Welcome home.

Although the initial shock has begun to subside, those two words echo relentlessly in your head and infest your conscience with abject terror. You can't really be trapped here forever, can you? Maybe none of this is real. Maybe it's a dream. Oh God... maybe you're dead. You keep coming up with more possibilities, each one more morbid than the last, until a sharp voice pierces your thoughts.

"Hey, pick up the pace, biped!" The winged horse leading you down a rugged path of stone snaps at you yet again. You choose to ignore her, adjusting the unconcious body slung over your shoulder and maintaining your constant pace. Hardly a few minutes have passed since you appeared in front of the forest, but it feels like an eternity ago. With nowhere else to go and no intention of aggravating another talking bat horse thing, you decided to obey the feminine equine and now find yourself trudging away from the thick forest and towards what appears to be a large boulder in the distance, silhouetted by the moonlight.

"Hey, I said move it!" the female barks naggingly. Evidently, she wants you to kill her. You simply exhale sharply through your nose and grit your teeth as you desperately try to block her and everything around you out. This technique occasionally works when on the phone with angry customers, but then again, refraining from arguing with a winged horse isn't something you're paid to do. Said horse abruptly stops and turns around, flapping her wings so she can look you in the eye. "What are you, brain dead? I don't have all night!"

Lowering your glare back to the ground and maintaining your constant pace, you try not to grind your teeth as you reply in a dry voice. "I'm holding a fifty-pound horse, I think the least you could do is be a little patient with me."

The creature, still hovering where you were just standing, races over to you and snarls. "The least I could do?" She shrieks. "I'm taking you to my home instead of leaving you stranded in the Everfree forest!"

You look up, a fire of agitation brewing inside of you and no one around to control it. "Right, to make me your prisoner, isn't that what you said? Is this something you Hell-horses do often, find people in the forest and take them captive?"

"Ugh, stop calling us that!" The hovering demon almost seems offended. "We're batponies, not horses, and you're lucky I'm not leaving you in the woods to die!"

"Lucky!?" you shout. "I was about to enjoy a nice Friday night with no one but me, my TV, and my gorgeous, hand-crafted sandwich, and now I'm walking towards what I assume to be the gates of Hell with a crazy, unconscious demon on my shoulder and an even crazier demon barking orders and insults at me for no damn reason! If anyone's lucky, it's you! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't knock the daylights out of you right now!"

The batpony scoffs. "What're you gonna do, throw a rock at me?"

"Don't tempt me!" You snarl. Even though the prospect of slamming your fist into the bratty creature's one-fanged face sounds glorious, deep down, you know you're bluffing. You're gut is telling you to follow the creature to civilization, and you can't shake the feeling that it's right.

"Go ahead then!" the blue mare commands. "Do it! Knock me right out! It's just what I need, another attempt at making my clan proud blowing up in my face!" For the fifth time tonight, you have no idea what she's talking about or if she's even talking to you. "All I wanted was for one idea, just one idea of mine to go the way I wanted it to!"

"Well, all I wanted was a sandwich!" you snap. Clearly, if she's not going to bother making sense, you might as well say whatever the hell you want. Though, you really do wish you had your sandwich.

Suddenly, from the veil of shadows ahead, a low and harsh voice echoes. "Satin Silhouette!" it roars. "Where in Equestria have you been?" The small batpony in front of you reacts instantly with a small squeak of terror. She spins around to face the source of the voice and opens her mouth to speak, but before she can, the hidden creature steps into view and locks onto you with a horrified gaze. He is, not to your surprise, another batpony, and the largest one you've seen thus far. "Satin, what in Tartarus is that thing?" he asks. You can't tell if the tremble in his voice is one of fear or anger.

"Well, you see--" the pony called Satin begins with mask calmness before the stallion interrups again.

"And why in the name of Luna's night are you bringing it to our cavern?!" He does not take his fearful eyes off of your's as the irritation and astonishment in his voice slowly escalates.

"Well, yes, I'm getting to that if you would just--" once again, Satin tries to speak and once again, the stallion cuts her off.

"And what the buck is it carrying on it's shoulder!?" Finally, he turns his gaze to Satin with a look of utter outrage. "What in blazes have you been up to this time!? Was setting our garden on fire not enough for you? Was it too difficult for you to understand when to stop after the foal-pup incident? Why does it seem like we have this conversation every single night, and why does it never get through your skull!?"

The smaller batpony winces, but snaps right back up, her wings outstretched to make her look bigger. It doesn't do much. "Would you at least let me talk, dad?!" She nearly screams. "I think if you did, you'd actually find that I did something right!" Satin suddenly turns to you and then back to her father wearing a sheepish grin. "Well, almost. Look, I know this looks bad, and I know that I broke the rules by leaving my post, but I'll have you know that this time it was for a completely good and justifiable cause, and I totally took care of the problem by myself and have proven myself a worthy heir to the Zhu throne by doing so!" She smiles proudly before her eyes flick over to you once again and back to her father. "Well, almost by myself. Eheh."

Beneath the depths of your growing confusion and restlessness, there is a deep sense of satisfaction at seeing the being that was once nagging at you relentlessly be reduced to a stuttering child after a mere scolding. You want to say some thing, to interject and yell at something, anything, until it begins making sense, but all you can do now is stand there in a frazzled daze.

Satin's father stares at his daughter with what can only be described as a "death glare" as he opens his mouth and speaks in a steady voice. "I'll ask you again. What did you do this time?"

Satin puffs out her chest and scampers a few steps backwards with a determined grin on her face. She clears her throat. "Okay, so, I was sitting in my watchtower as usual, just... you know, watching, and suddenly I saw three batponies from the Mega Colony exit the Everfree onto our territory! I knew they were planning something bad, so, as the responsible princess of our proud colony, I took it upon myself to capture and imprison them! Of course, as luck would have it, my plan was nearly ruined when this thing," she gerstures towards you, "popped out of the shadows and chucked a rock at the intruders, knocking one of them out and scaring the other two away. Now, naturally, I was pretty mad, but then my stunning intellect took control and, voilà! Two prisoners for the Zhu Colony! You see, dad, if you just gave me a chance, I think you'll... dad?"

The large batpony's eye twitched. "Could you tell me something, daughter of mine?" he says slowly. "I want you to tell me the name of the cursed, Tartarus-born demon that possesses you to actually believe that having a blatant disregard for simple orders, constantly getting yourself and others in danger, and generally not giving a flying buck about anything I say would make you a worthy princess!" Satin's wings fold up as she hovers to the ground. "I mean, you've done some bone-headed things in the past, but leaving your post instead of reporting the danger to your comrades, getting yourself into a fight with rival colony members and bringing home the Everfree Forest creature that took them out for you really sets the record! How do you expect to ever be part of the council, much less take over the throne with behavior like this?!"

Apparently something he said really got under Satin's skin, because in less than a second, her wings are flared and she's standing at full height again. "Well gee, dad," she says melodramatically. "I'm sorry for 'endangering our colony' by preventing what would have been the seventh attack on us in two weeks, bringing one of the attackers to you as prisoner, and capturing an Everfree forest creature that could be a big threat to everypony if it was just let loose! Ever think of that, dad? No, you didn't, because all you ever think about is how bad I've messed up when I'm just trying to prove to everypony in the Zhu Colony that they can trust me!"

As if by some blocked door in the back of your head opening up, it suddenly dawns on you why this female creature annoys you so much: she's an adolescent. Fantastic. Said adolescent's father stays in his fury mode for a few seconds, silently staring at his defiant daughter until he seems to give up. He sighs and rubs his temple with a hoof (how these horses can do these things with their legs is a mystery, but it's creepy as hell).

"Satin..." the stallion sighs again. "Give me the Mega Colony batpony, take that creature back to where it belongs, and then come inside and tell everypony that you're safe. I'll think of a punishment for you when I no longer have a headache with the magnitude of Celestia's sun."

Yet another mental door becomes unblocked, and you finally come to terms with what's going on. You've been watching two ponies with demonic wings, specifically a daughter pony with demonic wings and her daddy pony with demonic wings, argue back and forth in American English and referring to you as if you were a demonic creature. This does not settle right with you.

"Alright, okay," you begin with a panicky grin, drawing the attention of both batponies. "So like, uhm, sorry to skip the formalities and such, but I'd really just like to let everyone know that, uh, this is not fucking normal!" You shout that last part hysterically, gesturing all around you. "I am a human being! My name is Caleb, and you are quadrepedic, cloven-hooved creatures that should be quietly grazing in a field somewhere and letting kids ride on you and pet you and feed you apples, not arguing like a daughter and father on prom night! So, stop it! No--" you're cut short when you feel the weight on your shoulder shift, followed by a stabbing pain shooting down your spine.

You howl in agony as you feel your instincts take over for the second time tonight. You bend over, catapulting the animal off of you and onto the ground. The impact of its back on the rugged stone beneath it renders it breathless, and you waste no time in straddling the gasping creature so that it can't get back on its hooves and wrap your hands around its thick neck. Your jaw is clenched tight and you can feel your heart pounding, shooting scalding adrenaline throughout every fiber of your being as the wicked thing beneath you slowly slips back into unconsciousness.

With a few more voiceless gags and futile jabs at your side, the batpony goes back to sleep. Panting for breath, you stand up, the cold night air now even more frigid against your sweat-covered skin. Your heart still beats wildly in your chest and you can still feel the blood rushing into and out of your skull, but something inside of you has been sated, that ever burning fire that begs relentlessly for you to release hell onto something that can fight back, the fire that you fear more than anything.

You turn your head to the two conscious batponies, who now look at you in astonishment. Their presence no longer kindles rage within you, and your irritation is replaced rather suddenly by desperation. You wipe the sweat off your brow and look directly into the male batpony's reptilian eyes. "Look. I don't want to hurt you," you admit quietly. "I don't know where I am or how I got here, but if I go wandering aimlessly in that forest looking for a way back home, I'm either going to die or go insane... if either of those things haven't happened to me yet. I followed your... daughter here because I have nowhere else to go. I'll... protect you or work for you or offer sacrifices to your god or whatever, just please don't leave me alone out here. I'm just... I'm just scared and-and confused." Thoughts of Isaiah and your apartment and your family and your sandwich fill your head and you're suddenly trying to hold back the throbbing, stinging urge to sob.

The batpony stallion squints his eyes in thought, then looks over to his daughter, then back to you, to his daughter, to you, and finally, he smiles. It's not a warm, welcoming smile, but more of a mischievous, cunning smile with a hint of pride. He takes a step forward and says slowly, "Caleb, was it?"

~~~

Satin cannot believe this is happening to her. Her dad gets all pissy and yells at her for just protecting her colony, but some rabid, bald, flat-toothed monster from the Everfree forest just cranks up the waterworks and now here he is, being led down the chambers of her colony's cavern by his royal highness. Hmph. More like his royal... stupid-father-ness. The young batpony mare yet again flutters her leathery wings in irritation as she walks alongside the creature. How this thing took out a batpony stallion two times in a row is beyond Satin. It looks harmless, with its transparent flaky claws, roundish teeth and bare hide. How does he even keep balance? Not looking where she's going, Satin walks straight into a stalagmite.

"Oomph!" she grunts, her forehoof sticking straight out and her small muzzle flattened. She steps back, caringly rubbing her one precious fang with her tongue before snapping her attention back up to her father and the human. "Hey, hey, hey, woah, dad wait." Satin leaps up and rushes to her dad, who turns around.

"Yes?" He says casually.

Satin looks behind him at the large familiar entrance ahead, covered by silky white curtains. "Why are we going to the council forum?" she inquires nervously. Her nerves are not settled by the smirk her father gives her.

"I told you that I'd come up with your punishment once my headache subsides," he explains. "Seems that this season's allergies are going easy on me." With that, he saunters behind the curtains.

~~~

You really never intended to get a closer look at the sentient horses that have now made you their guest, but the antsy Satin really gives you no choice, her eyes now inches away from your own with a frantic gleam reflecting from them. "Look, human, Caleb, whatever," she whispers harshly. "I know you already don't like it here, but I can tell you for a fact that behind those curtains, only misery can exist." She places her hooves on your shoulders and shakes you back and forth. "Misery! Please, please just turn around--"

"Satin Silhouette!" her father's voices pierces through the curtains, causing her to wince dramatically. You say nothing, simply cocking your eyebrow and pushing her hovering form away. The curtains do not feel the way you expected them to. They're lighter than feathers, almost not even there, like walking through a spiderweb. As you push past the gossamer drapes, you're greeted by a large dome-shaped room. Like the rest of the cavern, it's mysteriously illuminated by a pale silver light emanating from thin, vein-like patters tracing the walls. From the edge of the circular cave to the middle, several stalagmites stick out from the ground, progressively growing in size until they reach the center of the floor, at which point they seem to form a booth-like structure, reminiscent of a courthouse.

Upon this booth sit three batponies. You recognize Satin's father immediately, his indigo coat giving off a sense of regality as he looks upon you from his spot between two elderly ponies. The one on the right is pale blue, almost grey with eyes of silver. Something about his stern face and cold eyes sends chills down your back. On the king's left is a mare of equal age, a black veil covering half of her face, letting only the golden glow of her eyes shine through. You hear the sound of slow hoof steps coming from behind you and you turn around, glad to have an excuse to look away from the intimidating creatures before you.

Satin does not look at you. Her shoulders are hunched and her head is lowered, her glowering gaze trained on her father. "Hello, council." She says bitterly.

"Midnight," the ancient pony with veil says, not taking her eyes off of you. "Do you care explaining?" Her voice seems frail yet firm at the same time, like a tree flailing in the wind. Satin's father, evidently named Midnight, explains in full detail the events that have transpired up until this point, earning snorts and scoffs of protests from Satin from time to time. You try not to shudder at the sight of the two council members staring you down. Even the king Midnight, with his fiercely long fangs, large intimidating wings and deep commanding voice simply does not compare to these two. You reassure yourself that you could definitely overcome them in a fight, but you just can't shake off those creepy stares, like they know something about you that even you don't.

When Midnight finished telling the story, the silver-eyed council member spoke up. "This creature," he began in a scratchy voice. "What do you plan on doing with him?"

The king smiled and looked at his daughter. "Oh, I'm getting to that. You see, as we all know, my daughter, the princess of the Zhu Colony has long needed to be taught a lesson in responsibility." Another scoff from Satin. "We've tried just about every position in the colony to occupy her with, but she still has yet to learn how to cooperate." The two council members listen intently as Satin visibly becomes more nervous. She tries to hide it by fanning out her wings, but they began to slightly shake.

"What does this have to do with the forest creature, my lord?" The female council member takes the thought right out of your question-filled head.

"Let him continue, Mascaraga!" Spats the stallion on the right.

"Oh, shut your trap!"

Midnight clears his throat. "If you two are quite done?" He says patiently. The two ponies turn their attention back to him. "As I was saying," he continues. "We've tried to occupy her with almost every position our colony has. Except for the one task that every princess and responsible young adult should be assigned with." Satin's eyes go wide. "Unfortunately, though this occupation always seemed the smartest idea, we've never seemed to be able to find an available partner to assign to Satin. Not to mention that I really wanted to use this as a last resort, but now I am at my wit's end, and we've got him!" Midnight points directly at you with a hoof.

Satin suddenly stumbles forward, giving a nervous chuckle. "Uhm, dad, you're, uh you're not talking about--"

She is cut off by the male council member. "Do not talk out of turn!"

"I'll tell my daughter what to do and what not to do, thank you, Chiro." Midnight says calmly. He turns his head to Satin. "Don't talk out of turn. And yes, dear, I am reffering to foalpup supervising." He states with a smile.

Mascaraga looks at her king with wary eyes. "M-my lord, while I have come to terms with the fact that your methods of leadership are a bit strategically unorthodox, as a councilmare I should remind you that we do not know the full capabilities of this creature here. He is foreign beast that could have nefarious motives!"

"Are you sure it would be wise to entrust the safety of three foalpups and your daughter to this thing? Our colony is hanging on by a thread as it is what with the drought, and is on the verge of war with the Mega Colony!" Chiro exclaims. Satin nods her head vigorously in agreement with a desperate smile on her face. None of it fazes the ingido king as he looks into your eyes with an eerily confident smirk.

"I am aware of the risks," he states. "But I'll remind you that it is because of my tactics that the Zhu Colony is still surviving. I may not know everything about him, but I do know that he is lost and in need of shelter and food. I also know that he can very well protect my daughter and anypony else, and I know that he does not wish to start a fight of any kind." He smiles at you and you can't help but gulp nervously. Satin does the same.

"Satin Silhouette," her father says, causing her to flinch. "You wish to prove your capabilities as a princess? Well, here you are. If you can go for three weeks of foalpup supervising and learn how to cooperate without anymore little schemes or attempts at escapes, you can be promoted to the guard position."

"But I am on guard duty!" She whines.

"Not anymore." Mascaraga's voice sounds hesitant. "Satin Silhouette, you are hereby removed from the Zhu Colony guard and assigned to foalpup supervision duty."

Chiro nods his head. "You are to report to your chamber along with this creature who is now your official partner and await the foalpup gatnering at dawn." Satin's mouth hangs open in stunned astonishment.

"No, dad, you can't!" Satin screams.

Her father's smirk has not faded. "I already have, daughter of mine. Now, you heard Chiro and Mascaraga. Take Caleb to your chamber and wait there to be assigned foalpups in the morning. While you're at it, you should propably explain all of this to our guest. I'm sure all of this is very overwhelming for him, and after all, he is your partner."

Satin makes several strangled irritated noises before simply grunting at her father. She turns to you and snarls, "C'mon, partner." You simply follow her, completely unaware of what just happened. All you know is that is has something to do with this nagging rebellious female creature, and that there's a good chance you're going to be spending a lot more time with her. Spectacular.

Author's Note

Ok, to those who actually cared to get this far, I'm going to apologize for two things. One, sorry for the delay, Christmas time is a hassle, and two, sorry for the lack of eventfulness in this chapter. Exposition is no fun, and it takes a special kind of talent that I have yet to learn to make it interesting. Next chapter, I assure you, will be much better. Here, have some behind-the-scenes fun facts.

1-part of the reason it took so long to publish this chapter is because I had to delete and retype the argument scene between Caleb and Satin a total of ten times before I got it to end without a fist/hoof fight.

2-Chiro and Mascaraga are both bat-related names

3-Every time I type Satin's name, my tablet suggests the word 'Satan'. Apparently, it hates my OCs.

4-Nothing the batponies discuss in this chapter is explained because I want the audience to be just as frustrated and confused as Caleb is. Also, because I'm evil.

Well, off to chapter three. Whoosh!