating candles suspended in unicorn magic. There seemed to be even more cultists now, more must have arrived, they formed a half circle around Banyan and his father, staying a respectful distance away, before kneeling and bowing. Only the leader remained standing. Banyan saw his father struggle to all four hooves and in a hoarse whisper croak out,"What's going on here!" "Don't you remember daddy!" Banyan asked, "these are the bad ponies that hurt you!" Banyan's father looked down at the colt, he seemed to be in some pain and grumbled, “No! this can’t be right.” The Leaders of the cult called out then, “Hail Visitor! Don’t mind the colt, he is but a confused child.” The leader directed his eyes angrily at the the guard cultists near him, “Who shouldn't be here at all!” Banyan’s father looked at the cultist and laughed, rubbing his eyes, “You ponies look so cute in those robes!” He fell to his side, kicking and laughing. The cult leader took a step backwards, he wasn't expecting the Visitor to call him ‘cute’ Banyan was even more outraged, these monstrous ponies had hurt his daddy, very badly, running, not laughing was the right reaction. “Daddy we have to get out of here!” Still laughing but starting to calm down, his father replied, “Something screwed up badly, there shouldn't be any welcome party! I should be alone and oh ah…” He stood very unsteadily and rubbed his head, “I have the worst hangover! That’s not right! What did that damn medic do to me?” The cult leader looked with some disgust at the pair of unicorns, “The oracle was right about everything else, but this is wrong! You should be barely able to move! Weak and in desperate need of our help! The oracle said you could only move after we healed you!” He pointed an agree hoof at Banyan,”That foul foal! He’s corrupted the Visitor!” Banyan was scared, his father was talking silly and seemed sick, but there was no place safer he knew of, so he ran behind his father and huddled there. What was especially strange was how his father kept looking at him with a confused expression. “Kid,” he asked, “you are a kid right? What’s going on here and why are you calling me daddy?” Banyan’s eyes opened with new terror when the THING that looked like his father, asked that. “No! The ghost said you’d be alright! No! I want my daddy!” The thing in Red Wood’s body, opened its eyes wide in sudden understanding and various pieces of the puzzle fell into place, “Oh no! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! You weren't supposed to ... damn!” In a shock of clarity Banyan understood, this ‘Thing’ in front of him only looked like his father, it wasn't truly him on the inside. Banyan looked up at the stranger in his fathers body and fell to the ground crying. The leader of the cultists had enough and started yelling, “That enough! Somepony take that colt out of my sight! To Tartarus with him!” Two of the bulky cultists started to move forward, reaching out to grab Banyan. The Thing in Red Wood’s body put up a hoof and said “Wait! Wait, lets not be hasty. If I’m right, the kid here had a real bad day, don’t take it out on him. Wait did you just say ‘Somepony’? Oh! this is so messed up!” The cult leader was now so angry his muzzle was lathering like a rabid dog, “No! So many years of planning! You can’t be the Visitor! You can’t! Nothing you say makes sense! We got to get rid of them both! Kill them!” The two cultists closing in on Banyan hesitated. “Kill the Visitor? But didn't we already?” one started ask the other, the brute held back for a moment, confused. On hearing the word ‘kill’, the ‘Thing’s expression changed from confused but amused to cold stone serious, he turned towards Banyan, “Run kid! Run!” Banyan didn't hesitate, the ‘Thing’ still looked like his father and he was in complete agreement that running was what they both had to do. It took only a second before an entire mob of cultists were after the two. Banyan was scared, terrified might be a better word, but he had enough sense to notice that the ‘Thing’ was letting him lead the way. He caught the Thing’s eye and it shrugged back “Lead the way kid, I have no idea where we are!” They ran for minutes, fear gave them some extra speed and the cultists seemed more chaotic than organized now. They gained a small lead, the stomping of hoofs still followed them, but they couldn't see the cultists though the thick growth. Banyan started to recognize some of the landmarks near them, a particularly tall tree he had seen before to one side, a hill he used to sled down in the winter on another, he frequently played in this part of the woods. They needed a place to hide and Banyan remembered a good one. “This way!” he called to the ‘Thing’ and led him back around that hill, it was turning partly back towards the cultists but Banyan didn't think the cultists would expect them to double back. At the far side of the hill, at it’s base was a jumble of old logs and some planks of wood, rescued from the town’s dump. It wasn't much of a fort, but Banyan and a few of the other young colts had built it last summer. It was only partly intact, the roof had collapsed and it was more a jumble of logs than anything else. “In here!” Banyan whispered, and led the way to a hiding spot behind the logs. The colt was able to squeeze in right away, the larger adult pony had more trouble but followed the colt. Behind the logs, there was a gap in the hill, not really a cave, more of a dimple but once there they were now completely hidden from outside. The two ponies leaned against the hillside and caught their breaths with deep gasps. They stayed silent for a long time, just breathing and listening. The sounds of the cultists running through the woods faded and they seemed to be safe, for the moment. The ‘Thing’ spoke first, “I’m sorry kid, you shouldn't have gotten mixed up in this, something’s gone wrong, why were those crazy ponies after us?” Banyan looked up at the ‘Thing’ it looked like his father, but his father never called him ‘kid’ but the ghost had said … What did the ghost say? Banyan said, “I don’t know! They broke into our house and chased daddy and me into that clearing. Then they hurt you, I mean my daddy, and the a ghost came and said he’ll heal you. He said he would save you, but if you’re not my daddy, then he lied!” Banyan was starting to get upset again, but kept his voice low in fear of the cultists. “I got such a headache!” the ‘Thing’ replied, then asked, “I’m sorry, I really am sorry kid, those weird ponies messed things up badly, I wasn't supposed to end up in the body of a murder victim with the murderers right there. Equestria supposed to be peaceful, I was expecting to awaken in some old pony who died peacefully in a hospital somewhere.” “Who are you, if you’re not my daddy?” Banyan leaned away from the stranger. “The name Parker, Stewert Parker. I was supposed to stay hidden but I guess that plan’s derailed now.” Parker held out a hoof, “I’m sorry about your dad kid, really I am, but this is not the time, we got to get out of here and away, get you safe.” Banyan looked at the familiar hoof confused and scared, he didn't need a hoof shake, he needed a … Banyan ignored the hoof and threw himself on to Parker, hugging the surprised visitor. For a long moment Banyan just cried into Parker’s coat, hugging him tightly, too upset to think or understand. Parker just held the colt, “It’s ok Banyan, It’s ok, we’ll get you somewhere safe.” A long time later, Banyan had calmed down enough that they could talk again. Parker asked, “We need to go someplace safe, is there any police or whatever you have here nearby?” “I don’t think so, Coltsdale’s too small for guards. We only have a mayor. Wait I remember you, I mean my daddy, told the mad ponies that squad of squad of Pegasus were on their way here, but the mean pony said they wouldn't get here in time.” “That’s good that means that they have to leave soon. If we can just get to the mayor, he’ll watch you and you should be safe." Parker thought for a moment then asked, "You know the mayor well?” “Well he’s daddy’s friend, he comes by some nights and they talk on the porch. Sometimes when they think I’m asleep I’ll sneak down and hide to listen to them talk.” then looking a bit guilty, “Even sometimes I’ll slip a cup of the cider.” “OK so you know him, I can drop you off and…” Parker started to say, then swiftly turning his head towards the colt. “That’s hard cider, I told you that’s no good for you!” “Sorry.” Banyan looked chastised, “Wait! When?” “Never you mind! Just don’t drink that stuff until you’re older!” Parker told the colt, then before Banyan could disagree, he said “I haven’t heard anyone for while now, I think we should try to run for it before they double back and find us. I wonder when sunrise is.” “Not for a long time, I think.” Banyan judged it was just a bit past one am. Though that was just a guess for the young unicorn. Parker kept tapping the side of his head, “This headache is the worse, I can’t even bring up a map.” Banyan asked “A map? You have a map? I didn't see you carrying anything.” Parker answered, “Not that kind of map, ah, kind of strange, normally I can do somethings that you might call magic.” Banyan tapped his own unicorn horn, then pointed at Parker’s. “That’s not strange, we are unicorns.” “No, No, I mean an app, a different type of magic.” Parker touched his horn with his hoof, “Unicorn horn, hadn't even thought about that yet. Have to try it out, but not now, can’t risk it.” “An app? The ghost mentioned something that he called ‘implants and apps’ I was supposed to tell you something. Can’t rightly remember.” “Great, where is that ghost? medical unit? It’s supposed to hang around and help me.” “I think.. Please don’t be angry, I think I killed it.” Banyan looked down. Parker looked incredulous, “I don’t think you can kill the Doc, it's not really alive.” Banyan gulped loudly before telling Parker, “It warned me that saving you would exhaust it. It wanted me to chose.” Banyan looked scared remembering the terrible choice the Doctor had made him make. Parker looked worried, “Exhausted? I don’t get it, but this not the time to worry about that, I can’t find my apps, ok so we’ll do this old fashion way. Are you ready to run? I think the town that way, right?” Parker pointed in the direction he felt the town should be in. The two ponies, peeked out of the woodpile and looking side to side, neither saw any sign of further pursuit. “OK, we go on three, one, two, THREE!” They galloped away from the fort, the bushes and ground plants whipping their hides raw and they tore through the underbrush. “Nearly there!” Banyan gasped, leading them past their old house, with its windows broken out and skidded past signs of burn marks in the lawn. Parker took the lead, “We got to find more ponies, they’ll leave us alone if we in a group!” he hoped. “There!” He gestured with a hoof at the town center, leading the way. “The Mayor’s house, that’s the safest!” The two unicorns ran right up to the stairs that surrounded the Mayor’s porch, when the door was thrown open. The Mayor stumbled out onto the porch in front of them. “Mayor!” Parker his tone was relived as if he was calling out to an old friend. But his happy greeting turned into decisively colder cry of anguish when the mayor continued to stumble, taking one step, two steps, then falling down the stairs at their hoofs. A bloody knife still sticking out the Mayor’s side bleeding in great pulses. Standing in the Mayor’s door frame, and welding another knife, was the cult leader once again. “No!” both Parker and Banyan yelled. The cultist callously reached own and pulled the spare knife from the Mayor's back, “Don’t look surprised visitor! Where else were you going to run to?” The porch door slammed noisily behind the cultists as more stepped out onto the porch, their numbers swiftly growing.