“Who would’ve thought a missing ponies case would lead to Klugetown of all places...”
A unicorn clad in black and yellow armor sat on a rooftop in a barren town. Bipedal creatures of all sorts roamed the dry streets. Small stalls selling exotic creatures and other items were placed throughout the town.
The unicorn sighed and stood up. Silently, he crossed the different buildings with ease, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, searching for any signs of pony life.
Suddenly, he felt Equine magic close by. He stopped and walked onto the edge of a terrace. Looking down, he saw four ponies, caged and terrified. They shrunk back to the end of the enclosure when one Klugetowner eyed them.
The unicorn felt rage well within him. Not only were they selling ponies, they were selling them as if they were some trophy to be collected.
The one that eyed the four ponies nodded to the stall owner and dropped some bits for him. They picked up the cage, letting it rest on his back. Whistling, he walked away casually.
The pony in armor followed him until he reached an alleyway. He dropped down to be level with the bipedal creature and tossed a rock his way.
The Klugetowner turned to face him. With a toothy smile, he let the cage rest on the sandy floor, unfazed by the armored pony.
“Ain’t it my lucky day... five ponies at once?” The bipedal creature walked closer.
The unicorn’s horn lit up. “What makes you think I’d let you take me?”
“Ponies don’t put up much of a fight,” it shrugged. “That armor’s probably gonna fetch me a sweet deal too.
The unicorn smiled inwardly. “Good to know your guard’s down.”
The Klugetowner was raised up in a gold aura of magic before getting slammed into a wall, leaving a crack. It coughed as it looked up. His eyes widened when he saw the unicorn standing beside his body, eyes glowing gold through the helmet.
“You’re lucky I’ve got high moral standards,” the pony growled. “Leave.”
He stood up and ran away with a limp. The unicorn slowly approached the caged ponies who were still in a state of terror. He unlocked the cage, the door clicking open. The ponies, a father, a mother, and two foals, were shivering in terror.
“Don’t worry, I’m here to take you home.”
The foals both jumped at the pony, wrapping him in a hug.
“Thank you!” they both shouted.
They were put down gently by the pony. The mother wrapped them in a gentle embrace and gave him a thankful smile.
“May we know your name?” the father asked respectfully.
The unicorn hummed lightly and tapped a hoof on his armored chin. “Hunter. You can call me Hunter.”
The stallion smiled. “Thank you, Hunter.”
The mother spoke up, “We saw other ponies too, I don’t think they should be left behind.”
“And they won’t,” Hunter nodded. “For now, we need to find a place for you to stay. Something like...”
“A safe house?” one of the foals suggested.
“A safe house,” he nodded.
The five ponies made their way down the alleyways, Hunter taking point. They crept around town and found a secluded spot in an abandoned building. They found blankets, and other common necessities in it. Though, no food and water.
Hunter went out scavenging and stealing to get them supplies. He came back not too long after he left, and he saw that the family had already calmed down to an extent. The foals were already playing, though their parents told them to stay quiet.
He left the supplies on a small counter, sitting down to rest as well.
“Mister Hunter?” a foal asked. “Other than a cool pony that beat that meanie, what are you?”
Their mother looked ready to chide them but was stopped by Hunter’s raised hoof.
“What’s your name?”
“Cherry Blossom!” the foal chirped.
Under his helmet, Hunter wore a smile. “Well, Cherry Blossom, I suppose you could call me...”
“A Guardian.”