When They Come: Pt. 6

>The man must have seen the change in your expression, because his smile is instantly back.
“Oh, now that struck a nerve, didn’t it?” he says in an almost purr.
>You try to remove all emotion from your face but it’s far too late for that. You've blown even the small trace of leverage you might have had. Now it'll be a battle to find a new foothold.
“You killed her already,” you say lamely.
>He holds up his index finger and moves it back and forth slowly in front of your nose.
“Not so,” he says cheerfully. “I admit, I tried with that first swing. But she was still breathing and I figured if I was going to take you captive then I might as well make it a party, right? Didn’t want this to be a sausage fest, after all.”
>He chuckles to himself, enjoying his own jokes way too much for your comfort.
“And you’re going to kill her?”
“Did I stutter? Yes, I’m going to kill her first and make you watch unless you help me. If you help me I’ll let her go. Is that clear now?”
>You’re still a moment, considering his words and whether or not there's any truth in them, then you nod.
“Good, so start talking.”
“I got here a few months ago,” you say. “It was a whole messy weird situation.”
“Oh, gee, that sure is helpful,” he says sarcastically before getting up.
>He strides quickly towards you and then gives you a swift and painful kick to the ribs. You wince and turn away from him, holding back a cry of pain and surprise. He reaches over and sharply raises your chin so that you’re looking at him again. You’re sure that he can see the pain in your face, but you try to show as little of it as possible. Got to stay focused, strong. Got to be ready if any sort of opportunity presents itself.
“Details,” he says “I need details on this.”
>He walks backwards, still facing you, and sits down on a rock. He gestures with open hands for you to speak again. You start to continue, then shut your mouth abruptly and shake your head.
“No, how do I know Twilight’s alive?”
“You’re just going to have to trust me on that.”
“Bullshit I’ll trust you. I need proof that she’s alive and safe before I’ll say a word.”
>He stands up and walks towards you again, glaring. He raises the crowbar to right below your chin, lifting your head so he can peer into your eyes.You can feel the warmth of his breath on your face, smell his foul odor.
“That’s some pretty ballsy talk for someone in your position,” he says softly.
“Not really. There are no other humans here, so you need me. For all I know, Twilight’s dead. If you want my help, you’ll need to meet a few of my demands or else I’ll just shut up and you’ll be stuck here.”
>It's not entirely a bluff in concept, but the confidence sure as hell is.
“I could beat it out of you.”
>He taps the crowbar against your neck as he speaks. It feels shockingly cold. Still, you force yourself to smile.
“You could try.”
>He regards you for a minute or two, studying your expression, maybe thinking over his options. Then he shrugs and pulls the crowbar away from your skin. He slides it through a side belt loop before stepping back and looking for something near the candle.
“Suit yourself,” he says with a sigh. “But I wouldn’t make too many more demands if I were you. I might just start assuming that you’re lying about being the only human around here and decide that you’re expendable. It’s not totally out of the question that you’re just as much a liar as I am, after all.”
>He stands upright, something small gleaming in his palm. You tense as you realize it’s a small, possibly home made knife. He spins and approaches you with it out in front of him.
>You start to struggle again, trying to get a hand loose or a foot under you to defend yourself. Nothing comes free. You’re bracing yourself as best you can when you notice him regarding you with a rather bemused look.
“Wow, a little paranoid aren’t you?” he asks, shaking his head.
>He gives a tsk and then kneels beside you.
“Try not to struggle too much or try to get away. I have Emily here and a knife very near your wrists. Not to mention I’m bigger than you. Bet I could kick your ass faster than you could land a punch.”
“So you’re a betting man then?” you ask.
Any info you can get on this guy could end up being valuable. He lets out a short laugh and sets to work on your bindings.
“That’s not a bet you should take little man. The stakes are way too high.”
>He unties you up to your stomach, then ties fresh rope around your wrists and forearms, binding them tightly and painfully together in front of you. Once he’s sure you’re secure, he unties the rest of you and gives your short rope leash a sharp tug.
“Keep up, and don’t try to move around back there,” he grumbles as you climb to your feet. “There are rocks, it’s dark, and if you fall I’ll just drag you the rest of the way out there.”
>As you follow him through the dimly lit cave, you decide he’s probably not lying and keep close behind him. Still, you look around constantly for anything that might help you. All you see is shadow and what might be moss or mold. The cave smells damp and musty, maybe from the bear that once lived here.
>Light begins to show in front of you. It’s faint, and softly rosy like dawn or dusk. You wonder if you’ve been unconscious for only the night or for a full day. Either way, some of the ponies will have noticed you’ve gone missing by now. You have to find a way out of here before they come looking for you and risk their lives at this man’s hands.
>As you reach the entrance, you crane your neck to see over your captor, trying to spot any sign of Twilight. At first, even the low lighting feels blinding to you, and the wound on your head feels like it’s pulsing. Then, as things become comfortable again, you spot her.
>Twilight is bound by her front hooves to a large thick oak tree. Her back hooves are tied apart to different tree roots, and the knots on them look hastier and less solid than those on her front ones. You can see a red scraping rash on her front legs where you’re sure she’s strained against her bonds, and her body shows signs of dirt and sweat. Her face is caked with a mixture of mud and blood so that you can’t see how bad the crowbar wound is, but you can see the area under her eye growing puffy and dark. She’ll have a black eye there for a while if she survives all this. When she survives all this, you correct yourself. There's no other option. A rope loops behind her head and through her mouth, holding in what looks like a sock as a makeshift gag.
>The way she’s breathing so hard, the wretched state of her coat, and her defeated posture all tell you that she’s totally exhausted. If she’s lost too much blood, you think, she might even be too weak to recover from her injuries. Especially if an infection sets in.
>She turns her head over one shoulder to face the man, and her eyes widen at the sight of you. You’re not sure how bad you look, but she looks terrified. You now see several fresh looking wounds on her face and neck and realize with horror that the man has been beating her the entire time you’ve been unconscious.
Her eyes meet yours, and you see tears begin to well there.
>Oh Twilight, I’m so sorry, you think. I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you.
“Aren’t reunions fun?” your captor says, stepping between your gazes.
“You fucking bastard.” You spit the words towards him. “How could you do this? Why?”
“Oh,” he says with a roll of his eyes. “Thought you'd never ask. It was easy, honestly. You could say I was provoked, but if we’re being frank it’s because I don’t want to fucking be here. I’m pissed off that I have to be here with these girly ass little ponies, and until I saw you I thought that I might be here forever.”
>He begins to pace back and forth, jerking your leash so that you’re forced to follow behind him like some sort of dog.
 “So I got to thinking. No laws, right? No restrictions, no fighting back. Nothing. Basically, I can do whatever I want. And I thought to myself, now if I was a hitman or a serial killer or something badass like that, this would be the perfect place to be. But no humans to kill no justice or vengeance to dish out, so I guess I got to settle for animals. Got to eat anyway. It was just a bonus when I found out they could talk. Well,” he pauses, giving Twilight a grin. “When I let them. Isn’t that right sweetie?”
>Twilight glares at him, but there’s not much force there. She’s just too tired.
“Had to tie those back legs up quick though, you speak your mind pretty well with kicks, now don’t you?”
“You’re fucked up,” you growl at your captor, giving a sharp tug against your lead rope.
>Feeling resistance, the man spins and catches you in the gut with a sharp punch. You crumple forwards onto the ground, not even enough air in your lungs to let out a sound of pain. You hear a muffled whinny from Twilight.
“I told you, that’s not a bet you want to make,” he says slowly. “You don’t listen very well, do you?”
>At last air comes back to your lungs. You breathe in sharply, tasting bits of dry leaves and dirt as you do. You flop heavily to one side, facing Twilight, as unwilling tears of pain leak from your eyes.
“But even with all the fun, I want to get home. Too much to do there, too good a life to leave behind.”
>He nudges your back with one boot, and you see a shadow fall over you. You glance up and see him, half silhouetted against the orange sky above you.
“And you’re going to help me, aren’t you?”
>You’re about to reply when you see Twilight. She’s silently nodding towards you, obviously trying to get your attention. The man is standing with his back to her, disregarding her completely, paying full focus to you so he doesn’t notice. But you do, and now she has you transfixed. What is she doing?
>You watch as she closes her eyes and concentrates. With a brief spark and flash, a low glow flickers around her horn. You can see the strain it takes from her and realize that she must have waited, conserving this energy, until she knew where you were. All this time you were thinking about saving her, she was thinking about saving you.
>The man must have only seen Unicorns briefly, because he’s made no attempt to restrain her horn or even cover it. He has no idea they do magic maybe, or how they work in general. Before, Twilight only stabbed him with her horn, so he might even think it’s just a weapon. Still, the light is weak, and you’re not sure what she has in mind or how long she can go like this. You have to make some sort of distraction.
“...Yes,” you say suddenly, redirecting your gaze up at the man. “I said I’d help you.”
>You sit up slowly, making sure you can still see what Twilight is doing behind him, in case she requires some further action from you.
“Good, now we seem to be getting somewhere,” he says with a sigh. “Now, how did you get here?”
>You think hard, trying to remember the details.
“I was running,” you say slowly. “Jogging. With my…a friend of mine.”
>Why couldn’t you just call her your girlfriend? She isn’t here to refute it, no one here knows who she is or how you two interacted. Still, the word refuses to come out as you tell the story. You shake your head and continue.
“We were up in the hills, coming back I think. We decided to go through a meadow.”
>Twilight’s horn has gained a little brightness, but not much. The ends of the ropes on her back hooves have also begun to glow faintly.
“Get on with it, you were jogging with this girl, and?” He’s obviously impatient.
“We were going to race, we decided. She’s usually faster than me, but I thought maybe on the uneven ground of a field I might have a shot. I think we were making some sort of bet, winner buys lunch or something.”
>The ropes strain not to move, but they begin to slide. The knots start to loosen, but you can see how difficult this is for her. Tears are streaming down her face and there’s a flush of red in her already scratched-up cheeks.
“But I was the one who tripped,” you go on. “And...”
>This is where things got strange, you remember. There’s not much more than you recall clearly, but you just need to give Twilight a few more seconds.
“And what?” he demands. “Come on, and?”
>The ropes are coming free, almost there.
“…and I fell.”
>With a rush of unexpected force and a shrill cry through her gag, Twilight thrusts her hind hooves upwards. Before the man can fully turn, she catches him with a strong kick right below the ear. Dazed, but not fully unconscious, he tumbles sideways towards you with a grunt of pain. In the confusion, he lets go of your rope.
>He lets go.
>He lets go of your rope.
>It takes your brain a few moments to process this, and you stand dumbly staring down at the loose rope on the ground. You’re…free? A muted cry from Twilight snaps you back, and suddenly you have things to do. You half leap half crawl to Twilight and begin to tear feebly at the front knot on her hooves.
>You hear a groan from behind you as you force the rope back against itself once, then twice. How many times did he tie this?
>After what seems like an eternity but what was probably only a few seconds, the rope comes loose.Twilight springs unsteadily away from the tree and pulls the rope and sock out of her mouth. She teeters on her hooves like she hasn't used them in some time, but she stays upright.
“RUN!” she screams.
>You hear the scramble of leaves behind you as your captor begins to stand up.
“What the fuck. What…”
>He sounds drunk almost with how the words slur. You hope very sincerely that Twilight broke his jaw with that kick.
>You stumble up to your feet and make a move to run. With your hands still bound in front of you, running feels awkward. You never realized how much you use you arms when you run, but it's painfully apparent to you now. Twilight too dashes forward and you’re shocked at how easy it is to keep up with her. After the sudden show of strength just moments ago she must be so weak now. How much strength does she have left?
>You feel a tug at your wrists and the rope snaps taught across your chest. You spin, clotheslined by your  leash, and fall backwards. The man is near you with the rope in his hand, still unsteady on his feet, but now fumbling for the crowbar. He grabs for it in his belt, missing with every awkward swipe. Twilight too spins to face you and before he can get steady she kicks feebly out with one leg towards his knee. The blow finds its mark, though not with much strength and he crumples sideways to the ground. If his balance hadn’t been so off that wouldn’t have done much good. You thank god, or Celestia maybe, for small favors.
>You tug the rope and you’re again free. You don’t need to think this time, you just start to run. Twilight awkwardly stumbles alongside you towards the dense treeline, but she looks as if she may faint at any moment.
>Without thinking about your own waning strength, you reach down and hoist her over your still bound arms to rest against your chest. She lets you do it without protest, nearly limp and feverishly hot in your grasp. Her hooves bounce against your knees as they come up and down and her head hand limply forward against her chest. Her muscles are relaxing, maybe she's becoming unconscious, but she's still alive.
>Even in your mad flight into the woods, you feel a swell of gratitude in your chest. She’s saved you so many times before now, been the reason you’re still alive. Without her you never would have found a place in Ponyville, a new life, and a way out of this god-forsaken disaster. She's your guardian angel when you need it most.
“My turn,” you whisper to her as you force your legs onwards through the brush.
>Behind you, the sounds of your thrashing captor are fading. You’re not even sure he’s gotten up after that blow. Still you keep running, putting as much distance between you and him as you possibly can. You have no idea where you're going or where you are, but you know for damn sure that you don't want to be here. Your muscles scream at you, your arms ache, your head pounds.
>Just one more step, one more. Keep going.
“Keep going,” Twilight murmurs in your arms as if reading your thoughts.
>You hold her tight to your body and focus your mind on the next tree, the next patch of earth, anything to keep you running. You'll run till your heart explodes, till your muscles tear. You'll run until you collapse unconscious so long as it keeps Twilight alive.
>You won't let another pony die in your arms.
>Not now, not ever.

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End Pt. 6