Author's Note

Before you read on, I feel like I should mention that the main character Curtis stands at 6ft 1in. tall and the head of a normal sized pony (for example Applejack) come up to just below his stomach while Celestia would stand at about 6ft. 3in. That's just how big they are in my own little head canon.

Freedom

***A few moments ago from Curtis' point of view***

After the pink one with wings and a horn burst into the room the next thing I knew I was flying backwards and smacked into the wall behind me. The impact was enough to force the air out of my lungs and almost knocked me unconscious. My first instinct was to resist against the glowing pink hue that surrounded me since that's what seemed to be holding me in the air and against the wall. Before I made any sort of movement, an idea popped into my head. An idea that I was 90% sure wasn't going to work but decided it was worth a shot anyways. Instead of struggling to get free I closed my eyes, breathed out and made my body go limp. The large white one that also had both wings and a horn walked in behind the pink one and said something to the white unicorn that was ready to fight me a few moments earlier. Judging from the tone in its voice it was angry with the unicorn, but I didn't really care. I was focused on doing my best impression of a dead body and hoped that my captors would be dumb enough to buy it. The room got silent for a few seconds and I thought that they were on to me when the force field holding me was suddenly gone and I dropped to the floor. I kept up the act though in case they weren't and continued to feign death.

The room went silent again for a few seconds and then I heard the sound of hooves rushing up behind me and felt one of them shake me on the shoulder. 'Holy shit they're actually buying it!' I thought as the hoof on my shoulder rolled me over onto my back. I resisted the urge to smile at that thought and held the act perfectly. I heard the other weird looking horses walk into the cell and knew that all eyes were on me. I assumed that the one that was next to me leaned its head down and put its ear right in front of my face when I felt what seemed like hair brush against my chest and I could suddenly smell perfume. This was a critical moment in my plan. If I moved or so much as breathed in the slightest this plan would fail and I would be stuck locked in this cell for God knows how long. I kept my mouth shut and my body completely relaxed and denied my lungs the air they were starting to cry for.

I seemed to be pulling off the playing dead thing pretty well because after a few excruciatingly slow seconds ticked by the horse that was next to me pulled its head back, signaling that it must have came to the conclusion that I was dead. The thought that this crazy plan might actually work was exciting but I kept my bearing and waited for the sounds of them leaving. I then heard a noise that I wasn't quite expecting. It wasn't a noise that startled me into blowing my cover, no. It was a noise that sounded like a woman crying and I felt a few drops of something wet drip onto my face and chest. 'Is...is that thing really crying?' I thought. I heard another set of hooves walk up next to me and say something to the other horse that was sitting next to me. I recognized the voice as the white unicorn's and there was another moment of silence before the white unicorn said something else and then I heard the sounds of the other horses walking out of the cell and down the hallway.

Assuming that the white unicorn told the rest of them to leave, it was down to me, the white unicorn, and the other horse that I didn't know what to call. The two horses exchanged a few more words in their alien language and eventually one of them walked out of the cell and down the hall, meaning that if I did my math correctly, it was down to me and one of the horses. At this point it felt like my lungs were on fire and I decided it was finally time to act. 'Alright, it's now or never.' I thought to myself and slowly cracked open an eye to see what the current situation was. I smiled when I saw that it was just me and that white unicorn that were in the cell, and better yet it had its back turned to me, completely unaware of the fact that I was still alive. 'Perfect' I thought to myself as I slowly and quietly rose and drew in a long and quiet breath of air. Remaining crouched as I remembered the smack my head got when I first attempted to stand straight up, I stepped carefully and quietly as I closed the gap between me and my prey. I was right behind the unicorn and readied myself to put the unicorn in a headlock and choke him out. However, these ponies seem to have better hearing than humans so when I was about to jump the white unicorn it turned its head around at the last second and saw me. We locked eyes and I knew that if I didn't act fast the white unicorn would alert the others and my one chance at freedom would be gone like a fart in the wind.

Instead of going for the quick and quiet blood choke that I had planned I instead brought my foot up and kicked with all my strength into the unicorn's head. The unicorn's head whipped in the opposite direction from the impact and collapsed to the floor. Not wanting to become a victim of my own idea I made sure the unicorn was knocked out by lifting the unicorn's head by the horn and shook it a few times. The white unicorn laid there with no resistance or excess movement that would indicate that it was faking and I laid its head back down, satisfied that my plan was working.

"Surprise motherfucker" I whispered into the unicorn's ear before leaving my would-be cell. I peaked my head out and looked both ways and when I didn't see any more of them I decided it was safe to leave. I did notice a rather large bag on a cart next to the door to my cell and decided to look in it to see if there was anything in there that may aid in my escape. I unzipped the large duffel bag, opened it up and I felt like a kid on Christmas morning when they first see all the presents sitting underneath the tree.

I was so excited about my very fortunate find that I couldn't help but double fist the air and quietly yell "FUCK YEAH" under my breath. The bag contained nothing short of a small arsenal of weapons and tactical gear. I looked around to make sure that nobody was coming before grabbing the bag and heading back into the cell to put on all the gear. I cracked the door open to make it look less suspicious without locking myself in and threw off my shoes and orange prison jumpsuit to put on the black cargo pants and top and laced up the black steel toed boots that fit perfectly. I grabbed the black flack jacket and threw that on as well. Fortunately it already had all of the magazine pouches fastened on and I filled the three magazine pouches with the nine magazines that were already fully loaded with ammo. It also had a combat knife strapped onto the left shoulder and a machete on the back. I then put on the black balaclava that covered all of my face except for my eyes and the bridge of my nose and put on the black finger-less gloves that had Kevlar knuckles and strapped on the black Kevlar helmet that even had a pair of night vision goggles on the front of them and a small flashlight on the side.

Next was my favorite part. I grabbed the M16A4 rifle that had an ACOG scope on the top and a M203 grenade launcher on the bottom and I slung it across the front of my chest. I couldn't wipe the smile from my face as I strapped the two pistol holsters each containing an M9 around my left and right thighs. The bag was mostly empty, save for a few ammo boxes, a gas mask, a cleaning kit, some food rations, a canteen, and suppressors for my rifle and pistols which I decided to attach since the silent approach was probably the best way to go in this situation.

I zipped the bag up and put on the strap so that it was carried on my back and opposite of my rifle. I took one last glance back at the unconscious unicorn to make sure it wasn't about to wake up and saw that it was lying still. I opened the door to the cell and looked both ways out of the hallway, trying to decide which way was the exit. I remembered when the others walked away that it sounded like they went to the right and decided to go that way, hoping they were heading for the exit as well. I quickly and quietly walked with my rifle pointing down the hall, ready to shoot anyone and anything that got in my way. I stopped when I came to a solid wooden door, thinking only for a second on what to do. Since I didn't know who or what was on the other side, I knocked on the door to see if there was a response. A muffled voice came from the other side and I quickly pressed myself against the side next to the doorway so that whoever came through wouldn't immediately see me and give me just enough time to strike first. The door opened, swinging inward so that I was behind the door and I heard hoofsteps come through the doorway. Once I saw the apparent guard in his golden armor I came up behind him and smacked him in the back of the head with the rifle butt knocking him out instantly and turned around to see another guard standing in the doorway with a horrified look on its face. We locked eyes and the expression on the guard's face changed from fear to anger as it charged me, spear at the ready.

I easily deflected the spear with the barrel of my rifle, throwing the guard off balance as he ran past me. I gave him a smack with the rifle butt as the guard ran past me and landed next to his comrade. These miniature horses weren't the best fighters but seemed determined to keep me here. I decided that they were my enemy when I woke up strapped in a chair in a prison cell, but decided that it may not be in my best interests to go around killing every single one I saw. The fact that the yellow one with the long pink mane let me free and the way that the big white one with the sun tattooed on its ass scolded the white unicorn was enough for me to consider that maybe they didn't mean any harm. But then again if they had any good intentions I probably wouldn't have been strapped to a chair in a dungeon. I looked down at the two unconscious guards and felt pity for them. 'If spears are the best weapons these things have to offer then killing them later shouldn't prove to be a challenge' I reasoned and turned towards the doorway and walked out, closing the door behind me.

There was a winding staircase at the end of the large room I was in. I noticed that there were no windows in the building I was in and assumed I was currently underground. I went up the staircase, rifle at the ready and reached the top where a small entrance room sat empty with a door on the opposite end. I slowly approached the door and knocked on it and awaited a response which never came. I decided it was safe to go through and slowly opened the door and a soft, cool breeze came through which I was grateful for. That one long breath of fresh air was the second to happiest thing to happen to me since awakening, the first being the duffel bag filled with everything I needed to get the hell out of here.

I was finally out of the dungeon that these weird horses were keeping me prisoner in, but I still had to slip out and escape from the city unnoticed. Fortunately, it was night out and the cloud cover didn't allow for much of the moon's light to shine down, creating a pitch black darkness that covered everything except the occasional sources of light coming from the windows. There was a soft and constant breeze that carried a chill with it, indicating that the season was either late fall or early winter. I wasn't concerned about the weather, however, and my only focus was getting as far away from this would-be prison as possible. I looked down the empty roads trying to decide which way to go when I saw a ladder leading up to the rooftops. I would be able to get a better view of my surroundings and maybe find a way out from up there but it would also mean risking silhouetting myself against the night sky. I looked around once more to make sure nobody was around and decided to climb up to get a better look.

I made it to the rooftop and took in what little I could with the low level of lighting, then remembered I had NVGs and cursed myself for my shitty memory. After I flipped them down and turned them on I was astonished as to how deep in the city I actually was. When I first came out of the dungeon I figured I was in a more secluded area but I could only see buildings that I assumed to be houses, shops, restaurants... the typical things one would see in an urban area. The only thing that stood out was the giant castle looking structure that was less than half a mile away. I was certain that is where the other horses from earlier were at, and was anxious to let them know how much I "appreciated" their hospitality.

However, I was a seasoned fighter, and knew that castle would likely be full of patrols looking for trespassers. I decided that vengeance would have to wait, and climbed back down to the ground and set off at a quick walking pace towards what looked like a train station.

I kept my eyes sharp, rifle at the ready and eyes sweeping the area in front of me and to the sides to make sure that no one was around to spot me. Seeing an alien at this time of night would probably scare the locals half to death and run off screaming, alerting any others that were around to hear, including the night patrols that were surely roaming the streets looking for any trouble makers. I was confident that I would be able to take them on no problem since the most advanced weaponry I've seen from them are little more than pointy sticks and dispatching them with a few silent shots would be easy, but killing the inhabitants would only make matters worse for the time being and so I decided to stick to the shadows and play it safe.

After a few twists and turns that almost made me lose my bearings, the train station was only a few blocks away but I could see movement around the entrance. A night watch, except this one looked a little different than the others I saw. The sky was clearing up a bit and the moon was starting to glow brightly and so I turned off the NVGs and flipped them up to take a second look at the night guard. The guard that was standing at the entrance had bat-like wings and fangs, much different from all the other small horses I've seen. This guard must have been specially trained and bred so that he would be most efficient at night, his dark grey coat almost making him blend into the night. The only detail about him that made him stand out from the dark was his bright yellow cat eyes. 'Man these things just keep getting weirder and weirder.'

I snuck around to the side of the train station hoping to get by unnoticed and without having to knock out any more guards. The first few were tolerable but from here on out any abnormal occurrences would just leave behind a trail leading straight to me and I needed to disappear. The train station was only a small building with an outdoor waiting area with a roof overhead so getting in wasn't a challenge. Once inside I began to look around for a map of any sort and had a stroke of luck when I found a map of what looked like the entire country, but it was hard to tell given that it was all written in their language, which was hieroglyphic in writing. 'Well this ain't much to go on, but it's better than nothing.' I thought as I observed the map, trying to recognize some key features that would show me where I was at. Towards the top of the map there was a picture of the castle that I saw earlier and figured that is where I was at. "Okay so I'm here then that means I need to go...ah ha! there." I said quietly as I pointed to an area that was on the opposite end of the map that looked like a forest. That is where the map cut off, meaning either that this map was only of the northern part of this land or that the area beyond the forest is unexplored, which would be a good place for someone who wanted to disappear and never be found.

I exited the station quietly so that I wouldn't alert the guard to my presence, and since it was still looking in the same direction it was when I first came in then he was probably completely oblivious to my presence. I was about to make my escape when I caught sight of another one of the bat-horse creatures flying towards the station as fast as it could. I hid behind the corner of the building and hoped that the one flying in didn't spot me and listened closely for the sound of any hoofsteps or wings that may be coming towards my hiding place. I was a little relieved when I heard the flying one land next to the guard and speak frantically in their alien tongue. 'Sounds like they found the bodies.' More of the creatures came by to reinforce the first two guards and then I saw the large dark blue horse with both wings and a horn that was trying to gaze into my soul when I was tied up in the dungeon. It said something to the guards and flew off, probably to pass the word that there is an escaped alien armed to the teeth that has already taken out three of their comrades.

The group of guards spread out and began to search the area, thinking that I was going to try to escape the city by train, which they were half right. I planned on travelling along the tracks to reach my destination, but I was planning to go on foot since a train travelling down the tracks at an unscheduled time would be a dead giveaway. I looked around and the only other cover around was the train that was parked at the station for the night and I decided that I would have a better chance of hiding from the guards underneath the cars rather than out in the open. I quickly took off the duffel bag and tossed it underneath the car and followed it in the same fashion and I was lying still between the wheels of the car to give me the most cover. The guards were patrolling around the train, checking inside the cars for anyone that wasn't supposed to be in them. I could hear them walking around and inside the car directly above me, praying that none of them were smart enough to think to look underneath the train.

Everything seemed to be going well all things considered. My escape thus far was proving to be an easy one, and the guards were beginning to move on from the train, giving up on the possibility that the escaped alien was hiding on board, but little did they know I was right underneath their noses...literally. After a few minutes passed by the sounds of hoofsteps went away and the only noise that could be heard were the sounds of the whistling winds. I assumed that the guards have moved on and was about to take a peek to see if the coast was clear but before I could the train's whistle gave off two blows and lurched forward. "Oh shit..." I said out loud and without missing a beat I grabbed my duffel bag and threw it out from underneath the train and rolled out just in time before the wheels of the train split me down the middle.

I threw the bag onto a passing cargo car and hopped on behind it as the train rolled out of the station. Fortunately nobody saw me board and now I was on a long train ride to God knows where on an alien planet run by miniature horses with horns and wings. A few minutes after my escape the adrenaline was almost out of my system and I could start to feel the cold temperature. I didn't care much, winter has always been my favorite season and I enjoyed the colder weather. It was a clear and starry night and the moon was shining brightly. I may no longer be on Earth, but I had to admit this planet did have a much better night sky than Earth did. I sat on the edge of the doorway and took in the view as I compared them to the map I got back at the train station. I was certain that the city I was just in was the one in the northern part of the map because there was a picture of the castle I saw earlier at the center of it and the snow covered mountains were another indication of it as well. I followed the tracks with my finger and my hopes of making a clean getaway were getting more and more dim as I saw how far away the forest actually was from the city. Not only that, there were also more stops along the way, one in what looked like another major city on the side of a mountain and another stop in what looked like a small town.

I knew that word of my escape would travel and if the authorities there got word before the train arrived then getting by unnoticed was going to be much more difficult. I sat and thought about what I was gonna do when I arrived at the first stop but then I got an idea. 'You know what, fuck it, this train ain't gonna stop until I say it does.' I slung the duffel bag onto my back and climbed up to the roof of the car I was in and made my way to the train's engine by jumping from one car to the next. Once I reached the engine I was relieved to see that there was only one horse (what was the name for small horses again? Ponies? Yeah that's it!) well one "pony" occupying the conductor's cabin and it was currently sticking its head out the window and looking towards the station. 'Looks like he's getting ready to stop the train, we'll see about that.' I hopped down to the platform just outside the door to the conductor's cabin. The conductor didn't hear me land which only made things easier. It wasn't until I opened the door that the conductor finally realized that he wasn't alone. The conductor looked towards the door to see who it was and was instantly frozen with fear when he saw me standing in the doorway.

"Hey there buddy! You look a little tired, how about I take over for a while, huh?" I said. The conductor just stood there looking at me with a horrified look on his face. I took a step towards him and the conductor reared up and wildly kicked his legs and let out a panic induced scream. The flailing and screaming stallion was no match for me as I easily manhandled the pony into a headlock while keeping him up on his rear legs. This only made the poor conductor panic more as he tried to escape my tightening grip but only succeeded in tiring himself out. Once he stopped resisting I decided to have some fun with the conductor, I was probably gonna be stuck in this world for a while so why not make the most out of it? I removed the conductor's hat and stroked his mane while making a shushing noise into his ear. The conductor finally gave up and realized I was too strong for him to break free.

He was starting to tear up because he was so scared and started rambling in its horse language. If I had to guess it was probably saying "Please... please don't kill me! I have a family!"

I continued to pet the conductor's mane as I whispered into its ear "Hush now, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. I actually need your help. You see, I need to get to the forest which is to the south of here and it's a very long ways away. So, I need you to do me a little favor and just keep this train rolling through whatever stops there are along the way and you will be free to go." I said this knowing that the conductor wouldn't understand a word I was saying. The conductor was struggling to breathe so I let him go and he landed on his front legs but then collapsed from exhaustion and gasped for air.

"Oh I am so sorry, I didn't realize I had that tight of a grip on ya." I said and patted the conductor on the head which startled him and he backed into a corner. "Now that's a good pony, just stay in the corner and make yourself comfy, we're gonna be in here for a while." I said as the train rolled straight through the station without slowing down. Once the conductor realized that we just zoomed through the stop he was supposed to make he made a move for the controls but I blocked his path and readied my rifle. "Oh no you don't. I am the conductor now." The conductor looked at me with a fearful look on his face and then shrunk back into the corner. He muttered to himself as he sat back down, not knowing what would become of him.

All Aboard has worked for the Friendship Express for many years. He knew every stop the train made and at what time it made them and he was proud to claim that the train was always on schedule ever since he became head conductor. However, that would all change for what started out as a regular shift took a drastic turn for the worse. The train was hijacked by this odd looking creature for Faust knows what reason and seemed determined to ruin his reputation of always being on schedule. Since they blew past the stop in Canterlot they were due to arrive in Ponyville fifteen minutes early.

Not that anypony would notice, of course. Hardly anypony rode the train at this time of day and the only passengers on board were the elements of harmony and they would all be sleeping at this time so it's not like they would notice they skipped a stop. 'Wait a minute, the elements! They will know how to deal with this creature!' All Aboard thought to himself, now if only he could slip back to the passenger cabin they were in so that he could alert them of the situation. He looked up at the creature that was holding him hostage and saw that it appeared to have dozed off at some point. He wasn't going to waste this opportunity and quietly got up and opened the door. The creature didn't notice the extra noise and the conductor slipped out and gently shut the door behind him and took one last look back to make sure the thing wasn't waking up. Once he saw that it was still out he made a mad dash through the cars to the center car where the elements were seated.

He burst through the door with a loud crash that woke up all the elements, or at least most of them. Rainbow Dash was still snoring away on the cushioned bench she claimed to herself and was currently sprawled out on. Princess Twilight noticed the distress on his face and approached him.

"Uh, is there something wrong?" she asked.

"Come quick, there's a monster that has taken over the train and it was holding me hostage!" he spat out in his panic. That answer only made the others more confused than what they already were by his sudden arrival.

"Umm...what?" Was all Twilight could respond with. She had no idea what it was that made this stallion get so spooked but decided that it would be best to investigate anyways.

"Alright, come on girls, let's go see what the conductor is talking about and...Rainbow?" Twilight noticed that they were short by one and looked over to where Rainbow Dash was laying down and saw that she was still out like a light even after what just happened. She sighed and face hoofed, not surprised at all by her friend's unique ability to sleep through almost anything. "Will somepony please wake up Rainbow Dash?" she asked the group with an annoyed tone in her voice. She was already annoyed by the rude awakening from the conductor and just wanted to get back to her home after last night's events.

"Don't worry sugarcube, ah' got this." said an enthusiastic Applejack. She trotted up behind Rainbow's seat and bucked her onto the floor. Not using too much force of course, she didn't want to hurt her friend, just wake her up so that she could accompany the rest of the elements to confront whatever this "monster" was.

Rainbow Dash landed on the floor of the car with an "oomf." She shook her head and flew up into the air in agitation. "Seriously, what is it with you girls and all the crappy ways you find to wake a mare up from her nap." She asked with an irritated tone of voice.

Applejack trotted over to the rest of the group waiting by the door as she replied "We just don't want Equestria's number one flier to miss out on any of the fun stuff is all." she replied while chuckling to herself. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were good friends, but they always took an opportunity to jab at the other, all in good fun of course. It was just a part of their competitive personalities.

Rainbow Dash didn't say anything in return, she just grumbled to herself as she flew over and landed next to Applejack. "Miss out on what? What in the hay is going on?" she asked.

"Please hurry, there is some sort of creature in control of the engine and it has been holding me hostage ever since we passed through Canterlot! I was lucky enough that the creature dozed off and I managed to slip away but it may wake up any minute now and we need to stop it. Who knows what it's planning!" All Aboard shot out, still shaken from his experience.

"Oh, is that all? Well come on girls, let's go get that thing!" Rainbow Dash said as she flew for the door but she was yanked back to her original place by Applejack when she grabbed her tail with her mouth and pulled her down.

"Hold on now RD, ah' reckon this is somethin' we may wanna be more careful with. If that thing up there is as frightenin' as he makes it out to be then it could be dangerous." Applejack said.

"Applejack is right, don't worry sir, we'll take care of whatever it is that has taken over the train." Twilight said. But before they could make their way up to the front, the train jolted and it seemed to be slowly losing speed. "That didn't sound good." she said as they all looked to each other with worried expressions.

I was jolted awake by a bump in the tracks and saw the town that was to be the second stop coming up. "Well it looks like I'm almost there." I turned around to check on the pony that was in the room with me but it was gone. "Oh you sneaky little bastard." I cursed and looked out the window to see the sunrise and could just make out the train station in the distance and I could see multiple little spots and some were moving around. 'Damn, looks like there are more of those fuckers waiting at the station. Well I guess I better think of something.' I decided that my best chances are to make a jump for it and opened the door to jump but noticed something when I stepped out. The train was moving fast enough that if I did jump, I would probably walk away with a broken bone or two. I looked at the system of levers, switches and gauges that were the train controls and had no idea how to work them. I did notice, however, that there was a unique looking lever next to me. "Well, worth a shot I guess." I said to myself and pulled the lever which took some force but once pulled entirely to the other side there was a metallic click and a jolt from the train engine and the cars that were once attached to the train engine were now unhinged and slowly lost speed while the train engine kept moving forward.

"Huh, it worked." I said to myself, surprised. I was about to turn around and head back into the cabin when I noticed something in the passenger car that just unhooked was coming towards the front and saw none other than the conductor accompanied by six of my would-be captors from last night. I smiled as I slowly raised my hand and flipped them off as the car they were on slowed down more and more while the train engine I was on went faster and faster from losing all of the weight it was pulling. "Not today bitches!" I yelled at them. I didn't care if they could hear or understand me or not, it still felt damn good saying it. I turned around and entered the conductor's cabin and slammed the door shut, satisfied with my victory and the train engine blew through the train station at the small town and kept on chugging forward. There was a map on the side of the cabin that was similar to the one I had and it showed all of the stops. It appeared that the entire region was connected in one giant loop. According to the map there were no stops near the forest, and the next station was in another city that was probably hours away.

Realizing that this was as close as I was going to get to the forest by train, I started messing with the controls to find the brakes. After a few wrong guesses I finally found the lever that activated the brakes and the train came to a screeching halt. "Well I guess this is my stop." I said and hopped off the train. I was at least ten miles out from the town and it didn't look like any search party was coming for me and the edge of the forest was only a few hundred yards away, all I had to do was cross an open field and I would likely never be found. I took off running towards the edge of the forest but when I got there I stopped and took a good look. The vegetation was thick and even though the sun was rising very little sunlight shown through the treetops which gave the forest an eerie appearance. I looked back in the direction of the town and decided that I would be better off taking my chances with the forest than facing off against my captors. I wasn't afraid of them, but I didn't know enough about them to know how to properly fight them. One of the worst mistakes anyone can make is underestimating their enemy and I decided that it would be best to lay low for a while and watch them from a distance and see what I could learn.

With that in mind I took off into the forest where I hoped that nobody would ever find me and I could begin to form a plan to get back to Earth and get revenge on those who have wrongfully imprisoned me.

(If this story had an intro song, this would be it and this is where it would start playing)