Broken Worlds: Age of Ruin

I trudged along the dirt road, glancing around through my darkened lenses at the surrounding area; I was drawing closer to New Phoenix, which meant I had to keep my guard up as well as possible. Bandits and raiders liked to hang around several miles from the remaining cities and prey on any travelers migrating to or from the safety that their walls provided. I could see the shining spire of the BlackTech headquarters building, the sight of which filled me with relief and anger; anger at the sight of those responsible for ruining my life, and relief that my journey would soon be at an end.

However, the sound of revving engines reminded me that things very rarely go my way these days.

I jumped and rolled to the side just as a maroon, windowless van sped past my previous location, drifting to a halt several yards away. The darkened passenger window rolled down, and a man wearing a bloodstained hockey mask and beige tank-top poked his torso out, giving me full view of the machete he held in his right hand.

“Give us your gun and the shit in that bag, and we’ll let you pass to New Phoenix unharmed!” he demanded in a gruff voice.

I wasn’t stupid; I knew that if I were to willingly hand over my bag and my gun, they’d just shoot me and leave my carcass for the buzzards. I took aim with my rifle and fired, my below-average accuracy causing the bullet to embed itself in the man’s shoulder. He screamed in agony and retreated into the van.

“Go get 'im, boys!” I heard a voice call, and the side door slid open, unleashing a pair of ravenous-looking wolves that charged at me.

I narrowed my eyes and fired a round at each wolf, the first shot breaking the back leg of one, and the second striking the other wolf square in the skull, killing it instantly. As the crippled wolf drew near, I braced my leg and swung it forward at full force as the predator pounced, my strike connecting squarely with its jaw and shattering it. The wolf staggered away, whimpering and with blood dripping from its shattered mouth, before collapsing on its side. I walked over as the creature eyed me fearfully, and took aim.

“I’m sorry,” I said simply, and ended the wolf’s misery with a shot to its head.

I turned back to the van and watched it expectantly, when a pair of men jumped out, each of them armed with what looked like SWAT gear. One of them wielded a combat shotgun, while the other toted an assault rifle.

“Son of a bitch,” I muttered as I dove behind a rock just before my attackers opened fire. Bullets whizzed past my cover as I wildly looked around for something that could save me.

That’s when I saw it: a stone archway sitting about a football-field’s length from my current location, filled with a screen of pink light and emanating a similarly-colored glow. I narrowed my eyes at the sight; I had always been a little edgy about entering the other world, but considering my current circumstances, I had little choice. I reached into my bag and pulled out a grenade I had picked up from a bunker I found during my journey, pulled the pin, and tossed it over the rock as I booked it for the portal. The two men dropped low to the ground as I jumped and rolled away from the explosion of shrapnel, and then leaped to my feet and continued my sprint for salvation.

Just a few yards from the portal, I felt a sharp pain in my thigh; one of them had landed a lucky hit on my leg, and I was forced to finish my escape with a slight limp. I dove into the portal headfirst as the world around me exploded in a white blaze, and I landed on my stomach in one of the last places I expected to arrive: the middle of a forest. There wasn’t even anything special about it, either; it looked like any ordinary forest you could find on Earth.

Did I even go anywhere? I asked myself, but quickly pushed these questions aside for later; right now, I had to make sure if my pursuers did decide to follow me, they wouldn’t be able to find me. I quickly started to limp forward a ways, when the sound of something approaching made me drop behind a bush.

Must be one of those guys, I thought decisively, okay, I’ll just grab him and break his neck before the other one can catch me.

I leaped from my cover and tackled the oncomer, who I quickly found was not one of the men trying to kill me. In fact, it wasn’t a human at all.

“Hey, what the buck are you doing?!” the horse shouted angrily as she wrestled from my grasp. I stared in confusion for several moments. “What’s the matter with you?” she snapped, “did the trip through the portal turn your puny human brain to mush?”

I kept staring. She was very small; she was eye level with me, but since I was on my knees that put her at about waist-level. She was a light tan color with a dark-brown mane, and her left ear was ragged and torn.

“You’re… you’re a horse,” I said slowly. “You’re a horse, and you’re talking.”

“Well, I guess your brain is in good shape after all, but for your information, I’m a pony, you jerk,” she said hotly. “What are you doing, trying to tackle me?”

I looked around suddenly as I heard the sound of two men shouting; my attackers had decided to take the risk of entering the portal. I quickly grabbed the pony and pulled her into the bushes, holding her close with one arm and clamping the other around her mouth.

“Shut up!” I hissed as she struggled, praying the men wouldn’t hear me, “those guys want me dead, and if you make a sound, they’ll probably kill you, too!”

That convinced her to quiet down, and she went limp in my grasp as the men drew closer to our location. Eventually, they stood directly in front of the bush I was hiding behind.

“Well, where do you think he went?”

“Beats me; he must have given us the slip!”

“You moron, he’s around here somewhere! Nobody can get far with a leg as messed up as his.”

Just then, I heard a monstrous roar, and peeked through the branches to see a large creature approaching the two men. It had a lion’s head, body, and legs, but a pair of leathery wings stretched from its back, and its tail was like that of a scorpion’s, but it was covered in needle-like spines. I remembered this creature from a story I had read once, during my days on the farm with Tony.

“A manticore,” I whispered, and the pony’s eyes widened with fear.

The both of the men had totally different reactions; while one turned and ran like a sensible human being, the other held his rifle at the ready.

“Back the fuck off!” he screamed, sounding more afraid than threatening. The creature gave an unimpressed snort and whipped its tail, launching one of the spines and striking the man square in the chest. He dropped to the ground instantaneously, his breathing becoming ragged as the creature drew near. It licked its lips hungrily and proceeded to eat the man alive, just a few feet away from where I sat.

I waited there for ages until the beast had finished gorging itself, and stalked off into the depths of the forest. I removed my arm from the ponies mouth, and she immediately gasped for breath.

“Sweet Celestia, that was the most terrifying moment of my life!” she said, keeping her voice low in case the manticore was still in earshot. “Why’d you have to grab me like that?” she suddenly asked, her fear receding as her former anger boiled back to the surface.

I glared. “It’s kinda hard to think straight when you’ve got a fucking bullet in your leg,” I snapped, pointing to the wound in my thigh.

Her expression softened. “Oh, are you alright?” she asked worriedly, “Can I help you?”

I held up a dismissive hand as I pulled a ripped shirt and a leatherman from my bag. “Thanks, but I’ve got it,” I said stiffly as I used the pliers to painfully pry the bullet from my leg, and then wrapped the wound with a strip of fabric I tore from the shirt. The pony watched in horror as I haphazardly performed minor surgery on my leg.

“How can you just do that to yourself?” she asked, disturbed.

I stood up and tested out my leg; it hurt a little when I put too much weight on it, but the bullet hadn’t broken any bones, and I could still walk.

“It isn't the first time,” I said simply, and began to walk in the direction of where the forest became less dense.

The small horse ran to catch up with me. “Wait, do you need any help?” she asked, still worried.

I shook my head. “I’m fine,” I said quickly, not looking down at the quadruped that walked beside me. “Now, if you would please leave me alone, that would be a real treat.”

The pony huffed angrily. “Wow, no need to be a jerk,” she snapped.

I stopped and looked down at her. “I prefer to travel alone unless absolutely necessary. Now, please, go away.” With that, I continued my walk, and noticed I was coming up on a road. “Ah, perfect,” I said happily, but scowled when I realized the footsteps that followed me had not yet receded. “Can I help you?” I asked, turning to face my quadruped stalker.

The pony looked up at me sadly. “Look,” she said slowly, “can I please walk with you for a while? It’s been ages since I’ve had anyone to talk to, and it would be nice to have some company that isn’t a tree or something that would like to eat me.”

I stared for a few moments. “Fine,” I sighed, “but only for a little while; I plan on getting back to Earth as soon as I can,” I added quickly.

The pony let out a strange, high-pitched noise, not entirely unlike a squeak, and happily trotted to my side. “So, what’s your name?” she asked eagerly.

“Wayne,” I said simply, “Wayne Douglas.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Wayne,” she said kindly, “my name is Gentle Blade; but, you could probably have guessed that from my cutie mark, huh?”

I looked down, raising an eyebrow over my sunglasses. “‘Cutie mark’? What is that?” I asked in confusion.

The pony giggled. “Oh, you must not know much about ponies, huh? That’s okay; most humans are pretty ignorant when it comes to Equestrian society. A cutie mark shows a pony’s special talent; as you can see,” she said, turning and presenting her thigh, which I now noticed was emblazoned with a red heart overlayed with a pair of crossed swords, “my mark means I’m caring and gentle, but I know how to handle a sword like an expert!”

I stared blankly. ‘Cutie marks’? ‘Equestrian society’? Did I have a stroke when I went through that portal?

Just then, I heard a vehicle approaching, and Gentle blade hid in a nearby bush.

“What’s the matter?” I asked with an amused laugh.

“That’s a BlackTech transport shuttle!” she said fearfully, “BlackTech means bad news for us ponies!”

I nodded thoughtfully. “Huh,” I said, and stepped out onto the road as I waved my arms to flag down the truck.

“What the hay are you doing?” Gentle Blade hissed.

I glanced over to her without turning my head. “Hitching a ride,” I murmured as the truck slowed to a halt. “Hi!” I said cheerfully as the driver came to a stop and rolled down his window, “Could you give me a lift? I’m trying to get home, and I got hurt a little ways back,” I said, gesturing to my bandaged leg.

The driver widened his eyes. “Oh, jeez, that looks terrible!” he exclaimed. “Hop in on the other side; I’ll gladly give you a lift! The BlackTech facility I’m heading to has some medical supplies, so we can fix you up there and send you on your way.”

I nodded and turned to head around to the other side, when I noticed Gentle Blade staring at me with big, sad eyes. I turned back to the truck driver and cleared my throat.

“Is it okay if I throw my bag in back?” I inquired politely, pointing a thumb over my shoulder at my duffel bag.

The man nodded. “Yeah, no problem!” he said, pressing a button on the dashboard as the back door slid up. I nodded thankfully and subtly beckoned Gentle Blade to the back of the truck. She crept along the treeline until she was out of the driver’s line of sight, and trotted up to me.

“Get in,” I said, tossing my bag in with the several crates inside. “It may not be comfortable, but you’ll have to deal with it if you want to stick with me that badly.”

The pony nodded eagerly and delicately jumped inside, sitting on top of one of the crates and curling her legs underneath her body; she kinda looked like a cat.

I slammed the door down and walked to the passenger side of the truck. “Sorry about that,” I said apologetically, “I thought I saw something important, but it was just my imagination,” I explained.

The driver nodded. “Don’t you hate it when that happens?” he asked cheerfully, and revved the truck’s engine as he started down the road once again.

Things are finally starting to look up, I thought happily, I can get my leg fixed up, and soon enough I’ll be relaxing in New Phoenix and won’t have to worry about talking horses ever again!