Macro/Micro Flash Fic Collection Vol 2

Version: 1

The tv was off. The computer was on the other side of the apartment. The only sound was the ticking of the grandfather clock Travis's father had left him. The blinds were slightly open to let the orange hues of the late day sun spill into the room. There were no lights on at the moment. There was only the slowly darkening rays of the sunset to cast long deep shadows across the room. Travis sat on the couch with his elbows on his knees, fingers laced, and his nose perched on the backs of his hands. His eyes appeared to stare at the bare coffee table in front of him, but he saw nothing.

Travis was lost in very deep thought. The riskiest decision of his life.

The offer was incredibly tempting. But it was also incredibly dangerous. If he was wrong, he would either die or live out the rest of his life in a cage. Tortured and regularly nurtured back to health just to endure it all over again. Or he could be loved and cared for. He could escape the mess he'd made of his life.

Travis sighed and rubbed his face. The stress was too much. The fear made him shiver and sweat.

Travis was a high school dropout. He had managed not only to flunk out but to get himself kicked out of school and home. It was just an accident. A stupid mistake made by a dumb teen...

Travis jumped up from the couch and deftly navigated to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and reached for a soda. He didn't keep beer around. The man didn't trust himself after what happened. He popped the tab and guzzled a third of the can down. Then he stood there staring at the closed refrigerator door. His thoughts spun and stalled again.

Take the offer, escape the inescapable spiral your life has become.

Don't take the offer, it could be a trap!

He closed his eyes and leaned back against the kitchen wall. It was dark. There were still no lights on and night had nearly arrived. In a few minutes the street lamps would take over for the sun.

The pony sounded nice. He'd "known" her since he was 9 during an online game of Palace Takers. Her gamer name at the time had been ExpressoMaggo. Her real name was Epona. Both were nice names. They'd "known" each other for over 10 years now, but only through internet interaction. Ponies would never be allowed on Earth. However, humans were allowed on Equuis. The problem was the restriction. You had to sell your rights...

Travis quickly finished off his soda and tossed the can in the trash. He stomped back to the living room and hesitated by the computer. The man's finger twitched with the desire to turn it on. But what difference would it make? The offer was always there. And so were the growing bills.

His family was either dead or not interested in him. His only friends were online. His job didn't pay enough.

But Epona could solve all of it.

Sell himself to the pony, become her property, and all the stress would go away.

But what if her entire identity was a lie? What if there was never any pony named Epona? The only thing waiting for him would be a cage and suffering. What if "Epona" was one of those psychopaths who enjoyed torturing tiny helpless humans like him? What if from the very beginning she was trapping him. Grooming him to be just another one of her toys? If he was wrong about her there would be no escape. Once you sold yourself to a pony there was no way out unless your master decided to free you. No rescue. No rights. No hope.

And fighting back was impossible. Ponies were the size of skyscrapers. They could kill an entire army just by falling on it.

Did he trust "Epona"?

Travis continued to eye the dark computer screen. One message. One piece of paper. One signature. One trip. No return.

Would he do it?