A Warrior's Tale

Chapters

Chapter I. Bright Lights
Chapter II. Hallucinations
Chapter III. Apples

Chapter I. Bright Lights

Wow, theses light are bright. I can barley see the crowds, not like I would they sometimes make me nervous. If I were to get even a little nervous and slip up in the tiniest of ways it would be all over.
“Hey kid, get your head out of your ass and listen up”
“Oh sorry Coach”
“That’s right you better by sorry this guy is a monster and if you go in there with your head in the clouds he will knock you the fuck out”
“Right”
That was my Muay Thai coach George. He could be a bit of an ass sometimes, but I can’t blame him he’s worked with me from the beginning and put up with me all this time. He even helped pay for my flight here and flights from Los Angeles to Bangkok aren't cheap. Coach has high expectations and I strive to achieve them. This is the most important fight of my life and I can’t screw it up.
“Ok so this guy fights in an unorthodox stance so beware his left shin he moves fast so keep your arms up and hit him in the right knee, I don’t think he has recovered from his last fight. Don’t think you have the advantage either this guy can kick your ass nine times out of ten.”
“Thanks for the encouraging last minute speech”
“Hey, I remember you were the one who wanted to fight Thailand’s best and here he is the undefeated Thanasukarn”
“Yeah yeah yeah just let me do my thing. I got this”
“I swear your confidence will end you one day”
“Tell you what I’ll buy you a beer and a sandwich the day that happens”
“I’m holding you to that. Oh and one last thing if he gets in a clinch do whatever you have to do to get out. His knees will do much more than leave bruises.”
Just then the bell rang to begin the fight. The most anticipated fight of the year. Two undefeated fighters one from United States the other from Thailand. Even if there was no title on the line the pressure to prove you’re the best and to win for your nation was enough to skyrocket the attention of this fight.
I feel sorry for the poor bastards that miss this event. This will truly be a fight to remember.

X
I looked into the dirty mirror silently looking at my reflection. I closely inspected the cuts and bruises on my face. Damn he really did a number on me. Right after the fight I came back here for some alone time and played some music while I thought about what happened. The cold tiles of the restroom felt good on my feet. My short black hair was messy and sweaty. He had delivered a devastating elbow just above my right eyebrow leaving a gash. My brown eyes looked all over my 6’1” frame. I was very proud of my body; I have very low body fat and very lean muscle. That’s was my hardest fight and my body felt like it was hit by a car. Luckily I was always a fast healer so I should be feeling back to normal in a couple days. I was sure that he broke a couple ribs but they assured me that I was fine. My knuckles are red and my hands are slightly shacking. Even after years of rigorous training and conditioning fights like this don’t get any easier. My damage assessment was cut short as my coach walked in with a cigarette hanging from his mouth.
“Good God kid nobody saw that coming, I mean it was an incredible fight nobody could deny that but that was just… just… so” he was shacking his hands in the air trying to come up with something. It was all for naught he remained at a lost of words
I remained quiet
He took notice of my silence and chose to remain quiet. He must have some sort of idea of what is going through my head. My coach was also a fighter and he is all too familiar with problems that arise after a fight.
“Look kid don’t try to question the judges decision” he said reassuringly
I whispered so no one could hear my shame “I didn't deserve to win no not like this…”
“What on earth are you talking about you did great, you hit him hard you hit him fast. Sure he had his shots at you but you came out on top” he responded proudly
“You forgot to mention that part where he was fucking me up Oh wait that was the whole damn fight!” I was yelling now
“If the judges believe you won then you won no question”
“Yeah, but by unanimous decision that’s bullshit I cheated him. HE deserved to win not me”
“There’s no arguing with you kid. If it means anything to you it was just a FRIENDLY fight nothing more nothing less. Now your flight leaves tomorrow night so get cleaned up get some rest and don’t miss your flight those damn things are expensive.”
With that he walked out and left me with my thoughts.

The next day was really uneventful. All I did was hang out at my hotel room and watch television. And I thought day time television in the US was boring. After giving up on TV I started to listen to music on my iPod. I however did feel much better and a good nights sleep does a lot to ease a troubled mind. The fight was in the past and I need to look towards the future was my last thought before I succumb to the soft pillows and blankets. Damn I’m a sucker for anything soft
I awoke from the best nap I ever had from a loud beeping noise coming from my phone. Oh shit its coach as I take a quick glance at the time 7:30 it hit me, realizing why he was calling me. Mortified that I would be late for my flight I moved faster than light. Gathering all my luggage was no problem but get through traffic was going to be the hard part.
Odd that there is almost no traffic this place is usually packed with people. Must be an off day or something but that didn't explain why it was easy to get through check-in and all the boring things before a flight. Coach was there waiting looking really pissed, I feared the worst.
“Did I miss the flight?” I asked nervously. I would be here for weeks before I could get another one.
“NO but you sure as hell are late” sighing in relief I waved goodbye and got aboard the plane. I don’t know what it is but the little walk way that gets me on the plane always makes me nervous. I wasn't afraid of heights or anything but I just don’t know. This time in particular I felt something unusual. Waving it off as nothing I took my seat at A3 wooooo I get the window seat which is always the best seat. What was even better was that it seemed that I was the one on the whole plane with an empty row so I took the liberty of lowering my sports bag from those annoying cabinets and placed it on the closest empty seat.
I guess there really isn't anything to do now that the movie was over. It was some cheap action movie that one watches for the sole reason of laughing for how poorly made it is. This was no 5-star luxury airplane but it did however serve the most amazing peanuts. A little after the end of the movie the plane went into some sort of sleep mode for the passengers by dimming the lights. With nothing left to do I dozed off and promptly fell asleep.

X
Getting hit in the face is never I good way to wake up. A little plastic bag with a yellow cone attached to the end rudely pulled me from my slumber. The captain of the plane was yelling something in Thai or Siamese over the intercom, I don’t really know the difference. Passengers were running around trying to find out what’s happening and the equally distraught stewards were trying to keep them in their seats. Not really understanding the gravity of the situation I looked out the window to see smoke pouring out the back of an engine. Well fuck me, we’re gana die. At least nobody is gana give two shits whether or not we make it through the crash or not. Yeah well coach might but he’ll get over it eventually. With that taken care of we should prepare for the inevitable. I like the way you think brain. Let’s do this. Fully expecting to die in that crash I unhooked my seat belt cuz you know gotta die comfy and put on my headphones. Now for the Pièce de résistance I hit play on the only song someone can listen while waiting to die. Europe- The Final Countdown. With that I closed my eyes and put that shit on full blast.

X
My head was pounding; my throat was dry and scratchy. You lucky bastard you. What? You’re alive dumb ass. How can you be so sure? Well you can still feel pain and have thoughts. Oh right. I slowly opened my eyes and as soon as I did I instantly regretted it. The sun was bright and hung high in the sky; its powerful rays were blistering. I stayed there for what seemed like hours not wanting to accept the reality that I was alive. I had seen the movie The Gray only a few weeks prior and I was terrified of having to live out on my own in an unforgiving environment. Stop being such a bitch and get up. Damn I was right I had to get moving if I wanted to survive. Getting up from the ground was harder than it should have been. I was cut up and bruised all over, the crash also managed to reopen some of my wounds from the fight. Blood was pouring down my face from the gash above my brow I was fighting to keep my right eye open.
The plane was gone. Well it was there but it was gone, like it was ripped to shreds only unusable for scrap metal. I think I was thrown from the plane a good 50 meters which saved my life considering the state of the plane. The inside was even worse. It was as if a tornado passed through then a hurricane and lastly a wild fire. Holy shit where are the dead bodies? I came in here bracing myself for something out of hostile but there is no blood or even bodies! After searching high and low I sat outside the emergence hatch not knowing what to do. I was completely alone.
The sun wasn't getting any higher and I needed shelter. I had no faith in ever being rescued I didn't even know what country I was in. Searching through the plane I found what was my sports bag which contained my cell phone (useless without signal), wallet, iPod, a few energy bars, creatine, a mouth guard and a bottle of Vaseline. The plane had crashed at the foot of a small mountain. The compass in the cockpit was really off so I was unable to tell which way was which. Luckily I have been sitting down long enough to notice the sun moving slightly towards the forest in the distance. That way for sure is west, therefore the mountains are in the east and that huge mountain range is north. I don’t see anything down south so that makes things easier in terms of directions to take. I guess I’ll go towards the forest since there is more of a chance of finding food. I applied Vaseline on some of my cuts to stop the bleeding and started to search for anything that would help me survive in the wild.
First things first I need a way to start a fire. The cockpit might have some supplies so it was the first place I checked. There was a small first aid kit in a small cabinet directly to the side of the sliding door. What surprised me was the fact that they had also managed to get a Swiss army knife on the plane along with the first aid kit. I also took a map of the world that happened to be lying around. Don’t really know why but might as well. This would certainly make my life that much easier. Next I raided the back for any left over food. Unfortunately most of the food and drinks had been damaged in the crash but I did manage to find a couple bottled waters and plenty of those wonderful peanuts. I don’t think I need any more clothing other than what I’m wearing; it was pretty damn hot outside anyway. Don’t forget socks always take extra socks. Having completely forgot about the fire I went around looking for matches in any of the remaining bags. Lady luck must have the hots for me because I found not one but two disposable lighters more than enough for a fire.
With a sports bag filled with supplies and peanuts in hand I wondered towards the direction of the dense forest.

X
By the time I finished my second bag of delicious honey roasted peanuts I was a standing at the front of the now much thicker and more intimidating forest. Don’t bitch out now. I slowly made my way through the forest. It actually wasn't that bad. After get use to the animal noises it was actually quite relaxing almost therapeutic.
I was surrounded by beautiful flowers and lush terrain. The air was crisp and clean nothing like it was in Los Angeles. It was amazing just listening to the birds sing and watch the smaller animals wonder around. They didn't seem to fear me which usually means they are unfamiliar with humans which could cause problems in the future but I was so hypnotized by the forest I couldn't care less. I could wonder around here forever and I wouldn't care. The only thing to really stand out was the height of the trees. They were tall but no where near what they should be for a forest of this size.
As the light coming through the canopy dwindled I began to look for a proper place to sleep. Spotting a cave in the distance I figured it would be the best place to set up camp. The cave itself was actually much smaller than I thought only being the size of a school bus. Setting my stuff down I went to find something to make a fire with. I returned with some small dry sticks to use as tinder and some bigger sticks to keep it going. I’ll make a second trip if the fire starts to die off for it’s my only real protection against wildlife. As if on queue I heard a deep growl coming from the front of the cave.
Oh shit

X
It was now dark. The only light was coming from the bright crescent moon shinning brightly in the sky in the seen of stars. I would have marveled at its beauty if it weren't for the pack of wolves circling the mouth of the cave. Piercing green eyes and a rotten stench was what was preoccupying me.
Get the fucking fire started!!
I’m trying to get off my back already!
My hands were shaking and I wasn't able to get the lighter to work. Fumbling around for what must have seemed like ages but only lasted mere seconds, I got the lighter to light my makeshift torch. It engulfed my new weapon with a beautiful dancing blaze. Oh how I wish it hadn't. These things I can say for sure were not regular wolves. They were made of fucking wood yeah that’s right wood. I can’t even begin to comprehend how that was possible. The wolves were held together by nothing, zip, nada.
Fire burns wood retard this works in your favor.
Nice! Brain sometimes I don’t know what I would do with out you.
Got your back bro. Just remember not to die
These wolves were rude; they didn't even let me finish the thought before a wolf jumped at me. He received a smack to the side from my torch and unfortunately for him he caught fire. They were cleverer than I had previously thought; the poor bastard was a distraction. A much larger wolf pounced on me from my behind. How he got there I don’t know. My instincts and training kicked in and he received a spinning elbow to the face shattering him into a million pieces.
Man, these things are push overs
Time to open up a can of whoop ass on these puppies!
I think they could read minds for they all left as soon as I was about to charge at them. And then things got even freakier. The wolf that had been shattered into a million pieces reanimated or something and ran after the rest of the pack tail in-between its legs. I was left there, mouth open, not fully understanding what just happened.
X
With a new fire going I was finally able to rest my head. So much has happened in so little time. I was trying to figure out where I was. There is no place on earth with goddamn tree wolves. No, maybe I imagined it all they were regular wolves. It was surely the adrenaline and lack of visibility that made it LOOK like they were made of wood yeah that was it.
Damn I’m running low on water. Looking for a drinkable source of water was on the list of things to do tomorrow. I should also bathe I’m starting to stink pretty bad. I worked up quite a sweat trekking through the forest and fighting off those TOTALLY REGULAR wolves.
Hmm hey bro I just realized something.
What’s that?
After all this physical activity and all don’t you think we should be tiered?
Well, yeah.
So why aren't we?
I brought up a good point. Why wasn't I died tired after all that? So I put my body to the test. What I discovered was surprising to say the least. I could jump higher and run faster. The change was very noticeable I felt like a combination of Michael Jordan and Usain Bolt. My upper body strength was also increased; I could probably bench double or even triple my weight. This whole situation was outrageous. First tree wolves now super strength. I went to bed that night pondering where on earth I really was, or even if I was on Earth at all.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading the first chapter of my Story.
Any suggestions are welcomed and I appreciate constructive criticism.
Next Chapter should be up pretty soon.
-Jayson

Chapter II. Hallucinations

I needed answers. My inability to comprehend what exactly happen to me or where I was deprived me of much needed sleep. I had to keep moving. I had to find civilization.

In hope of finding something I packed up my crude campsite and headed further west. Looking for fresh water was much more difficult than I had hoped. I could always eat barriers or hunt small game to satisfy my hunger. Water however was a different matter. The scorching sun made walking through the forest arduous. Now with out a source of water my progress began to waver.

I could tell that I was approaching the core of the forest. The trees were much higher and provided cool shadow, which I welcomed. Animal life also swelled. The exotic birds played beautiful songs as I trekked through the gorgeous forest, soothing me greatly.

I was walking for hours and soon I began to doubt whether I was traveling in a straight line. Not long after I began to have hallucinations. The trees pointed and laughed as I staggered through the forest. Birds also joined in on the fun. Their songs were no longer blissful or exultant but now they were cruel and mocking. I ran and ran desperately trying to escape my tormentors.

“Traitors! Traitors!” I yelled as loud and as long as my lungs allowed me. I had loved them, their beauty and augustness gave me the strength to move forward like nothing else had. Only in them could I confide. But now they scorn and denounce me. For what reason? They had given me everything and now they seized and cast off my love. They rescind their amity and ardency towards my person.

Something was watching. I could feel it deep in the forest even if their eyes remained clandestine. Their observation of me was obvious.

It grew closer and closer. Shadows and darkness threatened to consume me. My heart filled with panic and trepidation. There was no escape, no where to run. I am not ashamed to say that I wept as I ran. I shed tears; I shear tears of terror and tears of forlorn. For I had been betrayed by the only source of consolation I had in this world. But it is then and only then, when a man has lost everything and has nothing is when he becomes fully empowered and he is the most unassailable weapon.

My only option was to face it. Primal fears must be vanquished. Courage must imbue and move the body. Love and Amity will captivate the soul. I stopped running and turned to confront it my terror, my dread, my fear, my nightmare.
Callous hands reached out to grab and maim me. My breath was visible for its presence was chilling. But it only loomed over me as if waiting for something. Its grotesque form was fixed on me unmoving only watching. It had no eyes or face only blackness where they should be. The forest around it had shrived up and died. I felt this sensation before the sensation just before a fight. This was the stare down before a match, the calm before the storm.
I was no longer afraid I was no longer bound by those chains. They held no power over me.
I did not fear it
I do not fear death

I charged it and it charged me. Bracing my self for the end I clenched my eyes tightly closed right before our collision.
I was engulfed by something as I fell, something cold and wet it was not painful but refreshing. I opened my eyes to find myself in the middle of serene river. I have never been so happy to see water. I bathed and drank from beautiful blue liquid. I stayed in until my body became pruney. After I laid on one of the larger rocks on the river bank and fell into the most peaceful and restful sleep of my life.

A rock no matter how smooth or how round is not a great place to sleep. I awoke to a stiff neck and a sore back. There was not much light left in the day and I decided to stay and rest. The local wildlife were a constant presence. These animals however were not abnormal and behave much like the animals should. Slowly but surely they make their way to the riverbank always keeping a cautious eye for predators. They didn’t seem to be threatened by my presence and only a few actually acknowledged me at all. These critters must think I’m one of them huh how strange considering my size. Thankfully my sports bag protected much of my gear from the water and gave me the chance to listen to my Ipod. I could get use to this.
The universe however had other plans and the quiet didn’t last long.
X

The roar was powerful and shook the ground. Animals ran in all direction due to panic. All frantically scurried from the source of the bellow. I stayed exactly where I was. What walked out of the tree line was a monstrosity. It had the body of a loin, the wings of a bat and the tail of a scorpion. The monster was furious that a creature refused to remove itself from HIS watering hole. It slowly approached me, fire in its eyes; it wanted me dead that I knew for sure. I guess there would be no way to reason with it so I will teach it a lesson on sharing through the only way I know how.

Lifting myself from atop the rock I seized it up. On four legs it was shorter than I but on two it could probably look over me. Its forearms are massive and could cause major damage. The monsters back legs were its weak point, they were small and thin compared to everything else. The tail will be the most troublesome. If I get stung I would have little chance of surviving. The wings would also give him an advantage. Then again I have wanted to try this “new” body out.

We approached one another only stopping when we were a few meters away from each other. The monster let out a deafening roar in an attempt to intimidate me. I stood my ground, ready for anything. It attacked first launching its stinger over its shoulder lightning fast straight at my chest. I reacted fast enough to catch the tail, holding it by the large round part around the stinger. In retaliation I pulled his tail strong enough that it flipped him onto his back. While exposed I delivered an axe heel kick to his abdomen yielding a pained howl from the monster. It reacted quickly and pushed off the ground with its’ wings knocking me off balance. The monster took this has his chance. He backhanded me with his meaty paws forcing me back and knocking the wind out of me. Hoping that I would have no time to recover it launched itself at me with sharp claws extended. Seeing it coming a quick sidestep cleared me from danger. I delivered a straight foot thrust at his side making his landing awkward. While he was struggling to get off of himself I was going to end it. I sprinted at him as fast as I could ready to execute my favorite of all Muay Thai techniques. The Flying knee strike. Poor son of a bitch didn't have time to react before his snout made contact with my powerful knee.

The monster dropped, his snout pouring blood as it fell. Knowing that the fight was over I went over to examine it. These things were tough. My blow had only knocked out a couple teeth, but was strong enough to knock it unconscious. I should get out of here before it wakes up again. Heading back towards where I left my stuff I considered traveling a different way other than just keep heading west. I figured I have already gone too far in this direction just to go on another way I decided it would be best just to keep heading west. The sun’s rays are diminishing and I have to keep moving.

The moon’s light wasn't enough for me to continue. I have only been walking for a short time but I have to stop for the night or I’ll end up losing my way. There are many trees here I guess I could climb one and sleep up there. Probably the safest way to go considering that the monster is probably going to seek revenge of some sort. Plus it was in a movie I once saw. I really hope I don’t fall down that would be a pain. Making my way to the top was pretty easy. But what I was greeted with was astonishing. The night sky was marvelously arranged; it put many romantic painters to shame. Each star meticulously place, creating an awe inspiring view. Falling asleep was difficult for it would entail losing time observing the night sky. Nevertheless sleep slowly immersed me while I lay upon those high branches.

X
The universe must find some amusement in pulling me from sleep like this. It honestly is getting a little repetitive. I stirred by the sounds of some sort of yelling or crying. Or maybe it was a mixture of both. The bright sun blinded me as I tried to find the source of the noise. With the slight chance of being reunited with civilization I enthusiastically jumped from my perch high above the ground into the bush which in turn was a bad idea. My landing was awkward and my left ankle bent at an unnatural angle.

Fuck that hurt, why the hell did you do that! There is no way we can run with a sprained ankle!
There’s no time to waste we can finally get home!

I hid in the bushes to scope out the place in which I thought I heard the screams. What I saw was unexpected. There were these three tiny technicolor horses cowering together slowly backing up against a huge tree. But what caught my attention was the monster with the dried blood on its snout and missing teeth in its mouth. Didn't think I would see this bastard so soon again. The devouring of those tiny animals must be his way of regaining his pride.

Survival of the fittest at it’s finest.
Yup, couldn't agree more

Just as I was going to walk or limb away my heart stop. The monster had stopped his advance towards the horseys to get a good whiff of the air. It suddenly turned away from them and looked around cautiously as if looking for something. The horseys were to dull to realize this was their opportunity to escape. Instead the stayed completely still almost like they were expecting to get saved and wanted to see the heroes and how they beat up the bad guy.

Holy shit, we’re dead. If it finds us it will enjoy ripping us into tiny little pieces. But hey look at it this way maybe we could end up as some fertilizer for some flower or something.
Shut up I know what we’re gana do just follow my lead.

As silently as I could I sneaked through the bushes, my injured leg almost blew my cover a couple times. The monster was looking around warily. It began pacing around trying to locate the source of the smell. I waited patiently for him to get close enough to the bush I was hiding in. It got close enough to me that I could almost reach out and grab him. Then it twitched, probably pinpointing my location. Noticing this I was about to strike when the horseys decided this was their only opportunity to leave. The monster turned and roared a mighty roar, like if he was commanding his pray to halt.

Go this is your chance!

Jumping out of the bushes and on to its back, I put him in a rear naked chokehold while hooking my legs around his waist. It rolled over frantically trying to break the hold. The tiny horses just starred mouths and eyes wide open.

Stupid horses don’t even realize this is their chance to escape.
After a while of rolling on the ground the monster was beginning to slow. It would only be a matter of time now before it was out. It tried using its wings as a last restore but they were pinned down be my legs.

Wait, I feel like we’re forgetting something.
Nah, we got him.

Then it stung me, literally. It must have forgotten it even had a stinger went it went into full blow panic mode. Oh and how that hurt, it had repeatedly driven its stinger into the middle of my exposed back. The sensation was a terrible burning at the site of the sting almost like an electrical shock. I immediately let go of his neck and flipped over grapping his stinger as it was coming down. While I was occupied with his tail it rammed its elbow it my side. The sound of my ribs breaking was sickening. Screaming in pain I rolled off of his back. Struggling to get on my feet, there was a moment of silence between the both of us. We were both trying to catch our breath for what looked like the final push.

My legs were weak and my body was numb. Its poison will probably kill me soon so I have to take this bastard down with me. Breathe deep and ignore the pain. Adrenaline was wearing off forcing me to attack first. The feeling was mutual because it charged me as I charged it. Neither of us was backing off, this was a fight to the end.

We charged at eat other our bodies at their limit. We collided I tried to hit him with another flying knee but he saw I coming and swiftly dodged. He brought a massive fist down on me followed immediately by swing from his tail that sent me flying. I was only just able to get up from the ground to see it flaring its wings and beating them profusely to gain speed. Bracing my self it hit me with its head, knocking me into a nearby tree. My body is broken, for every move I make my body screams in agonizing pain. My back is burning and the poison is numbing my body. A distorted mist is enveloping everything I see even breathing is painful.

“It… its really strange… wh… why do I continue to fight despite all this…” I was rising to my feet using the tree as support. My arms and legs are heavy as if held down by crippling weights. The monster was creeping towards me. My vision was blurred all I could see was the shadows. I instinctively raised my hands into fighting position waiting for the inevitable. But it never came. Out of the corner of my eye I could see shapes running at the monster and then a blinding light.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading the newest chapter of A Warrior's Tale.
I was experimenting with diction in this chapter. Tell me if it was too sesquipedalian.
-jayson

Chapter III. Apples

The light hurt my eyes

I had woken up to what looks like a small hospital room. It was decorated humbly and was actually pretty cozy. A small window across the room let in a bit of sunshine and cool breeze. From the angle at was at I could tell that I was on the second floor. There was some weird sign hanging off a door most likely the restroom. I must have been sent to a local clinic. I really hope I can communicate with the locals I don’t know any other languages other than English and Spanish. Thankfully my journey was all just a dream. I must have been knocked clean out during the plane crash, rescued and sent here. What a relief, I can go back home and further my training and fighting career. My clothing was lying on a small sofa along with my sports bag. Man, is this bed tiny, well they must also be attending to all the other survivors. I would rather they help the others before they look me over.

As I was getting out of my undersized bed my back was hit with an excruciating pain. No no no nono. Flinging the sheets off of myself and looking beneath my hospital robe, I saw that my torso was rapped in bandages. My cuts and bruises were there, the fight with the monster must have been real. And just like that, my hopes were crushed.

If all that was real than how did we get here and how the hell aren't we dead. Surely the monster didn't spare us.
Wait, we must have been rescued and by the looks of this place there must be civilization.

After moving my body around a little I felt like I did twelve rounds with Mike Tyson. But where I hurt the most was the spot where the monster stung me, I promised myself the next time I see that bastard I’m going full out on it. My ankle was also doing better; I could probably run at a pretty good pace. Hours passed and I haven’t seen or heard anybody. Starting to get worried I gently lifted my self from the bed, minding my back injury, to the cold tile floor. I was only able to take a couple steps before the IV in my arm popped out causing a machine to emit a loud and annoying wail. Turning to try to stop the machine from making any more noise I heard the door burst open.

I yelled over the machine with out looking “Sorry about all this, it’s just that I was growing a little impatient with the hospitality here…” when I didn't get an answer I turned around to see who it was I was talking to. “Do you speak…?” As I turned the two miniature horses and I made eye contact. They were exactly the same like in every way. Both had a white coat, blue eyes and blue hair (mane?). They were covered in gold armor and a helmet like that of a centurion. But what freaked me out the most was that these horses had wings. We stood there in awkward silence before they remembered they had a job to do. Bringing their forelegs down to the ground and their buts (flanks?) up, they charged.

HOLY shit they’re gana get us, quick do something!

So I did what any sane man would have done in my situation. I jumped out the window.
X

If you have ever had the pleasure of witnessing an Olympic diver at their best it would give you an idea on how stupid I looked falling from a second story window butt naked and arms flailing. My hospital robe had gotten caught on the window tearing it clean off and had left me in all my glory. Landing in the bushes was a godsend, using the branches to cover what I could I made my daring escape. Off down the road could be seen a good town. Many of the builds were yellow timber-framed with thatched roofs and over hanging upper floors. The hospital was at the edge of the town meaning there weren’t many of those mini horses around. It was also quite colorful and well kept unlike my native land of Los Angeles. Looking around to make sure the coast was clear I slipped between bushes, which is much harder than you’ll think because of my larger stature.
Every now and then I would hear those armored horses running around most likely looking for me. Luckily it was getting dark and I would be able to move easier and maybe find away to get my stuff back. None of my previous injuries seem to have opened up and the pain in my back wasn't getting any worse. Now it was time to play the waiting game.

X
Grrrrr this game sucks. I've been sitting in this bush for the longest of times. I’m cold and I’m hungry. At least I only have to wait a little longer till I can move around freely. To entertain myself I would play tic-tac-toe with my self or write my name in the dirt forwards, backwards and any other way I thought possible. But now I found a much more amusing game where I dig a hole with my stick than fill it up with more dirt, rinse and repeat.

Finally I can get up and stretch. It was now pretty damn dark. The only light was that of the moon and the dim street lights of the town. I figured that it would be best to sneak around the border of town sort just to get a feel for things. Sticking only about 20 meters from the road allowed me to navigate my way to the town but also keep an eye out for any horses. How horses build a town and a functioning society is still beyond me.

X
So after careful consideration and assessment I have come to the conclusion that I’m indeed 100% insane. If it weren't for the armed mini horses running around I would have never guessed that this wasn't a human village. They even had damn door knobs, how the fuck does that even work? I have been trying to get close enough to the town so I could get food or at least some pants but there are too many armored mini pegasi patrolling the town.
I wonder if all these guards are here because of me. Well, whatever it is doesn't really matter I’m going some where else for food. A nearby hill was perfect for looking out over town and allowed me to get a good view over town. By the looks of it there is a farm out on the border of town the perfect place to get a quick bite to eat before retreating back into the shadows.

X
The environment here is gorgeous. On my way to the farm I marveled the serenity of this place. Walking to the farm was uneventful since there was really no one out side. I didn't really walk on the dirt road mainly because it hurt my exposed feet and there was less of a chance that I would be discovered. Once I think about it the town isn't actually that large, I could walk form one end to the other in no time.
Wow, this does not look like any farm I've ever been to. It looks like some fancy rural themed hotel. It is beautifully decorated and its architecture is very welcoming. Not wanting to get to close I went straight to the huge apple orchard looking for some apples to satisfy my hunger. I just really hope I don’t get lost.

Well fuck me we’re lost.

Yup I had some how gotten lost in a matter of minutes. All the trees look the same here and the orchard is crazy big. At least there is no shortage of food around. Good God these apples are the best I have ever tasted, there must be some sort of drug in here these are way too good to be true. I wouldn't mind being lost in here for eternity as long as I could eat these apples. Time went be really fast as the sun was rising faster than I thought possible. I needed to get the hell out of here before whomever runs this farm finds me and shoots me with a shotgun.

Running as fast as I could, with a bad ankle, in a random direction was my only choice. While running through the orchard I heard a thud coming from nearby. A nearby tree provided cover as I sneaked a peak at the horse. She, I’m guessing no man would ever style their hair like that, had her blonde hair (mane?) tied back in a ponytail. She also wore a brown Stetson over her blonde hair, which is something I thought only a cowboy would wear. Her fur was orange and she had huge green eyes. The horse also had freckles which I didn't think was possible but you know my known facts have recently been throw out the window along with my sanity. I was glad to see that this one didn't have wings but I could see that she did have three apples tattooed on her but.

What was the term for a little horse again?
Pony dumb ass.
Oh right.

The pony was doing repetitive work. She would lay down buckets around a tree then turn around and kick it with her back legs shaking and dropping apple from the trees. Impressed with the strength of the hind legs I decided I should also give it a shot. Slowly moving away from her I found a tree a good distance away and gave it a shot. I hit the base of the tree with a straight foot thrust making a louder thud than I hoped but it was strong enough to knock all the apples from the tree. That was pretty good maybe next time I could hit it with my strong leg when I get it back to peak condition. I bent over to pick up as many as my little red prizes as I could. As I reached over for one last apple the beautiful red fruit was crushed under an orange hoof. Shit. I slowly looked moving from her hoofs to her eyes, I was dreading making eye contact with the most likely very angry miniature horse. Her massive green eyes looked into my very soul. They were full of disgust and aversion.
Umm where did she get that rope?

X
My inner man would like to say that I put up a fight, that I almost got away and that I totally didn't get caught and bound in less than ten seconds. What was even worse was that she was gloating about it. Getting up on her hind legs and throwing her hat in the air she let out a victory screech. It was humiliating. After calming down enough she started prodding me with her hoof, I showed her my teeth and she quickly pulled back her hoof. The pony was thinking to herself, probably of what to do with me. She then took a deep breath and whistled. Satisfied that someone probably heard her she sat down a few meters away from me, never moving her eyes from me.

All I need is a moment, just a moment to untie myself. She had tied my hands and feet together but I was confident in my ability to escape. She hasn't made a sound since she sat down and I have mainly been coming up with escape scenarios in my head. Before I was able to come with anything good a much larger red pony trotted up pulling along a wagon. This one had a red coat and an orange mane. This one is probably male due to his size and muscle. He also had a tattoo on his flank which was of only one green apple; these things must run in the family. His green eyes widened in surprise as soon as he saw me. The orange got up and trotted over to the red one Ha now’s my chance. While they were conversing in some language I didn't recognize I frantically pulled on the rope. Finally freeing myself I got to my feet in a flash, both horses turned and gawked at my height. I was more than double the size of the orange one and the red one was at the height of my stomach. Things are much less intimidating when you’re not tied up. Not wanting to waste anymore time I simply turned and took off in the opposite direction.

Both of them took off after me, the big red one was right behind me slowly gaining ground. The orange one had disappeared to only appear in front of me moments later lasso at the ready. As she flung the lasso at me I made a sharp 90 degree turn getting away from her lasso but the red horse was still hot on my tail. I needed to get out of the orchard; they had the home field advantage here.

My ankle couldn't take anymore of this running; I had to pull a quick one on them. In desperation I pulled myself onto a nearby tree. Climbing to the top kept me hidden from them, but they weren't fooled and I could hear them breathing heavily under the tree. Catching my breath I weighed my options. I could either fight both of them at once or keep running. Each sounded like hard work considering I haven’t fully recovered from my previous bout.

We could always just surrender, it’s not like they were hurting us to begin with.
Na man they were probably just fixing us up so that we have a better chance of surviving their experiments.
Yeah, I don’t want a probe stuck up my ass either.

I peered through the thinner patches of leaves expecting to see the ponies devising a plan to get me down from the tree. To my surprise there was nobody around. My natural suspicion told me that they were probably hiding behind a nearby tree or something. Listening closely for even the slightest movement of breath I waited atop the tree.

Maybe they really are gone.
We waited here long enough. There’s only one way to find out.

Jumping out of the tree as silently and sneakily as I could, I tiptoed around a couple trees looking for the ponies. Fortunately they had left probably going around and gathering up their pony friends.

Ha, ponies are dumber than I thought

As soon as the thought left my mind I heard rustling in the trees around me. Suddenly a couple dozen guards dropped out of the trees wielding what looked like really sharp spears.

YOU just had to go on and say it, didn't you?

Author's Note

Thanks for reading. This one kind of took a while Oh and this is the first time we encounter ponies and we're almost six thousand words in, don't really know what to say about that.
Also I'm looking for and editor/prereader if anyone is interested send me a message.

-jayson