Solar nightmare

January 3, 2030. 05:30. Location: The Atlas

*bzzz* *bzzz* *bzzz* Oh sweet Jesus please tell me they’re not *bzzz* *bzzz* *bzzz* Oh never mind, it’s just the phone alarm that has failed to wake me every morning. What’s that, you didn’t know I had a phone. We all have one. The company we worked for gave them to us for some reason. I don’t know why but I’m not going to question someone giving me a free phone.

“Who’s taking the bathroom first this ti-“ Zander started to say before being so rudely cut off by the bathroom door slamming and locking. I would have looked him strangely, but I was already in the shower.

I went through the normal routine and then emerged from the water closet, felling fresh. As I walked to the kitchen my mind was plagued by things to do for today.

“Hey Sam, we’re running low on food, could you do something about that?” Zander yelled from the kitchen. Well that was a gift sent from heaven.

“Sure, what do we have in stock now?” I asked.

“Well, we have some dried fruit and one banana for some reason.” Zander responded looking around the kitchen.

“Throw me the banana and I’ll head out.” He nodded and threw me the yellow crescent of potassium and fiber. After devouring it in the most sexual way possible for the soul purpose of making everyone in the room uncomfortable as hell I moved to the lounge to gather my gear. For some reason that banana was the best one I had ever had.

I had my greatsword and my two daggers. I strapped the sword to my back and hid the knives in my boots. Once that was done I walked out, said my goodbyes and left the station.

January 3, 2030. 06:30. Location: The Everfree Forest

The second I left the station the cool crisp morning air of the forest assaulted my face. It was so much better than the polluted city air I was used to. As I stated walking I saw my favorite little zebra neighbor. She was doing the meditation thing on the stick.

“Hey Zecora!” I said, a little louder than needed. Surprisingly she didn’t lose her focus.

“Good morning Sam did you sleep well?” she responded happily.

I moved up closer “Well, after the little confrontation last night I guess I did.” I said as she climbed off her stick. This caused her smile to strain. She looked at me and hugged me around my mid-section. This wasn’t as weird as it had been the first time so I hugged back without hesitation.

“You know if you need to talk about it anymore you can talk to me or the princesses right?” she asked. I nodded in response and we released each other.

“Maybe later, we’re running low on food so I need to go gather some.” I said, starting to walk off.

“Wait, I will accompany you.” She said grabbing her stick. I shrugged and motioned for her to come on. She ran after me and we continued into the forest.

“Thanks for coming along.” I said as we walked.

“It was no trouble at all, I hand no other plan for today anyway.” She replied. We found some plants along the way and some small game, such as rabbits and squirrels. Zecora looked away as I captured them. I felt bad, but what can you do. We finished gathering about seven hours later. As we were heading back, I felt a lingering since of dread over me. I looked over to Zecora to see her rigid as the staff on her back. I snapped her out of it and looked around, only to see a pair of eyes…. Then another…. Then another.

At this point I had my sword out yelling at whatever it is to come out. The thing that came out was not what I had expected. It was a large quadruped with three heads. The head to the left of us was that of a tiger. The one in the middle was a snake, which was apparently the tail as well. The last and certainly least was a comically out of place goat. The body itself was in two parts. The one closest to us was that of the tiger, pointy bits and all. The back half was goat like in form.

We stared down at each other for about fifteen seconds before it struck. As fast as a blink the chimera, I believe it was called, ran at me, claws extended. I blocked the blow with the flat of my blade, planning a counter-attack at the creature’s torso as the tail lunged at me. The screams that emitted from my throat was enough to snap Zecora out of the stupor she was in. She took her staff in her hoofs, taking a bipedal stance, which I found as odd as I could with snake venom in my shoulder.

Zecora then got the thing’s attention, by way of breaking one of the goats horn off. The snake let go of my arm and I grabbed my straight dagger from my boot and slice the snake off the body. After replacing my dagger, I retrieved my sword from the ground, just in time to block another strike from a tiger claw.

I look to check on me fighting companion only to see she has knocked out the goat. I looked back to the tiger only to see it going for my neck. I side steep and cut into the things neck. The whole body slumped.

After I caught my breath I walked to the goat head and broke its neck. With the help of Zecora we got the thing back to the Atlas. Zander and Sasha meet us outside. Zecora kept the snake head, for reasons undenounced to me, then went back to her hut. Zander and Sasha took the corpse and other game to the back to ‘prepare’ the food. Me? I walked inside, ate dinner, took a shot of potion, and collapsed on my bed.