The Fallen Soldier
Chapter —
—
Making My Way Home
Down from the heavens came a winged woman with hair so standoutish it was one of the first things I noticed about her. The second was her lack of winter appropriate clothes: sweats and a thin hoodie is all she wore. Third was her small stature, she looked only to be five feet and 3-4 inches; she was short, and if it wasn't for her mature looking face and body I'd have mistaken her for a child.
The rainbow haired woman looked me up and down, her oddly colored eyes pierced mine before long. She spoke, "Are you... Scott Anderson?"
I gave her a blank stare and looked around, it had begun to gently snow and no source of life was around, just snow and more snow. The aching cold had gotten to me, my life support systems were beginning to fail, and I was thrown out of a moving train not long ago.
A little sass found itself in my tone, "People often go for walks in the middle of nowhere in weather like this?"
Her face scrunched in turn.
"Yes I'm Anderson." I quickly added, "Sorry. I'm cold."
Rainbow-Hair softened her glare, "I'm surprised I even found you!" She exclaimed in sudden excitement, "Once the news got around Twilight rounded up some Valkyries and started a search for you!"
To be polite, I lowered my helmet so we could properly talk, the cold made me wanna forget my manners. A mental note was also created, it was a reminder for me to thank Twilight later.
She continued, "People started giving up after an hour and a half into the search and the incoming blizzard wasn't helping!"
"A blizzard is coming?!" I exclaimed, "how long?"
"At least another two hours." She answered.
The thought of freezing to death occurred to me, it would've been a terribly sad end to my career. Now I was just happy my luck paid off again. I thanked whatever mystical force that led this woman to me.
"Hold on a sec while I do something." The woman said while turning away.
I watched her fumble with her hoodie pocket, then, as she pulled out a purple crystal I asked her what it was for.
"It's enchanted with some kinda spell Twi cooked up." She replied, fumbling with the rock a bit before holding it up to the sky.
A few seconds passed as I considered asking her what it was supposed to do. My mouth closed as the rock began to glow a bright pink before suddenly shooting off into the sky. The rainbow haired woman took a few steps back in surprise.
"Now what?" I asked, eyeing the pink glow as it climbed higher into the sky until it stopped about 20 stories above us.
"It's supposed to tell Twi where we are." She spoke, "But I'm not se-"
She was interrupted by a loud clap as the ever so familiar Twilight Sparkle appeared from nowhere.
Twilight turned towards us, "You found him?!... " she looked at the other woman, "Rainbow!?"
The woman appropriately dubbed 'Rainbow' puffed her chest out, "Of course I did! When you've got the fastest flier in Equestria looking for someone you can expect that person FOUND in ten. Seconds. Flat." She finished her monologue.
Twilight gave Rainbow a quick small smile before focusing on me. "By Celestia you must be cold! We should get you to Ponyville as quickly as possible!"
I shook my head in agreement.
"Then lets not waste anytime!" She exclaimed.
Twilight raised her hand, which started glowing a dark purple, something I had seen before. Her face had this intense look of focus on it as she closed her eyes. I glanced at Rainbow, she had a look of uncertainty, she knew what was gonna happen. As soon as I opened my mouth..
*CLAP*
I was standing alone in the snow again.
"Well... " I mumbled, "..shit."
—
Shock was a good place to start. I was shocked by their sudden absence. Mere moments ago I had two people next to me, now they were gone. Dozens of questions came to mind, but I had to focus. A blizzard is coming and I only have two hours to find shelter.
I can wait here and see if they come back, or I can start looking for shelter. For the sake of praying on my luck, I decided to wait 10 minutes to see if they come back.
A minute passed, nothing. 3 minutes passed, nothing. 8 minutes pass, nothing. By this point I had tired of the cold and decided to try my luck at finding shelter. The snowfall had turned from a meager drizzle to a growing beast in the interim of my waiting. Said blizzard was very real and very close, perhaps closer than Rainbow let on.
Visibility was getting poor - I could thank the snow for that - and Mother Nature herself seemed to curse me with this landscape. There was nothing! The only thing here that suggests civilization are the train tracks! No trees! No random farms! Just snow for what seems like hundreds of miles!
(Equestria is big)
I didn't want to leave the tracks, reason be they would eventually lead to something. But I couldn't stay lest I risk freezing to death. I gave it some thought and started walking again since walking by the tracks is all I can manage to do for myself. Maybe Rainbow will find me again? Maybe another train will come this way?! It's been well over an hour since the last! My money wasn't on Twilight, her 'magic' may help her but I don't think it'll help me!
Then, as if a great stroke of luck was cast upon me, I heard a train horn. My heart started beating faster, my dry mouth no longer felt numb, everything felt 'fresh' as my senses came back to life. I recognized it as a second wind, the natural urge to live. Stepping off the tracks and into the snow, I looked back and watched a distant train speeding towards me.
As it got closer I could tell it wasn't a passenger train. The locomotive was hauling several large crates on flatbeds, and the lack of passenger carts made it obvious as well. My only question, however, is how the hell am I supposed to get on it? I've never train-hopped before!
The train was a good time away, at least from what I could tell from the distance of the trains lights. I had a little time to figure something out. Maybe I could jump on it? No. I'd fall off probably. Or worse.
Grab a bar as it speeds by? No. My arm would get dislocated.
Unfortunately, that was all I had. I couldn't see many ways of getting a train going full speed. Actually, the ideas I had now weren't that smart. But what else could I do? The train was almost here and I could freeze to death if I don't do anything.
Got me a one-time choice here. Maybe if jump at the right time I can land on... no wait. What if I stand on the track where the conductor can see me, get him to slow down enough where grabbing or jumping on won't hurt as much. It'd be worth a shot, if I could see more than 100Ft in front of me. Unless the train has some magical lights that light the way, they aren't gonna see me jumping around on the tracks.
Okay. Okay. I'm gonna do this, it is now time for action, not thinking. God I hate my life sometimes.
The train was here.
I took a few steps back and started running, and with a grunt, I jumped as high as my augmented body would allow. The train was moving fast, I knew this, jumping on the train was stupid, I knew this. When I landed, it was on one of the wooden crates being hauled. Because of physics, the second my feet hit the crate I was thrown back. I started rolling before falling off the crate and in between the one I landed on and the one next to it.
I don't know why there wasn't a plastic wrap covering the crates. But I was thankful there wasn't anything blocking the spaces between the crates. Now I'm stuck on a train.
Wonder where it's heading.
-—
So I'm back. Sorry the chapter is so short, I know what I said about making it 5k words but I couldn't force myself to do it. I had a cold from the weather and thought I'd do some writing.
I realize the inconsistency with the snow in this chapter, but It reaches its worst towards the end. It's starts as a small snowfall, as the train comes into sight the snow has picked up but isn't a full blizzard. And at the end the snow has gotten pretty bad, but not blizzard bad. Anyway have a good one guys. Review, follow, and favorite. We've got 4K reads but only 13 comments.
Next chapter - "Wrong Town, Wrong Person, Right Hero."