Chapter 4
I think I've been laying here for about an hour now.
This room so far hasn't been as bad as I thought. I mean, there are some things to do if I'm bored. There are a couple of chemical components, dangerous ones, used for cleaning. I took some of that. There's a medium sized unused brown backpack. I'll take that too. Hell, I bet if I kept looking, I would find the cure to every sickness or something!
So that's what I'm doing, I'm looking and looking for things I could use on my journey. Could I use an old tattered mop for anything? Probably not. I continue scouring the room when I come across a wooden crate and a crowbar. Well, I can't carry the crowbar in my bag, it's too big, and if anyone here saw me carry that, they would open fire. So I use the crowbar to open the crate unaware of what the crate reads on the side.
I slide off the lid and dig through layers and layers of wooden shavings. Books, a map, a compass, and a flip knife are all I see. Perfect. I loot all the treasures and stuff them away in my bag. I'm all set for a journey ahead; all the supplies I need are in my bag, and I got them for free! I decide to look on the side of the crate to see what it reads:
CLASSIFIED
Classified, why is it classified I thought. I look at the items and murmur to myself What secrets are you hiding?
"None." I hear a voice behind me say.
I spin around and almost drop all the relics. I stagger back, scared of what this person might do to me.
"Easy, easy. I'm not gonna eat ya." He says jokingly.
I freeze and feel surprised to finally hear a voice that sounds somewhat friendly.
"Here." He says. He sticks out a hoof and gestures for me to grab it. I do, and he pulls me up.
"There. Now what were you doing going through something you weren't supposed to?" He asks.
"I...I was looking for something to sell for food and water." I lie.
"Ah. The old scavenger trick, eh? I hear ya, I hear ya. Hey, times are tough. What can I say?" He seems to be speaking in a kind tone. I like it.
"Who are you?" I ask.
"Eagle Eye." He says. "And who are you?"
I hesitate, thinking if I should come up with a fake name.
"DubNeon. Or at least that's what my DJ name used to be." I say, actually telling the truth.
"DubNeon, I like it. I'll just call you Neon for short."
I shrug. Neon is what my parents and even my old friends used to call me. I thought that was abandoned a while ago. But, apparently not.
"So what's a stallion like you doing here?" Eagle Eye asks.
"Accidentally found myself here, and got tied up a few times, then I got questioned, then bam, here I am." I explain.
"Sorry for that by the way. I tried to get em' to not tie you up, but alas, I'm not as high rank as ol'
Fluttershy, and she said that's what would be best." He apologizes.
Well then, I learned that Fluttershy is a jackass. Oh the things that you learn.
"It's alright." I say. "I don't mind it here. I'm just confused on this whole group thing you and Fluttershy are in." I sigh.
"Here." He pats a stack of dusty assorted books as I go over there and sit. He sits himself on a crate and clears his voice. I now notice his features up close: red pelt, black mane and tail, green eyes, and a cutie mark of a sniper crosshair. He's a little bigger than me, and he's equipped with a black beanie and hoodie, but other than that he looks like your average pony.
"It all began when the Eternal Winter came." He begins.
"I had been at work that day. It seemed like the average boring day in the Canterlot Munitions Factory. Nothing had been happening for the majority of the day. Then before I know it, it all changes. Glass shattering, ponies screaming, snow blowing at the speed of light, you remember how it was like that day, right?"
I nod. Oh yes, I remember that day. That day that ruined my life forever. That day that I will never forget as long as I live. That day...
He seems to read my mind "We all hated that day. And we still do. That day, I lost more than just my job. I lost my one true love. My wife."
We both fall silent. The air feels cold around us like it always does. But something about it feels strange. Or maybe it's just me. It appears I'm feeling something that I haven't felt in forever.
Sympathy.
"When I watched Canterlot slowly die out in the chaos of the frost, I ran for home. I ran and ran and barely ignored the tired feeling in my legs. When I did arrive home, however, all that was there was a pile of concrete and snow." His eyes are watering now. He sniffles and wipes his eyes. "I frantically dug away from the concrete, yelling BETHANY? I dug and dug until I found her, eyes wide, mouth open, and cold. So very cold. I grabbed her and held her in my arms until I was blinded by a sudden rush of hail. Then the world went black. I woke up here the next day, with soup, a blanket, crackers, and a single table with a light. These people took care of me when even they were weak. They gave me a home when mine had been destroyed. They...they're like a family to me. They're there for me when needed, and in return I'm there for them. Anyways, a month or two passed when I finally came up with an idea. I had the craziest idea, the thought of figuring out the cause of this snow and stop it. At first, everyone was skeptical. Until they came clean and admitted a loss to the cold. They then agreed and here we are, many months in the process. We call ourselves a name, too!" He said excitedly.
"Huh?" I asked.
He put a slight smile on his face.
"The Heat."