Author's Note

Warning, Contains Violence, sexual themes and rape.
Viewer discretion is advised.
... deja vu

The last week has been a mess over here at the monastery, and I think that stress and chaos may have...just a tiny bit...impacted the chapter. Because I can tell you that I went into this with an outline for this chapter. The characters and the world took one look at it, tore it up, and did their own thing.

I was just there to write it down.

On a serious note. If you're prone to flashbacks, or PTSD. you really might want to skip this one.

Ambush Predator

It took us two weeks of rain and mud to get to the capital. Unlike superheroes in the comics, real-life can’t be sidestepped. You can’t carry someone for hours in flight without causing bruising, and you can’t carry someone at supersonic speeds without freezing them to death.

So in the end we settled on a mix of flying and hiking. At first, I was worried that getting resupplied would be a problem, but with bandit bands all over the coach roads, supplies were plentiful. You would think that with two terrifying knights of immense power, the crown could control the bandits a bit better.

I looked over at Hearts and watched his face as what I had been telling him, sank in.

"So, you're dead."

"Yes, But don't let that worry you, I got better."

"So you're, not dead, now."

"Nope."

"And you ate a whole pantheon of gods…"

"Yes, yes I did."

"And that's how you can fly…"

"Exactly!" I said, with a smile.

"Horse apples."

I looked at him, “Language young Stallion!"

"I'm sorry, but that's just a load of horse apples!"

"Well, I'm sorry! It's not like I died of old age, then a fictional character from a novel about a mysterious island gave me powers so I could protect the world. Then, when I got here I liked knitting and baking more, so I became a house stallion instead."

I looked at him and he deflated a bit.

"No, I guess not. That would be silly." He glanced up, "So how did you eat the gods?"

"I turned them into candy and sprinkled them on cookies."

I couldn't hold in the laugh, because his face was priceless.

"No, I'm joking. I guess you can say, I represent the gods here on this world and In return, they grant me their abilities.”

"The God Shu grants me stamina.”

“Horus grants his speed.”

“Amon's, strength is legendary.”

“Zehuti rules over knowledge, learning, and trades.”

“Aten's mastery is raw power itself.”

“Mehen rules courage and the power of will."

I grinned at him.

"Together they grant me the ability to be married to multiple mares without losing my mind or running away."

Hearts can't help but giggle. I watch as he looks down into the valley below us.

“But seriously, I'm basically a god here. I can't be hurt, I can't be stopped and I can't get tired. As long as I'm here, I'll make sure you're safe."

I follow his gaze. Below us at the base of the foothills lies a military fort, and beside it, is a sprawling port town nestled right up against the sea. It's a big ocean and the water is more black than the greenish-blue I remembered from my past life. I look to my travel partner and nudge him.

"Shall we go?"

As we approached the city gates I could see the gate guards taking an unusual amount of interest in us. I don't know why I didn't realize what kind of a reception we were about to receive, but in hindsight, I really should have expected it. When we finally reached the gates, a guard called out.

"You. Yes, you! What are you two airheads doing outside the walls? Where in Faust are your Mares?"

Heart glanced at me and whispered,

"Were supposed to be escorted by at least one family member when outside the towns."

I stepped forward and assumed a meek attitude.

“I'm sorry, I'm the miller's widow and this is my colt, Heart. We've moved here to try our luck as seamstresses."

The guards-mares looked at each other in surprise before leering at us and letting us pass.

"Welcome to Blackwater Wharfton colts. And what you're looking for is down 3rd street on your right. The bawdy house is a blue building with a tile roof. It's run by the local Gent. Just ask for Polished Rod."

I thanked him and as we moved on our way, I couldn't help but notice Hearts was hiding his face and groaning.

"You ok, hearts?"

"Why, oh why, did you tell them we were harlots?"

"What do you mean?"

"They sent us to the Bawdy House! The guard thinks we're harlots!"

I was confused and my blank face showed it.

"They think we're hookers! Stallions of loose morals! What were you thinking?!"

Irritated I asked, "How the hell did I give them that idea?"

"You told them we were applying to the seamstresses! What do you think they were going to think?"

I sigh, "And seamstress means harlot."

"They are the only stallions allowed to go from place to place unescorted." Hearts hissed.

I ran my hoof through my mane in irritation.

"Fine!, Fine!, First we find a room, then we hit the tavern and dig for local info."

The wharf town was larger than I expected. It was a walled town, mostly rectangular and surrounded by a log wall. The wall was around twenty feet high. I could see a walkway around the top for the city watch. It led to the far end where it seamlessly met up with the fort. The fort itself was a large one, built of logs in the style of the American west. As we walked the streets, we could see that the town was built of wood and thatch. Some of the military buildings were stone, but even those were mostly wood.

We eventually came across the tavern and I walked in. I headed toward the bar and was stopped by the bartender.

"Hi, cutie, looking for one of your mares?"

I smiled,

"I'm not here for anypony."

I turned to point at Hearts only to find him missing. Glancing around, I found him timidly standing in the street.

“Me and my Colt are looking for drinks and maybe some food."

"No stallions allowed in taverns, you know that."

I was kind of shocked, but I hid it well.

"We need a room for the week and a place to get meals. If we can’t come here, Do you know a place we can go?"

"Oh, you can come here, just not the bar. We have a few rooms free. Just remember the only entrance for stallions is around back."

She grabbed a ledger and a quill, then asked.

"So it's you, your colt, and how many mares?"

I was starting to get a bad feeling.

"Just me and my colt. I'm a widow."

She dropped the quill with a sigh and just gave me a look.

"Just you and the colt…" She leaned forward and peered at Hearts.

“You and, the colt… What is he, nineteen, twenty?" She sighed and ran her hoof over her face.

"Look, we don't want your kind here in the tavern. You have a whole district to work. An entire street all to yourselves."

She sighed and closed the ledger with a snap.

"You can rent a room in any of the by-the-hour places, or you can hit the bawdy house like every other working stallion.”

I scowled.

"Can you point me to a library then?"

She smiled for the first time since I entered.

"Out the door, take a right. The library is the stone building two blocks down. The red light district, where you work, is three streets further. Bakery on the corner. That's where your kind hangs out. Take a right, bawdy house is at the dead end."

I shook my head and left.

Once outside I was accosted by Hearts, who looked upset.

"What were you thinking? You just wandered into that tavern, like you owned the place? Your lucky she didn't call the guard. You're a stallion, you're supposed to know better! We're only allowed into places with a mare. Or if we are going in, to pick up our mare!"

"Fine," I grumbled. "Let's go and hit the library."

Hearts eye twitched as I passed him. "Library… and do what?"

I looked at him in confusion.

He stomped his hoof in exasperation.

"Can you read?"

I stopped dead, my eyes grew wide. My teeth ground together as my irritation peaked.

"GOD DAMMIT!!"

Hearts stomped his hoof in annoyance and flipping his mane out of his eyes, asked,

“Now what?"

"How can I make a plan without information! I need information! Dammit, dammit, dammit."

Hearts pursed his lips in thought.

"Why go to the tavern or the library? What were you trying to find out?"

I stopped pacing and sighed.

"I needed current events. The tavern is where guards and the navy come to chat and relax. Bartenders hear everything. Libraries are the same, but for business owners and the educated."

My friend gave me a nervous grin.

"So we need a place where everyone goes. Where the sailors and guard relax and talk."

I nodded. His grin grew wider.

"Where there are plenty of ears to hear everything that's going on. Is that about right?"

Hearts Obsession asked as he nuzzled my face.

"Where the guards go to get so relaxed that they just get talkative…." He asked with a playfully childish voice.’

He had my interest piqued and I watched him shyly playing with his mane. It made me smile.

I spoke, "I'm guessing you have an idea?”

With a nod, he pointed over my shoulder. I turned and came face to face with a large glowing sign. 'Harlots, open all hours.' The O was flickering.

I stared blankly at it for a long time, before the penny dropped.

"You, you, you sexy stallion you. You are a genius!"

Laughing, I pulled him close and kissed the top of his head. I tussled his mane and headed gleefully down the road.

As we began walking a blue blur barreled through us, sending Hearts and I staggering. I looked and saw a blue foal booking it down the street. A split second later, two pegasus guards flew past.

A stuttering sniffling pulled my attention back to Hearts, who was sniffling and shaking. Being thrown off his feet had rattled him.

"Hey Hearts, you Ok?" I asked while helping him back to his hooves.

"Yeah, thanks." was his only reply as he dusted himself off, then began fussing with my marred coat. His fussing stopped suddenly and I saw the surprised expression on his face.

He pointed, "Adam, your purse!"

I looked and saw that my best coin purse was gone, cut cleanly away from the strap, so fast, I never felt it.

“That little shit.”

I glanced at Hearts and grinned.

"Stay here, I'll be back in a few."

Hearts just timidly nodded, checking his own purse for missing items.

I watched Black Adam fly off to look for the kid or those guards and sighed. For all of his good qualities, Adam could be slow. If I hadn't pointed it out, he wouldn't have noticed the purse was missing until he needed bits.

I thought over the time we've been together. When I first met him, I figured that Adam was just a Marely stallion. Probably from being brought up on a farm. Thanks to Jeromy I was able to watch the massacre at his farm. He had me out of the chains in no time and I saw everything through the coach window.

Adam surprised me. He wasn't like most stallions who would have been on the ground in tears, begging for his life. No, he was like me. He was strong, and by the expression on his face, I could see his hatred for mares. He was beautiful as he fought. He was raw power given form. Then he flew. I couldn't believe it. An earth pony, without any wings at all, flew. It was then that I knew he was special. That he had to be protected. To me, Adam was a jewel, thrown among pigs.

I shook myself out of my thoughts and walked to the red light district. Once there I headed in the direction of the Bawdy House. The red light district was just one street. A street that stretched several blocks. As I walked I saw a mix of food vendors and taverns. I passed bathhouses and liquor stores, and a street full of drunken mares. I looked at the mares. Mostly sailors with a few guardsmare and general laborers mixed in. I pushed my way through the crowd, but my small size was against me. I was slowly being pushed from the middle to the edge as I closed in on my goal.

Jeromy shouted a warning, but it was too late, I was being herded. By the time I realized it, I was already being kicked hard. I landed badly, very badly. The kick had thrown me into an alley. I was disoriented. My head hit the cobblestones hard and I was having trouble with everything. Where was I, what was going on? The world spun. I was on my back. Hooves grabbed me and I was violently dragged deeper into the alley. I was weightless, then pain as I was slammed into what could only be bricks. I was still lost and trying to figure out what was happening. Fear, I was afraid. I was crying. My face, wet. Did something lick my face? Something was between my legs. a lot of movement between my legs. A voice? Voices?

"Girls, lookie what we got here."

Another voice, "Aint he a beaut. Like those colts from those old knee-pon calenders."

Another, "Hey, check it out. It ain't big, but it's a pretty one."

Another, "Dam, that's like a mue-zee-um piece."

laughing…

Another, "I want first."

....
'A voice…'

'Jeromy?'

'A sharp pain.'

'Focus Dammit!'

'Dammit, move!'

'Move!'

'My head cleared in a snap. 'Jeromy's doing…?'

'I was mounted, I was mounted. A mare had mounted me!'
....

"Nooo!"

My scream shocked the mare holding me, just enough to break free.

I sat bolt upright and my hoof shot forward with all my might. There was a scream.

I slammed Jeromy, handle deep. Hitting her right between the eyes.

I kicked her twitching body off of me and tried to stand up.

Dizzy, still dizzy.

"Yard Arm, Faust, Yard Arm!"

Another voice, "You Bucking slut!"

....
'Terror!'

'I'm in trouble! I'm in real trouble!'

'Panic!'

'Mares are stronger!'

'I'm small. I'm small!'

'Why did I have to be so small!'

'Shaking, adrenaline.'

'Can't win straight-on.'

'Too strong, Too weak!'

'Surrounded by lions.'

'Have smarts, Yes.'

'Cunning! Speed!'

'I'm a predator, have been.'

'Ambush predator.'

'facing lions…'

'I had to move! I had to move!'

'I have to run!'
....

I was shaking. Before I could even stagger to my feet they were on me.

There was nothing I could do, the beating came from every direction.

I heard a noise and lashed out.

"My leg! My bucking leg! I'll rip off your …Urk-gurgle."

....
'I won't just lay here!'

'Cunning, I'm cunning, Think!'

'Think!'

'Sound!'

'Yes!'

'I moved.'
....
....
'Listen, direction, strike.'

'Listen, direction, strike.'

'Listen, direction, strike.'

'My hoof, Pain!'

'They broke my hoof!'

'Jeromy, I lost Jeromy!'

'Louder noises, a scuffle. More voices.'
....

"There's a stallion!"

"Is he one of ours?"

'Bouncers, Get the bouncers!"

"Get 'em! get the bastards!"

"The Gents coming."

"Thank god you're here!"

A gruff voice, "Sir, looks like six Janes. Three dead, one wounded… and the sex worker. Colt might be dead."

A second gruff voice, "Wrong, feel the heart. Won't make it though. Want I should finish it? N' he'll go quick.

A commanding voice, "Kill the Janes and dump the bodies in the old well."

....
'Crying, I hear crying…'

'Darker, feeling numb…'
....

"Oh, by Faust. Is he one of us? Can you make out who he is?"

"Oh my Faust! No, I, I can't."

“The blood, so much blood.”

"Is he even still alive."

"Hope not. Less competition."

"Tongue Twirler, that's horrid!"

"Hey, It's a dangerous trade. He knew that before he started selling himself."

The Gent, "ENOUGH!

"Pounder, Breaker, escort the colts back to the Xanadu."

"Rough Call and Rabbit Punch, we're taking him in through the back."

"Skillful, I want you to run and get Doc Joy. Tell her it's bad, real bad. And I want her here fast!"

....
'Feel, not right…'

'Jeromy, wheres Jeromy?'

'everything's getting dar…'
....