Second Wind

Were you unconscious? Or were you dead? You weren't sure. What you were sure of, however, is that more than blood was bleeding from your head.

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You awoke in a forest of dead trees. There was no grass. Only cold, hard dirt. You get up, and stagger over to a nearby tree, which you then use to support yourself. You look around. Dead trees in every direction.

"Hello?" You call out into the forest. You hear your voice echo. You can't remember how you got here. Come to think of it, you couldn't really remember much of anything about yourself. You decide that it's more important to attempt to find out where you were, first. You finally stop feeling dizzy, and become able to walk without throwing yourself against trees for support.

The forest itself was completely silent. No birds, no insects, no rustle of leaves or branches. Just complete, dead air. The moon made the shadows very dark and distinct, and the lack of wind made them a tattoo on the ground. You stumble upon what looks like a pond, and decide to rest near it. You sit down, and splash some water onto your face. That's when you see your reflection.

You were a young man. You wouldn't be surprised if you were only 22 years old. You were in bulky black attire with orange lines and hexagonal shading on it. Your eyes were an interestingly bright brown color, and your hair was only an inch or two long, also brown in color.

Well. At least I'm handsome.

You see a metal chain around your neck. You look down, and slide it off around you, examining the metal tag.

ALAN MOORE

IMO PATHFINDERS

X0148220-1313

"Alan..." You say out loud.

It sounds right. Must be your name. You look back at your reflection. Other than a little dirt on your face, you looked fine. Maybe you were just on a stroll or something, and a branch fell and hit you, and that's why you can't remember anything. That's when, in your reflection, you see something coming.

A black, insect-unicorn hybrid creature emerges from the forest behind you. It's tattered wings and mane bothered you more than anything else. It stepped forward.

"Alan, my dear. I've been looking all over for you." It asked. It's voice sounded surprisingly feminine. You stand up, and begin to back away slowly.

Had she heard you say your name? Or did she actually know you?

"Who are you? How do you know me?" She smiled. It seemed friendly enough.

"Dearest Alan, I am your Queen. Do you not remember? You are one of my loyal subjects. You and I went for a walk through this most dreaded forest, when you fell. I left to go find help, and when I came back, you were gone. Are you okay?"

Queen? MY Queen? You look around. You don't see anything else around. Maybe she's right.

"Alan, you're scaring me. Are you okay?" She asks. You decide that she must be right.

"Y-yes. I'm just a little...confused." She laughs, and approaches you.

"Poor thing. You cannot remember?" You shake your head. "Come with me. I will walk you back home. We will talk on the way there." You hesitate. "Is there something wrong, Alan?"

"What's your name?" She smiles.

"I am Queen Chrysalis. Come now. We have much to discuss."

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"Hey, Dash?" Aaden looks down at you.

"Yeah, big guy?"

"I'm starving." You laugh.

"Well, I brought the food with us. But it's probably all gross and soggy by now."

"With the amount of ketchup you put on your stuff? Probably so."

"Hey, don't knock it until you try it."

"Then I probably won't ever be knocking it." You laugh again. "Wanna go back to Poachies? Try again?"

"Sounds awesome. I'm getting another ketchup burger."

"I bet you are."

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Your mind was flooding with questions. You were hoping that another attempt at this little date between you and Rainbow Dash would help straighten things out. You both enter Poachies once more, and have a seat at the exact same booth as last time. The exact same waiter comes over.

"Good evening, sir." He looks up from his little order pad, and looks at you in surprise. "Oh my, it's you! You were here earlier, until that Changeling bastard came through!" You nod your head.

"Yeah. That's me."

"Hey, I'm Poachie. I own this place. What you did out there? Ponyville will be safe in your hands."

"Thanks. Not to be rude, but I'm very hungry. I didn't get a single bite from a burger earlier. Nor did my lovely date over here." Poachie nods his head very rapidly.

"Hey, you potentially saved some lives out there earlier. Here, you eat for free tonight. Free appetizer, free whatever entrees you want, and free dessert. Anything you want, you got it." You smile.

"Thanks Poachie. It means a lot. I guess we'll have what we got earlier." You look over to Rainbow Dash. "What appetizer do we want, Dashie?"

"Fried mozzarella, totally." Poachie scribbles that down, along with your drink choices and your entrees, as well, and he soon darts back off into the kitchen. Rainbow Dash looks back over to you. "How's your hand?" You hold it up for her.

"It still hurts, naturally. But Doc Gauze does good work. Saved my life once, I'd like to think he can fix a few broken bones." Rainbow Dash has a question. You can tell she's reluctant to ask. "Dash. What's on your mind?" She puts a hoof gently on top of your injured hand.

"I know it hurts to have done that to Alan. I can't imagine what's going through your head right now. But you're doing a great job, big guy. To be forced into a completely new world, and not lose your mind? I bet that's hard."

"Honestly, I gave up trying to understand the moment I saw Doctor Gauze talk. Right now, I'm just kind of coasting, you know? Going where life takes me. Just seeing Alan makes my skin crawl. Not because he disgusts me or anything, but because he's dead. Ya know? Does that mean I'm dead? I mean, this can't be the afterlife. There would be billions of other humans here if that was the case. I dunno Dash. It's very confusing." She gently strokes your hand with her hoof.

"I know it is, babe."

Babe? Alright, I can put up with that.

"And I'm proud to see you hanging in there. You're brave. I happen to think that's pretty sexy."

Welp. I know what I'm doing later tonight.

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It all made so much sense now that The Queen had explained it.

"So my family has been one of the most loyal and noble families of your kingdom?" The Queen nods her head.

"Yes. The uh, the...I can't believe I don't remember the name. It escapes my tongue."

"Moore. It's a pretty forgettable name, I understand."

"No no my dear, my mind simply drew a blank for a moment! Your family, the Moore family has been VERY influential in this kingdom! I ought to lock myself in my own dungeons for letting the name escape me!" You smile. This creature may not have looked to pleasant, but she had to be telling the truth. She was far too kind, and far too elaborate in her explanations for it all to be a lie. "Ghoul, isn't it a travesty that I forgot? How influential is the Moore family in this kingdom?"

The smaller insect-pony creatures eyes went wide.

"Uh. Very influential, my Queen." She smiled at him, and nodded her head.

"Now, Alan Moore, one of my most loyal subjects. Our Kingdom has some troubling issues. Our people are starving."

"Starving?"

"Yes. The oppressors, the life-long enemies of the Moore family, the Ponies and their allies, led by the tyrants Celestia and Luna, they have barred us from their kingdoms, and are starving us. Your parents died from that starvation.

"What?" You feel a wave of sadness and anger come over you. "My parents are...dead?"

"I am sorry, dear. It happened so long ago. But we will grieve their loss later. Now, we must help our people."

"Yes, my Queen. How may I serve?" You respond. She smiles.

"Already recovering your families infamous loyalty, I see. Our military is in decline. We have a specialized unit dedicated to dealing with the oppressors covertly. The Dreadguard. Your family was notorious for containing the strongest, most legendary Dreadguards we have ever known. I would like to offer you the chance to train to become one. To take the fight to them. To avenge your parents, serve your kingdom, and your Queen. Do you accept?"

"Yes, my Queen. I am yours to command." She smiled again, this time more wickedly.

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The burgers came back out, and actually weren't half bad. While you would still like a patty made from meat, these black bean substitutes would work. For now. Poachie came back out.

"How were the burgers?" You pat your stomach.

"Very good Poachie, very good. I haven't had cooking like that in long while." Poachie laughs.

"Am I glad to hear that! I made sure that everything was made to the best of our ability! You guys ready for dessert?" You look over at Rainbow Dash.

"Oh yeah. We'll take the double fudge brownie with two scoops of vanilla ice-cream." She responds. Poachie scribbles the order down on his pad, and darts back into the kitchen again. He soon comes back out with a square plate with a large brownie on it, drizzled in chocolate syrup, and braced on both sides with a large scoops of vanilla ice cream. He also hands you both a spoon.

"Enjoy!" He then happily trots off, satisfied with his work. Rainbow Dash was already tearing away at the brownie. You go to reach for a spoon, doing so with your left hand. You immediately jerk it back in pain. Rainbow Dash notices this, and scoops up a bite of brownie with the spoon.

"Say, 'ahhhh'." You open your mouth, letting her place the brownie on your tongue. "Oh wow." You notice something happening to her wings. Like a twitch. "That was probably a little hotter than it should have been." You laugh with brownie in your mouth.

"Let me try." You pick up your spoon with your right hand this time, scoop up a little bit of brownie. She opens her mouth, and lets her tongue come out. Her eyes are doing that half-lidded thing again. You gently place the brownie on her tongue, but she closes her mouth. You remove the spoon, and it comes out with a loud pop, her tongue following it and licking the end of it as it leaves her mouth.

This is Mr. Tasty all over again!

"Oh man." She covers her mouth with a hoof. "This is actually really, really good."

"How much do you think all of this would cost, if I had to pay?" Rainbow Dash tilted her head in thought.

"Eeeh. Maybe 60 bits?"

"I'll leave 80 bits as the tip."

"Feeling generous?" She smiles.

"The first job I ever had was waiting tables in Manhattan. It SUCKED. One day though, this man came by, and I took his order. I didn't think much of him, just another customer. He left me 100 bucks as a tip, and a note that said "Astounding service. You're going to go places in life with that attitude. Follow your dreams.". Ever since then, I try to offer the same kindness to any waiter I have that seems to be really trying hard. I know how bad it can suck. You ever in the food industry?"

Rainbow Dash shook her head.

"Nah. I started off moving clouds, which can pretty awful, too."

"Really?"

"You'd be amazed how specific Ponies are about their clouds."

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"YOU WILL SERVE THE QUEEN!"

"AYE!"

"YOU WILL FIGHT FOR THE QUEEN!"

"AYE!"

"YOU WILL GIVE YOUR LIFE FOR THE QUEEN, SHOULD THE SITUATION PRESENT ITSELF!"

"AYE!"

"EVEN A CHANGELING WITH NOTHING TO OFFER, CAN STILL OFFER HIS LIFE!"

"AYE!"

"THE OPPRESSORS MUST DIE!"

"AYE!"

"WE ARE THE DREADGUARD!"

"AYE!"

"AND WE WILL NOT GO FORGOTTEN!"

"AYE!"

This call and response happened every morning at the start of the training. The Hivelord would call out these words of loyalty, while all of the recruits, including yourself, would respond in unison. During this particular training, something odd happened. While you all stood in formation, you saw something in the distance. It was another human. It was wearing the same black and orange armor you wore, but with a duster over it, flapping in the wind. It also was wearing a gas mask, one with orange lenses that pierced your soul. You felt like you knew this human. You watched as it knelt, two white, angelic wings, bursting from it's back. You heard voices echo in the back of your head.

"...I'm here Alan...I'm here..."

"...HE'S GOING TO DIE! HE NEEDS HELP!..."

"...And disrespect a Hero like you? No way!..."

"...WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE IF YOU DON'T GET ON THAT FUCKING RADIO!..."

And that's when it happened. That's when your eyes opened wide, and the world around you started to melt, and a new one took it's place.

You were in a trench with other humans, ones dressed like you, holding guns, firing into the forest in front of you. It was the early morning, but extremely cloudy, and drizzling with rain. It had rained all night, so mud was everywhere. An older man, maybe between 30-40, was yelling at you over the sound of rifles barking and bullets whistling.

"ALAN, MOVE! GET THE FUCK DOWN!" And that's when you feel like God pushed you down. You hit the mud. You know you were shot, but not how many times or how bad it was. You were starting to feel funny. That's when you hear another voice call out.

"HOWARD! HOWARD, ALAN'S HIT!"

"FUCKING LEAVE HIM!" The voice called back. You close your eyes, and try not to move. You feel someone lift you up, so you open your eyes right back up. There was the human in the gas mask and duster. He ripped the gas mask off of his face, and threw it in the mud. His eyes had tears running down them, going down past his chin, falling into the mud.

"It's gonna be okay. Stay strong...please don't die..." He held you for a minute. The man identified as Howard screamed in frustration.

"AADEN, WHERE'S THE GOD DAMN AIR SUPPORT?!" Aaden looks back over to him, obviously in complete agony. He just stares at him.

"AADEN! AADEN, WAKE UP, AND GET THE FUCK ON THAT RADIO!". You reach your hand out to him, and attempt to squeeze it, to show that you're strong, and you'll be okay while he does what he has to.

"HE'S GOING TO DIE! HE NEEDS HELP!" You then feel a chill go down your spine. You seemingly know what's going to happen.

"WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE IF YOU DON'T GET ON THAT FUCKING RADIO!" The man identified as Aaden slammed his fist in the mud, and gently put you down. You didn't have the energy to turn your head and watch what was happening, and you couldn't hear him over the gunfire and sound of other men howling in pain and torment.

This was it. You were going to die. You could feel your grip on reality slipping from your grasp. You feel Aaden lift you up again. He could see death in your eyes. He knew it was coming. You could tell he was trying to hold back tears, but he was doing a poor job. You try to clear your throat.

"A-Aaden..." You start. You grab his hand again, and try to squeeze. It's much harder this time, and you cannot stop shaking.

"I'm here Alan. I'm here." You had so much you wanted to tell him. How much he was like an older brother to you. How much you envied him for his skill and knowledge. How proud it made you to have spent your final moments with him. He started to squeeze your hand back a little harder.

"I'm here Alan. I'm here." You attempt to clear your throat again.

"I heard...a lot about you before...before this..." You attempt to inhale deeply, but fail. His eyes now completely released tears. "and I...I just want to say..." You attempted to breathe again, but merely started coughing violently. "These few moments.....fighting beside you.....have been the pr-proudest.....proudest...of my...li...."

It was happening. You couldn't finish your sentence. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't keep squeezing his hand. You felt your head tilt back, and watched as the world slipped away into the sensation of falling.

The regular world returned to you quickly. The Queen and Ghoul didn't seem to notice you snapping out of it.

"Ghoul, what's happening to him? Surely he isn't remembering!" The Queen sounded agitated.

"I am unsssure, my Queen." They both turned around, and noticed you returning to normal.

"W...what happened to me?" You stare blankly.

"My most loyal Dreadguard, you simply froze during your training. You wouldn't move. They brought you to me. I trust everything is alright?" You shake your head.

"No. No, it's not. I saw something...other humans. I was fighting with them. Aaden...Howard...those names sound so familiar.

"Why, they should!" The Queen smiled. "Those are your brothers!"

"My...brothers?"

"Yes, your brothers! They died fighting alongside you, attempting to hold off the oppressors. Brave Dreadguards, they were."

Although you couldn't help but notice that these creatures had no guns, and wore armor completely different from what the other humans wore, she had to be telling the truth. She was the only thing you've had contact with since you lost your memory, and if she was going to do anything bad, she would have already done it.

"I apologize, my Queen..." She walks over to you.

"It is quite alright, dear. Go on home. Rest for now." You look up at her, your eyes meeting hers.

"Y-yes, my Queen. Thank you."