When Death Knocks

Chapter Two

When Death Knocks, Smile and Nod

It’s not often that I find myself at a loss for words. Sarcasm and ripostes come naturally to me, to the point where my friends didn’t bother getting into verbal debates with me, anymore. They’d have better luck winning an argument with a brick wall, then besting me at a battle of words. But, even I have moments were a witty quip escaped me. For instance, when the one-eyed pegasus hovering in front of me opened his mouth and began speaking, any verbal responses lounging in my brain promptly committed suicide on the spot. Hell, the Necromorphs might have been ugly and disconcerting, but they had they courtesy of being, more or less, zombies. And zombies were something I could wrap my head around. Talking ponies, on the other hand…not so much.

Still, I didn’t let myself stare at the pegasus commander in blatant confusion for too long. My instincts, the ones honed by my years in the Special Forces, dung in their heels and forced my brain to process what the commander had told me. I was being accused of something I didn’t do, and the pegasi were tasked with arresting me. Then, I’d be dragged before a Princess and tried for my supposed crimes. My brain quickly came to the conclusion that it didn’t like that particular idea, and quickly began thinking of how I was going to get out of the chamber. My right hand began to slowly twitch towards my pistol as I considered my options.

“Wait just a moment,” I said to the commander, stalling for time, “You’ve got the wrong man, Commander. I mean, I just got here a few hours ago. If this is how you treat newcomers to…wherever the Hell this, then your tourism industry must be absolute garbage.” I know, I was running my mouth, but trust me, it’s a handy skill to have in tight situations. Commander Thunderclap (which sounded like something from a cartoon), narrowed his eye at me as I spoke, shaking his head in disgust.

“Don’t lie to me, human,” he retorted, baring his teeth slightly, “You are responsible for the failed assassination of our beloved Princess, the attempted kidnapping of Twilight Sparkle, and the severe damage caused to the town of Ponyville. There aren’t any other humans running around in Equestria, so don’t stand there and tell me you’re not the monster I’ve been ordered to arrest!” Lordy, he was a long-winded fellow (not to mention a bit melodramatic). Still, two could play at that game, and I wasn’t about to be outtalked by a pony.

“I’m not a monster, Commander” I said, raising my chin slightly, “I am Lieutenant Jack Ventralis of the Earth Government Special Forces. And I swear upon my honor as a soldier, that I have not committed the crimes I stand accused of.” I took a step forward, causing the pegasi to edge away from me, “Move aside, Commander, and allow me to leave in peace. Attack me, though, I shall have your head.” See? I can bust out the melodrama, too. High School Drama class had taught me well, it seemed.

The Commander bristled at my words, and I could tell things were about to get ugly. I wrapped my fingers around the grip of my pistol, quietly flicking off the safety with my thumb. The pegasi around me tensed, preparing to rush me head-on. They had me outnumbered, but I had the benefits of a gun, better armor, and opposable thumbs. Besides, how much damage could they do with hooves? However, before things escalated any further, there was a heavy, resounding boom as something big landed behind me.

I turned slowly, cursing quietly as I saw the massive pegasus standing just twenty feet away. He was almost seven feet tall, making him a few inches taller than I was. He wore a suit of platemail that covered him entirely, the helmet forged in the shape of a snarling wolf. His wings were a deep shade of blue and incredibly long, even when folded at his sides. From behind the visor of his helm, I could see gunmetal grey eyes staring intently at me. I wasn't intimidated by the pegasus in the slightest, but he did make me much more wary of starting a brawl.

“Commander Thunderclap,” the armored pegasus said, his deep voice filling the chamber, “Take your squadron and bring the war chariot. Leave the human to me.” Behind me, I heard the Commander salute, and his squadron quickly departed, leaving me alone with the giant pegasus. Without a word, we began circling each other, my hand still resting on my pistol. I bent my knees slightly, prepared to dodge if he decided to charge.

“I’ve been looking forward to this day, human,” the pegasus said, his eyes never wavering from me, “The day when I could haul your broken, unconscious body before the Princess for judgment.” I held back a sigh at his proclamation. I don’t know what drove these ponies to talk so much before a fight. Not that I was complaining, of course. It just gave me more time to plan my attack.

“That sounds fine and dandy,” I replied as I drew my gun, “Too bad it’s not going to happen.” I began firing, the sharp report of the pistol echoing through the chamber. The pegasus was a quick bastard, though, and he managed to dodge several shots. A few of them struck his chest and helmet, leaving deep dents in the steel, but were unable to pierce it. I grunted in surprise at that sight. Given, pulse rounds didn’t carry much in the way of armor-piercing power, but they should have at least slowed him down. Much to my dismay, however, the pegaus simply shrugged them off, unfurled his wings, and darted towards me like an arrow.

To say he hit me hard was an understatement. Five hundred pounds of muscle and armor careened into me with bone-shaking force, the impact sending warning symbols flashing across my HUD, and causing my pistol to tumble from my grip. I flew back at least thirty feet, sparks flying from my armor as I struck the floor and began skidding across it. I slammed my fists into the ground to slow myself, but I didn’t have time to rise to my feet before the pegasus moved in for another attack. He was on me in a heartbeat, steel-shod hooves coming down to stomp my head viciously.

Before they could connect, though, I managed to grab them, the servo-joints of my armor whirring noisily as I strained against the strength of the pegasus. We stayed like that for a few moments, out strength almost evenly matched. In the end, though, I managed to push him off balance and land a vicious punch on his right foreleg. The steel plates crumpled from the blow, the pegasus grunting in pain as it gave out beneath him, unable to hold his weight.

Rising to my knees, I got the bastard in a headlock and began punching him in the face, even as he started flapping his wings to get airborne. I clung to his neck with grim determination, though, and continued hammering away at his helmet, each blow denting steel. We rose steadily higher at a rapid pace, until I could practically touch the ceiling. Then the pegasus did something I wasn’t expecting. He angled himself towards the ground, and with a fierce war cry, rocketed forward, body-slamming me into unyielding stone floor.

Believe or not, that almost completely took the fight out of me. Getting body-slammed into the ground at high speeds has a tendency to do that. I rolled onto my stomach, gasping for the air that had so rudely deserted my lungs. In my peripheral vision, I saw the pegasus unbuckle his dented helmet and drop it to the floor, before limping over to me. I tried to stand up, but got a strong buck to the face for my efforts, sending me crashing back to the ground. The blow was powerful enough to make hairline cracks form on my visor, causing my HUD began to begin flickering wildly. I shut it off, making the blue light of my visor go completely dim. The pegasus loomed over me, his grey eyes holding no trace of pity or compassion.

“Not bad…for a pony,” I mumbled to him as my vision began to swim, “Not bad at all.”

I passed out a few seconds later. It was becoming something of a trend, that day.

_______________

Rather than awake to the sight of a stone cell, as I anticipated, I was pleasantly surprised to smell the distinct scent of hot coffee and doughnuts as I blearily opened my eyes. I was sitting at a wood table, with a plate of freshly-baked doughnuts and a cup of steaming coffee right in front of me. Giving them a suspicious glance, I moved my arms and legs experimentally…and found that they weren’t bound to the chair I was in (though I was missing my utility belt and holster). Hell, the room I was in didn’t even look like a prison cell, either. It was some sort of private study, complete with a roaring fire at on end and plenty of bookshelves on either side of me. Through the skylights set in the ceiling, I saw the late afternoon sun overhead. I’d been out for a while, it seemed.

Since my HUD was offline, and my visor in need of repair, I pried my helmet off and set it on the table, before diving into the doughnuts. Hey, don’t look at me like that. I hadn’t eaten anything in almost twenty-four hours. Between my time on The Sprawl and waking up in…wherever I was now, my stomach had been deprived of vital sustenance, and it wasn’t too happy about it. And even if my body felt like one giant bruise, thanks to my tussle with the pegasus, I still enjoyed the small amount of pleasure the coffee and doughnuts gave me. Even if said pleasure wasn’t all that healthy. While I ate, I had my RIG auto-inject a few painkillers into my system, and begin deadening the pain.

A few minutes later, I heard a door open behind me, followed by the distinct sound of hooves. I was too sore to turn around, though, so I simply concentrated on sipping my coffee, cradling my aching head with my left hand. The pegasus I’d fought in the chamber came around the left side of the table, though he wasn’t wearing his armor. He still had a slight limp, and I took note of various stiches on his face. I don’t consider myself a prideful person, but I had put up one Hell of a fight, and I couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit of smug satisfaction as he turned to face me.

“You’re finally awake,” he rumbled, giving me a nod, “Good. The Princess will be here shortly to speak with you.”

“Hrgh.” I replied tactfully, my pounding head refusing to form a proper sentence. That required far too much effort, on its part. The pegasus chuckled, his tone carrying a hint of understanding. I was wary of his sudden change in attitude towards me, but I decided not to mention it. I didn’t want my heavenly coffee taken away from me, after all.

“But where are my manners?” he said, once his mirth had subsided, “I am General Titus, Commander-in-Chief of the Equestrian Royal Guard.” He extended his hoof towards me as he spoke.

“Lieutenant Jack Ventralis,” I replied, reached over to grasp his hoof, “of the EarthGov Special Forces.” I didn’t mind that I was shaking hands/hooves/whatever with a pegasus, at that moment. I wasn’t sure if that meant my brain was simply taking everything in its stride, or a sign that it had finally snapped.

The General opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could, the door to the study opened, and he immediately bowed to whoever was behind me. I made to stand up, since they were probably important, but a wave of dizziness forced me back into my seat. Lordy, the General had given me a serious ass-kicking, and that didn't happen very often. I waited for the room to stop spinning, before looking at the new arrival as she faced me from the other side of the table.

I found myself staring into the eyes of an alicorn, and I nearly dropped my coffee in surprise. She was as tall as I was, though the horn protruding from her head made her seem much taller. Her coat was pure white, while her mane and tail were various colors of the rainbow. Despite there being no breeze, they flowed majestically around her, the effect almost mesmerizing to watch. On her flank was some sort of tattoo, in the shape and color of a blazing sun. Her eyes were a soft color of pink, and she had no qualms about locking gazes with me. I couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran down my spine as I looked at her. She was majestic and beautiful, but deep down; I somehow knew she could beat me senseless like the General had, if not worse.

“Greetings, Jack Ventralis,” she said softy, finally breaking the silence stretching between us. Her voice was regal, but warm and friendly. “I am Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria, the land you currently find yourself in. You’ve already met General Titus, though it’s unfortunate that it had to be under such…violent circumstances.” My brain was immediately bum-rushed by a torrent of questions, but before I could voice them, the Princess continued.

“I know you have questions,” she said, giving me a knowing smile, “Luckily, the answer to some of them is simple. When the General brought you here, I delved into your memories while you slumbered. Don’t worry, I didn’t go riffling through your past, or darkest secrets. I merely…viewed the last day or so of your life. Much of it didn’t make sense to me, I daresay, but they told me what I needed to know.” She winked at me as her smile broadened, “You’re an innocent man, Lieutenant.”  I wasn’t sure how I felt about a mythological creature rooting around in my head. Sure, it proved I was innocent, but I couldn’t help but feel slightly…violated. Still, I decided not to say anything, and merely gave her a grateful nod.

“If I may interject, Your Majesty,” General Titus said from behind Celestia, “This means that the human we are after is still at large. Perhaps he is the one responsible for the Lieutenant’s sudden arrival in Equestria?” I perked up at that, setting aside my coffee and resting my elbows on the table as I leaned forward.

“A fair point, General,” the princess replied, before looking back at me, “The method of your arrival has eluded me, thus far. Judging from your memories, the ball of light that enveloped you was an inter-dimensional relocation spell, and a very powerful one, at that.  Magic such as that is potent, dangerous…and forbidden, in Equestria. I-” Before she could continue, I held up my hand to politely interrupt her.

“Magic?” I deadpanned, giving her a skeptical look, “You’re saying I was transported here by…magic?” You’d think, after all the insane, logic-defying things I’d seen that day, I wouldn’t have trouble believing in magic. But, my brain was stubbornly refusing to do so. It had been a trooper all day, but it was quickly beginning to reach the limit of what it could logically accept. I'm surprised it hadn't started foaming at the mouth.

“Indeed,” the Princess replied, smiling again, “I know magic does not exist where human’s come from, but in Equestria, is an integral part of our everyday lives. Here, let me show you.” The tip of here horn began glowing, and right before my eyes, my coffee cup began hovering, surrounded in a corona of yellow light. I jerked back violently, the action sending me toppling backwards and onto the carpeted floor of the study. I might have let out an unmanly yelp of surprise, too, but I can’t remember. It wasn’t my proudest moment, but in my defense, I’d had a long day, and my brain wasn’t acting the way it should have. Honestly, in retrospect, the magic she’d used wasn’t all that different from the telekinetic modules used by engineers to lift heavy objects, something I’d seen dozens of times. I’d just overreacted….somewhat.

I stared up at the ceiling of the study for a moment, before letting out a long, weary sigh. Princess Celestia trotted over laid down next to me, obviously concerned for my wellbeing. Her horn glowed again, and I felt a sudden warmth wash over my body. The aches and pains of my fight vanished instantly, leaving me gasping in surprise at their sudden departure. A second wind of energy coursed through me, and I immediately sat up, looking at the Princess incredulously. I felt like a million bucks!

“A simple healing spell,” she explained with a smile, “I wish I could explain everything to you right now, but time is a luxury we cannot afford.” Her smile faded as her demeanor sobered. “The human we mistook you for is still on the loose in Equestria, and so long as he roams free, my subjects will remain threatened. General Titus and the Royal Guard have kept him on the run, but it won’t be long before he makes another move against us.” I knew what she was starting to get at, but I remained silent as she spoke.

“I’ve looked into your mind, Jack Ventralis,” she said, eyes locking with mine, “You’re a soldier, one who has come face-to-face with unspeakable horrors and lived to tell the tale. Equestria needs someone like you, someone who can cast down the evil plaguing my beloved ponies. I know I’m asking much from you, but…will you help us?”

And there it was. The loaded question. After several minutes of serious, silent deliberation, I rose to my feet, the Princess following suite.

“Well,” I replied, giving her a broad smile, “it’s not like I had anything else to do today. I’ll do whatever I can to help, Princess. I only ask, when all is said and done, that you find me a way back home.”

Celestia nodded and raised her hoof as she said, “We have an accord, then.” I shook her hoof firmly, my smile never wavering.

Lord, I thought to myself, what have I gotten myself into this time?

Author’s Note: Blah. This chapter was somewhat difficult to write, mostly because I came down with writer’s block and partially because it involved a lot of talking in the second half and I didn’t want to bog things down with a lot of exposition. I had to rewrite the fight scene in the first half a few times, before I finally decided to introduce General Titus as Jack’s opponent. I like Commander Thunderclap, but after a while, I realized Jack needed someone who could not only match his strength, but also give him a royal pounding. Poor guy. I also had an annoyingly hard time describing Princess Celestia's mane. Maybe I shouldn't be staying up to late to work on these chapters. >_>

I know the second half feels rushed, but next chapter, I’ll be able to get a lot of exposition out of the way without it being boring, and begin introducing the Mane Six. I have a feeling Twilight is going to be quite fascinated with Jack, and all his fancy-lookin’ technology. I almost feel bad for him. Almost.

As always, your comments and critiques are welcome. No preview this week, since I’m still outlining Chapter Three. Adios!

-Wes