The crackle of fire and the smell of smoke is thick in the air. Waking up quickly Defalco opens his eyes. He groans and sits up trying to get a bearing on where he his. It’s dark, almost a grey covering. Clouds shroud overheard with no sign of the sun. Shaking his head he realizes his hearing is gone.
Struggling to get up, he uses a nearby burned tree stump for balance, but quickly loses his balance and falls over. He obviously was dizzy and weak from whatever had happened to him. Crawling over to a nearby tree that was mostly intact, he props his back up and surveys the area.
Most of the trees within a hundred yards were snapped and broken, nothing more then cinders and charcoal. A large mass of land was missing directly near him, a crater deep enough for two men to stand and too wide to even think of jumping.
His head was reeling, not able to really think clearly. "The hell happened…how did I get here?" He thinks aloud to himself, his mind going a million miles an hour. He ponders for a bit longer and comes to the conclusion the only way out of this is to move.
Getting up slowly he uses the trunk once again for balance. Still feeling lightheaded and with wobbly knees he makes his way across the ruin, picking around splinters and small fires. His hearing was still out so he never heard the shot but he did notice the puff of dirt as the round hot the ground at his feet.
He stopped quickly and fell back in surprise, catching himself and landing on his back in a small ditch.
Looking up he sees the faint outline of another person.
"Stay still of you want to live." Said the figure, a sniper rifle of large caliber aimed at his head. "What are you and what are you doing here?"
Putting his hands up, still not being able to hear anything this person said he quietly did as he was told. Whoever this is was not friendly. Realizing this the figure spoke again and lowered the gun.
"I’m not gonna hurt you, that was only a warning shot." Slinging the rifle over it’s shoulder a hand was extended towards him.
Not wanting to trust just yet he reluctantly grabbed hold and was yanked up to his feet. Getting a better look at eye level confused him. This person had the features of a cat, and not just that. It was a she.
Standing before him, was a cat girl with a tail and whiskers.
Unbelievable he thought. The girl looked into his eyes for a moment, hers nothing more then green emeralds. Waving a hand in front of his face she patted the dust off his back.
"Hello? Can you hear me? You ok in there?" She asks in a concerned voice.
"I can’t really hear what your saying!" Defalco replies in a loud voice motioning to his ears.
Quickly grabbing him, the girl wraps a paw around his mouth, fire in her eyes. "Shh! This is no place to be yelling."
He understood and nodded. His hearing was getting better at least. If she spoke again he might be able to make out a couple words.
"Let me know if you can hear me." She said.
Smiling he replied "Yeah it’s coming back to me know, this is much better."
A deep voice rings out from behind, in a normal mocking tone of sorts. "Much better to find you with anyways yes." Standing before them was a Pegasus. About Chest high to them, wings folded neatly wearing a black and purple set of armor.
Spinning around, the girl quickly grabs her sniper off her back and placing herself between Defalco and this newcomer.
Defalco was the first to reply. "Who..who are you?"
The Pegasus took a step forward and looked straight ahead as if not caring at all. "Someone who actually belongs here." A mysterious bank of dog begins to creep up from behind the pony, shrouding along the ground forming a half circle between them. "I am Thunderhead and in lady Nightmare Moons name I place you both under arrest."
The cat girl merely snorts and fires away at the pony. Quick in a flash the Pegasus dodges and smacks the rifle out of her hand. She dives into a roll and gets behind him landing a few punches on his flank.
He kicks out with a studded hoof and catches her in the stomach. Doubling back she recovers panting and holding her side. The rifle bent and discarded nearby. Defalco watches in horror, rooted to the spot by fear.
"I honestly don’t know what your trying to accomplish furry, surrender now." He takes steps towards her calmly, the fog swirling beneath him.
Baring claws she smirks and runs at him. In a flash she jumps over him, raking his back with scratches and landing on the other side with a roll. She turns in time to see Defalco running off.
The Pegasus watches and smirks. "After him." A few wisps of fog detach from the bank at his hooves and begin pursuit, forming into hideous monsters of some kind floating above the ground. He turns his attention back to the furry girl.
Defalco runs as fast as he can, out of breath already, he looks back at the pursuing monsters. "Oh no no no no."
One of the beasts puts on a bit of speed, passing right through him and reforming into a large Minotuar in his path. With a well aimed punch to the chest it knocks him down. Gasping for air and winded, Defalco lays on the ground, stunned.
The Nightmare beasts, as they were called, were surprised at their easy capture. Picking him up by the legs, they begin to drag him along the ground back to where Thunderhead was still squaring off against the girl.
They drop him roughly just as Thunderhead delivers a final blow to the cats jaw, sending her to the ground, also knocked out. He turns to the beasts and recalls them, forming the fog bank from before.
He inspects Defalco as the human gazes up at him, unable to move as his body goes into shock. "What a pity." He sneers. "Hardly a fight from this one."
"He better be alive." Comes a low tone female voice from the left. Slowly striding along the ground an important looking unicorn stops and inspects the two of them.
"Lord Jaspis, it’s an honor to see you. I have captured the creature as requested, and a wandering furry girl." Said Thunderhead.
"Good, you have done well and the girl is a nice bonus. Get him awake, we need to talk."
Thunderhead nods and the fog forms to shake Defalco. He comes to his senses and props himself up, breathing hard he realizes now is a bad time to run, he also noticed the furry girls body close by.
Jaspis looked down on him. "I have plenty of questions, and it would be in your best interests if you answer them two-legs."
"I will..don’t worry..but let’s start off with names…I’m so confused." He replies in a shaky voice, looking back up at her. "I’m Deflaco"
"Nightmare commander Jaspis, do you have any sort of idea what you stumbled into?"
He shakes his head. "No, not really, Miss Jaspis. I…Can’t remember how I ended here or what happened? I just woke up and saw all this destruction. If I’m crossing into private property, I’ll gladly leave."
"Private property? The whole damn world is owned by her highness Nightmare Moon. Eternal night? Resistance is futile? Nightmare Fog Beasts crushing all opposition? Just what rock were you hiding under all these months?"
He have her a chilling grin. "Wow…I got under your skin that fast?"
She snorted. "You best not run your mouth before I try to manually get under your skin."
He shuts up and after a minute of silence he speaks. "I get it now, I’m sorry."
She gives a cruel result for a smile. "good to hear you have the bar minimum in common sense at least. You are rather… interesting in appearance though, where does a species such as yours hail from?"
He clears his throat. "I was born in Ohio Mrs Jaspis."
"Ohio…never heard of it. Must be of the Southern Continent." She replied a little confused. "And what are you?"
"I’m a human."
"You mean like the chim-pan-zey?"
He sighs. "No a human, like Homo Saipan? Have you ever seen one before?"
"No and you sound like your lying."
"I swear I’m serious!"
She shakes her head in disgust. "Fine let’s leave it at that Defalco the Hoo-man from Ohio."
"Thank you.."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "What about you being here? Do you remember anything?"
"No..I just woke up and here I am." He shrugged calmly.
"Huh..is that so?" She took one look at him and began to walk away. Mr Thunder get them ready to go see her highness."
"Yes Lord Jaspis." With a smirk he gives a heavy kick to Defalco and everything quickly goes dark for him.
Author's Note
