the forgotten one

Groggily Twilight opened her eyes, she was in bed, and for a moment she thought it had all been a horrible nightmare, that had slipped past Luna, but as she wiped the sleep from her eyes, a sudden pain in her chest reminded her it was all too real.

Wincing at the stinging, she began to take in her surroundings, the room was quaint, but clearly unnatural, the walls made of tarnished steel, rust slowly corroding the pale blue surface. Shelving lined the right side of the room, the contents varied, but all related to survival, food, water, trinkets, weapons all festooned the wall ready in a moment’s notice, a fine metal mesh covering acting as doors to stop anything going astray.

As her eyes followed the wall, she was met with a sealed door at the end of the room serving as a bulkhead, a single port hole casting the light into the otherwise dark room, telling her outside lay just beyond its threshold. Curiously the door seemed completely different to the previous architecture she had seen in this city, seeming more fitting on a ship, but matching the aesthetics of the rest of this room.

The left side of the room was the same as the right, with the entire wall lined with the mesh lockers holding a plethora of goods, and for what felt like an age again her entire world was reduced to a confined space, this one albeit much more suitable for pony life.

Trying to pass the slowly ticking time, twilight tried to inspect her new accommodation. Looking down at the blankets covering her, she realised they were all the same, each one initially white, but over the ages had acquired a slight yellow tinge to them. This uniformity felt almost militaristic, which was fitting into the other items in the room, as well as this sleeping cot she had been placed in.

In the humble abode, Twilight felt relatively safe, at the almost normality, calming her at this point paranoid mind, her reasoning being that if whoever saved her wanted her dead, they would have let the frog digest her. with this inferred security Twilight's eyes grew heavy, her devastated body wishing to heal, in the cocoon that was sleep.

CREAK!

Hearing this sudden noise, jolting Twilight awake, the sound continued for a few more moments before Twilight located its source, the metal wheel on the door slowly rotating left, signalling somepony was opening it.

"Who is there", squeaked Twilight, her voice still hoarse from all the screaming, the day previous, so coming out as a barely audible sound.

Without a word of acknowledgement, the door opened, the metal door in dire need of oil, as its rusty form ran along a predefined track as it opened, and standing within the portal framed but bright sunlight, was the feral who had attacked her yesterday.

Silently the pony entered, a large earth-ware jar in one hoof, causing him to hobble, the movement not just-due to the awkward object, but due to an occasional cringe of pain, what seemed like a pre-existing condition. Thinking fast she pretended to be asleep, twilight still hoped the tribal meant no harm, initially he ignored her, simply placing the jar at the end of her bed and opening one of the mesh lockers, without a single sign of acknowledgement.

He stood there for a few moments, feeling around in the chubby hole clearly looking for something, the only sounds filling the room being the clink of bottles, and the occasional ding of metal. After a while he let out a resounding sound of satisfaction upon finding whatever he was looking for, as he stepped away grasping something in his hoof, before slowly closing the screen, as if an attempt to not to wake her, and then proceeding to waddle over to her sleeping form.

When he lightly pulled the covers away, Twilight tried not to move, her mind running over the possibility's, her irregular breathing getting more laboured. A look of concern flashed onto the face of the tribal, as he proceeds to place his ear to her chest to check her lungs, for what Twilight assumed was fluid build-up.

As he checked, his ragged beard tickled her belly, the coarse hairs rubbing upon her sensitive chest, nicking the still quite tender wounds, causing Twilight to the let out a pained whimper, which he seemed to ignore. After leaving his ear against her belly for a few seconds, he seemed satisfied with the working condition of her lungs, and pulled away before starting to mix some kind of potion from the items he had retrieved.

After about 10 minutes the balm had been made, and he began to lather it across twilight's chest, at first it was relaxing, the concoction soothing the aching pain on her chest, but after a few moments it began to grow warm and sting, forcing Twilight to drop the illusion of sleep.

Bolting upright, howling in pain twilight startled the tribal, who up until now must have assumed she was sleeping, causing him to jump back for a moment in shock, before holding her down with one hoof, and tried to finish applying the medical cream. As he was doing this, he was uttering words in the most soothing way his coarse voice seemed capable, but in her pain Twilight didn't understand them.

Twilight continued to struggle like a trapped animal, but for a split second she found clarity, and cast a spell, much to the terrified expression of her unsolicited doctor. As the magic hit him, the tribal closed his eyes in fear, like a dog that thinks it is about to be hit. As he fell to the floor whimpering. Seeing this, Twilight tried to prop herself up against the metal wall that served as her head board, panting heavily all the while, feeling exhausted from the strain that this spell had put on her already damaged body. Soon she found her back against the cool metal wall, Twilight calmed her breathing and waited to see if her spell had worked.

"What did you do to me?", asked the tribal, his voice still guttural but clearly in modern Ponish, as clutching his more than likely aching head, he stood back up.

Letting off a weary smile, Twilight realised her linguistic spell has worked, and she had reprogrammed the pony in-front of hers mind to modern Ponish, the ethics were dubious, but it had clearly worked.

"I cast a spell that would allow us to communicate with each other, now let’s try this introduction again, hello, I am princess Twilight Sparkle, what is your name?" said twilight bluntly, her diplomatic voice creeping in.

"Well yer majesty, I am Ratway, the pleb or tosser depending on who you ask" he replied, grinning at what Twilight assumed was his nickname, which twilight could not tell was a joke or his actual name.

"Ratway huh, that's an odd name" enquired Twilight, quite curious to see the root of this name a mother wouldn't give their foal lest they be bullied.

"Aye, but in the slum district what’s your mam gonna call you, Rosebud, your gonna stink of shite anyway might as well be onest about it", he said, shrugging his shoulders, clearly accepting the cruel name long ago.

" So, I assume you’re the relief team" he continued.

"Relief team?”, answered twilight, now confused at this revelation, letting her poker face slip.

"Based on yer expression, I guess not, might as well be onest about it, I knew I was expendable when they sent me to this paradise", his expression not giving twilight anything to work with, as he could be seething with rage, but was giving all the emotion of a statue.

As this conversation was going, Twilight was picking up several shibboleths, firstly Ratway was dropping the H from his words, a sign of a working-class background. Other words were collaborating this, but she couldn't place the accent, the whole thing coming off as a stereotypical poor earth pony. Becoming self-conscious she had remained silent for a bit too long pondering this, she threw a quick response out there.

"Princess Celestia didn't mention a first team", said Twilight trying to stop the conversation from stalling, and confused as to why Celestia had failed to mention this important bit of information.

"Well it has been about 20 years, I am sure it slipped her mind, me and my platoon were a bunch of nobody's, why would are fates concern her", even though there was a stoic exterior Twilight could sense this fact really bothered him.

"Well look on the bright side, helps here now", said Twilight, giving a smile to try and diffuse this situation before it escalated.

"No offence princess Sparkle..."

"Twilight is fine", she quickly interjected.

"look Twilight, love, your clearly not like the other alicorns, instead of blowing up my head during my overzealous greeting you ran away, and if I adn't wandered down to the lake to take a piss, you would be a steaming log of frog shit right now, no offence but you seem to me like a bit of a softshell", his voice coming off more as a concerned father then that of an insult.

"Well I didn't want to hurt you, and I wouldn't have had a problem with that frog, if you hadn't stolen my amulet" said twilight, emphasising the fact he had robbed her.

"Ey the last amulet I saw shot lightning, I wasn't going to take the chance of being extra crispy", he said clearly trying to brush off his crime by deflecting the blame back to her.

"You really are an odd pony", said twilight at this point very confused about this individuals outlook.

"I could say the same for you love" he said, more than likely as equally confused, about this strange purple alicorn who had dropped into whatever he had been doing.

"So, if Celestia sent you here, I assume you were sent to retrieve the weapon before me", said Twilight, intent on getting the conversation back to the objective at hand.

"Aye, we got it, cost a lot of blood" he said pausing for a moment for what twilight assumed was him revisiting the memory.

"Excellent, where is it" Twilight squealed, her luck finally turning around after a rough patch.

"It’s close by, once you’re a bit more recovered I can show you it, but as it stands you won’t be walking for a while, you might not have noticed but you look like shit", he said gesturing to the battered princess.

"I feel like shit as well" said Twilight, chuckling at her own dark joke in a forced attempt to break the ice, before a winch of pain returned to her face as her diaphragm shook a damaged rib.

"Well they do say laughter is the best medicine, but in your case, I wouldn't do much of it, you broke 3 ribs and its bruised to high hell, and that's before we factor in the acid burns, you’re going to want to relax and just let your body heal. I got some books if yer interested, I cannot read much meself, but I assume it will help a cultured alicorn like yerself pass the time” he said, as he walked to another locker and fished out some yellow bound books.

"Ere we go, technikal Manuel for mark 3 APC, fawna and flora of Equestria, sirvival skills". he said as he began to list the titles of the books, like a school filly just learning to read.

"They seem great" interrupted twilight, with a false enthusiasm just wanting him to stop butchering the written word.

"wonderful, to me it’s boring as buck", Ratway exclaimed clearly quite happy, with what was in his mind a masterful solution.

"Now hold still well I get the rest of this potion on yer chest, its gonna hurt like a bitch, but trust me you don't want to get an infection out ere", he said, his gruff exterior clearly hiding scientific understanding, even if he didn't know it.

"just get it over with" said Twilight with a sigh, as she began to wince, as his hooves caressed her scabby underbelly, the damaged tissues already trying to heal.

As this continued the stinging was intense, clearly some kind of strong disinfectant was mixed in with this fluid.

"What is this stuff anyway" Twilight inquired curious about its composition.

"A lot of whiskey, painkillers and a bit of plant fibre for bonding agent", he said clearly focused on applying the lotion.

"So what school did you learn this", Twilight asked trying to gauge his education level.

"Me mam taught me, then I picked up a bit more in basic, never went to school me", he said, almost seeming to take pride in his lack of formal education.

"You served in the military?", asked Twilight, the mention of basic stirring memories of when her brother set out to serve.

"Aye I did, well technically still do, you’re looking at private Ratway, of the 137th irregular infantry", he proudly stated, saying the fact with such a conviction that Twilight could almost imagine a flag waving behind him.

"So where is the rest of your unit, I would wish to speak to them", Twilight asked, clearly wanting to speak with the commanding officer of this unit, and better plan her next move.

"Yer going to need a much better spell then the one you used on me", Ratway replied, his eyes breaking contact for a moment before returning to their fixed position.

"Why are they far away? that shouldn't be an issue I know quite a few long-range communication spells, it would be no issue to combine a few to achieve the same effect, why its simp...", Twilight asked, well at the same time offering solutions, before being cut off.

"Twilight, Twilight, I am sorry love, but I don't think your spells are good enough to talk with the dead", he said, the words almost coming of as a dark joke, but judging from his expression they were deadly serious.

"So how many of you are left?", asked Twilight, this line of questioning taking a dark path.

"A number you can count on one oof", he replied, well touching the necklace of what Twilight now knew to be dog tags, that jangled from his neck.

Clearly wanting to change the subject, he handed Twilight a metal canteen, the once silver exterior tarnished by countless hooves reaching to grasp it, giving the item a dull copper exterior, his gesture clearly signifying her wanted her to drink its contents.

" Is that more whiskey", Twilight asked, honestly hoping he would say yes, as she was in dire need of a good drink.

"Its water, I got whiskey if you want it, never heard of a princess drinking hard liqueur though", he responded, the last part clearly meant to stay in his head, at-least twilight hoped, or he could simply be that badly socialised. Twilight watched as he fished around in yet another locker, before pulling out a flask, and in a quick motion seized the cork in his teeth, and janked his head to the side to be rewarded with a subtle pop. After giving the booze a swig to make sure it was good, or maybe just to calm his nerves he handed it to Twilight.

"Thanks", said twilight, before she took a swig of the well-aged liquid, for a second she let it sit in her mouth, a strong oak flavour sitting on her tongue, before with a loud gulp she swallowed, she had a few more swigs of the bottle before handing it back.

"Don't mention it" he said, before placing the flask back into the locker and closing it with a dull thud.

"Thanks for not killing me by the way" he said as he proceeded to turn to leave, his treatment administered.

"wait", exclaimed twilight, before reaching out her hoof for him to shake. Instead of a shake, he made a grumbling sound and kissed her hoof.

"do you want me to curtsy as well" he enquired, clearly not respecting formality's, but going along with it due to habit.

"No, I wanted you shake your hoof, to end this much better second impression", Twilight responded, clearly confused by this old custom, that had just come out of the blue, the very formal gesture manifesting in this very informal setting.

"You really are a strange one, Twilight Sparkle", he said before outstretching his right leg, so they could shake.

"And so are you" said Twilight, firmly seizing the shake.

The shake lingered for a few moments, before they went their separate ways, for a moment Ratway stopped at the door.

"You want me to close the blind, you might have missed it, but the sun doesn't set around ere", he said and pointing at a small piece of fabric that covered the porthole.

"Yes please", she said

"Sleep well princess" said rat way before with a loud slam, followed by the spinning of the locking wheel she was left in silence, the screen serving its purpose and leaving her in complete blackness.

In the quiet darkness, and with the pain killers setting in Twilight went into the dream lands, her mind free from her damaged body, as she relived better moments, Rainbows pranks, Pinkies cakes and all manner of other memory came flooding in. For a moment Twilight found herself back in her castle, sitting on her throne, her friends all around her, then she leaned back, but instead of finding the back rest, she hit nothing and was simply falling into darkness, the illusion shattered.

Awakening with a scream she found herself alone in the same cot she had passed out in. For a moment there was silence, before she heard the familiar creak of the wheel and the bulkhead door swung open.

"You okay, little dove" came the worried voice of Ratway.

"I think so", said twilight rubbing her eyes, as the scraggy pony approached.

"You sure, I heard a lot of screaming", his voice still very concerned.

"Just a bad dream, nothing more" replied Twilight, hoping to dispel his fear.

As her body turned its self-back on, Twilight suddenly have the overwhelming need to go to the bathroom.

"Ratway, if it’s not too much to ask could you take me to the bathroom", asked Twilight, t not wishing to ruin the bed, and retain the dignity of not having soil herself in another pony’s company. For a second he stood their confused, but then a gear in his head started turning and he sprang to her side, ready to assist her.

"Nice and slow then, give me your hoof", he said as he offered his own.

Reaching out twilight pre-emptively winched in pain, but it never materialised, her body feeling albeit it bit stiff, back in working order.

"Wait", she said, as he stepped way giving her some space.

"Twilight you’re going to hurt yourself", said Ratway, but she was quick to discard his concern, as with a drunken lung she found herself on wobbly feet. For a second she stood confidant, before almost collapsing, thankfully though there was someone to catch her this time.

"Whoa there, easy princess, let me help you", came the reassuring voice of Ratway before he placed her right foreleg over his shoulder and began to help her outside.

"How long was I out", asked Twilight in-between panting breaths, her body still not fully recovered.

"Three days love, you were catatonic", replied Ratway, his mind clearly more set on not dropping her, then answering questions.

"Honestly, I am more impressed you are walking, I guess alicorn's heal faster than normal pony's, I was sure you were going to be out for at-least a month”, he said clear to get a conversation going to keep Twilight mind of whatever pain she might be having.

After a short walk they found themselves in a clear field, a crude outhouse protruding from the otherwise flat grass. As the got closer, the shoddy construction became more apparent, the shed lacked a door and was simply 2 carved logs with a hole in between to drop of your waste.

"I can take it from here", said twilight, as she felt Ratway release her, allowing her to hobble the last distance to the latrine, with the dignity that privacy allowed.

As she reached the seat, she turned to see where Ratway had gotten to, and she saw him about 30 metres away facing the way they had come. Thankful he respected her privacy she planted her buns on the seat and felt her bladder empty, the feeling of the strained organ releasing its load strangely satisfying.

After giving the time required for the last drips to hit the bottom of the pit, she rolled back onto her hooves, and began to walk back over to Ratway, her damaged body much more healed then she expected, albeit there was nipping pain from her chest every time she moved her legs.

"I want to see the weapon" demanded twilight, as soon as she was within earshot of Ratway.

"sure, then we can get out of ere", came his response, and they set of with him leading, the gruff pony stopping every few paces to allow the princess to catch up. Before she knew it, they were at a small alcove.

"We stashed it in here once the armoured carriage broke down", said Ratway, seemingly to know that Twilight was about to ask him that very question.

"Wait here", Ratway said, before entering the darkness before emerging a few moments later with a wooden box. The box was a simple cargo crate, the wood slightly water damaged but apart from that fully standard. As she waited he opened it slowly and pulled out a metal rod, the surface intricately carved with strange runes.

"May I" asked Twilight, and without a word he placed it in her right hoof. As she was looking at it she began to read the runes, her horn lighting up as she got further along the old Ponish runes, as she reached the last few words she felt a sudden flick to the top of her horn, completely breaking her concentration.

"Hey" she snapped, giving Ratway a very angry glare.

"Trust me princess you don't want to finish that spell", he said.

"Why", she again snapped, quite peeved that he had just penetrated her personal space.

"If you had finished that incantation, your head and all the unicorns in a 50-mile radius, would suddenly suffer from a fatal case of exploding head syndrome", he explained.

"What", exclaimed twilight startled by this revelation, and dropping the rod, before shuffling back a good few feet away from the now much more dangerous item.

"Aye, it’s the reason I was stuck here, you need a unicorn to open the doors at the main gate, and are commanding officer, did exactly what you almost did, had to mop his head up with a mop, very messy", said Ratway filling Twilight in on a few more details.

"Thanks again then, that's the second time you have saved my life" said Twilight, somewhat humbled with her second close call.

"Don't mention it, now let’s get out of this paradise of a city" said Ratway clearly wanting to leave, well saying this, he placed the rob back in its holding box and shoved it into another of his pouches.

" I want to leave as well but I don't think I am ready for a week or more trek through hostile jungle", said Twilight, trying to reign in his enthusiasm with the pragmatic facts of her still weak body.

"Well, we aint going to walk, were going to drive" he replied.

"wait you have transportation" blurted Twilight, this sudden surprise coming far out of left field.

"Aye you were sleeping in it", replied Ratway casually.

"Why didn't you tell me this" yelled Twilight, quite angry such a useful bit of information was kept from her.

"I was going to, I just didn't think you would be walking 3 days after being mangled, I was going to let you heal for a bit before I mentioned any form of moving, I just underestimated how fast you would recover, he explained.

"Let’s just get moving" snapped Twilight, not wanting to hear him try and talk his way out of it, as they had a silent walk back to her accommodation. The walk was good for one thing, and that was showing how conflicted she was about Ratway, fine he had saved her, but he had an awkwardness about him she couldn't place, and it was making her uncomfortable.

Once they arrived back where they started from, she immediately noticed what he meant by transport, the rear bulkhead she had exited from was flanked on both sides by large caterpillar tracks, so the whole thing was a large mobile metal box. As she was looking at it she saw Ratway scurry over to the box, scale a short ladder and pop a hatch, before scrambling in. After he entered there was silence for a moment, then there was a strange stuttering noise, followed by some cursing and the clanging of metal, before the box roared to life. She then saw Ratway stick his head out of the hatch and begin to wave her over.

Awkwardly clambering up the ladder twilight, her joints though improved were still a little sore, the spongy tissue a little flared from the short excursion. Finding her way onto, she with a groan popped the second hatch and basically fell into a sling seat.

"You okay love", yelled Ratway over the roaring of the engine.

"Yeah I think so" she screamed back.

"Let’s get a moving then" he hollered back, before finding a gear, after grinding them for a few noisy seconds.

"O how she sings" he continued reeving the engine a few times before it began its bumpy journey to the main gate.

"Ratway, how long were you here anyway, I never asked", enquired Twilight, intent on making small talk on the ride back.

"About 20 years, might have been longer I lost count, why do you think I was so energetic when I first saw you", he replied through a happy grin, finally escaping this hell hole.

It was this fact that had Twilight deep in thought all the way back to Ponyville, she was going to have to write a lot of letters.