A Second Life chapter 2

>You landed face first into the green grass on the other side.
>The air seemed cold at first, but the sun’s rays  gently kissed your backside, inviting  a pleasant warming sensation.
>You breathed in your first gasp of fresh air in 3 days, and slowly rose to your feet.
>You let out a wild, primal, yell, and slowly took in your surroundings.
>The landscape was filled with the most vibrant colors you ever saw.
>On the horizon you could make out what seemed to be a city built on the side of the grey mountains
>A series of noises brought you attention to two horses, with white coats and golden armor.
>They didn’t look like the guards you encountered in Tartarus, but you weren’t going to risk them sending you back.
>The fresh air seemed to revitalize you as you reached you’re your… blade…
>The blade was gone.
>It must have stayed behind when you went through the portal.
>You looked up just in time to see a white and gold horse slam into you at full speed
>Your broken and defeated body finally gave in, going limp and being tossed back against the portal.
>The two horses were murmuring amongst themselves as they approached you, seeming surprised.
>Perhaps they expected you to go back through and into Tatarus?
>Blackness took over your sight, fading in and out as you felt yourself carted off onto a chariot.
>You woke up, surrounded by a cold wet darkness.
>You attempted to get up, only to find your movement restricted by heavy iron shackles chained to the wall.
>Your wounds had been stitched hastily and bandages quickly had been applied to the more serious wounds.
>Your eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness around you, revealing the silhouette of a plate in front of you
>You cautiously put your hand on it, feeling the consistency of a hard loaf of bread.
>At this point you didn’t care if it was moldy or if it was even bread
>You snatched it off the plate and crammed it in your mouth devouring the half loaf in a matter of minutes.
>You heard the voices of your captors echoing down the hall, though their words seemed unlike any you had ever heard.
>The warm glow of a lantern filled your cell, as 3 sets of eyes looked down on you through the bars.
>The first was a Unicorn, dark grey and wearing black armor
>The next was a tall white winged unicorn, her mane seemed an enthrall pastel rainbow.
>On her head was a golden crown with a purple jewel, her necklace a similar design.
>Finally a smaller midnight blue horse, with cyan eyes and a mane like the night sky, wearing a smaller, ebony crown and necklace with a white crescent moon in the center.
>They must be princesses; maybe the white one was a queen.
>The white one spoke with a voice that nearly shattered your ear drums.
>Worst of all, you were sure she was talking to you, and you couldn’t understand a damn word she said.
>The princess, or queen, you weren’t sure which she was right now, looked at you curiously as you held your ears to protect them from the noise.
>She turned to the midnight blue horse, saying something in a much softer tone.
>You lowered your hands and listened to the horse talk, her voice was somewhat soothing.
>The other glanced at you; her tone seemed more formal, like one from the middle ages.
>It seemed they were speaking to you again, yet this time with a normal tone.
“I can’t understand you.”
>You resisted the urge to face palm. If you couldn’t understand them, they couldn’t understand you.
>The two exchanged a few words between themselves, leaving you back to your thoughts and your darkness.
>Days went by slowly, and you could feel your strength beginning to be sapped from your body from the lack of protein and exercise.
>It wasn’t that you were being lazy, you just didn’t have much room to work with.
>Your cell was obviously designed for a smaller creature, you couldn’t even lay down in on your back without bending your knees in some fashion
>If it wasn’t the shitty living conditions that kept you awake, it was your own dreams.
>Every time you closed your eyes it seemed your mind drifted back to Tartarus, or back to the mountains of Afghanistan.
>You’d give anything for eight hours of uninterrupted, dreamless sleep.
>The jail keeper came by, shoving your dinner of bread through the bars.
>As per usual, you quickly devoured the loaf before noticing the red apple on the tray.
>You picked it up, almost as if you had never seen an apple in your life
>You devoured the apple quickly, throwing the core in the corner where you had made your bathroom.
>Hopefully there was a caretaker in the prison that was going to clean all that up.
>You settled your head against the cold stony wall in an attempt to fall asleep once more
>For once, it came fairly quick, the three or so days of restless sleep no doubt helping.
>The dreams were back, vivid as ever.
>You were in the MRAP, doing your best to stop the bleeding of your friend, Rex.
>”Too many anti-air devices for MEDEVAC” they said.
>So there you were, in the back of an MRAP, shoving the last of your gauze inside the wounds.
>Rex had dove head first on a grenade that an insurgent had dropped from a roof top.
>Hell he was lucky to be alive.
“Hey Rex, just hang in there, we’re about 15 minutes from the FOB.”
>He only looked up at you, his face a pale grey
“Don’t look at me like that Rex, you survived jumping on a grenade. You’re a hard ass now.”
>There is was, a small smile.
>You’d been through this dream a hundred times, yet every time you did your best to save him.
>This time was a bit different. Normally this was the part where Rex closed his eyes, and gently nodded off and died.
>This time, your vision clouded, almost as if you suddenly lost your vision.
>You could feel a presence swirl around you, like a warm spring mist.
>You felt your buddy place the picture of his girl he had waiting for him back home in your hand.
>”Write to her for me. Tell her what I did.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that bro…”
>You still couldn’t see, but you knew this dream by heart.
>The two of you grabbed hands, as if you were about to arm wrestle. No homo.
>”Stay golden.”
>His grip went limp, letting you know he was gone once again.
>You perked up at the sound of crying, despite being the only two in the back of the vehicle, and the diesel engine drowning out most of the other sounds around you.
>No, this almost sounded like it was coming from inside your head.
>Your dream faded to black, and soon was replaced with the sight of your cell.
>The small ray of light pouring in from the window above you, hitting the left corner in the room, signaling morning.
>The jailer, along with two guards came to your cell, stating something in their language, sounding somewhat like an order.
>When were they going to learn you couldn’t understand what they said?
>Your shackles suddenly glowed, wrapped in a blue aura and to your surprise, popped off.
>You stood slowly, cautiously stepping forward toward the open door.
>The horses made no moves to attack you, the jailer even stepping out of the doorway.
>If that wasn’t a motion for you to step outside you didn’t know what was.
>One of the guards took a position in front of you, the other behind you, escorting you like a P.O.W into the castle.
>The inside was beautiful, the marble hallways gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.
>The soft rug at your feet felt divine against your worn and blistered feet.
>Every step you took you felt your stomach raise just a little, your mind tying to wrap around what was about to happen.
>Were they going to execute the demon from Tartarus, or release you in the wild? Maybe you could be the royal pet.
>You were led to a large courtyard, where a single rain cloud hovered overhead, and was placed overtop of you by a Pegasus.
>After a brief rain shower, you were given a towel to dry off with, and led back inside.
>Seems they just wanted to give you a shower. Hopefully they cleaned out your pig pin of a cell too.
>Something seemed off though, the tapestries at along the walls seemed different.
>You ascended a spiraling set of stairs, and came to a large wooden door.
>You could make out the engraving of a crescent moon, the same as…
>oh shit. Your jimmies just went super saiyan.
>The door swung open, revealing the mystical horse, who seemed a bit shocked when she looked up at you.
>You must have seemed smaller in your cell to her.
>Remembering you lack of clothes, you quickly covered your member with your hands, blushing furiously.
>She said something to you, seeming to ignore your motion to cover yourself, temporarily forgetting that you couldn’t understand her.
>Seeing the confusion on your face, she promptly turned around and made her way to a table with parchments, quills and ink wells spread across it.
>She sat down on her haunches, patting the spot on the ground next to her with her hoof.
>You cautiously walked over, taking a seat to next to her.
>A quill came to life across the table, dipped itself in ink and began writing a series of symbols along the paper, wrapped in a dark blue mist.
>The quill wrote out twenty six symbols, the same as your own alphabet. This must be hers.
>You took you own quill, dipping it in ink and writing out your own alphabet as neatly as you could.
>Pointing to each of the letters, you sounded them out slowly and deliberately.
>Luna wrote her own alphabet, matching each symbol with the one it sounded most like.
>This didn’t seem so hard, especially compared to that summer you spent learning Arabic.
>You went over the alphabet a few times, before she rewrote them, in a different order, and took away the list that had both of your alphabets on it, forcing you to say it from memory.
>It took a few tries, but you got it, the princess giving a smile and a nod of approval before looking  over at the clock, and standing up.
>Her horn glowed, floating the paper of both of your alphabets and a few books in front of you, releasing her magical hold on them only after you had grabbed them.
>She took you under her wing and walked you to the door, where she gave you one last look of… sympathy?
>She gave her guard an order, and in a flash of light disappeared.
>With a flick of his head, the guard signaled you to follow him, and led you back down through the castle, again a different route than before, stopping at a door, and opening it to reveal a luxurious hotel room.
>You stepped inside; turning back to the guard to ensure this was really for you, to which he gave a reassuring  nod.
“Thanks…”
>You closed the door and went to the window, where you watched the sun set, as the moon rose into the sky.
>The room was at the face of a cliff, preventing you from escaping off the balcony if you wanted to.
>Your door swung open, and a horse pushed in a cart with some food on it, placed it on your bed and quickly left, no doubt nervous entering your room.
>Even if you had the opportunity to escape, you had nowhere to go, no way to communicate with the world’s inhabitants, and no money.
>You were better off a prisoner in the castle, a student of the princess.
>You sat in your bed, slowly eating the more elaborate meal that had been given to you, consisting of nuts, fruits, and sweet rolls, before finally turning in for the night.
>Princess Luna quickly made her way to the royal garden, as her and Celestia’s nightly ritual, to raise the moon and lower the sun.
>”Ah, sister, I was growing worried you lost track of the time.”
“Forgive me sister, I have been trying to teach the creature how to read and speak our language. I did lose track of the hours.”
>Celesta’s face grew worried, as she turned to face her sister.
>”You’re teaching the demon? What in Equestria possessed you to do that?”
“I do not believe him a demon. I saw his dreams last night, and I couldn’t help but be moved by the compassion he showed.”
>Celestia paused a moment to lower the sun, and turned back toward Luna as she brought out the moon.
>”Please sister, be careful around this de- this… thing. I would not trust it so easily. After all, it was in Tartarus for a reason.”
“Well once I figure out a way to communicate with him, I will ask about it.”
>Luna’s tone had an edge of annoyance to it, though even she didn’t know what caused it.
“He is sentient, and should be treated fairly until we find him until he proves to be a danger.”
>Luna began to trot away silently, to her chambers, in hopes to see the creature’s dreams once again.
>Maybe he would dream of something else tonight, so that she could learn more about his language, and maybe of why he was sentenced to Tartarus.
>Luna laid down in her bed, quickly closing her eyes and falling to sleep, waiting for the dreams to come.
>She found herself in a desert, encumbered by heavy clothing, holding a black… thing.
>Sweat clung to every part of her, well, his body.
>Everything he did, she did. She was but a second conscious in his body.
>Around her were eight other creatures exactly like him, all dressed in bulky green and brown clothes, somewhat of a uniform it seemed.
>They were moving a small town, seemingly abandoned, with the few exceptions such as a goat and a few chickens in the street.
>The group broke into two separate teams, heading toward two different houses.
>He lined up with the others against the wall, third in line from the door.
>She felt a jostle from behind, and watched as his hand reached forward and rustled the creature in front of him, who continued the chain.
>Once the first one was touched, it stepped out of line, and drove its foot into the door, kicking it wide open.
>The rest of the team poured inside, finding several surprised looking creatures inside, that reached for similar looking metal and wooden sticks.
>There were several loud cracks, and the rooms inhabitants fell over, pools of blood forming around them.
>Her host moved through the room, checking behind a counter before finding a small creature, possibly a young boy.
>The boy drew a small, shiny, L shaped  item, and pointed it at her/ him.
>There were two loud noises that followed, one loud, and heavy bang. The other a bit lighter, sharper crack.
>Luna felt the wind knocked out of her chest, and her host stagger backwards.
>When he/she looked up, she saw the small boy, now laying on the ground, small pieces of brain matter plastered against the wall, blood pooling around him.
>He quickly staggered outside, bracing against the door frame and vomited onto the sandy road.
>The dream ended abruptly, he must have awoken from the nightmare.
>Luna herself had woken up, the horrifying images of the creatures dreams still fresh in her mind.
>She checked her clock, noting it wasn’t even 3AM.
”I pray he does not dream like this every night, lest we both suffer from a lack of sleep.” She muttered, lying her head back on her pillow.
>You woke up in a sweat, and in a shock.
>Another nightmare, and one you were all too familiar with yet again.
>Though the sensation of warm mist had enveloped you once more, this time though out the dreams entirety.
>You slowly rose out of the bed, the silky sheets clinging to your body.
>Taking a step out onto the balcony, goose bumps crawled along your body, stirred by the cold night air.
>It seemed not even death could keep your actions from coming back to haunt you.
>You made your way to the latrine, washing the sweat off with a quick hot shower before returning to bed.
>Sleep didn’t come to you for the rest of the night, leaving you to toss and turn in the bed for the rest of the night and into the morning as the sun rose.
>You pondered a moment what to do to get ready for the day, seeing as you still had no clothes, no tooth brush, and as far as you knew you were confined to the room.
> The door swung open, and what you guessed to be a servant pushed in another cart, with a meal similar looking to the one from the night before.
>you didn’t mind the lack of variety, the food tasted fresh. And after the time you spent in hell any form of food was welcome.
>Sitting back in your bed, you began to read some of the books the princess had given you, which turned out to be baby books.
>It took a bit of rereading but soon, you had a few of the basic words down, such as hello, good bye, my name is and so on.
>At least, you think that’s what you learned, it was hard to tell without a horse to talk to.
>After lunch you opened your door to a knock, finding the princess on the other side.
>This was the perfect time to try out what you had learned.
>[TRANSLATOR BOOTING UP]
“Um… Hello. My name are Anonymous, What are yours?”
>The princess gave a soft chuckle, her face seemed tired, as if she hadn’t slept well.
>It seemed the two of you had something in common.
>”Hello, Anonymous. My name is Princess Luna.”
>You made a note to remember how to say “is” and gave a smile, moving out of the doorway to allow Luna inside.
>She drew several pieces of paper and ink wells from her bag placing them on the table, and began you lesson for the day.
>The door remained open, with the guard frequently peering inside to ensure you weren’t trying anything.
>The language was coming fairly easily to you; in fact Luna seemed surprised at your progress.
>By the end of the day, you could form a few shaky sentences at best.
>Still, Luna seemed content, if not amazed by your progress.
>Looking at the clock, she placed the books and papers neatly away, and stood.
>She asked something, you couldn’t make it out though, forcing you to sit there with a confused look on your face.
>She pointed at her mouth with a hoof, then walked to the door, then looked back at you.
>She was inviting you to dinner.
>You stood, walking over to her side and stayed alongside her as the guard followed the two of you to the dining hall.
>The dining hall was a lot like what you would come to expect in the castle.
>A large, ornate rug covered most of the rooms wooden flooring, matching the maroon painted walls, which were accented by the golden trim.
>In the center ran a lengthy table, with several candles toward the center, giving the room a soft glow.
>At the head of the table was the white horse you had seen earlier in the prison block, her lavender eyes went wide at the sight you.
>You couldn’t understand the heated argument that took placed, but two things were apparent.
>The white horse was very unhappy about you being out of your room, and Luna was trying to defend you.
>Their faces were intense with anger; their bickering was going nowhere.
>You reached over to Luna, placing a hand on her shoulder, binging her out of her rage.
>She looked at you with startled turquoise eyes, taken back by the physical contact.
>You shook your head, and gave a polite bow toward the white horse, before turning around and showing yourself out.
>Luna trotted alongside you, wrapping a wing around you, shaking her head no back at you, and pulled you to the other end of the table.
>You couldn’t help but shudder at how soft her wing was as it wrapped around your body, but it thankfully went unnoticed.
>She gave a glare to the white horse before turning to the servant, and ordering some food for the two of you.
>The dinner was much more elegant than the normal one you were served last night, though your desire for some form of meat would have to wait longer.
>With your belly full, you patiently waited for Luna to finish what looked to be a salad, occasionally glancing at the white horse that was staring a hole through you.
>Luna seemed to take note of your uncomfortable shifting in your seat, and quickly finished her meal so she could take you back to the room.
>The walk was silent, as expected. But despite the silence and the language barrier, you felt you had a friend in the Princess.
>As you stepped inside your room, you turned once more to face her, searching your mind for the words.
“Thank you Luna.”
>Her smile was all you needed to know you said it right, and she turned away, mumbling a short phrase.
>You went back to your books, until night fall, being sure to figure out the phrase Luna had said.
>”Good night, and good dreams.” Or something like that.
>If she only knew what visions had been plaguing your sleep for the last few months.
>Satisfied with how material you learned for the day, you laid down, awaiting the sleep, and the dreams that would with it.
>Once again, the dreams came to Luna.
>It was dark, and the wind blew in her face.
>She felt Anon draw something down over his eyes, something that felt sort of rubbery.
>The world around her turned into different shades of green, showing off every rock, and every shadow that lurked out of sight.
>In front of her and Anon sat a long metal box connected to another box on one side, and a tube in the front.
>there were a few metallic pings and some flashes off to the right, and Anon swung the device in front of him to face it, pushing down on an odd lever.
>The noises she heard last night were nothing compared to this, the steady thumping was deafening, and showed no sign of stopping.
>Every ounce of Luna’s being wanted to cover her ears, yet she couldn’t, Anon was in control.
>One thing was apparent, this thing in front of her was a weapon, and it was truly deadly.
>If she doubted it at first, seeing a creature about the same size of Anon being ripped in half reassured her.
>Thankfully he didn’t have such weapons here in Equestria, lest he kill everyp0ny there.
>The dream didn’t last much longer, and soon faded to black.
>Luna awoke on her own this time, feeling sick at the images she had just witnessed.
>Nothing a late night fly wouldn’t fix though.
>Spreading her majestic wings, she leapt off her tower balcony, and into the brisk night air, soaring high above the castle grounds.
>As she looked down on the castle grounds, she noticed a single light in the night, and a tall, bipedal creature staring out into the darkness, leaning on the balcony railing.
>It seemed Anonymous had woken after all.
>Luna swept down from the sky, landing next to a startled Anon.
“No good dream, Princess Luna?”
>The sentence was broken, but it conveyed your question all the same.
>Luna responded with a small nod, staring up at the stars, he eyes filled with questions.
>She wanted to know more about where Anonymous came from, the reason of all the violence, why these nightmares plagued him like no other being she had seen before.
>And above all, how he held together. After only three nights of sharing dreams with him, she felt tired, run down, and as if she was going to fall apart from seeing all the images in Anon’s mind.
>When she turned back to your eyes seemed glazed over, staring blankly off into the city.
>Luna brought you out of your thousand yard stare, nuzzling against you shoulder with her warm nose.
>Something about her eyes seemed so caring, and for the first time ever, you wanted to tell someone about the flashbacks.
>But now, you couldn’t because no matter how much time you spent trying, Luna would never understand the things you saw.
>Chills were sent though your body as a sudden gust of wind hit, forcing you to shiver uncontrollably.
>You started to turn inside when you felt Luna’s wing wrap back around you, wrapping you in a feathery embrace, and drawing you close to her body.
>The wind had shifted her mane over to your side, brushing against your body, forcing a laugh out of you as it tickled underneath your nose.
“I should get to bed.”
>You paused, realizing your mistake in reverting back to your own language, and acted like you were laying your head down on a pillow, then pointing to bed.
>Luna nodded in understanding, telling you how to say it in her language, and made you repeat it until she was satisfied.
>She walked you inside to your bed, lifting the sheets with her magic, allowing you to crawl under them.
“Thank you Luna. Good night.”
>“Good night Anonymous.” Her horn glowed once more, and you felt a wave of sleepiness roll over you, lulling you to sleep in seconds.
>Luna couldn’t help but feel somewhat attached to you as she showed herself out the same way she came, ensuring to close the door behind her before taking back off to her chambers for the remainder of the night.
>”Luna! Get up!”
>Luna shot up out of bed, her mane a mess from practically crashing in her bed last night.
“My apologies sister, I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”
>”Yes yes explain later, and lower the moon.”
>Luna stepped to the balcony and lowered it as Celestia rose the sun, completing the ritual.
>”Luna, you seem to be tired the last few days, and very irritable. I think you are spending too much time with the demon.”
“His name is Anonymous!”
>”You just proved my point. I do not wish to see my sister become corrupt again. I will ask you once more to refrain from seeing him.”
“I am not being corrupted by him! He comes from a dying world, full of chaos and death, his only wish is to atone for the acts he committed.”
>”And how do you know this demon’s-“
“His name is Anonymous, I would appreciate you to use it!”
>Celestia gave her little sister a glare, her patience was wearing thin. “How do you know Anonymous’ intentions?”
“You know I occasionally see the dreams of those in Equestia. Every night since he has been here, he has dreamed of a war, one which he committed terrible things in the fight for his own life. And I don’t need to speak to him to see the regret in his face, or the shame in his eyes.”
>”If he really did all of these things then he will no doubt turn on us and do them again. Evil and disharmony will never stop. There are no exceptions, especially for a demon.” Celestia began to trot out, confident in her victory.
“Then I am still Nightmare Moon to you? I haven’t changed from a thousand years ago when you banished me?”
>Celestia drew a deep breath before looking back at Luna. “I will see you tonight sister. Take heed in what I have said.”
>Celestia walked out, and vanished down the stairs back into the castle.
>Luna gathered her things and made her way downstairs to meet with you, hoping teaching you more about language would take her mind off the fight with her sister.
>Perhaps what she said was true, about Anon slowly corrupting her. She had never fought with Celestia like this. But maybe she could help him, and prove that he wasn’t corrupt.
>The guard opened Anon’s door, allowing her to enter without having to knock. Technically, Anon was still a prisoner, though a very well treated one, so privacy was not a given right.
>”Hello Anonymous, good morning.” Luna seemed rested, yet something seemed a bit off.
“Good morning Luna.”
>She set down the extra ink on the table, doing a double take at you. You had grown tired of being naked all day, especially in Luna’s company.
>So using some tape and the room’s curtains, you had fashioned a purple cloak that covered your body.
>Luna couldn’t help but giggle at the sight, tearing away your makeshift clothing with her magic, and then turning back toward the door, looking back at you to signal to follow her.
>She led you through the castle, past several guards that eyed you suspiciously, and into a round room where a small pink unicorn was busy stitching away at a dress.
>Luna and the unicorn exchanged a few words before signaling you to stand next to a pedestal, allowing the unicorn to get to work measuring you every single part of your body
>You felt your member being grabbed by a soft hoof, and you promptly smacked it away.
>The unicorn mumbled something causing Luna to chuckle softly, a slight red blush coming across her face.
>You could feel your own face flush bright as a tomato, and you began to rack your brain wondering what they said.
>with a rough diagram sketched out of your form, the unicorn walked off, and Luna once again took place at your side and escorted you back to your room so your language lessons could begin.
>Today the lessons seemed to go a bit slower, despite your usual pace being kept.
>For some reason that she couldn’t say, Luna seemed troubled. If you had to guess, she had another argument with that white one.
>It was almost like that time you brought that dog home to your mom, and the first thing it did was shit in her bed.
>You stood up for the little bastard though, you loved that dog so much. And just when you wondered if it was worth it the fur ball would come around you, little tail wagging and keep you company while you cleaned guns or did homework.
>Actually, this was exactly like that. Only now you were the dog, and Luna was you.
>You reached into your figurative pocket, and pulled out exactly one fuck, and gave it to Luna in a warm embrace, completely catching her off guard.
>After a brief moment you pulled away, taking note of a small smile that had replaced her frown.
>That one brief moment let her know you cared, and that’s all she needed to keep going, was that one act of kindness.
>You went back to your studies with Luna, who very gently placed a wing around you, wrapping you in that feathery blanket you had quickly grown to love.”