Arrival
Chapter 1: Arrival
There I was... facedown in the dirt, feeling like I had just gotten hit by a bus. I slowly lifted my head up and looked around. When my vision finally cleared, a burst of adrenaline shot through me. A single, simple question rang in my head.
Why am I in a crater?
I painfully forced my arms to get myself upright and I shakingly stood up. I had to raise my arms to grab the edge of the hole and pull myself out. I had my arms on the ledge and I was working on getting my leg over when I paused, taking in my surroundings. I was in what appeared to be a courtyard of some kind of palace. The perfectly spherical crater interrupted the nice marble tiles and I could see water slowly building up in it from a fountain which appears to have a chunk cleanly seared out of it. Out of instinct, I checked my back pocket for the gun I always kept there. I let out a small sigh as my hands found the distinct metal shape. Whatever was going on, at least I had protection. I paused at I looked back at the fountain.
Great...I probably owe somebody money now...
When I finally raised my right leg to the ledge of the hole I heard clattering armor.
"There is an intruder on the Royal grounds!" I heard a gruff voice yell. Then I heard a clip clop sound followed by a strangely shaped shadow casting over me. When I looked up what I saw made me question how hard I hit my head.
Standing in front of me a few feet away was what appeared to be a small horse with golden armor, and said horse did not look very happy.
"How dare you demon? Destroying property of the queen?" The horse almost spat at me.
"Did...you just talk?" I exclaimed in horror but the horse just snorted.
"Do not taunt me demon! Be gone!" The horse barked. Then a moment later I saw a blue glow that brought my attention to the fact it had a horn.
"Talking unicorns? What the fu-" I started to say before being interrupted by searing pain in my left shoulder. My grip weakened and I fell back into the hole on my back with a painful grunt, splashing into the puddle which leaked from the ruined fountain.
That thing just shot a fucking laser at me!
I cringed in pain and clutched my wound. There was a hole burned through my hoodie that revealed my skin blackened and burned. Okay the talking horse is no joke! I need to get out of here!
Said horse appeared again, standing on the edge of the crater, looking down with his horn pointed at me. I quickly felt around, and my hand closed around a small chunk of broken marble which I chucked at his head. I was rewarded with a satisfying clank of a helmet being struck by a blunt object.
"Oof!" He uttered as his head was thrown back, making the next beam shoot harmlessly into the sky. I took that opportunity to quickly climb out of the hole. I managed to get out before the horse could get his bearings, and I pushed him into the hole. I didnt get the chance to relish my minor victory, as three more guards busted through the door on the far side of the courtyard.
"Capture it!" I heard one of them yell. Then another beam cut across the air and scathed my cheek lightly.
"Shit."
I took off in the opposite direction, more beams whizzing past me. Is capturing code for vaporize here? That thought was interrupted when a beam struck me square in the back right between my shoulder blades. With a yelp I fell forward from the force of it. Instead of burning me to a crisp, this beam felt more like I was getting electrocuted. Now laying flat on my belly I weakly pushed myself up.
My breath hitched when I heard clambering metal behind me. I slowly turned to look behind me. I saw the guard that I pushed into the hole, angrily glaring down at me. A small trail of blood was weeping from the spot where the rock I threw struck him.
"No hard feelings right?" I muttered weakly, only making the guard narrow his eyes wordlessly. Other armored ponies started to surround me all with various attitudes toward me. Some were curious, some were scared, some even looked sorry for me. The bottom line is I was surrounded and I was about to be captured. It was then that I remembered what I had concealed in my back pocket. I slowly steeled myself for whatever may come about in the next few seconds, and reached for my weapon.
Lets hope they know not to mess with an armed man.
"Surrender demon! Make no sudden moves!" The angry armored pony commanded. Of course I took it upon myself to do the exact opposite. I used all the strength I could muster to jump up. I was about to pull my pistol when something arced from one of the towers of this place. It came straight at me at a speed I couldn't calculate, and the next thing I knew I had a hoof jammed firmly into my cheek. I stumbled back, completely dazed. The last thing I saw was one of those armored horses landing next to me, retracting a pair of wings.
"That's bullshit..." I quipped before my knees gave in and all I knew was darkness.
...
I was jerked awake by a dull pain in my left rib.
"Wake up maggot." that horse from earlier ordered. I looked around in confusion trying to identify my location. It was what appeared to be an old dungeon, and I was in front of a large cell protected by thick iron bars. I was shoved in by the guard and I painfully fell onto my face, groaning from the impact. I would have stopped my fall with my arms but they were chained behind me.
"Listen up...." The guard muttered. I grunted and managed to position myself so that I was standing on my knees at eye level with the horse. I don't think that's the proper word for them considering they barely reach my waist and that some of them have horns or wings. Regardless of what I call them, they kicked my ass earlier... somehow.
The armored...horse guy growled at me and stomped his hoof to get my attention.
"You will be brought before the queen shortly, after she deals with the trespassers." He explained. I then noticed that three more horses without armor were being held captive like me. Two of them were almost as big as the armored ponies but the last one stood out.
I considered the smaller figure, noting that it had a more feminine structure, and assumed it was a girl. My assumption was proven correct when she turned to speak to her captors.
"Where are you taking us?" She asked in a tomboyish voice. She had white fur, piercing cyan eyes along with a messy mane and tail. Something about her stuck out to me for some reason. The escorts brought the three prisoners in front of the fourth guard. He seemed to be the leader of the group.
"You three are off to see the queen..." One of the escorts answered.
"T..the queen?!" One of the prisoners yelped. His whole tough attitude faded immediately and he started to shiver. The other guys eyes widened in shock, the girl flinched and narrowed her eyes. "Oh...we're gonna die!" The first one cried out before getting struck by a guard. The other guy just adopted a forlorn expression, looking like the world has come to an end, meanwhile the girl just frowned.
"Don't worry boys...we won't go out like this..." She assured. Then the escorts ushered them toward the end of the room. When they walked past my cell the guys were too busy being scared to look at me but the girl noticed me and paused. I just stared at her and she stared back in wonder.
"Keep it moving!" Her escort barked. She glared at him and kept walking, exiting through a large metal door.
Considering how worried they seemed to be, maybe I should get focused on missing my appointment.
I stood up and started pacing around. I noticed a familiar weight on the back of my right leg and started smirking. These guards or whatever apparently didn't search me yet, or suck at their jobs, because I still have my gun! I started to smile until I recognized the futility of it all. How am I going to remove these cuffs? How am I going to exit the cell and where will I go? If I get caught, what will they do to me? How am I going to get past the guards with only fifteen rounds? I lightly stomped my foot in frustration.
It's best for me to keep it hidden for now until I can form a more concrete plan.
Some time passed before the huge dungeon doors opened again. I saw that girl and her escort again but I noticed something different. The tough girl who was reassuring her companions not too long ago, was now completely de-moralized. What used to be simple scratches and bruises turned into burns and what appeared to be a busted wing. Worst of all, the two guys that were with her were...wait where are they?
Holy fuck, they didn't even come back!
This isn't good! Unless she simply "relocated" them to another cell, this queen might have done who knows what to them. The guards then turned to me.
"Alright you're next." One of them said as they opened my cell. I adopted a neutral expression as they grabbed me and pulled me out. I needed to know what happened to those guys, so before they could drag me through the door, I quickly broke away from them and rushed in front of the girl's cell. She was standing in the corner, wordlessly staring at the wall.
"Hey you! What happened to those guys that were with you?" I shouted. The girl glared at me and I noticed her eyes were watering. I gritted my teeth as the guards angrily rushed over to me.
Come on! Say something!
"You should stay in line human...maybe she'll show mercy on you." She said with venom. I blinked in surprise. So far none of them have recognized what I am, oooor they know but just want to be dicks by calling me "demon" or "creature". Before I could make anything of her statement, an electric crackle followed by sharp pain ceased the interaction.
"Get going!" A guard yelled in my ear as he poked me again with what seemed to be a spear possessing some electrical charge.
"I'm moving asshole, you can stop with the glow stick!" I blurted in frustration. My quip was rewarded with another shock. I took one last look at the girl who seemed to be weeping now, before walking out of the large metal door into a dark hallway. I counted three guards with me and contemplated my escape plan more vigorously now, fearing my possible eminent execution.
I followed the guard up a poorly lit spiral staircase, which seemed like it went on forever. Part of me actually wished that it did, just so I could have more time.
Eventually we arrived at another door similar to the first one, except it had this weird complex looking lock on it. I watched as one of the guard's horns glowed blue, then a moment later the lock glowed the same color. Then as if a key was put into it, the mechanism unlocked and the doors opened to reveal a bright luxurious hallway. It's a good thing I didn't try to escape earlier, this door would have stopped me, because I can't do...whatever that glowing blue shit was.
We seemed to be inside the palace now and the guards led me down another hall. Well it wasn't your average hall, it was enormous! The floor was lined with a luxurious red carpet, the walls and supports seemed to be made of some fancy stone or marble and were elegantly carved. The large windows offered a beautiful view of the setting sun. If I wasn't probably about to die, I would be enjoying this.
We passed a couple more guards and other horses that were wearing some fancy looking outfits that made them look about as ridiculous as that kind of wear would on medieval humans. If I ever get out of this nonsensical situation I'm in, I'll probably have plenty to look back and laugh at. A pair of what I assume to be high class horses saw me and gasped.
"Oh my Goodness.... I've never seen anything like it!" One of them whispered loud enough for me to hear.
"I don't think anypony has!" The other one said with a nod of agreement. Anypony? What the heck? So they're ponies? I got my ass kicked by ponies!? Ugh... This is so ridiculously stupid!
I noticed that they were staring at me which started to annoy me.
"I wonder if it can hear us?" One of them said.
"Oh please I doubt it’s smart enough to even understand us!" The other said with a scoff.
"You know...its impolite to talk about someone when they're standing in front of you." I decided to say. They both immediately froze and stared at me in horror.
"Did it just talk?"
"N-no...we're probably just hearing th-"
"Boo."
"WAAAAAH!" They wailed as they took off running down the hall. One of them tripped because they were wearing high heels, which actually made me and one of the guards laugh. The leader of the pack glared daggers at the laughing guard and he immediately ceased.
"Stop terrorizing the civilians!" He barked before zapping me again. This is so strange... They look innocent and adorable... Yet I'm at their mercy.
We finally came to a large set of doors bigger than any that I've seen so far.
Shit, we're here aren't we?
The second the door opened something in the atmosphere changed, I felt something I've never felt before. I started to shiver, my bones chilled and my skin grew goosebumps. I've never felt like this from simply entering a room. If I still plan to escape then it’s do or die time! Well... Actually I might die either way. You know I probably shouldn't crush what little hope remains in my body-
"We've arrived with the prisoner my queen." One of the guards informed.
"Excellent..." I heard a calm mother like voice say from across the room. My attention was now on the pony across the room sitting in the throne chair.
And then I saw her...
She had a very prim white coat, and her hair was-
"Wait, what the hell!?" I thought out loud. Then I silently cursed myself.
"Silence!" One of the guards hissed. Then he jabbed my side with that shocking spear. I winced in pain and fell too my knees. Anger and frustration started to surface and adrenaline started to shoot through me.
Now or never!
I quickly rolled to the side, putting some distance between the guards. I already determined earlier that the chains connecting my hands were loose enough for my next move. I jumped up into the air, tucking my legs flush against my chest. While I was in the air I pulled my hands below my tucked feet to get the cuffs in front.
OK...now what?
I internally cursed myself again for not having better foresight. Once again the guards surrounded me.
"Heh...uh...mistakes were made..." I said as I slowly backed away. The queen just stood and watched. They two of them had those damn shock sticks pointed at me while the other had his wings spread. One of them charged at me and I used the chain to deflect the spear, tossing it aside. Unfortunately while that was happening, the one with wings was already behind me. Damn these fuckers are fast!
He grabbed me in a full Nelson, restricting any arm movements. As if that wasn't bad enough, he held me a foot off the ground, leaving me squirming and kicking at the air uselessly. Then those assholes went to town with those tasers on my chest. I yelped in pain and gritted my teeth. After a few pokes and prods the Pegasus dropped me and I painfully collapsed to the floor. I took in a few sharp breaths and started to laugh.
"I swear to god I'm going to break all of your fucking muzzles..." I said, glaring at the guards. The leader frowned and shocked me again.
"Had enough?" He teased with a mischievous smirk.
"No keep going, its beginning to tickle..." I said weakly with bitter sarcasm. He snorted and raised the electric staff once again. I closed my eyes tightly and braced myself for more pain.
"Enough!" The queen suddenly commanded sternly, making her guards stop cold in their tracks. "Leave us..." She ordered.
"As you command my queen..." They all said with a bow. The leader gave me one last look before turning and walking away toward the doors. Now that they were gone I quietly chuckled to myself. I don't even know why I was laughing, this situation is beyond bullshit. I was lying flat on my belly, face down on the carpet in chains put on me by tiny fucking horses. I turned my head to the side and froze. There were two golden tipped hoofs in front of me.
I slowly looked up past her golden gem encrusted necklace to her long rainbow flowing hair....yeah I'm pretty sure my survival depends on whether or not I can take her seriously. Well at least that's what I thought until I looked up into her eyes.
She looked down on me with a stoic expression, her magenta irises seemingly cutting through my very soul and existence. I couldn't read any emotion; I couldn't tell what she was thinking. Disgust? Intrigue? Anger? Hell, her face is so blank, I wouldn't know if she was scared of me! I doubt that, but I know I'm about to shit myself.
"What exactly was your plan?" She suddenly asked in a calm tone. I blinked in surprise and started to shiver.
"Well?" She asked, raising her tone slightly and narrowing her eyes.
"I....uh....I...um....have no idea." I admitted timidly. She took a moment to consider that then narrowed her eyes. "Honestly I had no plan whatsoever outside of getting out of the cuffs..." I muttered more to myself than to her. She raised her brow then slowly started to pace around the room.
"Outside those doors would be a legion of guards, outside these windows would be a deadly drop, followed by a legion of guards, assuming you even made it out of the castle there would still be a legion of guards." She said, shaking her head in disappointment.
"How foolish of you Derrick..." She muttered with a ghost of a smile. My heart stopped and my eyes widened.
How does she know my name!?
I shakingly stood up and stared at her in horror. She glanced at me, giving me this confident smirk that made me want to hurl. Then I adopted a more serious expression and balled up my fists.
"Who the hell are you?" I demand. She stopped her pacing and turned to face me fully, making me shrink slightly.
"That's no way to talk to a dear friend Derrick." She said with disappointment.
"Friend? I don't know you!"
"Oh but you will...again" She assured with a creepy smile. My eyes started to widen when I realized what she meant.
"We've met before?" I blurted. I'm pretty sure if I met a tall talking horse I would remember!
"Indeed we have...my spell may have brought upon a little amnesia..." She said.
"Your spell? What the hell are you talking ab-" I started to say before feeling a sharp pain in my head.
"With time you will remember, but until then..." The queen trailed off with a smirk.
"Where am I?" I ask nervously. I started to sweat now, breathing heavier. None of this makes sense!
"You are in Equestria, a land full of all sorts of magical creatures..." She answered, pacing the room once again. I sat there blankly trying to process what she said.
Well Derrick, looks like you're not In Kansas anymore.
"This castle we are currently in resides in the capital city of Canterlot." She said. Then she looked at me again with a cold stare.
"Your new home." She added cryptically.
"Excuse me?" I exclaimed in shock. She narrowed her eyes on me and slowly started to step over to me.
"Yes, you heard me my little human." She said as she edged closer. I started to take steps back, my feeling of dread getting worse. My gun... Now or never.
Time to be foolish again.
In one swift motion I un-holstered my gun, cocked it and, pointed it at her, making her blink in surprise.
"I don't belong to you! Send me back!" I said with a serious face. She stared at me for a couple seconds then threw her head back and laughed.
"Oh? And what if I don't Derrick? Hm?" She teased. I started to sweat profusely and my hands shook noticeably. She probably doesn't know what this is-
"You really plan to shoot me?" She muttered with a deadpan expression. Ok so she does know what this is and she doesn't seem worried at all. This is bad, very bad.
"Y..ye..yes!" I stuttered. She shook her head and continued stepping toward me, a confident smug grin adorning her muzzle as she chuckled to herself.
"You may be a fighter, but you'll never be stallion enough... Well... MAN enough to pull the trigger and take a life! Look at you, shivering like a child." She said with narrowed eyes as she got closer. Now that she was basically standing next to me I realized she was a whole head taller than me and that her horn was...sharp. Never thought a fucking unicorn would scare me so much- Wait.
She has wings too.
...
Pegacorn?
"Well go ahead and shoot me! What are you waiting for?" She teased, posing with her wings spread, practically begging me to. I just sat there shaking, and she slowly brought her chest to the gun.
"Well, I'm waiting killer." She cooed.
*BANG*
...
She didn't even flinch; the bullet just gave up after impact and fell harmlessly to the ground. My jaw completely dropped and my brain seemed to stop working.
"How cute. You actually thought that could harm me." She said with a giggle. She started to laugh again and I stood there, frozen with a hopeless feeling.
"What are you?" I breathed helplessly, lowering my gun. What's the point? If bullets don't even tickle her, only God knows what else she’s capable of.
"I am many things Derrick. An alicorn.... A queen... A sister.....a teacher...a mentor..." She stopped in front of me and raised her hoof to my swollen cheek and rubbed it tenderly, the golden slipper somehow warm to the touch.
"...a lover..." She added with a half lidded expression. My stomach wrenched and I smacked her hoof away.
"What fuck are you talking about?" I demand taking a step back. She puts her head down for a moment and sighs. Then she looks back at me, her whole demeanor and attitude changing. Her horn started to glow golden while her cold and calculating eyes made my skin crawl and I felt paralyzed.
It took me a moment to realize that I was paralyzed.
"Let's get something straight Derrick. You belong to me and you are NEVER going back!" She stated coldly. My eyes widened in fear and my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest.
"Your life is in my hooves and I could take it from you if I so choose." She threatened. Then to punctuate her point, my arm started to move completely against my will. To my horror my right arm slowly raised the pistol toward my temple.
"Killing you would be so easy... just a little pressure and boom!" She said as she pushed the barrel against my head. She's doing this with that fucking horn! This is some kind of messed up magic or something.
"You're cruel..." I said plainly, unable to struggle or resist whatsoever.
"Cruel?" She said in surprise, and then started to laugh like this was some sick joke. "If I wanted to be cruel, I would do this!" She claimed. Then she made me point the gun at my crotch area.
"Oh god...." I whimpered in horror almost tearing up. She came over to me and rubbed my cheek again, now with a compassionate demeanor.
"Shhhhhhh... it's okay baby...I would never do that to you." She assured in a tone that made me relax, despite the situation. Then she made me release the gun from my grip. It slowly floated away from me then disappeared with a bright golden flash. Considering the situation, Im actually glad that thing is gone. She wrapped her wing snugly around me in what I assumed was a hug and smiled. She's not controlling me anymore so why can't I fucking move? This is totally backwards, felling safe secure and happy while hugging the bitch that just threatened to shoot my nuts off.
Why?
"You will soon remember the time we spent together. When you do, things will start to make sense.” She said as she rubbed her cheek against mine. As much as I wanted to deck her in the face I couldn't!
"But for now there are some things I must do before we can be together. So for now you will remain somewhere you can't escape; under my faithful student's watchful eye." She said, finally stopping her loving embrace.
"I apologize for the conditions, but we wouldn't want you escaping would we?" She said with a giggle. Her horn started to glow and my body felt tingly. "See you soon my love."
"What?" Was all I could say before my vision blurred, consumed by golden light. Then a moment later I was back in a cell. I looked around and saw that pegasus girl from earlier. She was sitting there with eyes like pinpricks, tears streaming from them. I said nothing and sat down on the opposite side as far away from her as possible. She rubbed her eyes and stared at me in shock and silence.
I sat against the wall and sighed. I'm so confused right now! I'm being held captive by some super horse bitch with wings and a horn and I don't even know her fucking name!
I sat there for a few seconds grumbling in annoyance and shaking my head when something suddenly came to me from the depths of my addled mind.
Her name is Celestia.