Kimber closed the door behind her and headed down the street, collars in talon. That damned molerat. He's gonna lose Master’s business entirely if he doesn't quit raising his prices. She passed by the various shops, eying the signs as she went.
Let's see… Beef: check. Pork: check. Mushrooms: eugh, but check. I don't know how he eats some of this shit. Collars: check. Now I need some sulfur and some saltpeter, and a bottle of chloroform. Kimber spotted the bright red and blue sign, Garth’s Apothecary and Confectionery, and went inside.
The walls were unseen as shelves, filled with jars and bottles, were stacked from floor to ceiling. Ingredients for every known remedy and poison, and candies galore, flavored from the most sour of lemon to the sweetest of honey. And in the middle of it all, sat the owner, draped over the counter, sleeping.
Kimber rolled her eyes at the sight. “Garth! Wake up!” The large, grey reptile stirred, cracking open an eye, the milky pupil passing over the young Griffoness.
Garth raised his head and flicked his long tongue, tasting his guest on the air. “Ah, Kimber. How are you today?”
“I'm well. Master is in need of some supplies. A pound of sulfur, a pound of saltpeter, and four ounces of chloroform.”
“Sounds like your master is on the hunt. I can't say I'm surprised, seeing how Verko runs his business. Will that be all?”
“Oh! Uh…” Kimber eyed the shelves of delectables. “A quarter pound of the fire balls, and Master’s usual.”
Garth moved about the store, gathering the requested items. “You must be doing well if he's offered to buy you a treat.”
“I do my best.” Kimber caught herself smiling as she stroked the tag of her own collar, Property of Daulton Pierce etched on one side.
“And what of his new pets?”
“Master plans on starting in the North. He's interested in those ponies that came through here a few months back.”
“They're an interesting lot, alright. I'm curious to see how they take to a life like yours.” Garth set the items on the counter. “That'll be fifty bits.”
“Oh, it's not so bad. Food, shelter, a warm bed, and all the care I could need.” Kimber fished the coins out of a pouch and set them on the counter before gathering the purchases and putting them in her bags. “You should try it sometime, Garth. You might enjoy being a pet!”
Garth chuckled. “I did, once. Not my cup of tea. You be safe out there, Kimber. I'd hate to see what kind of hell your master could call down should something happen to his prize possession.”
“I will. Thanks, Garth!” She turned and left, making sure to close the door behind her. Once outside, Kimber spread her wings and launched herself into the sky, angling toward the only green patch of land near Klugetown. Home.
“Master! I'm back!” Kimber closed the door and padded into the kitchen. She opened the cold box and put the meat inside. Heavy footsteps sounded on the hardwood behind her.
“Did you get everything?”
“Almost. I was only able to get three collars. Verko raised his prices again.” She turned and faced the voice, her head hung low and tail between her legs. “I'm sorry, Master.”
Leather boots appeared in her line of sight as her master approached. A calloused hand lifted her chin until her golden eyes met his. “It's not your fault, Kimber. Idiots happen.
“Now, where are those truffles? I don't know about you, but I could use a treat.”
Kimber perked up and dug through her bags. “Oh! Right here, Master.” She pulled out a pair of sacks and presented one to her owner.
Daulton took the bag and wrapped his arms around Kimber’s bespeckled white torso. “Thank you, my dear.”
Kimber returned the embrace, nuzzling her beak into his thick beard. “Did you have anything else you needed, Master?”
Daulton rose, popping a honey-filled chocolate into his mouth. “Actually, yes. What kind of pony do you think I should get first?”
“Well, from what I understand, Earth Ponies are quite strong and good at growing things, Unicorns have magic, and Pegasi can fly. Supposedly, they're stronger than Unicorns, since they're more active, but they're a lot weaker than an Earth Pony. I'd get a Pegasus for my first catch, since they're less likely to break me or light me on fire.”
Daulton grinned. “Excellent advice. I think that's exactly what I'll do.” He reached over and pet the back of her head and neck, receiving a soft coo for his troubles.
“Master?”
“Hm?”
“Where are Snowball and Whipple?”
“Snowball is out preparing Whipple for dinner.”
"Oh. I liked her.”
“You know how I feel about this. If someone refuses to improve, the world will improve without them. I'm not going to sacrifice my furniture to their claws when there's a perfectly good tree outside. Besides, I've never eaten cat before and I'm curious to see how she tastes.” Daulton patted Kimber on the head and stuck the rest of his chocolates in the cold box. Grabbing the chemicals, he turned to her. “I'll be in the workshop. Let me know when Snowball gets done. I'm cooking tonight.”
Kimber let her gaze fall back to the floor. “Yes, Master.”
A soft black pelt hung stretched across a frame, drying in the sun. Its previous owner had been lithe and lean, preferring activity to relaxation. Now, Whipple would find little use as more than a meal or a rug.
Snowball’s white fur was a mess. Blood stained her pelt across her chest and up her arms, almost to her shoulders. Ichor clung to her cheeks and whiskers, the result of wiping away the tears from her bloodshot eyes. Dammit, Whipple, why couldn't you just listen? She pressed a knife into bloodied flesh, removing muscle from bone and tossing it into the bowl of water beside her. She sniffled and fought to control her breathing, lest she break down before her task was complete.
Done with the femur, Snowball grabbed the ribcage and a cleaver, and began hacking at the joints along the spine. Finishing with that, she grabbed a hacksaw and began cutting through the bones, separating the cage into racks and adding them to the bowl.
She worked tirelessly, dividing her friend up and processing each muscle into steaks, strips, and scraps for the meat grinder. Shoulders and neck were cubed while thighs and rump were left whole.
Finally done with the initial processing, Snowball took the bowl of meat inside and to the kitchen, where she rinsed it and her arms. The effort was in vain. It seemed her once pristine fur was destined to bear the mark of her friend's mistakes. Tears began to run freely as she gripped the edge of the sink. Her lips curled back in a pained but silent snarl. Her torso heaved as she fought back the sobs.
“Ahem,” a rather feminine voice interrupted. Kimber padded into the kitchen, her talons clicking against the tile. “Don't let Master catch you like that. You don't want any bruises to go with those stains. C'mon,” Kimber motioned back toward the doorway. “Let's get you a cold shower. It's your best bet at getting that shit off you without losing your fur. Master wants to do the cooking himself tonight, anyway.”
Snowball nodded and followed Kimber down the hall.
Plates and silverware clinked as Kimber and Snowball quietly finished setting the table. Though the Abyssinian had managed to get herself cleaned up and under control, Snowball’s tail hung low, tucked forward between her legs, and her ears laid back, pinned against her head.
Snowball and Kimber each took their seats as they awaited the arrival of their master. The back door opened and Daulton stepped through, carrying a platter of grilled meat and vegetables. He set it on the table and sat at the end.
“Dig in.”
Daulton grabbed a large potato and set it on his plate, splitting it down the middle with his knife. Reaching out, he swiped a pat of butter onto the blade and flicked it down into the eviscerated root. Kimber reached out with a polished talon and plucked a steak from the pile, setting it on her plate.
“It's a bit dry. You may want to doctor it up.” She looked up to see Daulton watching her.
“Thank you, Master.” Kimber took some butter on her knife and spread it over the meat.
Snowball remained still, staring at her empty plate. “I don't want any.”
Daulton sighed. “I don't believe I asked. Kimber,” he said, turning to the Griffon, “what do you think about the meal?”
“It's sad Whipple ended up like this, but I think she turned out ok.” Kimber took a bite. “Like a mix between chicken and frog.”
“An apt description.” Daulton took a bite. “Snowball, you will eat, or you will go in the box for the duration of my trip.”
“P-please no…” Snowball’s cheeks moistened as tears flowed from her eyes.
“If you don't choose, I'll choose for you.” Another bite. Kimber reached out and prepared a second helping. “What's it going to be?”
“I'll… I'll eat.” Snowball trembled in her seat for a few more seconds, before reaching out and taking a strip of meat from the platter. She bit into it and gagged.
“Swallow.”
She chewed for a moment and swallowed hard.
“How is it?”
Snowball looked at her master, violated. “You're a monster. Would you do this to your own people?”
Daulton chuckled and took a sip from his cup. “Kitten, you know nothing about me and the things I'd do and have done.” He averted his gaze. “Kimber, after dinner, take whatever is left, add the mushrooms, puree it, and put it in a bowl. After that, I want the ship prepped and ready for flight. We're leaving at midnight.”
Daulton rose and disappeared into the kitchen. He returned a few moments later with a rag in his hand. He stopped behind Snowball, and before she could look, he wrapped her head in his arms, rag pressed to her snout. After a few seconds of struggle, she finally went limp.
Snowball woke to the muffled sound of a heavy deadbolt sliding into place. Cold concrete pressed against her body. She tried looking around, but her efforts proved futile, as a thick leather hood clung tight to her head, exposing only her snout. She tried to raise a forepaw to remove it, only to find both of them wrapped and bound together behind her back. Just barely, she could make out her master's voice.
“There's a bowl of food in one corner and water in another. We'll see how challenging you are when I get back.”
“NO! MASTER, PLEASE!” She struggled against the restraints. “DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!”
Faintly, she heard the thump of a heavy door settling into its frame. She curled up in a corner, blinded and alone, her sobs more easily heard through her own body than the thick mask pressing her ears against her head.
“...Please don't leave…”
The airship pulled away from the dock, quickly gaining speed and altitude. The hours passed in silence as the northern wastelands slid by, featureless. As the horizon started to brighten, so too did the ground gain texture. Kimber gazed out the window at the vast jungle before them. In the distance, she spotted a few large ziggurats poking through the canopy.
“Master, look!” She pointed to her discoveries.
“Very cool. Y’know, I’ve heard rumors that that author you like based her stories on some of the artifacts found in this area. ‘J. K. Rowling,’ or something like that.” Daulton eased back on the throttle, allowing time to sightsee.
“A. K. Yearling, Master.”
“That’s right. There’s another rumor going around that everything in those books actually happened, that Daring Do is a real Pony.”
“Really?”
“That’s what I hear.” He eased the throttle forward again, continuing the journey.
The hours continued to slip by with the landscape, the thick jungle giving way to a dry and Rocky wasteland.
“Hey, Master? What are those?” Kimber pointed to the landscape below.
“Hm?” Daulton brought a pair of binoculars to his eyes. Far below, he spotted what appeared to be large, equine bugs. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen one before.”
“They look so silly! Ooh! Master! We should take one home!” Kimber looked to her master, excited.
Daulton chuckled quietly to himself. “Someday, maybe. We need to find out what they are first.”
Kimber watched as the odd creatures passed below and faded into the distance. “What’s up next?”
Daulton glanced at his map. “Looks like the buffalo stampeding grounds and a town called… Apple Loosa? Appleloosa.”
“Master? What's a buffalo?”
“Uh…” Daulton faltered at the unexpected question. “It's a… Y’know what a cow looks like, right? It's that, but brown, really angry, and fluffy like a sheep. Tastes better, too.” He reached up and scratched at his chin, throwing a few of his long whiskers into disarray before patting them back down. “Tell you what. We're gonna nab one on the way home, so keep your eyes peeled and remember where they are if you see any.”
“Yes, Master!”
Miles slid by, the comfortable silence permeated with the dull roar of the passing air, lulling the young Griffoness into a peaceful nap.
Kimber awoke a short time later, to the dim light of the setting sun the sound of her master's voice. "Kimber! Go scout us a place to land. At least a few miles into the forest."
"Y-yes, Master," she yawned. She stood and surveyed the land below before spreading her wings and diving over the side of the ship.
The brisk air helped wake her from the final dredges of her nap as she plummeted. Almost a minute passed before she spread her wings and pulled into a shallow glide, the treetops mere feet below her. She rose, gaining altitude until she spotted a small town, and with it, the edge of the Everfree Forest. She turned and headed back the direction she came. A few miles. In a forest this dense, that's almost overkill. A few minutes later, she found herself passing over a grand but ruined castle with plenty of open space surrounding it. Spying no intelligent life, she pumped her wings, slowly making it back up to her Master's ship.
"Master!" she called, hovering alongside the floating behemoth. "There's an unoccupied castle about a mile north with plenty of room to land!"
The hair on Daulton's body stood on end. "A castle, you say? Is it old and decrepit?"
"Several of the walls and roofs have fallen and grown over with moss."
The man grins and flips a few switches, initiating their descent. "Perfect."
It was just before dark when the aircraft touched down. The cacophonous screams and shrieks and calls of various wildlife rang throughout the forest in each's bid to procreate.
Dalton breathed deep before releasing it with a sigh. "Nature. Nothing but sex and survival out here. And a big-ass castle to explore tomorrow!" His fists shot to the sky in excitement. "I can't wait! All these traps and hidden rooms and paths! Hell, I'll bet there's even shit to sell!"
"It's wonderful, Master," Kimber cooed. "I'll prepare dinner. Would you like the beef or pork?"
"Heh. Pork." Daulton grins.
"Of course, Master." Kimber jogged below decks to the kitchen to prepare some porkchops.
Daulton prepared to settle in, snuffing the lights and killing the engines before dropping the anchor with a clang that silenced the forest. "Sleep tight, fuckers," he said to the still trees as he made his way down as well.
"What's for dinner?" he called, strutting into the kitchen.
"Porkchops and green beans, Master. Though, if I may ask, how is it you're able to eat both?" Kimber looked up at him from the stove.
"Because my people are what are known as hunter-gatherers. We hunt meat and gather plants. Now what do you see?" He bent down and bared his teeth.
"They're flat, but sharp."
"Good for tearing and grinding. Now what don't you see?"
"Claws and fangs?"
"Because just like the monsters in those books you read, we don't need to be stronger or faster. We simply need to be."
A chill passed from Kimber's beak to tail as she imagined her master simply stepping out of the shadows after a long chase.
"Now let's hurry up and get to bed. We've got a busy day tomorrow." Daulton plucked one of the still-raw pieces of meat from the skillet and ripped off a bite before examining the center. "Yeah, that was my fault," he said before swallowing and tossing it back in the pan.
"But you can't have raw meat?" Kimber inquired.
"Depends what it is. Chicken and pork, no. Fish and red meat? As long as it's still fresh. Pork and chicken could give me food poisoning. Red meat is too dense for most diseases to penetrate, and fish don't generally carry parasites in their meat."
She stared at him, almost disbelieving what he'd said. Her only verification was that he'd never lied to her.
Kimber woke to the sounds of rubble and swearing, the latter quickly wiping the sleep from her mind as she raced from her bed on the floor to find out what had happened. She moved quickly through the halls to the deck and its railing, spying the human flat on his back amidst a pile of stones and saying things she'd thought would make him blush.
"Are you okay, Master?" she called.
"I'm fine!" he snapped, the swearing dying down to an unintelligible grumble. He rose to his feet and dusted himself off before descending the castle steps. "Fucking door handle came off and hit me." Sure enough, she could spot a little red dripping from his beard.
"Would you like some help, Master?"
"I got it. What I want you to do is fly over that little town near here and figure out the layout. Keep high and distant. I don't want you spotted." He grabbed a branch from the ground and gave it a few test swings before marching back to the door.
Kimber watched for a few seconds before taking flight and heading back toward the town from yesterday. She grabbed a cloud on her way and carried it up high before settling in. The sun climbed higher and higher as she watched the amorphous rainbow of ponies as they went about their day.
Her ears began ringing as she was flung violently from her cloud. The world spun in a mix of green foliage and rainbow skies as she tumbled through the air before she managed to right herself. Above, a great rainbow ring was spreading through the skies as a yellow and pink blur screamed by, plummeting to the ground.
Kimber gave chase, diving after the noisy and rather fluffy ball of pink and yellow before catching it and holding it to her breast. What the fuck was that?! She took off, wings beating the entire way back to camp. It wasn't but a moment before she arrived to find Daulton standing next to the airship, mouth agape as he stared at the sky.
"Why the fuck did nobody tell me this world has fucking nukes?! This is supposed to be a crazy mix of the 1500's and the 1800's!"
"Master, I caught something in the blast!" Kimber alighted next to him and held up her quarry: a yellow pegasus foal with a pink mane and blank flank, dangling unconscious from Kimber's talon by a back hoof. "What do you want to do with it?"
It took Daulton a moment to process what she was showing him. "Holy shit! We've got one already? Um, shit. I wasn't expecting the first one for another day or two. Go, um, go collar it and stick it in one of the crates with some hay."
Kimber nodded and carried the foal to the cargo hold before fastening a collar around its neck and unceremoniously dropping it in a pet carrier, followed by some alfalfa.
Daulton appeared behind her just like he told her the previous night. Kimber jumped with a start.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you. Let's see what you brought me." Daulton held up a lantern and lit it, casting a glow over the catch as it came to.
"Where… Where am I?" came a small voice from the crate. "Who are you?"
Daulton was the first to speak. "You can call me Master. This is Kimber. She'll be taking care of you. What's your name?"
The foal scratched at the collar. "I-I'm Fluttershy."