Chapter 12
A gentle snowflake rests on my nose in the face of chaos.
I walk alone down a dark and cold path, not knowing what will happen next. As of right now, I'm supposed to scout out the area ahead, due to many dangers that may lurk. It's a funny feeling, really, being alone after you've been alongside many for what feels like decades. I can't believe the day has actually come, the day of our triumph.
Today, we're gonna end this. Once and for all.
I observe the dark and cloudy scenery, snow drifting from the sky in a light pattern. The fog is so thick today that you can barely see five feet in front of you. That's why I'm scouting, because I was given Phoenix, the amazing heat seeking for any intruders that we may encounter. I hold it in my hands it's warmth providing me with something to be glad about. I use the scope for a check, and find that there are no heat signatures nearby. I aim down the sights and march forward.
Suddenly, my head begins to burn.
I fall to the ground and watch the world spin around me. My head aches from the immense pain flowing through it. I struggle to make it go away, but fail. I yell in pain and scramble on the ground, trying to find a way to make it disappear. After a while of a terrible headache, it finally decays and my head feels good as new. I shake my head and put my hoof to my head. I feel nothing in its spot. Weird.
I continue to walk, minutes passing by. I walk until I find what I'm looking for.
The railroad tracks to Canterlot.
I push on the earpiece and speak.
"Clear. No traps, no gangs, nothing. You can move now."
"Over." A voice replies with, Fluttershy to be exact.
I then decide to wait rather than Togo on ahead. I reach into my backpack and find a pack of matches. I then search for firewood, which doesn't turn out very well due to the stupid snow. I find some dry sticks, put them in a pile, and throw three matches on it. A spark lights, then all the wood catches fire. My eyes glow as I stare with a smile at the flames. I stick my hooves out to warm them, and sit myself down on the ground.
I lay on my back and stare at the snow falling to the ground. Some land on my face as I squint my eyes against the mist in the air. I close my eyes and take a couple deep breaths. It's gonna be fine. Well all be ok.
I keep my eyes closed for a while, then open them to find a can of sardines on my chest. I look at them, and look across the fire.
"Morning, sunshine!" They say sarcastically.
"Eagle Eyes!" I exclaim. I scramble back, surprised that he's actually here. I thought he was supposed to stay back at camp and recover.
"Yep, it's me." He says with a smile. "Couldn't miss an event such as this!"
"But...but...how did you not get caught?" I ask.
He spreads his wings.
"Hey, they still work like a charm."
I smile, feeling happy that Eagle is being himself. At least I don't have to fight the loneliness any longer.
"So, what's the plan?" He asks.
"You mean you don't know?" I say, staring at him confused.
"They didn't tell me anything when I was still getting patched up." He confesses.
So I explain, the matter, the rifle, everything. After I finish my last sentence, he nods and says:
"Well, I'm going with you and Flutter, regardless of what she or you think."
"But Eagle, your not fully healed! If you are going to go, do it with the medical team or another group. Don't go with us, it's too dangerous! I can't let you die!"
He walks around the fire and site by my side. He opens his can of sardines and puts his hoof around my back.
"Look, I need to go with you. I've always dreamed of helping stop the cold, so I can't let this chance go. I'm prepared, even if I have a couple of scratches, so what? I can still fight. And fight I will. I can help, and even if you disagree, I'm still going..."
I look at him. The pony who found me one day in a storage room is now considering me his friend. He's got bandages and scratches and wounds still not fully healed, but he still has the courage to fight.
"I appreciate your courage, Eagle. But are you actually able to fire a gun?"
He looks at me with a Are You Serious? look. I then take a hint and look back at the fire.
"Well, if you are coming along, we can't let the others know just yet. I'm gonna ask if I can go ahead. If Fluttershy says yes, then you come with me. If she says no, I'm still going with you."
"What makes you think I can't go alone?" He asks.
"The time when you got captured by that crazed pony and nearly killed..."
"Good point." He says.
I roll my eyes and push on the earpiece.
"Permission to move ahead, over." I ask.
I wait for a response.
"Permission granted." Fluttershy grants.
I let out a sigh of relief as I pack up my supplies. The sardines I hold in my hoof as I douse out the fire with piles of snow. After the wisps of smoke vanish in the air, I help Eagle Eyes up to his hooves. He grunts out a thanks and starts to lift off the ground slightly due to his wings flapping in motion. We begin to then go forth, one Earth Pony, one Pegasus. He flies slightly off the ground to my right making sure to not go too fast or too slow as we march up the semi-steep incline of train tracks. The frozen metal burns my hooves with a numb feeling. I take quick steps to avoid this, for I can't manage to accomplish anything with frozen hooves, can I?
I shake my head and notice were passing through a tunnel made of rock. It seems to be fairly dry in here, some signs of snow show, but not many. I cough and it echoes across the cave. Eagle Eyes then shows a grin on his face and says:
"Eagle Eyes is the coolest pony ever!"
It echoes for a while, slightly getting quieter each time.
I grin and reply with:
"DubNeon is cooler than him!"
We both let out a small laugh and keep walking. Eventually, we come to the exit, where we're greeted once again by a gust of wind and snow. Remembering that this next part is icy and steep, I take more cautious steps, avoiding anything that may cause a slip-up. Eagle Eyes is having no problem, however, except for the fact that his wings must be getting slightly tired. I use my strength to pull myself over the ice railroad. Using the tracks as a ladder, I struggle not to loose my footing. I'm nearly there when I feel my front hooves give way. I slip back and yell, only to be quickly caught by Eagle.
"I gotcha!" He says, struggling to carry me while flying.
He carries me to the top, not to far away, and sets me down.
"You saved my life!" I pant.
"Ah, it was nothin!" He replies with.
I breathe deeply, feeling glad that I'm alive, and recover myself. I then continue to walk with Eagle as if nothing happened, nothing at all. After some time of strolling along, we see the outline of a huge tower, smothered in the think fog. We continue to walk until we see the train station. It's wood flooring is sagging with age and the cold, and the roof has holes and is piled with snow. The ticket room has no lights shining, and most of the windows are smashed. The bright and cheerful sign that used to read:
Welcome to Canterlot!
Is now grey and surrounded with a thick layer of ice.
I sigh and walk up the cold wooden stairs to the ticket room. I walk into the room with the door on the ground, and let my eyes take in the trashed, abandoned look of the room: Old newspapers, trash, smashed glass, snow, and graffiti. It all added up to a ghostly look that made me shiver at its sight. I even think Eagle Eyes is feeling what I'm feeling.
"This used to be a busy place." He said out of the blue, picking up a roll of old train tickets and observing it. "Huge lines, money flowing, trains rushing by, this had a nice atmosphere. Until..."
I nodded, understanding what happened.
"Anyways, we should start heading out, we never know-"
"HEY!" A voice yells behind us.
We whip around, startled at the voice.
Fluttershy is standing in the doorway, holding a chainsaw.
My blood runs cold as Eagle Eyes stares right into Fluttershy's furious eyes.
She marches up to him and goes face to face.
"WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT COMING ALONG?!" She asks.
"Uh...I, uh, thought I needed to come along and help, so I uh came along with Neon, and here we are!" He stresses out.
"THATS IT!" She exclaims. She grabs his front left hoof and begins to drag him out the door.
He struggles to escape her grasp, but seems to be outmatched.
"Wait, Flutter!" Eagle starts.
"NO BUTS!" She yells back.
Before she exits the room, I interrupt.
"WAIT!" I yell.
Fluttershy stops without looking back.
"You can't take him! We need him to help us! Without him, it's certain death! Please, Fluttershy, do this one thing for me. Do it for everyone."
She sighs and turns her head.
"We can manage without him." She says, obviously trying to calm down.
"No, we can't. What happens if you and I both get captured or killed? Who will be there to tell the others? Who will be there to help save us in the rain of bullets? Tell me, Fluttershy, would you rather have to beat the odds of luck, or have it in our favor?"
She looks at me, then at the struggling Eagle.
"Oh, alright! Since it's no use to send him back anyways, he can come." She says, giving up the argument.
She lets Eagle Eyes go and he picks himself up. He brushes off his arms and looks at Fluttershy.
"Thanks, Flutter!" He thanks.
She nods, still not fully convinced.
"Well, now that that's over with, I'll get the others."
She walks out the door and leaves me and Eagle to ourselves.
"So...remember the base escape?"
"Hm?" He asks.
"Like when I saved your ass from those hackers?"
"Oh, that? I don't remember much from it. All I remember are these scars, but that's it."
I nod and continue to speak.
"Well, I remember that the base was empty. I'm not sure why, though. Do you know why? I've been thinking of that question for quite a while."
Eagle thinks for a bit, then says.
"You know, I was told something like that when I arrived back home. Apparently, they had captured the last of them. They then took them to a place where they were questioned. We don't like to kill our hostages, so we let them go, as long as they never spoke a word of what happened."
"How did we pull that off? How did we capture all those ponies?"
Eagle Eyes shrugs and watches as Fluttershy peeks her head back inside.
"We're ready." She says.
Me and Eagle nod in approval.
"Let's do this!" I say.