Chapter 2
Back From The Front Pt.2

I awoke to the sound of my cell door slamming shut. The sound caused me to jump up from the tattered bedroll on the floor and look around my cell. Nobody was inside with me, however there were a pair of eyes watching through a slot in the door. I let out a sigh and willed myself to calm down, I stretched and groaned slightly. My body was still sore as Tartarus after that Gargoyle encounter. My gaze wandered to the floor where I noticed the new occupant of the room, a tray with a pair of apples and a glass of water. I looked to the pair of eyes with an arched eyebrow.

“You’re feeding me now?” I asked as I grabbed an apple, realizing how hungry I had become in my sleep. I held the shiny red fruit up to my muzzle and sniffed it, it smelled sweet and fresh. I took a hesitant bite, still watching the eyes as they watched me. I analyzed the taste of the fruit for the usual sign of toxins, most were usually bitter. This apple tasted normal so I continued eating it as I inspected my cell, realizing the walls were stone, the door was metal and the floor was straw and wood. It was designed to burn the vamponies while containing them! “How long have I been in here? What time is it?” I questioned the eyes as I finished the apple and reached for the second one.

“It’s about three in the afternoon,” the voice was harsh and gravelly. What did this guy eat? Sand? His voice didn’t suit the soft eyes that stared at me, I thought. “If you can keep that food down for the next hour we can let you out. The vamps usually can’t keep anything that isn’t blood down for more than fifteen minutes or so,” the voice explained. “They usually spew the food out in a fantastic manner,” he chuckled.

“I thought the first stage of the poison only lasted about two hours,” I contested whilst lifting the glass of water. “I’ve been in here since sunrise and it’s the afternoon,” I sipped the water, waiting for an explanation.

“When you didn’t wake up a few hours ago we thought you were dead until we noticed you breathing. I’m also just doing what I’ve been told. Caution has kept us alive so far, I’m not making an exception for you,” the eyes said with a sense of finality and the little slat slammed shut. That guy seemed to like slamming things.

One long, and quite uneventful hour later I was released from my cell. My belongings hadn’t been taken from me, they probably would have deemed it tainted and burned it all if I had been infected. On my way out of the prison they had made I stopped to ask a guard when the next train for Canterlot was going to leave. I didn’t like his answer.

“Never. Trains only go East, West or South from here. Princess Luna had all the railways into Canterlot destroyed. The city is a fortress, with the castle impossible to enter if you’re one of those monsters. The only way to get to the city is on foot or by wing for you Pegasi,” he explained.

“Thank you,” I muttered as I left. I was going to need some more supplies for the journey. I knew it would be a relatively short flight for an average pegasus, but I didn’t plan on making the trip by flying. I spent the rest of the afternoon gathering a little more food, traded another gem for a small pack and some rope, and got a firestarter’s kit. I was on my way out of town when I was stopped by a shout.

“Hey! You’re that pegasus who got his ass beat by that Gargoyle earlier right?!” It was the guard from earlier that morning, he was running right toward me.

I turned to face him with a scowl, stopping him in his tracks a few feet from me. He was a short Pegasus, barely came up to my chest and his wings were probably still bigger than mine. He looked relatively young, younger than me at least. He was sporting the light leather armor many ponies seemed to favor for mobility and had a rifle slung on his back. “What do you want?” I asked through narrowed eyes, I had maybe an hour of sunlight left and he was wasting it.

“I uh, wanted to give you something… To thank you for finding that Gargoyle and helping us kill it. It’s been troubling us for awhile,” he looked down and away as he finished his sentence. Maybe he knew her before she turned. He inhaled and looked back at me, holding out three metal spheres that didn’t quite fit in his hand. “Grenades, they’ll explode pretty violently if you pull the pin. They’re for killing Gargoyles if you run into more of them,” he raised an eyebrow at me.

“Thanks,” I reached out and took them from him, they were heavier than I thought they would be. I dropped two into the pack and examined the third one, they were similar to the ones I had used in the desert but they were smaller. These weren’t perfectly smooth, the result of being made in substandard facilities with substandard materials. They were better than nothing though, and if this guy’s word was good, they’d do the job I’d need them to. “Best of luck to you,” I turned to leave and stopped after a few steps. I had forgotten so much over the past few days. I looked at him, he was still waiting and watching me. “Sister’s blessing upon you,” I bowed my head slightly at the words and left the now confused-looking Pegasus behind.

The reasons why I decided not to fly to Canterlot were fairly simple to anypony that knew me. There were predators watching the area who’d love an easy-to-spot flying meal to soar right over them and be snared by them. Another reason for staying on the ground was weight. Most pegasi prefer light armor that doesn’t cover the entire body, just the points most often hit. The armor leaves lots of room for flexibility and adds little weight to the bearer so they can continue to fly unhampered. I chose to wear a much heavier metal armor that covers my entire body. The joints are all protected and the only exposed skin is at where the helmet doesn’t cover part of my face. There’s also just enough space in my armor around my wings’ sockets to allow them a full range of motion.

Physiologically speaking, my wings are smaller than the average Pegasus’. The wings of the average pegasus while folded usually extend to or just beyond the calf muscles. Mine while folded just barely reach the top of my hamstrings. If I really needed to, I could sustain flight for about an hour, but I’m neither fast, nor agile in the air. Because of all of this, I made the decision to walk to Canterlot, it would take longer, but it would be safer.

I walked through the forest until the sun set, I hadn’t seen a cabin or anywhere that I could take shelter so I continued walking through the woods in the dark. I traveled for about two hours into the night and decided to stop for the night to make sure I wouldn’t get turned around or lost. I wasn’t tired after sleeping in until the afternoon, so I dug out a small pit next to a tree, uprooted a few bushes and planted them around the hole, and laid some thick foliage from the tree over the top of it. I could see out of my hiding place a bit, but to the outside eye it would hopefully just look like some shrubs next to a partially felled tree.

I stretched and worked my joints, my body was still sore and probably would be for another day or two. I knew that would slow me down. I ate a small amount of food, enough to keep me from hunger and sat in my shelter. As I leaned back to relax for the evening and conserve energy I realized I’d been forgetting to pray since learning of the new and troublesome events that had befallen the world.

I quickly got to one knee and bowed my head, whispering a prayer to the Sisters. I thanked Celestia for the glorious day she gave us and thanked Luna for bringing the relief of the night. I also offered an apology for my forgetfulness, it was unlike me to forget to pray to them in the morning and evening. I prayed for their safety in these troubled times. I couldn’t let the rumors get to me, Celestia is still alive and with her sister. That’s all they were right? Just rumors, the sun still rises after all. How could ponies witness that every day and truly believe in her demise?

After I had finished my prayers to the sisters I shook my head and cleared my mind of doubt. I focused on listening to the forest, learning the natural patterns of the leaves rustling in the gentle breeze. I spent the rest of the evening in a meditative state to conserve energy while listening for any unnatural sound. I’ll be damned if I was going to let one of those demons get the drop on me.

Author's Note

Sorry it took me so long to get this second chapter up, a lot of shit is going on for me and I haven't had much time to write. Marines on base got in trouble, uniform changeover is starting soon as well so I need to get my uniforms ready for inspection. Training has also been pretty tough lately too so I've had my hands pretty full. Physical therapy is going well though, I might be off my crutches by the end of the month. -Jake

Also holy crap I didn't realize how short this chapter was it felt longer when I was writing it I'm sorry. I'll try to keep them longer in the future.