A/N: Here we are again, beginning yet another chapter in the saga that I thought I would totally mess up. I may or may not have already done that, but… yeah. Finally on spring break… but even introverted me gets lonely sometimes. I'm in torment of my own making, though. Read and review.
BOOM! An explosion of dirt knocked Rainbow and I onto our backs. I leapt up, then went to help her up. We turned around trying to find the source, only to see a HUGE raven-like beast with blood-red eyes. The predator flapped its wings, not only stirring up dust but sending four razor sharp spines towards us. I rolled to the left, while Rainbow took to the skies. I reached to my side to draw my knife from the sheath. My hand, however, met only air. What the hell? I looked down and noticed my knife was gone. Sheath and all, there was nothing for me to work with.
"RAINBOW! MY KNIFE ISN'T HERE!"
"WHAT?" She screamed, both scared and angry. The raven shrieked again, making me wish I was deaf. Another extremely deadly spear shot by my head, sticking in the tree behind me. "I THOUGHT YOU CARRIED THAT EVERYWHERE! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"
"I DO CARRY IT EVERYWHERE! AND I THINK OUR CAPS-LOCK IS BROKEN!" I yelled over my shoulder, able to quote a joke from Aidan, even in the face of imminent death. I did an about-face and pulled the spike out of it, then did what any sensible person would do. I ran straight at it, using its own weapon against it. I held the shaft low, noticing how light it was, but pointed the tip straight up, in hopes of gutting it. Luck, however, wasn't on my side. I got within stabbing distance… and was grabbed in its claws as it took to the air. "AH SON OF A BITCH! GET THIS THING OFF ME!" I shouted, but my words were swept away in the wind as the sinister creature lifted me into the sky. Suddenly, a multi-colored blur sped past me and I was in free fall. Before I fell, I could only think one thing.
Shit.
My eyes were able to stay open for the first few seconds, but I closed them. I didn't want to see the ground, considering I was about to become a human pancake. So many things that I'll never get to do. Never get to have any romantic affiliation, never go to high school, never have an official job, never get to use these damn wings… wait a second, WINGS!
I opened my eyes, much closer to the ground now, and tried to open my wings, even if only to ensure there'd be enough left of me to bury. I tried to gauge the distance as I fell, doing my best to expand the wings while I did so. 500 feet… 300 feet… 100… 75…
"POMF!" A noise similar to an umbrella opening was heard, and I was jerked backwards. My head exploded in pain as my descent slowed considerably. The emergency landing was rough, and I did a face plant into the dirt upon touchdown. Scrambling to my feet, I saw Rainbow flying straight at me.
"NOW WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT TIME TO RUN!" I heard, as she soared past me, upsetting my balance. The raven was right behind her, and would be on top of me in seconds if I didn't move soon. Rather than run, however, I made myself flat against the ground, or as flat as I could make myself since my wings were sticking out and were now stuck open. Luckily, it soared right over me. Jumping to my feet, I began to sprint in the opposite direction of the beast, in hopes of luring it away from both Rainbow Dash and Ponyville. Moving fairly quickly, I soon reached the edge of the forest. I looked over my shoulder, and sure enough, there Rainbow was! Granted, the Elder was still there, and still very dangerous. Rainbow did have a good lead on it, as she came closer to me, but the awful bird was still very fast. She stopped for a very short moment. "Into the forest?" She asked, out of breath but looking very determined. I nodded, then responded.
"Into the forest." We moved as one, her in the air, dodging tree trunks and branches, me on the ground, hopping over logs and swinging on the occasional low hanging branch to jump gaps. Anyone in a three mile radius probably heard the loud crashes of trees, but I couldn't. I could feel the vibration of the earth, the beating of my heart, and nothing else. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins, and the only thing that was on my mind was survival. At that moment, nothing else mattered.
"Brian! Into the cave!" I was snapped to attention when Rainbow called out to me, beckoning towards a small opening. She flew into the opening, and then made sure I was following. Not like I have much of a choice. Be disemboweled by a giant, demonic raven or die of starvation or thirst in a cave… yeah I choose the latter. No sooner than my entrance into the cave did a certain creature crash into the cliff face (or at least, I think it was a cave. I didn't exactly stop to smell the roses.) The shock of the impact threw me off balance and I hit the ground. I scrambled to my knees and crawled to a back corner of the cave. Again and again the bird would throw itself against the rock, as if it would force us out. This continued for what seemed like an eternity.
"It's… stopped. Do you think it's still out there?" I asked Rainbow, who had come over to where I was sitting.
"I don't know. I do know that I'd like to go home. Too dark in here." She was right, but we were lucky. A few cracks in the ceiling let some light shine through, but barely enough to see.
"Stay here, I'm gonna go check." I stood up, my joints creaking after being stuck for so long. I snuck to the mouth of the cave, my feet making no sound on the rocky floor. I poked my head out for a moment and looked around. There wasn't a trace, but I didn't like the looks of it. "I think it's still out there. It probably stopped just as a trap. I've seen it with other birds before. If the rabbit escapes into its burrow, the bird of prey will wait it out. That's what it's doing now. Waiting us out, hoping we'll come out. Hate to say it Rainbow, but we're stuck."
"Well this sucks. We're stuck in a bucking hole!" she paused, then chuckled. "Heh, stuck in a hole." I turned to her, surprised by her sudden innuendo. "What?"
"In a world full of unicorns and fairy tales, a sexual innuendo was the last thing I expected to hear. Especially out of a pony."
"I'm not your average mare, Brian. I don't really conform to the standards set by society. Besides, I've always been a tom-colt anyway." I looked at her again, and was suddenly aware of a burning pain on my arms. Surely enough, they were cut all over the place, sliced open by the thorns of plants during the run.
"Hey Rainbow?"
"Yeah?"
"I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to have to do some first aid."
"What?"
"… while this has probably been done in some romance novel or movie, I assure you I am not trying to seduce you and/or look sexy." I took the shreds of my shirt off, taking extra care to get it around my wings. I made a point of removing the troop seal from the shirt as it was one of my only reminders of home. I took the remains and made a makeshift bandage, wrapping the torn and bloodied skin in forest green. When I was done, I moved to the opening in the cave and hoped that someone would come.
"What are you doing?"
"Waiting."
"Oh. Okay then. What can I do?"
"Whatever the hell you want, as long as it doesn't bother me or get us killed."
I sat in silence. The blue sky had turned an ominous grey, and the smell of ozone was in the air. The rain came slowly at first, then came down at a steady pace.
"… could save my lonely soul for you, but the feeling in my heart can't follow through…" A beautiful melody filled my ears, combined with the rain it was a little depressing. "… you can give your broken heart to me because you know that I'll stay with you…" I scanned the horizon outside the cave, to see if I could find where the voice was coming from. Finding no one, I finally put two and two together to make fish. Wow, and I thought that I was smart. "That's why they call me loyalty…"
"You have a wonderful singing voice, Rainbow." I said, still looking out the entrance to the cave. "Anyone ever tell you that?"
"My father, actually." She said, her embarrassment blatant in her words.
"He taught you that song?"
"He wrote it for me. Said it was my theme song." She sounded proud now; any humility in her voice was gone.
"… Your father sounds like a very talented pony."
"He was. His special talent was singing." Catching the 'was', I let it drop. Her father is gone too? Damn. Fate is a bitch, isn't she? Rainbow appeared beside me. "What's your special talent?" Needless to say, I was a bit taken aback by this question.
"My special talent?" she nodded. I thought about it for a moment before I responded. "I don't think I have a special talent."
"Don't have a special talent!" I quickly shushed her. One annoyed glare later, she continued. "Everypony has a special talent!"
"Yeah, everypony. I'm not a pony, if you didn't notice."
"So… you don't have a cutie mark?"
"A what-ty mark?"
"A cutie mark!"
"And this 'cutie mark' thing relates to this… how?"
"It's the mark all young ponies get when they find out their special talent. Mine," she motioned to her flank, to which I looked away. "is a lightning bolt. Go ahead, look."
"No thanks, I don't need to look at your hindquarters. But how does a lightning bolt refer to your special talent? What's your special talent?"
"I'm a weather pony. Probably points to my speed too."
"So… you predict the weather?"
"Predict it? I make the weather. I control it!" This, of course, prompted the logical side of my brain to speak up.
"Okay… so let me get this straight. You," I motioned towards her. "control the weather. You can just say 'I want it to rain today,' and make it rain."
"It's nothing like that. There's got to be clouds in the sky, and even then I have to gather a bunch of clouds together to make a raincloud."
"So… you somehow collect water vapor and turn it into a rain cloud?"
"Pretty much. Just gather it in my hooves and compress, and BAM! You've got a raincloud. Can make snowstorms and thunderstorms too." I think it goes without saying that my head was going to explode.
"You know what? Forget it. Forget that whole conversation. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go lie down." She opened her mouth for a moment, like she wanted to say something, but I was already at the back wall of the cave, attempting to close my wings enough to lie down on my side. I soon fell into a restless sleep, cold, hungry, and a bit homesick. I wonder how Cordelia's doing. Hope she's alright-who am I kidding, she can take care of herself. Seems like forever since I saw her, even if it's only been a few days. Then again, she was one of the only people I talked to, or rather, one of the only ones I ever considered a friend. It feels like yesterday that I met her.
I was cutting wood with a hatchet, splitting small logs for the fire. The nighttime forest was quiet, silent except for the occasional birdcall, or snap of the fire. Suddenly, I heard something crashing through the brush, and I jumped to my feet while wielding my hatchet. The rustling got closer, and a person burst out. While the source was found, the noise didn't stop. I could still hear things coming closer, trampling through bushes and other plant life.
"Wh-who are-" The person, voice obviously feminine, spoke up, but I silenced her with a hand motion.
"WHERE'D YOU GO! COME OUT YOU LITTLE WHORE!" A gunshot pierced the night, making me turn towards the girl. Long, dark brown hair, shining grey eyes-she was beautiful. But I didn't have time for that.
"Get in the lean-to and be silent. Not a whisper, not a word." She nodded, and did as she was told. A large man in a muscle shirt armed with a small, ugly handgun pushed through the brush. His face was lit up by the firelight, and the look of drunken rage was apparent on his face.
"Where is she? HUH? WHERE'S THAT MISERABLE DISGRACE I ONCE CALLED MY DAUGHTER?" He yelled, brandishing the firearm in my direction.
Ho-ly… shit. I thought, not liking the thought of the Headless Brian. "With all due respect sir, I'd appreciate it if you pointed the gun away from me."
"I'm the one making orders here-and I ask again, WHERE IS SHE!" He moved even closer to me, pressing the barrel against my head.
"I refuse to answer that until you get that gun out of my face." He lowered the weapon, but it was still aimed at my heart.
"Now, where is she?"
"If you're referring to the girl with brunette hair," He nodded, obviously irked by my stalling. "She isn't here. She stopped and stole some of my fire, probably planned to use it as a torch. Went that way," I gestured with my hand, away from the lean-to. "You could probably still catch her." I crossed my fingers behind my back, praying he wouldn't see through my lie.
"Thank you." He started to walk away, then turned back to me. Suddenly, his hand was around my throat and I was lifted into the air. "Go home kid, this never happened." I fell from his grasp, looking up to see him running in the general direction that I pointed to. I waited until I could hear him no more, then walked to the shelter.
"You alright?" I asked, offering my hand to the petrified girl in front of me.
"Just a little shaken, thanks." Taking my hand, I helped her up.
"I'm assuming that awful man was your father. Frankly, I'm surprised he left so quickly. What'd you do to piss him off?"
"I told him I was… uh…" She wouldn't look me in the eye, her body language suggested shame.
"It's alright if you don't want to talk about it." I said, planting my hatchet in the wood-chopping block. Suddenly, she looked up, determination showing in her eyes.
"No, I want to talk about it. I… I told him I wasn't going to be 'daddy's puppet' anymore. I basically said I was done taking his shit." I was a bit taken aback by this, but recovered quickly.
"Your dad didn't like that, I take it."
"Not one bit. He gave me fifteen minutes to pack my stuff, and then he kicked me out. Well, about an hour later he's after me in his pickup with his gun, drunk as all hell. I ran here… and you know the rest." A glint of curiosity sparked through her eyes. "Hey, you're that kid from school, right? Wolf Boy?" I vaguely recognized the girl now: she lived near the old house, and was in some of my classes.
"So that's what they're calling me now? I've heard worse. Since you know who I am, what's your name stranger?"
"Name's Cordelia. Cordelia Robertson."
"Brian Knightly-Markins. I like 'Knightly' better though. Was my father's name. Nice to meet you, Cordelia."
"The pleasure is mine, believe me."
An immense feeling of homesickness came over me. I never got to say goodbye to her. I wonder if I can-no that's out of the question right now. I'm still stuck in a cave; home is no concern of mine. Not until I can get Rainbow out of here. Then I can deal with personal problems.
Darkness fell quickly in the cave, and soon the only light was from the entrance. Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep, so I took it upon myself to keep watch. Not like there's much to watch for other than outside help or an Elder showing up, and I don't want the latter. I wonder if Twilight knows we're gone? I wonder if anyone knows we're gone? If they don't know now, they will tomorrow. But what if the raven..? No, don't think about that. I poked my head out of the cave for a moment, only to have a spike whizz by my head. I was right! I thought, a little confidence poking through the haze of dismay, only to be swallowed up by my next thought. Dammit, I was right. Better trapped in this cave then dead though.
I sat there for hours, lost in thought. If I wasn't trapped in the cave, I probably would've been happy. I stared out to the horizon until the first rays of dawn showed in the sky. A few times I tested to see if the beast was still out there by throwing a rock outside, which it was. Anytime now, someone will come. They have to.
FIVE. DAYS. FIVE GODDAMN DAYS AND NOT ONE SIGN OF HELP. Rainbow was still hoping someone would find us, but I realized that it's been too long. Five days is a long time to search for two people, and the authorities probably would've given up by now. That's what they did for me, when my mom realized I was gone. It took only a couple days until the search was called off. I was beating my head against the wall at this moment, literally.
"Please… Twilight, Applejack… even Pinkie or Fluttershy… you wouldn't leave us…" I think Rainbow finally snapped. I stopped hitting my head against the wall to look at her. She didn't seem to have broken. She looked like she was praying. Hm. Didn't think she was religious.
"Would've thought we'd hear something by now, Rainbow. I don't think they're going to find us." I said, looking at my feet.
"I don't give a flying feather about what you think! What are we gonna do, Brian? Huh? Got any plans?"
"No, I don't. No safe ones that can get us both out of here. I've been trying to think of one for FIVE DAYS. Your complaining hasn't helped."
"What do you mean, 'no safe ones'? As far as I'm concerned, staying in here isn't safe!"
"True. How much longer can you go without food, Rainbow? I can go for about two more days."
"I don't know, and I don't care. We're getting out of here today, or not at all."
"… alright." I paused for a moment, and our eyes connected. Suddenly, her ears perked up.
"Do you hear that? Sounds like… wings flapping." I listened, and sure enough I could hear a wing beat.
"You think it's flying away?" I asked, unsure of myself for the first time in a while.
"… Hold on…" she said, intent on listening.
" GET AWAY FROM ME YOU DWEEB!" I heard a voice scream, getting progressively louder. I looked out the entrance, only to be crashed into by a mass of white and brown.
"What the-"
"Gilda? Is that you?"
"Ugh… my head." Part of the weight was lifted off of me, enough for me to look at it. From what I could see, it was an eagle. That could talk. Why am I not surprised? Anything else want to try and shock me? Because I swear I've seen it all now. "Dash? Great, first I get chased by a demonic bird and now I'm in here with you! Ugh, I should've taken my chances with that thing!" Having some trouble breathing, I managed to speak up.
"C-can you get off of me? I c-can't b-breathe." Taking notice of me for the first time, 'Gilda' looked down at me. "And what the heck is this thing?" Gilda said, stepping off of me. I breathed deeply, trying to get back to normal. I looked at the eagle again, only to see it wasn't just an eagle. Remembering the creature from what I'd learned at the castle, I saw that this 'Gilda' was a gryphon. Half lion, and half eagle, she could easily tear me apart. Or he, but I was pretty sure by judging the voice.
"You two know each other? I pointed a finger at Rainbow and Gilda.
"Unfortunately," they answered at the same time. These two didn't seem to get along, and you didn't need to be an expert at observing people to see that.
"Well Ms. Gilda, it appears you are stuck here with us now."
"Don't call me "miss". And no, I'm not stuck with you, I'm in a cave with a dweeb and a… a…" Pointing at me, she was at a loss for words, so I interrupted.
"A human, Gilda. And as much as you don't want to believe it, you're trapped in here with us. You saw that bird; it could easily kill any of us. But, with your arrival, I think I have a plan…"
"Well it's about time."
"Yeah, I haven't got all day." This comment from the gryphon made my blood boil. Who does she think she is?
"ALL DAY? DAY? WE'VE BEEN STUCK IN HERE FOR FIVE DAYS! AND YOU'RE COMPLAINING? WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY FOOD FOR FIVE DAYS, AND OUR ONLY WATER HAS BEEN FROM THE FREAKING CEILING! YOU THINK YOU HAVE IT BAD NOW?" Gilda was quick to react to my outburst, getting right up in my face.
"YOU THINK THAT'S BAD? TRY BEING KICKED OUT OF YOUR HOUSE, GETTING RIDICULED, LOSING YOUR BEST AND ONLY FRIEND, THEN HAVING TO LIVE OUT IN SOME CELESTIA-DAMNED FOREST!" Oh it. Is. ON. I was about to scream back, but then I realized that shouting isn't going to help. I quieted down a bit, as being calm would piss her off more, then retaliated.
"Okay, leaving your home most likely forever, CHECK!" I mimed holding a clipboard, and made a hand gesture like I was holding a pen. "Getting ridiculed, CHECK! Living in a forest, CHECK! Losing your best friend…" I took a breath; my vision was now red with fury. "BITCH PLEASE! I WATCHED HIM DIE! I WATCHED HIM BE MURDERED! BECAUSE OF ME! YOUR LIFE PROBLEMS PALE IN COMPARISON TO WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH!" I clenched my fists, about to hit the shocked gryphon. No Brian, you don't want to do that. Stop and tell yourself you don't want to do that. The voice in the back of my head spoke up, and I wanted to shoot it. However, I didn't hit Gilda. I couldn't. Something was holding me back, and I just couldn't do it. I let out my breath, and slumped against the back wall.
"… I…" Gilda sputtered, about to say something.
"Save it. I don't need your sympathy. Since you obviously don't think I'm worth listening to, I'm obviously not worth your pity."
"I'm listening." Rainbow spoke up, having watched the whole event.
"… Not now, Rainbow." The gryphon said, as she walked to the other side of the cave.
This isn't the way I expected to die… starvation? No. I always thought I'd die because of some animal, or flat out bad luck. Maybe even in my sleep, peacefully. But I never thought I'd die because of no food. I looked through the "door" of the rocky room to see the moon.
If this is the end… I thought. May God have mercy on my soul. I shook my head. No. Stop thinking like that. It is not the end, it is not the end, it is not the end! I stood up to my full height. Gilda and Rainbow were surprised by this, but I stopped them before they could say anything.
"You want to get out of here?" They nodded. "Then shut up and listen." They backed up a bit, and I started. "Okay. Rainbow, when we were on the run from the raven, do you remember how we kept changing its focus?" I didn't wait long enough for her to answer. "We're gonna do that again, but this time, we've got three." I looked over at the gryphon. "What we're going to be doing is this: All of us are going to run out, and split apart. We'll still be in shouting range. If I'm correct, this'll confuse it long enough for us to get a lead on it. From there, you two are going to be flying, as you are faster than my running that way. Once we're out of the Everfree, I'm going to be distracting it on the ground."
"Not bad, geek. Not bad."
"I'm not done. Rainbow, when I can distract the raven I want you to get the police or whatever the authority is in Ponyville. Make sure that they're equipped to fight a demon, if at all possible. Gilda, you'll be helping me keep it occupied."
"Oh I see, make the gryphon do all the work." There was an emotion in her voice that I almost couldn't make out, a mix between anger and sadness. I assumed she was referring to her racial diversity from the ponies, so I responded in a calm tone.
"Gilda, we're all different species here, so don't you pull the race card. I'm asking you to do that because Rainbow and I haven't eaten in almost a week, you of all of us will have the most stamina."
"Humph, fine. But only because you put it like that." Another almost unintelligible emotion were in these words, it was tough to make it out over her gruff voice. Was that a hint of flattery? Maybe she's not as tough as she tries to look.
"Okay, everyone knows what we're doing then?"
"Got it." Said Rainbow, and a chirp from Gilda confirmed it for her as well.
"Let's go, then." We readied-up at the mouth of the cave, when I heard Gilda speak up.
"Dash? If we don't make it, I want to say I'm sorry. For everything."
"Apology accepted, now let's get the buck out of here." I looked over and saw the two… hugging? Is there..? Probably not. Let's just hope that if there is something good or bad between them it doesn't affect their decision making right now. I looked down at my feet for a moment, knowing that I could be dead within the hour. I think this was going through the other's thoughts as well, so I made a decision there and then that they need to live more than I do. Fighting to say the right words, I began to speak again.
"Right now, what matters is if we make it. And we need to do that. For your friends, for your families, and for yourselves. It doesn't matter how. Nothing else is more important than our survival. We get out, we get help, and then we kick its ass. It's been a pleasure knowing both of you, even if haven't known you for long."
"Likewise."
"Back at you, Brian."
"On three. One… Two…" I counted, on my fingers and with my voice.
"THREE!" We all shouted at the top of our lungs, and we all flew (or in my case, ran) like bats out of hell. I had one final thought before I ran, lyrics from a song. "I will not die in the night, but in the light of the sun with the ashes of this world in my lungs."
A screech and a loud flapping of wings signaled the raven's surprise take off, but I'd already gained some ground on it. Gilda and Rainbow were doing a good job of distracting it, but I didn't have time to look back. Jump grab jump swing roll jump climb climb climb jump run run run run run was my thought process, adrenaline overpowering anything else entering my mind. I kept running away from the cave, and as long as I could hear Gilda and Rainbow overhead I knew I was going the right way. Run run run run jump run run jump I raised my arms to shield my body as I pushed out of the Everfree forest and back onto the field. Made it! I turned to look back at the other two, to see Gilda and Rainbow streaking towards me, Elder in tow.
"HEY UGLY! DOWN HERE!" While I didn't think it would hear me, it did. And I almost paid for it. The raven cried out and landed in front of me, launching a trio of razor sharp spines. They were way too close, one went past my head and another stuck in the ground in between my legs. "GO RAINBOW!" I pulled the spine out of the ground, once again wielding it like a lance.
"YO LAME-O! FRESH GRYPHON RIGHT HERE!" Gilda called out at it, and the beast showed me its back. I looked down at the 'spear' in my hands and thought about my options… and there was only one. This is either one of my best ideas, or the worst one. I let out a war cry that was less demoralizing and more humorous, then charged at the creature. I climbed up its back as it tried to shake me off, then, standing on a wing I jumped down the front of it, trailing the spike down its stomach. It let out a scream of rage and took to the skies, flying circles around Gilda and I.
"HERE IT COMES!" I screamed, as it did a dive bomb right at me. I didn't know what I could do, knowing it could just adjust its flight path to hit me. However something clicked, but at the last second. As soon as it was really close, I rolled under it rather than running away from it. It hit the ground with a loud thud, but the beast recovered within moments, flapping its wings and squawking. Where it had crash-landed a blood puddle sat, hissing and popping like acid. It snapped at Gilda again, then came at me. Spartan tactics? Risky… then again so was this plan. I turned my back, but kept an eye on it… it chirped, and it almost looked confused. Wait for it… It snapped at me, just as I turned and thrust with its own weapon. The makeshift spear stuck in its eye, and it screamed again, in pain.
"BRIAN! GILDA! GET OVER HERE!" I turned and saw Rainbow accompanied by Rarity, Twilight, and a couple of other ponies in golden armor. It's about damn time. The armored ponies were a mix of the three species of ponies, pegasi, unicorn, and normal. Some of the unicorns set up a defensive barrier as the pegasi moved in armed with… farming equipment? How do they have that armor and not have a decent weapon? Are blacksmiths extinct here? The plain ponies (I later learned they were called "Earth ponies") were also using pitchforks, shovels, and pickaxes.
"How big is that thing?" Twilight asked, getting behind a barrier as the raven launched more spikes at us.
"I'm alright, thanks for asking." I said, being a smart-ass as usual.
"Won't matter once it's dead, nerd." Gilda said, surprising Twilight.
"G-G-Gilda? What are you doing here?"
"I got stuck with him and Dash in a cave, not that you would know. He's smarter than you give him credit for, and a helluva lot cooler than you." This surprised me, but this was both an insult and a compliment, even if only the latter was directed towards me.
"Leave her alone, Gilda. She's helped me more than you'd believe. Besides, we're still technically in a danger zone right now. Save it for later." The gryphon glared at me, but realizing I was right she looked back over at Twilight.
"Sorry," she said, then looked back at me. "What now?"
"I want to see this thing go down, you can go."
"Not leaving without you Brian." Gilda said, and I noticed this was the first time she used my name. "This thing destroyed my home, I wanna see it DIE." Something isn't right with her. Perhaps losing her friends and her home took a larger toll on her than it did on me. Might want to talk to her about it.
"As much as they want me to go, I'm staying too." Rainbow Dash said as she shook off a few ponies tried to drag her back to Ponyville. I noticed that she gave Gilda a sideways glare. She apologized! What did she do that pissed her off so much? Just another thing to talk about, I suppose. Or rather, something to avoid talking about.
Another group of spikes hit the barrier, and I saw one of the unicorns falter.
"I think they need some help." I said, moving towards Rarity, looking to the magical shield. "Do you have my knife?"
"Yes but you shouldn't..." Her voice cracked as she held it up, enveloping it in light blue magic. "Darling I don't-" Rarity began as I took my knife back, only for Twilight to cut her off.
"Are you CRAZY? That thing trapped you in a cave for almost a week, you were just fighting for your life against it for Celestia's sake! We don't need for you to die!" Instead of stopping, I kept going.
"Has it killed me yet?"
"Well, no, but it…"
"Then I can still fight it. Stay here." I walked out of the safety of the shield to be greeted by another volley of spikes and a shrill scream. Some of the earth ponies were in holes carved into the ground by the raven, and as I walked by them I heard them gasp.
"Is he insane?"
"I wouldn't call that insane. I'd call that being really brave, or really stupid." I saw a dark green pony, not wearing armor, but wearing a cowboy hat. He saluted as I went by. I noticed his mark-thingy was a map and a pair of binoculars. An unfamiliar emotion bubbled up from the pit of my stomach. A salute? Interesting. But it's not me that'll be dead. Suddenly, the raven reeled forward, and I almost thought it was going to try and bite at me. However, it was hit in the back of the head by… Gilda?
"If you're gonna try and kill this thing, you might want some help!" the beak of the raven was touching the ground, and it shook itself for a moment.
"I don't know about you, but I think I've got this!" I climbed up the raven for the second time and slashed at its wings, trying to ground it permanently. From there, I moved on to the head, slicing at its eyes. I think the animal rights activists would throw a fit over this… why do I care? Not on Earth anymore, dumbass. Although, I know Fluttershy isn't going to be happy with me… I'm screwed.
"THIS ONE'S FOR KEEPING ME IN THAT GODDAMN CAVE!" I shouted, planting the knife in between its beady red eyes. The beast screamed, and thrashed its head around. I lost my grip on its feathers and my knife, getting launched into the air once again. I hit the ground, landing on my side. I unfortunately rolled, crushing my wings a bit. Goddamn it that hurts. When I started to get up I saw the raven kick up so much dust I eventually lost sight of it.
"What the heck is that thing doing?" However, the thrashing stopped, but the dust hadn't settled yet. "Think it's another trap, Brian?" Gilda inquired, calmer than one would think. Her psyche is… complex. Anger problems apparent. Seems as if she doesn't become demoralized so easily. Unfazed by most things. Interesting.
"I… don't know. Wait until the dust clears." Some of the pony soldiers, along with Twilight and Rarity, came to where we were standing. Most stood silent, others talked quietly for a few seconds. I heard the wind blowing through the trees, and knew that this would be over soon. The breeze came, blowing away the dust to see…
"It's…"
"Uh…"
"Dead. Or playing dead. One or the other. Give me a moment." I picked up a large rock, hefted it in my hand, then threw it. It hit the statuesque bird-of-prey, but didn't even bounce off. The cadaver didn't move, and I mentally tagged it as dead. I began to walk toward it, but I was stopped by Twilight.
"What do you think you're doing? You need help! Or at the very least, food!"
"Me? I'm getting my blade back."
Wow, that took a lot longer than expected… 13 pages on Microsoft Word and 6,775 words later, I finished it. Anyway, I've been doing some drawings of Brian (Would that still be a self-portrait?), I'll post some of the good ones soon. Read and review, you know the drill. And it wouldn't be an update without… PONY ON!
-LazerShaman