//------------------------------// // Chapter 40; Addled // Story: The Wander Through Lands Unknown // by Tomas Lutwig //------------------------------// 'How long have I been here?' I felt like a prune that someone had left in the bottom drawer of their fridge for too long. A shiver ran through my bony frame, much of the fat and muscle that I had known since my arrival had faded away. A few ideas of perhaps trying to exercise, keeping my body fit enough to break out, or just to keep myself sane. But I didn't. 'What's the point?' I wondered curled up in my corner. The untreated injuries aching, the older ones starting to stink. Nothing seemed worth it, sleep was the only solace. Nothing hurt, I was somewhere else, somewhere free, I didn't stink... She was there... Fragments of dreams flashed before my eyes for a moment, I clung to them. A woman I had never met, yet she was so real. I longed to hold her, to be held, for some sort of comfort. A woman, who's name I never knew. “It might be a good idea to inform the Princesses. I mean, he is part of their guard” The young alicorn said, looking out over the map of Equestria to the varying faces of her friends. Rainbow Dash's eyes rolled as let out a yawn slouching back in her throne, “Sounds like a good idea to me, let them deal with him, and let me get back to my nap” A number of objections were heard through the room, but none louder than the pink party pony's over exaggerated gasp before in a blur of motion she appeared before the blue pegasus. “We can't do nothing! What if they don't get to him in time!?” She asked before gasping again, grabbing a hold of her blue friend's face. “What if the changelings have already sucked all the love out of him and made him their zoooombie slaaaave?” Fluttershy let out a shiver shrinking into the throne at the thought. Apple Jack gave the pink earth pony a strange look as her blue friend pulled away from her before nodding, “While after the stunt he pulled with mah sister, Ah can't say Ah'm too happy with 'im, we can't just leave 'im to the swarm” she said before turning to the Princess of friendship “Ah say we inform the Princesses, then we start searchin' around, ya know, see what we can do ta help” Rarity looked conflicted before nodding her agreement, “While I cannot say I appreciate his rough mannerisms, I cannot in good conscious leave him to Chrysalis' whims.” A groan sounded from the rainbow maned pegasus. “Fine. At least I'll get to kick some changeling flank” she muttered, crossing her hooves over her barrel. Twilight nodded, “Spike, a letter if you would” asked looking to her assistant. The young dragon's jaw clenched slightly as he thought staring at the map that glowed before him. After a moment he looked up to find the expectant eyes of five of the six mares before him. Turning to his roommate and longtime friend. “I don't like him” was the dragon's simple response. A look of understanding fell across the alicon's face before she let out a sigh. “I know Spike” she said remembering when Spike had told her about when the Wanderer had come to the castle when they were absent. “Spike...” The young dragon's face hardened as he looked up at his friend. “No Twilight, he's dangerous. After all I've heard of him from you guys and the Princesses, and even from him, it sounds like he should be locked away, even if it is by the changelings” Looks of shock spread around the room from Spike's words, a few of the mare's looked at each other, doubtful looks crossing their faces. A sigh sounded from Twilight as she looked down at the dragon. “I understand Spike” she said simply making the others look at her. Surprise found it's way to the young dragon's face as well as he looked up at her. “Y-you do?” The alicorn nodded looking back towards the table at a small town that had grown and changed significantly since they had first visited it. “Wanderer is dangerous; he has little against killing others, even in some cases finding pleasure in the idea, if the incident forest gives any indication.” She said, a small shiver running down her spine at the memory. “When he comes to the town I've purposefully avoided him in multiple occasions as, he... frightens me” The silence in the room was heavy as the young alicorn's friends looked shocked at her confession, a few others faces growing worried as they remembered. “That's not fair” Fluttershy stood up in her throne, conviction written on her face. “None of us really know him, yet we're all judging him just by what we've seen?” “Fluttershy, darling, you must admit tha-” Rarity started only for the yellow pegasus' eyes to fall on her, closing her mouth. “No! I understand he might be rash and, in some cases, frightening, but none of us know him! We need to give him a chance.” Fluttershy shook, not of fear like normal, or even anger. “If we hadn't given Discord a chance then we never would of made a friend of him!” Tears welled up in the shy pegasus' eyes as she remembered what had happened only a few days ago, bringing looks of worry to her friend's faces. “And he doesn't enjoy killing.” “What do you mean?” Twilight's voice rang out making Fluttershy look up at the worried look on her face. After a sniffle the pegasus wiped her eyes, “There was an incident in the forest. A-” She cleared her throat trying to keep from breaking down. “A manticore cub was injured, and I couldn't help it, not with all of my animal friends who it would try to eat” The yellow pegasus let out a labored breath. “So he, he offered to take it out in the forest and... make sure it didn't suffer” Rainbow Dash eyed her yellow friend, “What about the cubs parents? Couldn't they do something?” Fluttershy shook her head, choking back tears. “N-no, a rival manticore had... it killed them” “Oh darling...” Rarity said, going to comfort her grieving friend. Fluttershy cried quietly in the white unicorns hooves as the others' eyes fell, acknowledging the loss. After a few minutes the yellow pegasus seemed to calm down pulling out of the Rarity's hooves giving a quiet “Thank you” before looking back at her friends, “M-my point being he's not uncaring. He tried to hide it, but he was crying even as he tried to comfort me” Twilight nodded, before looking at her assistant. Spike still wore a hard look as he stared at the map, but after a moment he pulled out a scroll and quill before looking at Twilight expectantly. Princess Celestia sat in a shocked silence in an empty throne room. Twilight had long been privy of the times her former mentor conducted the day court, thusly the diarch knew when the wisp of green smoke appeared when one of the nobles was talking to her it was important. The ponies of the court were dismissed before the alabaster alicorn broke the seal, and ordered a chariot made ready. She recovered in time to see the guard return giving a salute. “Your majesty, the chariot is ready” He said simply before dropping the hoof at her nod. “Very good Steady. Please outfit a squad and send them to Ponyville, Sargent Sundance's if you would be so kind” The gold clad guard saluted again before walking quickly from the room. Celestia let out a sigh as the large doors closed shut. “Raven!” the alicorn's voice rang out through the long room. Moments after, an off white unicorn ran in from a side room adjusting her glasses and brown mane before looking up at the princess. “Yes your majesty?” The old alicorn's eyes softened as she looked down at her assistant. “Raven, please inform my sister I have gone to Ponyville, and show her this letter.” she said, giving the unicorn the small scroll with it's broken seal. “Yes your majesty” Raven said bowing her head before taking the scroll in her magic and rushing from the room. The princess blew a long breath between her lips, relaxing in her throne, suddenly tired. 'Wanderer is always getting into trouble of one kind or another' she thought allowing her eyes to shut. The sound of hooffalls opened her eyes and straightened her back as the doors opened again revealing a bright orange unicorn mare, her two toned yellow mane covering one of her violet eyes. The mare saluted as she approached the throne the stoic look the guards were known for plastered on her face. “Princess, my squad is ready when you are!” She said holding her salute until the alicorn nodded. Celestia's gaze softened again as she looked down at the mare, “At ease Sargent Sundance” she said rising from her throne. Sundance visibly relaxed falling into step beside her princess. “If you don't mind my asking Ma'm, why did you ask specifically for me and my squad?” Celestia's face was strict as she walked down the hall with the guardspony. “There are multiple reasons, a few being you show promise as a leader, the ponies under your command respect you, and first being you have a stake in this as well” she said looking down the hall to the door leading to the stables, with a flash of her horn the doors opened as the pair walked through. “Thank you, my Princess, but a stake?” Sundance asked, curiosity obvious on her face. “Our friend, the Wanderer, has been captured by a group of changelings, as my fellow Princess Twilight Sparkle has informed me.” The shock on the young mare's face was obvious, as was the conflicting emotions that came after though she remained silent as the princess continued. “As with any member of the royal guard, he will need to be rescued as soon as possible.” Sundance had let her face melt back into the stoic look the royal guard always wore as she nodded. “Understood Princess Celestia, was there anything else?” Worry edged it's way into the alicorn's mind as she looked down at the mare. The two didn't know one another well, connected mainly through their mutual friend the two mares kept to themselves for the most part. The princess knew of the mare's accomplishments, as she had quite a few if her Captain was to be believed, but close to nothing of the mare herself. “Well get him out of there” Celestia finally said, trying to keep the worry from her face. Sundance looked in the older mare's face and her expression softened, if only slightly. “I know Princess” she said before saluting and leaving to address her squad. I woke slowly, eyes foggy from too much sleep. A sliver of hope was felt in the back of my mind before the bleakness of the cell stole it away. Sadness seemed to seep into my bones as I moved from the fetal position I had put myself in. My eyes had become accustomed to the darkness of the cell completely, allowing me to see the whole extent of the stonework, moss and the layer of grime the entire cell seemed to be covered in. Pain from different points on my body stopped me from getting far from the corner I had been sitting in. 'Where...?' the question seemed to reverberate throughout my head as I tried again to rise to my hands and knees. The attempt proved futile as I collapsed again from the pain in my hands. Forgoing decency, I crawled towards the small breeze that blew from beneath the large iron door, the air was colder than that in the cell, if only slightly. 'Where...?' The iron of the door was cold, it burned my hand, but the feeling was lost in the pain that echoed through my body as I tried to pull myself up. My arms shook, sending waves of pain as muscles strained trying to lift a load they hadn't in too long. The reinforcements in the iron door worked well as hand holes, even with the weakness in my arms. Slowly I managed to pull myself up, unused muscles making my legs burn with strain as I put part of my weight on them, the bottoms of my feet burning from the cold of the stone floor. Supporting my weak legs with my arms against the door, I slowly searched for some kind of handle, the fog slowly making my head ache even as my whole body seemed to burn. 'Where... is... she?' Numb fingers brushed past the feeling of a small loop that hung from the iron. After a moment I managed to wrap the stiff appendages around the cold iron. A wracking need threatened to pull me to the ground, even as I pulled on the iron ring that served as a handle. The heavy door moved slightly before stopping. The need wracked my mind again, making my struggles weaker as I pulled on the iron ring. The door wouldn't move any further. A final shock ran through my head before I collapsed onto my backside, a painful crack echoing throughout the small cell, going unnoticed to my addled mind. My hands clutched my head as I rocked, back and forth. 'Where is she? Where is she? Where is she?'