> Your Human and You: Fallen Angel > by RandomPerson > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 24th, 1941 The roar of engines rang through Pavel's ears as the plane he rode in soared through the air. Neither him nor his pilot Viktor spoke, there was no time for talking in their current situation. The 95th and 208th Fighter Aviation Regiments sped towards a German airfield in Kalinin, intent on wiping out whatever equipment or personnel they had the opportunity to. Pavel manned the rearward facing machine gun in one of twenty seven Pe-3 Heavy Fighters, among many other aircraft. Suddenly the radio crackled to life, Major Kibirinym’s voice drawing both crewman’s attention. “Two kilometers to target!” All aircraft began to draw together into a tighter formation, the Soviet heavy fighters prepared to drop their relatively small bomb loads. Without warning, the left engine of another Pe-3 directly to the right of Pavel burst into flames, its wing being raked by machine gun fire. Frantically searching the skies, Pavel spotted a group of German fighters diving onto the formation. Turning quickly, Pavel shook Viktor’s shoulder. “109’s!” He shouted, identifying the planes from what he could see. Viktor quickly turned, spotting the planes as they rapidly descended. “They must be returning from patrol! Protect the formation!” He shouted back, turning back to watch their front. In rapid succession, Pavel fired burst of gun fire at the diving fighters, though he could see no visible effect. There had to be at least nineteen planes. The rearward gunners of all others soon began to return fire, though the fighters quickly swept over them, critically damaging several in less than a minute. As the formation began their descent, their target became visible. A small airfield, with only a dirt runway, though many German fighters covered its edges. Just as they had spotted it, AA fire began to explode around them, quickly ripping yet another Pe-3 out of the sky. Pavel began to worry, they were quickly being singled out as planes around them began to spread out to avoid the enemy fire. The formation began to line up their targets, preparing to drop their bombs before they would use their primary machine guns on the remaining planes. Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass echoed inside the cockpit. Gun fire tore through the cockpit, peppering the side just behind where Pavel sat. Searing pain burned through his arm as he realized one of the bullets had grazed him just below the right shoulder. “Viktor?! Are you okay?” He shouted, turning to look over his shoulder. Blood was spattered across the gauges, Viktor holding tightly onto his neck as crimson ran down his uniform. Horrified, Pavel turned to try and help his comrade. The plane then violently jerked to the right, throwing Pavel up against the side of the cockpit. The tail rudders had taken heavy damage from AA fire and the plane was beginning to go into a nose dive. Frantically, Pavel let go of his gun and reached for the yoke, trying to pull the plane out of the deadly dive. Just as he had grabbed hold of it, the plane jerked violently again and the darkness took him. ~~~ (From here on out all parts from Pavel’s perspective will be in first person) I awoke with a start, jerking up from where I lay. I immediately regretted it, as pain shot through my body, my head pounding as if someone was beating me with a stone. My vision slowly returned to me as I became aware of my surroundings. Heat beared down on me like nothing that should be possible in the early Russian winter. As I blinked my eyes a few times, I immediately knew something was wrong. Sand. I was surrounded by nothing but sand. ‘What the...am I...no no... I couldn’t be...am I...dead?’ Rubbing my eyes, I paused for a moment before opening them. Sand. ‘Oh no...I’m dead.’ I began to worry. As I surveyed what I thought to be the afterlife, I then noticed the bits of unbroken glass that still clung to the frame of the cockpit. ‘Wait...planes don’t follow you into death?....Do they?’ Tentatively, I reach out, my fingers slowly running across the metal. ‘Yes! I’m not dead....only...’ I tried to call out for Viktor, though as soon as I did, it felt as if my throat caught alight with flame, a burning sensation that ran from my mouth to my gut tightened my throat. I felt as if I might puke from the one pulse alone. Coughing hoarsely, I grabbed my throat and tried to speak again. The same pain, though at least two-fold shot through my neck again, making me almost lose what food I had in my stomach. I soon realized that the plane was leaning heavily to the right, to the point of almost tipping. Slowly edging forward, I realized there was a large hole in the glass. ‘Gun fire must have weakened it’ I thought to myself. As I crawled forward, I took my first full look at the environment around me. As I had seen before, nothing but endless sand surrounded me, a few dunes here and there but there was no mistake, I was in the middle of a desert. For a moment I looked down at the foot of the dune and what I say immediately horrified me. At the foot of the dune, in a large stain of blood on sand lay Viktor’s crumpled form. As quickly as I could, I was down the dune and beside him. Tentatively rolling him over as gently as I could, my heart sank as I saw his injuries. Multiple lacerations covered his face and neck as well as two bullet wounds that had pierced his back and one in his neck. ‘Shit.....I guess I’m alone now...’ The wind suddenly began to pick up and the metal husk of the plane began to groan, slowly sliding down the dune. Hurriedly, I grabbed Viktor’s body, hauling him onto my shoulder before I began to trek through the sand in whatever direction I was going. ~~~ The Sun beat down on me like an insect under a magnifying glass. I had been walking for hours. I had long since shed my coat, its insulation would do nothing but make the heat worse. I had never thought I could sweat so much, feeling like someone had just thrown a bucket of water on me. ‘Water....’ I mouthed to myself; my throat was so dry it felt as if it would crack. Viktor’s body was becoming heavier by the minute, I doubted I could carry it much longer. Taking a short step, I stumbled. I did not lose my balance but a small thump below me caught my attention. Looking down I saw a small device of wood and metal lying in the sand. A rusty old M1895 Revolver. Looking to Viktor’s body, I noticed a small open holster under his jacket I’d not spotted before. I smiled a bit. ‘Even in death, you’re still watching out for me.’ I bent down, taking hold of the small weapon before stuffing it under my belt and continuing on. As I continued on, I felt the heat begin to takes its toll on me in earnest. I could feel sand somehow making its way into my boots, feeling as if I were walking on glass. I had been walking for at least an hour more before something caught my attention. The sound of wings flapping drew closer from behind me. Turning, I had to shade my eyes as the Sun attempted to blind me. There above me, floated three strange shadowy shapes, what confused me however, was the wings that sprouted from their backs. ‘Wait...wings?! Okay, the heat has finally done me in...’ I stared for a moment before one of the shadows screeched, the two others diving for me and tackling me to the ground. Whatever they were trying to do, I didn’t want it happening. Swinging wildly, my fist connected with one of the creatures faces, knocking it to the side. I quickly attempted to strike my second attacker, but was met with a swift punch across my jaw. A taloned claw took hold of my throat as the other creature took hold of my right arm, drawing a sickly looking dagger. Right as I felt the dagger would plunge down into my chest, a second screech stopped the daggers fall. -“Idiot! Don’t kill it! The meat’s only good when it’s fresh!”- Though I could not understand what was said, the voice sounded feminine. I could barely make out my attackers, my vision blurring from the lack of oxygen making it to my head. Feathered creatures, at least the size of Great Dane, and they appeared to have beaks. ‘Talking birds? Where the hell am I?!’ I screamed mentally. -“Knock it out, we’ll take it back to camp and eat it proper.”- My eyes went back to the two that held me down. One of the creatures raised its claw, balling it into a fist. ‘Oh Sh-’ Thwack! ~~~ The darkness slowly receded from eyes. They fell upon large ropes that bound my hands together, as well as my legs. I could hear a low rabble before me, the glow of a fire barely making it into my field of view. Slowly looking up, I saw that I was no longer in the hellish desert. Instead I was surrounded by low growing grass and a canopy of trees for as far as I could see. For once since I had awoken here, I felt a cool breeze wisp past my face. My three attackers sat about ten feet away from me, huddled around the fire. I had been right, they were bird creatures, but none that I had ever expected to see. ‘Griffins!’ I shouted inwardly, all of what I knew about the world (admittedly not much) frantically struggling to place this mythical creatures. -“Oi, looks who awake.”- The middlemost pointed at me, a gruff male voice punctuating his words. -“Calm down Gale, we just got the fire started. No way we can cook ‘im right now.”- The female spoke next. -“What if I like my meat raw?”- The male retorted back. -“Besides, who put you in charge anyway Gilda?”- -“The fact that I could beat your sorry tail into the ground, that’s who, dweeb.”- The female growled lowly, giving the male a menacing glare. As the two squawked at each other, my hand fell against something cold. Slowly shifting my eyes down, I saw the grip of the revolver poking out from under my belt. ‘Yes! They must have missed it when they tied me up....now I just have to wait for a good opportunity.’ -“Ugh, why did we have to make camp in this bloody forest? If those ponies caught us out here hunting those things we’d be arrested.”- -“Where else are we gonna have such quick access to supplies and the Humans? Dodge Junction is a trade post, they’ve got everything we need.”- -“Why not back in Gryphonia? We could eat a Human in public and no one would bat an eye.”- -“Tell you what, Gale. Find me more than one Human anywhere near Gryphonia and we’ll go back. They’re not there anymore! They may be animals but they know enough to get away from what’s killing them.”- The male grumbled, turning to rifling through his bag to get away from the conversation. Time passed slowly, the only thing I had to look at was the fire the Griffins continued to build up from a satchel of small pieces of wood. ‘Something tells me they're not building that for heat.’ -“It’s definitely better looking than any other Humans we’ve found out here. Shame the other was already dead, we might have just eaten it and brought this one along with us.”- -“Oh please, you’re not thinking of fucking it like those damn ponies are you?”- The male from before sounded as if he was chiding the female. -“Why not? It’s not like either of you two could do the job any better.”- She smirked, hoping her insult had landed. Standing up, she began to walk towards me. -“Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to play with your food, Gilda?”- The third spoke up, his remark more of a joke than an insult. The female drew closer. My fingers slowly curled around the grip of the weapon that sat hidden in my clothes. ‘Please be a double action...please be a double action...shit...please work.’ I prayed to whatever gods existed in this hell. When the creature was less than a foot away from me, I jerked the revolver from its hiding place, pulling the trigger twice in rapid succession. Two shots echoed out as the Griffin’s head snapped back, its body falling limp to the side. The other two were frozen in shock. Acting quickly, I aimed for the second, firing twice before aiming at the last and firing twice more. One of my shots landed, catching the first in the neck as the other two pierced the Griffin across his chest. As the ringing subsided, I realized I was breathing a lot faster than I thought I was, damn near hyperventilating. It was the first time I had been face to face with anyone I had killed and shit did it feel different. Shaking my head to wear off the shock of my own, I spotted a small blade that hung on a belt the female wore. Returning the weapon to its place, I rolled over, crawling to the body and cutting my binds. ‘This looks like a fairly permanent camp, they’ve got to keep water here somewhere!’ I began to tear through the small satchels piled near the fire, finding nothing but trinkets and useless items. Just as I was about to give up, I spotted a leather water pouch tied to the belt of another one of my attackers. Practically running the short distance to it, I grabbed at the pouch, almost ripping the belt it clung to. I pulled the cork from the top, guzzling the cool liquid as fast as I could. ‘Hmm....if they were gonna be staying here they’d have to have supplies...’ I quickly took another swig of water. ‘There’s got to be some sort of town or something. I might be able to get a landmark or something. Wait...why am I even looking anymore? Griffins don’t exist in the real world, what sort of landmark would I even look for?’ Turning to look at the three bodies that littered the ground, a sudden bit of movement caught my eye. The one that I had shot first’s wing was twitching. Shaking my head a few times I rubbed my bloodshot eyes and looked again, The body lay still. ‘Or....maybe I’m just hallucinating all of this...’ I lifted the pouch for one last swig as I pondered which would be best for my sanity. ‘.......Yep, definitely hallucinating.’ I quickly pushed myself to my feet, running off into the foliage so I could distance myself from any notion that I may be wrong. ~~~ I had walked for two whole days now. Two whole days and nothing but three mythical creatures that had been trying to kill me, near unbearable heat bearing down on me and now endless trees, weeds, and bushes that I had become lost in. My feet ached, my legs burned and my skin had long been burned red by the unforgiving sun. The last bullet in my revolver was starting to seem really friendly with each hour. I lifted the damp water pouch to my lips, the last drop of water rushing past my lips to sate my dry throat. Stuffing the empty pouch into my pocket, I continued to walk onward. After about an hour more I was just about ready to stick the gun in my mouth and be done with this, but as I walked around a large dirt mound, something caught my eye. A field with trees peppered with red in there leaves. ‘Oh it couldn’t be....’ I picked up my pace, running through the last bit of the forest. I burst from the confines of the trees and bushes out into an open field, absolutely covered with cherry trees. 'Oh by Stalin’s shriveled right hand! This is beautiful!’ I rushed to one of the trees, pulling cherries from any low hanging branches I could see. Stuffing several in my mouth at once, I had to stop and savor the taste. They were they best cherries I had ever tasted. Not that I had many times. They were practically nonexistent in the small snow covered town I grew up in. I hadn’t even tasted one until I had joined the military and even then it tasted like dirt. These however, they were heavenly. If not for the pits I would have to spit out I’d say they were the most divine thing I had ever eaten. Searching for more, I soon stumbled upon a basket full with no stems to be seen. ‘I’ll apologize later....’ I dropped to my knees, grabbing a handful of the wonderful fruit and proceeded to stuff my face. In my euphoria, I failed to acknowledge the creeping feeling something was behind me. Snap! A twig cracked under the weight of someones step. ‘Huh?-’ I turned to look behind me, only to be met with a shovel flying towards my face. ‘Clang!’ ~~~ “Cherry Pie! Get me some rope! There’s a Human out here eatin’ our cherries!” Cherry Jubilee called to her daughter, keeping close watch on the unconscious creature that lay at the foot of one of her best cherry trees. A dark purple spot began to show on the left of the Human’s forehead, a little fringe of blood seeping out on the edges. Soon her daughter ran up behind her, giving her the rope. “Wow Mom, ya really did a number on him. Ya sure that was necessary? It was just hungry.” “Hungry or not, he was eating some of the best cherries we’ve grown this year.” Jubilee replied, pulling a knot tight around the Human’s legs. “Say....he’s mighty strangely dressed to just be running around in the woods. I thought only those high life ponies in Canterlot put clothes on their Humans?” “Oh.....shoot you may be right dear. Here, help me look for its tags.” They began to look through his clothing. Around the neck, in the pockets, they even looked for the brand somewhere on his body where there would maybe be a name or cutie mark. “Oh I think I found something!” Cherry Pie peeled back the shirt he wore at his collar, what they assumed to be words were scribbled in letters they didn’t recognize. Павел Овечкин “What is Faust name is that? That’s not Equestrian letters. Not Gryphonian either. Where do you reckon he comes from?” “I don’t know Mom, but he looks pretty valuable. Just look at him. I haven’t seen many Humans but the ones I have seen don’t look anything like this. They’re all dirty and look half rabid most of the time. This one’s....somewhat clean, looks like he’s been walking around in the desert. Nothing a little water can’t fix though. Imagine how many bits we could get for it in Canterlot!” “Now I don’t know about that Cherry, what if someone comes looking for him? What are we gonna tell them then?” “Mom, no one around here owns Humans, wherever it got the clothes it could have been wearing them for a while. We’d be able to buy all that equipment you been fretting about for so long. C’mon, let me load it up with the cherries going to Canterlot in a couple days. I’ll sell it to somepony who actually markets them for a high price and we’ll be golden!” Cherry Jubilee pondered on the idea for a bit. It was a good idea, and they would be able to buy the things they needed to keep the farm maintained; maybe even have a little spending money left. If some high life pony came looking for him though.... “Oh well...what they don’t know can’t hurt them.” Cherry made her decision, nodding to her daughter. “Alright, help me get him back to the barn and I’ll send you off with him.” “Awesome!” Cherry Pie grinned and took hold of the ropes that bound the Human with her teeth, dragging him towards the house with the help of her mother. > Chapter 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luna ambled down the palace halls, reflecting on the strange feeling that had gripped her today. As she walked, she gazed up at the beautiful stain glass windows that adorned the walls of the hall. First there were the ancient ones, made long before her banishment. Then came the more recent, showcasing the accomplishments of the now Princess Twilight Sparkle and her companions. It was then that Luna recognized the feeling plaguing her: loneliness. Sure, she had the Elements themselves as her friends, but she rarely ever saw them due to her duties. Then, of course, she had her older sister Celestia - but then the same problems befell their relationship with the Day and Night courts. Only when they were closed would they see each other, which was not often. Sighing to herself, she turned the corner just short of the door to the throne room, making her way to one of the many balconies that clung to the sides of Canterlot Castle. A gentle breeze brushed through Luna’s ethereal mane as she stepped out, leaning on the stone railing. Looking out over the city, her attention was suddenly drawn by a soft voice below her. In the gardens below, a castle maid slowly walked behind a human that was exploring the vibrant gardens, occasionally calling to him to slow down or come back with a soft tug of the leash. ‘Ugh .. Blueblood. Can’t even take one of his own pets out for a walk .. has to make the staff do it.’ Just then, a thought occurred to Luna. “That’s it!” She thought aloud, smiling to herself as she turned and began to trot back down the hall, a spring in her step. Quickly retracing her steps, she pushed the doors open, walking out into the throne room. Celestia sat on the throne, listening to a group of elder looking nobles before her relate their various requests and problems. Celestia’s ears perked up when she heard the doors open. Holding up her hoof to silence the court, she turned to her sister. “Luna? I thought you were asleep.” “I was Tia, but something was .. disturbing my rest. I’m off to the marketplace.” Luna said, not bothering to look at her sister as she moved towards the door, flanked by a pair of Lunar guards as escorts. “What for?” “You’ll see when I return, Tia!” Luna said with a note of excitement in her voice. ‘Huh…’ Celestia thought. ‘I haven’t seen Luna like that in a while...’ ~~~ Three days earlier. ‘Clunk..’ ‘Clunk..’ ‘Clunk..’ ‘Clunk’.. My head rhythmically bumped against cold metal as my consciousness returned to me. Cracking open my eyes, they were assaulted by the sun’s merciless rays, causing me to close them immediately. A clamor of voices, all incomprehensible to me, began to draw closer. Forcing my eyes open, it took them a few painful seconds to adjust to the bright light. When they did, I almost wished I couldn’t see again. I sat in a metal cage, loaded onto a wagon nearly full with bushels of cherries. What was outside the cage, though, was far worse. Horses were everywhere, and they were nothing like any I had ever seen. They were much shorter, there heads rounded almost to the point of looking Human, save for their snout, and none of them seemed to be the same color. One was red, another a bright shade of blue. Some of them were even wearing clothes! ‘Ugh.. this just keeps getting better, doesn't it?’ My head slumped back against the bars. I did not think I would be able to much more of what this world was throwing at me without losing my mind. As I mused to myself, a cold sensation brushed against my legs. ‘What the-’ I looked back over my shoulder, my eyes widening. ‘Holy hell, I’m naked!’ I quickly pulled my legs up behind me best I could, leaning to the left as I tried to sit down so I could hide myself. It hurt my wrist a lot with the angle they were bound to one of the bars, but at least what I wished to hide was hidden now. The wagon stopped abruptly, jerking my tightly bound wrists against the bars. I hissed in pain, looking around to see why I had stopped. My eyes widened at what I saw. Under a large canopy, there had to be at least thirty humans, male and female, stuffed into cages like mine. Some were alone while others shared one, but something about all of them caught my attention. They looked like animals. Completely naked, their skin was dirty, their hair unkempt and they wore no clothes whatsoever. “This will only take a minute!” A feminine voice said rather loudly over the noise of the others. A vanilla colored horse with a bright red mane trotted into my field of vision, making her way past a the few cages that sat out in the front to the back where I lost sight of her. Figuring I wouldn’t see her for a bit, I took time to observe the city around me, and I was very surprised. What I seemed to be in was a marketplace, but surrounding it was a beautiful city of marble. The streets bustled with activity. It’s occupants, though they were horses, wore some of the most expensive looking clothing I had ever seen before. ‘I don’t think Stalin himself could afford some of these things...’ I marveled at the feeling of wealth the whole city gave off. Turning my gaze to the looming mountain above us, the structure built into its side truly astonished me. It had to be a palace or cathedral of some sort, no other building would deserve as much work. The whole thing reminded me of the Pokrovsky Cathedral. It’s towers were topped with almost the same spiral roofs, though these were bright colors of gold and purple. A deep male voice suddenly spoke, causing me to jump a bit. “Gotcha one of those rare mountain Humans did ya? How’d you manage that?” The vanilla colored horse from before and now a steel gray one stood at the back of the wagon, staring at me. I drew my legs closer to my body. Their gaze was very unsettling. “Well, you see.. I didn’t really find him. He wandered onto my mother's farm and started eating our cherries. Heh, lucky we caught him too, he was really going for ‘em.” The one I now assumed was a mare by her annoyingly high voice snickered. The gray stallion remained stoic. “Whatever. Let’s have a look.” A light blue aura appeared, causing me to stare at the horn upon his head. ‘How did I not notice that? It’s a unicorn?!’ My hands suddenly felt tingly as the aura wrapped around my bonds, untying them from the bars of the cage. My whole body was wrapped in the glow before the cage door flung open, the aura pulling me out and holding me in the air for all to see. I weakly struggled, trying to at least cover myself, but the stallion merely sighed and the hue of the glow darkened, restricting me completely. I was now as stiff as someone spread eagle and nailed to a tree. “Hmm, seems to be well built. He’s taller than most, probably would’ve been good for field work if you had taken him to Ponyville.” ‘Did.. did he just say Ponyville? What kind of name is that? Wait.. could that be what they call this place? Or themselves? Come to think of it, they do look more like ponies..’ “Ah well, some neglected Noblemare will have fun with that. Seems to be a bit.. injured on his face. Would you have any idea where that came from?” The stallion turned to look at the mare. “Um...well...he was...like that when I found him?” The mare shuffled nervously on her feet. “Uh huh. Well...I’ll give you two thousand bits for him.” The mare frowned a bit. “Two thousand? Surely he’s worth at least five hundred more?” Shaking his head the stallion looked back to me. “Nope. Two thousand is as high as I go. The injury, whether you caused it or not, is gonna cost ya. Even with a healing spell it’s gonna leave a mark, and ponies around here don’t typically like their Humans bruised up when they buy ‘em.” The mare looked as if she were about to retort, but stopped and sighed. “Alright. Two thousand it is.” Smirking, the stallion nodded. “I’ll go get the papers.” "Oh! I brought a box of the clothes he was wearing. Maybe you can interest a new owner in them?" "I'll get it when I come back." With that, I was pulled through the air and under the canopy. Stopping suddenly, a cage door was pulled open and I was unceremoniously tossed in, landing on my back. My bonds were once more wrapped in the aura, disintegrating before the cage door was slammed shut. A low growl alerted me that I was not the only occupant of this cage. Pushed as far into the other corner as he could go, a human male sat staring at me. He snarled, bits of spittle clinging to the corners of his lips. I pushed myself to the opposite side of the cage, drawing my legs to my chest and laid my head against my knees. ‘I miss the desert......’ ~~~ Day Two. I sat the same way I had the day before, but I was not at the shaky peace I had been. I ground my teeth in annoyance as a small hoof poked my thigh through the bars for at least the fiftieth time. Moving my head a bit, I snuck a peek at the instigator of my frustration. A small gray pegasus (yes, pegasus, because this world wasn’t mythical enough already) was watching me closely as he prodded, either trying to draw a reaction out of me or perhaps studying my texture. It was unfathomably annoying either way. “Dasher, for the third time, get away from it!” “But, Mom! He looks so different from all the others! He’s cool! Can’t we get him instead?” “No. It’s too expensive!” The mare that had called for him was being shown different Humans by the stallion from the day before. “Besides, your father and I agreed to getting a female. They’re far more docile once they’ve been spayed.” The foal turned away from the cage, carrying on with his pouting. I quickly saw an opportunity to get my revenge. The foal had left his hoof slightly inside the bars. Quickly taking the chance, I reached down and grabbed his leg, pulling him up against the outside of the cage. He stared at me fearfully, his pupils the size of pinpricks. ‘Thank god he isn’t screaming,’ I thought. Leaning down I stared back at him. Shaking my head once at him, I released his hoof and let him fall back on his rump. I assumed he got the message because as soon as he was back on his feet he took off towards his mother, hiding behind her leg and peeking out as she and the stallion talked of something. ‘Smooth,’ I inwardly grumbled, returning to staring at the bottom of the cage. ~~~ Day Three. Today was a bad day. My stomach grumbled loudly, feeling as if it was trying to digest itself. The cherries I had eaten in the orchard were absolutely amazing, but they didn’t exactly hit the spot. It’s not like the dealers whom I had been imprisoned by were starving their stock; they left quite a generous amount of bread in our cages each day. Each time I had went for a piece, though, the human I shared the cage with - or ‘Sloth’ as I had taken to calling him - would swat and snarl at me as he hoarded it. I had no interest in getting bit. ‘Who knows what that thing has in its mouth anyway?’ I asked myself. So I had resigned to sitting in the corner and watching as Sloth would scarf down the food meant for two. Today was different however. With my body crying out for something to eat, I was past my fear of getting bit so long as I could snatch a piece or two of bread. So, calmly I waited, sitting as I had for the last two days as feeding time slowly approached. When the hour came, I peered over my arm and saw the stallion going from cage to cage with a cloth bag, dropping in five or six pieces of bread before moving to the next. When he came to my cage, I prepared myself. Right as he dropped the bread in, I sprang forward, snatching several pieces in both my hands before I quickly huddled back to the corner. ‘Finally!’ I grinned, bringing one of the pieces up to my mouth. Just as I was about to take a bite, a deep guttural snarl caught my attention. Before I could even turn, Sloth pounced on me, slamming me against the cage wall. Bread or not, he had just attacked me, and I was really not in any sort of mood for it. Quickly bringing my arm up to stop him from biting me, I dropped the bread, throwing all my weight forward on my arm to force him off of me and against the gate of the cage. I lay against him for a split second as we both struggled to regain our bearings. Unfortunately, Sloth was the first to regain his and grabbed me by the neck, digging his fingers into my throat. ‘Damn! He’s strong for such a scrawny little bastard!' I swung my left arm as hard as I could, connecting with his jaw hard enough to make him lose his grip for a moment. I could hear the stallion yelling outside of the cage. With the growling and snarling of my struggling opponent and the excited noises the other humans were making, I could barely hear just that. I was forced onto my back as Sloth once again tried to get his hand around my neck, his free arm swatting at my face. The glow of the stallions magic aura lit up around the lock as he attempted to insert a key. The cage was too small for him to separate us within it, so he would have to pull one of us out. Unexpectedly, Sloth landed a rather hard hit right where the bruise from before now sat, catching me off guard. A searing pain gripped my head like a vice as he grabbed hold of my neck, squeezing as hard as he could. “ENOUGH!” A near deafening voice filled the air as both me and Sloth were wrapped in a deep blue aura, nearly black. The cage disappeared entirely as we were both hauled into the air, held stiff by this newcomers power. Before me stood a pony unlike any I had yet to see. Her coat was a deep blue that reminded me of an Officer’s Coat in the Navy. Her mane flowed freely like a nonexistent wind constantly drifted through it, she had both wings and a horn; something I had never seen nor heard of in any Mythology, and she was nearly twice as tall as any other pony I had seen. ‘Oh boy.. I think this one’s important,’ I thought; given that she was flanked by two more bulky looking ponies wearing armor, I assumed I was right. ~~~ Luna stared at the two Humans held aloft in her magic, then looking down to the stallion who was supposed to be responsible for them. “Y-Your Majesty.. t-to what do I owe the pleasure?” The stallion known as Onyx was bowed as low to the ground as he could, practically trying to bury himself. “I came to make a purchase.” Luna spoke in a slightly annoyed tone. “I suppose I have chosen the wrong dealer though, seeing as you can’t keep your own animals from hurting each other.” Onyx felt as if Luna’s gaze was boring into his very soul. “P-Princess, I have never.. had a problem with any of my stock. T-That one, the Mountain breed,” He pointed at the palest of the two humans Luna held, “Ever since some mare from Dodge Junction sold me him all of my humans have been acting more aggressive. I take g-good care of them your Highness, they have no reason to act out.” Luna looked to the human Onyx spoke of, and something about him caught her attention. She had seen a Mountain breed Human before, but something about this one was.. off. He did not look entirely the same, and the way he looked back at her did not feel the same either. “You say this one is the cause of your problems? Is he aggressive himself?” Luna asked, studying the strange Human more. “N-No. He.. well, he just sat in the corner of his cage staring at the floor for the past three days, your Highness. He hasn’t attacked the other or even growled at the customers.” “Hmm… indeed.” Luna pondered. “How much?” “P-Princess?” Onyx looked up at her confused. “I said, how much. How much for this Mountain breed Human?” “Well.. I.. I bought him for two thousand bits, but..” “Ah, excellent! Two thousand it is!” Luna cut him off, levitating a rather large pouch of coins from the side of one of her guards, dropping it in front of Onyx. “Um.. okay. There is some paperwork, though..” “Of course, I shall require a cage and collar for him as well.” Luna spoke, not even looking at Onyx as she did. “Oh um...Princess, the mare who sold him too me also brought a box of clothing, said it was on him when they discovered him in their orchards. Would you like that as well?” “Yes, yes of course.” “I’ll.. I’ll be right out with it then.” Onyx quickly stood and trotted off rather hurriedly. Luna drew her new pet closer to her, looking at him and smiling. “You’ll soon be coming home with me little one.” ~~~ Dodge Junction Cherry Jubilee stood on her porch, sweeping the dust off the steps as the winter breeze slowly drifted by. She finished, setting the broom aside she turned to go back inside. Just as she opened the door, her ears twitched, the sound of beating wings drawing nearer. Turning back, she walked down one of the steps, looking around to try and spot what was making such a loud noise with just wings. She quickly got her answer as a dull thump resounded on the ground in front of her. “Oh my Celestia!” She took off running towards the injured Griffin that lay in her yard.