My only hope of escape was gone and I was mixed with feelings of anger and sadness. But the feelings only lasted for a second before a lightbulb appeared over my head.
Getting up, I walked to the nearest post holding barbed wire. I was gonna buck the damn thing! But alas, it was only small enough for one hoof.
So hoping my alicorn strength would pay off, I turned around, lifted a hind leg, and kicked.
It only left a dent.
I tried three more times, but the damn thing didn't break. I suddenly realized something.
"Right..." I hissed under my breath. "If they can't break a damn tree with both of their legs, I can't break a thick post with one leg! This just goes to show how desperate I am..."
I returned my look to the lowest section of barbed wire on the gate. If I wanted to crawl out, I couldn't lift it due to my inability to use magic. I would need another helper. And I have no helpers.
So I just returned to my spot and let sleep take over.
The next night...
Thirty minutes before it was time to close their shelter, Darryl and Hunter heard a knock on their door.
"Who is it?" Hunter asked.
"Probably another one of those damn college students," Darryl hissed, making his way to the door. He opened it, prepared to confront the possible college kid. But instead of a college kid, it was a man Darryl recognized.
"Hey...” Darryl scratched his chin. "Aren't you the teacher that called us to pick up the cartoon pony earlier?"
"Y-yes I am," the man said. "I'm Adam Devon."
"If you came here to get the horse, you missed your chance."
Darryl prepared to close the door, but Adam stopped him.
"Oh I know," Adam admitted. "I was just wondering... my wife is a news reporter, and I was wondering... if there was a chance I could convince my wife about what happened, could we do a story on this whole situation?"
"And have people show up at our door?" Darryl scoffed. "No thanks."
"I'll pay you!"
Darryl stopped his second attempt to close the door.
"Pay me?"
"I'll give you and your friend fifty dollars!" Adam offered.
"You're that desperate, huh?"
"Well, I mean... along with your recognition, I'll get recognized as the guy who found the pony. And if the government comes, they can pay me for finding it."
Darryl closed the door.
"Hunter!" he called. "You remember that teacher? He wants his wife to do a news report! And he'll give us fifty bucks each! What do you suggest?"
"Let him do it," Hunter suggested. "If the government comes, there will be a news story about it anyway. There needs to be, and his wife is perfect for the job. If the government calls bullshit on us, that's an even bigger reason to do a report. And he offered us money."
"But he might get the share!" Darryl rebuked.
"He's offering us fifty dollars," Hunter said. "Even if he got a share, he technically paid $50 to us back. As long as George gets $50 and the bastard doesn't double-cross us, we could go for it."
Darryl groaned.
"I hope you know what you're doing..."
Darryl reopened the door. Adam was still there.
"Listen," Darryl began. "We brought our horse to a friends house and sent a letter, along with proof of the horse to the government. We're expecting a reply in a week or two. If they decline, you and your news team can immediately come over. If they accept, come over in the same day they come over. Does your wife know about this?"
"She doesn't know which creature it is," explained Adam. "She only knows of the incident. She's in the car right now, so maybe we can come over to wherever you're keeping her and I can show her."
"You can give us our payment now," Darryl said. "Since you'll probably get a quarter portion of what the government pays us, you may as well pay us our fifty bucks when we arrive to our friends house."
"Of course!"
"Good. Return to your car. We'll be out in a minute."
Meanwhile...
George picked up his phone and answered the call.
"What?" he groaned.
"George!" Darryl's voice rang. "So... big news! We're bringing a reporter and her husband to show them the horse!"
"What for?" George said, slightly alarmed.
"The reporter's husband wants us to show the reporter the horse so they could do a news story on it."
"Have you lost your shit?" George hissed. "He'll get a quarter of our payment! We'll get less money!"
"He'll paying us fifty dollars!"
"That will be nothing compared to our portions from the government!" argued George.
"We don't even know if the government will pay us!" Darryl rebutted.
"It's 2025!"
"Listen. Give it a chance," Darryl promised. "Besides, if the government declines, we'll need this news story so they can discover that we were right!"
"And if they accept?"
"Someones gotta do a news story!"
"Fine! Bring him! But if this jackass double-crosses us, there will be hell to pay!"
George hung up the phone in a huff.
Thirty minutes later... Leo...
"We got guests, boys," I muttered.
Just now, I noticed the three familiar men holding me hostage head over along with two other humans... one of them being my teacher, Mr. Devon, along with a women I don't recognize.
Despite being on the other side of the gate, I could tell the woman gasped upon sight of me.
The humans...
"Honey..." Sheila grabbed Adam's arm. "What the hell is that?"
"Some sort of cartoon horse," Adam said, not mentioning how she was one of his former students. "I was hoping you would do a news story on this."
"Are you kidding me? The whole world must know of this!" Sheila exclaimed.
"Now hold on just a minute," said George. "I'll only allow you to do a news story on two occasions. We already sent proof of her to the government, but whether they accept to come or not is a mystery. If they say no... we do the story as immediate as we can. If they say yes... you and your news crew can head over and do the story while the government picks her up. Sounds fair?"
"I guess," Mrs. Devon shrugged.
"Great!" Darryl said. "We'll call you if we get any news!"
And then the group of humans left.
One week later...
George checked his email account yet again, hopeful that a government agent gave him a reply. As soon as the tab popped up, his eyes went wide and his head fluttered. When he, Darryl, Hunter, and the sheriff wrote the letter, they also wrote George's email so they could respond to him through there. And he got the response!
To George,
I am Agent Beckey, and our team of government officials have recieved your proof. After much discussion over whether this is genuine, we came to the conclusion that we would come over to your home. Just like I was assigned to write you this email, I was also assigned to join the others that are on their way here as of now. You should expect us to arrive within four days to a week.
Best of luck,
Agent Beckey
And the first thing George did was pick up his phone. He had some calls to make!
Two weeks later...
These past two weeks were the roughest.
Despite my refusal to eat, I eventually gave in out of starvation, but even after I eat I'm still hungry. My coat is all dirty and my mane is unkempt and frumpy. And the bathroom situation was extremely unsatisfying.
I've tried to get out. Many times. I'd keep on kicking one of the posts holding the wire, but it didn't fall. I'd run to jump over the gate, but I'd always chicken out at the last second. I would also try to crawl out from under the gate, but as I suspected, I couldn't lift it and crawl out. Eventually, I just gave up.
And to make matters worse, I felt empty. But oddly, it wasn't for my friends. It wasn't for my college. And I wasn't sure if it was for isolation or my own family. It was something else, but I couldn't put my fin- I mean hoof on it.
It was starting to get late and I was getting tired.
But just as I was about to sleep, a faint bright light caught my attention. I looked up.
And even though it was dark and what I saw was halfway hidden by the house, I could make out the sight of a large, shiny black van.
And I suddenly felt emptier inside.