Chapters chapter 2
Star had expected less of a welcome when she got it, but instead she was met with a tailor and was even given her own change room.
They want to keep me alive, I don't blame them for taking every precaution.
“Alright, we've got you set up with another young and new fighter, what do you want your name to be?”
It had what looked to be embroidered blood splatters on her front hooves, and even one around the opening for her muzzle.
“How about…night hunter, that's guaranteed to catch someone's attention,”
“Just last longer than one round, and don't kill anyone unless you are sure there is no other way to win.”
“Oh, and don't die good luck,”
“and from this corner, a mare responsible for most of the criminals we have here, the night hunter!”
You've got this night, size up your opponent, take them down fairly, then leave, it's easy.
She blocked out the noise and leant down in a powerfully defensive stance, and as she did so, the doors on the other side of the stadium opened. They reviled a young earth pony mare orange with part of her ear missing, and a heavy thick brown mane covering part of her face. But despite the obscured side of her face, she could recognise that the mare knew her, and her face contorted to one of true rage.
She happens to have a blind spot but she knows me, this is bound to be a hectic battle.
Star waited for the bell to ring and immediately held her ground when it did, the orange mare, however, she ran to her at full speed.
First mistake, a wise thing to do is stay on the defensive route.
Just as the mare got close enough Star manoeuvred under her and bucked her rear end up. With all the momentum she had built up she was forced to take a fall and slide to the other side of the stadium, giving Star a chance to attack her while she was down. She grabbed her tail in her teeth and flung the mare back to where she had come in, making her wince in pain and hold her side as she writhed in pain.
Star stood in place to see if she would get up and she did but stumbled as she tried to regain her footing. Star took this as a perfect time to run at her and firmly bucked her in the head with both her hind hooves, which had knocked out the mare the moment it hit her. The crowd was silent for a while as they expected the orange mare to wake up, but when she didn't budge the announcer gryphon came down and lifted one of her hooves.
I won, but this doesn't feel like a true victory, I hope that mare can recover.
When her doors opened again Star began to walk out, but when she was out of sight she looked back at the mare being dragged away.
“I'm so sorry,”
Soon after Star was done cleaning herself up and counting up her bits she was escorted to a holding cell in the upper parts of the building, and she didn’t even this about fighting back for a second. Soon after she got to her cell she asked if she could have a quill and parchment to write a letter on, but the guards only gave her parchment and a small bottle of ink and said that if she wanted a quill she could pluck out one of her own feathers. She quietly grumbled at her misfortune at being considered a criminal but did not complain, instead, she pulled one of her older down feathers and began to write away.
Dear Sapphire
It's your mother, and I know it has been a while since you've seen me but believe me, I’m not in any trouble. However, I do need you to tell the rest of the team that I’m in the gryphon Kingdom, you also need to tell grandma this. I will write to you as often as I can but I might be kept busy at some points, so don’t worry if it takes me too long to send you another letter. And as always my little sea turtle, I love you and trust you, please take care of yourself for me.
Sincerely
when she was done she used her wings to air dry the ink, before folding it up and handing it to one of the guards outside.
“Send this to 27 Oakville Lane in Ponyville, and thank you for the parchment and ink,”
I might be in here a while so I might as well make conversation with anyone I can get.
“Hey there, how are you doing today?”
That sounded terrible, note to self. don’t sound as corny next time.
“Uh did you mean me?”
“Well, it's been alright I suppose, not much happens when I’m on duty, but you are the first criminal who decided to talk to me, though,”
“It wasn’t on purpose you know, it was a mistake when I didn’t know how to control myself, I would go back and change things in a heartbeat if I could,”
“I do honour you gryphons, though, and I’m not willing to fight any of you guards, I deserve every part of my punishment and I’ll take it even though I didn’t mean to do what I did,”
“Why, though? like you said it was a mistake and that you would change it if you could, why wouldn’t you just try to escape?”
“Because it would be dishonourable, he would have wanted me to fess up to my crimes and mistakes, I would never just run from it because it would still be there and no matter how fast I’d run I’d never truly escape from it,”
“Take a lesson from this and never run from a punishment, no matter how hard you want to it won’t help to go out the same way a coward would,”
Star had been woken up by an abrupt clanging on the floor of her cell, and a Griffin guard Loudly saying soups on night hunter before walking away. She had to force herself up when she had collected herself enough to do so, but it wasn’t all that worth it. The food looked like pre-chewed mush that looked dry and wet at the same time, she sighed heavily after seeing it and sniffed at it hesitantly. It smelt fruity and meaty at the same time.
What the heck is this? are they even sure that this is, is it even edible?
****
once it was done she gave it to the guard, and once again, the same young looking Guard she had talked to came to take his place. She was even pleasantly surprised that he looked back at her and waved, he was actually being nice to her.
“Hello again, it looks as though you’ve been told to watch me again, I hope I don’t bore you,”
“What was that?”
“Why aren’t you eating? aren’t you hungry?”
“When I don’t know what I’m eating I don’t eat, besides, I’ve lived on less,”
“You seem to actually care, why?”
“Well, you're a fighter and if you're going to be fighting you’re going to need your strength, and if you don’t you might not win or even survive your next fight,”
“can I have your tray please? you know, since you're not going to eat it. I think I can find you something better to eat,”
“I really can’t thank you enough for this...uh..what's your name?”
“It’s really not much of a big deal, I’m just helping out a kind bounty hunter who seems to favour honour quite a bit,”
“Any kindness is worth a thank you, no matter how big or how small,”
“So the reason why I kept having to go on duty is because you kept writing letters to your daughter?”
“I went on a personal mission and got stuck here, I didn’t want her to be worried about where I was and if I was ok so I’m keeping in touch with her,”
“By the way, I don't think I caught your name sir guard, what should I call you?”
“My name is Windbreaker, but can call me sir or whatever else you want, as long as it’s not degrading,”
“Yeah yeah, laugh it up, it’s not like you’d understand having a name so easy to make into a joke and I shouldn’t have expected you to understand that,”
“Oh but I do understand, and I never said I didn’t like your name, it’s different and I like it, although, my baby might find it amusing when I tell her about you,”
“Why would you do that? I mean, I’m not that interesting and I’m expendable as far as I’m concerned, why would your daughter want to hear about me?”
“Are you kidding me? you are anything but expendable, you're the first gryphon who hasn’t been mean to me or had a fetish for dangerous life threatening fights, not to mention your not a power hungry pain,”
“And the next time you say something stupid like that, I’m going to punch your beak in,”
****
After doing some cardio and lifting some of the weights Star had moved to a punching bag in the far left corner of the room, and Windbreaker was going to spot her while she trained.
“What’s bounty hunting like? I mean, I’ve heard things but I want to know how you feel about it and if you actually like it,”
“It’s like you're in a more lenient military, we are given missions and sometimes a team and we're given the chance to take care of the mission any way we see fit, as long as we follow the rules about what condition the victim needs to be in to receive our payment. So to make a long story short, it really depends on how capable we are in situations that don’t always abide the government's rules,”
“So how does this work, do you just choose to be a bounty hunter or are you in an agency?”
“there are many agencies that involve bounty hunters, but there are only two types of agencies that deal with bounty hunters, ones that work within a region and ones that work with an alliance. I chose to do the ladder so I could have more opportunities,”
“Which alliance did you decide to go with?”
“The pony gryphon Alliance, so not only could I work with and support my kind, but I can honour the kind of my lost friend and help keep the peace between us all, little by little. Heck, even my boss is a gryphon and a very respectful one at that,”
On their way back to Star’s cell they stayed mostly quiet since they were passing other inmates in the hall, many of them glaring at her coldly. The glares made her feel a tinge of guilt for a moment before she reminded herself of the crimes that they all had to answer for, just like her.
Don’t think about what you did to them, think about what they did to others by belonging here. it’s not your fault that you had to send them here.
“Huh? oh, I’m sorry, I was just thinking about those other inmates,”
“What do you think they were thinking? I know all criminals tend to look pissed if they're stuck down here but a lot of them were staring at you. did you happen to know any of them?”
“I just feel sorry for them, I mean yeah they committed crimes but so have I, yet they hate me all the same. Am I even all that deserving of the mercy I’ve been given since the moment I arrived?”
“I um..but..you're not like them, what you did was to make places like the gryphon Kingdom safer for new locals. And you have honour, something those other inmates could only dream of and you actually accepted the fact that you're here. and nothing will change that for you as far as I’m concerned,”
This gryphon confuses me, I should watch him more closely so nothing unexpected comes out of this.
“Thank you, you truly are worth your title and you are truly a kind soul,’
“Well, I think it’s time for me to rest, but I will be sure to write about you in my next letter. Goodnight sir Windbreaker,”
On the day of the fight Star was extremely out of it and almost lost to the other mare, her suit now drenched in both her blood and the mare's. And it took some time for her to leave the ring before Windbreaker came to help her, even then, she seemed so emotionless. At this point Windbreaker was getting more and more worried about her and her well-being, it had been two nights since she had spoken with him so of course, he was concerned about the reason why she hadn’t sent a letter lately.
“What ‘s wrong with you? you’ve been so out of it lately that we might actually need a doctor to look at you,”
“I appreciate what you're doing for me but I’ll be fine, just bring me to my dressing room and let me get cleaned up first, you can even come in with me if you’re that concerned,”
“What do you want a cookie? you know my secret so what do you want?”
“What happened to honour? you told me you were and honour filled mare that always followed the rules of fairness and truth, you basically lied to everyone out there,”
“I fight fair, I don’t do what I don’t have to in the ring, and I give my opponent a fair chance before taking action like I did today,”
“Besides, why do you care so much? it’s not like you actually felt anything for me...or did you?”
“You know why this can’t happen right? at least it wouldn’t be good for you if someone found out they would probably split us up or even put you against me. It would be like torture, and I couldn’t do that to you, it’s nice but it can’t happen, at least not right now,”
“I..don’t care, you're the first genuinely nice pony I’ve met in years and I feel like I can learn a lot from you, and possibly, you can learn a few things from me,”
“Thank you for not judging me, I feel the same way.”
The day after Windbreaker had found out that she could use magic, she had been escorted to her cell and spent her time thinking.
Should I have waited to heal in my cell? no, the guards would just tell the gryphon that brought me here, even so, it would have been better to hide it.
“Sent another letter?”
“Y-yes, I did send a letter home, I have family to take care of and watch over, even though I’m here and can't be with them I still need to keep things in line,”
“You really must know that I’m sorry for not telling you about me earlier, but I had to be sure that I could trust you and I couldn’t risk dying here, not without my family knowing where I was,”
Why did he look away? is he afraid of me now? does he feel weaker around me now that he knows what I did?
“How about you ask me anything you want me to know and I’ll tell you the truth, but only if you’ll promise to keep what I tell you a secret, it should be between us and only us. I figure you deserve it after dragging me back to my room yesterday,”
“Uh ok..hmm, the accident, how did it happen?”
“I was friends with a young gryphon that I had run into a couple times in town so of course, we hung out together, but after a while, his older brother found out and tried to separate us and I got so mad that I attacked him. apparently, I had torn his face apart and burned what was left of him, and during the attack, I unknowingly hurt my friend,”
“I remember being so scared seeing him so hurt and broken, blood was everywhere and I was too scared to try to help him or even touch him, but he knew that I was there enough to ask me why I had attacked him before he was gone. after that had happened I ran away, I didn’t know that he and his brother were heirs to the throne until I had started working far far away from the gryphon Kingdom.”
“We could have ruled together and I messed everything up, he didn’t deserve to die, his kind, loving heart should have gotten to live,”
“I didn’t know that you cared so much, you must have been really close be crying like this,”
“He would have liked you, you're such a caring guard and you seem to really respect the morals of honour bound bounty hunters, even the ones like me,”
“What are you like, though?”
“Broken and secretive, even to those I could trust with the honesty of my words, even with others like you,”
“Well I should be getting back to my post before anyone notices that I’m not there, but thank you for telling me about that unfortunate accident, it didn't look easy to say,”
“That you for being so sympathetic, I couldn't have trusted a better guard or gryphon with my emotional wounds,”
the next morning, Star woke up to the clang of a tray being thrown into her cell again, but this time, the mush had bits of celery and carrots sticking out of it. It still looked as unappetizing as it did before but at least she knew she could eat something that was on that tray, even if it had some of the unrecognisable gunk on it. So she quietly said off her cot and moved closer to it when she was sure that the guard had left, and carefully pulled out the vegetable bits with her teeth and began to gingerly nibble on them. As she had guessed before, the mush had meat in it, the irony taste of blood and the slightly stringy feeling of muscle was almost too fresh to chew properly, but she ate some of it regardless of her expected diet. when the mushy puree meat was half done she stopped and gave herself a chance to breathe, even if she finished it wouldn't be much help to her body in any way. So she laid next to it on the cell floor as she felt the uneasy gurgle and movement of her stomach, it was in no way comfortable for her and it distracted her so much that she almost didn’t notice Windbreaker standing outside of the cell door. But as she groaned in pained disgust he looked back at her with a worried expression.
“Are you ok Star, you look like you tried to swallow a sentient ball of slime,”
“You didn’t eat that stuff, did you? you know it’s all just partially drained meat right? ponies aren't supposed to eat stuff like that,”
“Don’t worry, I’ll stay with you until you feel better, no other guards will go by here until the fight tonight,”
When Star awoke it was to the soft purring snores coming from the soft mass beneath her, and when she opened her eyes and looked up, she saw that Windbreaker had fallen asleep holding her. She had begun to feel better and got up to stretch while she was still on top of him, but she made an effort to get off of him without waking him up short after. She knew that he couldn't stay asleep like that with guard patrols still on its way to them, so she gently nudged him awake when she felt ready enough to.
“Hey sleepy head, you might want to wake up now, guard patrols might just catch you in here if you don’t,”
“Keep all limbs inside the cell at all times! next time I see you sticking your head out like that I won’t be so gentle,”
“I wasn't trying..to cause...any trouble,”
“What’s wrong little bounty hunter? not the kindness you were expecting? I Thought you were supposed to be stronger than this, you look like a useless petty mare,”
“Do you have a problem with me little mare? you don’t seem so tough now that You're outside of the ring, I bet you're really just a weak little filly who acts like she's tough shit. You’re a sad excuse for an elite bounty hunter,”
“I bet I could crush you right here and no one would care, it wouldn't even matter If we lost one star act,”
“Sir, is there something I can help you with?”
“ I was just having a little fun with this waste of a bounty hunter, I don’t think I need anything else from you,”
“I really didn't mean any harm..and I’m sorry that you have to see me like this, weakness was never really my strong suit,”
“It's no trouble at all, I don’t mind taking care of you, it gives me a stronger sense of purpose and you already know how much I care about you so it shouldn't really be a surprise,”
“You really deserve a raise, keeping me alive and well is something that the other Guards haven’t tried to do, so that's another reason why you're special,”
“Are you flirting with me?”
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t, but what would you like to hear me say?”
“You're a bounty hunter, you probably flirt like this all the time to trick your targets into trusting you right? are you lying about your feelings for me?”
“Why would you think that I would try to manipulate you? do you really think so little of me? that I would have no remorse or even care about how you feel?”
“No, I was just thinking about it and wanted to be sure, that I wasn’t getting played for a fool here,”
“It was one of the other guards wasn’t it?! one of them said something, what did they say to you?”
“Ok ok, they said that I should be careful when watching you so I asked why, and they said that you were known to be manipulative and violent to get what you wanted. I didn’t believe them but I just wanted to be sure that you weren't just using me to get out,”
“Do you trust me..and I mean really trust me?”
“You better go back to your post, I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble because of me,”
When the time came for Star to wake up she was exhausted, but the guard at her door was loud and unrelenting as he yelled at her about getting ready for the next fight. She said off her cot carefully and stumbled over to the cell door when she noticed that Windbreaker wasn't around to greet her and escort her to her change room. She was worried but she didn't think about it too much, as she walked beside the darkly shaded gryphon at her side, mentally preparing for the battle to come.
“Are you feeling ok miss?”
“Why do you care night bitch!? you're a murderer anyways,”
****
Later on, in her cell, Star was still pondering her life deeply as she began to really crave some conversation, and she made a small letter that wasn't really saying much about what was going on, but she really wanted to talk to Windbreaker. She would never admit it to herself but she did miss him, he was so sweet and genuinely cared for her, and it was worth trusting and going for if she was planning an escape. So when she gave the letter to the guard she was anxious to see Windbreaker come back, even if things got a little harsh yesterday. But when he arrived, he was silent but she could see that he was clearly uncomfortable standing there, so when she approached him she made sure to make it obvious and clear what she was doing.
“Windbreaker? are you alright? you seem kind of….out of it,”
“My superior got involved after the guard from yesterday said that I was getting too close to you, so I’m not really supposed to talk...to you,”
“We are getting kind of close, but I don't think it should be considered a reason to be punished, that guard hurt he physically not you, you should be just fine,”
“Besides, if anything does happen I can protect you,”
Later that night, Windbreaker had come into her cell so there would be no bars between them while they talked, and during their time together he had given her a bundle of letters from home. It was more than a little exciting for her to read as well, and she could barely stop herself from reading them out loud.
“She’s doing just fine, I knew that she would be fine but it’s always good to have a little reassurance. Do you have a foal or um hatchling?”
“I don’t actually, I’ve never really gotten away from my job long enough to ask a nice young gryphon or mare to start a family with me,”
“Well, I think you’re charming enough to take your time searching, even if you can't always make searching your main priority in here,”
“Who knows? my search might just be over and I could have someone in mind right now and you wouldn’t know,”
“I already know you like me, you don't make it super obvious but it is obvious enough for someone like me to see, and we've spent so much time together it would be crazy of me to think you were doing the same with somebody else,”
“Was it really that obvious to you? I thought I could at least throw you for a loop, it looked like it didn’t even take you that long to come up with who I was talking about,”
“Relax my little star-burst, I was just kidding, I actually don’t mind that you guessed so quickly, it takes a lot less stress off of me with having to tell you that I like you,”
“I can’t believe this, I knew that my sister was going to be trouble but no baby dragon should exposed to such debauchery, and in my home as well, I ought to shave her mane off in her sleep,”
“I swear to you, this is not how proper royalty conducts itself, she should not be laying with so many stallions around my child,”
“I get that it's b ad but trust me when I say it will be dealt with,”
Once she was back in her cell Star was given enough time to think about her next fight, she wasn’t told whether or not it would be a pony or what gender the challenger in question would be. But she was sure that it wouldn’t be hard to win or at least make it entertaining for the crowd, and with a sponsor, she was bound to get more than enough money to go back home. And while she considered the prospect of going home a thought came to mind; where would Windbreaker go if she left? The thought made her mind race with ideas,
He could stop working here or move or even come with me, would he come with me? What would happen to him if he left this place? would he even want to leave?
Am I actually so concerned for Windbreaker that I would stress my mind just to find a way to make sure that he'll be safe? Have I really let myself get so concerned for him?
“Star? are you alright?”
“I’m fine, I just...thought of something...something about breaking out, I’ll be fine, asI can promise you that,”
“I was thinking...that maybe..you could come with me, but only if you truly want to, I mean I already know how to get out but I need to find my cloak and saddlebags first but we could make it work right? I mean I have so many places to hide in mind before we get to where I live, it could be so easy and you wouldn't have to work here anymore,”
“No more long days spent in heavy uncomfortable armour, no more seeing sad or beaten up prisoners everywhere, you could have a really calm comfortable life with me and we could even travel together,”
“we could really start something, no more fights and no more worrying about me, it would be so freeing for the both of us, so...what do you say?”
“I don't know, wouldn’t this just make things...I don’t know worse..for you? I mean much much worse, like call your princesses worse,”
“I don’t care what they do to me, you deserve better than this and I can promise you this is better,”
“Alright, I’ll go with you, but you have to tell me when and where so I can get your cloak and your saddlebags. after that is discussed we can head out,”
Hang in there my little sea turtle, mama is coming home.
The next day, Star had prepared for her next fight, and the plan to get out was set in place for her. A windbreaker would bring her cloak and saddlebags to her dressing room and be ready to run off after she had one the fight, it was going to be much easier for the final part of the plan once she had all her weapons back. so after she was done training and went to her room for a quick shower, she was more than ready to suit up and run out. but while she was drying off Windbreaker came in with her stuff in different bags and set them down on a chair before giving her a hug from behind and making her smile.
“Hey there, you seem ready to go, would I be wrong for assuming that?”
“No you're spot on, and I feel like this will be good for us, maybe I won’t leave the Griffin Kingdom just yet, hm? what do you think of that idea?”
“I love that idea you know, I have a little place on the border of the gryphon Kingdom, we could stay there until you're ready to go,”
“Just give me a chance to win the fight first, we don't want to get too far into things before they have a chance to happen,”
“You look good, that cloak really suits you, I’ll be ready for you at the end of the fight alright?”
Last fight, the claws are out Night, you've got this.
“Oh and it looks the night hunter has gotten some ammunition since her last fight, and folks, it looks like she's not afraid to use it,”
one down, one to go, let's make this entertaining shall we?
“How did it go? Did you win right? tell me you won,”
“Let's just get my last payment and get out of here, I can’t stand this place anymore,”
“Here you go my dear, be sure to be as enjoyable as you were before in your next fight, this one was one hell of a show, just don't kill our own next time,”
“What happened in there? You look more upset with yourself than you were before,”
“I had to kill two fighters today, a gryphon and a mare, it was just so wrong this time,”
“They were both so young, too young to be felons, especially in here,”
“I know that must have been hard but we really should get going if you really want to do this,”
“Alright, open the door but wait a few seconds before following me, okay?”
It had taken hours to run to the gryphon Kingdom borders, but when the little cottage like house came into view it all became more worth it.
I made it out, we made it out, and now we'll get to spend some actual time together.
“I haven’t had so much fun like this in a while, let alone with a guard who was just standing at my cell door a few hours ago,”
“Are you sure this is far enough away? I mean, won’t they be looking for me to hurt me and lock me up?”
“I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise, and if anything happens I will do whatever I can to help you get back to your daughter. You are a good mother and I hope that I can be a good father for her,”
“I guess you haven’t been in here for a while, the dust in here could choke a bear,”
“Tell you what, when you head out to work tomorrow I’ll clean it up for you, if I’m I’m going to stay here with you I might as well help you out with all this,”
The next morning, Windbreaker had woken up early and to an empty bed, something that he would have expected if he was truly alone in his house. But regardless of the fact that he had woken up to an empty bed he gotten up and began to do his typical morning routine, before finally putting on his armour before he headed downstairs and to the kitchen. When he had got there, however, he was surprised to see Star reared up and leaning over the stove while the smell of eggs cooking reached he reached him.
“Mmm. that smells really good, if I knew you'd get up earlier than me to make breakfast I would have tried to wake up with you,”
“You looked so cute when you were sleeping I didn't want to wake you, so I just decided to get you something to eat before you go,”
“I hope this is good enough for a meal in the morning, you can have the rest for dinner when you come home,”
The week that followed their first day together had been filled with excitement and their want to stay together, regardless of Windbreaker’s job and the fact that Star couldn't bring in the money she wanted to support him. And although he didn't want her to worry, he had noticed that the other guards had pushed their patrols out towards the borders of the town, and if they kept getting closer and closer. It had gotten to the point where they couldn't go out and watch the sunset anymore, and the more Windbreaker insisted on her staying inside the more she got suspicious of the reason why. until one day, when he had left for work she decided to take a look outside for the reason why she wasn't supposed to leave, nothing had come into view immediately, but after sitting and looking for a little bit she had noticed the glare of armour coming closer. It had made her heart race so quickly that once she had moved away from the window she was looking out of her hooves were trembling. Her instinct was to get her things and leave but at this distance she would never get away in time, that and the fact that she didn't want Windbreaker to worry about her sudden disappearance. so instead she decided to wait for him to get back before making a final decision, he was in the guard after all, he had to have known this was happening. So like the six nights before she made dinner for them both and waited for him to get home, but she decided against waiting for him in the kitchen when he had walked in.
“I’m home, Star? are you busy?”
“Welcome back, forgive me if I’m not as pleased to see as I usually am, I just found something troubling about how close the guard are getting to your..our home,”
“I was so curious to know what had you so afraid to let me go out, especially at night, so I took a little peek outside while you were out, and guess what I saw,”
“you..saw the guard, didn't you?”
“Oh, so you did know? And the thought never would have occurred to you that I would maybe need to know this...important information?”
“Do you know why I chose to stay here and wait, I stayed because I was concerned with the fact that you’d be worried about me being gone, without a word, without a single sign that I had truly wanted to stay. But this, this could have spelled danger for me and you never told me how close they were,”
“I thought that it wouldn't come this close this fast, you must know that, I wouldn't keep it from you if I knew how fast that fleet would scour the land. And if they do come, I’ll instantly be there for you, and maybe we can make our getaway tomorrow, I can help you quickly and safely go if that's what you want,”
“How could you think that about me? Do you think that I wanted to leave you!? Why in Tartarus would I ever want to leave you!?”
“I’m sorry for assuming that you wanted to leave, I just want you to be safe, and you have a family to go back to, I would never want you to miss out on Sapphire growing into the strong well mannered dragon I know she could be. I would put your life before mine because you still have something to live for, and if you’re alive I will too,”
Soon after Windbreaker had come to bed he fell into a deep and peaceful sleep, and Star had unconsciously held onto him, making the sleep all the sweeter. They had stayed asleep for a few hours at a time, but they both woke up to a firm banging on the front door, and they both froze as they heard a guard yell from outside. Windbreaker looked to her and held a talon to his beak, telling her to stay quiet as he got up, which she decided to obey as she got up as well. While Windbreaker made his way downstairs she had begun to pack up her things and pulled on her cloak, she was ready to make her getaway if it would come that, she knew that fighting would only lead to her being caught a second time. So when she heard the front door open she stayed alert and listened in on the conversation going on downstairs.
“Good evening sir, I’m sorry for waking you but I was sent here to ask you some questions, is it alright if I come in?”
“Would it be alright if my associates can search your home? it should only take a second and we’re pretty sure you have nothing to hide,”
maybe he was too out of it, or maybe it took him too long to leave, either way, I’m getting very close to losing my cover, it's now or never for me.
I’m so sorry Windbreaker, I promise that I will never forget what you've done for me.
The following year Star had successfully made it home, and as a result ahead went back into her regular life routine. seeing Sapphire was worth the long and difficult trip back, but as she unpacked she noticed that she still had her skin-tight suit with her. She didn't like seeing it, it reminded her of the hell she had escaped, but it also reminded her of Windbreaker. And as she sat there she staring at it, she began to cry, she felt so sorry for leaving, but it was the only way she knew that he'd be safe from the trouble that followed her. But deep down she felt like he could protect her, and she would know if he really could if she stayed, but at what cost? It didn't feel right to simply get rid of the suit, though, so she brought it down to her basement, where she had three mannequins lined up side by side. One of them had her cloak, while the other had a dress she would wear for special occasions, the last one was bare and she pulled the suit on to it carefully. When she had stepped back to look at it a smile crossed her lips, even with the tears flowing from her eyes she seemed happy, and she vowed to never forget where that suit had come from, and who she’d met when she had gotten it. And as she went back up to her room she felt like things would be ok somehow.
After the last attack that Star was a part of she was forced to submit to the law, and was currently being held in a cell meant for extremely dangerous criminals. She knew that deep down she deserved to be there, but it still felt wrong for her to be muzzled and chained to the wall behind her. For the fourth time today a gryphon had walked in, but he didn't have armour and a food tray like the rest did, and she sat up quickly.
“Well, miss fall, I believe we have some business to discuss,”
“You see, oh well, I don't think we can talk about much like this. You are Star fall right?”
“there, can we speak now?”
“I don't feel the need to talk to a gryphon that seems to dabble in criminal affairs, what do you even want with me?”
“You’re feisty, that's good, and I promise I'll explain everything on the way,”
****
He talked about her current situation the whole way there, and with little chatter from Star he confirmed her understanding of the dangerous situation she was now in.
“So you see, I need fresh and strong new fighters and you just happen to be one of those ponies. And don't worry about being set free, after you serve your time here you'll earn every last bit of your freedom,”
“I'm hearing a lot about you needing me, but what's in it for me?”
“You'll earn a sum of the bits for every fight you win, think of that as added incentive to stay in the game,”
chapter 3
When Star had gotten back to her room she immediately took off her suit and took a quick shower.the fight wasn’t terrible, but I still feel like I was the one who lost.
“Congrats on winning your first fight, it’s not a bad start for your name and a good way to get some exposure,”
“I beg your pardon, what kind exposure are you talking about? what do I even need exposure for?”
“The advantage is sponsors, when you win fights you have more buyers wanting to support your name and offer you more money and training, and in some cases pay for your bail. but you must win more fights and get more attention,”
“And look you hardly have any scars at all, you’re a natural kid,”
I think I can keep this up for a little longer, I just hope that my freedom comes soon.
“I suppose I could keep it up for a while, when will my next fight be?”
“In two days, that should be enough right? enough time to train, enough time to rest and plenty of time to be mentally prepared. I’ll come back to check on you alright, just keep up the good work,”
your right, a couple days should be good enough for me, maybe I can send a letter home and get someone to visit me and get me out. I just need enough bits to get my stuff back, it might take a while but it will be worth it.
Soon after Windbreaker had gone back to his post another gryphon in armour had walked down to her cell and had informed her that a sponsor from outside of the gryphon Kingdom borders. At first, it took her a moment to remember what was said about her getting buyers, but when she did she had gotten the hint that it would open doors for her to get more money out of the fights she was already winning. So she hurried to get out of her cell and fix herself up, and Windbreaker had followed her and the other guard. Although she felt safe with him she was deeply concerned that his presence would make negotiations.
****
It took a while to get there but once they were up to the visitation area of the facility, most of which was filled with mostly gryphons and very few ponies. So Bering escorted to the pony that was her supposed buyer, a well groomed high class looking stallion with a deep blue coat and dusty brown mane. Star sat down across from him and looked up at Windbreaker to see if he was reacting a certain way, only to see that he was staring down the stallion with deep hate. So instead she cleared her throat and turned her attention back to the stallion, who was now smirking as he pressed his hooves together on the table.
“Well, we finally meet, how is prison treating you?”
“Well, if you don’t like it too much in here I can offer you more money for your bail, but only if you agree to this contract,”
“What do you want with me? I’m a bounty hunter with a shady past who has taken so many lives that I have learned to use my body as a weapon. I have won nearly every fight I’ve been in so your payment better be worth it,”
“Don’t worry my dear, I'll give you some time to consider it, just give this to your escort and be sure to get back to me, I’m eager to know what you think,”
“I’ll….consider it, but please don't touch me like that ever again,”
Star had had a full day of cleaning and touring the house’s interior, it was almost a surprise to hear the door opening downstairs. And she bolted downstairs reached for a dagger before she remembered that it had to be Windbreaker, no One else knew her location. So as she slowly moved into his line of sight, and when he saw her he smiled a pleasant smile, and closed the door behind him.
“You look like you had a busy day, did you at least enjoy yourself?”
“It’s nice here but...I’m having trouble adjusting to this, I nearly attacked you just now because I thought someone had found me,”
“Just give it time, I know it's hard now but it'll get easier over time, why don't we go out and just enjoy the rest of the day? I bet the sunset will be magical with you,”
“I think that would be perfect, let's not waste our time catching it, it'll be worth it if it's truly magical,”
“Oh, I um...sorry,”