Well, the fire was warm and cozy to me. Standing outside my armor again and looking at the lightly crackling blaze that was sunken into the ground was almost relaxing. The horses were slowly gathering around the rim of the fire pit, their fear ebbing away as I stood by the pile of kindling.
Lom had brought her little family to me and we began introductions. They were a really simple tribe... herd, I guess. They gathered and defended, that was it. They moved as the seasons needed and blah, blah, blah. Ya know, nomadic herd life. I’ll just skip ahead a bit, no point talking about obvious stuff.
So, the next morning I woke up all warm and cozy to the sound of nature again. This time I listened closely to the birds and breeze. It was really nice to feel fresh air on my face and hands; those being the only parts exposed to the elements.
Then I started coughing. Startling the whole herd into panic mode; they ran into the trees before looking back to me. I was on my hands and knees coughing like I had something in my lungs that wouldn’t get out.
It was at that moment I found out I was allergic to pollen. Not a problem where I was from; filtered air. Not a problem in my suit; recycled air. Major problem in nature; nature.
I started noticing my beard was itchy as all tartarus too, two days without shaving had never done this to me. I got up and my lower back was aching too. This was the most miserable I think I’d ever been while outside. I stumbled back to my armor and climbed in, letting it close and quickly filter the air.
I began to feel the itching going away, and my lungs stopped having this weird tickle. So, that’s how the next part of my story starts, I guess. I was in my armor and trying to scratch things at random while learning about allergies for the first time.
Sure, food allergies were rare but existed for us back on earth. But ‘seasonal’ allergies were unheard of. There weren’t seasons where I was from, not anymore. It was warm, always. Even when it rained. It never snowed, hailed, or froze. The area had become temperate. Climate control for the wealthy and military was the big thing; just showing off political and financial power, more than for comfort or common sense.
Anyway, I digress again. The happenings of my old world are of little consequence now, so…
I made sure to cover the fire pit before I turned to where Skippy’s last locator was, and started to walk. Sure, I needed company and I was sure that at least Lom might follow me, but I wasn’t gonna wait forever. I still had friends to find and a story to tell.
I marched ahead and yeah, most of the herd followed me, grazing and pooping as we walked, with me as an impromptu leader. I walked with my rifle at the ready, just to look more fierce than I was. Like I was a predator that worked for the Poh’Nee herd, and I meant business.
I guess a couple had seen me turn a manticore into mush and spread the ‘word to the herd’.
I had a lot more respect this morning than I did the previous night. It took until almost noon but I finally got to the area his transponder was. And I say was, because I found most of it. His armor was rusted and falling apart like it’d been here for months. I, and the herd, cautiously walked to the armor of my friend and I looked closely at it.
The herd began grazing and checking for safety while the elders laid near me and the foals stayed under their parents. Quickly the area became calm and serene as I approached Skippy.
Fear waved through me as I expected to find him, or parts of him, inside. Yeah, it was empty. I swear I almost jumped for joy, if my armor had working knees I would have.
I leaned close and scanned the armor only to find nothing. It was destroyed, age had taken its toll.
“Great, where do I go now? What am I supposed to do? I’ve seen enough movies to know the black guy dies first, and damnit that’d have to be me. So, where the hell is he? Did I fall through time and he’s already lived a full life? Shit, why can’t it just be simple?”
I looked up and around me, expecting him to pop up like it was meant to happen. Hoping that this world with talking herds of horses would just work in my favor. No such luck. Like I said, this isn’t a book, it’s real life.
I tried to scavenge his armor only to find all the important tech, like weapons and scanners, were gone. Same for the onboard computer files. We used crystals to save data, and they were all gone.
But, without a functional computer system they were useless. So, I figured he must have taken them to one of the others who had still working tech.
Much as I was liking these creatures, sticks and stones were never going to get me home. So, I just started scanning for radio signals of any sort while I tried to find a new way to go. I finally just picked a direction. His armor was laying on its back, open and just broken beyond repair.
The forest was thinner again, not dense, but not sparse, so wildlife had taken its toll while trees and roots had avoided it. I hoped I’d see some indicator, pointing me this way or that. Maybe a scratch on a tree or even a neon sign that said ‘this way to friends’.
I was so frustrated, but what could I do?
I raised my rifle, switched to a small caliber round and fired off three rounds. A standard call for help for soldiers. I kept my comms open and listened for what felt like a good minute to silence before I did it again. Five minutes, then again. And again.
Finally I screamed and had a little panic attack inside my armor. It was only me. Me inside my armor; screaming and panicking. Spit was on the inside of my visor and even though I could open my armor I was trying to claw my way out of it. I don’t know why, then or now. Still, it felt good to go primal.
Just, let my instincts of terror take hold and try to solve the problem for me. Maybe I had some kind of power that I didn’t know that could make my friends appear. Maybe if I cried loud enough Cadence would show up and hug me until I calmed down.
Instead all I got was a cowering group of horses that were almost as tall as I was, hiding in the brush and protecting their families.
I had had it, that was it. I fell face first to the ground, in my armor, arms and legs splayed out and my rifle I didn’t know where. I looked to the soil under me face. I had made a slight impression when I fell and only my HUD gave me light. The display waited for a command. No conversational package. No sudden static to ease my entire existence. Not even a rapping against my armor of a comforting creature to make me feel better.
I was as good as alone now.
No friends.
No family.
No love.
No reason to go on if I didn’t find a reason.
I had never experienced true loneliness. It’s actually a tactic used in prisons and interrogation now. Herd mentality extends beyond equines. Take any social creature and isolate them and they’ll go mad. A human within a month. A pony will go mad in three days. It took me about ten minutes.
It’s not funny. I’m serious. I pushed myself up and started to hobble as fast as I could. I left my rifle and just went. Anything in my way was trampled or moved if it could. I don’t know how long I moved for, but the meter on my suit kept track of the distance and direction. When I finally got tired and kind of came to my senses I looked to see I had blanked out for almost seven miles.
I looked around and Retalia was holding my rifle on his back, directly to my right and a couple paces back.
I noticed I was sweating profusely and gasping for breath. I screamed for the suit to open and let me out. With a sting to my chest it opened and I fell out. I pulled myself out of the unitard and tossed it back to the armor. I looked to Retalia with a look of determination and thrust my hand out.
He looked to me and slowly backed up. Another look, more serious, and he cantered to me. I grabbed my rifle and cycled to a signal flare and fired it into the air. Tactics be damned. If I could get noticed I was gonna chance it.
I watched the flare fly up and explode in the late day sky casting a fireworks explosion before I looked down to see my naked body. I suddenly realized I was naked and didn’t care. For humans that’s a huge taboo, being without clothes. Suddenly I didn’t care. I wasn’t about to become one with nature and discard my old life.
Not by any means was I ready or able to survive even a week without my tech, so I chose to get my old clothes. A standard green camouflage uniform that was supposed to help us blend in with the environment. In other words it was worthless leftover garbage from ages past that was found, en masse, in warehouses after territories were redrawn.
But, it was coverings.
I had never been so down. I was wearing green camo in a forest full of life and no one to hide from. Alone, save for them.
I didn’t know what to do. They kept talking to me and I didn’t care. They tried to cheer me up and it didn’t work.
What was I to do? I was stuck in a mental loop. Insanity in its best form.
I was daydreaming about being able to fly and I noticed a new creature watching me from about a hoofball field away. Just barely, but it’s coat contrasted slightly when it moved.
“What the hell is that?” I said getting up and grabbing my rifle. Taking it to my shoulder it looked down the sight and zoomed in to see a deer.
“Great, maybe I can get some venison… Unless it’s smart too.” I was so tempted to just pull the trigger and get some real food. The suit gave me paste that filled my needs that tasted like toothpaste that had been flavored with a salad. ‘Bleh’ is right. So, I lowered my weapon and watched, waiting for the deer to do something.
I heard nature in full swing, and that was it. The deer did what deer do; stared with its ears aimed at me. Not the horses or anything, but specifically me.
I didn’t really have time to react as I heard a screech and was in a dangerous flurry of horses scrambling around and past me. I turned to run into my armor only to have a net. A freaking net, tossed over me. I was a good couple leaps to my armor and watched as it was cast in a net too.
I fell to the ground, slamming chest first and hurting my left arm and before I could fight to get free I was being pulled away from my armor.
I turned and tried to see my attackers but there was too much commotion still. The noise was too loud to make out single sounds and, oh yeah, I had my rifle. I cycled to a blank round and pulled the trigger. The round spent and the area went silent as I rolled to my back and sat up, cradling my rifle like a child, never taking my finger off the trigger.
I followed the rope net to a terrified looking deer with the rope in its teeth and a spear, of sorts, tied to its side with vines. The horses looked at me then to the deer around them.
Nets covered many, others had loose knot ropes around their necks as several deer were holding several horses in place with spears or knives set in their teeth.
I watched in awe as the horses and deer exchanged glances before the tides turned.
The free horses swarmed around me and chewed quickly through the net and freed me as I watched in awe at the display. What I thought were cowardly and passive horses were fighting, quite well, against deer. Even if I recorded it I wouldn’t believe what I was seeing.
The deer were almost on the retreat until another wave came stampeding and hopping into the battle. All I could do was swear loudly and fire blanks into the gathering. I wasn’t foolish enough to try to kill them or take definite sides. Too many examples in human history of people choosing the wrong side too quickly.
So, when they realized I wasn’t doing anything but making noise the deer went on the offensive. They were very organized and used a couple good combat techniques and quickly turned the tide, surrounding the horses and my dumb butt that was too busy watching and making noise to go back to my armor.
A deer, as tall as Celestia, with a rack of antlers that looked like a tree walked into view and took its time walking to us. It stopped at the outside of the group of deer and spoke.
“Hoo-nym.”
It then pointed to me and said it again, louder.
“Hoo-nym!”
The other deer joined in and shouted that word. I knew what it meant, it was human. How’d they know about me? Did they know my friends or Cadence? I was about to ask when a wave of gasps passed over the horses and myself, as we passed out. My first active magical experience by the way.