//------------------------------//
// Give Me Freedom Or Give Me Death!  
// Story: Behind Glass 
// by Xhadow 
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	The stitches pulled the fur around my hooves whenever I moved, driving a sharp, pinching pain through my system with every step. 

What was that, I wince as several strands are forcibly removed from my leg. Was that just a hallucination, or something else?

My hooves clicked against the path as I follow Kathrine and her green suited rival. 

What happened to Elizabeth, she was just here a second ago, I glance around for my fellow pony, Well...that's weird.

People seemed to pull away from us like two opposing magnets.

I sniffed the gentle breeze, picking up the scent of an oncoming shower. I wrote it off as Pegasus instinct and picked up my pace to listen in to the conversation. 

"I still don't think he's ready," Kathrine cautioned, pretending like she actually cared. 

"It doesn't matter what you think ma'am the brass made the program a priority." He responds with a sharp tug on the leash. 

I stumble, breath burned from my lungs. 

"Besides, he's fine." 

Kathrine glared, but remained silent. 

She's afraid of him, I realized, matching their pace so I was between them.

"There's something you should know about him," Kathrine sighs deeply before confessing, "the deal doesn't protect him." 

He nearly dropped the leash. "What?" 

Kathrine flinches, "the deal protects the unicorn, not him." 

An idea flashes through my mind, something every pet knows. I grip the leash in my mouth and take off running. 

I passed the duo and turn towards the soldier restraining me. I get the leash just under his knees, and he gives a second of shock before falling to the ornamental pavement.   

I gather up as much of the cord as I can before sprinting off in the direction of the main entrance, I'm getting out of here! 





Now I know how a dog feels, I wince, the scent of singed fur reaching my nostrils, so that's what the collar's for...

"I have to hand it to you, doc. I didn't think it had that much juice," the soldier compliments, reaching to recover his control over me. 

I snarl, ready to bite. I will never go back!

Here I am, ears back, and hell in my eyes. I have been given a second chance at life and I am not going to waste it here. 

The people around me fade into the background, leaving only the scientist and the soldier. both of which have taken a step away from me for some reason...





I awoke in a small metallic room with a few basic tools and a locked door that lead into a long, blacked-out hallway. 

"Okay, demon steed," the soldier's voice bled through the crackly speakers, "Your job is to survive. Uncle Sam's invested a lot of money into this project, and it's time to pay him back." 

I paced the room, searching for a way out of the test chambers, but there weren't any obvious ways of escape besides the door itself. It was an old metal thing that's seen better days. There were a few ways I could do this, I could take the hinges off,  get something between the latch and the frame, or break the door down somehow. 

That last one seemed to be the most probable, but also the least intelligent. if I figured these "tests" right they were looking for intelligence rather than strength, so I turned my attention to the tools. 

A flat head screwdriver would do it, I thought as I dug my way through the small pile of metal instruments. There was a hammer, a few nails, some sturdy cord and a blade. Nothing entirely useful in the current context. 

I sighed and turning my attention to the doorknob.

"Why does it have to be round," I demanded after many failed attempts to get any semblance of a grip on the dang thing. 

I growled in frustration, pivoted and brought a back hoof down upon the offending metal. 

The knob rang off of the concrete with an immensely satisfying noise, and the door drifted open as if on command. "Thank you, hunk of junk," I said with a nod towards the door, and stepped into the long hallway. 

"Hey, doughboy! That all you got!" I yelled down the corridor. 

No response. Not even static from the hidden speakers. 

I took advantage of the downtime and let my eyes shuffle lazily into low light mode. Then I saw it, at the end of the hallway, next to an open exit was the mother of all fans. With six blades, each as long or longer than me (it's rather hard to tell at a distance). 

With a long whining complaint the blades started to turn, very slowly at first but then they started picking up speed. Like a helicopter getting ready for dust-off. 

I braced myself, wings folded tightly and head down. This was going to end in awesomely or very, very badly and with the way my luck has been going the latter seems the most likely. 

Exhaling became next to impossible, and my tail whipped out like an old flag, but so far I stood the test...I think, or maybe this whole experience was an elaborate fantasy conjured by a broken mind in a padded cell. 

My hooves scraped against the floor as I struggled to regain precious footing...or is it hoofing? 

No, mind focus on getting us out of here! I hesitantly took a half step I could feel the wind increase gradually the longer I was in here. 

After a few minutes I managed a couple yards, all but crawling towards my salvation: that open door. 

My ears popped and every muscle in my body felt like a roaring fire, but I kept going, clawing my way towards the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. 

"What the..." crackled over the speakers, "that pressure should be lethal." 

A determined, if not, evil grin split my lips as I made even more progress. I was just a couple yards away from safety. 

"If you wanna play hardball little girl..."

I gulped, This can't be good.

"...try this!" 

I was momentarily weightless, sent through the air like a leaf on a autumn day. I closed my eyes, relying solely on Pegasus instinct. 





"Good boy, Yankee, good job," Katherine praised as she ran her fingers through my mane. 

I didn't care at this point, I was far more interested in the bowl of water left for me at the end of the test chamber. 

"I have to admit, the results exceed the expectation," the soldier agreed, kneeling down to congratulate me. 

I turned to face him, panting like a dog, "don't you dare say anything right now. I'm in no mood." 

Katherine stepped between him and me, "that's enough military sanctioned torment for one day." 

He looked up at her with a newfound respect, got up, and marched back to his office. 

"I'm so proud of you," Katherine said as she picked me up. "There's not very many creatures that can do what you just did." 

I sighed in relief, and rested my head on her shoulder. This was finally a good day, something I could conquer. For once since my transformation something had gone right. 

I blew Kathrine's ponytail out of my face, and settled into a catnap. 





I awoke beneath the apple tree in the enclosure. Well, awoke might be an understatement...more of Elizabeth kicking me. 

"Ow!" I curled into a defensive ball, "what do you want?" 

She glanced around for anybody eavesdropping, "To escape. What's the plan?" 

I raised an eyebrow, "Really, you have this sudden urge for fresh air and I become Angus MacGyver?" 

She tipped her head, and blinked, "...I don't even know who that is..." 

I face-hoofed, "why am I so insufferably old?"

Elizabeth shook her head dismissively, "Anyways...about this plan of yours..."

"Yeah, I'm still working on it, but," I crawled under the tree into my Secret Cove Of Secrets...oh sure, like you could come up with a better name...

Elizabeth impatiently watched from the entrance while I grappled with my maps and supplies, "do you need help with anything. Hopefully that doesn't involve me getting devoured by a tree."

"Just hold your horses. I'll be coming out in a few seconds!" I had to gather everything and quick, if we were going to do this we had to play the game like we have nothing to loose. 

I pulled myself out of the entangling roots, making sure to kick them back into place on the way out. "Alright I've got the guards' patrols mapped out as well as the vet schedules..." I turned to find Elizabeth rolling on the ground laughing for some reason. 

"Did I miss the nitrous oxide grenades?" I asked head tipped to the side in confusion, "are those even legal?" 

She paused, considered my question, and promptly started laughing again. 

"What is it," I demanded, stomping my hooves, "what's so funny?" 

"You...you said..." Elizabeth paused, pointed between the both of us, "and we're..." 

I sighed, "here's the plan then, Giggles," I unrolled the rough, hoof-drawn map. "We're here, on the northern edge of the compound, the nearest exit is here, about a quarter mile that way," I pointed off in the direction of our escape. 

"That's actually really good, have you considered going into espionage," Elizabeth asked, kneeling next to me to study the map. 

"Just childhood fantasies," I flipped another page over the map, "here's the guards' routes. There's only three that I've seen thus far and they shouldn't be a problem." 

"What do you need me to do," she asked, pouring over the rough map.

"I need you to get into the maintenance shed and set off the fire alarm. I'll worry about getting us through the locked doors, and around the fire department when they show up." I rolled up the maps and tossed them through the roots into my new home. "Any questions?" 

"Will anybody get hurt," she asked, "what if someone gets in the way?" 

"Don't worry about that, just leave it to me," I sighed and laid down next to her, "listen, you've got a life out there to get back to so don't worry about me. I'm a tough little pony. I'll get you out, okay?" 

She nodded behind her tears, "what if we just stay here? eventually somebody important is going to notice we're here and then we'll get to go home..."           

"Did they give you contacts," I asked, finally getting a good look at her eyes. The once vibrant blue spheres had turned a dull green, almost jade color. 

" Uh, yeah," she nodded, "it's....experimental...why?" 

"Just curious," I glanced up at the night sky between the mild rainclouds, "I liked your eyes better before. The color really suits you better than that green." 

She smiled, "You really can be a sweetheart when you want to be."  

"Yeah...that's me I guess, a beautiful cobra." 

"I...I'm not sure I understand..." she asked, seemingly unable to break eye contact. 

I glanced at the ground, "I look good from the outside, but I'm full of poison and fangs behind the graceful tongue, and nice colors. It's just my nature," I found my gaze drawn to my stitches, "who I'm damned to be..." 

Her eyes adopted a softer, almost sad stance, "Maybe," she gently pushed my foreleg out of view, "maybe it's not a curse. Maybe it's a gift that you haven't quite gotten used to." 

I was unable to meet her gaze, suddenly ashamed of myself, I had failed her. The one living thing that I should've invested the most time and effort into our relationship. 

She got up, "it's been lovely, but I need to get some sleep. Big day tomorrow." 

I flexed my wings, preparing to jump to my favorite perch, "yeah...our V-day." 

"Goodnight, Yankee, I'll see you tomorrow evening." 

I gave her a small salute, before disappearing into the branches. Something's up, but I can't quite put my hoof on it... I caressed the worn bark with my left wing, Maybe friendship was, after all, magic. 



  


I awoke to the soft metal click of a leash being fastened onto my collar and my handler urging me to follow her. I groaned, but then again it is my last day here... 

Soon I had all four hooves on the ground and was walking with the teenage girl, who was just happy to be this close to us. 

My hooves clicked lightly on the colored paving stones as I trotted along next to her, "Her?" I don't even know her name...

Well, she was nice to me, name or not, and that right now was good enough for me. 

We passed by the various exhibits and buildings as we made our way around the facility. It was a nice late-spring day with plenty of sunshine and birds in the air. 

I couldn't help it, I was smiling at everyone we met, letting them pet me, and even posed for pictures. 

This has to be the greatest day of my life, and the best part is they have no idea what's going to happen. I thought as I hugged a little girl for a picture. 

"Thank you," he mother whispered to my handler, "you just made her day." 

My handler only smiled a bit and exchanged a few short words before urging me onward. 

I fallowed, hardly feeling the ground beneath my hooves. Today's going to be a good day.





Why am I such a gullible idiot? Seriously why?

I pressed my glare deeper into the vibrating floor of the military transport truck. I hadn't been free two hours before they caught me again. I don't know what went wrong, I had everything perfectly planned out, but guards showed up in places they weren't supposed to be, and Elizabeth got busted breaking into the maintenance shed. 

I groaned, and let the memories resurface, I needed to start at the beginning, find what went wrong, and fix it for my next attempt. 





I had gotten back to the enclosure at about 23:56 and Elizabeth was there with the supplies we needed. Next we crept across the zoo to our pre-stated objectives, all was well. Then at the change of the hour, everything fell apart...

Alright, if I just, I reasoned, bracing my back under one of the turn-y entrance bars and pushed for all I was worth. Ha, Ha! there she goes! I smiled as the grinding of gears gave way to free movement. 

"Hold it right there!" A gruff voice from behind me ordered. 

I turned to gaze down the barrel of an M4. 

My eyes widened in shock, "what's with the heavy artillery?" 

"It's quite simple, really. We need you because you're a legitimate Pegasus, and of course we can't forget the revenue you've turned up. We just can't afford to let you go." The woman next to the soldier explained, "on top of all that your emotions are just so..." she paused to lick her fingers, "...tender." 

My ears fell and I scratched glumly at the sand, I felt like crying. "I trusted you..."  

"I think that's enough, ma'am. There's no need to depress him further," the soldier insisted, relaxing his grip on the assault rifle. 

"But, his depression is so..." 

I didn't let her finish. I jumped and pumped my wings, filling their faces with sand. 

Elizabeth and the guard stumbled around blindly for a few moments, allowing me to escape. By the time they had recovered I was half way across the parking lot. 

I ran beside the main road as much as I could, diving into the thick weeds whenever a vehicle passed. 

I pulled myself through the brambles ignoring the countless sandburs assaulting my skin. 

"He's around here somewhere," Elizabeth sighed in her humanoid form. It was black, almost shell-like with her seaweed green hair falling somewhere around her shoulders. 

I've got to save her! She had to have been blackmailed right, there's no way she'd just up and betray me like that.

I crawled towards her slowly, carful not to make a sound. 

She sniffed the air like it was a fine whine, "I've found him." 

I cursed something in Equestrian, Now or never.

I exploded out of the ditch and punched a guard on the way to the ground. 

He fell, hand clasped over his eye and I noticed blood on my hoof. 

I tossed his gun to Elizabeth who was still shocked by my entrance, "Come on! Let's go!" 

She caught the gun, admiring it in her fingers. 

"Elizabeth, we've got to go now!" I yelled, panicking as the rest of the guards closed in.    

"You really can be a sweetheart when you want to be," Elizabeth pushed her stringy, green hair out of her face. "But, no. No I'm not going with you, there's nothing for me out there." 

"You've got a home, a family," my gaze shifted between my fellow captive and the approaching soldiers, "we can find them." 

She scoffed, "even if we did, who would take something like me? No, it's better this way." 

"It doesn't matter what you look like!" I shouted, "they're your family. They'd love you regardless!" 

"Look at me," she waved the gun around, "I'm a bloody changeling!" 

"And? I'm a Pegasus, what's the big deal?" 

Something hit my side, hard enough to knock me over. 

"He never learns, does he?" the guard asked from on top of me, "thanks for the assist." he added with a nod to Elizabeth. 

A single tear traced its way down my face, "Why?" 

She looked at me with those sparkling blue eyes, a tear of her own falling. 

I never got my answer, they just shoved me into the back of a truck and took off down the highway.



 

Now I'm here, stuck in an outdated military transport truck driving through the Midwest. 

My face met the wall over and over, my tears slapping against the floor. 

'I don't know where I'm going or why, but I know I'm going to fight any way I can. That, no matter the cost I'll get my freedom,' the rouge thought inspired me. 

"I'm watching out for you, my little pony," the voice from my hallucination whispered from inside my head. 

"Who are you," I demanded, pulling against the chain. 

"I'm the one that breaks your chains," she whispered, and my chain broke off at my hoof.

I shred my wings and leaped from the truck. 

I heard a single gunshot, and I was sent, in a bleeding ball, into the ditch. 

It hurt to breathe and I couldn't move. 

The truck stopped and a pair of soldiers got out and made their way to my crash site. 

"Great." One of them groaned, "it's dead." 

The other one threw his hat at the ground, "let's say we lost it." 

"We should bring the body, we can't just leave it here." 

I grit my teeth and tried to move, to crawl away. 

"Oh, my..." I heard one of them gag, "it's...it's still alive." 

The sound of approaching sirens sent the bad guys back to their truck and they tore off into the night. 

The cop stopped and started looking around. His jaw dropped when he saw me.

He got out of his old Crown Victoria, stopping only long enough to grab an old blanket from the back seat. 

He wrapped me, I nearly screamed when he touched my wound, and set me in the back of his car, "Don't worry buddy, we'll get ya some help." 

he threw it in gear and tore off down the road, thankfully in the opposite direction of my old captors.

I curled up on the seat next to him, and, using my tail as a pillow I passed into the realm of dreams. 


The end?