Forget About Freeman

My eyes shot open, and I sat up in a rush, panting. Looking around, I realized I sure as hell wasn't in Black Mesa anymore. I then remembered what I had preciously seen and felt, and a disturbing thought crossed my mind.

Was I dead?

I gulped as I contemplated the thought. I was surrounded by a thick jungle, and there was no sign of the facility in sight. I had to be pretty damn far away, considering there wasn't any rainforests in Oklahoma. Or Kansas. Or Colorado, for that matter. I was happy to see I had all my gear with me. Hell or not, I can still shoot everything that moves. I grinned at the thought of a scorched earth scenario. I grabbed my gun, helmet and gasmask, and prepped for combat. I didn't know where I was, and that just made me feel more and more fearful.

Standing up, I brushed myself off and observed my surroundings. I still didn't get how the hell I got to wherever I was, and my mind was certainly voting on the idea that I died. But even so, was I in heaven or hell? Or was it neither, and I was just a ghost? There was no way to be sure. I checked my mag, and decided to head in a random direction, praying I would find something.

I stumbled through the thick woods, scanning the maze of trees for any sign of sentient life. After what I was sure was hours, my stomach growled and my throat cried for water. I couldn't do anything about my burning hunger, but I could at least drink some water from my flask.

I unhooked the little object from my belt, opened it, and drank until I was certain it was empty. My hunger sharpened when the water settled in, and I winced with pain before continuing my trek.

These woods certainly didn't look like any I had seen before; they were thick and dark, nothing like the forests back in Washington. They couldn't even compare to the jungles in Hawaii, or Brazil. Just infinite and dark. It was almost creepy, because it felt like I was the only thing alive. No birds sang their songs, no frogs croaked, and no monkeys cackled. Just an eerie silence.

Sweat rolled down my forehead under my mask, and I wasn't sure if it was from the heat or fear. Why was it so damn quiet?! Did everything die, aside from me? I was at first relieved when I heard a twig snap behind me, but relief turned to fear when I darted around, my gun at my hip. My eyes widened. Standing before me, was... Well, let's just say I had no fucking clue. It was like a lion, but it had bat-like wings and a scorpion tail. I know my callsign is scorpion, but this is just ridiculous. I pulled my trigger, this time holding it down. I yelled in rage over the sound of my assault rifle roaring with automatic fire, and I didn't stop until the booming sound of my gun firing changed to the little click it made when the mag was empty. I stood there, panting, and stared at the dead corpse in front of me.

What was once a creature that looked like a satanic lion was now a bullet-hole covered corpse, and I collapsed onto my ass, panting for breath. What was that?! I should probably get used to seeing weird stuff... I thought. Once I had caught my breath and reloaded, I stood up once more and hauled ass through the jungle.

The woods had begun to thin, and more and more patches of sunlight breached the thick canopy above. I pulled off my mask and breathed in. The air was clean, and carried a bunch of smells, all of which I could not recognize. Ahead of me, I could see something other than forest, and sprinted forward, jumping over roots and shrubs. I stopped at the treeline dividing a valley and the forest, and looked around the sight before me. All that was there was a rolling grassland, but in the distance I could make out what looked like a small village. I sat down and sighed, wiping the sweat away from my forehead. It was hot out here, no matter how green the environment was.

I stood up once again, and continued to step down the hill. Even though I had just woken up not even a few hours ago, I felt exhausted. I looked up, surprised to see how fast the sun had started setting. It seemed to be dropping below the horizon at an alarming rate. How did I not notice this earlier? It seemed to have been light one moment, and dark the next.

A blanket of exhaustion rolled over me, and I yawned. I was confused as to why I was so tired, but I figured I had just lost track of time, considering how low the sun was in the evening sky.

I tried to tough on, but couldn't manage to keep myself awake. My eyelids grew heavy, and I stumbled forward, sleep consuming me.

I woke up, confused as to why I was in a bed. I had to be dead, now. My arms and legs were stiff, probably because one, my gear was still on and two, this bed was wayyy too small for me. I rubbed my head, surprised to find my helmet was not there. I then jumped a bit, frightened by the realization my gun was missing. My eyes darted around the room, and I sighed in relief to find my rifle propped up against the bed I was in.

"Man, sleeping in combat boots is hard on the feet..." I mumbled aloud, to nobody in particular. I sat up, quietly exited the bed, and grabbed my gun. I kept low, holding the stock of my G33 into my shoulder, and approached the door to the bedroom. I was confused as to why there was no knob, so I had no choice but to push it. Ever so slowly, I pushed onto the door, adding more and more force the more it opened. Peeking out from the doorway, I saw a small hallway, with a few other doors and a staircase. Not wanting to waste any time, I headed straight for the stars, trying to be quick yet quiet. So far, so good.

I started to step down the staircase, only to stop dead in my tracks to see a... something staring back at me. We stood in silence, both surprised by the other. Its facial expression of surprise changed to a content smile, and it spoke to me with a feminine voice.

"Hello." It - assumed to be a she - said, in a very calm and soothing voice. I just stood there, feeling awkward seeing as I was standing there, aiming my rifle at her, and she just greeted me. "Did you sleep well?" she asked. I shook my head, and came back to reality.

"N-not really." I replied. She seemed happily surprised after I spoke.

"Oh my, you can talk!" she commented. I facepalmed. If you didn't think I could, why the hell did you ask? "Were you not comfortable?" she asked, this time seeming a little disappointed.

"Not in my combat armor, I wasn't." We just sat there in silence, staring at each other. She seemed happy enough, but I myself felt utterly shocked by what was before me. She appeared to be a yellow pegasus with a pink mane. Very strange indeed.

"Would you like to come downstairs for tea?" she asked, breaking the silence. I nodded. She perked up a bit. "Wonderful! I have so many questions!" This was just getting weirder.

"So, what do humans talk about?" she asked, sitting next to me on the sofa. Getting attention from an adorable pegasus was fun.

"Well, just about anything we can think of." I answered. She seemed content enough with each answer.

"Where are you from?" she asked. I had to think about that one.

"Well, I'm not sure if I'm on the same world any more, but I come from a place called Washington." I explained. She gave a look.

"What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head. I thought for a moment.

"Well, at least on the planet I was from, there wasn't any place like this. No pegasi, no weird lion-bat-scorpion hybrids, and ponies didn't talk. So, Washington seems like another world compared to this place." I described. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"That really does sound like a different world." she mumbled, looking at the floor. "What did you do?" she asked.

"I was in the H.E.C.U, 'Hazardous Environment Combat Unit'." I explained.

"You were a soldier?" she asked. I nodded.

"Speaking of back home, I have no clue how I got here." I said. We just sat in silence, thinking of possible ideas. Or at least, that's what I assumed she was doing.

"I don't think there's a logical explanation." she said, frowning at the floor. "I hope you do get home." After she spoke, we just sat in silence. I decided to think about what my next move would be. Perhaps explore? Make some friends? Look for an order of work? My thoughts were interrupted by the pegasus suddenly springing to life. "I know! You could talk to my friend Twilight! She might know!" I suddenly stopped her from carrying out her plan.

"Hold on, hold on!" I commanded, holding up my hands. "I don't even know your name." She blushed, and sat back down.

"I'm Fluttershy." she replied, smiling sheepishly.

"You can call me Dutch." I said, offering to shake her, er, hoof. She looked at me with an expression saying 'What are you doing?', so I just gave up. "Well, go get your friend Twilight." I dismissed. She nodded.

"I'll be back really soon!" Fluttershy said, before walking out the door. I slumped back in my seat. Today was going to be looooooooong.