Even farther from home

Another short chapter

"TIID KLO UL!", you shouted with only a trickle of blood escaping your mouth.

'My innards are still messed up, ha.... Ow, it hurts when J'lae laughs.... Ha...'

Time around you slowed to a near standstill while you were still able to move freely. Looking up, you saw the trio of fillies still falling, but much more slower, with VERY big smiles.

'Those creepy little fucks.'

Unsheathing your claws, you began to scale the wall next to you quickly until you were at level with the cutie mark crusaders. Grabbing the little trouble makers in one arm and the net in the other, you fell to the ground below. Landing on your feet with only a soft thud, you placed the trio slightly off the ground with the net a few feet above them. Standing to the side, you watched your handiwork go into motion as time began to go at its usual pace.

Once time was back to normal, the trio fell on the ground in a heap. Seeing their faces in utter confusion almost made you burst out in laughter. Although when the net fell on top of them, you fell to the ground, holding your sides in joy and pain. It took a bit of time for Rarity and the trio to register what happened, but when they did, two things happened.

Rarity stood there with her jaw agape while the cutie mark crusaders rushed to your side, asking various questions.

"Are you some sort of unicorn?" The white filly asked.

"How can he be a unicorn if he don't got a horn?" The yellow one interjected in a accent similar to Applejack.

"Aren't you supposed to be a lion?" The orange one asked while raising a brow. Finally able to compose herself, Rarity ushered the girls to leave you alone.

"What were you girls thinking? You could have not only hurt yourselves but as well as my guest J'lae." She chastised. The girls let out a small apology before entering another room.

"I'm so sorry about that, the girls were just trying to get there cutie marks." Rarity said.

"It's fine, when you could be killed at any moment, you never really let your guard down.", you said with a wave of your hand. Rarity had a look of concern in her eyes before she spoke up.

"Is it really that dangerous where you come from?" She asked.

"Not really if you keep to yourself, but when it comes to my profession, the risks are much more greater. If J'lae recalls a quote from a good friend 'The world is ripe with people ready to spill your blood.'" Rarity looked absolutely shocked at the calmness in your voice when discussing such a subject.

"What exactly was your profession?" Rarity asked nervously.

"J'lae was a handy man of a sort. You needed wood chopped? J'lea could get it done. You want me kill every last bandit in that cave? Let me get my wood chopping axe. Play tag with children? Hell yes."

"I'm not sure if your answer helped me calm down..." Rarity said. You merely shrugged at what she said. A few minutes of awkward silence passed before Rarity spoke again.

"Would you like some tea J'lae? It would only take a few minutes to make." Rarity offered.

"That would be pleasant.",you said. Rarity led you to the kitchen where she offered you a place to sit. Once again you were faced with the problem of the too small chairs. Learning your previous lesson, you opted for the table instead. A few minutes passed before Rarity levitated cups and a kettle to a nearby counter. As she poured the steaming liquid into the small cups, the scent it gave off relaxed your muscles and gave you an air of calmness. Once done pouring, she levitated a cup to you, which you took gladly. Sipping the tea, its flavor was a sweet yet smooth combination.

"How is it? Earl Grey is one of my favorites." Rarity asked as she took a sip from her cup.

"J'lae must say, he had gotten the wrong impression of you. From your attitude when we met, J'lae did not think you were capable of making such refreshing tea and amazing clothing.", you answered. The unicorn showed a small blush at your compliment.

"I truly am sorry for how I appeared. In all truth, I was absolutely terrified of you, I was trying to hide it is all.", Rarity said.

"Even the Rainbow one?" Rarity shuffled on her hooves uncomfortably before responding.

"She would never admit it, but Rainbow Dash was also intimidated by you. No offense, but your appearance when we first met put a few of us off."

"It is fine, but may J'lae ask you a question?" Rarity simply nodded in response. "Those girls back there were talking about cutie marks. J'lae is guessing those are the images on your ass?" Rarity blushed more at the bluntness of your question but answered anyway.

"Well yes, the three diamonds on my side are my cutie mark."

"What does it do?"

"Well when a pony finds out there special talent, it appears and corresponds to their talent."

"So it just appears magically?"

"Well yes..."

"...... Eh, J'lae has witnessed stranger things." Getting off the table, you thanked Rarity for the tea and headed for the exit.

'Two down, four to go. Twilight is the closest now so she's next.'

As you walked through the streets, you realized that they were now somewhat empty. Taking a glance at the sky, the sun was now already set and the moon now adorned the sky. Letting out a yawn, you felt tired from the day.

'J'lae didn't even notice it was dark. Ah well time to take a nap.'

Remembering passing a park on your walk, you backtracked until you spotted a tree with a low hanging branch. With a small leap, you landed on the branch and shifted yourself into a comfortable position. Falling asleep rather fast, you enjoyed the sounds of crickets and nocturnal creatures which lulled you into a deeper sleep.

But your sleep was short lived as you felt a yank on your leg and fell to the ground. Trying to get back up, a hoof connected with your head, which not only knocked you back down, but also made you spit blood. Searching for your next victim, you were face to face with a blue pony with a rather large scar on his face.

"You know its not safe at night, right you little pussy cat?" He said in a mocking tone. Turning your head to the side, you were surprised to see you were surrounded by even more ponies.

"Think carefully on what you're about to do next.", you said in a low voice. The only response you got was another punch to the head. Ignoring the pain, you simply shook your head while making a tsking noise with your tongue.

"That was the wrong answer." you said in a cheery voice.

"B-boss? I think this is the one that beat that dragon." A scared voice from the background said. The ponies eyes in front of you widened in fear at the possibility. While they all backed away in fear, you simply smiled as you dug into the blue ponies neck with your claws, ripping out his windpipe and savoring every moment of it. Throwing his twitching body to the ground, you heard small gurgling noises which were his attempts at last breaths. Bringing your leg back, you kicked the pony in the stomach, launching him into the center of the terrified thugs. Licking the blood off your claws, you stared at the ponies which were paralyzed in fear.

"Who's next?"