The Departed

by InsaneWubWubs

Frozen Rain

Little droplets of rain fell on Records bruised face. She was startled by the cold touch of the rain and woke her up from her unconscious state. She twitched from the frozen water falling on her as she laid there in the mud. Record lifted her head and looked at her surroundings. Thousands of ponies lay on the muddy floor as cold rain hits them over and over. All of them lay still, not wanting to attract so there was no way of telling if they were alive or dead. Electric fences incased us in, guard ponies patrol the outer fence checking all angles for any escape routes, and spotlights shine down on all the imprisoned ponies, almost blinding them all. The outdoor prison was shaped like a square with two exits, one on the East side and one on the West side. Both are heavily guarded by no less than 20 guards. Record looked at the West gate and saw a guard pony opening the gate into the prison. Record quickly shoved her head between her hooves and closed her eyes and pretended to be dead, since she did not want to attract attention to herself. Record peeked through her hooves to see what the guard pony was doing. The guard was walking around looking for something. Maybe a lost item or a certain pony, but Record was not interested in it since you could get into a lot of trouble if you looked at the wrong thing with the wrong face, it was always wise to keep your head down and look like a gloomy homeless pony. The guard looked in Record's direction, so she quickly shoved her head between her hooves again hopping he would not notice her, but it was too late, he saw her face and was now looking down on her.

“Get up,” ordered the muscular earth pony. Record found no use in arguing so she tried to stand up, but quickly fell back down from the lack of food and not having enough time to recover from her black out. The guard sighed in disappointment and picked up little Record. Record squirmed when she was being picked up thinking that she was going to be knocked out again, but stopped once she felt soft fur against her muddy coat.

The time it took for the guard to take Record to the place was immense, but Record couldn't find enough energy to care anymore. Record was trying to count time, but kept blacking out so it was hard to tell. Record still had not recovered from the blow she took to the head, so she kept rubbing the place where she was hit making sure it was not a dream and that this was reality. She could not stay awake for any longer than ten minutes.

The rain soon came down more frequent than just a couple of drops here and there. Cold frozen rain continued to hit them harder as they moved forward. The guard had no problem continuing onward since he was covered in leather armor with iron armor over that, but he could not stand the shivering filly on his back, so he looked around for a place to set her down. He settled with an oak tree across the paved road. The guard settled Record down by the old tree that looked like it was about to shrivel up and die. Once the guard made sure that Record was still in one piece, he looked away from her and went looking through his saddlebag that he was caring. He shuffled things around looking for something to cover the young filly. He pulled out an old looking cloak and decided this will have to do. He wrapped it around Record and whispered in her ear “Don’t tell any pony where you got this.” Record was surprised what she heard. All the other guards she saw were ruthless and did not care what other ponies thought of them, so she just assumed he was just another jerk who did not care what happened to her.

The strange, friendly guard went back looking through his saddle. Record thought 'after seeing him give me something so nice what would he pull out next?' This made Record curious of what he was doing and tried to get a better view of what he was going to pull out. After watching him, she wondered if the next thing he was going to pull out was going to another gift or a whip that the other guards use on ponies that “miss behaved”. The guard poked out his head to make sure that the young filly did not try to run off, even though they both knew that she was in no shape to run and hide, so he went back to digging in his saddlebag for another three minutes. After a lot of shuffling in his saddlebag, he pulled out two apples and threw one at Record. She saw it coming and knew it was food, so she quickly got up from where she was laying on the ground and caught the apple in her mouth and started to eat it as fast as she could. This was the first non half-eaten and non rotten or infected food she has eaten there. Since back where she was being hold up, they only threw left over scraps at them, and only the strongest ones got to eat. That meant Record never really ate much, but she got a few scraps with the innocent face, but this was the first time she actually got to eat a full apple.

The guard pony came up to Record and sat next to her. Record was a little shy and scared at first, thinking he was going to hit her for doing something wrong, but then quickly noticed that he was friendly when he gave her a small but noticeable smile. They both sat there eating their apples and looking at the ground since neither one of them wanted to look at the suffering ponies that were only across the road. Just hearing the cries for help and the screams were enough to give you nightmares for a whole week. Record finished her apple long before the guard, and looked at the guard hoping he will look back at her seeing her hungry face and feel the need to give her another apple, but he never looked at her so she was stuck watching him eat his apple still hungry. The guard quickly lifted up his head with remembrance and went to his saddlebag. He dug though it for about a minute and pulled out a rag and gave it to Record. “We found this when you came here. I held on to it thinking it was important.” Record grabbed the rag and unfolded it.

It was Vinyl’s face. For the first time in a week, she felt a hint of happiness. Record had thought she had lost it in the holding cell she was put in the first time she came here, but seeing it now lifted Records heart and spirits to the highest all this week. Records eyes started to flow with tears as she hugged the photo trying to feel Vinyl’s warm coat against her muddy fur. That happy thought disappeared when she felt the hoof of the guard on her shoulder signaling this is not the place or the time to show weakness. She wiped away her tears and put the picture back into the rag, and put it in a pocket on the cloak. Record stood up next to the guard and looked into his eyes. They stared at each other for about three minutes until the guard laid down offering his back to her. Record refused it and started to walk on the road. After 50 feet Record collapsed on the hard street with every little drop of rain hitting her on the head. The guard pony stood in front of her amazed that she made it that far, and again offered his back to her again, seeing she would not get far without the help of some pony. Record took the offer mad at herself that she could not walk on her own, and she got on his back.

His back was rough and cold from the iron armor that covered his whole body. Record fidgeted on his back to find a nice warm comfortable spot. There was no spot that was warm or comfortable so she just lay down still mad at herself since she could not walk the long distance that they would have to cross to get to where they were going. The guard stood up with the young filly on his back and walked back to where he left his saddlebag. He closed all the pouches on both sides of the saddlebag, and picked it up with his teeth. He threw it onto Records back thinking that there was no other place to put it. Record squirmed at the unexpected item being added, but quickly relaxed once she felt the cool leather strap on top of her back knowing that it could not hurt her. The guard stepped back onto the road immediately getting drenched by the pouring rain again. The guard pony stopped in the middle of the street. Taking in a deep breath and letting out a long sigh, he started to walk on the hard street to the unknown destination.

Half way through there long trip Record wondered where they were going and why. After pondering her and coming up with nothing she asked the guard where they were going. “Where are we going and why are we going there?” The guard pony only grunted at the question, so Record retreated back to her thoughts not wanting to be forced to walk or get whipped. The guard pony continued to walk through the rain while the young filly on his back tried to stay warm and dry. The rain was never ending, it never paused to take a break or slowed down. It kept an even hard pace on the two ponies. Record was shivering on the guard once again so she tried to pull the cloak as tight as possible around her trying to trap all the warmth she could get. After shivering for an hour, she felt a hood on the cloak. Record was surprised that she did not see this before or feel it, but she was not interested in that. She pulled it over her head and muttered under breath “I’m an idiot.”

After three hours of sitting on the guard's back while he walked, they finally reached their destination. The guard lay down once again and gave Record the sign that this was the end of the road. Record jumped off and landed on the hard street almost tipping over from the lack of food. Record looked at her surroundings, but she could not see anything past ten feet with this endless pouring cold rain. She stood looking around for anything familiar, but after two minutes of not seeing anything, she faced the guard once again looking straight into his eyes. As Record looked in his eyes, she saw something she had not seen in weeks. Hope. This gave a single strand of hope that everything is going to go back to normal and everything here was only a nightmare, but deep down she knew that only the worst can get better or terrible. The guard pony leaned forward and grabbed his saddlebag off of Record's back. Record closed her eyes at the strange movement but once she felt some weight lift off of her she realized that he was getting his saddlebag. Record had completely forgotten she had it on her and blushed a little at her stupidity. As he was pulling the bag off he ran his mouth over Records ear and whispered “She’s looking for you.”

Record looked at him with a confused face and wondered what he meant be that, but there was no time to ask the guard started to talk again in a normal voice this time. “This where we part, I have other things to do so take this note to next guard you see and he or she will take you to where you need to go.” The guard handed a rag with a note in it to Record, she quickly pocketed it so it would not get wet and went to ask the guard a question but before she could the guard continued to talk. “Walk west from here and they will be a group of guards. One of them will walk or carry you to where you need to go.” He again ran his mouth over her ear and whispered. “Stay safe.” Before Record could ask him what that even meant, he was already deep in the pouring rain out of ear shot.

Record stood there what seemed like ages looking in the rain trying to figure out what to make of what has happened all day. Everything that has happened is just a big blur to her now, nothing seems to be in order. After a few more minutes of being drenched in the rain, she returned to the real world and started to walk west just like the guard pony to her to do. As she walked down the road, she tried to picture what the street would look like if there was not any rain and rubble lying around. It was an impossible task because after seeing everything broken, buildings, roads, and ponies, the only thing you can imagine is the worst. So she focused on the road ahead. She walked for ten minutes straight. Her hooves started to wobble and lose balance so she looked around for a place to rest. Looking around, Record saw a dim light in the distance and she immediately knew that was a guard camp. She searched her pocket to make sure that the note she received from the guard pony was still there and intact and she looked for the photo of Vinyl. She found the note from the guard in her right pocket and the picture of Vinyl was in her left pocket. She pocketed both of them again and ran towards the dim light.

Record ran one mile nonstop, her hooves were wobbling all over the place and she lost her balance so many times she stopped counting. The light grew bigger and bigger as she closed in on it, here energy was dwindling away as she continued to run through the muddy road. The light almost seemed to be in hooves reach when Record heard a voice coming from where the light is. At first she thought she was losing her mind so she continued to run towards it until she heard it again. This time Record knew it was a pony’s voice but she did not know who was saying it and why. Also without knowing what he or she said Record decided to walk the rest of the distance not wanting to endanger herself, by running any further. As the light grew bigger the voice became clearer but still she did not know what he or she was saying from the pouring rain and the lightning it was hard to even hear your own footsteps.

Record finally reached the outpost that the guard pony was talking about. Five earth guard ponies guarded the road from escapees and wonders. The voice again called out to her and this time she heard it clearly. “DON’T MOVE.” Record stopped in her tracks and stood there listening for the voice again. She stood there for a minute until she heard footsteps, Record took out the note that the guard pony gave to her and held it in her hooves. Record laid down where she was and held the note in her hooves just in case she passed out and they could not find the note that told them what to do with her.

The footsteps started to get louder and louder as they came into ear shot. Two minutes later three guard ponies were looking down on her with sharp objects pointing at her. The middle guard talked first. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” Record tried to open her mouth but couldn’t since she was so weak so she just lay there out of energy and ready to fall asleep for a year or two. Again the middle pony asked the question, this time Record raised both of her hooves trying her hardest to hold the note between the two of them. The pony on the right ripped it out of her hooves and unfolded the rag to find a note. He started to read it until the middle pony ripped it out of his hands and started to read it under the umbrella that the left pony provided. The middle pony studied the note carefully, by the time Record was about to fall asleep for the longest time she heard the middle pony talk again but this time not at her. "Take this filly back to our compound." Record looked up with joy knowing that there would be beds and food. The two ponies on her side looked at each other dumb founded. The middle pony yet again told them what to do but this time she yelled at them. That set the straight to work. They both lifted Record off the ground and onto their backs. Record groaned at her acing bones being forcing to move. They laid Record on both of their backs giving Record more room to move around. Record did not know how long the trip took since she fell asleep on their backs, but she did not care since she woke up the next morning to the smell of warm food.

Comments

[Ignis Infinitus]

working on editing chapter two now

[Kaidrin]

I have noticed a few inconsistencies (such as wether or not Record was just recovering from the blackout when the guard found her or if she had been at the compound for a while). Regardless, great story, I would love to read more!

Keep it up! ^u^