I sat on the cheap wood frame bed in my cell. The smell of mildew and wood rot refused to let me rest. "Hello?" I swung my legs off the horridly undersized bed, unable to stand upright due to the small size of the room. My boots landed square in a small puddle in the center of the room, a broken grate having long ago caved in. "Someone get me the hell out of here!" I walked over to the bars and took hold. "Get me out of here you horse faced fucks!"

My body ached as I shook the janky iron bars. "I need a medic! I need a doctor you god damn monsters!" I threw my weight into the bars. "Let me out!" I leaned my shoulder against the bars, my skin burning, my bones aching, my muscles tired and burned out. "Medic! Speak French!? Medic! Toubib!" I leaned my head down. "Come on damn you!"

A pony leaned into view, sure to keep a fair bit back from the bars. "What's wrong with you?" The pink maned creature sported a thick, uneasy frown. "I don't know how to--"

"Painkillers." I grunted, shaking the bars with my hand. "Something, alcohol, I'm in pain." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Something damn it!"

The mare tapped her hooves against the wall. "I can't really--"

"Get me something you horse bitch!" I hit the bars with my wrist. "I'm dying damn it!"

The mare walked up to the bars. "Will you stop it! You're lucky you're even alive after what you did!"

I took a deep breath, my ribs aching roughly. "How about--you explain--what the hell is going on--before you start yelling at me?" I groaned loudly and held my chest. "I woke up in pain, I don't know where I am, and I'm talking to a god damn horse! Now painkillers would be a great step in the right direction, you slag!"

"You're an animal." The mare turned away with a huff.

"No, you're the animal you horse bastard--thing!" I slammed the door of the cell. "God damn it...." I slumped down, letting my weight rest against the bars. "Son of a bitch." I slumped forward as the pain grew too much to stand against. It was hard to tell how much was caused by the ponies and how much was just me getting demolished back home.

I closed my eyes and tried to focus on my breathing. My ribs hurt the least, and the in and out was enough to distract from the horrid pain in my shoulders. I held my breath and enjoyed the few painless moments. "Move." A loud tapping came from over my head. "You're blocking the door."

I huffed. "I can't really move."

The creature behind me snorted. "Fine, here." A large cotton bag with a red cross on it plopped down into my lap. "We found that in your bag thing. It's medicine, right?"

I took a deep breath and opened it up. "Yep." I found an auto injector with a morphine blend and jammed it straight into my leg. I let out a sharp grunt followed by a long groan as the deep ache throughout my body was replaced by a warm numbness. "Oh thank god." I took a breath. "Three--two--one." I pulled the syringe away and held it back to whoever was standing behind me. "Careful, sharp biohazard."

The pony behind me snorted. "What am I supposed to do with it?"

I shrugged. "Probably throw it away. Dis spit-- Dips fit-- Fuck...." I grabbed my head with my free hand. "Dip...shit."

"Yeah no, I got it the first time you screwed up." I turned around the pony standing behind me was bright white with the same golden armor as before. "I just don't know how you expect me to take it from you without getting stabbed."

I shook my head. "Bite it."

"Bite me." The guard huffed and wandered off. "Worst assignments, I swear."

I groaned loudly and stood up, my meds spilling out onto the damp stone floor. "You don't even know...." I held my head, my brain thick and slow. "Where am I...?"

My vision grew blurry as I stood up, the blood rushing around my body beat back the cold and grew outright hot as it pulsed through my body. "Pink, I see pink." I stumbled against the bars. "Who?"

"I'm not pink." The mare's voice was strange, a bit husky.

I blinked hard. "I also just dosed up on some major numbing agents, so you could cut me a god damn break." I stared out at the much larger horse standing before my cell. "Whoa, full sized."

The mare nodded, her gold shod hooves clacking against the ground. "Can you be civil? Or do we have to speak like this?"

I took a deep breath. "You know, I'd at least like to know why a horse is talking to me before I agree to anything."

"Pony." The mare shook her head. "And you're in Equestria, the real question is, what are you?"

I felt my eye tighten up. "Not a horse?" I leaned my head against the bars. "Look, I need to get back to fighting, so if this dream crap could end and I could--"

The mare shook her head. "You're not dreaming. I'll ask again, what are you?"

I sighed loudly. "Human? Soldier? I don't know what you're asking me right now." I lowered my head. "Maybe I am dead.... God I hope not." I looked around my cell then back to the iridescent mare. "So where am I?"

The mare shook her head. "Equestria, Canterlot Dungeon."

I shook my head. "So, not Canada?" I slid my arms through the bars and rested against the damp iron bars. "Great, so I am dead."

"Celestia, Canterlot, Equestria, ponies? None of that rings a bell?" Her voice was soft, as if speaking to a child. "Nothing?"

I shook my head. "No, last time I checked I wasn't in some fake place." I looked around my cell. "You know, you could tell me this is hell and I'd probably believe you."

The mare shook her head. "What's hell?"

I stared at the mare. "Alright, so where am I?"

The mare rolled her eyes. "Equestria."

I shook my head. "I don't know what that is! You keep saying words like I should know what you're talking about!"

The mare shook her head again and tapped her hoof on the ground. "You assaulted several ponies, you brought a blade into a major city, and you don't even know where you are?"

I grunted softly. "Last thing I remember I got kicked down a flight of stairs, then suddenly horse people. Now I'm in prison, again." I rubbed my neck, my skin warm and thick.

The mare shook her head and huffed. "My name is Celestia, and I think you might have a problem." She bowed her head. "Because I fear you might not be able to go back from where you came."

I stared at her. "What?" I grabbed the bars. "What did you say to me?!"

Celestia's face sank into a deep scowl. "This isn't the first time an alien species has dropped through into Equestria, most time there's a medium, a mirror, a door, some sort of portal." She looked off down the hall. "We found a broken standing mirror in the basement where you appeared."

"Portal...what's a portal!?" I reached out to her. "What happened!?"

Celestia lowered her head. "I'll do what I can to keep you informed, but for now you'll just have to wait. My ponies are afraid, and it's going to take time to keep them from sending you into the ice cap." She turned towards the hall. "Welcome to Equestria...for what it's worth." Her voice was tender, like she was telling me I was going to die. The same tone any medic used int he field.

"I'm stuck here? Are you saying I'm stuck!?" I shook the bars. "Hey! Answer me! I need to go back!" I reached out after her. "Hey! You fuck, talk to me!" Next Chapter: Landfall Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 20 Minutes