Stark Grey

Stark Grey

               The Sleeper

The sky shrouded in red clouds as the ground is darkened and obscure. A bight fire rages in the foreground billowing in the night with the flames scratching at the air. Screams and pleas echoed. Sound of flames roaring as it cracks the trees.

A dark figure stands before me with glowing red eyes shifting in place. Though human, he growls with a rattle in his throat. His gaze turns to me burning into my eyes. He charges ramped appearing in rapidly and vanishing. He stops before me staring in thought as he tilts his head to the side. He strikes and I feel the slash on my face tearing my flesh. I hear a choked whisper “Chaos!”

*****

I suddenly wake gasping for air taking in my surrounding. I’m home in the living room on my bumpy cot with her sleeping nested at my side. Her head over my arm and a hoof on my chest. She softly breaths as I cover us in a thick blanket protecting us from the unyielding cold. I stay up unable to rest, that dream repeats every night haunting my sleep. I have not slept in days. I just look into the dark ceiling over me.

It’s been about a month and an half since I met Stark, and the accident. Over Watch keeps an eye on us, observing and reporting. They make sure Stark is healthy and happy. Everything has been positive so far. She tries to convert me into a vegetarian. Some of us are not made to be herbivores, but I don’t eat meat in front of her. It would probably make her uncomfortable. She tells me that in her world that cows are more sentient than in mine, as is the rest of the livestock. I enjoy a veggie burger from time to time, or at least try to. Mental subjections cannot over power the taste no matter how hard I try.

We snuck into a dairy far, a while ago. She was trying to speak with the cows, but only getting loud moos making her lose balance and fall over. Then we moved on to the rest of the live stock.

Over Watch pays for the bills: water, light, food, and renovations on the house. The house looks better since I took upon myself to repair damages that time rotted. I thank the skills I gain from the construction job is held for a while. I can’t go back there. Vision Guard would find me. I never really had any friends there, or anywhere, expect Dunney. He started training me, like Miles use too.

Stark wiggles in place hugging me tighter slightly hurting a still tender rib.

They say time heals all wounds. It healed my arm, other broken bones, cuts and bruises, but scars take home on the skin and bones still ach. Then there is my mind.

Still remembering Matthew Tomasie’s face terrified and confused. Glimpse of the fall replay too vividly. The jump, the cable snapping, my grip on the beam slipping off as we descended. Then the sound of the rain calming and tranquil during the horror. I guess these wounds need more time. I’ll just think of the rain until then.

Stark awoke early and energetic prancing around wanting to go outside and play in the December snow. I let her out and she goes down the stairs hiding along the panels I covered the stair way with. She glides low under the fence line and around the apple tree. It’s leaves has left it bare to the beige bark.

“Only a little while, okay.” I tell her from the second story porch. She nods then dives into a large snow pile head first. Then pops out like a ground hog.

I don’t know if I am happy. I can’t remember how it feels, though I have been smile more frequently. John Stuart Mill once said “Ask yourself whether you are happy, and you cease to be so.” Of course he might not have been emotionally numb, so I’ll try not to dwell on the thought. Don’t want to jinx myself.

I enter the house to make breakfast. Veggie sausage, imitation eggs and steamed broccoli along with a side of biscuit. For her! I get something for me when I get some more groceries. Stark comes back in layered in snow flake dipping freezing water. I grab her a sweater - that was meant for a Doberman- and a towel. I dry her off ruffling her coat and mane. I put the sweater on her. Her head popping out of the turtle neck collar along with her wings stretching out of the two holes I slit in the back. She looks happy with a very bright smile from cheek to cheek.

“I smelled the sausage from outside and my stomach voiced its opinion.” She says.

“You eat, I got to go and get some groceries for the week. So, call me or text me if you need anything.” She bounces in place.

“Oh, oh! Mushroom steak and a side of mash potatoes and green beans.” She requests.

“Okay! Mushroom steak it is!” At least with the right seasonings, the mushroom can simulate the taste of meat.

“Yes!” She grins then trots to the kitchen.

I leave the house with a denim jacket and a Boston Red Socks baseball cap tucked closely to my brow I look up to the bleached white clouds solemnly drifting along.

Announced by all the trumpets of the sky, Arrives the snow, and, driving o’er the fields,

How poets and writer seem to see beyond the norm, rhythmically construction upon simple utters. I try to see like they do. Beyond and deeper than what is in front of you. Then I just say fuck it.

At a grocery store farther than where I live, shopping for preparations on future meals with a mythical pony from another world. Still sounds alien to me, feels strange on how I quickly accepted the concept.

I drop the mushroom steaks into the cart and carry on. I pick up some organic potatoes, organic whole milk, frozen cut green beans, and a stick of beef jerky for the road. Two men with shaved heads make eye contact with me and nod then stop.

One of them greets me.

“Hey don’t I know you?” He asks nudging the other man with a elbow.

“I don’t think so, I would remember.” I try to brush them off pushing the cart along. He stops it aggressively with a hand. The other man walks behind me.

“Yeah, we met briefly. Your friend shot me with a shock round.” He mutters and the other man jabs a small blunt object into the small of my back. I can safely assume that it’s a gun poking at me. “Why don’t you take a walk with us, keep your hands down and act calm. I don’t want you to make a scene.” The man behind me jabs harder.

They lead me out the grocery store and into a parked white van with no windows excluding the passenger, driver and windshield at the side of the parking lot fenced by a brick wall.

“How did you guys find me?” I ask them. One of them stands in front of me and bites his lip.

“We weren’t looking. You just popped out of nowhere. We were just here to get some snacks for the road and we find you. Baseball caps don’t help much kid. I remember you getting your face pummeled by Captain Emerson at the park and at stoic look you gave when you friend disarmed us and shot us.” His words trigger a memory.

“You were the one dancing like a epileptic monkey.” He looks enraged but he contains it after the van rocks with a bang.

“Get in the van!” He orders.

“I was told never to get in a van with strangers.” I reply.

“GET IN THE VAN!” He shout then looks around. Nobody near, no witnesses. “No one here to help you.”

“Yeah, but I just wanted to get you away from the public.” I tell them.

I move my hand to my back grabbing the gun by the barrel and my index finger cushioned behind the hair trigger not permitting him to fire a single round. I twist the gun back and the man’s arm in result. He falls to his knees groaning and grimacing. The other man tries to reach for me, but receives a kick in his stomach sending him back. He rolls and hits the wall with the back of his head then it drooped down.

I bring the remaining man’s head and hit it against the side door of the van. He drops motionlessly. I drag him to the wall scanning the parking lot and see no one. I turn out their pockets. Wallets with no IDs and fifty- nine dollars between them, prepaid cell phone and keys to what I’m guessing is to the van. I throw the other things at their feet. No wonder Dunney took out these guy easily.

I unlock the side door and open it.

“You darn sour varmints! Let me go or I’ll be madder rattl-“

I quickly close the side door and hit my head against it. Why another one!?

I rush in the van shutting the door and the pony bucks and pulls against her restraints bolted to the van’s floor and to the bulky collar snapped on her. I just stand with my arms crossed rubbing my temple as she continues to shout in a southern accent.

“You sorry looking yellow belly rat herder.” She bucks harder and angry. Her coat is wheat brown and her hair a dark brown with a needle spindle and some shears image on her flank.

“If you could calm down, and tell me what you need!” I try to talk over her, but she still rambles on.

“Let me out of-“ Before she finishes I grew to frustrated and broke the collar. The pieces fall at her sides, her jaw drops stunned. “Uh?” she mutters staring at the pieces.

“Better?” I ask.

“Yes?” She ducks her head. Fear.

“I’m not going to hurt you and I’m not with those other guys.” I reassure her.

“I can tell that now.” She tilt her head at me. “You seem awfully calm about meeting a talking pony.”

“I adapt quickly.”

I go to the wheel and feel under the dashboard. She stands next to me.

“What are you doing?” She asks.

“Looking for a tracer, these guys usually do.” I pull out a small cylindrical device and throw at the unconscious men. They don’t move a inch. “Okay, now we can leave.”

“You’re going to take me home?” Her eyes widen.

“Uh, I can’t take you to your world.” I respond.

“Misty.”

“Your world is called Misty?”

“No. You can take me to Misty! She’s probably scared still without me.” She water and shimmer.

“Your guardian?” I ask baffled.

“Yes, but she’s not a contract guardian.”

“Do you know where she lives?”

“In the Jersey side, 2378 Malcolm View, Suburbs.” She exclaims with authority. I pull out my phone and enter it to the GPS.

“You are going to answer some question.” I tell her.

She nods her head.

“My name is Taylor by the way.”

“Grey.” I pull out the parking lot and follow the GPS.

During the drive She tells me that she has been here in this world for a year. Her family that she has. A human family that loves her and accepts her. She’s not a pet, but a member. I never thought that there was a scenario like that. We have something in common. Accepted by strangers like a family member, only she still has hers’.

She describes how the men took her. They broke through the back and stormed the place for her. She ran as soon as she heard the glass on the sliding door break. She shakes sitting on the passenger seat.

“I was just glad that no one else was there and got hurt.” Tears stream down her cheek then wipes them off with her foreleg.

We are close to the house, but I don’t know how to bring her to the doorstep. I see a collection of trash and stop the van.

“This isn’t my house?” She states.

“I know, but we need to hide you.”

I lift a large heater box with Taylor finding balance within as I casually salter to the front door. Well, as casually you would hiding a talking pony in a box.

“You okay in there?” I whisper.

“Yeah, who knew I needed sea legs to hide in a box.”

I gently set the box down on the welcome mat then ring the doorbell and prepare for an awkward moment. A young woman with black silky hair and brown eyes puffy around the lids answers. She looks devastated and I talk out my ass.

“Hello mam, I have something in the box that needs a good home.” I open the box with Taylor sitting inside. The woman’s eyes lit up and Taylor jumps into open arm. A wave relief come over her as they both smile.

“Come in!” The woman quickly says and steps asides. She closes the door behind me and sets Taylor down then kneeling holding her close.

“What happened? The back was broken into and you were gone.” I guess that she is Misty.

Taylor tells her everything she told me. Misty then looks at me with confusion.

“And you are?” She asks me.

“The guy who saved her from the kidnappers.”

“Why, uh how?” She stammers.

“They’d tried to take me too.” I answer.

“What did they want with you?”

“I met them before in terms that were not peaceful. I thought that I was being careful on where I shopped. Bad luck I suppose.”

“If it wasn’t for your bad luck, I may have not seen Taylor ever again.” Her lips quiver as she runs her fingers through her hair.”

“What are you doing here?” I felt like I was caught stealing. I turn and see Miss Lawson with arms crossed and standing firm in the living room. I felt better with the two guys and the gun.

“What are you doing here?” She asks again harsher.

“He brought Taylor back. He saved her.” Misty answers for me.

Miss Lawson shook her head.

“Neither of you continue to talk. The situation is complicated enough as it is. I can’t have the both of you compromised.” Misty looks frighten, her breathing becomes rapid. “ Misty your family is in the den, go show them that Miss Taylor is safe.” Misty takes Taylor into the hallway closely looking at me with worry. They have a right to be, so should I.

“What the hell happened that got you involved?” Miss Lawson asks standing firm.

“I was grocery shopping and two men from Vision Guard saw me. They were part of the team that tried to capture Stark.  They recognized me, cornered and pulled a gun. Escorted to the van with no witnesses, I subdued them then found the pony in the van which is parked outside with the tracer pulled.” I don’t think I forgot anything. She takes a few moments to digest my report with all its wealth.

“My men will take care of the van. Miss Taylor is goanna have to be moved. They could strike again with more unfavorable outcome. Miss Cortez is nineteen and will be allowed to accompany her…alone. If she is willing to leave.” She is cold but honest. They easily pulled a gun on me with no hesitation. They would react with their train manipulating every move further traumatizing the family.

Misty reenters the room wiping tears with a smile on her face.

“I just wanted to thank you so much for bringing back Taylor. I’m afraid that I don’t know your name?” She tells me.

“I can’t give it, but you’re welcome.” I reply trying not to choke on words. Her situation is complicated; unbeknownst to her the turmoil to come.

“Thank you anyway!” She says. A man in a black business suit enters and stands next to Miss Lawson.

“Agent Hitter will escort our guest to my office, as I need a word with you miss Cortez.” Miss Lawson places a hand on Misty’s shoulder and vanishes into a hallway.

Silent and lonely in the back of a car pondering upon Misty and Taylor, then Stark and myself. How everything seems so fragile. Scenario’s play in my head over and over like a movie with alternate ending: all bleak and dreadful. My mind goes to dark place and the anger courses. I struggle with it to calm. It Comes from a hungry pit growing and roaring. Stronger and stronger .My phone vibrates in my pocket; I pull it out and see a picture of Stark with an apple in her mouth skipping in snow. That instant, anger become placid and my mind clear. I don’t know what is happening to me. But it’s troubling that I fighting for control. I answer.

“Grey, are you okay? You were gone for so long and I got worried.” Stark panics and merge words into an utter.

“I’m fine, but there was a hold up.” I tell her.

“What, the store was held up?”

“No, I mean a delay.”

“Something happened?”

“Yup, I’ll explain later.” I say as the escort turns in a parking garage in Chelsea.

“We here!” He announced.

“I got to go and don’t do nothing crazy.” I tell Stark.

“Do you really have to tell me at this point?” She replies.

“I guess not.” I expect her not to do something I expect than what I want.

I hang up and follow the escort out the car and a parking level then in a elevator. He turns a key in the control and we go up so many levels awkwardly listening to the music playing through a speaker. He places his hands on his waist with his jacket pushed back unknowingly displaying his holstered gun with the strap unclipped. I thought of old habits. He doesn’t feel the pull.

He leads me into a hallway, then a lobby, then an enormous office spanning across the building and then into a courtyard several hundred feet into the air. I wonder how Miss Lawson’s resume is if she got this office, though I would think that most of her history is sealed not to disclose any vital information. I think that I am over my head here. For all I know , I could have made a deal the devil’s advocate and I’m being toyed with. Then again my paranoia could be more foe than friend right now.

I take a seat and wait a couple of minutes then I hear hooves trotting. A blue mare wearing glasses, her white mane flows around her pearl spiraled horn and a image of a book in a classic hardcover on her flank. She is a lot bigger than Stark is. She goes past my waist while Stark is under. She continues to the desk without a word. Her horn glows radiantly then object on the desk starts to shift and organize. Papers aligned, pens set aside neatly, and the lamp adjusted.

She glances at me from the corner of her eye. The objects on the desk stop moving. She flips her hair and turns to me.

“Miss Lawson will be here shortly.” She tells me with a smooth silky voice.

“You work here?” I asked.

“Yes, there are one hundred and thirty- nine other ponies staffed within Over Watch. I am Miss Lawson’s secretary. As I said Miss Lawson will be with you shortly.” She moves away to the door.

“Excuse me miss?” I stammer.

“Turner. Page Turner.”  I should have guessed it. I sort of feel apologetic for her terrible name.

“Tuner.”

“Miss. Turner!” She corrects.

“Miss. Turner, why is there an image on your side?” She seems stunned for a brief moment.

“You are a guardian, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am”

“And you don’t know what a cutie mark is? What’s your partners cutie mark looks like?” That’s something I had not realized until know. I think Taylor had one.

“She doesn’t have one.”

“Is she and earth pony, a unicorn, or a pegasus?” I didn’t know that there were classifications.

“Uh, She has wings and a horn, what do you call that?”  She approaches me with a serious expression on her face.

“ She’s an alicorn? You are a guardian to an alicorn?”

“I’m sorry you have me at a loss.”

“Alicorns are not common in Equestria, let alone here. What’s her name?” She asks.

“Stark. Black coat, golden eyes and mane.” She look behind me and stands in attention.

“Miss Lawson, Welcome back.”

Miss Lawson stomps her stilettos on the marble from the courtyard then drops in her leather chair. She runs her hands over her face to the back of her head.

“You got here fast.” I break the brief silence.

“Helicopter. Page, cancel any previous appointments due to unforeseen events.” She sighs in frustration.

“Yes mam!” Page replies and leaves.

“You were right not to take me along. I hate heights. Your view of the city is not helping, I feel like the floor is slanted.” I tell Miss Lawson. I start to breathe hard thinking about heights.

“I thought you would be glad to know that Miss Cortez agreed to stay with Taylor, after some tears were shed. She is already place in protective custody.” She look away. She is able to place people in protective. I thought only the government could that. “Tell me about yourself Mr. Grey.” She asks.

“You have my records.” She pulls a file out from a desk drawer then opens it and starts to read.

“There are a lot of gasps in them. You most recent caretakers Sarah and Miles Sato.  Asian I presume.”

“Miles was Asian, Sarah was Irish.” I tell her.

“Mr. Sato was a multi martial arts instructor. Karate, taekwondo, and boxing. Did he teach you.” She probes.

“Yeah, he always taught more of Jeet kune do. The philosophy, not the style. React while your opponent is acting. Straight forward style, formless like running water. Be like water.  Punch beyond your opponent. Still don’t get it though.”

“Yes, and Miss Sato was a music teacher and a theater instructor. I guessing you learn from her as well.”

“Yes, I did.”

“So you can fight and break into song.” She remarks.

“You’d be surprised on how accurate that is.” Like a kung fu  Jean Kelly. I try not to be embarrassed, but it’s hard hide with a lite complexion.

“The other records are…sketchy.” She skims through papers. “Please fill me in.” She is asking too much right now.

“I would rather not.”

“Mr. Grey, you don’t really have a choice right now.”

“OR WHAT, YOU”LL TAKE STARK AWAY? YOU CAN TRY!” I shout trembling at the edge of my seat, but my words aren’t hollow.

“Mr. Grey I just need some information about you.” She needs to shut up right now.

“What do you want me to say. I grew up through foster care with caretakers who didn’t give two shits about me. I fought with other kids and I got beaten by the caretakers. Several time I went without eating or force to sleep in a closet locked from the other side. So I ran away. Lived in alleys with hobos who gave more concern; they drank and slept where they fell, but they were more caretakers than the foster parents.

I learned to live off the streets as a pick pocket and a petty thief. Always run, run or go back into the system. I was homeless, but happy. Slept in cardboard box in the snow, in the rain with the stench of rotting garbage. Wash yourself in a public restroom with a torn up sock.” I was a young criminal learning the ropes. I don’t tell her how I learned to steal or who taught me. She doesn’t need to know about all of my checkered past or who I ran with. Miss Lawson looks at the file then back to me.

“Weren’t that skilled in stealing were you?” Miss Lawson gives a smug look that I hate.

“What makes you say that?”

“You caught stealing a wallet from a police officer.” She says.

I pull the 9mm black berretta I took off the agent that escorted to me from the small of my back and place it on her desk. Her smug expression disappears.

“That’s not mine; it belongs to my escort Mr. Hitter. I don’t like guns or them around me and don’t worry.” I dig into my pocket and take out the bullets let them drop on her desk. “It’s not loaded.”

“I retract my previous statement”

“The cop who’s wallet I stole was blabbering about on how big his Christmas bonus was. The cop was cocky and loud when he was talking to another officer in a convenient store. He was going to pay for his coffee and couldn’t find his wallet and I ran out the door. I was not looking while running so I was knocked down by a man. And that was the first time I met Miles. I was eleven . He intervened when I was processed in the precinct. He was given guardianship over me later on. He was the first person that fought for me.

He died saving a couple from a robbery and Sarah died from an inoperable tumor in her temporal lobe. A hemorrhage killed her in her sleep, but I’m pretty sure that that is in the file. I miss anything please ask cause this is not bring up any painful memories.” The past always finds you. You can run and hide but you might as well hide from a shadow.

“I am sorry Mr. Grey for bringing up harsh memories.” She apologizes.

“You the one who poked around.” I look out the window into the city tinted blue. “You can tell me what you really wanted me here for, or was this just for the pleasant conversation.”

“I was aware of the circumstances on how your caretaker Miles pasted. His assailant was found in an alley: dead.”  She tell me as the air just got colder.

Bad memories come rushing in. The dark wet alley, a man’s face blacked and bruised. On his knees sodding as blood and snot oozed out of his nose. Someone handed me a wooden bat worn and top heavy.

“The questions about you was just a formality. A brief history of you per say. I didn’t expect that you faced such adversity. I have not come across anyone with that type of background before.” She says bring me back outside my mind.

“Not everyone’s life is painted in pretty neon colors. All dark painting can do is look at the beautiful ones in envy and sulk in themselves. I prefer the sulking.” I respond.

“Mr. Grey, I called you to this office to inform you that there are several guardians and partners have been taken from each other. The numbers of missing has risen. Not by us, but by what we believe is Vision Guard Security taking initiative.” She admits.

“Do you trust your people?” I interrogate.

“If I didn’t, they wouldn’t be here.”

“Clearly you have a mole or a leak. Information on the whereabouts of other guardians is sealed as you once told me. And fraternization is strictly prohibited.” Information is not just stumbles upon. It’s given.

“There is another variable in the matter. A small group of guardians with their creatures which stands outside of Over Watch. A majority of the recent abductions were introduced to them shortly before the kidnappings, including Miss Cortez.  As long they do not accept our aid, we cannot intervene and we have no definitive proof that they are involved.  They believe that we are the same as Vision Guard.”

“You’re not the same, just two side of the same coin. Both of you are an organization. Organizations mean to some is to conform and they want to rebel against or you pose a threat to what they have.” I reply.

“And what is it exactly that they have?”

“Their partners. They don’t want to part. If all guardians have the same motivation, then we all want to protect our partners.” She closes the file and rests in her seat and bites her bottom lip.

“How are you and young Stark faring?” She asks.

“Fine. She seems happy and she has learned a lot, fast! She is also formidable in Scrabble.” I remember her laying down the tiles spelling COLONIC on a triple word score. I am very thankful that she doesn’t know what it means.

“How have you been?”

“Like I said fine. Why are you persistent?”

“How did you become a guardian?”

“Stark stabbed her horn to my chest and there was a light. In my chest , not at the end of a tunnel” Her jaw drops and her eyes widen send me into alarm.

“That not the usual method. In all other cases the guardian places a hand on the ponies cutie mark on their flank.” So Stark winged it and stabbed me. “A health report on your partner says that she does not have a cutie mark?”

“No, she doesn’t.”

“What if the contract didn’t work?” I think of myself lying on the ground at the apartment complex motionless with Stark poking me with a hoof.

“I think she would have been traumatized.” I answer.

“I would agree. The reason I ask is because some guardians have trouble with the contract. They can gain traits and attributes of the partners. Even personalities can become similar. We never encountered a unicorn pegasus, or know what to call them, nor do we know about the side effects of a contract with one nor the stabbings with a horn.” She says so casually. She’s like a doctor with robotic bedside manners. You’re not going to make it so I need you took the other way as I put you down.

I don’t tell her about the violent nightmares constantly visiting. Sleepless nights staring into nothing to avoid them; I don’t feel like myself. Can this be from the contract with Stark? Then there came a rapping, tapping at the window behind Miss Lawson. Stark in her sweater hovering with wings flapping staring at me vexed as she taps on the window with her hoof as if she was on cue.

“Can I come in! It’s Cold out here!” Her yells are muffled through thick glass. I turn to Miss Lawson rubbing her temples.

“Guide her to the courtyard before she reveals everything I have worked for to hide!” She points at the glass entrance across the building.

I run to the entrance. I expected that she would do the unexpected. The entrance doors automatically opens and Stark lands on the floor approaching me sternly with her eyes sharp.

“Can’t ever be happy to see me?” I ask her, but her expression doesn’t change.

“I am happy to see you, I’m just mad at you. You had me worried, you were gone and I was bored! I did chores, but with magic that only lasted about seven minutes. And on another note, I finished the apples. So, I told you my day.” She pouts.

“Went to the store, two men from Vision Guard jumped me and took me to a van where I beat them up and found a other pony, I took her home met, Miss Lawson there, then Miss Lawson sent me here. You know, the usual.” She shakes her head.

“And you are worried that I might get in trouble.” She comments.

“Come on, I pretty sure that Miss Lawson what’s to see you.”

Stark and I walk to the desk hearing our echoed foot step on the marble. I take a glance at Stark’s flank not seeing a cutie mark. I’m not even aware how they get them. Infection?

We take a seat on the chairs and there is a silence.

"As I was telling your guardian Miss Stark, is that you both need to keep a low profile.” Stark and I take a glance at each other then look down. She runs her hand over her head again. “Why do I feel like I’m taking to brick walls. You both can leave. Miss Stark.” Stark sits in attention in her chair. “I trust you can take to the skies without changing the weather and staying below the radar as we escort Mr. Grey back to his home.”  Stark nod her head at Miss Lawson nervously.

“Y-yes mam!” Stark politely replies.

I walk Stark back to the courtyard.

“What you guys talk about?” She whispers carefully looking back at Miss Lawson.

“Ponies are going missing. Most of them met a group of guardians with their partners and later on they were taken. The pony I saved was being taken by Vision Guard, I thought there might be a mole in Over Watch feed info to them.” I answer as we pass the entrance.

“Maybe there is a mole in the group?” I am stunned by her assumption.

“That…makes sense. When did you become a detective?”

“I’ve been reading you detective comics. The class dame walks into a rough edge private investigator and coyly asks for aid on a missing family member. I love it! The gangsters are so cool!” She is starting to frighten me as she becomes hyped.

“You have been read the ones with the big E on it, right?” I ask.

“Yes, I know, some things are too mature for me, but I want to read something by James Elroy. L.A Confidential is highly praised on the internet and  I have read that he is one of the best crime writers plus I have been very good! Doing chores, keeping quiet, being stealthy.” She rocks in place eagerly.

“No! That is way beyond mature! It’s twisted.”

“That makes me want to read it more!” She pouts and steps a few feet back. “We’ll talk about this later! But first!” Her horn flash for a moment then she take off to the cloud with a roar becoming distant. I gotten use to the gust blowing against me, but what was the flash for?

“Mr. Grey? Are you ready.” The agent from before stand behind me with a hand crossed. “Oh, yeah. Miss Lawson gave me my gun back and that I have you to thank for that!” He remarks.

“Keep your holster clipped next time.”

I reenter the previous car again taking in silence. It starts to lightly snow as the agent exit the parking garage.

The day turns into a mess. Guardians and partners endanger of being taken including Stark and myself. I don’t know what happens to you after Vision Guard captures you. Do we disappear? Are experimented on? Any horrors that comes to mind can be over shadowed by the actual experience. The unknown can be overwhelmingly fearful. I can’t let paranoia turn against me.

“Hello!? Can you hear me?” A voice forces its way into my head send and pulsating pain through my brain. Like a bullet microscopically traveling between grey matter. “ Hello?” My nose starts to bleed.

“What the hell?” I reply within my own head.

“Oh! Sorry! I forgot it hurts the first time you communicate through telepathy. You’ll adapt.” The voice says.

“Stark?” I make sure not to alert the agent driving.

“Yup, I thought you would like to consult on what is happening.” I wipe off the blood with my jacket sleeve and the headache softens.

“Next time try not to kill me or blow up my head.” The nose bleed stops and the agent see me through the rear view mirror.

“You okay?” He asks.

“Yeah, caffeine withdraw. Though I would prefer a ivy drip.” I reply and his eyes focus on the road.

“Sorry about the pain, but we can use telepathy as a silent com link. Like psych spies.” Stark says amused.

“Why didn’t you establish the link before?” I ask.

“I was making sure that your head wouldn’t explode. It didn’t. That’s a good thing!” My eyes widen.

“And you just tested it on me?”

“I test on some apples first. You and I have a connection through the contract , and the apple didn’t. On another note, we have a large supply of apple sauce at home!” She stabbed me in the chest with her horn then she moves my brain around.

“Where are you?” I ask her.

“Right above you. Don’t worry, no one can see me. So, what is our next move?” She asks.

“Next move? We hide out at home, that is our next move. And ordering some take out. ”

“Ponies are missing, taken away scared and confused to a secrete lab somewhere.” Her tone is now saddened.

“Look Stark that is not the smart thing to do. We would endanger ourselves.” Please listen.

“The smart thing is not always the right thing to do, Besides, I could have been one of those ponies. Scared and alone. I thought I was never going to see you again.” She bring that card onto the table. Her words twist my arm.

“Stark… I don’t. I wouldn’t know where to start.” I give in because she won’t. The car stops a few blocks away from the house.

“This is as close as I should go.” The agent says.

I get out the car and the agent rolls down his window.

“Here, Misty Cortez wanted to speak with you.” He hands me a cellphone to me and I take it unsure of what to do.  “It’s only good for one call then it will fry the circuits. The number is already programed and it is on a secure line.” He drives off and I know what he means by secure line. It’s monitored.

“Stark, you still there?” I mentally call out.

“Yeah, I just landed at the house.”

“I found a lead.”

I go to a pharmacy close by and buy a phone identical to the one the agent gave me. It was a grossly overpriced, but I necessity requires sacrifice. I head home fast. Got through the gate and ran up the stairs. I open the door and shut it quickly.

“What’s your lead?” Stark runs up to me eager to help.

“I need to get to my computer. The agent gave me a phone to contact the girl whose pony I saved. She wanted to speak to me.”

“What? I thought you had a lead. Why do you want to talk to a girl?!” She became aggressive for a moment.

“She met the guardian group. I can ask her about them. The phone is only good for one call then it’ll fry, but I can transfer the SIMs card to another identical phone cutting out the cell towers and using a cell line through the internet. It’s going to take some time though.” I went over her head and she becomes stoic.

“Okay, I’ll just take you word on it. How do you know how to do this?” She ask circling around me as I take a seat on the computer desk in the corner of the living room. I can’t tell her I took stolen phones and flashed them, monitor them through a separate phone, hack, and repurpose them. I did anything to pay for Sarah’s treatments at those times. I was thankful that Dunney’s friend gave me the software, after I reprogramed fifty phones. Even after I was under Miles and Sarah’s care, I was stealing cars and selling to chop shops with Dunney as the negotiator.

“I read book about how to do it. Idiot’s guide to hacking phones.” I wish that book was real, it would have helped back then.

I take apart the phone that the agent gave me then hook it up to the SIM card reader, and start a scan picking up and abnormal security restriction and rewrite them. I open the new phone and plug it in. Stark fidgets in the background impatiently. The SIM card finishes and I place it in the new phone. I turn it on waiting for the SIM to read. The phone starts up normally. It syncs to my WI-FI I have set up that changes IP addresses every day. It’ll hook up to any WI-FI despite the WEP keys that protect it. Though it’ll just work in theory.  The phone might still fry, but be unmonitored

I try to focus on the screen but my vision is dissolved and faded. Words blur to meaningless blobs then my eyes start to burn. I need to rest, but I can’t. Not now at least.

“Did you get it!” Stark pops up behind me making me scream in a way that is embarrassing.

“Why would you do that!” I ask catching my breath. “Why are you so hell bent for this?”

“I don’t want anyone to be hurt anymore.” She gives a partial answer. I’m too tired to make sense of it or even to tell her that it’s noble thought, but naïve. I guess we both are a bit naïve.

“Okay, but you need to keep quite.” She moves a hoof over her mouth zipping her lips.

I press call on the programed number. It rings a few time and I try to think of what to say.

“Hello?” A young women’s voice answers.

“Misty? Uh, it’s Grey. An agent told me that you wanted to speak to me and don’t worry about the phone being traced or monitored. I took care of it.” I tell her.

“How did you?”

“Long and boring process. How is Taylor?”

“She is a bit depressed, Over Watch moved us to a hotel. There are two men next door keeping an eye on us. We are going to be moved out of the city in the morning.” I hear the despair in her voice. “ Taylor is so down, she has been altering her jacket for a while now.”

“So, Taylor is a tailor?” The irony.

“A good one at that.” She replies. Stark leers at me in anger.

“Making idol conversation?” Stark remarks.

“I wanted to ask you about the group of guardians that you met, before… well, you know.” I resume the conversation with Misty.

“You should avoid them. I don’t want you to go missing.” Misty says my exact worries, but Stark has something moving her motives.

“I don’t plan too, I just need to find them. No plan to interact with them either.” I assure her, but I lie about any plan.

“Are you really sure?” She asks me if I want the blue pill and stay in bliss.

“Yes, I really am.” I take the red pill and jump in the rabbit hole.

“They hang around a warehouse in the Manhattan side of the Chauncey Street platform on Broadway. I think it was a old shoe company.” She says and I give Stark a thumbs up. She nods back with a smirk. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah. Go ahead.” I respond.

“Are you a guardian?” She ask.

“Yes, I am.”  I can give her that much. “To a winged unicorn apparently.”

“An alicorn?” She replies.

“Yeah, I’m not too familiar with mythical creatures and lore. I heard it said before though.” By Page Turner.

“Are we going to be able to keep in contact, you know like meet?” She asks.

“I don’t think we should. We’ll attract attention, Vision Guard employees has seen my face and I don’t think that they are soon to forget me. And personally I think you’re better off not knowing me.”

“It’s good to know that I’m not the only one going through a rough patch. I wish you luck, better luck than I have. Goodbye!” Her voice trembles before the click. The phone starts to spark, I drop it on the floor. It burst with light jolting out. I know she feels alone right now, but there is nothing I could do that would help her and not hinder me.

Stark sits on the floor next to me as I look at the floor boards.

“Everything okay?” She asks.

“No.” I look at her and she tilts her head. “You have to tell me the real reason that you want me to find the guardians.”

“What do you mean?”

“Every night you fly off in different directions and the first time you flew off you said that you were searching for too long.” Her eyes become distant as she looks away. “ I know what I’m getting myself into, I just need to know why?”

She becomes uncomfortable but she need to tell me why is she really adamant about finding the reason of the abductions.

“I had friend, he was with before I vanished from Equestria. I’d thought he’d be in this world when I found myself here. I didn’t think that this place was so massive.” She says looking down.

“You just been looking for your friend? You could have told me this earlier.”

“Between Vision Guard kidnapping me, and the protection of Over Watch. There wasn’t a moment where I could tell you. You’ve been burdened by me enough. I hoped the he found someone to care for him, like I did.”

“What’s he look like.?”

“White coat with a black patch over his right eye. Brown mane and brown eyes. He’s also smaller than me. His name is Ozymandias, he’s an earth pony.” That blue pony at Over Watch mentioned earth ponies. I guess that they are the ones without wings or horns.

“I wouldn’t know what to do? If he came to this world, He might have found someone to take care of him. I could ask someone at Over Watch, but that’s all I can do.” All my strength and I’m still powerless.

“Thank you Grey.” She gives me a painful smile and then walks to the cot with her head down. She hops on the mattress and slides under the covers. I wish I could hide from this like I did from anything else. Cops, the system, Vision Guard, people, but I can’t hide from her. I grew up in the shadows and the gutters alone. She is a cramp in my style that I want to keep safe. She forces me to feel,. I’m becoming a person and I blame her for that.

I don’t order out after all. Stark just went to sleep glum. I cover her with a sheet on the cot and grab the chair under the computer desk setting next to the her. I sit and think about overwhelming detail of the day, but my eyes are tired and dry. I’ll just close them for a moment.

*****

Ashes crumble under my feet as I walk through a brunt forest with trees charred. The air is stale and humid. Black flakes start to fall like snow around me and a rustle comes from behind. I am afraid to turn but I’m not in control. I quiver seeing the black figure up close. Slender and tall with no feature, just ink black with burning red eyes staring into mine.

It grabs me by the throat pinning me to a tree. It moves it’s face closer and snorts. I can’t breathe or move.

“Born with chaos and anger. We found you host!” It chokes out with no mouth then I feel a snap on my neck.

*****

I gasp breathing in thin air as wind blows intensely against me. I don’t feel anything else. Staring at the moon is a surprise as the wind flaps against my clothes. I met the stars and clouds. Another dream?

I turn around facing the city far below. Orange and yellow lights that brightens the night life become miniscule dots in the back ground.  Defiantly different dream. I start to realize that I’m not asleep when I see Stark falling as well. Further from me and not moving!

The air is thin, not much to breathe. I flail in the air trying to maneuver to her but causes me to spin forward out of control. I spread my limbs stopping the flips but slows me down. I bring my arms to my side and put my feet together. I start to tilt downward accelerating faster and faster. The strong freezing winds numb my face as I dive  to her. Growing closer I reach out fighting the wind for stability. She is unconscious. I try to yell out but I can’t even hear myself.

I grab a hoof and she wakes in a fright. A hear a metallic zoom nearing. A airliner births from the clouds directly under us and too close. I pull Stark to me holding her in my arm. I turn around again facing the night sky bracing for impact. I don’t see what I hit, I just know I roll off it quickly spinning us midair dazed. I feel nothing again. I don’t even feel my grip on Stark. I’m trapped in my own body thousands of feet in the air. A great way to wake up.

A vice curls around me tightly. I peer down  seeing Stark with her eyes shut tight and her head against my chest with her horn glowing. I’m blinded by the flash and I feel a other solid hit.

*****

Bright warming light shines over me . My body feels stiff and heavy with overbearing pain, yet rested. Nudges on my side causes me to groan in pain.

“You okay?” Stark asks standing over me with her mane brushing against my face. I try to lift myself up from a crater of broken floor boards but remain.

“Rrghh. What the hell happened?”

“Well, that’s still up for debate.” She looks up at the holes directly over head of us that are through the roof and the second floor. “At least we are in our own home. It would have been awkward if we landed elsewhere. How are you feeling?”

“I’m not paralyzed because everything below the neck hurts and maybe in some internal bleeding, other than that I’m peachy!” I respond.

“I couldn’t understand you through the sarcasm.”

“I am fine. I’m just goanna lie here for a moment.” As messed up as it is, this has been the only rest I’ve gotten in a while. Stark lays next to me discontented, curled up and nudging against me to grow closer. It hurts, but I don’t mind. I just scream in my head.

*****

I find comfort in familiar things. The sound of a hammer pounding on a 2x6 with standard roofer nails replacing the broken lumber. I should break parts of the house just to find peace in fixing it.

“Hey, don’t forget to make sure that the support is sturdy so that next time you land on the roof, you’d just roll off instead of going through.” Dunney says bring up more lumber to the roof. He has a black eye and a couple of welts and bruises around his face. He must have had a fight last night. The Reptile in the octagon in a raid warehouse by a pier. He gained that nick name for being cold blooded in the cage. His chipper, so he must have won the bout.

“It’s strong enough. I’m thinking of breaking the foundation if you up for the repair?” I reply.

“You’d be better of testing outlets with a screwdriver.” He places the 2x6s aside. “So.”

“So?”

“You goanna tell me why you went through the roof in the first place?” He asks taking a seat at the edge of the hole.

“I really don’t know?” I just keep to my work.

“Then can you tell me why Stark looks distant?” I put down the hammer.

“I woke up around of a couple thousands of feet in the night air free falling.” He bobs is head back with wide eyes.

“And you survived?”

“No broken bones, just a heavy dose of agony. I think Stark teleported us up there in her sleep and brought us back directly over the house with me playing human shield.”

“Guess it was too much for you to land somewhere else? Couldn’t Stark just fix this in a instant.” He shrugs his shoulders.

“She-She doesn’t want to use her magic. She’s afraid of what might go wrong.”

“Can’t be helped, so back to work! After this we should bring her out of her little emotional rut.”

It took a couple of hours for us to fix the roof. Luckily the damage was simple, but the second floor hole in the kitchen and the crater under that.

Dunney tries to cheer up Stark, but ceases when he notices that it’s a lot more complicated for antics to solve. She wallows in her room now lying in bed. It could be because her friend or that she almost killed us. Robotic compassion could worsen her state, should I even speak?

I see Dunney out the back of the house and he stops looking at the apple tree.

“You know Sarah always wanted a garden back here, but she was occupied by the drama classes. Miles wanted to surprise her with a flour bed. He planted it in winter and it died faster than a fly.” Dunney says while he stares into but beyond the backyard.

“I remember he told me that and he wanted to try again. After the funeral.” I wish I couldn’t feel right now.

“I’m sure that they would have been proud of you. You helped that couple’s little girl and so many other things atop of that.” He brings up little Ellen. Her body started to turn against her, as young as she was it wasn’t remotely fair. Smiles through weary eyes due to KIMO therapy. I’ll make time for her. “You been training, cause that strength can only get you so far?”

“A little. By the way, what up with the face?” I gestured to his face.

“The underground. Won a fight and the purse. Keeps me sharp. Why don’t you show me what you got?” He puts up his hands. “I don’t I need to hold back.” I put my hands up even though I’m sore from the fall.

I move in with a quick jab. He blocks it with one hand and hits me with the other in the face. I retaliate with a round house kick. He does the same but bends his leg griping mine and brings me down to my knees. I turn my body and kick at him upward with the free leg, but he rolls away.

“You’re acting, not reacting!” He chastises me as I’m baffled that he can go around my strength.

I get up and jump in the air with my knee kicking, he blocks it with a palm send me back down landing on my hands and recover with a front flip. I throw punches and he block as if he sees them coming in advance. I am just as fast as he is and as three times stronger, but I can’t compare to his style. He spins and kicks with his heel about to hit my face then it freezes a few inches away.

“You strength made you lazy.” He lowers his foot again disappointed on my fighting. “Power isn’t everything buddy. By relying on you new strength, you put yourself in danger!”

“I’ll be fine, I always come through.” I respond.

“No, you won’t be fine! You always get in trouble and one mess up and I won’t see you again.” He steps in front of me. “By putting yourself in danger, you put Stark in danger.” I can’t look at him. He opens the gate. “Get better. I don’t want to lose another friend! And get some sleep, you look like a Tim Burton character.” He tosses me the lock and leaves.

I still feel weak. I am weak…And insulted!

I set the lock and return inside the house. I do the same as Stark and take comfort in my cot sleeping away the distasteful emotions.

****

Screams cry out through the dark from all directions. They grow and fade like a tide. I don’t want this again.

“GREY!” I hear Stark, but I can’t move. I fell my body. I try to call out but there is no air. “GREY!” I can’t breathe. “GREY!” I’m sorry.

I wake up catching my breath as my heart races. I jump of the bed and run to Stark’s room to find her still curled up under the covers. I sit on the floor by the bed and stare at the moonlit window with burning eyes. I can’t sleep no matter how much I want to. Those dreams won’t leave. I can’t understand them. I’m too tired to try.

“Mr. Grey?” I look to my side and see Page up close poking her head out the threshold. I fall back as my hands muffled my scream. I pant through my palms. Why does every pony do this to me!

Page looks at Stark then bite the ankle of my pants and drags me out the room. She gently shuts the door with her magic. I’m still on the floor trying to calm down my heart.

“You alright Mr. Grey?” She asks looking down at me.

“Yeah. Just three things. Why are you here? How you did you get here? And why did you scare the shit out of me: figuratively speaking!”

“That how you treat a guest Mr. Grey?”

“It’s just Grey, don’t be formal and you’re not a guest, you’re an intruder! Why are you here?” She lowers her head closer meeting mine face to face with her eyes sharp.

“Don’t get snippy with me Grey!”

“I’m rude and kind of an ass, get used to it!” I snap back. She lifts her head up and enters the living room looking around.

“Are you this nice to your partner?”

I get off the floor. “No, I actually a lot nicer to Stark, because her! I like!” She rolls her eyes. “I know what you are thinking. ‘This is abode appalling and horrific.”

“No, just that it’s…humble.” Nice way of sugar coating. “And using appalling and horrific to describe a subject is redundant,” I loathe her.

“Just, stay away from the large hole in the kitchen.” She raises a brow.

“Noted!” She continues to browse around. “Usually a unicorn can become an alicorn in rare occasions but your partner is young. That is I was not expecting.”

“I wasn’t expecting you, so if you would?”

“Yes, I thought she would be a familiar alicorn, but she is so small.”

“I kind of noticed that when I saw you.”

“What are you implying?” Poor choice of word on my part, but I find no point in remedying the slipped phrase .

“Your older than her. How much older? Well that depends on how much you want to lie about your age?” She looks pissed off.

“I’m twenty four!” She comments in a harsh tone. “Carrying on, I peeked in your file. Vision Guard did a lot to peruse you.”

“Peeked? You peeked in my file? I’m guessing that you weren’t suppose too and that you are here on your own accord.”

“You perception is quite astonishing despite you personality.” She steps closer to me. “Vision Guard put a lot of effort in trying to capture your partner.”

“They did at one point. Luckily Stark had my phone and I was able to track it.” Finding her was easy, getting out with her is the part that almost killed me. Didn’t mind at the time, Don’t mind it now.

“I read the report. Though, I meant after what happened at the apartment complex. They continue find any information regarding a black alicorn, your partner I can safely assume.”

“Did Over Watch infiltrate Vision Guard?”

“If it were only that easy. Vision Guard is a conglomerate that has a screening process like much like ours. We have agents, but they recruit all branches of military, including the Agency.” Privatized security companies tend to do that. Very threating to go against people who are highly trained to take in information and survive the battle field. Soldiers and marines are not to be trifled with, let alone ex-CIA.  “Over Watch agents intercepted transmissions of an intense search for weather anomalies along with monitoring stations in safe houses. Basic cellular chatter, but the agent did catch a mention of the word ‘alicorn’. And a very recent interception of two field agents who’s vehicle was stolen by a previous acquaintance.  We are lucky to even get that.”

“So, Vision Guard is looking for Stark?”

“They seem determined. Not all of Vision Guard is after Stark, just a small percentage of the company. Most of the company’s combat employees are stationed at Afghanistan, Iraq, Rwanda, and small cells in the Ukraine.” I faced a small percent! What does it take to get there full attention? Wait I don’t want to find out.

“Does Over Watch have any special protection for alicorns?”

“Over Watch does not know about alicorns. Their potential for power is too great for humans to know about. I am Over Watch’s main consultant on Equestria. I have left out the existence of alicorns, though I am fortunate that they have not learned about them through other means. Over Watch just thinks that the word alicorn is a code word. ” I can’t blame her. Humanity has not had a single moment of peace since we became cognitive. Wars escalated to global heights. We are violent by nature, primal instinct and all. Vision Guard has a prime select of the violently skilled.

“Private Security can are not supposed to operate with their own missions. That has to be with a government contract or a private company.” I tell her as Dunney explained to me stories of hired escorts for high risk missions. Mercenaries, wild dogs with a nylon line leash. As people say. Shit just got real.

“Nonetheless, there are after ponies. I do not know for what purpose. Assigning a guardian has to be consented by the initiator.”

“What if they get both the guardian and the partner?”

“That is also unknown, In a more bleak situation is to do away with the guardian, severing the contract.” As I thought, They would have to kill me to get to Stark. “That is why I’m here to implore you to be very careful in public appearances. You can be traced back to Stark. Usually where there is one, there is the other.”

“Why has Miss Lawson not informed me about the transmissions?” I ask.

“I can’t answer for her.”

“Thank you for telling me that I’m royally screwed and leaving more questions than answers. You have been a great help, now if you would excuse me. I’m going to overdoes on some Xanax.”

“Do you take everything like a joke.” She looks me in the eye infuriated.

“Just the really serious stuff. Now, if you would be so kind to leave.”

“Very well.” She steps away fixing her glasses. “Please for her sake, don’t attract attention.”

That is going to be hard to hide from a spotlight and blood hounds. Knowing me, I would do a dance number.

Page lifts her head and her horns starts to illuminate a sky blue aura. Then I remember something.

“Wait!” I shout. Her horn stops glowing and she turns to me. “Do you know a ponies named Ozymandias. Young white earth pony with a black patch over his right eye, Brown mane and eyes.”

“Why do you ask?”

“He’s a friend of Stark. She believed that he came here the same time she did.”

“I can conduct a search through our data base, but that’s all I can do.” She says in a warmer tone.

“Thank you, Miss Turner.”

Her horn flashes and a scrap of parchment glides through the air to me. I grab.

“What’s this?” I ask.

“My contact number. You can reach me anytime, though I may not arrive just as quick.”

Light envelopes her then dissipates. She vanishes leaving only me a little less pissed off. I would imagine that is how Stark unconsciously teleported us.

I know now why people drink. They avoid personal problems reaching the end of a bottle, except I don’t have any vices to avoid my situation. I gave up smoking or forced ot give it up for physical training. There was sleep, but that’s put of the question. I been awake for so long, dust build over my eyes every night.

I shamble to my cot and fall in it bouncing. I stare at the ceiling attempting to sleep with my eyes open. I try not to think any more. Hushing my inner monologue.

*****

I make Stark some oatmeal with apples, raisins, chopped almonds, mixed with some tasteless soy protein power, and a glass of orange juice. I just have a cup of coffee, the only form of substance I had lately.

Stark walks in the kitchen with her hooves dragging and her eyes in tired slits. She glances at the hole in the corner and continues to the table. She takes her seat groggy trying to see what’s in the bowl I laid out for her. She falls face first into the bowl then she becomes suddenly still.

“It’s delicious!” She says through the muffle of the bowl.

She raises her head with some oatmeal over her muzzle. I go over and wipe he mouth with a paper towel and side my large cup of coffee.

“Drink some, you’ll wake up.” I tell her.

She put the cup between her hooves and sips a little bit and I return to my seat. Then some more, then more. Her eyes open wide and her appetite awakes as well. She digs in the oatmeal and drinks the orange juice in one go. She pauses and looks away then back at me.

“There is something I been meaning to ask you? In Dracula, he was supposed to be the maker of all vampires, but the real Dracula (Vlad the Impaler) was not a vampire, but a prince who sent the severed ears and noses of his enemies back to their commander. Elizabeth Báthory had more of a vampiric history. And Physiognomy what is that?” She spoke very fast and her expressions did the same.

“It’s the study of a person’s character through facial expression. Basic psychology, but difficult to practice without training.”

“Oh, oh, oh! So behind every facial expressionisanemotionthatwhenreadyoucanbasicallyreadminds!” Her word blend together to a point where she is speaking an alien language. I put my hand out to signal for her to stop, but she just kept rambling on. I believe that I made a mistake.

“Stark.” She continues. “Stark.” More gibberish. “Stark!” She finally stops looking confused.”

“Yes?” I start drag the coffee back to me, then Start places a hoof over the cup. “You can’t have it, I need it.” She states. Before I can react the gulps down the entire cup and my eyes widen in fear! She swiftly places the cup down and puts her hand to her sides. “I need to go! I’m going to try to finish multiple books!” She zips out of the kitchen like a cartoon roadrunner.

I make myself another cup of coffee. At least she is not depressed, then again is might catch on fire due to rapid movement and particles causing friction. Luckily I keep a fire extinguisher under the sink.

I clean up the dishes and enter the living room to find Stark lying on the floor with her face buried in an open book. I stand next to her notice the words set the wrong way.

“That’s two down! Eight more to go!” She says through the book.

“How the book?” I ask.

“It’s great! Mind boggling!”

“Just so you know the book is upside down.”

“I like a challenge!”

I lay down on my back next to Stark. She turns her head to me.

“I need more coffee.” She pouts with her lower lip jutting out.

“Only enough for two cups. Sorry!”

“Oh well. Two books are good enough for today.”  She closes her eyes and doesn’t open them, she only softly breathes. I envy her. She can sleep. My night terrors are a subconscious reaction to my daily life or recent trauma. Every one there is an extension of me. Events become visual metaphors towards an inner conflict. I must be really fucked up then!

“Hey Grey?” Stark says with a yawn. “Are we going to confront the group?”

“I don’t know. There are a lot of things against us.” Vision Guard search for Stark raises so many alarms, I afraid to go out. As long as I look like me, I can lead anyone who can trail me to her. As long as I look like me?

I get up from the floor quickly and head to the bed room.

“Where are you going.” Stark asks.

“To change.”

I enter the bathroom and place my hand on the sink as I stare at myself in a dirty mirror remembering how I looked. Sky blue eyes, small chin and soft jaw line. Can’t change those features, So, I look at my ink black hair hanging over my brow. I take out the scissors from the counter drawer and some peroxide that Sarah had in hand just in case she didn’t like her hair, right next to a bunch of moldy towels that I didn’t know that existed. I know I haven’t touched their thing, but I can see now I really need to consider on cleaning up. I think the towels are breathing?

I start cutting my hair in random clumps. I hear hooves stepping closer behind me.

“Okay, what are you doing.” Stark questions.

“Trying a new look.” I turn to her displaying my new hairdo.

“Now I know what ‘insane’ looks like” She comments. I look back in the mirror. I look like punk band member that escape from a mental facility and to his frustrations on his hair.

“Yeah, I’m going to need help!” The scissor pull away from my hand and float in midair.

“Okay, but close your eye!” I shut them tight. “I mean with your hands, I don’t have the best aim.”

“Never mind, I’ll go with the crazy look!” I tell her.

“No! I have the motivation I need.” I cover my eye with my hand leaving a small space between the finger to see the scissor moving and snapping at me like an angry dog. I close the space and worry about my ears.

“Just don’t be like Benjamin Barker. I like my blood in me!”

“Don’t mention blood, I get queasy. Even just the thou-.” There is a sudden thump on the floor. I keep my hands over my eye.

“Stark? Are you okay? I can’t see, I’m afraid of the rabid scissors” I hear the scissors snap and Stark snickering.

*****

Stark snipped away the murky locks as well as she could. I don’t care about my outer appearance, just as long I don’t look like myself. I sprayed a lot of peroxide over my now short hair and sat in on the floor in the restroom alone. I told Stark to watch a movie on the computer.

I remember my past before Miles and Sarah. The final time I ran away, a kid I met saw me in the dumpster looking for food. He told me to follow him if I wanted to eat. He was my age, I thought that would be enough to trust him. He lead me into an auto garage loud and busy with power tools buzzing. He took me to the back where he opened a fridge and handed me a half-eaten  sandwich. It the first good meal I had in a while.

A man came in the room as I ate looking at me.

“Who’s your friend Rodrigo?” He asked.

“Don’t know Barnaby. Saw him looking through a dumpster. Thought he could eat something good.” The kid replied.

The man was silent. “He looking for work?”

I was recruited by a small ring of men on Brooklyn who did shady things in and out of an auto garage by the age of nine. First I was a scout along with Rodrigo. My job was to tell the men of what I saw and who. Mainly police patrolling on the dealer’s turf or other dealers.

Barnaby was who I answered to. A bulky pale Irish man with a temper, he was cold and demanding at times. He ran the shop and its external activities.

Barnaby was into magic tricks. “The hand is faster than the eye” and the tool of detraction. I used his lessons and became a pickpocket.I gained some respect as I returned with some goods. Phones, jewelry, wallets, the small things.

He showed me an array of techniques of sleight of hand. I got better with every lesson. He passes me and swift moments he took the change from my pocket without me feeling a single nudge. He whistles at me and drops the coins from one hand into the other. I take out his keys and press a button on the control making his car beep. I was promoted to grand theft auto after that.

I learned to drive by the age of ten. Simple for a kid if you have a partner. There was no one better than Rodrigo. He’ll press the foot petal and I would steer the wheel. First time we panicked and crash into an electronic store. Then we stole from the electronic store pushing two shopping carts filled with new phones, computers,  DVD players, iPods and some computer parts.

We where banging on the auto shop door like the police in the night. We hear the sirens whoop and Barnaby opens the door squinting his eyes.

“What the god founded thing you two are up…to?” He stares at the carts and his eye open like a child on Christmas. “Meet me around back!” He commanded.

I was sleeping in a basement of a burnt half way house. The owners weren’t that good of chemists. The faint smell of an accelerant stained the rooms, but it was just the smell of the product that was made there. I kept a ripped mattress in the corner along with some comic books that I stole scattered next to it, a carton of cigarettes on the mattress, a cheap lighter and an LED outdoor lamp. No one knew I was here. Not even Rodrigo or Barnaby.

Any money I earned I wasted on food: restaurants, diners, fast food. Not the healthiest food groups, but a kid needed to eat.

Miles changed all that, especially the smoking. I thought it was going to be like another the foster care parents, but he tried. Sarah made everything feel warm and welcoming. Everything was better. I still met with Rodrigo and stole some cars without crashing.

When Miles introduced me to Dunney he only helped my habits. He kept a look out for us in towing lots. A lot of wealthy people not paying the parking tickets or the meter. They would leave phones, wallets, brief cases filed with papers. and a cold coffee.

Dunney knew Barnaby through contacts and know through me. Dunney worked with other shady trading and he showed me his contacts. I stopped stealing cars and worked on flashing mobile phone to other providers. Easy money.

Sarah started cough up blood one morning then there was a panic over money. I went to Miles and brought him everything I earned. He just sighed and stared at me.

“Whatever you did to earn this, I want you to stop.” He told me sternly He shed a tear. I wonder if he thought that he failed with me. I stopped being a criminal at the age of fourteen.

I like my life. It turned into a fictional story with a happy ending and wanted it to go on. I wanted for them to stay. Then Sarah died.

Cops knocked on the front door with authority in the dead of night. I was scared that they were here to take me away from Miles since a single guardian wouldn’t be enough to provide for a child even with aid from the state.

I opened the door as the chills start to cause my body to tremor. It was the cop who’s wallet I stole standing somberly at the door. He didn’t recognize me.

“Are you Grey?” He ask softly. I nodded. “You need to come with us.”

I sat in the police station hearing the mumbling of an office try to pay his condolences. All sound became distorted.

“He was a hero son.” The officer told me then patted my shoulder and left. I cried alone in the dark office. Miles stopped a robber in a store trying to save a couple. Mina and Roger holding baby Ellen trying to get formula from the local convenient store in the night. The shooter fled the scene.

I snuck out the police station and walked home. I didn’t know what to do but to keep to the alleys. I found my way home as the moon started breaking through the clouds. I entered the back and locked the gate behind me. I fell on the cold ground and didn’t want to get up. I heard a knock on the gate. I expected the cops again, but became stunned to find Rodrigo looking at me. He grew taller than me.

“Hey Grey.” He said solemnly. “I think you should follow me.” I did again, but this time regretting it.

He told me that they have been keeping an eye on me. Barnaby’s orders. He wanted to make sure that I was better off. He described Miles to me in the store and his last moments. Then he described the shooter. He witnessed the incident. I never asked why he was in Queens, I didn’t care.

Again he lead me to the auto garage where Barnaby was waiting under the front light. He patted my shoulder.

“It’s good to see you mate!” He says with his thick accent.” Just wish it was in better circumstances. We should go!” We enter Barnaby’s car and he drives off. The ride was silent. That was what I wanted.

He enters an alley where two other cars are parked on the side. Barnaby turns off the car and quickly gets out, then Rodrigo, then myself.

Barnaby greets other of my co-works and they greet me humorlessly. I didn’t know what was going on. Then two men drag a man by the arms with his feet scrapping the asphalt. They drop him on his knees and he curls up. Rodrigo picks up the guy’s head and scans his bloody face. The man grimaces and sobs.

Rodrigo steps back. “Yeah! That’s him!” He says looking at Barnaby.

“You’re sure boy-o?” Barnaby asks.

“No doubt. He’s the one who shot that dude in the store.”

I froze as my heart skipped a beat. This was the man that shot Miles. My anger rose to new heights as I could think of the worst.

A co-worker hands Barnaby a wooden bat and he places it in my hands. I look him in the eye.

“The choice is yours boy-o.” He says then steps away. I walk up to the man as he sobs on his knees. His hand red and trying to shield himself from me.

“Please don’t! Don’t. don’t.”  I just grew angrier.

“Did Miles say the same thing?” I ask him

I gripped the bat feeling it splinter with every impact sending tremor up my arms until the bat breaks in half. I scream my lungs out and he doesn’t move. I step back from him and turn around. I walk past Barnaby and hand him the broken bat handle and continue into the city.

“Clean this up!” Barnaby says to his employees while I know his looking at my back as I walk away. That was the last time I saw them. I just turned fifteen and I felt that I lived for too long.

*****

“You ready yet?” Stark asks playfully standing out the restroom door.

“I’m coming” I reply studying my new look. Still doesn’t change who I am or what I’ve done.

I open the door and Starks stare at me shocked.

“Well, that’s definitely a look!” She states stupefied.

“How is it?”

“You look like every lead singer in a punk band!”

“So I would blend in a crowd?”

“I think there is fifty of you guys in a single record store.” She’s learning more and more about us. The facts of life through Netflix. Like every young American. “Why did you make the sporadic change?”

“So if I go out, it less likely for Vision Guard to recognize me.” I answer.

“You could have gone the super hero route and used a mask?”

“In public? People would think I’m crazy?”

“Your hair says that you already are!” She remarks.” Why did you want to blend?”

“Because we are going to Manhattan.”

*****

Stark took to the grey sky and vanishes in the cloud line. I keep to the ground walking and taking bus routes with my blue sweater and a ski mask rolled up to a cap. Not as flashy but still efficient. I use the bus’s WI-FI to find any closed down shoe companies in Chauncey Street on my cell. A picture of a building in black and with pops up with the company name chipped away only leaving the word Co.

“Did you find the place?” I hear Stark in my head.

“Yeah,  it was too easy. Vision Guard would have taken them anytime, but I guess their asset can relay them information about who comes in.”

“Wouldn’t the group figure out that there’s a mole?”

“Not if they don’t hear from or about a former acquaintance. They’ll think that the missing guardians and partners are just not interested in joining.”

“You would think that something is a tad bit curious that people haven’t returned?”

“You would think. But we don’t know what really is going on.”

“I’ll be with you all the way!” She says.

“No you won’t. I want you to stay in a distance.”

“What? Why?” She protests.

“I can’t show up as a guardian. If there is a mole, they would just report us so that Vision Guard can move in.”

“So what are you going to do?” She asks.

“Ask for a missing friend. Misty Cortez would be a good cover story. No one knows where she is but Over Watch.” The bus stops and I get off.

“Unless Vision Guard has a mole in Over Watch!”

“Let’s hope not.” I reply.

More building tower over in Manhattan than in Queens. Architecturally rich and impressive. The way one building’s glass reflects the sun sending back the rays in a blinding light and another shows it’s elegance and sophistication. I hate this place. I rather be in a damp ditch right next to the over pass. I hate the people here. They walk around with their heads high and the chin pointed upward displaying an opinion of superiority amongst everyone else. Flashy dresses and suites, expensive taste, cars and unneeded accessories. I am suffocating here. The only thought that calms me is the thought on how they constructed building here. A familiar process.

I continue through the moving crowd following my phone’s directions to the buildings.

“You okay?” Starks asks in my head.

“No, too many people here!” I start breathing hard feeling the anxiety coming over.

“Not a people person? It’s okay, neither am I. I keep to myself. No one can hurt you when you’re alone.”

“Stark?”

“Never mind that.”

“Mean kids?” I ask sincerely.

“No, they weren’t only kids. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Stark?” She doesn’t reply.

I find an area of Manhattan that looks more ghostly and hostel. My anxiety goes away from comfort. I continue down a sidewalk observing the local establishments: old school barber shops, pricy antique stores, candy stores. The classics.

What Stark said still rings in my ears. “No one can hurt you when you’re alone.” I take that it was from experience. She shuts down when I try to find out more about her and her past, like she doesn’t want to remember. I know all too well on how that feels.

“Hey Stark!?” I mentally ask.

“Yeah?” Even in thought she sounds glum. Now I wonder if I should even try.

“Thanks for being with me.”

“Same to you!” She responds in a more chipper tone.

I freeze for a moment staring at the front of the building that was in the picture. It’s more dismal in person. Boarded up windows and doors tag by spray painters that lack imagination. It stands alone far from any other building like a mansion on a hill with a gigantic parking lot and a fence to wrap it in. A underpass to the left with patches of snow and ice. I start to feel a pit in my stomach.

“I found the building.” I say in my head.

“I noticed!”

“You can see me?”

“You were moving too slow, so I’m just lying on a cloud watching you from a distance. Like a stalker!”

“Just in case be ready if something goes wrong.”

“Knowing our track record, it will.”

“I find your lack of faith disturbing!” I reply.

“I find you faith delusional!”

I walk around the building and in an alley to find a way in the fence. I notice a large cut in the chain link that’s curled in the both sides. I guess that this is the entrance. I push my way in and try to casually not look as if I’m trespassing. It’s hard when you are the only person in a parking lot awkwardly walking.

No one seems to see me. Close to the building I scurry to the wall pressing myself against it.

“You look like a guy playing secrete agents by himself” I hear Stark comment in my head. I slump over judging my own actions as idiocy.

“Sorry, I usually work at night!” I reply letting Freudian  slip out my lips.

“What? What do you mean you work at night?” I try to hold back on a mature joke.

“Never mind!” I push myself up on the loading deck in the back of the building..

“Don’t, never mind me!” She replies aggressively.

I lift one of the shutters up slightly avoiding to make any sound.“I’m kind of busy and I going through a tunnel. I goanna –chrkkksttsh- connection- chrkksttsh!” Don’t think, don’t think don’t think!

“I can hear you trying not to think!” She responds as I roll inside.

“Whoa!”

“What is it?” She asks. I’m siting on the ground inside the building staring face to face at another pony. Yellow with a black mane.

His eye greatly widen as he starts to open his mouth. I place my hand over his muzzle and pull him closer. I quickly look around seeing no one else in the massive stockroom. The pony beings to scream into my hand.

“Whoa, shh! Shh! I’m not here to hurt you little guy!” I look him in the eyes trying to calm him down! “I don’t hurt ponies! I’m just looking for a friend!”

“What’s going on?” Stark asks.”

“There’s a pony here. He was about to scream!” The yellow earth pony now look confused, then I realized that I was speaking aloud.

“Is it Ozymandias?” Stark asks.

“No, he’s has a yellow coat.” I made sure I responded in my head this time.

“I’m going to release my hand, okay.” I tell the pony nodding my head and he does the same. “And you are not going to scream!” The pony shakes his head I become bewildered. “Is that “No” you won’t scream?” He continues to shake his head. “So you are going to scream?” Now he nods. “Tell you what. You don’t scream and you can take me to the other as a prisoner!” He look at the corner of his eye and pauses for a moment then eagerly nods,

I pull my hand away.

“Why were you taking to yourself? Are you crazy?” The pony asks in the voice of a little boy?

“Yeah, I am, but the voices are new!” I reply to the yellow pony.

“Stark, Just in case be ready to do something?” I tell her.

“Like what?” She responds.

“A distraction or something. I’m in the back of the warehouse.”

“Follow me prisoner!” The little pony demanded. I followed him pass the stock room while mentally informing Stark on my location. We pass a long hall with two rows large machines rusting over time. He takes me to a main workroom with a second floor overview. He stops me in the entrance.

“Wait here! I’ll go consult the-the?”

“Warden?” I answered.

“Yes that!” He trots forward with a skip in each step.

“Hey guys!” He calls out to people out of sight. “What do we do with prisoners?”

“We don’t take prisoner!” A young male voice responds.

“So, we execute him? That’s kind of harsh!” The pony comments.

“Stark, main workroom, east wing.” I inform Stark.

“I see you through the large window.”

I look to my left and see the window with no sign of her. She must have good eyes.

“Here goes…everything!” I realign my ski cap and walk in the workroom with my hands up.

There’s a bunch of people spread across the area sitting in couches, chairs, and benches laid out like a club house. I only counted twelve humans then I lost my place.

“What the hell Ranger? You bring a stranger here!” Someone yells at the little guy. He flinches in discouragement. I step in front of him.

“Hey, asshole!” I point at the guy that yelled. “Little guy here was helping me! You want to apologize to him or do you want me to come over there and force one. ” The kid bits his lip and hides behind someone else. The threats come natural on being an New Yorker, but I don’t react like this usually. Strange.

A guy my age with light brown skin and a crew cut walks past me and picks up the yellow pony with tears forming.

“I thought I did the right thing!” The pony tells his carrier while sniffing.

“You did, you did good!” The guy reassures him. The pony is just a kid. I take another look at the pony’s carrier and I become dumbstruck. Rodrigo. His facial expression is tense as he stares at me. He doesn’t recognize me.

“Who are you?” A slightly older boy assertively points at me stomping his way to me. Dark Brown skin, between nineteen to twenty three, forest green vest and snow camouflage cargo pants, standing a couple of inches taller than me. He presses on my chest with his finger. “Who are you?”

“Phil Collins. Who are you?” I reply.

“No man! We ask the questions here.” I look behind him seeing the guardians stepping in front of their partners. Except one girl in a green jacket with the hood pulled over stand on the second floor, her back against a column and her pony white with a pink mane, large shades and headphone over her ears bobbing her head.

Green vest keeps yelling at me.

“Why are you here Collins?” He asks condescendingly.

“I’m looking for a friend, she’s missing!”

“Who?”

“Misty Cortez! She told me about your little hideout before she vanished.”

He backs off and the others look at each other. I observe the reaction trying to depict any manufactured emotions, but my eyes stat to sting causing me to close them.

“Misty is missing?” He looks more concerned with the news. He turns to someone in the crowd and tilts his head at me. A signal. What for? “When was this?” He asks.

“A couple of days ago, her family don’t know where she is.” He looks down slightly nodding.

“You a guardian?”

“No, but I knew about Taylor.” He looks behind me then back at me. I turn and see a bulky read pony with a black mane, boulders on is flank and his eyes closed.

“You with Vision Guard?”  I turn back. He know his enemy.

“Don’t know who they are.” He looks behind me again at the pony.

“Over watch!”  He asks.

“ Again, don’t know.” I answer.

“He’s lying!” The red pony declares. “About everything!” I turn to him baffled, I don’t see green vest cocking his fist nor when he hit me in the face. I’m sent far back into the hall sliding on the ground.

“What happened?” Stark shouts in my head.

“Our track record. It’s untarnished!”  I push myself up glaring at green vest and three other friends stepping in the hall along with four ponies behind them and the little yellow one amongst them standing behind Rodrigo. They shut the doors and spread around me.

“Do you want me to do something?” Stark asks.

“No, not yet. If you see me in more of a jam, then yes.”

“So let this get worse.” She comments.

“Yeah.” I reply.

“Where’s your partner?” One of the guardians asks.

“Not with me.” I answer truthfully.

Green vest kneels down and punches the ground breaking the cement. “You know we don’t really take prisoners.” He says. The rubble from the ground starts to move up his forearms and face. “But we can’t let you leave.” He forges himself a round mask and gauntlets out of the gravel. The other guardians show off their abilities. Rodrigo’s hands ignites into blazing flames, wind circulate around another guardian, frost covers the fourth. I didn’t expect this. Facing people that command the elements and all I have is hard hits and bare flesh. I raise my fists apprehensively. This is why I’m not a people person.

Wind and frost rush in from both sides. Frost put a palm out aimed at my feet and ice bursts freezing them to the ground. Immobilized, wind pushes his palm and stops a few inches from my chest, but a guest blows me back breaking the ice that glued me to the floor.

Again sliding on the floor sent further back into the hall. The ice still casted on my legs, I try to stand slipping and stumbling. The same two approach, rushing me again but now head on.

“Grey, it’s not looking good!” Stark mentally projects.

“I know! I know! Tell me when something goes our way.”

Wind launches high up in the air with a gust blowing below him. Frost throws his palm up again, I duck away casting ice on one of the machines behind me. Wind lands directly in front of me, right where he shouldn’t be.

He throws a right hook, I knock it away then come back with a light back hand, then a hit to his abdomen. He is sent back curled in a ball. I feel a vice on my arm and it becoming numb. I see frost griping my fore arm and the ice growing over it. I pull my arm back and kick him breaking the casted ice on my left leg.

I stumble away, loosing balance on the still iced over leg. I stomp on the ground breaking it off and cracking the concrete. I didn’t know I was that strong but my strength seems to fluctuate ? I pound the ground with my arm breaking off the ice.

A light blue pony helps Wind up as a white one nudges Frost. Their partners quick to aid in the middle of a fight.  I know Stark would do the same, put herself in danger as I would. I realized I put us in danger just coming here.

A tug on my sweater pulls me hard and raises me off my feet. Green vest looks at me through the slits in his mask.

“Looks like you can handle yourself, but not against me!” He says to me very cocky. I imagine an arrogant smirk behind the mask. I punch at the middle of his arm making it bend and loses his grip. I capitalize and hit him in the ribs then use my heel to hook around behind his knee and bring him down. He quickly punches upward hitting me right in the jaw. I go high in the air seeing Green vest becoming more distant.  I hit the wall like a cannon ball and fall to the ground dropping twenty feet. I hit the floor flat feeling the lingering pain in my stomach.

“Grey! Get up Grey!” I hear Stark shouting in my head again. “They’re surrounding you!”

I push myself off the ground ignoring the pain on my face or the one in my stomach. The four surround me with their partners standing in the distance, like Stark warned, but I’m not holding back anymore.

“I don’t know if I can stand by anymore Grey?”

They are stronger than the average human, a lot stronger. Green vest especially! I don’t have any super powers like they do, but I got experience.

Frost comes in with a swing, I bat it away and give him a straight punch! Wind comes from behind and gets a back kick. Then Green vest attack, then Rodrigo.  They all come back and back again. I block as much as I can and hit back more often. These guys are scrappers, no form of training. Rodrigo never faced me with training.

Wind, Rodrigo and Frost hold me against the wall with all their weight. I struggle.

“Knock him out man!” Rodrigo yells at Green Vest.

“GREY!” Stark screams echoing loudly like in the dream. I don’t know where it comes from but rage floods my thoughts.

I push three off of me scattering them across the hall. Green vest punches me in the face hard enough crack the air. I don’t budge. The gravel on his hands break into smaller pieces. I punch him back making half of his mask burst into dust. He’s knocked back and gains his footing. Far from me he punches the air which seemed strange, then a part of the ground extrudes straight to me. It hit me like truck launching me back to the wall breaking through into another room. I felt more tender ribs crack. I roll back and dart through the wall to him. He punches the air again sending another pillar my way. I punch through it crumbling his attack. He stomps on the ground and the floor raises under me. I flip back dodging the thick pillar that now crashed into the ceiling. I run around the pillar only to meet a Green vest’s fist to the face. I crash into a machine denting the iron as parts fly out.

He was holding back as well. That hit could have taken off someone head. I’m dragged out by my ankle and slammed to the ground breaking under me. I spit up blood. I try to grab at the floor as it leaves me. I’m thrown back in front of the main work room entrance. The ponies that stayed back stare at me frightened. I get back up and walk towards Green vest tasting the blood in my mouth.

Green vest charges, I do the same. He throws a hook and I slide under it moving behind him. I swings the arm backwards, but I block and work on his kidneys. He flails an arm at me, I duck under and curve my arm around his and the other wrapped I front of his neck forcing him to bend backwards with his head under my arm. I jump forward flipping over Green vest still under my grip using the momentum to throw him in the air. His spins midair and bursts through the main work room doors rolling before the other guardians. I follow him. The other guardians I was fought jump on me bringing me to my knees holding my arms and neck in a vice.  I plant a foot and push up springing them off.

I feel cold again. Then anger starts overwhelms me. I don’t know if it’s me anymore. I don’t feel in control.

“Grey? Are you okay? Grey get out of there!” I can understand Stark’s words as if they came through static. Everything is now through a red filter lens.

I turn to green vest trying to bring himself up. I rush to him and grab him by his throat lifting him off the ground.

“Grey!?” More static.

Green vest is limp trying to breathe though my grip.

“I just wanted to help! But you made it hard!” Those are not my words. The other guardians step back in fear.

I pull my fist back knowing what I tend to do. I can stop myself.

The ground shakes below me hearing the floor rumble and break. I turn and see the red pony spurts out of the ground riding a large slab of cement with his eyes blazing with fury. Time goes by slow feeling every millisecond. The tiny particles of ruble spraying me before the hit, then time returns to the usual pace. The slab hit me directly in the chest. I feel it compact as the air is taken away. I’m sent flying, hearing a loud scream calling my name and thunder beings to crack just before the impact of the wall.

The solid concrete wall fissures and I slide to the floor slumped over. The all the windows suddenly erupts into shards slicing through the air as a condensed bolt of lightning strikes the red pony sending him through the crowed of guardians and an old beat up couch splitting it in two then  across the work room hitting a support beam hard with Green vest chasing after.

The lightning dies a bit but still surging around the point of impact and Stark standing in the middle of it. Her wings spread and her head lowered with her eyes narrowed glowing bright red. I slowly crawl to her trying to call her name.

Some ponies step forward, all unicorns with a shaky serious expression. The line up with the guardians directly behind them. The unicorns bow their head with their horns illuminating in various colors. I call out to Stark in a voice to soft to hear. She stares at them in contempt with the electricity popping in the air.

The unicorns begin to attack with their magic. Light shoots from one and the others maneuver around Stark forming a ring. The light is dispersed not even touching her. A purple pony raises its head  with its horn glowing yellow and four large rock formations sprout from the ground and seal in Stark and another pony ices it over. Relief comes over them and is quick taken away by the rumbling emits from the frozen tomb.

I pick myself up limping to the closest support beam. The room is assaulted by chunks of ice and cement flying through the air. The unicorns are knocked back, I get behind the beam in time not it be hit by the debris. The other guardians gather at the end of the room like frighten sheep herding together. I thought that they were going to be more of a rough bunch, I’m glad to say my expectations weren’t met, but the ponies are something to question.

Stark is in the air hunched over and breathing heavy.  I come out from behind the beam.

“Stark!?” I call out to her holding my side. She turns to me with those red eyes.

“Grey?” She says softly.

Three pagasi zip in the air tackling Stark.

“STARK!” I limp to her knowing I can’t reach her.

She kick them as she flies in circles in the middle of the work room. The group of pagasi start to fly faster in circles leaving Stark hovering in the center of them. They all disappears into a clouded funnel creating violent winds in the room. I fight against the strong gusts as I am pushed back with my feet dragging on the ground.  The funnel howls louder and the winds increase in strength.

I can’t believe how strong these creatures are. The magic and flight is one thing but the ability to create a miniature tornado in a building would leave me awestruck if I was not experiencing it firsthand.

The tornado beings to surge with lightning striking through hitting anything near. The air becomes electrified making my body hair stands straight. Charging of the electricity is hear through a high pitch whine. Something hits the ground hard enough to feel it move and the tornado disperses with the pagasi shooting out in different directions.

Stark stands in a crater trembling in rage growling as she turns to face anymore opponents with the air still electrified. I’ve never seen her like this. This is how she reacts when I’m in danger? Is this want was going to happen to me if that red pony didn’t strike? I cautiously approach with my hand up.

“Stark?” I call to her. “Stark you need to calm down!” Seeing me she become distraught with tears flowing from her scarlet eyes down her cheeks.

“I don’t know how! I’m scared!” She cries shifting in place.

“I’m here! I’m not going to let anything happen to you! You know that!”  The electricity dies down and her eyes revert to the golden orbs that I begged to see.

I look behind her and see the little yellow pony that helped me paralyzed in fear as try to get to his guardian. Stark turns to him and the electricity courses through the air around her.

“Stark! Look at me!” I plead!

“Ranger!” A Rodrigo calls to his partner.

I rush to her feeling numbing volts become burning agony the closer I grow. I drop to my knees and  turn her to me with my hand blistering while a bolt of electricity dances over it. I place my hands on her face and stare into the round bright red eyes.

“I’m here! You don’t have to scared anymore! I’m here!”

My cloths char with embers breathing, my body fighting torture through the lightning. Her eyes turn back to their original pigment and the pain stops. She beings to sob loudly and I pull her to me. She cries into my burnt sweater.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Her muffled shouts through my thick clothes. I stroke her hair and her holds me tight.

We are surrounded by every guardian and pony in the building. Rodrigo carrying Ranger in his arm and Green vest and his partner stand in front of us. I look up at him.

“Yeah, we are a little fucked up.” I tell him.

“Come clean.” He says sternly. There is no point in hiding now.

“I’m under the protection of Over Watch and I’m this pony’s guardian.” I tilt my head at Stark. “My name is Grey not Phil Collins.”

“You could have said that in the first place.” He says. I stand up holding Stark close.

“How could I trust you guys when there’s guardians and ponies missing and you guys was their last known interaction.”

“You’re saying that we’re the reason of the disappearances?” He questions.

“No, just a link.” If there is a mole here?

“How do we know that you’re just a rat!” Someone in the crowd shouts.

“If I was a rat, I wouldn’t come inside and talk to you.” I answer.

Suddenly silence comes over and every ponies’ ears start twitching. Stark presses a hoof on my chest, her eye widen in shock.

“We have to leave! Now!” She says distraught.

I walk to the high broken window on the side of the room. I put Stark down shaking in place. I jump up and grab the edge pulling myself up. Five black vans roll up in the side of the building. The side doors open and men in tactical uniforms rush out with riffles.

I drop down. Says “shit!” several time under my breath.

“What is it?” Rodrigo asks.

“We need to leave now!” I bark. I walk to Green vest and he filches. “Do you guys have another exit that’s not the main entrance of the loading bay?”

“What? Why?” he quickly stutters.

“Vision Guards outside right surrounding the place!” The crowd gasps and ignites in mumbles. “We need to get out of here. Knowing them, they are goanna cover the front entrance and the loading bay of the building.” A SWAT team would do the same. Get the enemy running and cut them off with a trap.

“You lead them here” Someone yells at me.

“Look, they monitor any weather anomaly let alone the small seismic activity that took place here. Someone is bound to notice.” They could have had a person watching the building and reported the fight. We would have been better off with a firework display and a demolition team wearing clown suits. It’s was my entire fault. I shouldn’t have come here. I put everyone here in danger just to satisfy myself justified curiosity.

“There’s no other exit here!” A girl exclaims

“We’ll make one!” Green vest answers.

“Okay, once there is an opening, the pagasi can fly off. Vision Guard can’t chase them. The rest would have to go on foot. We’ll be exposed.” I explain.

“The underpass next to us! I know my way around the drains and tunnels, we can lose them there.” Rodrigo says with confidence. “Everyone would have to follow me, but we’ll need a distraction!” Everyone looks around in silence.

“Don’t volunteer!” Stark’s words echoes in my head.

“It’s my fault that we are in this mess.” I answer.

“I’ll do it!” Green vest steps forward punching his rocky fist into his palm. “You guys just have to run fast.”

“What about you?” Ranger asks Green vest in Rodrigo’s arms.

“I’ll find a way out. I always do!” Green vest replies with my words.

I tuck my rolled up ski mask and step forward. “I’ll make sure you get out!” I announce.

“Grey?” Stark mentally projects.

“You need to fly off with the other pagasi and meet me at the house. I’ll be okay!”

“The last time you told me that,  you were beaten up by the giant man!”

“He’s not here, I think?” I respond in thought.

Everyone gathers in the hall facing a wall in the direction of the quarry. Green vest takes a stance ready to punch a hole.

“Wait!” I tell him.

“What for” He whispers.

“Just wait!” I hold my hand up listing for any sound. The tings of an aluminum cans bouncing off the ground with a stream of smoke trailing. A sign of them about to enter the building in two different directions. As they come in, we’ll go out .

I turn behind me and see that girl in the green jacket kneeling next to her partner lifting a headphone. “Just keep these on and follow me, okay Bass!” She says softly.

A loud bang coming from both ends. They breached.

“Go!” I bark.

Green vest punches through the wall creating a large hole that could fit a SUV then steps aside letting everyone stampede out. The pagasi take off to the sky, to my surprise, so does some guardians holding a pony in their arms and some people below saying to be careful and hopeful farewells. Well, that one way to an exit. Cuts the crowd drastically.

Green Vest and I stay behind the herd as they run to the underpass. Stark runs along my side, she’s not going to leave. She’s so stubborn.

At the fence the two guys pull apart the opening letting the others through.

“Grey!” Stark Calls out looking at some of Vision Guard’s employees coming out of the exit Green Vest made. Green vest step forward with the red pony by his side as the men raise their riffles.

“I got this!” He crouches down with his arms reaching to the ground then raise them up with a roar creating a wall from the ground shielding us in time from the gun shots. “Are they trying to kill us?” He asks me.

“No, most likely shock rounds to capture us.” I answer pulling down my ski mask.

“You know this how?”

“I dealt with them before. They don’t like me very much.” He stare blankly at me .

“And the ski mask.”

“For fashion, I always like to accessorize in times of crisis!” I sarcastically snap back. Not the best time to though.

Green vest pushes against the wall sending it toward the men as if it were a wave just as the last person leave sprinting down the alley towards the quarry.

“Stark take off!” I shout at her.

“No! Remember the last time I did!” She yells back.

Green vest raise another wall.

“What happened last time?” He asks confused.

“Nothing!” I answer.

“He almost died! Twice!” Stark corrects.

“What the hell man? You crazy or plain stupid?” Green vest questions as his partner stays quite.

“A fine mixture of both!” I reply.

Then gun fire stops. I raise my figure over my lips. I move to the side of the wall that Green vest raised peering over see them slowly approaching aligned with one another a few feet part. One of them shot at me hitting the other side of the wall and I duck behind the cover.

I look at Stark. “Stay here!” I tell her.

“You are going to do something stupid, aren’t you?” Her eyes narrow in annoyance.

“You know me so well.” I respond.

“What are you goanna-“ Before Green vest finishes I bolt out the cover with haste dodging the shock rounds. Everything seems sluggish or am I moving faster.  The gun fire slows down it rapid rhythm. The gun man’s aim becomes unbalanced and crooked to close I grow as he tries to catch up. I grab the barrel of his rifle and push it to his chest lift him off the ground and throw him to another gun men. He drifts lightly in the air colliding and toppling his coworker. There is a few more in the parking lot firing at me, but I quickly dart out of their aim.

A couple of small boulders are throw in the air with the Vision Guard employees jumping out of the way not wanting to be crushed by them.

I punch a gun man in the chest and he is thrown back rolling on the asphalt. I take a shock round to the shoulder and flinch back feeling the volts contract my muscles. I look at the shooter and everything speeds back up. He fires more and I roll forward moving under his aim, pushing myself up, I send my palm under his chin making his head bob back and he collapses to the floor. I pull off the shock round and flick it.

I grab a riffle off the floor and throw at a gun man’s head aiming at Green Vest as he defense himself from other gunmen. I hear a gunshot flinch knowing that it was meant for me.  The round bursts and drops to the floor right in front of me. I notice a blue hexagons formed around me like a bubble. The rest of the men shoot at me wasting round on the shield.

“What would you do without me?” Stark says as she hovers over me with her horn glowing.

“Nothing interesting, I assure you!” I respond with a smirk.

“Start walking, I can’t hold the shield much longer.” She drops to the ground still hold the shield up. There is only three guys left standing and Green vest is working on one.

“Stark fly up, I’ll take care of the rest.” I tell her. She nods her head with grimace.

The shield breaks and Stark takes off to the sky and I on the ground. Time slows down again. Every breath echoed, I can even hear the shell casing drop one at a time. The last gun men raise their riffles at Stark. I grab a riffle from one of the men and break it in half with part spraying out. I hit his head with the barrel and continue to the second guy tossing the butt of the gun at him. He flinches and loses his grip on the riffle. I run to him and step on his leg then his chest as he stand launching myself in the air with a front flip to the last gun man. Gradually aim the riffle at me and fires and couple of rounds. They zip pass me feeling them cut the air. I land before him and he pulls out a knife from a holster stabbing downward. I react to it in the wrong way holding my hand out to block. The knife pierces through my flesh. I scream out and kick him below the belt. He is tossed up and lands face first.

I drop to my knees holding the hand with the knife stab through it trembling in pain. The air whooshes and hooves hit the asphalt.

“Grey?” She gasps shortly after.

“God! Stupid, stupid, stupid!” I grunt with saliva spitting out.

Blood gushes out streaming down my figures and drip to the floor.

“Oh shit!” Green vest exclaims taking off his mask.

“Oh God, It fucking hurts!” I mutter.

Tires screech over the road as three vans drive down the incline into the underpass.

“How far is the drains that Rodrigo was talking about?” I ask Green vest.

“Two hundred yards or so?” He answers. I felt stupid for not asking before, but I’m feeling worse and worse every moment. I grip the handle of the knife trying to convince myself that it’s not going to hurt as much. The blade is really in my flesh and bone pulling out slowly and agonizing as wine red blood flows out more.  I groan after it is fully pulling out the knife and become a little lite headed.

I get off the ground with my arm stiff and shaky. My hand frozen.

“Let’s go, at two hundred yards in this cold weather, they are not going to the drains in time. For Vision Guard it would be like rounding up super powered cattle.” I said losing balance.

“But your hand?” Stark ask with her brows pull together looking up at me.

“It’s just a flesh wound.” I start running to the split in the fence.

“I head them off , you give me support when you get there!” Green vest yells to me putting his mask back on then runs with his partner directly towards the underpass I stop befuddled wonder why are they going? Green vest drives into the ground splitting the asphalt and the red pony follows suit. A loud rumbling below becomes distant traveling through the underpass.

I go through the slit in the fence and Stark flies over. We go down the underpass and I slip on the incline rolling down onto the leveled ground. The knife I was holding slides away from me.

“Are you alright?” Stark ask with her wings beating the air over me.

“I’m fine!” I shout at her out of breath and struggling to push myself up. The world rocks like a boat floating against violent waves. Stark lands next to me.

“You are clearly not fine!” She shout back with watery eyes glistening.

“They need my help.”

“You’re bleeding a lot and you can’t even stand up straight.” I want to ignore my weakness, my flaws when all I did in the past is acknowledge  their existence in silence. I am weak, I haven’t slept, ate, drank. I’m bleeding on the ground stumbling with every step. Not to mention that the ski mask I’m stupidly wearing itches like a mother fucker. “What if this kills you?” Stark asks. I look beyond her seeing the men in tactical uniforms coming out of the vans and Green vest jumps out of the ground disappearing behind a barrier he creates.

“What if Vision Guard takes them? Everyone taken behind closed doors never to be seen again. We don’t know what they are doing to the ponies or guardians after they are gone. And I can’t stand knowing that it was my fault causing a conflict that they gave them the opportunity to act. I’m not going to let anything happen to you, but I have to help them.”

“Fine, I’m nothing to let nothing happen to you either. You put yourself at risk, I put myself at risk.” There’s no point in arguing with her. We don’t have the luxury of time.

“Go airborne and cover me with whatever you got. Stay out of line of fire and don’t do anything stupid.” I tell her. She turns around looking at me with the corner of her eye.

“I could say the same to you!” She takes off with a boom.

I tear a strip of clothing from my sleeve and wrap it tightly around my injured hand with the blood quickly seeping through. I pick up the knife from the floor gripping it with my good hand reminding myself to use non-lethal tactics. No knifes, no bat, just me and my fucked up hand.

I tuck the knife between my belt and the rear of my pants. Pushing on. I run, faster hand harder feeling every step stomping on the concrete, every breath rushing in and out, the cool wind brushing against me. I remember freedom from limitation. The flow whispering to my body in what to do.

The two hundred yards went by in a moment. The Vision Guard’s men fire on Green vest fending them off with other guardians and ponies throwing magic, fire, water, and beams of light from a narrow corner under the a bridge in the cover of the concrete barrier.

I come from behind grabbing on guy by his bulletproof jacket and slamming him on a van denting the side door. There is a lot of armed men here and I just got some attention. I dart behind the van dodging gun fire hearing the rapid dings hit the fiberglass frame; I come out the other side of the van zooming past some of the gunmen. I’m dead center of the men and I stand still grabbing more attention. They close in with their assault rifles facing me. I take a breath hoping that it’s not my last.

I run forward to the closest gunman and kick him in the stomach knocking him back into another Vision Guard employee. I roll to the side avoiding the gunshot hitting the ground. Next to a man trying to hit me with the butt of his gun. I hold out my good hand cushioning the blow and kick his knee sweeping his feet from under him making him falling on his hands.

A gun shot emits from behind me and I duck and run to the barrier. Some shock round hit my back and I fall to the ground convulsing. I lose control of my body. Someone grabs me by my sweater dragging me behind the barrier. The shock rounds stuck in my back are pulled of and I’m helped up off the ground.

“Grey?” I hear in my head “Are you okay?”

I shake off the groggy feeling and see Green vest close the gap in the barrier sealing us in creating darkness.

“Yeah, I alright. Just have a head ach. Are you still in the sky?” I reply to Stark.

“Far from you. I was going to swoop in but, some took you in the barricade. Everyone okay?” She asks.

The unicorns’ horns start to illuminate in various color showing all the scared faces huddle together.

“Looks like it.” I tell stark. “We are closed off, suck in a crevasse.” What I can see, no way out.

Green vest places a hand on my shoulder feeling the weight of the compressed gravel that makes up his glove. I pull of the ski mask and wipe off the sweat.

“You okay? There was like a dozen rounds on your back. It’s a miracle that you’re still standing.”  He says to me still trying to gain balance. I lean on the barrier feeling that I might keel over. I hope Stark didn’t hear that thought.

“From now on, just assume that I’m fine. If I had a Facebook account it would say STAUS:FINE!”  HE takes back his hand.

“You’re fine. Got it!” He says and I suddenly feel guilt for being an ass.

“Sorry. Blood loss.” I show him my bad hand.

“Yeah, you look whiter. Check your hand.”

I unwrap my wounded hand looking at it blankly.

“It stopped bleeding. I don’t know if that’s a good thing, or a bad one. Worst case , I don’t have enough blood to bleed, or live.” I chuckle inappropriately embracing the funny feeling that…that?… I can’t finish that last sentence. I’m too out of it.

“What happened? This isn’t the drain tunnel?” I ask.

“We were running and they cornered us in their vans. They pushed us back here.” Green vest replies.

I push myself off the barrier. “What’s the plan? You got away to get us out of here?” I ask.

He shakes his head.

“The there’s metal rods in the concrete here. I can’t go through it.”

“Any of the ponies know a teleportation spell.” I shout. Confused and apprehensive expression all over, until one white male unicorn stands in the middle.

“I do, but I can only take a few. Any more than six would exhaust my magic.” He announces and every one look each other.

“You have to try to do more!” Rodrigo shouts and the pony becomes discouraged. He look back stern and confident.

“I’ll try, but it can’t be far from here. It just be enough to give us a chance to run.”

There’s about eleven of guardians and ponies not including myself.

“Stark. We are going to teleport of here somewhere near. Be ready.” I telepathically project.

“Okay, but there is a weird looking guy in black and he’s doing something at the wall.” Hurry up!” She responds.

Everyone gathers close surrounding the white unicorn and the floor stars to glow.

“Grey?” Stark voices echoes loud in my head. “Grey you need to get out now!”

The sound of a bang and cement crumbling. All eyes are focused on me with faces in despair and someone’s fingers pressing in my neck.

I’m pulled away from the crowd that vanished in a orb of light and dragged out of the breaking wall. I’m thrown back rolling. I stop the tumble planting my knees holding my bad hand with the other as it throbs in pain. I’m surrounded by the remaining Vision Guard team with guns aimed at me.

“Grey!”

He approaches hiding all flesh under a tactical body suit making him appear nonhuman. Greaves, leg armor, shoulder plates, chest plates, a helmet with a steel fins on the top corners and a full face visor tinted gun metal grey, even a utility belt. His tall lean frame shows his training, so dose his walk. Steps with his feet close and balances as if he was sneaking around. He’s trained to use a sword.

He reaches for something on his back. The sound of metal scarping is like nail on a chalk board, the sound of me being right. He pulls out a jagged edge katana and presses it against my chest.

“Epsilon here wants to know where the alicorn is at? If I were you, I’d tell him mate!” An older man with a receding hair line leaning on the truck says to me in a English accent. Royal marines, S.A.S, or some Brit mall cop with an itchy trigger finger. As Page Turner said; they were looking for Stark, but how did they know where to look?

“Sorry, I don’t speak asshole. If you want, you could go play doctor with your friends I left back at the warehouse.” I reply to him. I attack his pride in front of his peers. No solider would take that sitting down and he doesn’t. He stomps to me with fists.

He grips my sweater with both hand and lifts me off my knees.

“You’re a little punk with a big month with no place to stick your pecker, but your own bum!” He spit on my face while speaking. He pissed and I need him that way.

“Grey?” Stark shouts in my head.

“Just stay back!” I tell her.

“It’s not a pecker, it’s a prick!” I tell the pissed off Brit.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah!” I take out Bowing knife that was tuck in my belt and press it against his neck. He freezes with distain.

He lurches back as the jagged edge katana pierces through his chest nearly stabbing me. The Brit groan and grunts while choking on the blood pooling in his throat with his hands grabbing at Epsilon’s helmet. The other gunmen stay still and just looks away as Epsilon kills they coworker and possible friend. They must be just as afraid of him as I am. I was going to use the Brit as leverage to escape, but he took that away from me, showing that he is willing to kill. Even the people under him.

Epsilon pulls out his sword from what is now a corpse and approaches me. I got a six inch knife and one good hand against a guy that’s covered in armor holding a sword who is not afraid to use it. He’s accompanied by the fine pick of ex-marines, ex-CIA, ex-S.A.S, royal marines behind him casually standing around knowing that I am done. All they would need is a Chuck Norris and a peashooter to complete their imitating gaudy collection of mercenaries.

He swings his sword splattering the blood on the ground. A gunmen walks to the hole in the barrier and peeks inside.

“No one here sir!” He announces.

Epsilon tilts his at me and one of the men approaches with his arms crossed.

“Give me the knife!” He commands with a hand reached out and the other tapping a holstered pistol. No choice, I don’t know if that gun as shock round or hollow points. I hand it to him. “You are alone now and no one to help you. Now, you could make this a whole lot easier and tell us where the alicorn is.” He tells me trying to patient while nervously glancing at Epsilon.

“I don’t know what the hell an alicorn is!” I reply.

“Look, we don’t want you or any of your friends, just the alicorn!”

“Grey, tell me what to do!” Stark panics in my head. “I need to know what to do!”

“Just stay calm! Okay!” I tell her.

I keep quite just looking around. I got nothing left to play, no dice, no chips and I placed a bet worth to much than what I got.

“I got nothing to tell you!” I say to the gunman.

Epsilon walks to me and chill flows down my spine. He grabs my bad hand and presses his thumb through the wound pushing the bones parts. I fall to my knees screaming my lungs out. I sweat and cry. He just continues to push his thumb through the wound with the gunman yell at me, but I can’t hear him through my screaming.

I feel the pressure stop and my hand free. I pull it back holding it in my other hand as I rock back and forth.

The air feels liter and cold. I stare at my hand seeing a drop of blood float upward. More drops raise from my hand. I look up seeing all the gunmen and Epsilon in the air rising higher and higher. The van’s tires come off the ground. Epsilon kicking his legs trying to find control along with the other men.

From the sky Stark descends slowly with those red eyes.

“ðu bescrifen bestóp feorsian úre mearc! Sé ældu déaþscúa swápan ábítan!” She speaks with multiple voices simultaneously. She lands before me with her head peering up at me. “Dryhtenweard” She says.

“Stark!” I utter but she remains emotionless.

I catch something in the corner of my eye coming at her. Instinctively lunge forward using my body as a shield. Nothing happens. I look at her see the rage in her. I turn a see the jagged edged sword suspending in the air with the tip aimed at my back and Epsilon with his arm extended. Stark steps out glaring at him with intensity. The men start to flail in the air as they go higher. The air breaks into an invisible explosion sending the gunmen and the vans across the underpass. I am blown back against the barrier hard felling the wind pressing me to it.

Epsilon still hangs where he was with his arm extended and the sword in front of Stark.

Stark remains focused on him not veering her gaze. I can’t fight the wind. I call out to her with my arms reaching, but she doesn’t react. I wind blows harder then it suddenly stops. Gravity ceases to exist as I hover and drift to her. Epsilon lurches back fighting his movement. His extended arm snaps but he remains silent. His head shaking in torment.

“STARK!” I cry out.

The sword impales Epsilon in the shoulder and then he is slammed to the ground over and over. His ragdoll body rises higher then he is thrown across the underpass crashing through a van creating an enormous dent and breaking any remaining glass.

I am slowly brought to the ground and Stark collapses. I rush to her, lifting her in my arms. I pick her head up.

“Stark! Stark please wake up!” I plead. I put her head to my chest holding her tightly. I scream in anguish. She doesn’t move. Tears stream down my face onto her mane. I feel her breathing softly against me. I chuckle in relief crying more tears. I brush her hair with my fingers and her beautiful golden eyes open staring at me alarmed. She starts crying burying her face in my sweater.

“I didn’t mean to! I’m sorry!” She sobs uncontrollably. I bring her to the barrier and lean against sliding to the floor. I stoker her hair letting her cry it out. I’m tired, I’m weak, and I’m useless. None of this matters right now. We stay here for a couple of moment until the crying stops.

Footsteps cautiously approach cracking on the rubble.

“What the hell happened?” Green vest ask awestruck has he look around. “I’d thought you’d be captured, I didn’t expect this!”

“No one did!” I tell him. His red pony stands at his side in disbelief and dose Rodrigo and Ranger along with another guardian with her unicorn partner.

“Hey, Grey is she okay?” Green vest asks crouching beside me.

“She’s asleep.” She cried herself that way.

“We popped up some where we didn’t know. It took some time to find our way back.”

“You came back for us?” I ask.

“Yeah, sorry it wasn’t earlier! I brought Michaela and her partner. She can get us out of here.”

I push myself off the ground trying not to disturb her. She sleeps peacefully in my arms. I don’t want her to remember, but I’m never that lucky.

*****

We are teleported far from the underpass; we end up in a boxed alley in the Bronx.

“Come on, Hideout number nine is over here.” Green vest announces. Hide out number nine?

Green vest turns around walking backwards. “Is Misty really missing?” He asks.

“No, she is now in some witness protection by Over Watch. Vision Guard tried to take her and Taylor at their house in Jersey.

“She’s been with the gang for like a year, I was wondering why she didn’t come for the past week.” He replies. “I never hear Misty mention you!” Misty never mentioned that she was a member of the pony club for a year.

Green vest bangs on a steel door and someone opens it from the inside. We go in greeted by surprised faces in a close down hotel lobby. I guess they thought that they wouldn’t see me again. I’m surprised that they have another hideout. It’s much smaller though, but it’s better than the back of a van.

A girl guides me to a couch and tells me to take a seat. I’m not in the mood to argue, so I drop in the seat with everyone awkwardly staring at me.

“Can I get you anything? We keep a fridge in the back, so there’s drinks” She says.

“Orange juice and a first aid kit. I need to make up some blood.”

*****

Stark wakes up the couch seeing me stich my hand close with a dirty hand towel in my mouth.

“Grey?” She softly mutters.

“Yeah?”

“Where are we?”

“With the guardians.” I point to the crowd of young people and ponies watching television, playing board games, drinking soda. The younger ponies are drawing in coloring books holding a crayon in their mouth. It feels like I just found Big Brothers and Sisters for ponies.

A pony in a pink coat and purple hair walks to Stark with a wicker bowl of apples. She sets it next to her.

“Her you go honey! Eat as much as you’ll like.” She tells her and walks away with a warm smile.

“Are we really here?” Stark asks.

“Yup. You have been out for a while now!”

Her eyes widen. “I miss my shows!” She says to me. I chuckle and my body hurts as I do. I never been this sore or injured, but time heals the superficial wounds. The emotional takes longer. With her, I hardly feel them at all.

Stark bits into an apple and some Phillies jump on the couch glaring at her in curiosity. She freezes then rolls a couple of apples their way. They eat still staring at her.

I know she remembers the underpass. The pain of it is buried through a smile and laughter. Joy can hurt. Just like how warm and comforting this moment is hurts.

*****

We leave home at night. I tell Stark to go home, I have to take the bus to Queens and that’s going to be a long ride. She could be home with Dunney waiting with some spicy cabbage soup. She nods her head with half a smile. She takes off to the sky sounding like a jet plane. I know that she won’t eat. She put on a show for Dunney saying that she has nothing to fret.

I take out my phone and call Page Turner.

*****

I knock on a condo door lined up to a very long street. I try to scratch through the bandages only aggravating my wound as it heals.

A young woman with short brown hair and blue eyes with dots around the iris answers the door. She bobs her head back in shock. She cut and dyed her hair, put on some contacts to fool people. Not me.

“Can I help you?” She asks shocked at my outer exterior. Burnt clothes, dyed hair, and roughed up face.

“It’s me, Grey.” Her widen in shock.

“Grey? Wow, what happened to you?” She asks.

“A lot!”

“Quickly come in!” She whispers and jumps aside letting me in. “How did you find me?” She asks after giving me a uncomfortable hug. Uncomfortable for me.

“Over Watch needs some better security measures.” I reply.

“No doubt!”

She leads me into a lavish living room with a fire place and modern furniture. I take a seat with my phone in my good hand.

“Taylor is asleep. Why the late night visit?” She inquires.

“I met the guardians and they are a mixed bunch.”

“Did they become hostile?” Yes, but don’t tell her that I have such a horrible history on meeting new people.

“Not really! They were kind of nice. A bit rough, but nice.” I tell her.

“Then how did you end up like that?” She gestures to all of me.

“Did you find anything out?” She looks down and away then crossing her arms under her breasts.

“Yeah that, Vision Guard has a mole. That how they have been gaining information of other guardians.” She pauses.

“Wha-What? That’s- that’s big!” She stammers. “Does Over Watch know who it is?”

“No, I do though?” She leans in.

“Who?” She asks.

“You?” She leans backs and scoffs.

“If you are seriously accusing me, you need to leave!” She shouts.

“Vision Guard raided the hideout when I arrived. They cornered me and asked for the alicorn. Not a lot of people know what an alicorn is. I told you that I was going to meet the guardians and you know that Stark is an alicorn. Not to mention the transmissions that were intercepted by Over Watch on Vision Guard that relayed a cellular message mentioning an alicorn. I wonder if the time stamp on the message was shortly after the call I made to you.

Why did you do it Misty?” She looks away with her legs curled to her chest and her arms around them. “You were also a member of the little guardian club for a year and didn’t mention that at all!” I tell her as she bursts in tear covering her ears rocking back and forth.

“Why did you do it!” I shout at her.

“I had no choice!” She cries out. “They kidnapped me and forced me to cooperate!

They-they-they took me after I got off my job. I was tied to a chair in dark room where a large man told me that if I didn’t help that they would take away Taylor. They knew where I lived, what I did, all my friend, my family. They threatened them all!”

“Taylor doesn’t know?”

“No, you have to understand. Even though I’m under Over Watch’s protection, my family isn’t. I didn’t cooperate when I didn’t inform them on Jor-El.” I become confused.

“They took Taylor cause you didn’t report on Superman’s father?” I ask feeling I missed something.

“Jor-El is the one who can control earth. His partner Wrath is a red pony.” At this point I feel bad for not asking about his name. I couldn’t call him Green vest all the time. He’ll have to change cloths eventually.

“Oh, that guy!” I respond.

She wipes her tears.

“One of the Over Watch employees gave me instructions to go to a pay phone in Orchid St where I would get a call from a Vision Guard agent. I needed to explain why I was under the protection and I couldn’t say no.”

“An Over Watch employee?” Corporate epigone 101. Infiltrate competitor companies.

“He was the one that accompanied to the hotel. After you called me, he came in told me that he needed to speak to me alone. He sent me to the pay phone and contact Vision Guard. They threatened that if didn’t give any useful information, that my family would pay the penalties for my insubordination. I gave them you!” She trembles with every breath drawn.

“Did you tell Miss Lawson?” She asks.

“No, I didn’t. You did.”  I show her my phone. “It’s been on speaker this entire time with Miss Lawson.”

A forceful knock comes at the front door. We both know who it is. I get up and head to the door.

“You were right, you know!” She stares at me with tired red eyes. Emotionally broken.

“About what?” I ask.

“That I was better off not knowing you!” She looks away to the fire place.

I open the door and greet Agent Hitter and the other men in black suits behind him.

“Miss Lawson would like a word with you!” He coldly demands through a simple sentence.

“I figured” I replied.

I follow agent Hitter into a black Mercedes and the other agents entire Misty’s home. The empty feeling takes home in my chest as I look back at the condo seeing the door shut behind them. I can believe that all this happened. The surreal sensation of questioning “are you really here?” I wish that I was sleeping all this time. But no dream is that detailed in spiraling events.

Agent Hitter drives off into the night glancing at me through the rear view mirror.

“You always get yourself in trouble when you were a kid.” He ask and I think of the broken bat that I handed to Barnaby and walking back to Queens in the dead of night.

“Yeah, apparently.” I was born on karma’s bad side, getting my name constantly written down on its shit list.

*****

I’m brought to an all-night dinner. More cholesterol than class. Agent Hitter  gets out the car and opens my door.

“Miss Lawson is inside!” He tells me.

“Here?”

“Everybody has a way of processing bad news.”

Opening the dinning door the bell chimes loudly. The high pitch stings the ear. The dinner is dim with a few late night patrons scrapping their plate and drinking bland black coffee. Miss Lawson cutting a steak then dabs it in some sunny side up eggs.

I stroll up beside her and take a seat.

“Strange, I never thought you ate like us humans.” I tell her.

“Only to keep up appearances Mr. Grey!.” She pauses and looks at me stunned. “Well you certainly look different since the last time we spoke.” I forgot that I had black hair and that I alive. “I didn’t think that you be whiter that pale? Yet you pull of the arson look.” She comments.

“Knife wound in the hand, lack of sleep, plus everything else. I’m not having a good week.” I reply.

“When Page told me that she needed to confess something, I was surprised that she needed to. I was even more surprised to learn about alicorns so late. My trust in Page is a little strained but then again, Vision Guard reacted as to per her concern. Even though we try to protect these ponies, trust in both sides is still frail.

There are some serious concerns that you disobeyed me and in not being discrete. You intentionally sought out the guardians that we were having trouble with, and started a fight that brought Visions Guards attention to send a tactical team to procure one target… Miss Stark.”

The harsh reality of my stupidity acting upon itself. Ozymandias was just a side objective. I wanted to know who was the mole and I did. I found her and brought her world around down. I unknowingly took Stark’s motivation and made it my own.

“The call you gave me was both revealing and startling. The Over Watch employee that Miss Cortez mentioned is being detained and questioned as we speak. We can not hold him for long. We are not the government and there for have no legal authority to detain him, so we may have little time to use certain tactics.”

I know what she is hiding with in the lines. Him in a dark room with a bag over his head. Let the fear of the unknown sink in. Then they act brash and quick stressing the subject. Bright lights and a bucket full of water.

“Not with out getting some information.”

“These are harsh times Mr. Grey and we can not let Vision Guard win this. They are formidable and would do whatever they deem necessary to accomplish their goal. Even kill you without hesitation or remorse.” She sounds like a spoke person for war. “There is a dark side to Over Watch, but only to keep the peace.”

“What of Misty and Taylor?” I ask.

“Miss Cortez has released information on some of those who are under our protection, further setting us back and with Vision Guard gaing the upper hand. She will be release from our protection. Since she is not a contract guardian, Taylor will be separated from Miss Cortez and place under another person’s care. Miss Cortez will have to go under some questioning before we release her back to her family.”

“And of her family?”

“They are not under our protection.” She just leaves them out to dry. “ I know this seems harsh, but Vision Guard would not make a move on a family that has they have no interest in.”

“What now?”

“Go home and get some rest. I expect a full report on what exactly occurred in that warehouse.” I get off from my seat and start to head to the door.  “If you weren’t so brash, I would hire you as an agent. You have the skill, just not the intelligence.”

“Thanks for the backhanded compliment.”

I leave the dinner feeling the cold night air pass over me. Agent Hitter opens the back door for me. We leave back into the night.

*****

I climb up the back stairs quietly not to wake Stark up if she was asleep. Dunney is waiting for me on the porch with his hand buried in the pocket of his denim jacket.

“You got here late. What up with the zombie Billie Idol look?” He asks holding a smirk.

“Long story. Too tired… finish sentence.” I try to muster a clumsy phrase but I lose my balance and catch myself on the rail.

“Whoa!” Dunney says helping me up the stairs. “You got yourself in trouble again, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“In over your head?” He asks.

“As usually.”

“Well, I hope someone picks up the phone!”

“What?”

“Cuz I freak’n called it!” He quietly shouts under his breath. I would laugh but I can hardly breathe without feeling pain. “You know you really have to be careful.”

“I know I do. For you.” I respond.

“No, not for me. For her!” Dunney point in the house. “You are everything to that girl man. She loves you and you don’t even realize it. She would do a lot for you, and I know you would do the same. But for her, be careful!”

Dunney opens the back door for me still trying not to collapse of the floor.

“Take care man.” He says to with half a smile. He walks down stairs then leaves.

I try to find myself in the darkness carefully not to stumble on anything. I hit my shin on the cot’s metal frame and grunt at the annoying pain. I see Stark asleep curled up on my bed with her mane frazzled. I ignore the pain, I ignore the world, I just see her and that’s all that matters to me.

I gently laydown beside her. I don’t cover myself with a blanket, I don’t want to wake her. For the first time in a long time, I feel happy.

My eye lids close and I drift not caring what I dream.

*****

“-Against portal she hath thrown,

In childhood, many an idle stone-

Some tomb from out whose abounding door

She ne’er shall force an echo more

Thrilling to think, poor child of sin!

It was the dead who groaned within,” I hear a familiar voice recite.

“Sarah?” I ask the voice. I hear a chuckle in the darkness and imagine her glowing smile.

“You need to wake up!”

*****

I sit up gasping for air finding myself in a new place. I grab at the ground feeling the smoldered dirt layered in ash. Slender black charred tree surround me while white ash fall like snow from a black and red sky. I hear the fire raging from a distance along with the faint screams.

I’ve dreamt this many times, but this feels…real. I look at my bad hand seeing the bandage wrapped around. I press on it forcing the pain to see if I would wake, only to find myself still here in this burnt forest.

I get on my knees and suddenly face a black pony. I jump back and it stays still in the dark. I approach it slowly.

“Hello?” I call. It just stands there covered in black.

Lightning flashes and I am stupefied. Its body burnt to black with cracks fissuring through its body as its last movement captured in time. I could make out the eyes. It was scared. Its head turned facing back.

I look around and find more charred ponies frozen in time inside their burnt bodies. I see little ones hiding behind a tree hurled together with one’s head over the other trying to shield the other. What happened?

I walk to them and take a knee. Their last moments of a young life were in fear. I reach out and touch one of their heads. They crumple into hollow pieces and ash. I never dreamt this. I would never want to.

“GET AWAY!” I hear Stark yell. “GET AWAY FROM ME!” I dart to the direction I hear her.

Pushing through the thick dodging tree in haste feeling my legs burn with every step everything blurs. Something hits my thigh and I flip over it landing on my back. I glance at the broken charred remains of another pony that I crashed into and its horrid last expression.

“GREY!” Stark cries.

I get off the floor and run faster with the trees whipping past me. The tree line show as the red light becomes brighter. I burst through searching around for Stark.

“Grey?” She utters prone with a tree to her back.

I run to her and crouch beside her. She quivers strongly with her eye madly wide as she clings to the ground.

“I’m here!” I tell her placing my hand on her back.

She looks up to me in fear. “Run!” She softly speaks.

A large shadow crawls over us hearing the ground crack beneath steps. I turn around and see him. The dark figure from my nightmares shambling his way to us. His eyes round burning red, just like Stark’s did.

It bears no facial features, its scrawny figure with bones protruding from its shoulders, ink black skin, and long hands with claws. It wheezes and growls moving closer.

I fight the fear in me still feeling it hold me back as I stand up.

“Stark, run now!” I tell her.

She jumps on my leg. “You have to get out of here! NOW!”

“Host brings you.” I hear the figure choke out. “You are already apart of us! More of us you need.” It turns it head to me. It quickly shifts positions but still keeps its gaze.

I yell out and charge at it. The figure just stand still holding its stare. I throw a punch hitting nothing. It vanished.

“Apart of us!” I hear it choke out directly behind me.

I swing an elbow back feeling contact from its head. It steps back and I unleashes several hard hit cracking the air light thunder. It grabs my fist squeezing it tight till I feel the bone crack. The figure slashes at my chest cutting through the burnt sweater and my blood splattering on the ground. I cry out then it stabs a claw on my shoulder and twists it inside the wound.

I am thrown in the air crashing through a couple of trees. The bark breaks and pops as they come down. I push myself off the ground trying to ignore the pain as it was so easy before.

I look up and it looks down at me with its red eyes. I come up with a punch sending it far back into a tree breaking it from the trunk. I dash to the figure with my shoulder down. I tackle it punching through the tree trunk then through other trees. I stop before the last tree slamming him against it. I cock my fist back and punch his face. His head sinks in the trunk as the tree bursts into splinters.

I fumble over from the follow through and he is shot far from me. I pick myself up holding my bleeding shoulder. I turn around about to call Stark’s name, but I freeze in place to see the figure standing beside me unfazed. I stumble back.

“Do you know what this places is human?” He says coming closer. “Equestria! Well, a part of it. Don’t you enjoy it, the desolation, the rot. I hunger for more, but this form withers. I require a new host.” Stark jumps over a fallen tree. The figure turns to her. “Before, she was to be our vessel. Our raw power courses through her, but now. You would be a better suit!” He turns back to me.

“Grey!” Stark shouts.

The figure grabs my neck and pushes me to the ground.

“You already tasted our power seen firsthand on what it can do, and I have seen your anger, felt your pain!” He bring his face closer to mine. “You will be us!” His face starts to melt dripping a thick black ooze on me. It fell it crawl over my skin traveling over my face. It forces its way into my eyes. The black oil enters my mouth cutting off oxygen. I hear Stark shouting my name but there is nothing I could do. I can’t fight back.

Stark jumps on the figures back raising her horn to the sky.

“MeRai Don!” Her voice echoes, thunder cracks and the figure cries in pain.

I feel my body burning as I gain my vision finding myself crawling on grass untouched by fire. I turn and see the figure holding Stark by the neck as she grimaces and flaps her wings. I feel the anger stronger than before gnawing at my skull and making my skin itch. I roar sounding inhuman, more monstrous. I claw at the ground launch myself straight at the figure. He lets go of Stark as he is tackled and dragged several feet. I pound his head over and over feeling the ground quake with every hit.

I hear Stark call my name and stop the assault. He disappears into smoke and it drifts away into the dark night.

I get off the floor looking around. I’m in a village. Old German style homes and ponies shyly peeking over a corner.

“Grey?” I hear Stark call.

“Stark!” I run to her. “Are you okay?” I ask and she steps back shocked.

“Is that you?” She asks.

“Of course it’s me! Who would I.” I stare at my reflection in a shop window both scared and baffled. I see the dark figure wearing my cloths. I claw at my face feeling the black skin and peer into my burning red eyes. It’s me.

“Grey, we have to leave!” Stark tells me but I don’t move.

Smoke forms together and the dark figure roars out behind me. I turn to him ready to tear him apart. Stark stand at my side quivering.

“Spike! Run and send Prince Celestia and tell her we are under attack!” I hear someone say in the background.

The end of “The Sleeper”