I stood off with Celestia, the bars still sitting between us. "Twenty-eighty-four." I sighed heavily. "Based off god or something." I flicked my hand upward. "Not really into that shit myself, but it works for some of the men I work with." I hung my arms out of the cell, my white coat torn and tattered around the ends. "Able, Woodpecker, Sam. I prefer Able."

Celestia nodded a few times. "Medical problems?" A pony to her side was taking down notes like mad.

I licked my lips. "Minor case of trench foot, I was on antibiotics when I dropped in." I rubbed my eyebrows. "We done here--"

"Age?"

I leaned my head against the bars. "Twenty something? Late twenties? I stopped keeping track a long time ago." I looked at the pony taking notes. "Twenty eight? It's six to eight, one of those."

Celestia shook her head. "Languages spoken?"

I sighed again. "I speak some Quebecois, English primary. I know like three words in Bambara." I rubbed my arms under my coat. "Look, just ask it all at once."

Celestia turned to the mare taking notes. The mare looked up, flitting her eyes from me to Celestia. "Ah okay. Age, check. Diet?"

"Meat, beans, just read the ingredients on the stuff in my bag." I scratched my shoulder. "Hurry, I'm getting real sick of this place."

"Check. Basic information checks out. Occupation? Location? Climate? Familiarity of equine species?" The mare tapped her clipboard with her quill.

"Uh, marksman. Canada. Cold. Ugh, odd question.... High." I rubbed my forehead. "Used to ride horses a lot before I joined the corp."

The mare kept scribbling. "And you're claiming self defense--"

"Shut up." I stepped back and stretched my arms. "I really can't be any clearer about what happened."

The mare bit her tongue. "I just need something for the books." She bit the tip of her quill and kept writing. "And Celestia will be taking custody--"

"It's called surveillance by the way." I rapped my fingers against the bars. "House arrest. It's code for surveillance! Don't bullshit me!"

Celestia shook her head. "They're a bit different. I simply think that--"

"I don't care what you think." I flicked my hand towards her. "I care about going the fuck home, and getting back to my god damn wife!" I hit the bars. "I have a life god damn it! It's not easy, but I paid for it in blood, god damn it!"

"Wife?"

"Wife?" The mares both perked up in unison. The mare with the clipboard looked towards Celestia. "Princess...?"

Celestia's face twisted up harshly. "I-- I don't--" A key levitated out from her side. "I'm sorry." She jammed it into the door to my cell.

I started shaking my head and backed up. "What the fuck are you doing?" I pointed at her. "Don't you pull this shit!" I leaned forward with my arm outstretched, finger pointing dead at her. "Don't you pull this shit! I've got people to save!"

Celestia slowly nudged the door open. "I'm sorry." She squeezed her way into my tiny cell. "I really am."

I took a deep breath. "No, no you don't be fucking sorry! You get me home god damn it!"

Celestia lowered her head down to meet me face to face. "I'm sorry."

"No! Don't fucking pull this!" I walked up to her and shoved her, unable to move the large mare. "Don't! I'm going home god damn it!"

Celestia lowered her head and tried to get a hoof behind me. "I'm sor--"

I pushed her hoof away and stood tall before her. "I don't need your fucking pity!" I leaned nose to nose with her. "I need to go home. Now make it fucking happen." My voice was low, twisted up with hateful spiteful words. The modern man's poetry.

I pushed out past Celestia and before the mare with the clipboard. She shrunk down before me and held her clipboard up. "Oh dear--"

I yanked the clipboard from her magical grip and threw it to the ground. "Woodpecker: Able. I'll take care of myself." I turned to Celestia as she dipped out of the cell. "You tell me when you've got me a way home."

Celestia's voice echoed down as I moved away from them. "Wait--"

"I'll be in the snow." I pulled my hood up and marched quickly down the hall I'd seen her use so many times before. "Find me when you've got this shit figure out." I didn't much care to speak to them, I wouldn't be here long enough to care or figure things out. I just had to wait a day or two and then I could go home again.

Celetia's hooves clopped along beside me. "You know they'll try to contain you on sight."

"Then you'd better tell them to stay away from me." I stopped and turned to her. I took a deep breath and faced off with the mare. "I don't care what did this, I just want it fixed." I stared up at the dour mare. "Fix this and you'll never have to worry about who I am, or where I'm going."

Celestia shook her head. "You don't understand. Pinpointing one portal is like picking out a specific grain of sand from a--"

"Not my problem." I turned away from her. "I have my war, you have yours. Figure it out." I stopped and rested against the horridly uneven cobblestone wall. "I don't want to be here. Wherever here is, it's not for me." I turned to her. "Don't let me be stuck here." I shook my head gently. "I can't be stuck here. People need me god damn it."

Celestia's mouth hung open in the softest expression of sympathy I'd seen my mother pass. "Able, we can't."

I felt my skin crawl. "Then find me when you can." Next Chapter: Hands Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 3 Minutes