A not quite Equestrian adventure

I never felt so scared in my life, I almost wet myself, before it spoke up.

“So what are they keepin’ you here for?”

A look of shock sweeps over my face. This only makes the lion chuckle.

“What never seen a cage before?”

I look around, keeping the lion in sight at all times, 'doesn’t hurt to be cautious,' I think to myself as I scan the local area. I quickly conclude that I’m in some sort of settlement, as there is an abundance of tents and wooden equipment. And a cage.

I focus back on the lion again which hasn’t moved an inch.

“What’s wrong with you, are you a mute or somethin’?”

“…”

“Bah, the one time I get to talk to somethin’ in months. And all I get is a mute, hairless ape.” It grumbles.

My anger rises quickly, but I control it, and I growl, “I’m not a hairless ape.”

“Ahh, it speaks.” Mock sarcasm is evident in its voice. “Well, allow me to introduce myself, my name is Baltar. May I ask what your name is?”

“Luke.” I retort. “And where the hell am I?”

He (I assume) chuckles softly, before he speaks. “You’re in Equestria, well at least the jungle part of it.” He states before continuing, “And what are you? I haven’t seen anythin’ like you round here before.” He studies me quickly, like he has had many a chance to do so before. And I shuffle nervously under his piercing gaze.

I look briefly at him, and the first thing I notice is his dark blue eyes that seem to look right through you, with a scar that runs down the middle of his right eye.

He sees me stare at his scar and smiles, “this scar shows that I’m no longer part of this clan.” He said matter of factly.

I look away unable to hold his gaze. And I take in what he said before. 'Wait did he just say Equestria?' I think, and I look at him with surprise.

“Did you just say I’m in Equestria?”

“Well yeah, course you are, where else would we be?”

I stare at him eyes wide in disbelief. He notices my reaction and continues, “Well I knew you weren’t from round here. But what are you? And where did you come from?” He stares at me quizzically

So I answer him. “Well I’m what’s called a human. A homo sapien if you want to get fancy.” I state, “And I come from a place called England. Although I doubt you’d have heard of it.”

He smiles at this and then nods, “Well your right there, you must have come from somewhere really far away.” He then turns to go back to where he was, but turns back and says, “And also I think you should apologise to that pony over there. I think you really made her angry.”

I flinch at this and turn to look at the pony he indicates to. She (I assume) is a yellowish/tan coloured pony, with hair of different shades of black, and large eyes with a magenta colour, and did not look too happy to see me. And her wings are folded in so I can't see them properly, she also has a poorly bandaged rear leg, and has a brown jacket with pockets, and is looking at me with an intensity that a fire would have wilted under. Steam was literally pouring out of her ears, and her teeth are barred. I swear, if she were any angrier, she would have burst into flames. she was also shaking, I'm not sure of the reason though it could be the loss of blood or it could be her rage.

I mentally facepalm myself, 'Holy crap this is Daring Doo, shit she's pissed, she’s a legend quickly say something smart.' I think hurriedly.

“Hey there miss Daring Doo.”

This evidently shocks her. But she recoils and spits. “You stupid hairless ape, what the hay did you do to me? Look at my leg, what the hay did you do?” she was evidently unimpressed at how I know her, but another thing worries me she should be shouting but her voice is raspy. “Thanks too you, I got caught by the stupid Weya tribe. I’m gonna be set back weeks now. Do you know how long it took me to get this close to the temple of Raah? MONTHS!”

I stare guiltily at the floor and think of a way to get me in her good books.

“How bout I make it up to you by helping you escape then.” I say hoping that she’ll accept. I don’t know how I’ll do it but at least she won’t be as mad at me.

“Hah fat chance, and if so, how the hay will you do that then?” still fuming at the fact that it was me that got her here in the first place.

I think madly trying to think of a way to escape, when it strikes me that I’ve still got my knife in my sock. I look around and don’t see any guards. I raise my leg and start to shake it to try and dislodge the knife. The knife resists but finally falls out with a solid THUNK.  I smirk at the now gobsmacked pony.

“H-how did you… but…” she stammers, her voice barely above normal speaking tones. But she gives in and continues to stare angrily at me.

“Never leave home without it.” I say as I shuffle over to put it behind me so I can cut the bonds that hold my hands.

I cut the bonds that held my hands behind my back, looking quite smug, and try to massage some blood round them. To the annoyance of Daring Doo, who grunts and returns to looking at me impatiently.

By now Baltar the lion had stood on all fours excitedly, and asked, “Well how are we gonna get out of here? The guards come round every few minutes or so, so we’ll have to be quick.”

He continues to mumble about our escape whilst I nod in agreement and look at the cage around me. It’s a small cage, only a few feet high, so I have to crouch down low to avoid hitting my head. The bars were wooden with a thick rope holding the bars together.

Pretty pointless if you ask me I could have broken the bars with ease, but I have to escape quietly, plus I want to get my gun back, as it would be too dangerous if they kept it. All in all this was a pretty good cage if I was any judge, but it’s still ridiculous.

I warn Baltar to keep an eye out for guards, just in case they decide to check up on their prisoners. I make quick work of the ropes with my knife. And open the cage so Balter can go through. I step out and make my way over to Daring’s cage and slash at the ropes holding the door.

The door, which by now was hanging only by a few ropes, sways eerily in the breeze. She tries to fly but with the amount of blood loss she must have gone through she is still to weak. So I lift the still weak pony onto my shoulder, she complains but I quieten her as I look for my survival bag. I find it a few moments later the contents strewn on the grass. I sigh and put the pony down and collect my gear and put it neatly back in the bag. I look around for my gun before I realise it’s not there. Anger burns my inside as I refrain from swearing, and I carry out a larger search, using my bag as a makeshift cradle to hold Daring Doo.

I eavesdrop on some of the locals to get some sort of clue of where they put my gun.

When I hear, next to a tent, “how long till the large one awakens sheff?” I assume this is their chief of some sorts. So this will probably be important.

“Not long chief only a few minutes, I saw him stirring only a few minute ago.”

‘HA I knew it,’ I think triumphantly.

“Good. We need him ready for the sacrifice to Raah.”

‘What?!’ I think, ‘to hell are they gonna sacrifice me.’

“Yes chief… And what do I do with this weird L shape thing”

“Keep it. It is a sign of your courage to capture such a beast”

“Yes chief, thank you chief.”

“Damn.” I mutter quietly, so as not to reveal my presence. I think quickly and find a spot to put Daring Doo so that she won’t be seen. She panics for a second, thinking I’m going to leave her, until I tell her to stay quiet till I come back as I need to get something. She looks like she’s about to argue back, to say I’m crazy, so I turn away and rush to see the creature that has my gun. It is another lion just like Baltar except this one is larger and has plates of armour all over it, making it look like some sort of knight.

I follow him as carefully as I can making sure as to not be seen, I can’t afford a confrontation, especially with Daring in her vulnerable condition. I follow the creature with my gun to the other side of the… camp? And watch it carefully as it enters its tent.

It may not be a great plan, rush in, knock out the lion, grab the gun, and then run. But it is all I have. I stealthily follow behind it, making sure I won’t be seen when I enter.

I open the flap as carefully as I can and enter the tent. The lion doesn’t notice me, as it was staring intently on the object in front of it. ‘Good’ I think ‘well this will probably turn out better than expected.’

Suddenly the flap bursts open, 'Me and my big mouth,' and a lion comes in spluttering.

“SIR THE PRISIN-E-E-ER. WATCH OUT.” Without time to think I swing round with my fist and it comes in to contact with its face with a satisfying crunch, which sends it flying back out of the tent, unconscious.

I turn round to face the lion with armour, only to be thrown outside the tent as well. Out of breath I get up and face my attacker, which had gone on all fours and is snarling. It charges again but I am ready this time, before it hits me I sidestep, his claws tearing through my jumper, and bring my knee into the side of its face where there is the least amount of armour. It howls in pain as my knee collides with it, sending it flying into my next would be attacker. I don’t stop to think as I run back into the tent and hastily look for my gun. I find it on the table at the far side and I dash to get it, as I grab it a bunch of lions burst through the tents door, ready for a fight. I don’t give them the opportunity as I run into the side of the tent and with my knife cut a hole through it, whilst placing my D-Eagle into its holster on the side of my hip.

They instinctively take chase.

I look behind me to see them catching up, so I skid to a halt and face them head on.

I dodge the first one kicking it in the side as it lunges at me, which sends it flying into a nearby tent, but a second one jumps on me, and I land on my back and bring my legs up towards the lion about to land on me. As it lands on me, I push it off with my legs sending it flying far behind me, and roll backwards with the momentum of the push. This proves valuable as the lion with armour lands there moments after I move. I stand up to my full height bringing my leg up with me, and boot the lion hard in the face. With a horrible crack the lion falls to the floor dead, neck broken at a sickening angle and blood coming out of its mouth and nose.

I had seen many dead things in my life but never actually killed something, especially in such a brutal way as I had just done.

The other lions look in disbelief at what had just happened. And look at me with horror, and anger. I turn and scamper in the direction I had left daring and Baltar, foot throbbing from the collision. The lions were either planning a way of trapping me or they were actually scared of me, the fact that I could do something so vicious even scares me. The lions were following me at a distance, each one going at a pace that shows that they will catch me but only if someone else gets to me first.

Seeing that I can’t out run them, I come to the conclusion that I have to defeat all of them to stop them from chasing me. I slide to a halt again and take up a defensive position. The lions spread out and surround me trying to confuse me and try to find a weakness to exploit. I give them no such chance as with my adrenaline now going into overdrive, my senses heighten to a point so that I could see a pin drop 40 meters away.

They try and attack from behind but I pick up on their movement and swing round with my heel and slam it into the lion attacking me and send it bowling into another lion. ‘Two down five to go’ I think. And I wait for their next attack. They edge closer trying to get close enough so that I don’t have a chance to react if they attack. But they don’t have a chance as another lion comes crashing out of the trees and rams into two of the lions and the three start fighting. The two lions in front of me look around expecting an attack as well, seeing they’re no longer focusing on me I charge them catching them off balance and hurl them into two nearby trees knocking them unconscious. Baltar, who I now recognise as the one that joined the fight, finishes off the one remaining lion with a bite to the neck which brakes it in one swift movement.

I wince as I see the lion drop to the floor, dead and bleeding. And I turn to Baltar who is beckoning me to follow him, I take off after him but I yell at him to wait.

“We need to get Daring Doo.” I explain and run back to the camp, which is now swarming with lions in armour but they aren't as armoured as the one I killed, and quickly spot her and sprint over to her.

“What the hay took you so long? This place is covered in guards now. How will we escape?” She exclaims as I lift her up on to my shoulder with ease as she is surprisingly really light.

“I know a way out but it will be tricky.” Baltar says as he looks around nervously not wanting to be seen.

“Well what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” I whisper.

We take off in the direction of a cave. “Oh great,” I mumble. as you can guess I really don't like caves.

As we enter the cave I fumble for the lighter in my bag. We enter the depths of the caves, all the light from the entrance now gone, I finally find the lighter and flick it open and it bursts into flames and creates a little glow in the vast darkness of the cave.

My eyes adjust to the surroundings using the little light I now have and spot Baltar eyes widening in fascination by my lighter. “How do you do that?” he asks his head cocking at a slight angle.

“Well it’s simple,” I reply, knowing full well that he won’t understand anyway, “it is a mixture of compressed, highly combustible fluids with a flint and steel to produce the spark to light it. And a slow release system to make sure the right amount of gas escapes so that the flame can continue to burn.”

After I finish the pony and lion give me a look which shows their confusion and I laugh. Daring speaks first “Wait, are you saying that you use water to make the flame?”

I burst into hysterics laughing madly at their confusion and this confuses them even more. After I regain my composure I tell Baltar to move on unless we want to get caught.

There isn’t a breeze in the cave and the walls are getting closer together as we make our way through the cave. We have to go in single file down the narrowing cave now and there is barely enough room for me to carry Daring Doo.

we walk for what feels like hours the rumbling I heard earlier is now the roaring sound of water just ahead of us. I can hear Baltar shout over the roaring noise, “THIS IS THE FOREVER MOUNTAIN RAPIDS WE NEED TO BE EXTREMELY CAREFULL HERE, AS ONE SLIP COULD MEAN THE END OF YOU.”

The moment we reach the end of the passage and step out into a wide area my lighter gets blown out and we can’t see. I curse as I can’t light it again as it keeps getting blown back out.  I feel Baltar shuffling to my left as he feels for something. I carefully inch my way towards him so as to not fall into the rapids.

A yell of triumph is heard and Baltar shouts, “I FOUND THE PATH ACROSS BUT YOU’LL NEED TO BE EXTREMELY CAREFULL AS WATER IS CONSTANTLY GOING TO TRY AND KILL YOU. THE PATH IS NARROW SO YOU’LL NEED TO MOVE YOUR FEET CAREFULLY SO AS TO KEEP ON THE PATH.” The extra emphasis on “carefully” makes me even more nervous.

I shout back a confirmation and shuffle my way along the edge of the rapids to where the path across is. When I find it I hear faint yelling, over the roaring of rushing water, from the entrance and I resolve to move quicker across the path. It is hard work putting one foot in front of the other while water is trying its best to make sure my foot never reaches its destination, and the fact that I’m now blind doesn’t make my task any easier.

Baltar yells and I freeze unable to think. After waiting for what feels like an eternity, Baltar then yells “I’M OK” relief sweeps over me and I continue to make my way across the sounds of the tribe getting closer. Baltar then yells “BUT YOU MIGHT WANT TO JUMP.”

Confused I carry on, and after my fourth step I bring my foot down only to meet nothing, I almost lose my balance Daring screaming in panic, her voice came out more like a squeak in her weak condition, but I manage to regain my footing and think about the situation. The lions are starting to file out into the opening spilling out light into the cavern from their torches. I look to Baltar and yell “CATCH” and I chuck Daring across the gap, in her panic she opens her wings and they give her the extra distance to make it, though weak she is she still has enough strength to glide. She falls back down into the hands… Paws of Baltar and she sighs in relief. It’s just me now and all the other lions are in the room yelling at us in fury, a few javelins falling short of where I am, and some of the lions are brave enough to try and cross to get me but they slip and scream to their deaths. I look over to Baltar and Daring and I think to myself as I take a leap of faith, ‘I hate my life.’

I reach out as far as I can, and manage to grasp the ledge with both my hands and slam into the wall. The rock which my left hand held onto slips and I flail my arm uselessly, and almost piss my pants, as I watch the rock fall down into the dark abyss which is the forever mountain rapids. I turn back to see Baltar reach out to me and I swing my arm round to grab it. I grab but slip and I slip down slightly as I recoil from the attempt, my right arm can’t take the strain much longer. Seeing that this is my last chance to grab Baltar’s arm I swing back, my arm screaming in agony as I struggle to keep my hand on the edge, and swing forwards, my left arm straining in its socket to reach his arm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Family. It’s a wonderful thing to have but if lost it creates more sadness than you can imagine. I was 5 years old when I saw my father die in hospital, I was never told what it was that killed him, and I never knew my mother, she died giving birth to me. I was in school one day when the headmaster came into the middle of my English room, there was some snickering about me doing something wrong but I followed him out of the room. I wasn’t told where I was going only that I had to be there. It turned out that I had to go to hospital. I was taken to the emergency ward where I saw my father in bed with an array of tubes inserted into his body. I cringed at the sight but he beckoned me over.

He whispered into my ear “take care of yourself, make the most of your life, stand tall, defend yourself and most importantly, don’t regret anything. Your magic son and don’t think otherwise, your mother was unique and she passed this on to you, live on for both of us. We will always watch over you.”

Tears welled in my eyes as I hugged him, he lifted his free arm and  wrapped it around me. I cried into his shoulder for a few minutes praying that he won’t go. A few doctors came in and fiddled with the tubing then left again. After I stopped crying we chatted for a while talking of the things we did together.

After a while a doctor came in ordering me to leave, I shouted in defiance but then my father started to spasm uncontrollably. I froze looking in horror at what was happening, the doctor shouted at the people outside and a dozen or so people rushed into the room I was grabbed by two pairs of strong hands but they were unable to pull me away fast enough when his eyes opened. They were completely red and his mouth was choking up blood, his face a purplish green colour as if he had bruises all over his body.

I was forced outside and taken to a nearby room where I sat in silence unable to move, unable to speak. A few moments later I was told that I would never see my father again. The words he told me I cannot remember as I had stopped working I couldn’t feel I couldn’t do anything. I knew it was over before he told me, but I still thought back to his face, it looked like a nightmare brought to life I couldn’t stop seeing it.

I cried for a few weeks after he died and I lived in an orphanage until I was 16 where my great aunt gave me a flat all to myself and left me to my own devices.

I made few friends and those that were I made sure were never bullied or harmed in any way as those that did were met with glacial fury. My friends were the only things I had, but they moved on and I stayed put and I ended up as I am now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I reach across and grab his paw and at the same time my left hand slips and Baltar slides forwards unable to hold my full weight. I look into his eyes and say “let go” Baltar yells at me to hang on. But I let go and he cannot hold on leaving long cuts where his claws dig into my skin.

I look into his eyes tears are flowing down his cheeks, I start to cry as well but I don’t want him to go down with me. His claws tear into my flesh and then grasp nothing.

I feet weightless ‘I have no regrets’ and I think of flying and my new friends. I feel strange, I don’t know what this is but it feels amazing. I cannot begin to describe what I feel, but I know that I cannot just that I give up on my friends. I am no longer falling so I look down . I see the raging torrent below as clear as day. Its illuminated by… me? I look to my right and I see a giant wing so majestic it puts eagles to shame, each feather is so pure they glow White, 'which explains the light,' I think. And wisps of light dance beautifully around and through the wing giving it an ethereal quality. To my left is an almost exact replica of my right wing except it has a light blue neon glow. They were almost touching the edges of the walls they are that wide.

Baltar was watching this with awe he saw the wings unfold out of nowhere, they just appeared and unfolded. He rubbed his eyes just to check if he wasn’t dreaming or hallucinating. He wasn’t.

I feel light headed as I suddenly my strength starts to drain, so using my new wings I fly upwards. I only have to beat them hard once to reach the edge, I can feel the strength of my newfound wings they as they encompass everything with their magnificence, and I gingerly use my wings to move me far enough onto the side. I carefully lower myself onto the ground and collapse onto my knees and hands and breathing shallow breaths my strength almost completely gone, the wings I have fade away leaving a darker cavern, ‘who knew having wings can be so exhausting,’ I think. I now have a newfound respect for pegusi, ‘how they manage to fly for so long I have no idea.’

Everything is now gawking at me and I tell Baltar to get moving, he looks like he won’t move so I shakily get up on my feet to go to move him, he then shakes his head to snap out of it. Daring is laying there breathing heavily and I change course and walk over to her as if I was drunk and lazily pick her up.

Baltar walks over to me and asks “What the fuck was that?”

I give him a blank stare and shrug my shoulders.

“Never mind, lets get out of here before they come to their senses.”

I nod and tell him to lead the way.

I THINK ABOUT A HALF HOUR LATER?

I look back at the cave we have just left and think 'I never expected any of that to happen. What was that? why'd that happen to me? Why me? How'd I do that?' I left it at that and carried on walking too tired to think of anything else and all thinking would do is lead to more questions. I look at the sky, the sun is at a position to which I can only guess to the time to be 3 o'clock.

I say to Baltar "today's gonna be a long day."