Green. Lots of green.

Frye’s eyes stung painfully when he opened them. His face was slick with sweat, the flames from outside slowly crawling their way towards him. He couldn’t feel his legs. Why couldn’t he feel his legs? Where was he?

The shattered windshield ahead of him held nothing within its grasp. Nothing that mattered, anyways. Only green and trees: A forest. Halo. Was that where he was?

A man stood in the doorway, a rifle held in his hands. With little thought, Frye reached for his own handgun, pointing it at the man.

“Hey! Calm down, it’s just me - “ The man paused, lowering his rifle “ - Bisenti.” He leaned his rifle up against the cabin wall, holding his hands up passively. “We’re friends, right? You know me, I know you. Just… lower the gun, alright?”

Frye sat frozen for a moment, the magnum quivering in his grasp. Bisenti? Who the fuck is Bisenti? But he complied, lowering the pistol slowly. His mind was a mess. Bisenti was the enemy. Bisenti was not the enemy. The enemy… he didn’t even know who that was supposed to be anymore. Innies, Covies, Flood. They were all the enemy.

Where is Carol?

His gaze raked over the area beside him. His breath stopped. Fuck. Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, FUCK. He tried to move but nothing happened. There was nothing stopping him from getting up, so why couldn’t he move? He looked down. All he saw was blood. Blood everywhere.

“Help her,” he croaked out, his throat painfully dry.

The man in the doorway moved. “Hey man, we have to leave, th—”

“Help her!” The pistol in his grasp was back up in an instant. Bisenti shuffled forward nervously, his hands still up.

“Alright man, I heard you. You want me to help her? I’ll help her. Just put the gun down, for Christ’s sake.” The man reached the cockpit seats. He reached over the top and wrapped his arms around Carol, hoisting her up carefully. “You’d think I’m a goddamn hingehead, the way you’re pointing that thing at me.”

Bisenti maneuvered the unconscious pilot in his arm, positioning her in a bridal carry. “She’s still alive, you can calm down. I’ll be back in a minute, just… stay there.” Then he was gone, out the way he had come.

The magnum dropped from his hand, his arm resting against his blood stained seat. He was going to die, of that he was certain. But at least Carol was safe, right?

Right, he thought.

His throat hurt, so he knew he had been screaming. Again, his face was slick with sweat. But there was no blood this time, not that he could see.

“Sir, are you okay!?” The mare who was sitting next to him shook him frantically. He was quick to rectify that.

His hooves pushed hers off of him. “I’m fine! Get of—” He paused, looking at all the eyes that were fixed on him. Mares, Stallions, Foals. They were all looking. He sighed. “—I’m sorry… I’m fine. I am fine.”

The mare looked at him skeptically. “If you say so…” Then her eyes narrowed. “Wait, do I know you? I feel like I’ve seen you before…”

“Nope. You don’t know me and I sure as hell don’t know you.” He turned his head, resting it on the quaking window beside him.

“Well, excuuuse me! You don’t have to be an asshole about it.” She turned away and muttered to herself quietly. “What is hell?”

The announcement speakers crackled on. “We’ll be arriving at Appleloosa in about an hour. Just sit tight, and please keep your hooves to yourselves. Fighting on the train is against company policy. Thank you.”

Author's Note

enjoy, school works has lightened up a bit so the next chapter will be out soon!