“Dusty, they're doing another hanging, let's go see!” My Griffin friend says to me.
“I don't see why you like those, Garret. They are horrible.” I remark, turning another page in my novel.
“The sergeant said it's a public one though, so we don't really get a choice.” He trails off into some deep thought before brightening up. “You know, if we don't go we'll probably get arrested.”
“Fine,” I snap back “If the sergeant wants to do more public hangings, then let's just go!” I growl before slamming my book with a final thud.
We get up and walk out of the shack. Public hangings were a normal occurrence, here in New Appleloosa, but they seemed to be getting more and more frequent. My home was not much really. I've heard of places where ponies still exist, but they were more myth than truth. My mother had told me a story when I was a small filly about how a great Chimera had rebelled against the capitol, Canterlot, had caused chaos and had started the immigration of many Chimeras into the country. New Appleloosa was one of the towns they first took over. My mother had said to me many ponies once lived here, but after the Chimeras came, they slaughtered all of the equine inhabitants of the town.
My bloodline had apparently escaped and survived the collapse of Equestria, before coming back here a few hundred years ago. They had also apparently made a contract with the Chimeras and Griffins of New Appleloosa, which protected me and my future bloodline, in exchange for me hunting the wasteland for food. It worked, too. I had even made friends with many Griffins and a few Chimeras.
My mother was old now, though, and she often stayed holed up in a small house on the outskirts of the town. Her health had been decreasing rapidly in the past few years now, and she was close to coming to the end of her life.
Garret and I reached the town square just as the announcer started speaking. It was a beautiful place, the town square, and I often sat here to read and sell my goods I get from hunting. It was a large bricked area, with a few dying trees in each corner. Okay, so maybe it wasn't as beautiful as it could be, but it was nicer than the rest of the town.
“I wonder what the Chimera took....” Garret thought aloud. It must have been pretty bad to warrant a hanging, I think.
“Three kilograms of rabbit meat,” the announcer begins, “One sack of cooked meat, and, 20 kilograms of carrots.” The last one puzzled me. Chimeras don't usually eat vegetables. I brush it off and keep listening. “You have had your items confiscated and you have been given the death sentence, no trial. Do you have anything to say?”
The Chimera with the noose around his neck looked up. “No.” He said.
A large Griffin moved up to the lever that would drop the platform. “So be it.” The announcer said before nodding to the Griffin behind the lever. The Griffin yanked on the lever, and with a loud bang the platform dropped.
All that was heard from the guilty Chimera was a small yelp.
~~~
As the crowd departed and the body was carted away, Garret and I were left standing in the middle of the square. “Well,” I say “I need to go hunting. I'll catch you around, Garret.”
“See you later, Dusty.” The Griffin replied and we parted ways.
I step over the threshold of my shack and move over to a cupboard. I open it and take out a long side mounted rifle, specially made for a pegasus to fire. I strap it to me, grab a pair of goggles and a small bag for my kills. I slip on my goggles. I look in the mirror and survey my work. A tan pegasus stares back at me. She has a pretty violet mane, but it doesn't really match her coat. Her irises are only a few shades darker than her mane. Oh wait, that's me. I give myself the leniency for a small giggle, then swing my bag over my shoulder and grab a box of shells for my rifle. I step outside and take a deep breath. The air is hot and clammy and the sun has grown more intense since the fiasco at the square. I ready myself, then leap into the air and snap out my wings. I gain height very quickly before finding a nice air current to cruise along with that will take me out to the wastes.
I glide along silently. Soon I'll be reaching the wall. My mother had always warned me about going outside the wall at night. Ghosts, or something like that. I cruise over the 15 or so meter wall and I feel the common magic that is always present in the city dissipate up my wings. Freedom. I think, at last.
It's only early morning, so I'll have plenty of time to hunt before nightfall. I leave the air current and dip into another, lower one. Now is where the fun really begins. I start scanning the sandy dunes for any movement. There. A small shift of the sand, and a rabbit pokes it's head up. I halt to a hover and lower my rifle to point at the rabbit's head. I arch my shoulder up in a certain way, and the rifle fires. Head shot. I drop to the ground and pick up the carcass. I jiggle it around. It's not that heavy, but it will do for the first kill of the day. I begin to drift and think of all the rabbit stew I will be having tonight. I see a trickle of sand on my left out of the corner of my eye, but I notice too late. I try to open my wings to get out of there, but the sand that explodes from the ground blinds me. I stumble back and forwards, firing my rifle at nothingness. I manage to get the offending sand out of my eyes with my wings, and I nearly piss myself at what I see. Sitting before me is none other than a massive green dragon.
We survey each other in silence. Slowly now. I think to myself, no sudden movements. The dragon flicks it's head to the side. It regards me with one beady eye. Ah, buck it. I think, before taking off faster than I ever have, I believe. The dragon gives an earth-shattering roar, and takes off after me.
“Why did it have to be a dragon!?!” I cry out as it catches up very quickly to me. A sudden flash of pain runs down my side as skin tears. The damned thing clawed me. It must've been deep, as I can feel myself losing blood, and consciousness, very quickly. The dragon must have thought I was a goner, as I feel it's body heat going away until it's completely gone.
My adrenaline rush is gone, and my vision is slowly disappearing. I feel my wings give out.
I'm falling.
No.
I'm crashing. I feel sand hitting my face, then no more.
