Well, it certainly wasn’t a human.
The figure was a small equine. It had a light yellow coat and a pink mane and tail. Its flank was adorned with three pink and blue butterflies. It was a strange sight, but unbelievably, it also had a pair of wings! Yes, actual wings! It was a Pegasus!
Mark knew exactly who this was, even if he could scarcely believe it. He blinked several times to ensure he wasn’t hallucinating. She was still there. She was real, no doubt about it.
It was Fluttershy…The Fluttershy.
Despite the darkness, Mark could clearly see Fluttershy’s front and back hooves had been tied together in pairs. Her wings were bound to her back, and her mouth had also been gagged. Her cyan eyes could only look back at Mark’s, deeply afraid.
Mark’s mind clouded even more with this new information. Why was she here? What did the men want with her? Had anyone else seen her? More importantly, how was he going to get her out of harm’s way? Leaving her behind was absolutely not an option, but then, the authorities wouldn’t help much here, either. They’d probably capture the pony and take her away for...who knows what?
He noticed the mare was shaking. “It’s alright,” he spoke softly and with a smile, “I’m going to get you out of here.”
He didn’t think she believed him, or perhaps saw him as yet another threat.
“Okay, listen,” he whispered, “you need to be as quiet as possible. Those guys are going to hurt both of us if they catch us. You’re going to have to trust me. I know that’s hard, but you need to.”
Mark glanced back up at the door the men had entered into. There wasn’t a sound to be heard. He hoped they wouldn’t be coming back for another few minutes. Reaching into the truck’s bed, he carefully wrapped one arm around Fluttershy’s side, placing his other arm around her lower back, then hoisted her up and over his shoulder. She wasn’t as heavy as he’d expected, but she wasn’t exactly light, either.
He carefully held her, trying not to make her uncomfortable. With the pony in his arms, his next problem was finding a way back home without being noticed. He knew the neighboring areas fairly well, and there were streets without lamps that led to his house. He’d still have to avoid the light on occasion, but it was the best option for now.
He started walking away from the truck when he heard a door open. Not even daring to glance back, he quickly ducked into yet another alleyway. It was a dead end, containing only a dumpster and some filled trash bags. He ducked behind the dumpster and carefully lowered the pony onto the ground. Holding her on his shoulder wasn’t exactly going to help her stay hidden.
Mark could barely make out the sound of a man saying to “look everywhere” and that he wanted them “dead or alive”. The last part sent chills down Mark’s spine. He glanced at Fluttershy. Her wide eyes showed she clearly understood what the man said, too.
With little time to waste, Mark started thinking. He wasn’t going to outrun a truck, much less a bullet. The men were bound to check every nook and cranny, and they’d easily find the duo hiding behind the dumpster. They needed someplace to hide. Inside the dumpster was too obvious and noisy, but what else did they have?
Then, his eyes were drawn to the nearby garbage bags. He really didn’t want to use them, but desperate times called for desperate measures. There were only a few, so he had to use them wisely. He started by pushing Fluttershy slightly under the gap beneath the dumpster. He then grabbed some of the bags and started making a rough outline around her, leaving some space for where he’d hide beside her. He then picked up the rest, set a few off to the side so the mound wouldn’t look suspicious, and picked up three more bags, carefully covering both him and Fluttershy. Both lay with a large part of their upper bodies beneath the dumpster, their lower portions hidden beneath the bags.
The two lay silent as the ambient sounds played around them. Mark began to wonder if he could have escaped with the pegasus while the men were preoccupied. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. There was a silhouetted figure at the entrance of the alley, in his hand was the unmistakable outline of a gun. Mark held his breath.
The man walked slowly down the alley. Each step made Mark cringe slightly; he could only hope his time wasn’t up yet. He silently prayed that somehow he and Fluttershy would make it out alive.
The footsteps grew quieter with an added echo. There was a brief silence, then the footsteps grew louder again. The outline of the man’s legs came closer to the dumpster. He stopped just a few inches from Mark’s face, who tried even harder to control his breathing.
Then Mark saw the man’s knee. He saw the figure rest an elbow on the floor. A foreign smell of alcohol filled his nostrils. This was it, this was the end. The man was going to see both of them. Mark closed his eyes tightly. Why did things have to end this way?
“Carter!” barked a distant voice, “What are you doing?”
“Hey look,” spoke the man beside Mark, “I was just-”
There was a sound of rushed footsteps towards the dumpster. Another figure appeared and a scuffle ensued. The dumpster rang out with a loud bang as the first man was shoved against the obscuring structure.
“What you were ‘doing’ is letting it get away!” the man barked.
“I wasn’t! I promise! I’ve looked everywh-” the other man was cut off as he was shoved against the dumpster once again.
“You wanted it to get away, didn’t you?” the first man inquired, “You were always a softie. I can’t believe they let you join us.”
The second man was struck several times by the first.
“Now we’re going to go take a little drive,” the first man snarled, “and if we don’t find them, it’s on your head. Got it?”
He threw the second man towards the entrance of the alley. Too afraid to look back, he ran off towards the entrance, the first man following closely. The truck audibly started then drove past the alley. Shortly after, silence returned.
Mark let out a long sigh. There was too much to take in all at once. He still couldn’t believe he’d actually saved Fluttershy, the real Fluttershy, from an uncertain fate. He didn’t move for a good few minutes, worried that perhaps they’d return. As time passed, the surrounding cold began to chill his body. He knew he couldn’t stay there forever.
He slowly pushed himself out from under the dumpster. The bags covering both him and Fluttershy were relatively light, but he still took care not to let them rupture and spill their contents. After he’d freed both of them, Mark gently pulled Fluttershy out next. She eyed him warily.
“You doing alright?” he asked.
She didn’t seem keen on responding. But really, could he blame her?
“We’re going to go back to my house now.” he said with a smile, “I’ll untie you there, okay?”
Fluttershy gave a small nod, and Mark carefully swung her back on his shoulder. He walked down the middle of the street in silence, trying to let the familiar ambience calm his nerves. After everything that had occurred, this proved unsuccessful.
The back way to his home was going to take a decent amount of time longer, but it was also the safest option. With this in mind, he soldiered on, keeping watch for any passing cars or prying eyes.
It was going to be an interesting night, that was for sure.