The Tale of a Tome

by Necro Atom

A Dead Man's World

May 4th, Year of the Sun 2019

I continue to right the letters yet I know that it is useless, I know you’re dead. I know that dad is dead. Fuck, I know that I should be dead. Yet here the fuck I am. Alive, I got out. I survived that damn war. But I can’t even tell anyone. This damned throat injury. I’ve been stuck in this damned Zebra Prison for years. 15 to be exact. Breathing is getting hard thanks to that fucker that shot me in the lungs. The doc’s are trying to get me fixed, making me a healing tonic. I met a bird, I named him Nilz after my father. He kinda looks like a pinecone. It’s adorable. I don’t even know where to send this message. I have a lot of letters.. I think i’m near the border to the badlands. Still a badlands and an Equestria away from the Gryphon Kingdom. This is a military establishment. I’ll send it to a nearby town. Why am I writing this? Hmm.. Well. Fuck it.

--SSG R. J. Dowatta

The weary stallion rolled up the letter and tied it together with a small string. He pulled himself over to a barred window, whistling sharply which left him in a coughing fit from his punctured lung. By the time he looked back at the window a small bird was standing there which resembled a pinecone. He gave the letter to no one to the bird. Nilz chirped softly and took the note, bouncing away from the window then taking off to find the nearest town. Ranger slumped down on his cot, laying his head down in sighing, suppressing another coughing fit.

Not long after Ranger laid his head down the door to his cell started to open. He looked over as a female zebra trotted in, holding a tonic in her mouth. She placed it down on the floor as Ranger sat up in his chair looking at her.

“Hello Staff Sergeant, please drink this. It should heal your lungs and throat.” The nicest zebra he’s met so far smiled at him and sat down. A guard watched from the door. Ranger narrowed his eyes a bit at the guard then leaned down, picking up the bottle. He glanced over the two zebra then took out the cork and drank down the tonic. He gulped down as much of the tonic as he could. His wounds starting to slowly mend themselves. The Doctor took the bottle back and smiled at the grumpy Gryphon Pony, “I’ll come to check on you later Mr. Dowatta.” She then deftly turned and left, her escort closing the cell behind her then following. Ranger laid his head down once more and dozed off.

Ranger woke to the sound of the cell door opening. He noted that he felt incredibly better. His breathing was better and his throat didn’t hurt. He hummed softly to test his vocal cords. They work. Wunderbar. He looked over to see the Doc has returned, once again her escort stood behind her.

“How do you feel Staff Sergeant?” She asked softly, smiling down at him.

“Zi feel vunderbar. Also..” He looked her in the eyes and she could see what he was planning. “Sorry Fraulein.” He then shoved her backwards into the Guard behind her, knocking them both over. He got up, a bit shakily, then went over to the guard, grabbing his head and twisting it hard, breaking his neck. He took the musket that became the normal service weapon for zebra during the Border War. The one Ranger “died” in. Ranger then pushed the doctor into the cell and closed it. “Zi am truly sorry Fraulein. But zive been here too long.” She nodded a bit in understanding though clearly still shocked of what just happened.

Ranger grabbed the horn shaped pouch of which the magic powder for the musket is stored, he then grabbed some of the steel ammunition spheres used as projectiles. He knew the Musket was loaded so he didn’t bother trying to. He also didn’t want a musket. He wanted the pistol the warden had. It was still a black powder weapon but it had a revolving cylinder. However Ranger knew it’d be stupid to try and get it. He had to get out first. He crouched low as he put the musket on his back and snuck over to a door leading out of the cell block. Glancing through a window in the door he could see he was in some sort of a military base. The building he was in was located right on the edge. His wings haven’t been clipped in a while so he could probably get some propultian out of them.

The Staff Sergeant wasted no time. As soon as he saw a patrol pas on the wall he opened the door, climbing up it then onto the roof of his building. He jumped from the building of the roof and flapped his kinda useless wings, using them to get him an extra few inches to be able to grab hold of the top of the wall, He was trying to pull himself up when he heard a crack, then a small steel sphere impacted the wall next to him, some of the stone getting in his side. He simply grunted as he clambered the rest of the way onto the wall. He took the musket off of his back and aimed at the alerted Guard on the wall. He pulled the trigger, the black powder in the barrel igniting and putting a hole in the zebra’s chest. Ranger quickly reloaded and grabbed some more ammo off of his 2nd kill in years.

He jumped from the wall and opened his wings, gliding to the ground. Almost tripping when he landed. He looked back towards the fort and heard a horn get blown. He was in some sort of safari. Nilz flew out of no where and landed on his shoulder, chirping and pointing in a direction with his wing. Ranger glanced at his closest friend then nodded softly, taking off in said direction. A few bullets hitting the ground near his hooves as he ran.