Where the Angels Fall

    Rarity had two choices.

    For one, she could leave the... individual there, to the mercy of the endless downpour as it showered upon its face and uniform. It was a thief, after all. Plus, that was a much more merciful consequence than the Canterlot Jail.

    Or, Rarity could bring it into her house, feed it, care for it, and let it go in whatever habitat it lives in. Maybe it could talk? Oh, what was she thinking? Fluttershy could easily communicate with the creature. Although, that would not only mean putting her dear friend to the mercy of this... Thief. It would also mean risking herself between the time of dragging the creature in her house to safely restraining it; the creature could wake up at any time.

    The restraining was more than rude, as their first impressions were already grotesque. But safety precautions had to be followed.

    Rarity, still recovering from the initial shock, shakily backed away from the window.

"It would be easy," she reassured herself. "Just grab him, pull him inside, and tie him to a chair as quickly as possible."

    Her mind made up, Rarity slowly walked down the hall, and almost tripped down the stairs out of nervousness. Using her magic, she pulled an umbrella from the little container by the door. The profusely large, purple umbrella seemed completely out of place in the current, somber situation. It shook nervously as Rarity opened the door.

    The gentle pitter patter heard from within her abode instantly heightened to the sound of endless beads falling to the ground, bouncing off the cement sidewalks and grass. Rarity gulped, shifting the now open umbrella above her head. As the unicorn walked outside and closed the door behind her, Rarity's head was spinning with thoughts of the dark figure which she will inevitably meet up close soon. She remembered the way his right eye had the same glowing, cyan look like the handsome stallion of her dreams, literally. The black cloak which shadowed the creature's features represented the same one she had seen in her dreams.

"Is he really the apparition from my dreams?" Rarity whispered to herself multiple times. As the unicorn rounded the corner, the unmoving, black shape on the ground became an outlining on the shiny, wet floor. The black-laden individual was lying pencil-style, facing the raining sky above. The downpour showered its face with rain droplets, the tiny water drops splashing and bouncing off the hooded face. Rarity walked towards the thief, her very first good look at the creature presenting itself.

    It was dressed in the same black uniform as the pony in her dreams, definitely, but it was modified so it could fit the individual's slender body. Just like the apparition's apparel, various gadgets and safety ropes were clinging to the tight suit. A cape made from some thick fabric spread out underneath its body. Below the hooded head lay some sort of face mask covering the lower portion of it; the one he always put up when chased.

    Rarity shifted the umbrella overhead so it covered both her and the creature underneath. The mask did not conceal the upper face, however. It was almost as white as Rarity herself, with weird, thick, black eyebrows only about a centimeter from the actual eyes.

    Rarity looked over her shoulder, then the other one to see if anypony was watching. Content with the fact she was alone, the mare bent down to the creature's level. She did not know much about the subject of medical situations, but the unicorn knew a couple things. One of them: pulses indicate life, and the most profound are located on the wrists and neck.

    Rarity took one look at the heavily plated wrists, then instantly decided on the neck. There was no way she was getting through those thickly-plated hands. The mare bent down, close to its neck, and gently pulled the black mask back. Rarity was met with a young looking face with heavy, black stubble around the small lips; both above and under. The cheekbones were defined, and the face was complete with a smallish chin. All things considered, quite the handsome specimen.

    "You are just getting closer and closer to that stallion, hm?" Rarity whispered to herself as much as to him. She slid her hoof down the individual's neck, feeling for any sign of a pulse. After about five seconds of searching the unusual neck, Rarity found the repeated beating she knew was a pulse.

    "Well, at least you're alive," the unicorn remarked, pulling the face mask back up out of respect. Rarity looked around again, then proceeded to use her magic to pick up the bipedal. He was unusually light, only about one hundred fifty pounds. Still, her magical abilities were used to wielding scissors and fabric. He was on the heavier side for her.

    As Rarity levitated both him and the umbrella back to the house (which proved to be difficult. She wondered how Twilight could ever do this), she spotted a compacted bow and arrow attached to his back. It was lithe and jet black, dripping wet just like its owner. She briefly wondered if he would mind a wet bow. It was somehow clipped, or attracted to the cape in some way. It kept the top of the hanging cape stationary, which she guessed moving would be highly irritable if without.

    Rarity started to become fatigued as she used her magic to open the door to her house. Her magical abilities straining to hold the creature, umbrella, and (briefly) the door handle, she almost stumbled inside. After hanging the umbrella up and closing the door, Rarity set the knocked out creature by the door, right inside.

"No way you're wetting up my house," she thought to herself. "Unconscious and unknown species or not."

    Rarity panted lightly as her horn took a well earned rest, trotting up the stairs, retrieving a towel, and coming back down. After an awkward drying process (thanks to all the gadgets being rustled, falling off, and even some setting off after the towel jostling them side to side), she then removed all things remotely related to a weapon, including the bow and arrows. (Turns out the bow was clipped on.) Rarity also came across a bag clipped to his side, which, after some handling, she discovered was filled with money. After some quick thinking, Rarity hid the weapons and money bag with an invisibility spell on the floor beside the entrance.

    Then came the safety precautions.

    Rarity wheezed as she dragged the bipedal to the kitchen, not wanting to test the limits of her magic. The individual's damp suit only dripped a couple or so droplets, but also left a thin layer of water coating the carpet. Rarity told herself she would clean that up. Heaving the figure onto a kitchen chair (which proved to be small compared to the taller individual), she wiped a lone line of sweat off her forehead.

    "My apologies," Rarity whispered as she levitated some heavy fabric over to her, and magically tied the intruder up to the chair. Even though he certainly couldn't hear her, she had the honor of at least saying it to him at one point. "Surely you must know why I'm doing this?"

    Silence was her answer, obviously.

    As Rarity restyled her mane to look presentable, she thought about what she would say to him when he woke. "Hello, my name is Rarity. Do you mind telling me what you are? Oh, and don't mind about being tied up. It's late at night and I'm simply too tired to set up proper safety precautions. And what might your name be?

"...Eh."

    No, maybe she should mention why he's tied up first? Or should she tell him her name? Her his name? What about asking what he is?

    Rarity rubbed her temples with her hooves. This was harder than she thought.

    She did not want to act as if she was interrogating him, but the unicorn needed to be firm. Or, maybe she should leave the entire "tying up" idea to rot and take a more friendly approach? That would treat him well, as he was probably just as scared as her. Or more, considering she has had a lot more time together while conscious.

    Speaking of conscious, the fall which landed him in this stage looked pretty bad; was he mortally wounded? In a coma? Will he be paralyzed? That crack was loud, is his skull damaged?

"I am terribly sorry about that fall; it seemed dreadful. My name is Rarity, and you are...? ...Oh, don't worry about being tied up, it's for safety. Now, your name, Darling?"

    No. That wouldn't work either. She tried another approach.

    And another.

    ...And another.

    But soon, all the worry, adrenaline, and shock could not drown out the overpowering tiredness as it finally washed in. Just this afternoon Rarity had one of the most bizarre and difficult tasks in her entire dress-making career, via Princess Celestia herself. After the entire day restlessly sowing the unheard of pattern and style of the rather Steampunk dresses, tiredness got the best of her that night.

    Now that she thought about it, the uniforms could fit his species perfectly. She would question the Princess about the matter later.

    Rarity needed rest, badly. Waking up in the middle of the night, being briefly scared out of her mind, going outside in the rain, and having to heave and tie some unknown creature to a chair was not helping one bit.

"Hello, I know you may be scared out of your mind right now," Rarity recited in her head, yawning widely. The drunk-like effects tiredness had on everypony was seeping into her thoughts. Her non-verbal conversations slowly became more random. "And being tied up by some unknown equine probably does not help. But be reminded I am also scared, therefore having to commit safety procedures. My name is Rarity. And you must be Handsome Rouge Number One."

    Now Rarity's mind was giving in to the overwhelming sleepiness, coming up with the most bizarre first oral impressions. The unicorn's iconic ladylikeness was replaced with simple, non congregating phrases worthy of a foreign 4th Grader learning Equestrian.

"Hello. I'm Rarity. You are tied to a chair because I think you are dangerous. You must be hurt."

     Rarity shook her head awake, but her cheek was almost immediately leaning on her hoof. "I am truly going to think back to this ruefully," she muttered.

    Then, Rarity's eyes slowly closed. Her body, still in the sitting position with her hoof supporting her head, started to breath lightly and deep.

    For a few minutes, the atmosphere was thick with a much-needed quiet, not counting the very unladylike snoring of Rarity. It would be a peculiar sight to anypony who would walk in at that very moment: Rarity sleeping in a sitting position, facing an unknown, bipedal species in a hooded, black suit.

    But that is exactly what happened as the clopping sound of Sweetie Belle trotting down the stairs echoed through the house.

    "Sis'," she said rather shakily, yawning. As the filly stepped down from the last step of the staircase, Sweetie turned the corner. "Why were you just outside? It's late..."

    Her little hooves immediately ceased their tired walking, instead resorting to freezing totally in place. Sweetie Belle's mouth opened, but said nothing as her eyes followed suit. Now, many fillies would have reacted far more profusely than Sweetie Belle did in this situation. But, being the only sister of an Element of Harmony, encountering a handful of horrendous creatures in the Everfree Forest, and being part of the most adventurous trio in all of Ponyville (possibly Equestria), she reacted with a much more minuscule velocity.

    Sweetie Belle fainted.

——————————

"Ahem."

    Garret's eyes slowly opened at the simple, yet stern statement. Instantly afterwards, his blurry vision was a mix of purple, blue, and black. A pain was evident on the top of the back of his skull which easily dimmed out any other injury he sustained. However, that was not his first concern. For a few seconds he lay there, closing and trying to refocus his eyes. Soon, the scenery presented itself: a dark, purplish sky with stars sprinkling the entire canvas, the black bottoms of trees and blue vines covering most of sky above. It was like a night restyled by Van Gogh himself.

"Sit up."

    The Master Thief's attention snapped back to the rather demanding voice. Curiosity overcoming him for the millionth time, he slowly sat up, rubbing the top of the back of his head, which seemed to be an island of excruciating pain. Garrett's fingers abruptly shied away as he felt a crack under his skin. Some sort of crack in his skull?

"Pay attention to me. Please."

    "Yes, Mom," Garrett replied sarcastically. With a pleasant, easy voice or not, it obviously came from authority. And he hated authority.

And pears. I hate pears.

Heh. I just made two references in the first two chapters that any Brony worth their salt would know.

Serious Readers must hate me.

    "Please. Do not be rude," the feminine voice said patiently.

    Garrett cringed as the valley of pain in his skull pitched in volume. Looking up to his intruder, Garrett was surprised to find himself completely alone, in the middle of the forest. "Would be easier to talk to you if I could see you," Garrett muttered to the darkness as he reached over his shoulder and retrieved the compact bow. It clicked into its prime form.

    The only answer was a rustle in the bushes.

    In a mere second, Garrett was in the brush, completely blended in with his surroundings. "Oh, no," he whispered to himself, the black bow now strung with a Choke Arrow and ready. "You do not sneak up and scare people. That's my job." A sting from his head gave him another non-hearable idea. "...And giving people blunt-force trauma is also a hobby. I know some guards that will agree with that."

"You have an obscure sense of humor."

    A hoof landed on his shoulder.

    Instantly his entire body froze, all control leaving him. It was as if he was under some kind of spell. Garrett dropped his bow, the release on the draw string sending the Choke Arrow a good ten feet, then exploding in a green haze, the coughing gas spreading out like a fan. The bow bounced on the floor briefly, before settling. "I mean you no harm," came from behind him.

    Garrett was slowly turned around by the hoof, and was briefly surprised to find a dark blue pony, only a couple inches smaller than him. Her blackish-blue mane and tail flowed with a nonexistent wind, and her massive wings and horn were both extended. "I am Princess Luna," she said pleasantly, removing her hoof. Her voice was sweet, almost gentle.

    Garrett's eye twitched slightly as he tilted his head. "You're... some sort of.. unicorn-pegasus mix...?"

    "I believe the correct term is alicorn," she said calmly. "I am Princess Luna, as I said, and the Bringer of the Night. It is my duty to come into ponies' dreams in times of great despair." Luna looked him over before continuing. "It seems no different in your case. I could feel the distress in your system strongly. What troubles you so?"

    Garrett, not one for trusting strangers— or anyone for that matter— only looked at her coldly. "How am I to believe that? You can't just... invade my dreams as some Princess and say you watch over me like that."

    Luna only looked slightly aggravated, as if she was used to others not trusting her. If her authoritive figure was maintaining itself, it was doing a good job. "Well, for one, I can tell you where you are."

    All distrust left Garrett in an instant as he suddenly felt giddy. The thief, still looking in the Princess' eyes, gave her a thoughtful look. "...That'd be nice to know. I don't know any place with talking, technicolor horses as part of their population. Except, maybe, Las Vegas on a Friday night."

    Luna smiled, ignoring his unknown reference. "Of course, that information comes at a price."

Of freakin'-frackin'-tastic course.

Garrett folded his arms across his chest. "What is it?"

"Your trust."

The answer came a little too early, although the meaning was all the same. For the first time, although their acquaintance was young, Garrett sensed a hint of sadness in the Princess of the Night's voice. It was as if she was actually in pain when the words came from her mouth. All the more amplification to her request. Garrett sensed there was much more truth to her need of trust, but he would question her about it later.

He could tell, even if her face was stoic, she wanted a friend.

Garrett scratched the back of his head, once again the pain acting up. The human cringed as the agony resurfaced. He looked at Luna steadily before saying, "...Okay. You have my trust."

The Princess seemed to almost grin in delight, although her expected demeanor caught up with herself. After the stoic gaze returning to the tall mare, she replied, *"Very well. I thank you for that... But before I give you this information—"*

*There's always a catch. Garrett braced himself...*

"...I must know your name."

Garrett was once again dumbfounded by Luna's request. Yet, he had trouble just telling her his name.

Wow, are my trust issues really this bad? Just tell her your name.

The human coughed, as if trying to get something out of his throat. *Come on! It's not that hard! Just say "Garrett!"*

Garrett made a face, trying to digest the weird predicament he was in. After more hesitation, however, he finally replied with, "Garrett."

Luna smiled and nodded. *"Very well. I will now tell you the location you currently reside in...*

"You are, as of right now, in the small town known as Ponyville—"

*"Schk-ch.."*

Luna gave the human a confused look as he snickered. *"Is there something you find amusing?"*

Garrett was chuckling to himself profusely when he replied, "Ponyville?"

The Princess nodded slowly, inspecting the human. *"...Yes," she said. "...As I was saying, you currently reside in the town of Ponyville, which is in the continent of Equestria."*

*"Schk-ch..!"*

The Princess felt anger rise in her chest as she was interrupted yet again. *"If there is something funny about this then I must insist on knowing!" Luna fumed.*

The human smiled. "It's just..." Garrett was snickering profusely now, his eyes closed. "The *names... trés amusant."*

Luna tilted her head slightly before continuing. *"...As I was saying, you are in the town of Ponyville, in the continent Equestria. Although... I get the feeling you are not from Equestria, considering your species."*

"My species?" Garrett asked, still shaking off the comedic spasms.

"Yes. You look a little like a... clothed Diamond Dog. Only skinnier. And more intelligent."

I know, right? And they said not attending school would make me dumb.

Garrett scratched the back of his head again. Same as before, his reward was more pain. He cringed before replying. "I... really don't know what 'Diamond Dogs' are, but I'm going to trust you. Kinda have to now, anyways."

Princess Luna looked him up and down, as if inspecting him thoroughly. Garrett shifted uncomfortably in her gaze. *"You are a peculiar individual... If you are not from Equestria, how did you stumble upon this place?"*

Garrett suspected she would ask where he was from rather than how he got there. It was his turn to tilt his head slightly as he continued. "I, uh... I actually don't know."

The Princess raised an eyebrow, inspecting the human. An idea came to mind. "...What was the last thing you remember?"

Last thing I remembered? Luna knows something.

"I remember..." Garrett started, intending to lie. But, then again, he promised her his trust. Still, the fact she was most likely keeping secrets was suspicious. "...Being in a cabin."

Luna instantly took notice, her eyes widening as she took a step forward. Garrett resisted the urge to take a step back. *"...Was there a glowing ball involved? Did you touch it?"*

Garrett was dumbfounded. He never told her that! Now, he was sure she knew something.

He look at her suspiciously—

Oh, right, Trust. Can't do that.

"...Yes," he said calmly. "Yes, I held it for a couple seconds, then it just got really hot and I passed out. Woke up here."

The Princess looked horrified at this point. Garrett was about to question Luna when she shook her head, closing her eyes. *"This is bad..."*

"What? What's bad?" Garrett pressed forward.

"I... You must leave. This was a terrible mistake; I'm so sorry! We must send you back to Earth as soon as we can."

"Wait, what do you mean?! How do you know where I come from?" Garrett questioned, confused.

Luna spread her wings, and a massive wind whipped at the human's figure. The dark pony flew above, leaving the confused thief behind. Reality shifted as she did, rocks and trees around Garrett following her, and a huge ringing was evident in his ears. The whiteness shifted into blackness.

*"LUNA!" he yelled, before all went numb.*

——————————

Garrett's body jerked awake, but his limbs didn't go far. Something was restraining him.

The thief's mind gave a start, instantly flashing the worst possible conclusions throughout his vision.

He was quickly aware that he was tied up, unarmed, and restrained to a chair. No matter where Garrett looked, darkness loomed around it. There was a quiet snoring positioned right in front of him. That was all the regular human eye could see, however.

With a nervous blink as Garrett calmed his nerves, his right eye glowed with Focus.

The human could easily make out the details of the small kitchen in a bluish haze. A tile floor was underneath him, supporting the only furniture in the room, cabinets and drawers on the walls, secluding a lone wooden table in front of him.

On the other side lay the same white unicorn he saw earlier snoring, which gave him yet another start.

After looking down, Garrett's suspicions were correct: he was indeed tied up, sitting on a wooden chair.

After another blink, the blue room transformed back into black.

Garrett wasted no time as he grunted, hopping in his seat, not planning on staying tied up for long. The ropes were strong, but able to be cut through. He'd need something sharp. The Master Thief blinked back into Focus, thinking of a knife. He searched the kitchen until he came across a drawer with glowing hoofprints on it, just to his left.

Knowing that was where he had to go, he deactivated Focus. Garrett jerked to the side, scooting the chair noisily to the left. The pony gave a disturbed snort, but didn't wake up.

Cringing, Garrett took a stealthier approach. He jumped in his seat, moving the chair a little but making a loud *'Clack!' when it landed. When no sign of defiance came from the equine, Garrett continued his tactic. Soon, he was inches from the wanted drawer. Garrett hopped, rotating himself so his hands could easily reach the handle. Wrapping around the handle with his fingers, Garrett leaned forward, pulling the cabinet open. After some more fiddling with his fingers, Garrett finally grabbed hold of the handle of a kitchen knife.*

Turning it with his nimble fingers, Garrett cut through the rope quickly, and in an instant was up and in the kitchen window, poised to make a run for it. However, that was his only victory, as Garrett suddenly became aware of something that, in the future, would change his life forever.

His bow and arrows were missing.