On Black Wings I Rise, On Black Wings I Fall

Published 6/28/2012 by Ryan Christopher Adams

I woke up with another headache. I’m going to need to start carrying a bottle of Ibuprofen on my person if this keeps happening. My eyes began to open slowly once more, taking in the surroundings that I could identify. A wooden floor lay below me while I was surrounded by six halberd-wielding soldiers, all fully armored with plating, chain mail and battle helms. These guys did not fuck around with their military.

Looking around me, I noticed that scores of crowds kept a distance away from me, obviously scared due to the fact that I was an outsider that had been downed after flying in a canyon, though that didn’t stop them from chatting out of earshot. Trying to move the rest of my body, chains rattled with my movements. I had been immobilized; brought down to my knees with my arms, hands and wings chained. As I strained to pull them apart with whatever strength I had, I noticed that the links shimmered in the sunlight. They were diamond-encrusted, and by that effect, unbreakable. Well, so much for escaping. Besides, even if I broke the chains, my body would no doubt be speared or cleaved within seconds.

Looking back up, two felines sat within two heavily decorated wooden thrones. The king and queen, most likely. The king (or at least who I assumed to be the king) sat wearing all manner of regal robes, decorated with every royal color imaginable; bright violet acted as the main shade of his threads, though the clothing was outlined in a shimmering gold thread. And resting atop his head was a circlet of what seemed to be pure platinum, crested with a fantastic opal of shimmering yellow.

This guy knew how to look good.

Strapped to his belt was a sword with a golden hilt and a shimmering ruby topping it, sheathed in a scabbard adorned with sapphires and amethysts. Not sure if for show, or for combat. And as if the fancy clothing or decked out sword weren’t enough, the dude had two colossal white wings behind him, and they seemed like they were each at least three feet bigger than mine! Oh, and he had the same fur color with and X-shaped pattern on his face. Nothing too special, but it did make him look about 20% cooler.

Now the queen, standing just to his right, was beautiful, and I say "beautiful" because I believe that “hot” is more like slander. I’d would rather have my wife to be “beautiful” than “smoking hot”, because the way I see it, “hot” is synonymous to “slut”. My opinion, not yours. Anyway, the queen was garbed in a feminine variety of her husband’s clothing, and a silver circlet adorned with a piece of amber. She shared the same white wings as the king, each equally as colossal as his. Tied to her person, however, was something I did NOT expect to find. Shining in the sunlight was a steel-hilted dagger, topped with a sea-blue sapphire, wrapped in leather, in a sheath also made out of leather. No mistaking; that blade was meant for combat and nothing less. I just hope I’m not its next victim.

The king took two glances to his left and to his right, and final looking back at his queen before rising from his seat. That immediately hushed the murmurs and whispers coming from the crowds. Either this guy was a man to be respected, or he was someone that was not to be fucked with.

“My people” the king began in a voice that was low, but smooth. “This outsider has been brought before us to face trial for trespassing in the Gorge of Blackwings.”

Oh, the irony in his proclamation.

“Prisoner! State thy name!” the feline boomed, his voice now a bit more threatening, and with all the ancient language in it, too. I wonder if he knows Princess Luna?

‘Nobody! I killed Polyphemus and stabbed him in the eye! You wanna dance, pretty boy!' Is what I wish I could say, but right now, I’m in front of royalty. And if I’ve learned anything from movies, is that you don’t joke with royalty unless you’ve know them since you were born.

But I needed an alias. My real name would end up with me getting a one-way trip to the guillotine, so I needed a name, and fast.

“Abyss, your highness.” I replied with a smirk. I was stuck with no way out; kind of like free-falling in a bottomless cavern. “My name is Abyss.”

The king’s emotionless gaze remained fixed upon my position as he continued the trial. I figured this would not be a fun day for me.

“Scribe, the crimes stand as?”

Another feline, approaching from behind the thrones with a papyrus (weird. I didn’t think they grew papyrus in Equestria. If I’m even in Equestria, that is.) in his clutches, unrolling and clearing his throat to proclaim my so called “crimes”.

“The outsider ‘Abyss’ is charged with trespassing on the sacred grounds of our ancestors, The Canyon of the Blackwings, and avoiding arrest.” The scribe replied rather snobbishly. If I’m anywhere in Equestria, I must be close to Canterlot.

“Abyss, do you deny said actions?” the king replied.

I raised my head to meet his gaze. I thought it merely respectful to look my persecutor in the eyes. After all, he is the king.

“I do admit to my flight within the canyon, though I had no intention of trespassing.” I began to think of some kind of excuse to replace the old “from another planet” tale, and amnesia was simply too cliched, not to mention the fact that it simply wouldn't work.

“I was out hunting in the forests, as I had become short on food. I am merely a humble traveler sir, and I meant no harm to you or your people.” I replied as calmly as possible.

The king began to eye me… curiously, actually. I saw no question behind his gaze, nor question in his pupils. He was genuinely curious. Strange; not many rulers would want to find out more about their prisoner. From what I know, they would either be thrown into some kind of dungeon or executed on the spot. Guess I was just lucky that way.

“Guards, unchain him.” The queen spoke up, in a voice that seemed a like the White Queen from the Alice in Wonderland remake. I just hope her personality was just the same.

The guards, without question or hesitation, immediately unlocked the chains that bound me to the ground as the metal clattered to the ground in a heap. Cautiously, I rose from my knees, being extremely wary about the soldiers surrounding me. One false move and there goes my head.

“Thank you” I said to the queen, bowing graciously in respect. “Your grace, for your hospitality and compassion. I know that I do not deserve such treatment, but I thank the nonetheless.”

After stretching out the rest of my limbs, letting their bones pop with each movement, which, as far as I could tell, was familiar to the crowds, I let my wings extend just a bit. As I turned my head to the left, I noticed that about a third of the way down, three in inches from the top, was a small slit in the feathers from where the arrow had struck. Somebody is paying for that, and I hope that I don’t need health insurance. I don’t believe that my contract entails injuries to new limbs.

“Abyss, what can you tell me about your homeland?”

Oooh boy. I don’t think Mr. High-and-Mighty isn’t going like this story.

“It’s an… interesting land to say the least. Some buildings tower to the skies within the greater cities, though I live in a humble neighborhood where my feet were planted firmly on the ground.” That remark earned me a few… puzzled glances. I was a winged cat that was constantly on the ground, yet I flew like a pro. Me:1. Crowds: 0. “The general population contains some… less than desirable people, most of which are lacking in intelligence.” I replied rather coldly and unwillingly.
If there was anything that I knew about Earth, is that it was filled to the brim with morons and every kind of unimaginable horror. Wars fought for a small piece of land, or innocent people killed for petty possessions. It was a sickening planet; one that I refused to live on. I guess imprisonment in Equestria was better than that. Oh, and the internet. Can’t forget about the internet.

The king fell silent for a few minutes, pondering my response. I didn’t like where the silence was going.

“You seem as if you resent your people.” The ruler replied.

“Not all of them” I replied with my voice dripping with hidden bits of rage. “But there are most surely a lot of people I despise.”

The king let out a heavy sigh. I knew immediately where this was going.

“I am sorry, Abyss. As harmless as you may seem, and as benevolent as I may be, I cannot bend the laws for a single individual.” He replied with regret in his voice. It’s like he hated was he was about to do to me. “I am bound by a magic oath created by our ancestors millennia ago, and that oath cannot be broken, lest my kingdom suffer from the consequences. In one week’s time, for the crimes of trespassing on sacred ground without authorization by the king, you are to be thrown into the arena to fight for your freedom against twenty-three others.”

And like a sheep to the slaughter I am thrown. My legs gave way as I fell to my knees once more. My arms were weightless against my fear. I’ve always wondered what it meant to be so scared that you couldn’t move. Now I’m wishing that I hadn’t found out.

“Should you survive, you will be allowed to live among us as a citizen of this city. Good luck, outsider. May the sun guide you in battle, and may the moon give you wisdom.” Was the last thing I heard before the guards picked up my unmoving body as it began to drag across the wooden floors of the area around me. As the king grew farther from my position, I could’ve sworn I saw him mouth “I’m sorry.” before he left with his wife to who-knows-where. I didn’t resent him for condemning me; magic oaths are magic oaths. Break ‘em, and may God have mercy on you. He was simply doing his job.

My eyes began to scan the crowds as they passed me. Most of the population, which all looked the same might I add, with variations in wing color and facial markings, glared at me with dagger-eyes, obviously happy to see me being dragged to my demise, even though they had no idea who I was. A little too much like Earth, if you ask me. Although, I saw one face of pity among the crowds, belonging to a lone female (at least what I could tell was a female). She had the same face markings as I did, though flipped (as in the chin curves were at the top) and wore a single scarf of crimson fabric. She also wore a violet poncho with a navy blue wrap around her abdomen, covering her chest area. Heh, guess these wild cats- no! Bad brain! You do not have dirty fantasies about the natives when you’re being sentenced to an arena fight!
I didn’t think that this was the last time I would see her. She was too… mysterious to not see once more. I looked back to where she was standing to see if I could find her, though she had already left the crowds for whatever she had on her mind.

I’m taken to my cell by two armored guards, which is about thirty feet wide and fifty feet high at first glance. Plenty of ample room for my wings. The only hole is a grating above me, letting in strips of sunlight to provide me warmth. Said strips also hit the bars of my cell, which shimmer in the sunlight. Looks like there’s no breaking out for me. The guard on my left drags the door open, I’m shoved in by the other and hit the floor, spitting out dirt and gravel while I turn to find the sneering guards toss in my bag along with me. At least I still had that thing, and they hadn’t confiscated it. Probably an order of respect by the king to give me solace in what was supposed to be my final week alive.

“Good luck in the Arena.” One of them smugly remarks. “You’re going to need it.”

I angrily charge at the guards, but the grating of my cell is slammed shut before I can even law a minor cut on his skin. I let out a low growl in anger for his arrogance and cocky attitude. He’d make the perfect (note the sarcasm) marine back where I’m from, and he’d last about thirty seconds in a firefight. Sighing in defeat with a huff of frustration, I wander back over to my sling, which still has an arrow imbedded in it. Plucking it from the fabrics, I set it next to me as I unzip the pocket. And what do I find? A gaping hole, right in the middle of my iPod. And cue the incredulous stare of shock.

That was my one solace at night! I use that thing to get to sleep! And now it’s busted! Might as well kiss unconsciousness good-bye, because my mind will be PLAGUED with all manner of sub-conscious horrors. My REM Cycle is prone to nightmares, ergo my iPod. I angrily tossed the junk gadget aside, and it shattered against the wall in a heap of glass and metal. Digging through my pack, I was able to find my leather journal and my only pen, both of which were perfectly intact.

“So, what’re you in here for?” asked a voice from across the stone hallway.

Lifting my head, I found another prisoner, garbed in rags that covered his torso and legs. On his face, three claw-shaped marks of black curved on either sides of his face. His arms seemed bruised and cut while his face’s fur was mangled and unkempt. His wings? They were gone; plucked from his very back. I could still see small blotches of blood on the sides of his rags. Life had not been nice to this lonely soul.

“Accidental trespassing” I replied with as little emotion as possible. When chatting with prisoner’s that you may end up slaughtering, it’s best not to get attached. "You?"

“Espionage. When are you due for the arena?” The feline replied with the same demeanor.

“One week.”

“I’m due in minutes.”

“Well then good lu-“

“And I don’t plan on coming out.” He said, stopping me mid-sentence, and shocking me for about the tenth time in two days.

I stood up onto my legs, wandering over to the bars of my cell, my face pleading with question.

“What do you mean?” I pleaded.

“I mean I’m not coming out of there. I’m ka-put. Gonzo. Over and done with.”

“What, you mean you’re just… giving up?” I hoped and prayed his answer wouldn’t be yes.

“Well, what else, genius?” He replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Again, my jaw fell open with shock and sadness. “ But, but… what about your family? You seem like a nice enough man to have a wife waiting for you back home! What about them?” I was on the verge of tears. I was not a man for simply lying down to be trampled on, and this soul was an utter crime for the chance he’s being given.

“They’re dead.” He replied with his voice as cold as ice. Complete apathy was dripping from his maw. “They were killed a month before my sentence, just a few hours after my trial.” A single tear fell from his face while his eyes clamped shut to attempt to hide his sadness. “I didn’t see the deed be done, but you can bet that I heard their screams.”

A wife and children. That’s just cruel. My heartstrings were being played, sending a somber tune through the airwaves of my own consciousness. This man’s state of mind sang his story of loss, but I still wouldn’t let him throw his story away.

“Then fight! And win!” I shouted to the feline, stomping my paw into the stone floor of my cell. “Start a new life! Far away from this kingdom!” Another growl escaped my throat, demanding that this cat not simply let himself fall like the ruins that I knew of on Earth.

“I’m sorry kid.” The guards had already arrived at this point, opening his cell while the rusty bars creaked open. Like a puppet, the feline stood from his seat against the stone, the guards taking his arms and slamming the grating shut. “But this tired old fool has had enough.”

My incredulity returned as the three of them walked out of sight. My disbelief, however, was replaced with utter, uncontrolled rage as my head burst through the bars, my hazel eyes watching with anger as they carried the man to his doom.

“You coward!” I bellowed to the feline, who gave no response as the wooden doors at the end of the hallway opened, revealing a pure explosion of white light, before shutting once again to leave in the darkness.

And to my knees I sank again.

I pounded my fist into the stone, cracking the bricks that I knelt on while a tear stained the cement that held them together. Seconds later, the screams of the dying prisoner echoed through the hallways and cells of the barren pit.

“You fool…” I whispered, crawling back over to my back and picking up the leather journal, carefully holding the ink pen with my left paw.

Opening the book, I tore out page after page from the spine, shredding them to pieces of confetti until no more black markings remained on the paper. Uncapping my pen, I scrawled three words at the top left of the blank page.

Story of Survival

Closing the journal until need be, I drew my eyes back up to the sunlit grating, awaiting night’s beauty and chill.

Alright people, that’s it for chapter three. Don’t think that the wait between my time in the Arena will be too long. It’ll be here next chapter at earliest, the chapter after at latest. So please, bear with me, and don’t forget to leave comments on what you think. I just don’t feel like I’m writing at my optimal levels, so leave notes on what I could improve on. Laters!