YogLabs: Quest for the Golden Horseshoe

by Prisoner 24601

Chapter 7

It'd been a week since Simon started walking. He was parched, starving, and giving up on life. He had nothing left. This was his backup plan: Die. What was the point anyway? The camp was in good hands, and obviously nobody was there who could help him. So, what to do now, but die?

But Fate had other plans.

Simon closed his eyes, bent on self-destruction, and his vision was flooded with bright, white, eerie light. He forced himself to look up, and saw not the desolate field he knew he was laying, but in some sort of Temple. White Marble columns lined the walls, and in the middle, there was a figure. The figure, he did not immediately recognize, but he got to his ethereal feet, and began approaching it.

As he got ever closer to the uncannily silent silhouette, he could make out the basic structure. Unless he was very skinny, this was a woman's build. She had long, slender legs, a nicely slim torso, and, quite to Simon's enjoyment, not entirely mediocre upper chest section. from the shadow, her hair seemed to shroud the distance between her head and shoulders. if it weren't for the nicely smooth shoulders and long, slim arms, he would have thought the body headless.

As he got closer, he could seem to make out a few colors. She was Caucasian, her hair was a vibrant blonde, and her legs and arms were melded to her body in a radiant white gown. She turned to him, and looked up, revealing her face. It was as if it had been sculpted by angels for the sole purpose of being beautiful. a lock of blonde hair crossed her shy, young face.

He finally closed the distance, and was able to make out details. She was indeed a woman, this much was certain. Her white gown had a few streaks of heavenly silver, and her blonde hair had the same. The hair itself was straight, falling down beautifully behind her, over he shoulders, and a few locks finding their way into her face. Her eyes were blue, and her young face shyly looked down, and smiled.

"Hello?" he asked. His voice echoed through this weird, completely white world.

She looked at him, beautiful face and serenely pretty eyes flooding him with attraction. "Hi." she replied.

"Where am I?" Simon asked, forgoing introduction, no matter how much he wanted to meet this vibrant woman.

"You are in Heaven." She said kindly, then correcting herself unsurely, saying, "Well, not quite heaven. Metaphorically, you're in the Waiting Room of Heaven."

"What's going to happen to me?" he asked, wondering if his attempted suicide had worked.

"You will be judged." The woman said softly, in a way almost teasing Simon. "If you are judged to be complete in life, you will be accepted. But if they find that there is more for you to accomplish, you will be sent back."

"Who are you?" He asked.

"I come in many forms. My name is Fate." She said.

"What do you mean, come in many forms?" Simon asked.

"I appear to the beholder as the item, place, or person that will most greatly shape their destiny." She said. "What do you see, Simon?"

Simon disregarded the curiosity of how this woman knew his name. She was Fate, she knew everything. He responded, "You look to me as a beautiful woman. Utterly mesmerizing."

"Oh? So it is her." she said. "If this woman is to shape your destiny the most, you will end up with her." Putting emphasis on the second Her.

"Who? With this woman? Because that'd be just fine with me." Simon said, eager to know he'd end up with this woman.

"No, this woman will shape you. You will end up with another." She said.

"Can you tell me who?" Simon asked in his desperate quest for knowledge.

"No." Fate promptly replied. "To tell you would endanger your fate. For now..." She raised a hand, and he floated backward, "it is time for you to wake up."

********

Sjin had read the letter to everyone at the meeting. Jesse, Duncan, Hannah, Ridgedog, Rythian, Crendor, Totalbiscuit, Dodger, and Josh. They were distraught.

"What are we going to do?" Hannah had asked, "ninety percent f these people came for Simon. Now what?"

"Obviously," Duncan retorted, "There's only one way to do this. Move. On. Sjin is in charge, and I'll agree, he is the most capable. With him at the wheel, this mighty vessel of an army will stop at nothing."

"Can you not see it, Duncan?" Totalbiscuit yelped, "Without Simon or Lewis, the Yogscast might as well have never existed. We're doomed."

"TB," Jesse piped in, "Quit being so negative. As long as we have stout-hearted commanders, and valiant generals, this army will march blindly into what we can only hope will be victory."

"Jesse's right," said Dodger, "Our army will march on, as long as they are properly compelled. As to who is compelling enough to lead them... I have my doubts."

"Excuse me?" said Rythian, "Sjin is by far the most qualified man here to lead an army. He has been here longer than any other person alive or present. He knows more than we do. He can lead us."

"Thank you, Rythian," Sjin replied.

To this, Jesse laughed, "He has been in Equestria the longest, yes, but if you remember, much of that time was spent having his mind played with by some dark scientist."

"Yeah," said Crendor, "If anyone here is man enough and experienced enough to lead, it's Jesse."

"Thank you, Crendor." Jesse replied.

"I'm sorry, Eric," Ridgedog retorted, "But if it wasn't for Jesse, Lewis may still be alive. If you remember, it was Jesse who had shot him through!"

"What else was he going to do?" argued Josh.

"I don't know, negotiate?" suggested Duncan.

"If you recall properly, Duncan," Jesse said, "Simon tried to negotiate. You know that turned out? He got a pulled in his chest. It was a miracle he could still walk. Lewis was a madman with a gun. I had to stop him before he hurt any more of our friends."

There was a mumble of agreement, but only from Crendor, Dodger, TB, and Josh.

"But still!" Hannah said, "That's taking it too far! From negotiating to murdering in cold blood? In my opinion, no man like that should have to lead."

Now, mumbles of agreement sprung up from Ridge, Rythian, Duncan, and Sjin.

"What would you have him do, Hannah?" Dodger asked.

"I would have him do whatever he could to stop Lewis nonlethally."

"If you forgot," Dodger said, nearing the only other woman present, "He had already shot Simon, and had a Princess in a headlock, ready to blow out her brains, should we make a wrong move. Tell me you wouldn't do the same thing in that situation."

"You're treading on thin ice, girl." she retorted, closing the distance between the two women, "Don't ask me where my loyalties lie."

"This has nothing to do with loyalties!" Dodger shouted, "This has to do with decisions."

"Oh, please." Hannah said, "It is obvious you and your little Jesse fanclub are completely different than the Yogscast members."

"That has nothing to do with this!" Dodger continued, "I am asking if you would kill Lewis if he had killed Simon and a Princess like the monster he is!"

Hannah snapped, shouting, "Don't you dare talk about my boyfriend like that, you skank!"

"I'm sorry?" Dodger asked.

"You heard me..." Hannah paused, her face coming dangerously close to Dodger's, "Slut."

And suddenly, Chaos erupted.

Before the word had fully left her mouth, a fist collided with Hannah's left cheek. She recoiled with it, blood and teeth leaping out. She fought back with another punch to Dodger's nose, which hit head on.

Jesse, defending Dodger with a "Don't touch her like that!", placed a slap squarely on Hannah's right cheek.

Suddenly, Duncan was in on the fight, and soon, so was everyone else. Dodger and Hannah, Duncan and Crendor, Totalbiscuit and Ridgedog, Rythian and Josh, and Jesse and Sjin, each were fighting, punches, kicks, head-butts, knees, elbows, and heads, oh, my! It was chaos.

If only Simon were there to end it.

Comments

[The Accursed One]

I guess Dodger didn't live up to her name. xD