Where the Angels Fall

    It was beautiful.

    Not considering the fatal consequences which came along with it, of course, but this scenario was definitely one of Berry Punch's favorites. A long, wooden sidewalk made completely from planks, bolted into the stone cliff surrounding them supported their weight. A cyan-colored, mineral water river flowing down rocks and moss a hundred feet below definitely added to the atmosphere, complete with a black sky above. The cabin behind Berry fit the mood perfectly, completing the "Rocky Lifestyle."

    Really, the only thing that ruined the moment was the occasional "I cannot believe this happened!" and "How could I miss him!" Not to mention the constant groaning from Colgate, who was currently rubbing the back of her head, which supported a bruise. Actually, the scenario was beautiful everywhere but near them. Nature had a way to avoid obnoxiously loud people.

    "This cannot be real!" her younger sister, Piña Colada, wailed. Berry had to admit, seeing her sibling as a human man was pretty hilarious. "We-- we were right here! How could he have gotten into the cabin?!"

    "He snuck past?" Berry suggested with a lazy shrug.

    "I know that!" yelped Piña. "Don't you see, Berry?! We're stuck here! All thanks to that Thief! To make things worse, he's somewhere in Equestria right now, most likely stealing something valuable." She groaned. "This is all our fault; Princess Celestia sent us to this world to meet up with another. Human. This is a big mess."

    Berry Punch looked up at her sister, which she presumed was going crazy. "...Princess Celestia trusted us to do what...?"

    "Oh, well of course you don't remember!" barked Piña. "You were drunk! As always!" Berry blinked, used to her sister becoming an angry she-devil filly when she was worried. In fact, Piña Colada was almost put in therapy after freaking out on a salestallion who was having trouble getting pills for one of Berry Punch's more stressful hangovers.

    Her sister's knowful gaze attracted an exasperated groan from Piña. "Do you even know what I'm talking about?" the filly freaked suddenly, staring at Berry. The latter blinked again. "I have to explain it to you again, don't I?!" she cried.

    Her older sister hiccuped. "You already told me what we were doing..?"

    A sound escaped Piña which could only be compared to a boar's charge warning.

    "Okay.." the man breathed, eye twitching. "Since you are obviously not going to remember anything tomorrow, I'll make it short to save my breath. I think it's obvious to both of us you don't remember." Berry leaned forward, attentive as her younger sister started her tale. Berry started to rest her chin on her fist, although her head missed, turning her face downwards.

    "We were in Canterlot for your 'Wine Tasting' thing." Piña explained everything slowly, reaching over and pulling Berry's head back up, so she was facing her. "Colgate came to us, asking if we could help her out with something. Since we're best friends, and you were too drunk after downing a dozen shots of Applejack Daniel's Apple Cider, I accepted for you. With me so far?"

    Berry Punch blinked. "Colgate and I are best friends?"

    "You two were together for only your entire childhood. You even hit on her a couple times when drunk. Yes, you two are friends." Piña Colada continued, "Colgate brought us to the Princess, much to my surprise. You definitely weren't; you were too busy trying to hook up with some Royal Guard."

    Berry sighed, remembering her encounter with that guard. "Oh, those eyes..."

    "As for the princess, she said she had sent Colgate out to fetch somepony she trusted, because of a multiple-pony job for us. With me so far?" Another distracted nod. "Princess Celestia said a dear friend of hers was accidentally teleported to this universe. His name is Vandal... weird name. Apparently, he was transformed into the dominant species of this world; something all ponies went through during inter dimensional travel--"

    "What's 'Inturr demenshunul travul'?" Berry's drunk voice rang.

    "Traveling between different dimensions, or galaxies."

    "That exists?"

    "Yes. It only took about one thousand years for Ponykind to perfect. You would know if you weren't busy being hungover." Piña sighed.

    "I wasn't drunk that long," Berry Punch countered.

    Piña only sighed off the false comment. She was sure that if her sister did live that long, she would have been hungover for at least 982 years. "Princess Celestia contacted this... friend with tactics she would, regretfully, not share with us. Although I'm sure she has her reasons. Princess Celestia always does.

    "They set up a location and time to meet and send Vandal back to Equestria, and we were the ponies to deliver him to Celestia. The cabin was specially made, courtesy of magic, to not let anyone but us and Vandal to go in." Piña scratched her head, looking back at the cabin. "But then how was that thief able to get in...?" A feeling of foreboding gripped her heart.

     After shaking the haunting feeling off, Piña continued. "There was a catch though: we would also be transformed into... 'humans.' And, to lower suspicions completely, we had to become..." She shuddered at the mere thought of the reality. "Male guards."

    Berry looked curiously at the trousers she wore, and before any could ask, the top of the pants were lifted, her eyes peering in. "Yep. Male."

    The next few seconds consisted of Piña and Colgate both staring at Berry Punch, who was utterly confused at the action. According to the mare herself, Berry only did a logical thing. Obviously that was not the case with her two companions.

    "...I'll just pretend I didn't see that," Colada said, her cheeks turning a shade darker. She would never look at stallions the same again. "...Anyways, back to the story; we accepted. Or, more so, I accepted for your sorry plot. I thought if such a plan was worthy of Princess Celestia, it could be flawless. You would have thanked me later for letting you be a part of something big." She gave Colgate a sympathetic look, who's hand was still covering the back of her head. "Obviously, I was wrong." After a sigh, she continued. "Poor Colgate probably didn't see him coming. Hopefully Princess Celestia notices we're gone..."

    "Wait.. but why were we chosen for the job? Why not the Elements of Harmony or something?" posed Berry Punch, one of the first sensible things to come from her mouth.

    Piña Colada sighed. "I don't know. Hopefully the Princess will tell us when we get back." She could only hope they got back.

    After a few seconds of silence, her mood shifted back to irritated. "I can't believe you just made me explain the entire thing to you again, even after the Princess herself telling you. It's like we're in some amateur-author's fanfic who doesn't know how to tell a story cleverly—"

    "Wait a minute," Colgate interrupted. After a few seconds of reluctant silence from Piña, Colgate's eyes narrowed slightly. "I hear somepony coming."

    True to her statement, quiet footsteps were heard coming from the darkness beyond. "It must be Vandal," Colgate suggested.

    Piña reverted to whispering. "Great. Now we get to explain this whole mess to him."

    While the former mares prepared themselves for the inevitable, the once distant footsteps matured into louder, more powerful stomps. "Uhh, hello?" Piña implored, hoping for a response. None was given. The sound of claws mixed in with the now animal-like thumps was evident.

    "I don't think that's Vandal," Piña whispered to her friend and sister. They both nodded fearfully. "Let's hide in the cabin. It's too risky out here. Maybe whatever it is will just pass through?"

    As Piña Colada herded Berry Punch and Colgate in the safety of the cabin, a bright cyan light emitted from the dark entrance to their space. It wasn't one from a flashlight or lantern, but, in fact a cluster of them all from different sources. Members of a certain, very distraught, pale, and clawed species of white bipedals owned them. One such species with a grudge against the Master Thief.

    They sensed Garrett's departure into another world, courtesy of the massive amounts of energy exploding from it. They were determined to find him.

    And they were determined to kill him.

——————————

    Rarity's slumber was interrupted by the light infiltrating the external redness of her eyelids, indicating sunlight was touching down on her face. When the comforting darkness moments ago dissipated, the unicorn yawned widely, rubbing her eyes awake as a small smile formed on her lips, awaiting for the happiness of the day.

    Suddenly, the memory of last night's bizarre encounter caught up with her like a tidal wave.

    Rarity's hoof immediately stopped the motion of rubbing her eyes as they snapped open. Her mouth instantly went to a crude, thin line. She found herself still in her kitchen, the sunlight of the new morning shining through her clear window. Everything was clean, nothing being out of place. As a plus, she was still on the chair she accidentally snoozed on. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Rarity noted everything was in place.

    Excluding the fact her "prisoner's" chair was by the table to her right, the rope now cut and lying on the floor.

    "Oh, no..." Rarity whimpered.

    "You're awake," a masculine voice exclaimed from behind. Rarity gave a startled cry. She was instantly out of her chair, whipping around to meet the bipedal creature from last night. He was currently standing with all his height, a full six feet tall, with his arms crossed in front of his chest. The creature looked more intimidating, and more dangerous than ever. His face mask only amplified the caustic eyes piercing daggers into her.

    Rarity was struck dumbfounded as she gawked at the pale, cyan right eye which both haunted and aroused her in her dreams for weeks. The thick, jet black eyebrows were furrowed. "...You.." Rarity started, suddenly feeling puny compared to the massive former "prisoner." She could feel her throat tighten as tears watered her eyes. "Can talk..?"

    "No, I can't," he replied sarcastically, all the while maintaining his negative demeanor. It was as if he knew he was in control, and was enjoying it, frankly.

    Rarity noted the kitchen knife on the table without looking at it. Just in case. She focused on the way his eyes were always stationary, always attentive. Unlike her own species, who moved their irises steadily and calmly, his eyes always jolted this way and that immensely quick, focusing on everything their vision latched on to. It was like a bug, or an animal.

    A very tall, alluring, and threatening bug or animal

    "What.. are you..?" Rarity peeped.

    The being glared at her.

    "I am your future self," he said mysteriously. "I come to deliver a message for myself... Stop being a complete bitch and pulling knives on strangers!"

    Rarity gawked. "And he knows slang," she thought, flabbergasted.

    "You took something from me," he declared, leaving her amazement unnoticed. "Don't make this hard for yourself; I have all the time in the world. Just hand it over."

    Rarity felt her body heat rising. Sweat oozed down her forehead as she glanced at the spot of the invisible supplies. She looked back at him, shaking. "But... you stole that.."

    "No, I made the bow myself," the bipedal retorted. "Took a good portion of my ten year old life, too. As for the arrows? I buy them." Rarity seemed to relax just a little at that. "But the money?" his jet black eyebrows furrowed even more as he walked to her. Rarity's eyes instantly widened. He bent down to her level, a mischievous, but honest, glint in his eyes. "I stole that. Every single penny. And what right do you have to say that's wrong?"

    "I..." Rarity gulped. She had thought of what she was going to say to him last night. What she was going to say when she was already awake, not him. But now, with the creature standing at his full height, in complete control, and not fazed at all by the sight of her, all that reciting went down the drain.

    "I want everything you've confiscated. My bow, my arrows, and my money included."

    Rarity tried her best to not glance at the knife on the kitchen table. "...Will you.. hurt anypony..?" she sniffed.

    "Only if it boils down to it. Now get me my supplies." He leaned close to her face. Rarity's nostrils filled with the scent of wet pavement and smoke, emitting from the bipedal, no doubt. With a now-glowing cyan eye he added, "Now." She wasn't sure if the lighted iris was needed or used just for intimidation, but if its intentions were the latter, it certainly worked. Not needing any more encouragement, Rarity zipped to the spot where the unseen supplies were lying untouched. She could sense the creature's eyes staring daggers into her. After a gulp and a quick spell, the jet black bow, assortment of special arrows, and bag of uncountable money was once again visible. She was levitating it back to the human when a very familiar, very... unwanted voice came from upstairs.

    "Rarity?" Sweetie Belle called. "What's happening down there? Are you having trouble with the kitchen again?"

    Rarity's ears flopped down to the sides of her head. "No..." she thought gloomily. "No, please don't... Don't involve Sweetie Belle."

    The bipedal's attention was also momentarily shifted, but it was back in an instant; too quick for Rarity to make a move.

    The unicorn suddenly had an idea. Rarity quickly overwhelmed her actions and thoughts with the best of her acting skills. With a quick intake of air, she put on her most desperate attitude.

"Here!" Rarity almost yelled as she magically shoved the bipedal's belongings back to its owner.

"He has to go. He will *not** lay a hoof... or hand, on my sister."* That was the mindset, and sentence Rarity kept in her head. It amplified her emotions, even far enough to have a tear slide down her cheek. "Take them! Please, please just leave! Leave her alone."

    Rarity thought she saw a flash of something in the bipedal's eye as he staggered back, astonished. She may have succeeded in surprising him. She may have imagined it. But there was definitely a flash of something in his eyes.

    He looked at her calmly while attaching the bag to his side. After clipping his bow back into place, along with the arrows, he quipped: "That was never my intention." Then, in the matter of a second, he was out a newly-opened window.

    Rarity stood there for a couple seconds, pondering over what had just happened. The shock, confusion, and worry that had built up throughout last night and this morning all worked together to make her freeze in place.

"What was that thing?" she pondered. "That... *being?***

"It... no, *he** openly admitted hurting me or my sister was never his intention. All he wanted was his bow and supplies. But if he needed that, he must have hurt others in the past. Why not me? Why hadn't he taken a more violent approach?*

"Why had he appeared in my dreams for the last couple weeks? Were they a sign from Luna?

"...He's a mystery: half villain, half the stallion I admire in my dreams. Is he some kind of anti hero?"

    "Rari-ty!" Sweetie Belle bleated. "What's happening? I'm reaaaaaly tired."

    Rarity, acknowledging her sister, snapped out of her little day dream.

    "Sweetie Belle, get ready," Rarity quavered. "We're paying our dear friend Twilight a visit."

    The only response was a very frustrated, very immature: "UGHHHHH!"

    Rarity started her way upstairs, but froze mid-way. Her ears flopped down to her skull in realization. Her belly filled with the hot feeling of rage.

"Wait... Did that *brute** REALLY call me a BITCH?!"*

——————————

    Garrett ran.

    He ran as fast as he could, only semi trying to keep to the shadows. The boutique behind him slowly, but surely, shrank as more distance was gained. Good.

    He had to get out of here. The thief knew those types of women; the ones with siblings. They were usually the first to become defensive, to fight back as he stole their belongings. To ring alarms. Garrett never understood how it felt to be a sibling of another; to have someone to care for so much he would die for them, just like that pony "Rarity" had selflessly done. To be defensive, willing to fight for their sibling's well-being. He didn't understand it, and didn't want to. It, in a sick way, scared him to think of what he would do if he owned a brother. Or even a sister. What they would think of him.

"They would most likely just be immensely disappointed."

    However, the thoughts about siblings, or Rarity's impending alarm-sounding was not the reason he ran. He wasn't running simply to steal another day, either. Garret was running because he wanted to clear his head; to get everything sorted out, to figure out where he was. Why he was there.

    Only he needed a place to do just that. And that dark forest, just out of the crazy, pony filled town looked the most appealing.

    After about a minute of restlessly running, Garrett finally swooped into the shadows of the forest. An instant of pure, calm solitude overcame Garrett as he sat down on the grass, panting lightly. The sound of a gentle breeze, an assortment of calm animal calls, and locusts all around replaced the chaotic, noisy sounds of that pony filled society.

    Garrett took a deep breath, then exhaled. It was peaceful here. Much more so than in that... unicorn's house.

    Garret was never really a fan of animals or nature, however. Really the only relationships he had with them were birds and dogs giving his position away, and rats eating rotting corpses on the sides of the streets back home.

    Garrett brushed aside the thick, dark green leaves covering his vision to look at the colorful town, now just waking up. He was slightly surprised to find more ponies, unicorns, and even pegasi come out from their homes to start work.

"...Obviously things here are different."

    A smile slowly formed on his covered mouth as he examined the scenery further. He closed the brush window, turning around to meet his new abode.

"Yep," Garrett thought. "This could definitely serve as a thinking place. Hopefully the wildlife is as peaceful as it sounds."

ROOOOOAAAAARRRRRR!!!

Then again, I've been wrong before.

    Garrett could feel the ground shake gently from underneath his feet as the trees around him vibrated with a violent hum. Garrett could feel his small frame rattle with the sound waves as about two other young, girlish yells also filled the air around him. "Can't I have just one minute of silence?" Garrett thought begrudgingly.

    Of course, he could just stay here to his thoughts and recollect himself, seeing if any damages had been inflicted on his beloved bow. But then again, he's never said no to two little girls screaming and running away from an unknown beast, deep in the forest of an unknown place. (Mostly because that's never happened.)

Ah, to Hell with safety; I'm  curious.

    With that, Garrett slunked off deeper into the woods, leaving the colorful village behind, and with it, its technicolor pony inhabitants.

    He was headed straight for the last known location of the ear-deafening yowl when the same yell came much, much, closer than before. Hesitant but curious at the same time, Garrett crouched low to the ground, listening to the oncoming thumps of what sounded like... wood?

    Garrett sniffed, and immediately regretted that decision. His nostrils, although masked, filled with the scent of decay, rotten apples, and... yep, definitely wood.

    It was at that moment two small ponies, one yellow and one orange, bolted from the overgrowth right in front of him. With both the duo and lone human too confused to react in time, they crashed into each other. The thief's world instantly became one of pain, blurry vision, and soft fur.

Not a very common combination.

Unless if you're attacked by a killer chinchilla daily.

    Garrett could feel himself rolling cartoon-like for about two seconds before tumbling to a complete stop. The human groaned, holding the back of his head, which began to act up again. It stung profusely, although with a brief shake of his head, it soon diminished to a dull throbbing. A light weight was evident on his chest, disrupting his breathing. When Garrett opened his eyes, he was met by two large grayish purple irises staring into his own. A boyish, purple mane and dark orange coat completed the young pony, and upon further inspection, two little wings adorned her sides. After turning his head, he was met with another young pony, this one yellow with a somewhat curly red mane and tail. They were both staring at him.

...And both the *cutest** fillies I have ever seen in my life!! Oh,* mercredi, look at their *manes*!! I must obtain my pony snuggles immediately, while they're helpless—.

ROOOOAAAAAAARRRRRR!!!

    The fillies' irises instantly went as small as needle pricks. The one on top of Garrett fell off his chest, as stiff as a rock, revealing the monsters beyond.

     Right in front of him were three, evil-looking, angry, smelly wolves which looked like they were made from...  wood? Definitely made from wood. Leaves served as their eyebrows, adorning their glowing, green eyes. Sharp, thin claws and teeth, all made from wood, jutted out from their head and feet.

What are you guys..?

"TIMBERWOLVES!" came from the two fillies to his left.

Huh. Clever name.

    Before he could react any further, the Timberwolves charged, screaming their terrible cry.

    Now, in a situation like this, Garrett could just run and hide as fast as he could, escape most certainly following. He could then have enough time to equip his bow with a Blast or Fire arrow, ready for any deadly wolves following him. That was the smarter decision. Or, Garrett could carry the two REDICULOUSLY CUTE fillies and bolt to the forest's edge, escape having a much thinner chance of becoming reality.

    The latter would be stupid, slowing him down, and bringing out his inner anti-sprinter. The Blast and Fire arrows wouldn't see themselves strung up and ready until... well, he didn't know when. The only pro of this was that he got to hold two ridiculously cute fillies as he met his demise.

    ...But could the answer be any more obvious?

    Garrett picked the two frozen fillies up, and started to sprint as fast as he could, giving a long scream of his own as he ran for dear life. The Timberwolves instantly gave chase.