In the halls of the US Naval base of Port Hueneme the steady clang of dress shoes and boots along the deck of the barracks followed a tall pair of sailors. One was around 6'3, white, blond hair and green eyes. He had an avarage build, yet you could still see toned muscles from hard work. He was dressed in a khaki uniform, with dark brown shoes on his feet. The other was around 5'9, black, in a blue digital uniform with bloused combat boots. He had a more heavily muscled form, almost overly so.

clank, clank, cl-THUNK

"GOD DAMN IT!" The shout of pain and surprise was a great deal less impressive. Yeah that was me, Lucas Henry O'Donnell, age 25, grew up in Moses Lake, Washington. Chief Petty Officer, US Naval Diver, proud, 'professional', guitarist, and an all around sarcastic ass. I deftly heard the sound of a palm meeting flesh from the man whom was at the time following me.

"Fucks sake Chief, How is it you even earned that uniform, when you cant walk four feet without tripping on your own feet." Came the exasperated of the ass of a shipmate I was forced to deal with. Cole Tymothy Rodgers, 26, grew up in Harlem, New York. Make no mistake he was a good sailor, a hard worker, and a damn good diver. He was just a prick, it's why we were such good friends.

Grinning back I grasped the hand he extended to me to help me up. "It's what happens when you participate in a youth corp, and delayed entry. You move along fast instead of being a useless grunt like you." He gave me an angry glare, but the effect was ruined when a small smile crept through. Laughing I took advantage of this, "You laughed, therefor I'm not in trouble." I waged a finger at him in the triumph of my 'logic'.

We were heading out in celebration of my pinning ceremony. Hit some clubs, do some drinking, and if I get hammered enough I might be willing to pick up an electric for a bit. It was a hobby back in highschool, and I occasionally would get gigs at some better known rock clubs. Rodgers and I continued without incident to his car, as he was the designated driver.

"Shit I drank too much last night." Groggily I opened my eyes to see I was..... in an alley. It was real hard for me to get a hangover, which is why I was confused as to why I felt so terrible. I left the alley to see it was around mid day, meaning I had missed my first shift as a chief..... that's not gonna end well. Deciding to grab a nickle savor from the rack next to me I almost had a heart attack when my hand seemed to pass through the handle. That's when I saw it, my face on the front page. The headline read as such,

FRESHLY PINNED CHIEF PETTY OFFICER MOURNED

The......fuuuUUUCK? I can't be dead, besides the headache I feel great. That's about when I noticed my reflection had a bullet hole in his forehead, my forehead! Slowly last night events returned to me. I got mugged and tried to fight back, Rodgers rounded the corner when the fucker pulled the trigger. Reading as best as I could I saw the date on the paper, it wasn't last night. It was four days ago. The world around me seemed to start spinning as nausea set in. "Well, that sucks."

The fog swirling in my head faded as i pushed myself into a sitting position. It felt off, yet it came naturally. Remembering what had transpired earlier I opened my eye expecting either an empty void, or the fires of hell to great me. The void I hopped for because I was an agnostic atheist, and hell I assumed because if I was wrong I was fucked. What my first sight was.... a garden. Plants in all sorts of pastels surrounded me. Above was the most beautiful full moon I had ever seen.

Smirking I couldn't help the small quip I let out, "If this is hell those demon fucks have been slacking." My nose began to itch, upon reaching for it I noticed one peculiar thing. "Where are my hands?" Now, normally I would be flipping my shit, but with all the crap as of late I just couldn't be bothered. In place of my usual scarred hand, there was a black hoof, surrounded by dark grey fur with black stripes. Springing up to get out of there, I stopped falling a foot from the ground. It felt as if I was flexing some new back muscles, looking back I saw some grey feathered wings gently flapping behind me.

I was some sort of winged creature that was for sure. Experimenting with my new found extremities I ended up face planting harshly into the dirt below, "That is gonna take some work." Resolving to figure out the art of flight at a later time i wandered along on all fours. Again it was strange, yet natural. Eventually I found myself staring at a large ornate fountain, no doubt this place was owned by some well off folk. Peering into the waters I saw a reflection of myself, even in the gentle moonlight I could see clearly.

I was a dark grey zebra of sorts, which didn't make sense to me because zebras are from Africa, and I'm Irish and Scottish, like earlier I had the wings, but now they were folded against my body. My.... main I guess you could call it was the same dark grey, but spiked back with green tips, same with my tail. My eyes were no longer bright green but the same toxic green as my hair tips.

rustle rustle

Turning to investigate the source of the sound, a hoof filled my vision...... once again, this really sucks.

Alright, I'm getting kinda sick of waking up with headaches. Opening the protective sheath of my optical organs once more I was greeted by the sight of a less than amused.... mare by the look of it. Strange thing is she had fucking stars for hair! Not only that but she too had wings, thing is she also had a horn. Approaching me, her horn was surrounded in a dark glow, which was mimicked by the dagger that was now hovering in front of my left eye. I tried to move away from the offending blade but rope restraints prevented that.

"Whom, might I ask, is the pony before me?" Asked the knife brandishing mare, "I ask because while out on my nightly stroll I spied a figure snooping about the royal gardens." She stared at me exactingly. Her threatening tone left no room but to give an answer. I couldn't very well use my real name, I needed a cover. Something no one but those I knew would recognize.
"Caustic..... Caustic Flames." I felt pretty clever using my old bands name. Well, I did until she frowned at me. With a slight twitch of her head the knife raked across my eye, blinding it.

"You would do well to not lie to the goddess of secrecy and deception." Oh shit, either I was really dealing with a god, or someone crazy enough to call themselves one. She glared at my one good eye and spoke once more, "Now try again, who are you?"

Deciding that angering the person whom had just relieved me of my eye wasn't a good plan, I told the truth this time. "My name is Lucas. I don't know how I got here either. Last I knew I had been murdered and I definitely wasn't a zebra." The strange pony seemed taken back by what I had said. She looked as confused as I felt.

Stroking her chin with a hoof she began to talk, "I detect no lies in your speech this time. While satisfying that I now know whom I am speaking to I am perplexed by what you have said. You claim to have been slain yet you are here. You say you were not of the Zebra kind, yet you hang before me as such." She seemed to contemplate a moment longer before continuing, "Tell me then, what were you? Where did you once reside?"

Taking a gilp I began to explain, "Washington State, doubt it matters, because if I'm in a place like this I definitely ain't on Earth." Staring at me the mare nodded, affirming that she had heard of no such place. Continuing with my explanation I told her of what I am... well, use to be. "Before waking up in that garden, I was what is called a human. A bipedal race of thin hairless apes. I was killed in a mugging gone wrong when the criminal killed me."

Once more the mare looked confused and frustrated. Pacing back and forth she deposited the dagger onto a table that I hadn't noticed earlier. Taking the time to finally look around me I saw I was in a medieval dungeon of sorts. Turning to me the mare spoke once more, "Because you aren't attempting to deceive me I will have to accept this explanation. Still, with both the strange name,and with being a zebra, a pegasus zebra no less, You will stick out in a crowd." Tilting her head in thought she looked at my good eye again and spoke, "The alias you attempted to give me before, use it from now on."

"And why should I do a damn thing you say?" I demanded to know, still pissed at the loss of any eye. In a flash the knife from before was almost touching my last remaining eye.

"While the defiance is commendable I will not be insulted by a prisoner. Whom might I add seems to have only existed on this plane for a short while, and will not be missed." Threatened the once again angered pony. "And as for why you will listen to me, you share the same vocal tone and body shape of a military pony. You will be enlisting in my private guard."

Blinking in shock I could only form single words, "But- you- me.....huh?" One moment she had the voice of a razor, and was threatening o kill me. The next she sounded like an angel, and was offering me a job in her military. Taking what coherent thought was left in me accepted

Giving me a smirk her horn glowed, and the ropes around me slackened, now free I followed next to her for a short time until she looked at me with a dumbfound expression. "You do realize your eye is missing? Right?"

Giving her a deadpan look I replied, "Oh jee, wonder how that happened."

With a soft giggle that made my hear melt she gave me a pat on the shoulder, "Oh, I know how it happened, and I hope you remember it in case you feel like lying to me again." This mare is one cold bitch, and yet everything about her screamed perfection...... I have never been more attracted to a woman before now. She gave a call for a maid and another pony dressed in a french maid uniform walked over to us. "My friend here had a minor accident, take him to the royal doctor. Tell him he is fully under my protection."

"Right away Princess Luna." Came the immediate reply from the maid.

Luna, huh? Such a simple yet, fitting name. Never have I been so happy to lose an eye.

Author's Note

I dont know how this plot formed in my head, it just kinda did.