My whole body felt numb when I got back to the shop. I mind was in the wind as I robotically walked in and went straight to the back. I heard them going at it with the sawblade being used and Woody passing by with two pieces of wood stacked on his back.

“Hey Gabriel! I thought you weren’t going to show up today. What happened when you were with that crazy unicorn?” He remembered telling him the story of how she made everybody in town go crazy over a doll and it stuck with him ever since and he made it a habit to keep a healthy distance between them and her known associates.

I was about to tell them but then I remember the contact I just signed and I made a face that looked to them like I tasted something foul.

“I can’t talk about it?” was all I could say.

They gave me their same weird looks when I explained to them about my world, “Huh? Why not?” This time Blaze asked as he put away the limber with a magic ‘poof’.

“I signed a contract.”

Blaze eyes grew ten sizes that day, “You signed a contract?! What the buck were you thinking?!” He asked in a fearful tone as he animatedly waved his forehooves in the air.

Blaze may not look like it but he is a very paranoid pony to say the least. It actually was even worse when I first worked there, it took a lot of convincing and that took a whole year for him just to warm up to me. Although he might’ve finally gotten around with me his paranoia didn’t just stop there. Anything that makes him a little bit suspicious he will get all over it until he’s satisfied.

I never got the full story only from Woody only vaguely answered that something happened to Blaze in his youth which led him to mistrust about anything and to what happened was to my imagination.

“I had my reasons.” I tried to placate him by raising my hands in a show of surrender.

“If that’s so then we won’t judge won’t we Blazy?” Woody nudged Blazes shoulder who still mumbled under his breath about signing death warrants and whatnot.

“She just wanted to get some answers about my stay and how I got here.” I told them honestly, “She’s just a curious mare who wanted to know more about my culture.”

Woody waited for more but seeing as I wasn’t saying anything else he cleared his throat, “So you told her that you're from another..” She waved his hoof around indicating his intent

I somewhat sheepishly rubbed my neck, “not exactly?” I tried to put into words, “She, ah. Was very enthusiastic about my species and my customs and norms but we never got around talking about that part.” I tried to remember if the topic of my previous residence was even mentioned but I realized that indeed she never asked or assumed at best that I was from the same place as those bullmen which made sense to me when it was all she ever asked about. But what they always say about assuming will never be any different even in different worlds or realities.

Woody understood, “That I know best, when that gal puts her mind to it she’s like a one track different wavelengths mindset, something I nor anypony else could understand.”

Happy that they were in an understandment (Blaze still shot me a disappointed look) I walked back into my little workshop corner. While I was glad all that was over the lingering knowledge of something else bigger is happening at the outside world kept eating at me. Even as I was installing frame’s into the cabinets my head continued to repeat what she said the last few minutes, I cursed under my breath and with a heavy heart I set down the screwdriver, “Fuck it I’m going.”

Still working they lend an ear while they did their tasks, “Going where?” Woody asked as he sanded down the wooden ledges.

“Home, I’m going home. I’m calling it in early.” I grabbed my tea mug I left on my work counter I left that morning, “Not going to do much anyhow, I got some things that need to be sorted out before tomorrow. If you need anything give me a holler, I might not be there.”

They looked at me as I ducked under the half open garage door back out into the outside world. I could hear their small farewells echo, my hand tapped against the ceramic when I opened the door to my home. I set down the mug in the sink and with a heavy exhaustion bowed my head thinking about what my future will come to.

I had no doubt they would be keeping an eye on me, everything I do will now be monitored if not already. I could feel the walls lean in as I thought about all the things she told me. War was no joke and to be inadvertently involved just by misleading information on my part.

To be honest I only wrote that I’m a part of a different species of this planet to get away from the government when I realised that I’m an alien in an alien world. The men in suits could come knocking at my door or even when I’m asleep to canter me away into an underground lab doing god only knows to me.

I know I’m overreacting since if it was the reverse if an alien came to me I would make the call to insure the safety over me and everyone I’m associated with. In any alien situation the only logical way is to turn yourself in and peacefully explain the situation. There are no E.T. moments where one becomes the hero and sends them off back to their world, it doesn’t work that way. I thanked God that me or any of the pony’s I met so far hadn’t been given any strange otherworldly disease that could’ve killed them and spread out like smallpox and kill off half the world's population.

If it wasn’t death plaguing my thoughts, it was life in a concentration camp as a P.O.W. I couldn’t keep doing this and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to sleep like this. I needed to vent out my frustrations in only one way I know how.

Now where did I put those shorts?

Author's Note

Sorry for the long breaks, had 4 doctors appointments and didn’t get to eat all day. Had to catch up on work with my day off and look around to find a boat or canoe for fishing. Now my brother all of a sudden wanted to come over for a cookout? Buying meat nowadays doesn't grow on trees. I wrote when I had my time and I should be keeping back on track.