Cryogen

"Daring!?" I yell as I come to a stop, spotting just what was dragging my only living acquaintance away from me. In front of me is a living breathing tiger with Daring's leg in her mouth. She doesn't see me while she tries swatting at the tiger while grunting in obvious pain.

"Daring get down!" I yell as I aim the gun. She doesn't even look up at me as her head ducks down, and I pull the trigger.

*BANG* *BANG* BANG*

Three shots to the head. That's all it took to drop the damned thing, releasing Daring from it's deadly grip. She breathes heavily, refusing to look at her leg by making direct eye contact with me. All I see in her eyes in relief and pain. I rush over to her, and stop on my knees as I lean in to inspect her leg.

"I-I'm fine." She grunts as she tries to stand, only causing blood to gush from the wound as she falls back down with a loud yelp. C'mon, think Zack, think. What can I use as a tourniquet? I pull off my backpack wordlessly, and fish around in it until I find my jacket. I rip a sleeve off and tie it around Daring's back leg as tightly as I can just above the wound, causing the bleeding to slow almost to a hault. She cries out in pain as I uncap the water bottle and begin washing her leg with the remainder of my jacket. I'm no doctor, and this definitely isn't the best care she could receive, but this is all I really have to work with. I finished patching up the wound by tying the jacket tightly over the wound, creating a large makeshift bandage.

"There... that should keep infection out long enough for us to get back to your place." I say as I huff out the air I didn't realize I had been holding in. I lean back on my knees and tilt my head back up towards the sky. If I'm reading the moon right, I'd say it is about two or three in the morning, meaning we still have quite a while till sunrise, but we don't have that kind of time to waste.

"Can you stand?" I ask as I place a hand on her side, actually feeling empathetic for her, a feeling I haven't had for a very long time. I never was much of a people person, especially after losing all of my friends just because of my own achievements. I vowed to never let anyone get close to me like that again, but Olivia was an exception to that rule. We were pretty damn similar when it came down to it, which made us get along perfectly. We'd been dating since highschool, and even into college. She was probably the last person I'd ever consider to be a real friend, the only one I'd ever really trust. Long story short, I have trust issues.

"Does it look like it?" She says sarcastically. Damn, attitude much? "I can fly though, trust me."

"Uh, no you can't" I say as I push her back into the ground. "You'll just strain your leg even more, even if you aren't exactly walking on it."

"Well then how the hay do you expect me to move Zack? Mr. Genius?" I don't respond verbally, but instead scoop her up into my arms, finding that she is surprisingly lighter that I expected, maybe forty of fifty pounds at most. Probably has hollow bones like a bird considering she can fly. I start walking in the same direction that we had been going earlier in the day, completely forgetting about the fire we left behind. It'll probably just put itself out. We had it a safe distance from anything flammable.

"Is this necessary? It is a little demeaning." Daring mumbles as she pulls her hat down over her face.

"Do you have a better idea? No, didn't think so. Trust me, I'm not enjoying it either just to let you know. I wouldn't do this if you weren't hurt... not to mention my guide."

"You're a real hard one aren't ya Zack? I can see the kind, good pon- person in you, but you got this hard exterior shell that won't let that part of you show. What gives?"

"I don't want to talk about it..." I mumble as I continue walking through the dark, cold forest. Damn it is freezing out here, really wish I had that jacket right about now.

"Oh come on, it isn't like we have anything else to talk about other than how awkward this is." She says as she jabs my chest with a hoof.

"Ah... fuck it, whatever. It started when I was like maybe thirteen or fourteen. That was when I started becoming the guy I am now. I started to get recognized not only for my academics, but also my athletic abilities, mainly in a sport called baseball. Anyway, I started getting so many awards for both, that people thought it was going to my head, though I don't think it did. My friends, or at least I thought they were, started leaving my ass in the dirt because they couldn't stand to see me having any kind of success. Jealousy brings out the worst in people I guess. So, by the time I turned seventeen, I'd lost pretty much everybody close to me other than my family and Olivia, my girlfriend. At that point, I just decided it would be better for everyone if I stopped trying to get close to people, and that's how I got to be how I am today. I'm not proud of it, but it is who I am, and I have to embrace it. That experience was a reality check for me, and it opening my eyes to show me just how idiotic humans can be." I explain slowly, stopping every few words to try to think of what to say next.

"Good thing we aren't humans." Daring says with a slight smile.

"We?"

"Ponies, all of us. Well, of course there are a few bad apples out there, but what you described doesn't sound like anypony I've ever met. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, these ponies, strange but friendly folks, somehow found my house and two of them were flipping out over me, especially this one with a rainbow mane, real trippy. Anyway, the way they all seemed to interact with each other suggested that they were all pretty darn close. That's why I'm sending you to the town they came from. Maybe you'll meet them, maybe you won't, but my goal is to get you out there in the world, learn to live again, learn to be happy. That's what you made me promise to you right? That you would be happy?"

"Well yeah, but that doesn't mean I WANT to meet these people. For all I know, they could be real dicks that might turn me off from wanting to meet any other ponies. You gave me a good impression of what you guys are like, but I can't really be for sure off of just your opinion. Sorry, that's just how I am." I say with a shrug.

"You're really stubborn, you know that?" Daring says as she squints at me.

"And you're really heavy, now stop whining and let me walk in peace." I say as I stick my tongue out at her, a small smile forming on my face at her reaction.

"I'm not fat!" She says in defense.

"Didn't say you were. In fact, you're really light, which surprises me, but after a while anything will become heavy if you carry it long enough. Its just that my muscles are tired, that's all." I say as I lightly flick her ear. We continue walking in silence, and while I have no idea what she is thinking about, I know that I'm only thinking about what I just told her. The fact that I wanted to shut everyone out of my life, the fact I wanted to be close to someone again, but was too afraid that they would turn their backs on me, the fact that nobody seemed to be loyal. That's my biggest fear, somebody leaving my side when I thought I could trust them.

I decide now is a better time than any seeing as how all I have to do is walk and carry a probably sleeping pegasus through the dark woods that cover what used to be Washington D.C. I maneuver one hand into my pocket and pull out the earbuds I had placed there earlier. I put them in my ears before plugging them into my phone, then pulling said phone out of my pocket and holding it out in front of me. Gotta do this quickly before my other arm gives out from carrying Daring solo. I pick a random song and quickly put the phone back into my pocket, supporting Daring with both arms once again.

Some good ol' rock music from the 80's plays loudly in my ears, and I get lost in the music, the thing I always did when I was stressed. Music was an escape for me, an escape from the harsh reality of the real world. I'd even go as far as daydreaming that I was the singer rocking out on guitar on stage while I listened to the song. It was my favorite thing to do really, and I never got old, not once. The best part was, I could do it with every and any song that played, meaning I could just hold a never ending concert in my head for God knows how long.

Hours. That's what it feels like before the sun finally starts to peek over the horizon. I've not even come close to playing every song on my phone, as I have well over a thousand downloaded. Technology, what would I do without it?

To make things even better, Daring's rooftop appears over the top of a group of trees just a few hundred feet from us. My arms burn like a thousand suns, but I keep pushing on, rocking Daring back and forth to wake her up. She mumbles something inaudible, and shifts around in my arms, almost throwing me off balance.

"We're here already?" She asks, though I barely hear her over the music in my ears. "What are you wearing? What are those cords?"

"Earbuds!" I yell probably very loudly, though I can't tell because of the music. "They let me listen to music without anyone else hearing it! You wanna hear some when we get inside!?"

"Yeah! I'd love to! Oh, this is the discovery of a lifetime! I meet a creature from 3500 years ago, now I get to use his technology? This is so cool!" She says excitedly like a little kid, causing her to scrunch up into a little ball. Alright, all my bullshit aside for a second, that was kinda cute, I'll admit. Of course, I'd never admit that, but... hey, I call it as I see it.

"Gonna right a book on me?" I ask sarcastically as I roll my eyes and smile.

"You know it! This has to be one of my greatest discoveries ever, how could I not!? You might be the key to unlocking the past Zack, do you know how important that makes you?"

"I hope you aren't being nice to me only because I'm apparently so 'important'." I respond. Daring's expression goes from excitement to one of sadness in less than a second.

"Do you really think I'm like that? I'm being nice to you because I consider you a friend Zack. Oh, also the fact that you probably saved my flank from getting eaten by a tiger."

"Friend huh? I don't know if we're quite there yet Mrs. Yerling."

"It's Daring." She says in a monotone voice.

"Yeah, Daring. You're nice and all, but I'm not looking to make friends right now, I hope you know that."

"Fine, but I still consider you a friend Zacky."

"Never. Call me. Zacky." I say as I shake my head, trying to pretend that she didn't just call me that stupid name.

"Whatever you say... Zacky."

"Oh for the love of-" I cut myself off as the entirety of her house comes into view, causing me to speed up. I gotta admit, I wasn't expecting it to be in the middle of nowhere like this. I expected at least a small village, not just some lonely house in the middle of the woods. "Don't you get lonely out here?" I ask as we approach the door.

"Eh, sometimes." She says with a shrug. "I'm gone so much that I don't really notice it while I'm hear, so I can't really say I really get lonely. In fact, I rather enjoy it out here. Its just so peaceful."

"Yeah, tell that to the tiger." I say as I step up to the door, assuming it is unlocked. Thankfully, it is, which really surprises me considering Daring probably has some pretty valuable stuff in here.

"Why do you keep this thing unlocked?" I ask as I open the door and step inside.

"I-I don't. I locked it when I left to go search the ruins." She says, her voice shaking as I place her down on a couch in the living room.

"Stay here." I say as I pull out my pistol and begin searching the house. I check every corner of every room, checking to see if there were any intruders hiding around. I crack open the bedroom door, and almost gasp, but catch myself just in time. In the bedroom, shuffling through some objects under Daring's bed, is a tan stallion with a brown mane, though he doesn't seem to know I'm here.

I tip toe towards him, gun still locked and loaded, ready to fire at a moments notice. A part of me, the part that is afraid to harm other living creatures seems to be flipped off as I get closer and closer. Boy, I wish I could have seen the look on his face when I placed the barrel of the gun on the back of his head and said,

"Don't move, or there will be one less stallion in this world."