Chapters I awoke in the middle of the night to footsteps of an unknown origin.
"Who's there!!" I yelled putting my backpack and rifle on my back and drawing my .45 caliber revolver.
I herd commotion and a mob of voices but I was able to pick out four words, 'slave' 'warrior' 'love' 'food'.
My pistol shown a bright green aura around it before I felt very sleepy with my eyes going in and out of focus.
When I concluded that the commotion wasn't after me I holstered my .45 and went back to sleep.
I awoke in what I would describe as a holding cell luckily I still had all of my gear both pistols and my rifle.
I stood and turned away from the door and saw this was a fairly large holding cell that was somewhat already populated with at least ten others.
"I give him a week," "I give him a day," and "He won't last his first fight," were swarming around the room each having a different voice.
I herd a metallic ring as the other 'things' in the cell started backing away.
"Curse my curiosity," I said to myself standing, staring at the door.
The door flew open reveling a black equine-like creature with a horn and ragged, insect like wings with holes that seemed to be drilled into the creature.
He immediately singled me out and a green aura enveloped me causing my arms to bind themselves behind my back and me to fall to my knees.
I slowed my breathing as the guard put a hoof under my chin and made me look into his eyes.
Those eyes. I will never forget those eyes. Big solid blue eyes that seemed to be duplicates.
Another guard walked in, an exact duplicate of the first.
"What do you about him General Ki," the guard that walked in said said.
"To the ring with him," Ki said, "But I think he is under equipped."
"Thirty seconds in the armory and no more."
"Up on your feet you scum," the guard with no assigned name said horn glowing the same sick green color and I was up on my feet my hands still behind my back.
The creatures walked me into a room with weapons lining the walls but two things caught my eye off the bat, a small dagger and a bullet.
Knowing I only had only a small window of time I grabbed the dagger and bullet.
Using the rest of my time I looked at the bullet, the projectile seemed to be made out of some sort of purple crystal with a casing to match which I was able to load into my .45 caliber pistol.
"Time to fight newbie," Ki said grabbing me in his green aura floating and restraining me as he threw me in the ring.
I got up, dusted my camouflage outfit off, and got in a fighting stance with my off-hand ready to draw my hunting knife if it needed to be used as a weapon.
I faced my opponent then dropped my guard when I saw how young my opponent was.
A filly that can barley reach the top of my knee was my opponent. Her cream coat and red mane were matted with remains of a shredded bow in her mane.
The sword she held was short and slightly curved with the blade scratched and chipped.
She charged at me with fear embedded in her eyes.
"Time to make or break," I said to myself dropping the dagger.
She made a clumsy swing at my side which I used to bring her sword to the ground.
"Really!!" I yelled at the crowd in the stands who responded with insults being thrown left and right.
I took the sword from the filly and threw it at the stadium wall.
I took out my Glock 9mm in my left hand when the guards stormed into the stadium.
The filly was crying not knowing her fate.
I knelt down and whispered in her ear, "listen to me and we will get out of here," which did little to nothing to calm her.
I looked forward and saw the wave of blue and black with one taking the lead.
"One of you will not survive," He said, but his voice sounded similar to Ki but they all look the same. "Newbie you are the one to die!" He yelled charging at me.
I aimed the sight of my 9mm and emptied one shot into his head throwing green blood across the rest of the creatures.
"Who else wants some!!" I challenged them drawing my .45 caliber revolver in my right hand making sure the purple bullet was last to be fired, "What are you... Chicken."
These creatures saw what I have done to their captain and accepted my challenge and charged at me and the filly.
I fell nine others with my 9mm before I started firing my .45 cal Each shot deafening me slightly.
The filly hid behind my covering her ears from each shot fired.
I counted down the shots left in my .45 cal. pistol.
"Six."
One of the creatures fell in front of me as I unloaded a shot into it's head.
"Five."
"Four."
"Three"
"Two."
"One."
I pulled the trigger for the last shot but instead of feeling the recoil or hearing the sound barrier brake I herd a humming.
lucky for my the creatures that I was slaughtering had grown weary seeing there comrades fall so easily.
I held the trigger hoping that the bullet would fire, instead the humming grew louder.
The creatures seemed to take there chance.
I released the trigger to get a reload in but the second I released the trigger a blinding purple light launched forward blasting the creatures back and through the gate blowing the gate off it's hinges.
I turned to the filly and grabbed her and started to run.
While running I put my Glock in it's holster and unloaded all the shells in my .45 and saw the one that I just fired still had the projectile in the casing and put it back in the chamber not bothering to reload any more chambers.
The filly on my back was screaming as we ran.
"Sound the alarm, we have a runner," One of them said as I continued to run through the cavern.
I blasted through the waves of guards that were sent to stop us from escaping each being blown away with the bullet I stole from there armory.
How many times to I have to shoot you before I reload , I thought each time I shot the same bullet while we ran into the forest.
I did not stop until I was sure we lost them.
I sat the filly down who immediately backed into a tree.
"What are you," she said fear still coating her voice.
"Tired," I replied sitting, leaning agents a tree.
I looked up and herd a buzzing sound.
"Get down and don't move," I said to the filly taking off my camo jacket and placing it over her then lying on the ground.
"Darn it you lost him."
"Me it was your slow flying that lost him."
"Well I'm not the one that is going to tell the queen."
"Ok, ok, they got eaten by a manticore."
They continued there argument as they flew back to the cavern.
"How did you know they were coming Mister," The filly said still fear dripping from her voice.
"You learn a thing or two when you do what I do," I replied putting my jacket back on.
I went back to my tree and sat back down, "So, who are you."
"I'm Applebloom," she said, "So what's your name."
"My name," I said "Charles, but my friends call me CD."
"Ok Charles," Applebloom started, "And what are you and that thing on your back."
"What I am," I said thinking through the list, "Human, Fifteen years of age, Hunter and, an armature survivalist. While this little toy here," I stated slinging the rifle to where she could see it, "Is a hunters best friend. Six millimeters of red hot, super sonic lead thrower or, the ultimate self defense tool besides these two smaller ones on my belt."
I could tell she was having a little bit of difficulty deciphering what I had said.
"Just call it protection."
"Oh, okay."
"We best keep moving," I said standing slinging the rifle back across my back, "Do you know the way to a path?"
"I think..." she started and looked around for some way to get directions, "I don't sorry."
I looked around for at least a path that I could distinguish and saw a small clearing.
"Follow me," I said fighting my way through the dense jungle floor only for my clearing to be a small river.
"My hunch was wrong but, my luck keeps getting better," I said Looking down the clear river.
"Are you sure this is safe?" Applebloom asked worried about something.
I saw a Large white wolf walk out of the brush to the other side of the river and take a drink.
"Stay still," I said drawing my glock if the wolf decided to make us it's next meal, "They are more afraid of you then you are of them."
The wolf looked up and saw us and simply turned around and walked back into the wooded area.
Applebloom was shaking even when the wolf left.
"Magnificent, wasn't it," I said to the still shaking Applebloom while holstering my glock, "In some folklore they say the wolf is the sign of a warrior being awakened. Yet it was strange how it didn't even growl at us."
"How did you know that it wouldn't attack us?" Applebloom asked after she stopped shaking.
"I didn't," I answered, "We just got lucky, Something even my great granddad warned me not to stress to much" I continued lying down on the bank, "He was always kind and looking for a way to help someone. He was the one to give me this," I said taking out my .45 cal. revolver and looking at my reflection in the silver barrel.
Applebloom sat down and listened to my story even looking at the pistol with great interest.
"He got this during the second world war," I paused remembering another part of his story my eyes widening as I remembered more of what he told me, "More like returned with it. From a different world. We all called him crazy, even he thought he was crazy whenever he told that story."
I looked up and saw we only had a few hours of daylight left.
"I'll continue the story tomorrow right now it's best we get some sleep," I said taking my jacket off and putting it over Applebloom like a blanket, "Rest now," I said waiting until she was asleep before falling into slumber myself.
I found myself looking down the scope of my rifle.
"Must be one of my reoccurring hunting dreams," I said to myself Taking the rifle away from my eyes, "Why must my dreams me so lucid."
"Who art thou," A female voice called out .
"I should be asking you that," I said, "But you are just one of the many thoughts swarming in my head so I should at least listen to what I have to say to myself."
"I am not..." she started as I snapped my fingers changing the dream environment to a small campfire with a few logs scattered as stools and grass padding as a bed spread insulation.
"Might as well show yourself."
A deep midnight blue pony specifically an alicorn by my great grandfathers description.
"I am princess Luna, and I am not one of your 'thoughts'" The alicorn identified herself as.
"Of course you are," I said the 'light' from the fire allowing me to see that she had a horn and wings with a mane and tail that seemed to blow in the wind when there was none, "Wait. Did you say you were 'Princess' Luna."
"Yes, why?"
I remembered my great grandfathers stories about this 'other world' and tried to remember more of what he said.
"Princess Luna," I said realizing my great granddads stories contained her and, "Little sister to Princess Celestia!!"
"Yes," she said more confused about something.
"How long has it been since discords first fall?" I asked knowing this might catch her off guard.
"How do you know about discord outsider, did he..." She started but I had to cut her off.
"My great granddad told me of how he sealed him in stone with you and your sisters help," I said.
"You are Antinanco Citlali's grandson!!" She said rather surprised.
"Great grandson," I corrected.
She shuck her head to remember something that she must have deemed important, "What did I come here for."
I rolled my eyes knowing what she was going to say so I said it for her, "Are you missing someone by the name of Applebloom."
"You better not have hurt her or..." She said rather angry almost like a new mother.
"She is fine if you want to check her dream she should be near me," I smelled the air and smelled a familiar smell, "I didn't fall asleep near any cedar treed did I."
"Your in the everfree forest there are many trees you might not have noticed it until now," Luna tried to reason.
"Sorry to cut this little visit short," I said, "I'm getting up, now. I can't risk it." I woke my self up with that line to an unforgiving sight of beast and wood.
Author's Note
I wanted to go back and do some well needed edits. I hope the new version is better than the old one.
Leave a comment please.
Prolog- the hunters code
I locked my sight on my target, an eight point buck remembering the hunters code.
Make the kill quick, clean, and painless.
I honed the sights at the bucks head wanting to waste no more ammunition than necessary.
I took a deep breath in as I pulled the trigger falling the magnificent creature with a single shot to the head.
Walking up to the deer I quickly took out a small knife and gutted the animal. Once gutted I carried the carcass to my camp by a flowing river.
I wasted no time washing and skinning the deer and making sure that no blood was left on it then hung the buck on a tree limb to let the rest of the fluids drain.
"First successful hunt in days," I said to myself.
I went to my backpack and pulled out my digital tape-recorded.
I started my recording, "Day nineteen, afternoon, hour six, minuet twelve, First successful hunt in over five days, It is clear to me now that staying put will only leave me with a few more weeks of survival. If I wish to continue surviving I must find some sort of civilization." I ended the recording as not to waste any more battery or data.
"Tomorrow Is when I eat," I said to myself throwing a log on my slow burning fire.
I moved my aluminum canteen away from the fire and allowed it to cool for a moment before taking a drink of the warm water.
Looking at the sun I could tell I had enough time to finish polishing my .45 cal. pistol my Great grandfather left me in his will.
I took the few pelts I had collected through the time I had been here and set them in my backpack.
"Note to self," I said to myself drowsily, "Do something with these skins," with that said I allowed myself to rest.