Chapter 2: A Hike Gone Bad

Chapter 2: A Hike gone Bad

***

The night was fairly well by the time I returned to the house. My eyes began to grow heavy with exhaustion as I climbed up the stairs and back to my quarters. Abbie was already ahead of me when I was on the top floor, her bedroom door was closed but the light was still lit on the other side. She and Charlie must've been enjoying the night together, so I didn't bother to say good night.

As for me, I was already in my own room, preparing my slumber as I finally climbed to bed. Even though my day was completely over with, I couldn't help but feel a little upset on the inside. After that little chat with Abbie, reminding us both about my experience with friends has left me thinking.

But by the time I laid my head on that pillow, I thought it was best to forget all about that. After all, I had better things to look forward to.

So I snuggled my face into the pillow, drifting off to sleep. Almost instantly, I was out like a light.

***

I stood in utter blackness. Nothing around me but solid ground below my feet. I tried to wince my eyesight to the darkness, but it did not help at the slightest.

"Hello?" I spoke to the emptiness, only to be responded by my echo.

I waited for an eerie amount of time until the darkness all around me was finally illuminated by a fading light ahead of me. My eyes slowly adjusted to the hazy glow, soon revealing what appeared to be a hallway. I was standing in my old school corridor, with students chit chatting to and fro. They looked to be about seventeen or sixteen based on their young voices.

Then they all looked at me as I walked down the hall. They began whispering to themselves, probably about me when I noticed their gaze was still focused on my presence. One group started to giggle amongst themselves. I felt as if I wanted to chat with them, but attempting to approach made them glance at me with looks of indifference. Eyebrows furrowed with disgust just by the sight of me.

"What do you want, you fag?" a girl snarled at me.

"Yeah, shouldn't you be sitting in a corner like the loner you are?" a man mocked with a sly grin.

Their comments cut at me like a knife. And it would’ve cut deeper when they all gave an echoed laugh as I backed away from them. Soon, the whole school laughed at me as I stood their with stagnation. All that stress that paralyzed me, and all the anger overflowed me at that moment. I felt as though I wanted to slaughter the person guffawing right beside me.

But as I attempted to raise my clenched fist, something tugged on my arm. I soon realized that I was constricted by chains around my arms and legs, restricting my movements. I tried to break free with every bit of strength I could produce, which only seemed to become tighter by the minute. The laughing around me intensified as I heaved against the forceful chains.

“Face it, nerd!” one guy heckled. “You’re nothing but a loner!”

“Yeah!” another one bellowed. “You can’t even hold on to your old friends! Why don’t you just kill yourself? Everyone hates you anyway!”

“That’s a lie!” I shouted. “You’re lying!!”

Just then, the chains started to pull tighter and tighter until I was on my knees. The faces of every guy or girl in that hallway, suddenly turned black as pitch as the night. A horde of tall shadows with red glowing eyes then surrounded me in a circle formation. Closing the distance, they looked down over me as I kept hearing more voices. Some telling me, "You'll die alone," while others were, "Where are your friends now?"

“SHUT UP!!!!!” I was screaming at the top of my lungs.

The experience overwhelmed me. I felt my eyes becoming heavy with tears and my chest starting to tighten, when reflecting on such thoughts.

Every dismal thought of being alone made the shadows appear more menacing. I tried so hard to ignore them as I tightened my eyes, holding back the tears that attempted to gush. But it was no use.

"Do not worry, little one," called out an angelic female voice. At that call, I opened my watery eyes all of a sudden.

The evil spirits then vanished into shredded pieces of ectoplasm as if they were just made out of fog. A brightening light then shined down upon me, melting the chains off my wrists and ankles.

“What the…” I mumbled with astonishment.

“Hello, Isaac.” I quickly turned towards the same loving voice.

At first I assumed it was a woman, but focusing into the light, stepped forward a regally bright white horse. So bright in fact, that half its characteristics were hard to make out. All I could see was a multicolor mane, and… a horn? I was left awestruck.

"I have heard your cries and seen your past." The unicorn soothed in a motherly tone. "Do not doubt yourself. You will be a part of friendship soon enough."

Wait... what?

Before I could open my mouth to ask about this, she interjected.

"And your true talents are more powerful than you could ever imagine."

Talents? What the...

All of sudden, the horse grew brighter and brighter until I was blinded by the light.

***

I opened my eyes quick, and found myself still snuggled in bed. The walls were bright meaning daytime has already arisen. I stood up with the morning cold air touching my bare chest while rubbing my eyes to rid of morning crust that collected within my eyelids. The morning was mildly chilly against the skin, making me want to stay in bed and sleep in a curled up ball in order to stay warm.

But how can I stay in bed with Charlie awake after 3 hours of sleep and minimal coffee? Clear ingredients for one cranky SOB, who would definitely not appreciate lazy workers on his ranch.

Aside from slumber, that dream I experienced left me enormously puzzled. But I shook my head to clear those thoughts as I swung my legs over the bed, touching the carpet beneath my toes.

My hazy brain finished to come back to reality. Then I suddenly remembered that today was my day-off, bringing joy to my groggy being. But what to do on an opportunity like this?

Looking out my window, I saw a sublime sunrise out in the distance. Brightening the high desert landscape and the thick patches of trees near the mountain tops.

"Hmm, it's a beautiful day," I mused as I looked outside. "Maybe I should go for a hike. Get my body moving."

It was a great day to go for a hike. The clean air and bright sun was just the thing I needed to help me forget all about that crazy dream.

Without hesitation, I made my way to the bathroom across the hall. Doing my usual routine by showering, brushing, and combing my hair. Then raced back to my bedroom and got dressed, putting on a white long sleeve shirt under a jean jacket. Dark blue jeans, just so I won't look too matched. I was never one for fancy dress codes, for the fact it felt unnecessary.

After slipping on my boots and packing my survival bag, I glanced over to my night stand, opening it for one last item to take with me. Inside, was an old-style cattleman revolver with a glossy-coated walnut grip, and the Colt company stamp on the side. It once belonged to Charlie's grandfather, but he gave it to me as a gift after working decently on his ranch. Sure it was pretty ancient with its useless single action, but I felt as though history needed some respect.

Taking the pistol, I tightened the belt and holster to my waist and slipped the gun inside. I then walked downstairs, to talk to Charlie. Unfortunately, no one was around. The house was completely empty. I came across a note on the coffee table. It was a yellow notebook paper with Charlie's signature on the bottom.

Dear Ike

I need to go into town to get some horse feed and groceries. Be back later.

You don't need to do much, just kick back until I return. If you need to go anywhere, four-wheelers are parked out back. Just remember to lock the house before you leave. Enjoy your day off.

                                                               Charlie

Now this was even better, I could just go ahead and go without his permission. It's as if this day was made for me. I crumpled the note and threw it in the trash.

I then helped myself to some breakfast in the fridge. A plain bowl of cereal was all I needed to get moving for the day. Afterwards, I checked for last minute supplies, such as my house keys, iPod, and stetson hat. With all provisions accommodated, I walked out the door and locked it.

***

Later that morning, I drove in the back parts of Gallup in Charlie's ATV, listening to some music on my iPod. The desert was rather subtle. Small tree shrubs were placed here and there, and small patches of plant life layered upon the hills.

I followed a dirt road down to a clearing in the middle of nowhere, but I made sure I could still see civilization five miles out. When I could see the city as small as an ant, I stopped and parked my ATV next to a crooked sign that said, "No Trespassing". I didn't pay attention to the sign's intention. For the fact it’s old and beaten, meaning it has been a long time ago that this sign was placed. So trespassing was no longer relevant.

I then grabbed my pack and brought it to my shoulders. Tightening the straps so it was snug against my back and flushed onto my shoulders.

"Let's get going," I said to myself with a challenging smile.

I walked east of the desert and left the bike unattended with its keys in my pack. There were some landmarks I took note of, to make sure I didn't get lost. My first sight was a tall cliff towering over me, next was a cactus the bent in my opposite direction I was heading, followed by a bunch of prairie dog holes, scattered around the clearing. There were mostly trees everywhere, but these marks were pretty convenient to navigate home.

The walk around the hills felt relaxing to me at the first step. The crisp air comforting my nostrils as I hiked further and further away from all my troubles. Pretty soon, that dream I had, became a thing of the past.

***

My trek felt like an hour according to how the sun was higher in the sky than before. I looked back from how far I hiked. The distant city was reduced to nothing but mountain ranges.

"Whew! Damn that was a long hike!" I sighed to myself.

As I panted with exhaustion, I sat down in a bare spot near some trees to rest my tired legs. The hot air dehydrated me and I took a long quenching gulp from my canteen. From where I sat, I saw the valley miles away with quaint little towns residing on the plains and plateau. Calm clouds floated above my head, with crystal blue skies to compliment the scenery.

I have always been rather fond of the outdoors. Being a cowboy was worth it for all of this. The scene was very surreal to witness, with birds chirping and a cool mountain breeze flowing past me.

It was a beautiful sight to behold. Kind of relaxing too, what with the quiet sounds of nature serenading my ears. And with that, I rested my head on the bark of the tree and without realizing it, my eyes began to slowly close on me, showing my world fading from consciousness.

Maybe you should've had some coffee before you left.

And then my assumption proved right, as I only saw darkness but can still hear the sounds of nature around me.

And then a minute later, I only heard silence.

***

I was once again in the black void just like last night.

"What now?" I said into the emptiness once again.

"Now it is time." said the same angelic woman voice.

"Time for what?"

The blackness instantly shined with a bright light fading to existence in front of me. Revealing the same white, talking unicorn, but this time I could actually describe her features.

There was the same horn and same light rainbow mane, but actually there were more. She had wings this time.

And what I also saw upon her, was something that I could not seem to baffle, for she had a tattoo of a sun on her thigh. Plus, whoever this was, was clearly royalty. For she had a gold like crown with a shimmering breastplate that closely resembled some sort of horse collar and… hoof shoes? And no, I don't mean horseshoes, I mean real shoes covering her whole hoof while glowing brightly with gold.

She then spoke softly after I carefully observed her.

"Yes, Isaac," she said, "it is time to go."

Wait... time to go? Aw shit! Did I die while hiking!? Death from poisonous plants? Death from snake bite while I slept? I scrolled through a list of possible deaths that I missed out as I was hiking. But my mind read blank after I rested in the clearing.

"Your life has not improved since you left, Ike. So I wish to offer you a chance to learn of friendship again. You will travel to the land of Equestria and make new friends, be a part of them, and understand the magic of this wonderful feat." She then leaned her head forward with a calming smile. "Will you accept?"

What!? A trip to another world?

It was worth a question to ask, but she seemed like she wanted to help. However, I was soon well aware that this was just a dream. All I wanted to do from that point was to wake up - plus it was a good idea to make sure no shadow demons came back for me. So, if I wanted to wake up anytime soon, I decided to just play along.

I gave a heavy sigh, before I kneeled on one knee to the royal horse.

"I will... your majesty." I responded as I acted like a gentleman. Like I said, it was just a dream, which surely means this pegasus/unicorn combo hybrid is not sincere when she is clearly an illusion within my subconscious.

But she actually took it seriously when she lowered her head and closed her eyes. Everything grew brighter and brighter once again, but my head was facing the floor so it didn't blind me. But it did however, engulf me. I then felt weightless as if the floor was removed from my feet. The blinding stopped, and I felt like I was suddenly blown away by a jet stream, suspending me high into the air.

Panicked and panicking was the only feeling I began to feel. But that soon subsided when I felt as though the unknown force was actually softening my jittery anxiety. Pacing my breathing, I quickly became tranquilized, while rising calmly and oddly relaxed.

It left me dreary soon after and I started to grow restful. So I slowly closed my eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep. Blissfully driftinging back into consciousness.