Being stuck in a cage too small to properly stretch out or stand up was not the most enjoyable way to spend four days. To give my captors all due credit, they took pains to keep me healthy and clean, though in ways that were both humiliating and borderline uncivilized- like the showers, every other day after breakfast, where I was forced to strip bare and shower under hot water that apparently came from the same cart they kept their food in. And the bucket I was given for “calls of nature”, which somehow managed to keep any smell from escaping. And what had appeared to be a full physical from what was almost unmistakably a female of the pony species, whose hooves had gotten a lot more closely-acquainted with me than I was at all comfortable with.

I wasn't exactly eager for any of it, but considering that Tent had taken to carrying both his whip and what looked like a small crossbow around when I was let out of the cage, I wasn't looking to put up a fight. Apparently just for good measure, an uncomfortably-heavy shackle was put around my neck each time I came out, with a thick chain attached by which any of the ponies could yank me about at will.

There was a weird thing I'd noticed, though- Tent wouldn't attach the shackle himself, even though it would probably be a simple act for his magic; instead, he had Ferris fasten it, and the sea-colored pony wasn't at all comfortable with even approaching me, let alone closing to within arm's length. From the look on his face one would have thought I was going to literally tear his throat out with my teeth and make him watch me swallow it.

I knew better than to lay a single hostile finger on any of them, though. Not just because the identical-looking stallions who pulled the wagon and served as security- and who seemed to be the pony versions of draft horses for all their size- could probably run me down and trample me, but because I didn't trust Tent to not do something horribly painful but not lethal or crippling to me. There was a dangerous glint in those oversized, silver-colored eyes that told me that, despite the cutesy appearance, the unicorn was capable of a lot of unfriendly things to get his way.

After the second day, I'd stopped wearing my shirt, socks and shoes, keeping them tucked away in the back of the cage. This amused the ponies for some reason, though I couldn't begin to figure out why. I wasn't going to go naked, though- not only for decency's sake, but because the cage floor was more rough than I liked for my bare backside. It almost seemed miraculous that, despite how enclosed the cage was, the air managed to stay fresh and cool... more of that magic, it seemed.

I'd figured out a lot during those four days. But one thing that still eluded me: Why the hell was I in this cage? I knew I wasn't the only living thing they were carrying; I'd seen other creatures in the cages stacked alongside and above mine, most of which I couldn't identify and the rest of which outright terrified me. But what were we all in there for? Where were these wagons being taken?

Whatever our destination was, Tent was determined to reach it, and his already-hostile attitude only increased- especially towards me. I'd been woken up early with a kick to the head, and that whip of his had cracked near my ear more than a half-dozen times in the short while I was out of my cage in the morning, to the point where I was getting worried about losing my hearing on that side. He'd also had Ferris put the shackle around my neck and left it there for the entirety of the day, and it didn't take long for the thing to start chafing my skin and make my shoulders sore.

I certainly wasn't the only recipient of Tent's mistreatment. Ferris had gotten cuffed upside the head by the unicorn twice for what seemed to me to be minor infractions, and Tent had also practically screamed at the two big stallions when they'd come back from some errand he'd sent them on. The female- whom I'd nicknamed “Mixie” for her flank mark- wasn't at all happy about the whole thing and didn't seem shy about giving Tent a big piece of her mind, resulting in a huge shouting match right there in the middle of the convoy that went on for fifteen minutes or so before the two parties just turned up their noses and marched away from each other.

I'm sure I would've found it amusing, or informative, or at least something if I'd been able to understand a single solitary word. But by this point I'd heard all of the equines speak- even Ferris- and their language was complete gibberish to me. I hadn't even been able to make out what their names sounded like in their own language, let alone intentions or plans, and that fact made engineering an escape much more difficult.

It was late afternoon by the time we stopped again... but this time something was different. I could see signs of civilization in the distance, cobblestone roads and rooftops, and instead of the usual separation of the caravan for camping for the night, everything was arranged in a more complex fashion, with the transport cart set in the rear behind the “main” wagon and food cart. Tent was shouting what appeared to be orders at all of the other ponies, sparing a glance at the cages from time to time. After about an hour of frenzied activity, Tent and Wheel approached the cages with a shackle and chain- but much larger than the one that had been used on me.

They vanished from my sight for two minutes or so, then reappeared with Ferris holding the chain clenched in his teeth, and the other end rising well above the ground. What the chain was attached to threw me for nearly as big a loop as seeing Ferris for the first time:

They'd managed to get their hooves on a minotaur.

The creature was a good foot taller than me, with an almost human-like build to its cobalt-furred upper body, and the short mane atop its bull head- complete with horns any Texas steer would be proud of- matched the hide of its lower body down to its wide, thick hooves. But what caught my attention the most were the numerous scars that crisscrossed the beast's back, and the almost unnatural way it hunched over as it walked, almost shrinking into itself as Wheel led it forward.

Then it happened to turn back when Tent said something, and I saw the thousand-yard stare in its yellow eyes, and I understood. The scars on its back were whip marks- Tent had broken this beast.

Tent rattled something off to the minotaur, pointing at various things with a hoof, and with all the emotion of an assembly-line robot the creature stomped forward to follow its instructions. With that done, the unicorn turned back towards my cage, catching me watching the proceedings, and with a wicked smile he trotted towards me, his ever-present whip levitating at his side. The cage door glowed, then popped open, and Tent beckoned me out with a forehoof. Not wanting to take a lash, I complied quickly.

Tent had me hold still until Ferris returned with the smaller shackle, and the unicorn forced me to the ground with a kick to the back of my knee. The regular pony stammered something that almost sounded like an apology as he latched the shackle on, then as I stood, Tent delivered another kick to the side of my leg, then pointed towards the minotaur and nodded.

The message was clear: Help the large, ridiculously-strong and potentially violent monster. Suddenly I had a new appreciation for how Ferris must have felt around me, and I don't think I could be blamed for my knees shaking a little as I walked towards the hulking beast to see what he was doing.

But the minotaur hardly seemed to acknowledge my existence as anything other than a potential obstacle. As I helped it- well, “him”, I guessed- move sacks of supplies, various stands and other equipment, and even collapsible stadium-style bleachers, he never so much as grunted in effort, and didn't really look at me so much as gaze past me. Bizarrely enough, it made me even more nervous to be around him than if he'd been a slavering, wild beast.

Though it was obvious that I couldn't possibly lift or carry nearly as much as the minotaur, Tent found plenty for me to do through the afternoon and evening, managing to communicate what he wanted where with a few gestures. Though apparently as a treat for my efforts, I was allowed to eat my dinner outside- away from the watchful eye of Tent- and even had my food brought to me by Mixie, the gruel this time accompanied by a couple of apples and a wedge of cheese. I found myself thanking her without thinking about it, not even thinking about the language barrier, and the look of shock on her face when I spoke was memorable.

The twin stallions had apparently been out with fliers of some kind, putting them up in the town. I caught a glimpse of one, and though I couldn't read the writing, the general design fit in right along with the historical era the wagons reminded me of, nineteenth-century America. I could just about imagine them hanging up on a billboard next to some dusty old saloon....

My musings trailed off when I noticed what seemed to be a small piece of charcoal next to the stack leftover fliers; apparently one of the ponies had been using the back of a flier as some sort of impromptu notepad. Inspiration struck, and I snatched the charcoal along with two of the fliers as surreptitiously as I could, quickly tucking them into a pants pocket; I wasn't sure what I could use them for at the moment, but without my pen and notepad, this was the best I had for writing or sketching anything important for an eventual escape attempt.

By the time everything was set up, it was well past sunset. I was coaxed at crossbowpoint back into my cage, where the shackle was removed and the door shut and locked. Left with nothing else to do, I tucked the charcoal and fliers into one of my shoes, bundled up my shirt as a pillow and settled in for the night.

Sleep took its time coming, though. Tomorrow loomed large in my mind, and uncertainty made for an even less comfortable pillow than a rolled-up shirt.

(-)

“I still can't believe he's got nipples.”

Silver Wisk rolled her eyes at Big Top's words. “Oh, Top, come off it,” she murmured. “If you're so obsessed with teats, I'll show you mine sometime.”

“Eugh, no thanks.” The unicorn snickered at her sour look. “Are you sure that's a male we've got there, Wisk? Maybe your hoof got confused or something.”

“Toppie, trust a cook to know the difference between a sausage and a clam. He's a colt.” She smirked. “Weird colt, but a colt. A male with nipples ain't the strangest thing we've seen.”

“Well, that colt's going to start earning his keep today. Going to have him help Cobalt out with the setting up.”

“How are you gonna tell him what to do?” Wisk asked.

Top gave his whip a glance. “I'll get it across to him, one way or the other.”

Cleanup from lunch went quick, and Wisk busied herself with prepping food for the customers, plenty of sourdough wraps with different fillings as well as roasted fruit-kebabs and popcorn... naturally, far more than was likely to sell, so that she and the rest of the crew could eat the extras for the next couple of days.

Once she was done with that and had dinner cooking ahead of time, she decided to have another look at their new “acquisition”. The creature- who'd doffed his hoof coverings and shirt for some reason- was carrying a pile of sacks behind Cobalt, keeping a fair distance from the minotaur and watching him somewhat warily even as he struggled to keep up. Pity I can't tell him that the big ol' lug isn't all there these days, she thought. Top did a number on him after that one night....

With a sigh, Wisk cleared her mind of unpleasant memories and went back to check on how dinner was progressing. The afternoon melded into early evening as she worked, and as Top seemed too busy to care how the exhibits were fed, she decided to put the weird yeti colt's lunch on a tray and throw on a pair of apples and a cheese slice from the fresh food the twins had gotten from town earlier. Poor thing earned it, she decided, remembering how much work he'd gotten done.

She took the tray in her mouth and trotted up to where he was leaning against a tree, with that strange lost-looking expression he'd had ever since she'd first seen him. He flinched a bit on seeing her coming, but his expression relaxed as she held the tray out to him; he took hold of it with those strange forepaws, set it down on his lap-

-and then said something to her.

She didn't understand the words at all, but from his tone and expression the meaning was clear- thank you.

If she'd still been carrying the tray, she most likely would've dropped it in shock. Nopony told me that he could talk! she thought, reflexively backing away from him a bit before she could get control over herself. What the hay language is that, anyway? Oh, horseapples, he's staring- just make some pleasant-sounding noises and go away so the colt can eat.

Once all the exhibits were fed- including the one she'd like to ask about this strange new development, but didn't dare when Top could come trotting by at any moment- she found Farris Wheel milling about trying to look busy. “Hey, Wheel,” she said quietly. “Talk a moment?”

“Uh, sure,” the stallion replied, following her to a more out-of-the-way spot and sitting alongside her in the cool grass. “What about?”

“Our new yeti.” She had to give him credit for trying to hide his sudden attack of discomfort, even though it wasn't a very good attempt. “Nervous about him, ain't you?”

“I don't like that thing,” came the quiet reply.

“Why's that? Seems harmless enough.”

“Yeah, that's just it!” He blushed at his outburst and lowered his voice. “It feels like he's acting, you know? Like he's pretending to be a lamb when he's really a lion. I have nightmares that he gets out of his cage and eats us all.”

“Sweetie, just because he's an omnivore doesn't mean he's gonna eat us. Trust me, those canine teeth of his ain't getting through pony hide that easy.”

“I'm not scared of his teeth. Those weird forepaws of his can do a lot... and you saw all those weird things Top took off of him! What if he got those back? Maybe one of them can cook ponies where they stand!”

“Have you been reading more of those pulp-scifi magazines?” Wisk stared at him disapprovingly. “I've told you to quit reading those, they only put weird ideas in your head. You were whining over nightmares about intelligent blobs of goo crawling into your brain for a week after one of them.”

He sighed. “I'm sorry, Wisk. I just... I get the feeling something bad's going to happen with him. Something really bad.”

“Well, we'll just keep our eyes open and our ears up then.” Wisk smiled. Wheel still didn't look convinced, though, so she tried a different tack. “You know, Wheelie, there's been something I've been meaning to ask you for a pretty long time.”

“What?”

“How'd you end up in this crazy little carnival, anyway? I mean, you were here even before me.”

“I just... needed a job.” Wheel sighed. “Got kicked out of my house after an argument with my folks, had no place to go, wandered into a rinky-dink little sideshow at the county fair, and asked the unicorn who was running it if he was looking for help. Now here I am.”

“This can't be what you wanted to do with your life, though.” Wisk heard a little bitterness creeping into her voice and quashed it.

“Well, no, not really, but....” He sighed. “I like making ponies happy, Wisk. I like making them smile, making little foals laugh. This is the only job I've ever been able to find where I could actually do that. I... I think of leaving sometimes, especially after we got that yeti thing, or Sveti... or after what happened to Cobalt.” Wheel shuddered. “But go where?”

“That's the question, ain't it....” Her voice trailed off, and she scuffed her hoof against the ground- and then decided to change topics. “Does Top know that the yeti can talk?”

“Yeah, he knows. He doesn't care, though, since the thing can't speak Equestrian.”

“Well, still....” She shook her head. “Maybe we caught somepony's trained pet or something. There's no way he's wild... he's too smart.”

“I don't think that I care, Wisk, honest. I just want to set him walking in one direction and go as fast as I can in the other.”

“I don't think he's that bad, Wheelie. I-” She glanced up, and saw Big Top walking in their direction. “Uh oh, here's the boss stallion. Guess we'd better start trying to look busy.” She gave the other earth pony a smile. “We'll talk more later, Wheelie.”

With that, she got back to her hooves and trotted off, and heard Wheel do the same. They both knew how Top got when he thought somepony in his employ was slacking.

(-)

I woke up bright and early the next day, feeling... actually quite good. The lump on my head had practically completely healed, without any scar that I could feel, and despite spending the majority of my time in a cramped cage I felt somehow relaxed and well-rested. The exercise yesterday must've done me some good, I thought, stretching out as best as I could.

My marginally good mood evaporated when I saw Tent and Ferris approaching my cage, the unicorn levitating his whip and the shackle close by. Sighing in resignation, I moved away from the door as Tent unlocked it, then stepped out and allowed Ferris to shackle me. Tent said something that sounded mocking as the plain pony led me towards a small clearing, in the middle of which sat a long metal spike that Tent quickly snatched up with his magic. Ferris set the end of the chain down where the spike had been, then watched as Tent placed the spike through the last link in the chain and gestured for Ferris to come to him.

Ferris reared up and slammed one forehoof down onto the spike, driving it into the ground and securing the chain to the earth.

“...sweet Jesus,” I breathed. I'd had no idea Ferris was that strong. And he was afraid of me?! The little unassuming pony could pancake my skull with that sort of blow.

Ferris's eyes met mine as he was preparing to walk away, and he must've noticed my expression, because his became confused. Tent snickered something at him, and he hurried away, though not without a backward glance at me.

And so there I sat for much of the day, basking in the thankfully gentle rays of the sun; Mixie brought me a cup of water during the afternoon while Tent was elsewhere- though while I drank, she looked at me with a thoughtful expression. I found myself thanking her again, and though I knew she didn't understand, she gave me a brief smile before taking the cup in her mouth and trotting off. Not for the first time I wondered at the relationship this collection of bizarre creatures had with each other; it was clear that Tent ran the show, but his attitude towards his employees seemed pretty antagonistic for the most part, and I felt I could detect some resentment directed at him in return.

My train of thought was interrupted when I saw another cage being dragged along the ground by one of the massive twin stallions via a rope tied around his body. I knew this particular cage- unique for being fully metal instead of having a wooden roof and floor- had always been on the far end of the cart, and I'd never been able to see what was inside of it.

Now I could, and while the minotaur had pretty much prepared me for anything, what I saw was pretty shocking in itself, and it took my mind a moment to rifle through my knowledge to peg a name for it. A gryphon, I realized. Is this entire world just cribbing off of some college student's mythology report? I leaned back on my hands as I watched the cage put into place and the rope removed; the creature inside seemed to shudder, its bright golden eyes flicking back and forth fearfully, only fixing on me for a moment before returning to scan all around for threats.

For some reason, my brain decided to call the creature a “she”. Maybe it was the fact that the lion half of her body was more slender than I'd expect for a male of her species, or the light grey feathers with a crest that faded to a pale gold at the tips, or the thick eyelashes that inexplicably protruded from her eyelids... somehow all of it added up to “female” in my mind. I had no way of knowing how long she'd been trapped in that cage, but her disheveled and dirty appearance told me it had been a while.

I watched as Tent walked up to the creature and spoke a few words to her... and then my jaw dropped when she spoke back in what seemed to be the same language. Her expression went angry, even defiant for a moment, before a few more words from Tent put some sort of deep fear into her and she shrank away from him, eyes lowered. Seemingly satisfied, the unicorn trotted away, flicking his whip back and forth a few times as he went.

I couldn't help but stare at this new creature, even as the other cages were brought out. Why was she even here? How did Tent manage to get her into that cage? And why did she seem so afraid of him? She must have noticed me staring, but it didn't even seem to register with her- I guessed that to her, I was just another prisoner, not a threat and therefore just a part of the background.

My thoughts kept me occupied until late afternoon, when I heard multiple hoofsteps approaching from the town. A number of ponies had come to our little campsite- customers, it seemed, wanting to see the strange and marvelous beasts. They lined up at the edge of the site and waited impatiently for a few minutes until one of the twins trotted up with a wooden coinbox, into which each adult pony tossed a few golden coins before being allowed to pass.

Once inside, the group- about forty or so ponies strong, with young ones and even what looked like infants in tow- gathered up, then was led about by Tent to each “exhibit”, his voice booming across the campsite as he gesticulated wildly with his forehooves and whip. The audience seemed riveted, but from my vantage point, I could see how he was manipulating the beasts to respond just how he wanted them to- a nearly-invisible jolt of magic from his horn or a quick snap of the whip near an ear or eye.

I also realized, with more than a little trepidation, that eventually it was going to be my turn.

The gryphon was the last “exhibit” before me. Tent seemed to take extra-special delight in tormenting her, poking and prodding her with a long stick until he got her angry enough to snap at him with that sharp beak of hers. It was becoming distressingly clear that a lot of these creatures could probably disassemble me without too much trouble, and I really felt the lack of my handgun as an equalizer.

All too soon, the crowd made its way over to me. Only part of my mind noted that there was yet another variety of these ponies- pegasi. A couple of them hovered along with the crowd, but the rest were walking, their wings tucked tightly against their sides. All of the ponies looked at me with varying expressions of expectancy, wonder and fear, while Tent brought me to my feet with a gesture from his whip. I wasn't eager to get hit with the thing, so I played it cool, cooperated as best I could with Tent's directions.

I'd just noticed that the ponies, at first excited, were beginning to show signs of boredom when I heard Tent exclaim something behind me, followed by a soft rustle.

thwip-CRACK

White-hot pain lanced across my back. He'd whipped me. The motherfucking bastard had whipped me! I dropped to my hands and knees for a moment, yelling in pain, barely aware that my display had gotten most of the ponies to jump back in surprise and fear... and then I pretty much flipped my shit, turning towards the still-smirking Tent and his whip splashed with my blood, letting out a snarl and baring my teeth before charging for him. I was going to splatter him, I was going to tear his head off and shit down his neck, I was going to kick his sorry ass into next Thursday-

-I was at the end of my chain, and the shackle that I'd somehow almost forgotten about clotheslined me hard enough for my feet to fly up off the ground. I was lucky that the sudden stop didn't snap my neck like a twig, but the abrupt shock- not to mention slamming into the ground directly on my brand-new wound a moment later- sapped both my anger and my strength like a spigot. I lay there on the ground, gasping for breath and feeling my own warm blood soak the grass beneath me, staring up at the early evening sky.

I wasn't sure how long I was laying there- though a brief glance to the side showed that the crowd had moved on to the minotaur, who was entertaining them by lifting and breaking some heavy-looking stones- before I heard the soft thumps of hooves on dirt. Mixie appeared over me, gazing down at me with concern clear on her features; one hoof pressed against my arm, trying to turn me over, and I didn't have the strength or will to do anything but comply. I heard her gasp sharply and shout something, and a couple of minutes later another set of hooves approach; the steps were too light to be one of the twins, so it must have been Ferris. Something heavy was set on the ground near me, and then I hissed in pain as what felt like a soft cloth dipped in alcohol or something similar rubbed against my wound.

I could only lie there as the two ponies treated my wound, then carefully taped bandages to my back. There was a soft click as Ferris opened my shackle, and after a moment of quiet murmuring between them, Mixie practically burrowed under me to help me to my feet. Despite the pain, I managed to stagger back to my cage with their guidance; Mixie did her best to help me in, closing the door after me, and both ponies watched as I crawled to the back and curled up as best as I could.

I heard one of them trot off, and managed a glance back outside. Wheel was still there, watching me with an unreadable expression on his face, until he realized I was looking back at him; he quickly turned and walked away, leaving me alone.

Alone. That's what I was, in every conceivable way. I'd never felt so alone and vulnerable in my life... I had no idea where I was or how I'd gotten here, I had no one I could ask for help, no one I could even talk to, and judging by the looks I'd gotten humans weren't exactly a common sight around these parts... and worst of all, I was at the mercy of a complete sociopath who'd obviously broken the will of at least one other sentient creature and seemed well on his way with a second.

Every last mental wall I'd put up to keep myself going shattered, and for the first time since I was a kid, I cried myself to sleep.

(-)

Here we go again....

The routine was getting all too familiar. The two big idiots hauled her cage off the cart, then Big Top came by for his regular taunting session. “Oh, hello there, Sveti,” the unicorn said, his voice almost dripping with false friendliness. “You're looking well. Getting plenty of exercise in there?” He rapped the bars of the cage with the handle of his whip.

“Just... leave me alone.” It wasn't terribly long ago that she would've told him to go hump a naga, but she'd gotten enough of the bad end of his temper- and that whip- to cure her of that tendency.

“We just don't talk enough, I think. I know you don't get to hear the news of the day in there.” His whip knocked against the bars again. “For instance... how's your father doing? Haven't you wondered that?”

She scowled. “Like you'd even tell me the truth.”

“He's having troubles, I'm afraid.” Top took on a pitying expression so fake that it wasn't likely to fool a blind fruit bat. “His budget was cut again and costs are mounting up. I don't think Emperor Drottin sees much use for his Equestrian embassy these days.”

She grumbled and turned away. Even if she couldn't trust him to give her the correct time in a clock shop, that little scenario was all too plausible.

“I'm sure he could probably use a cash infusion to keep things running so that he doesn't get sent back,” Top continued. “He's petitioned the Princesses, I hear, but... you know how slowly the gears of government grind.” When she didn't reply, his smile thinned just a little. “So maybe I could see fit to extend another loan to him, if you'd just agree to a few more shows-”

“Go pluck yourself.” She turned to glare at him.

“Such language.” He sighed, though his eyes were as hard as ever. “It wouldn't be a good idea to get on my bad side, Sveti. That photograph is in an envelope, already stamped and addressed to The Neighagra Post, just waiting to be dropped in a mailbox or handed off to some passing pegasus. You willingly agreed to this... arrangement.”

“And you've changed it how many times since then? You sure as peck didn't say anything about a cage!”

“You necessitated it when you tried to attack me.” Top leaned away from the cage. “I'm being generous, you know. I have other ways to... pacify you.”

He gave a meaningful look towards the wagon, and without even needing to follow his gaze, her innards turned to ice; she knew what he meant- she'd “joined” the caravan after whatever had happened to the minotaur and had never learned exactly what had gone on, but the aftereffects were both evident and terrifying. “No,” she half-whispered, half-whimpered.

“Well then.” He tapped the bars with his whip once more. “I trust you'll be well-behaved during the show tonight.”

With that, the pony trotted away, leaving the griffin with her thoughts. I am an idiot, she thought, not at all for the first time. I trusted Top because he's a pony- I thought they were all overly-nice morons ripe for the plucking. Ancestors, has that maniac ever cured me of that notion. Dad, I sure hope you have at least some idea of what your loving daughter is going through to help you....

As much as she tried to relax herself and still her mind, she knew what was coming later- another paying crowd, coming to see the weird beasts. And here I thought griffins were well-known in Equestria, she though. Maybe in the big cities, but out here in the sticks? I'm practically a chimaera myself as far as these yokels know. And of course Top's going to play that for all it's worth.... It was disturbing at how good the unicorn was at getting her hackles up; he apparently had a deep understanding of griffon psychology and instincts, and it never took him long to get her angry enough to retaliate- which was just what he wanted for the show.

She noticed that the show had gotten a new “exhibit”. She didn't pay it much attention; it was obviously some variant of the yetis she knew of from the northern reaches, though this one either had a ridiculously bad case of mange or had overdone its summer shedding; someone had apparently put leggings on it to protect its more sensitive areas. For whatever reason, Top had had it chained to a spot out in the open instead of keeping it inside its cage, and it sat on the grass, watching her intently. She only spent a moment wondering how Top had managed to get his hooves on it before returning to thinking of her own problems.

Sure enough, later in the afternoon a crowd of ponies from the nearby town lined up for what was probably the most entertainment they'd had in years. Once Big Top had suckered them for their money, he led them through his sorry little “exhibits” until they got to her cage. Just as always, his words and prodding got her hackles up, and it was only a couple minutes before she was ready to bite his head off- which, of course, absolutely thrilled the ponies who'd come to see the wicked, slavering beast.

Eventually- after far too long for Sveti's tastes- the crowd moved on to look at the yeti. Spared their attention, she practically shrank into the back of her cage, trying to regain control of herself. She watched as Top brought the creature to its feet, forcing it to move in various ways as he told the crowd some obviously made-up story about its origins; bizarrely enough, the creature seemed worried even as it complied. Maybe it's already figured out what Top is actually like, she mused. Smart critter- picked up on that faster than me, even.

But as the little show went on, she could tell that Top was losing the interest of the crowd. She saw him step behind the creature, shout a warning that it was about to "attack", and raise his whip for what she thought would be a snap next to its ear- and couldn't hold back a squawk of surprise when the lash cut a line across the yeti's back, sending a thin line of blood splattering down its skin and onto the grass. The creature fell, then quickly got to its feet... and with a snarl worthy of a manticore and an expression that had gone from confusion and fear to utter fury, it charged at Big Top with seemingly every intent to pull him apart like an overcooked turkey.

Unfortunately for the creature, Top had apparently planned for this; the chain still attached to the thick shackle around its neck stopped him just short of his goal, yanking him back and sending him crashing to the ground. She couldn't help but wince in sympathy as the yeti lay there, panting softly and groaning, all the fight taken out of it in that instant. Some of the ponies actually looked worried about it- but Top immediately grabbed their attention and guided them to where the minotaur sat, giving the ponies a show of its great strength and getting them to forget about the still-bleeding creature on the grass a short distance away.

Poor thing. She'd have to admit, she was both impressed and maybe just the tiniest bit frightened at just how quickly the beast had gone from compliant to murderous, though she couldn't at all blame it. The attack had been a coldly-calculated ploy to terrify the audience with the yeti's rage, and it had worked in spades. Big Top, you are absolute scum.

She watched as another pony- the cook- came over to check on the beast, then called Top's assistant to come over with medical supplies. She grimaced as the yeti was turned over; the wound looked particularly painful, though the creature was apparently too much in shock to register much of it at the moment. The two ponies bandaged up the laceration and escorted the yeti into its cage, where it immediately curled up in a defensive posture.

It wasn't long after the ponies had left that she could hear it weeping, and she felt her heart sink. I know, kid, I know, she thought sympathetically. Welcome to Tartarus. It's not going to be a pleasant stay.

(-)

“Pinkie, how many times do I have to tell you to not get on that thing?!”

“Awwww.” Pinkie let out a defeated whine as she hopped down off of the vehicle. Twilight tsked to herself softly, then returned to her checklist; next to her, Shining Armor chuckled. “You're such a killjoy, Twily,” he told his sister.

“Oh, don't even start, Shiny.” She blew a raspberry at him before using a quill to check off another box. “Have the pegasi guards gotten any leads on where the creature who used this thing may have gone?” she asked.

“I haven't gotten today's report back from the morning wing yet, but so far... nothing, I'm afraid. It isn't helping things that we have almost nothing to go on as far as what it actually looks like.”

“I was hoping that whoever was camping in that spot might have left some obvious tracks.”

“ 'Fraid not, sis. That area sees enough traffic so that whoever was there when our mysterious creature appeared could have gone almost anywhere.”

“Oh, fie. Well, I suppose it was a longshot, at that.”

Shining chuckled. “We're still keeping our eyes open and our ears up, just in case there's a sighting. So....” He glanced over at the strange object. “It's been two days since you got that thing here... have you figured out anything about it?”

“Oh, lots!” Her expression immediately brightened. “Okay. So, the superstructure of the carriage is steel- just plain old everyday steel, but formed into really precise shapes that fit together amazingly well. There seems to be a coat of some protective substance over it, probably to help prevent rusting, and then a coat of paint over that, all applied with astounding uniformity. The doors fit into their places tightly, and it looks like the windows even move up and down inside them, though we haven't been able to get them to do so. Judging by how much effort seems to have been made to form the body into an aerodynamic shape, I'm betting that it's capable of some incredible speeds- maybe upwards of fifty miles an hour.”

He'd have to admit, that would be impressive for anything on wheels. “Okay, but how would it even go that fast? I don't see a hitch.”

“That's the most amazing thing we've found yet. It seems to be self-powered.”

“Really? That must be some impressive spellwork.”

He blinked when she shook her head. “No spellwork, big bro. We haven't been able to detect a lick of magic on this thing!” She chuckled at his shocked look. “That's the face I made when I figured that out. Come here, I'll show you what's inside the front of the body.”

He did so, walking around the body to see that a large panel in the front had been propped up, hanging open like the maw of some outlandish metal monster. But what was under that panel confused him even more- a confusing mishmash of wires, tubes and ducts seemingly laid out at random, centered around a hunk of metal with what looked like words stamped into it. “What the hay is this mess?” he wondered. “This looks like something you'd build, Twily.”

“Oh, ha ha.” She stuck her tongue out at him again. “As near as we can tell, it's some sort of power plant, to make the wheels move. How it works we can't even begin to guess- but we've got a lead.”

“What's that?”

“In a small box in the cabin we found a thick book of some kind. It's got all sorts of diagrams that seem to pertain to various parts of the vehicle, including this- but until we can translate the text, we don't even know where to start with all this.”

“Still no idea what language that is?” He pointed to the words stamped into the metal.

“None! I've been all over the language archives in the Canterlot Library and I found absolutely nothing like it. And the archives have texts on pretty much every language ponykind has encountered over the last seven hundred years!”

“This is one hay of a mystery.” Shining scratched the back of his neck.

“I already know what happened!” Pinkie came bouncing up to them with a silly grin on her face.

He knew better by now than to ask, he really did, but he couldn't help himself. “Really, Ms. Pie?” he asked. “What happened?”

The earth pony sat back on her haunches, flattened out her poofy mane and then held her forehooves out as if she were about to give some grand rationale.

“Aliens.”

The answer was so out-of-nowhere that it actually took a moment for his mind to process it- and then he found himself trying not to bust out laughing. “...aliens,” he managed to get out.

“Shiny, don't encourage her!” Twilight grumbled. “Pinkie, shouldn't you have gone back to Ponyville by now? You know, back to your job and everything?”

“Oh, don't worry, the Cakes gave me a whole week off!” Pinkie chirped. “Apparently they've both been suffering from neck pains and want to take some time off to relax!” She paused, doing whatever it was she did that was analogous to thinking. “...well, they said something about a 'pain in the neck', but I couldn't really hear....”

Shining Armor's laughter was only slightly interrupted by the clipboard Twilight flung at him.