Where the Angels Fall

    The Grand Galloping Gala.

    Hosted in Canterlot itself, it is rumored as the most exquisite party in both properness and class. It is said the ponies invited are so high in stature, they are personal friends of Princess Celestia herself. The food is explained to be the most favorable in Equestria, the events held being the most classy, and the stallions…

    Said to be the most handsome, most desirable, and most gentlecoltly males in all of Equestria, they rank at number one of a lot of the mares' interests. Sure, the average Ponyvillian "modest and cheerful" stallion was great, but a gentlecolt was always better in so many other ways. Equipped with good personalities, handsome features, and unmatched manners, the "Gala Stallions" were a force to befriend.

    No wonder the Grand Galloping Gala could only afford to be hosted once every year. The instruments, buildings, and talented ponies must be paid one way or another, after all. With so many positive sides to it, one could only imagine the GGG not being holiday-like.

    It would seem like the perfect party for the sophisticated white unicorn, Rarity. Everything was in her league, and everything seemed so amazing. That was true, at first. She started to enjoy herself, meeting new ponies with the same interests, and overall enjoying the celebration. After meeting a ridiculously handsome stallion, named Prince Blueblood, Rarity was sure it was true love. Her stomach filled with butterflies when she glanced at him, the unicorn often found herself lost in his deep, ocean blue eyes, and she treated him with the utmost respect.

    That is, until he turned out to be a spoiled, self-promoting pony who made a dreadful excuse of a gentlecolt. Now, instead of following her ex-interest, she was currently sulking near the fruit juice table. An empty cup was being held by her magic, the contents having been drunk fifteen minutes ago.

    "How can stallions be so... ignorant?" she whispered to herself, peering into the two-inch cup. A wide, glass interior yawned back at her, the reflection of her troubled features reflecting on the bottom. She knew she was being irrational, but it was always easy to put the blame on the other sex. "I can't possibly be the only mare who's dealt with this. There are so many scums in Equestria, I'm just sure of it. I mean... how could he even treat me like that?"

    Hoof steps coming from behind caught Rarity's attention, although the mare did not look up. She was not in the mood for company. To ward off the pursuer, she flicked her tail to show annoyance. Still, the hoof steps continued on their way to her side.

    Was it Rainbow Dash? No, she would have most certainly said something by now. Same goes with Pinkie Pie and Applejack. As for Twilight Sparkle, the last time she was seen, she was chatting with Princess Celestia. It must be Fluttershy.

    As the hooves settled by her, she made her move to tell Fluttershy off as politely and friendly as possible. When she glanced to her side, however, the sight of the hooves on the table caught her offguard.

    They were jet black, a color she rarely ever saw on the ponies invited to the Grand Galloping Galla. Under the dark color lay durable hooves, patting on the table lightly as if waiting for something. She dared to look further to the pony next to her when her breathe almost stopped. On the pony's back was one of the most horrifying and grotesque tight hoodies she has ever seen. On the wrists lay various attachments and buckles, as if used for quickly using the gadgets attached without preparation. The sleeves were exceptional, the same jet black color which made up the pony's hooves. Then, came the body, which was basically just more belts and accessories, as if the wearer was some sort of Bat Pony-wannabe. A leather hood covered the pony's head. The thing which caught her attention was the slick, black bow strapped across the pony's back. The arrows were also in their respectable place right beside it.

    Rarity gulped, hesitantly looking at the weapons.

    Before adressing the stranger, she cleared her throat. "Ahem," she coughed as politely as she could. The pony beside her turned a little, not enough to reveal its face, but enough to show its broad chin.

    He was a stallion.

"Oh, great," she thought to herself grudgingly, before continuing her statement. "Excuse me, gentlecolt, but you seem to have a weapon strapped to your back... I don't suppose they let those in through security..?" Her face had a smile on, although her eyes did not return the polite gesture.

    The black pony didn't speak for a moment, then, with a dark and sarcastic tone, he said, "Do you really think I came in through security?" He sounded young, about Rarity's age.

    Rarity could feel her heart rate rising as she gulped. "Is he saying he's a... criminal?" she thought. The pony beside her showed no emotion, although all she could see was his snout. "I should call the guards! He has a weapon, and he's right next to a keeper of an Element of Harmony! He could have already done something horrible!"

    A commotion in the crowd started up. As if answering Rarity's thoughts, the Royal Guard was making their way through the bustling ponies, asking them questions and showing them pictures. Even if the ponies were stuck-up, they knew the Royal Guard was not to be trifled with. From this distance, Rarity couldn't tell what they were so stressed about.

    "They're looking for me," the stallion said rather steadily, without turning his head. "And they think they can catch me... On a completely unrelated note, they're also dumbasses."

    Rarity started to sweat, looking around for any sort of protection she may use. Besides that glass pitcher full of Punch, nothing came to her mind. "...Do you mind telling me what exactly happened?" she asked.

    The stallion didn't respond, instead just patting a sack on his hip. When his hoof made contact with the small cloth container, the high pitched sound of money being jostled erupted from it. Rarity's eyes widened. "You... stole from them?"

    "I didn't steal from them," the stallion said as he looked to his left, making sure nopony was eavesdropping. "I just took a couple bits from a stuck-up white stallion, so called 'Prince.' I heard his name was Blueblood or something. If you ask me, the idiot shouldn't have left his wallet hanging on his side."

    Rarity almost chuckled at the payback, but felt guilty at the same time. Yes, Blueblood was a bafoon who deserved it, but a crime was a crime.

    As the guards neared, the stallion exhaled slowly, but did not move. He almost seemed at ease. Not wanting to get involved furthermore with the criminal, Rarity became uneasy. She had to find a way to get away from this stallion. "Aren't you going to run?"

    He glanced at the guards' location, revealing his face, full on to Rarity.

    The mare's eyes widened for a moment as she studied the stallion's face. He was noticeably handsome, true, as he homed chocolate colored eyes and black features, but the thing which caught her attention was his right eye. Instead of following suit with its brother's eye color, it was cyan. A very faintly glowing cyan. The pupil was almost nonexistent, just a couple shades darker than its surroundings.

    "J'aime les défis," he said almost playfully. "It's fun to have someone on your tail when you escape."

    Before she could inspect further, the stallion pulled a black cloth up over his lower face, covering half of his looks. "Have a pleasant evening, Ms. Rarity," he said through the mouth piece. Then, he turned around and seemed to vanish into the crowd.

    Rarity wasn't paying attention as the guards rushed past her, yelling to everypony to move as they gave chase to the mysterious stallion. She was thinking about that eye. Something was mysterious about it. As if it was blind, its pupil was faded beyond recognition, and it occasionally twinkled even when its left brother didn't. It was creepy, but at the same time... sexy. It was like one eye was calm and pleasant, and the other was wild and adventurous.

"Wait, how did he know my name?" Rarity suddenly thought. With shock, she checked her waist to make sure her wallet was still there. She found none. A sinking feeling came to mind, but it was quickly replaced with mischievousness when she remembered who did such a thing.

    "Oh... you little Thief."

Thump.

    Rarity's eyes slowly opened from her dream to find herself in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. For a moment, she was tempted to reach for her wallet yet again, when it occured to her she didn't even have a wallet. At least, it was never on her waist.

     A normal pony would have been spooked by the suspiciously realistic dream, instead used to the average "the Bologna doesn't go in the shirt pocket," dream. Unrealistically weird things like that. But the oddity of the average dream's absence did not have an effect on Rarity. She has been having dreams like that for multiple nights now, and it has almost earned a spot on her regular agenda.

    A thunder clap from the outdoors made itself known as Rarity remembered there was a storm scheduled for that night. It was nothing major, just something that the princess ordered for all the pegasi to make happen. That was peculiar, at the least, but the Princess always had her reasons.

    Rarity's thoughts drifted back to her repetitive dreams. It would start with a normal experience which already commenced, either with her friends, or alone. Then, that same hooded pony would show up, stealing something, then leaving. In every dream nopony could catch him, and instead of the typical thief, the stallion acted almost proud in his profession, as if it was just another job. Before she could get too nervous around him, however, he would always look at her, making her uneasiness vanish instantly. The handsome features on the stallion would have made any mare in her right mind blush, and his body wasn't the typical, stallion-like buff type. Instead, his body looked as if he was made for running, and was skinny, his muscles toned naturally. Not from weight lifting or working out (again, average stallion), but from always using them.

    It wasn't his features which caught her attention, however. It was his right eye; the cyan one. His right eye did something to Rarity; it mellowed her. Made her calm. That was not normal, as most mares preferred a stallion with the same eye color in each. Heck, all of Equestria preferred symmetrical eyes. Then again, "all of Equestria" preferred a stallion who wasn't a criminal.

    There was some type of aura about the eye, she was sure of it. It wasn't part of her imagination; it glowed. Not like she was emphasizing some handsome stallion's gorgeous eyes, but it was literally glowing. Faint light was coming from it, slightly radiating his hooded features.

Thump.

    Rarity's ears perked at the unusual sound, coming from downstairs in her shop. Her pet cat lay on her bed, peacefully dreaming. It must be Sweetie Belle who made the nuisance.

    Annoyance creeping at the back of her mind, Rarity sat up, her beloved pet meowing in recognition. She stroked the soft fur of her feline friend before hopping down from the bed, not even wanting to think how her mane must look.

    "Sweetie Belle?" Rarity called as she drowsily trotted down the stairs, yawning and tired. "It's time to go to bed."

    Not two seconds passed when a crash was heard downstairs. The sound of plates clattering across the floor popped the silence like a bubble. Rarity gasped, immediately worried.

    "Sweetie! Are you okay?" The white unicorn hurried her way down the stairs, all tiredness vanishing from her system. As she neared the base of the stairs, and there was no sight of her little sister, it was evident there was somepony else in the house.

    The other hoof steps echoed across the house as they hurriedly scrambled somewhere, most likely for coverage.

    When Rarity's hooves clopped down on the base of the stairs, she hurried to the kitchen to find plates scattered all across the floor, broken or shattered altogether. The mare's eyes were as wide as the only unbroken plate on the ground as she quietly stepped into the clearing. The dishes were obviously dropped onto the ground, as the tall, solitary cabinet which stored them was wide open and tipped over. It gave her heart grief to find such a masterpiece of craftsmanship in its downfall.

    Rarity sighed, using her magic to gently put the cabinet in its rightful place. "What happened here?" she thought aloud.

    Hoofsteps exploded behind her, sprinting up the stairs. Rarity gasped out of surprised, spinning around just in time to see a dark shape speeding upstairs.

    "Th-THIEF!" she yelled, her heart rate racing as she ran after the criminal.

    As she ran with haste, Rarity quickly nabbed a kitchen knife from the table. Safety was always a priority.

    Her mind was racing. "This has never happened before! How could Ponyville hold a Thief within its boundaries?! It's one of the most peaceful places in Equestria."

    As Rarity ended her travels up the stairs and clopped on the height of the stair case, the unicorn spotted an enormously tall figure, struggling and yelping under some kind of coverage, or blanket. It was dangerously close to a window—unfortunately the only one open in the entire house. The intruder was helpless, and the knife in her telekinesis grip suddenly felt a lot heavier.

"Could I truly injure, or even maim, a defenseless pony?"

    It didn't matter. Her eyes moist with fearful tears, Rarity raised the knife, poised to strike the brute. There was nothing else she knew to do in this situation. Besides, he was a thief...

    ...Right?

    The tall creature abruptly ripped the blanket off itself, and a flash of lightning lit its features. If it was possible for Rarity's eyes to get any wider, they would have. Her heart skipped a beat as her magic instantly failed, dropping the knife onto the ground. Rarity faltered back, gasping at the being in front of her.

    It wasn't the fact that it was some weird, bipedal creature with the exact same hood as the mysterious stallion in her dreams. It wasn't the fact that it had the exact build of the apparition in her dreams. It wasn't because it looked peculiarly familiar, but...

    It was the right eye. It was glowing a bright cyan.

——————————

Five minutes earlier, in an alternate dimension

    The unconscious guard dropped soundlessly to the floor, in the shadows of the big impression of the rock wall.

    Garrett quickly snatched every gold piece he could find on the unconscious body in the matter of a second. Satisfied with his newly "found" prizes, the thief patted the guard's cheek with mock sympathy. His mind, the infamously beautiful and magnificent piece of artwork, sang cheerfully:

There, there... everyone has a first time getting mugged.

Well, at least when I'm around.

    The Thief crouch-walked back to the opening. The catwalk, about twenty feet long, was lit by a torch, illuminating the wooden planks' details. Beyond the straight path was a turn, which extended beyond Garrett's vision.

    At least, the vision in his left eye.

    Garrett blinked, concentrating. After a split second of closed eyelids, his right eye was glowing faintly in the dark cover. He could instantly see as the cyan-and-blue tinted path extended to yet another wall, which turned into the interior of a cave. Next to the path lay a cabin, which a drunken guard, mumbling something about chinchillas as he leaned back on his wooden chair, was currently standing guard. A younger guard, younger than Garrett, manned the balcony above his drunk companion.

    The thief briefly wondered what secrets lied within the cabin. It was relatively big, but with a pair of guards like that, obviously not worth his time.

    Garrett peered closer at the awake guard. He looked tired and annoyed, as it was in the middle of the night and his comrade was currently dozing.

That must be annoying. But not as annoying as getting all your gold stolen. Let's see if his buddy can become the second worst thing which happened to him today.

...Heh. That was a Team Fortress 2 reference.

    Garrett snapped his eyes shut as the right one began to sting. It felt like staring into the sun when he went into Focus (what he called his ability), and to do it for more than thirty seconds before each Poppy meant excruciating pain. Garrett had already used about twenty seven seconds, so he needed to refill: take a light, special, glowing cyan flower called a "Poppy," consume its leaves, and get more Focus.

    As Garrett opened his eyes after that short moment, he had a plan.

"Step one," Garrett thought as he reached his hand over his shoulder, coming back with his black, foldable bow. The thief quickly shifted his wrist, the trigger for his bow to expand, ready to shoot. It did just that with a soft click. "Get rid of the light."

    Garrett reached over yet again, shifting through his variously made arrows. Feeling the distinctive curve on the Water Arrow's shaft, Garrett drew.

    The Water Arrow glowed with a blue light, contained by a small glass ball. Steam rose from its exterior, as the contained water was boiling hot and pressurized to explode, showering its wet passenger at everything around its hit in a one foot radius. Of course, it was not an actual weapon as it was for stunning opponents, but perfect for putting out open-flame light sources.

    Garrett drew his bow, shifting the arrow to the string. Pulling it back, he steadied his gaze on the torch, his loaded bow following suit. Then, he let the string go.

    The arrow zipped into the torch's coal, exploding and showering water with a distinctive "thwip! sssssss.." The fire was replaced by a steaming stack of wet, useless coal.

"Step two," Garrett continued in his mind as he clicked his bow back into mobile form. "Improvise."

    The sober guard, noticing the light has extinguished itself, quickly drew his crossbow. Even from this distance, Garrett could sense he was anxious. After a few seconds of nothing, the guard sighed.

    "Stupid drafts," he muttered. Thinking it wasn't a threat, he holstered his crossbow. Meanwhile, Garrett was slipping through the newly-made shadows, not a noise being made. "Berry, come on, it's your turn."

    The mentioned guard responded with a mutter of sorts, concerning "chinchillas growing five feet and flying away."

Wonder what it's like in that bright mind... Sounds fun.

    The guard leaned over the ledge, noticing his friend's state. "You've got to be kidding me..." he muttered. Garrett slipped past the disgruntled guard as he went to investigate the light, giving his partner a slap upside the head while he was at it. The latter responded with a sound only relatable to a wild animal.

    Garrett was about to sneak around the cabin, continuing his mission, when he spotted a faint, greenish glow illuminating from inside the cabin window. He stopped dead in his tracks, looking curiously at the glow. Now he was interested.

"There are two choices here," Garrett thought to himself as he glided past the drunk guard to the cabin window, peering inside. "I could just continue on my mission, most likely succeeding in my endeavors and return home with some new gold in my wallet." His fingers twitched, the Thief side of him growing more excited the longer he stared at it. Actually, 'the thief side' was an understatement. More like 'Thief personality.' "Or, I could find a way into this cabin, steal whatever is glowing (Most likely something valuable) and carry it along for the remainder of my quest, risking being caught and failing the mission a lot easier, courtesy to the extra light."

   Now that the choices and consequences were laid out before him, the answer was obvious.

Then again, I never get caught.

    Garrett silently opened the window, slipped inside, and quickly closed his entree way. Excited, he turned around to spot the treasure. But instead, he was beheld with something peculiar. It was dark, but not dark enough for The Master Thief. He could see that the cabin was completely, utterly empty, besides a loan chest in the middle of the room. No decoration, no pictures on the walls, and not even any drawers were seen. The only form of light was the same green glare, shining brightly from inside the chest. It showed through the opening like a thin beam. Suspicious, Garrett's right eye glowed yet again as he activated Focus, thinking of traps and footprints. No traps were highlighted, and there were no footprints present. The cabin must have been abandoned for at least a day.

    But, if that was the case, why guard it?

    Garrett quickly closed his eye, saving the last two seconds for something important, just in case. The Focus drained from his system as he approached the suspicious crate, his excitement growing bigger and bigger. Surprisingly, there was no lock. There was no wiring. Not even a simple code pad.

    It could have been opened, just like that.

    Cautious and curious, the Thief pressed his hands on the lid. As Garrett felt the chest opening, he briefly thought how bright the light inside would be. Bright enough to attract the guard outside's attention?

    Maybe?

Ehh... most likely.

    All the more reason to do it. A good chase would definitely get his blood pumping.

    Garrett quietly lifted the lid, and was greeted by four or so Poppies, all gathered neatly in a corner. In another, ten of each of Garrett's arrows were stacked. Every type was there: Fire Arrows, Broadhead Arrows, Water Arrows, Gas Arrows, and about four which he didn't even know. The green light came from a smooth, profusely glowing, ball sitting in the middle, on top of countless coins.

    In any other circumstances, the Master Thief would have rejoiced; this was, by far, the most supplies he had ever seen in one place. They were in prime condition; the arrows were slender and shiny, the Poppies (although no longer planted in the ground) looked extremely enticing, and it seemed all the gold in the world was under that glowing ball. There was also a seemingly endless amount of cash under the weird green ball. He briefly wondered how much the sphere itself would be worth.

    That's when Garrett found a note in the opened chest. From cheating womens' journals to wild party invitations, he never knew what to expect from the various notes he discovered in chests and drawers. Excitedly but cautiously, he reached down and snatched the note, quick as a whip. The velocity of his gloved hand wasn't because he was in a hurry; quite the opposite, actually. It was pure instinct that made him act so fast.

    "Hmm.." he said out loud, his voice the only sound in the quiet interior. "What do we have here?"

    He opened the note with haste. Garrett was expecting something completely different than what he got, though. The note's interior was one, simple sentence in the center of the paper. It was written with Royal Cursive, as if a queen or a king had made the note.

    It read:

Everything you need, NB.

    NB?

A mystery? Not for long. Cracking secrets is my hobby.

That, and talking to myself.

    Garrett slipped the note into one of his many pockets on his uniform. It slipped in perfectly as the chest's inhabitants were snatched up by Garrett. He ate a Poppy with haste, the tingling feeling of repairing Focus evident in his body. Garrett stored the rest of the leaves in a sleeve pocket. The arrows, one by one, he placed on their new home, located on his back. He smiled as the pouch was filled with supplies, including ten Moss Arrows.

Haven't seen you in a while... Oh, dammit, you got dull. Then again, you were designed to.

    The greenish ball of moss on the arrowhead didn't respond.

    After storing the rest of the arrows in his pouch, Garrett started to stash the coins into his bag. He tried his best to avoid the green sphere, as he had no idea what it could be. But soon his infamous curiosity took over him.

    To be safe, the thief quickly poked the exterior of the ball to note its temperature. It was warm, but nothing burn worthy. He lifted the seemingly perfectly shaped sphere, examining it. Garrett searched for cracks, symbols, or anything that would give a hint of its origins. Surprisingly, however, it was perfectly round, not a line or curve out of place. It was the perfect definition of sphere.

    "How much are you worth?" Garrett whispered, as if it could hear him. "One thousand? Two thousand?"

    Utter stillness was his answer.

    Not surprised, Garrett stashed the glowing ball in his pouch. The light that emitted from the ball died down, but was still showing through the thin fabric. Perfect guard-magnet material.

    Garrett was almost finished, grabbing a few coins for the road, when the ball in his pouch started to glow brighter. Surprised, Garrett reached down to take it out, only to whip his hand back.

"Gah!" he grunted, massaging his burning fingers.

    The glowing extended from the cabin to its windows. To the Master Thief's horror, it attracted the guards outside.

    "Vandal!" he heard from outside. "Berry, it's Vandal!"

    The window was jerked open, revealing an excited guard's face. He was smiling through his clean-cut, almost feminine face. Garrett, confused more than anything, drew his bow.

    "Vandal, it's alright!" the guard chirped happily. "I'm a friend of Colgate, Piña-- MMPH!"

    "Piña" jerked back as a Moss Arrow was shot at his head. He held his cheeks, clawing desperately at the non-lethal fungus which engulfed his mouth and nose. It spread out like a fizz, covering Piña's face.

    Meanwhile, Garrett shuffled around as he desperately tried to get the ball out of his loot pouch. His supplies also started to glow, engulfing him in a bright green light.

"What is this?!" The Master Thief yelled, his normally quiet demeanor gone.

    Then, with a brilliant harlequin flash, Garrett vanished. Gone was the supplies, the human, and the chest. The cabin and the two guards, however, stayed put.

    When the moss on guard's face finally dissolved, he bent over and gasped in fresh air, panting hard. Berry blinked at his partner, took one look at the bottle currently in his hand, and considered the fact he had one too many. He dropped it on the floor, the bottle cracking in the process.

    Piña, after a few seconds of panting and feeling his face, sighed. "Berry..? I don't think that was Vandal." The mentioned guard only nodded drunkily as Piña pulled some green gunk off of his face. He studied it hard as it dissolved, bubbling and turning into a green liquid.

    "...Was that moss?"

——————————

    Garrett woke up on the ground.

    He couldn't tell where he was. All around him was pure blackness, a hard wood floor underneath him to go with it. The thief was expecting some sort of pain, or at least sourness, but there was none. In fact, pure nothing engulfed his nerves. It was like a dentist's numbing shot, only all over.

What just happened? Did it have something to do with that ball? Do I still have it with me?

    Garrett reached down to his side, feeling his loot pouch. Nothing except the small, gold coins were contained in it. The ball was gone.

    Garrett wasn't scared. If anything, he was caught offguard. He's had experience with the supernatural, including zombie-like pale creatures, magical beings, and psychotic dictator-wannabes. Being knocked out by some glowing ball? Just another walk in the park.

    A clap of thunder outside made itself known. The lightning illuminated the dark room he was in, the rain showering down outside. It looked like some sort of bedroom, with the occupant still in his/her slumber. It was very neat, not even one thing out of place in the room, so most likely it was a woman. A chinchilla cat was sleeping peacefully at her feet.

    Garrett, suddenly feeling ashamed in his predicament, quickly started to leave the room. That's when he accidentally bumped into the bed post.

Thump!

    The occupant shifted in her sleep, aroused by the sudden sound. Garrett, having experience with these circumstances, knew not to bolt for the exit; that would cause panic. Instead, he went for anything that could conceal him. He found nothing capable of supporting his height. That was weird; Garrett wasn't exactly the tallest person around, only a mere height of 6' 1".

Not my fault I'm short. I barely had enough food to keep me from starving as a kid.

    Garrett was about to leave quickly when something happened.

    It was when her head was revealed his jaw dropped. He had seen many weird and conspicuous things, but this was by far the winner of the "Jaw Droppers."

    It was a unicorn.

    Not one of those horses with horns on them, which came from myths, but it was actually a... pony. She had a long, navy blue mane and a white coat, along with the height to about his waist. It looked like it came straight from some kid's TV show. If TV still existed.

    If Garrett hadn't seen half the things he had already in his lifetime, he would have screamed. He was sure of it. But a lifetime full of mysteries, weird creatures, and even weirder encounters gave him the will to shut the agape mouth.

    Thinking quickly, Garrett swooped out of the room, the shadows playing as his best friend. He had done this many times, avoiding guards by the dozens with the quick tactic. It was, as always, soundless. But bumping into the banister, right by the stairs, was not.

Thump!

Honestly, I've seen workshops bigger than this house.

     "Sweetie Belle?" he heard from the room. She sounded slightly British.

How stereotypical. A British cartoon pony unicorn.

    "It's time to go to bed," the stranger called.

    Garrett's footsteps were as quiet as the wind outside, gliding down the stairs. He had to find the exit.

    He had to figure out where he was, why he was there, and how he got there.

    Did it have something to do with the glowing ball in his loot sack?

    Realization hit as Garrett almost slipped. In fact, he did. It was a good reminder that he had just wandered into the kitchen, knocking over a cabinet, the plates crashing on the floor around him.

    "Sweetie! Are you okay?"

    Garrett cursed at his (almost) non-existent clumsiness. He shrank into a shadowy corner.

    The thief, resuming his previous thoughts, hurriedly checked his left side, desperate to know if the ball was still in his pouch. Just like last time, nothing except the gold coins. The human suddenly felt really stupid.

    The pony came in, then gasped at the scenario.

That's alright, horse, it's not like you need plates anyway.

Then again, ponies didn't need a bed. Or a room. Or a house.

Or a freaking horn on their head.

    Garrett slunked off behind the

pony, who was sighing. "What happened here?" she asked to herself.

    The sound of the tipped over cabinet being pushed back into place echoed through the house.

Oh, this should be good.

    Garrett turned, expecting to see the hilarious sight of a white British unicorn trying to lift a cabinet off its fallen state.

    His jaw dropped.

    The cabinet was floating.

    Like magic. No strings, no tricks, but pure magic was the cause of it. The unicorn's horn was glowing with a steady purple aura, which he guessed was influencing the plate cabinet to float back into its place...

    Garrett's foot slipped on one of the tiny steps. Another "thump" exploded from him as he stopped his fall with bare hands.

    Not waiting for any recognition from the unicorn, Garrett bolted up the stairs, horrified by what he had seen.

    "Th-THIEF!" he heard from the unicorn behind him.

    He's been in the chasing scenario countless times, never once failing an escape. This should be a snap. Then again, never once did he become so scared by something he had witnessed he ran blindly towards the window, unprofessionally bumping into everything in his wake, finally tumbling into a thin curtain, unable to escape from it in his fear.

    By some miraculous event of luck, that's exactly what happened.

    Today was not Garrett's day. Each of those things played out, one by one, until he was struggling desperately to tear his way out from the weird fabric.

    After about five seconds of the excruciatingly embarrassing act, Garrett finally ripped free from the blanket-thing. In his disorientation, he activated his Focus.

    Garrett stopped moving immediately as he spotted the unicorn. She looked scared beyond relief, tears in her eyes and even a knife on the ground- no doubt being held by her telekinesis moments before. She staggered back, faulting as her eyes stared at the human.

    For a few moments, they stood there, staring into each others' eyes. Guilt flooded the human's system as he examined her horrified face, as if the situation was so traumatic she couldn't move an inch. The human backed away from the pony, holding his hands out slowly. He must look horrifying.

    It was then he noticed he was still in Focus.

Great. Now she's getting a full wiff of my glowing eye, the thing which could scare away the bravest people.

    He tried to deactivate the Focus, but his repeated steps backward soon betrayed him. The window behind him was wide open, revealing the stormy world outside. He never noticed the hellacious weather, however, as he accidentally bumped into the clearing of the window.

    Garrett's hands shot out instinctively to grab hold of the plank, but to no avail. He tumbled outside the window, his last sight of the pony being one of shock. For what seemed like a full second, Garrett was in midair, the rain immediately showering his face and splashing off his suit. He yelped out of surprise, but it was cut short.

    Suddenly, his sight was filled with the blackness from above. When the ground below smacked him from behind, it plundered him into unconsciousness. The last thing he felt was a crack in the back of his head.