My meeting with the ground gets cut short and I am stopped by the same sickly golden light surrounding my body which causes me to float in the air in the same spot, while a concerned-looking pony princess flies down next to me.
She takes hold of me with her wings and looks over my body with worried eyes seemingly satisfied a quick sigh escapes her lungs and her eyes quickly turn from worry to anger and she yells.
‘’What has come over you!? What would happen if I didn’t catch you in time?!’’ The princess says while slowly ascending to the window while carrying me.
‘’I would die.’’ Should I play dumb? Maybe say that I thought we were ground floor and that was why I jumped.
‘’Yes! You would die!’’ She yelled back even louder than before.
‘’I thought it was the ground floor…’’ I try my best to sound guilty and sorry but she doesn’t buy it.
‘’We both know that is a lie.’’ Yeah, no, she didn’t buy it.
‘’...’’ I don’t reply and let the princess carry me back through the window.
She sets me back up on the bed but this time she doesn’t let go. And when the doctor approaches me the glow gets even brighter and I can’t even move my mouth. The pony doctor looks over me again with no difficulty this time and bandages my forehead and the small cuts I got from the balloon crash and my earlier ‘escape’ attempt.
Once I am done being treated the princess picks me back up again and we leave the room she chides me even more but her words don’t seem to come from a place of anger but from concern… No, these are just honeyed words to get me to let my guard down, I am not going to fall for them.
She stops in front of a door and tells the guards something that I cannot hear, all of a sudden I fall to the ground, not wanting to let this chance go I try to get up and run away as fast as my tired legs can carry me but the moment I take one step I am halted again.
‘’Ah-ah-ah you are going nowhere mister.’’ The princess says and goes inside the room. I don’t get it, her horn wasn’t glowing then how am I stuck?
I look up and see the guards have horns too and theirs are glowing… well, seems like the princess is not the only one who can do this magical bullshit or whatever it's called. I let my head flop on the ground and wait for them to release me.
My ears perk up from the noises inside the room, what is the princess doing there? Wait… is she preparing my torture chamber?! That’s why she didn’t let me fall earlier! So she can kill me herself! Yes, that must be i-
‘’There we go, you can let him go now, thank you.’’ She comes out of the room levitating a whole bunch of stuff that has a mirror among all things and some other things I cannot make out. Why a mirror of all things though? I try to think of a reason but come up empty-handed.
She puts the pile of bits and pieces on the ground and nods at the guards and they release me but just as their horn stops glowing her horn glimmers and I cannot even get up.
‘’Now let me show you where you will be staying for the foreseeable future until I am certain that you will not try anything like before.’’ What? Where I will be staying? So she is going to lock me up! Before I can even form a word of protest I get dragged inside the room.
She sets me right in the middle of the room and the glow goes away, I can finally move, and getting up slowly I look around the room or more like the stripped version of a room. There is a bed on one side of the wall which looks quite luxurious, a simple wooden table that has some drawers with a chair on the other side, and a cabinet near the bed. But the part that has most of my attention is the balcony with two big windows on each side which brings in a lot of sunlight.
‘’I’m quite sorry that it is barebones but I had to take a lot out.’’ She finally says after staying quiet and observing me.
‘’It’s… okay.’’ Going over to the drawers underneath the table I open them one by one but they are all empty. I turn my head to the princess watching me and look at her with a questioning gaze.
‘’If you show me that you will not hurt yourself and improve I will bring them back.’’ She says while softly smiling at me, which sends shivers through my spine.
‘’Where can I send a letter to your family informing them of your stay here?’’ What? Family, uh yeah… My parents are probably worried sick right now, I’m sorry for worrying you guys.
‘’I, uhh, don’t have any family left.’’ I mean it’s not a lie I don’t have any family left in here.
‘’Oh… I’m sorry dear.’’ Once she hears my words her eyes soften and she stretches her wings and covers them with me, is this a hug? I don’t hug back.
I don’t reply to her and go towards the balcony and to my surprise the princess doesn’t do or say anything… weird. She did something, didn’t she? Yes, that must be it, if she didn’t do something to these windows or this balcony then she would at least do something.
Turning around I look at the princess to see if there is anything I can spot on her face but she just looks at me and smiles. No, I don’t like that face, it’s like she is so sure that nothing bad will happen that she doesn’t even feel the need to say anything.
‘’What did you do?’’ I say trough gritted teeth.
‘’Hmm? Did what dear?’’ She replies back while still showing me the same smile…
Oh that bitch, what the fuck did she do?! Should I even approach the balcony? If I do will something happen? …Fuck it, no use trying to figure out what she is thinking I can’t make it out at all. I slowly walk over to the balcony and just before setting foot outside the balcony I look back to her for the final time. Yeah, no, she is still smiling.
Looking out the balcony I see the window I crashed into, the princess steps out onto the balcony too, and looks where I am staring. Once she realizes where I am looking she lets out a small giggle.
‘’I really want to know how you got my student’s ballon and crashed it… but that can come later, for now, you should rest.’’ She says in a caring tone, ugh, I don’t like that at all. I think she even called me her little pony earlier! What the fuck is wrong with her? A guy bursts through your window in a stolen ballon and raises hell in the castle and she gives them a room?
‘’Okay…’’ I reply back hoping that she goes away and I can try something.
‘’Rest now my little pony and please remember that your life is so precious.’’ There! She called me her little pony again! What the fuck! Well, at least she is leaving the room now.
I wait for her to leave the room she looks back one final time and smiles at me before leaving the room and closing the door. Alright, let’s try this. Getting up on my hind legs I try to hop on the stone railings of the balcony and I get pushed back and fall to the ground…what the hell! I knew she did something! I try repeatedly but each time I do I get pushed back even further.
‘’Goddamned princess…’’
‘’Yes, is something wrong?’’
Looking up from the ground I see the princess tower over me. Crap…When did she come back? How the hell did I not hear her?!
‘’Yes! What is this?!’’ Getting up from the ground I touch the invisible wall over the balcony.
‘’Oh, I just put up a barrier around the balcony and the windows so you don’t hurt yourself again, did you try something?’’ She says while looking very displeased.
‘’...no.’’
‘’...You should stop at least sleep for a while.’’ With that, she leaves again and I am left on the ground. I don’t try anything anymore as it would just be a waste of time.
Huffing all the way I drag my worn-down body to the bed an- wow it’s way more comfortable than I imagined it would be, huh. Setting my head on the pillow, and looking around again to see if there is anything or anyone, I close my eyes and almost immediately fall asleep.
Opening my eyes I expect to see the room I was given but instead, I am greeted by whiteness, not snow, just white all around like the whole world got erased but me. Looking around I see a figure and it looks like a human? Holy shit! I start running as fast these legs can carry me but when I get closer the figure looks really familiar… wait, is that… me?
‘’Hello, pal.’’
‘’I-I-’’ I struggle to form any kind of words just staring at well, ‘me’.
‘’Yeah, you! What have you got to say for yourself?!’’ Unbridled rage fills his eyes, rage directed at me. Why would I be angry at myself?
‘’W-what do you mean?’’ I reply back although just barely.
‘’Look at you! You’re an animal!’’ He steps closer to me, I take a step back.
‘’No! I am a human!’’ I started getting angry too, I will not allow anyone even myself to call me an animal!
‘’It doesn’t look like that from here buddy! All I see is a dirty horse walking on four legs! Even if you were human before you seem real comfortable in that ‘body’ of yours!’’ He steps even closer pointing at me accusingly, and I take another step back.
‘’Ugh, you even step back like a horse you really know how to use that body of yours huh? And you can’t even die right when you get captured!’’
I’ll show him, I am not an animal, I walk on two legs, not four! I force myself on two of my back legs and stand there my legs shaky.
‘’Fuck you! Look I c-can walk on two legs I-I am not a hors-’’ The figure pushes me and I l fall instantly.
‘’No human falls that easy! Don’t you dare think that!’’ He says and marches over me and takes hold of me I try to get out of his grip but I fail.
‘’I am disgusted that I am even sharing a name with you!’’ With that, he tossed me toward the emptiness and I started falling and the whiteness turned black.
‘’Ahhh!’’ I scream and start gasping for air. What the fuck was that! Was that a dream?! Looking around, the only thing I see is the same room as before but only the darkness of the night covering it. Looks like I slept until nightfall.
Throwing over the covers I get out of bed and go to the middle of the room and take a huge breath. Who does me think he is huh?! I’ll show him! I’ll show him that I am still human! Getting up on my hind legs I can stand on them for only five seconds before falling.
‘’No, no! I walk on two legs, not four!’’ I get up my hind legs again and fall again in five seconds… What kind of human can’t even stand up straight?! I try repeatedly but I can’t pass ten seconds forget walking like a human I can’t even stand up like one!
My jagged and short breaths fill the room as I try even more, my legs are now shaking uncontrollably but that doesn’t stop me I still try getting up. If I fall I get back up again and try.
Ignoring the pain I try again but fail again. I won’t lose my humanity… not here.
Stop! I can’t do this right now, I need a clear mind, I can’t even think straight right now. Barely managing to control myself I slowly head over to the balcony, I want to look at the moon and the stars they are the only ones that have made me just a smidge calmer in this bizarre world.
Stepping onto the balcony my face gets hit by a slight night chill. Looking down I see the city below the whole city looks like a starry night with its many lights, and finally looking upwards I see the beautiful moon and I once again get captivated by its beauty. It looks just like the night before, my breath gets slower and I just continue watching the moon and the stars for some time.
‘’Have you decided to jump to your imminent death again?’’
The princess’s sister from before gets in front of the moon and blocks it almost entirely but the silver moonlight passes between her wings…why is she here?