//------------------------------// // Still in a Dream // Story: Lost Little Snake // by The card holder //------------------------------// Snake pushed through the bushes, his pistol and knife at the ready. His landing was fairly smooth, so now all he had to do was complete the mission. Up ahead, he spotted a clearing, where a horse stood. Mildly confused, he scanned the area, finding no sign of any potential owners of the horse. Cautiously, he moved towards the horse, but other than looking in his direction, it didn't react at all. Slowly holstering his pistol and knife, he approached the horse, which still didn't react. If nothing else, he could probably use it as a distraction for the enemy patrols that would no doubt be coming through here. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that this horse looked familiar... "Looks like death wasn't ready for you yet." Snake wasted no time in drawing his weapons and whirling around to the source of the voice. At the edge of the clearing was a woman wearing a black cloak. He tensed up. He knew that woman. "Boss..." "That arm still hurt?" she asked, her tone almost mocking in nature. Snake knew his mission, but he couldn't help himself from asking. "What are you doing here?" Instead of answering, the Boss threw off her cloak, revealing her white combat uniform, and charged at her former student. Snake tried to bring his gun up, but she was too fast, and she slammed him to the ground while disarming him. Before he could even get back up, she effortlessly dismantled his handgun, throwing the pieces away. "Go home," she said, more a command than a taunt. Snake was having none of it, though, and he charged her with his knife. Again, she was too fast, and she grabbed his knife arm and prepared to strike. Somehow, though, Snake felt like he was expecting this, and he managed to slip out of the hold, both avoiding her elbow and even barely cutting her on the cheek. After retreating slightly to regain his bearings, Snake thought over what he just did. It felt like he knew what she was going to do before she did it... Meanwhile, the Boss felt the small cut on her cheek, bringing her finger away to reveal a small amount of blood smeared on it. "Impressive, Jack. Perhaps you did learn something from me, after all." "Why did you do it?" Snake snapped, still in a fighting stance. "Why would you defect?" "The Cobras are like my family. We fought together, killed together... I can't abandon them." "So you abandoned your country?!" The Boss chuckled, something that was disconcerting when coming from her. "I already told you, Jack. Countries come and go, boundaries change, allies become foes... but soldiers stay together." Snake was getting tired of her confusing metaphorical talk, so he charged her again. She was ready, however, and was able to grab his arm and twist it painfully, causing him to drop his knife. Undeterred, he managed to wrench his arm free and deliver an elbow to her stomach. As soon as it impacted, Snake grabbed her shoulder and slammed her to the ground, backing away to prevent the possibility of any immediate counterattacks. Soon after, the Boss got back up, cracking her neck. "So, is the student finally ready to surpass the master?" "I... have to kill you, Boss," Snake said, somewhat regretfully. "It's my mission." Again, the Boss smirked. "Well then, complete your mission." At that, the two charged each other. When one would grapple the other, they'd quickly break free, only to turn the tables soon after. Snake wasn't sure how long this went on for. It could've lasted hours, or it even could've been just a couple of minutes. Either way, though he started out evenly matched with her, he quickly found that he was falling behind. She would get in three hits while he'd only get one, or she'd send him to the ground more often. Eventually, the two broke off, standing apart from each other, Snake panting heavily. Somehow, the Boss didn't even appear to be winded yet. "Is that your best, Snake?" Still panting, Snake once again charged his former mentor, but she was able to slam him to the ground easily. This time, however, he wasn't able to get up, due to the combination of exhaustion and pain afflicting his body. "Oh, you've had enough?" The Boss walked up to him, staring down at her former student. "That's a shame. You still have a lot left to learn." She pulled out a short rifle, along with a drum mag, and loaded it. Snake could only watch in horror as she chambered a round and pointed it at him. "Goodbye, Jack." Snake closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable, but the gunshot never came. Curious, he opened his eyes to find that he was now alone in the clearing. As he got back up, he also noticed that he had an eye patch now. Why would he- "So, thou art the creature Princess Twilight mentioned." Once again, Snake drew his weapons and faced the new voice, but upon seeing a dark blue horse standing at the edge of the clearing, memories of his situation came flooding back. Holstering his pistol and knife, Snake voiced his curiosity. "Who are you?" "I am Princess Luna, princess of the night." "And I'm Snake." "We know already," Luna waved a dismissive hoof. "Twilight told us about you in a letter." Snake looked around, scanning the jungle clearing. "So why are we here?" "It is simple." Luna smiled. "You are dreaming." "Dreaming...?" That would explain more than a few things. Though that still left unanswered questions. "So if this is my dream, how are you here?" Luna pointed a hoof at herself. "I have the ability to view and interfere with the dreams of any creature. Most of the time, it amounts to me helping somepony with a problem they have." Luna looked around the clearing, a frown evident on her face. "But this time, I believe it is I who has questions." Snake believed he knew what she meant, and just grunted in response. "Who was that you were fighting?" For a long while, Snake didn't answer, but he eventually decided to bite the bullet. "That was... the Boss. My old mentor." Luna nodded solemnly. "I see." After another long pause, she spoke again. "Is she the defector that Twilight also mentioned in her letter?" He didn't say anything, but that was answer enough for Luna. In an effort to lighten the mood slightly, she started talking again. "So, is your stay in Equestria being most hospitable?" Snake was still staring off, lost in his own thoughts, but he was still able to answer her question. "You could say that." The response wasn't exactly what she was looking for, but it was still a step in the right direction. "I am glad." "Is there another reason you're here?" Snake suddenly asked, looking Luna straight in the eye. The princess sighed. "I was simply making sure that you were not a dangerous individual." "Oh, believe me, I'm quite dangerous," Snake said. "But your ponies have nothing to worry about from me. Unless they attack me first, that is." Luna winced slightly, but otherwise showed no reaction. "That is good. Had you been a threat, we may have been forced to banish you to protect our ponies." "I understand that. But just so you know, I'm just looking for a way to get back home. Hopefully, I don't have to stay for long." Suddenly, the world around them began to fade, leaving the human and the princess standing in a black void. Snake assumed his combat stance, looking around, but Luna just chuckled. "Do not worry, Snake, you are just waking up." "Waking up...? Will I remember any of this?" "Possibly. Either way, I must bid you farewell for now." With that, Princess Luna flew off into the void. As Snake stood there, he could feel himself slowly returning to the land of the living...