I awoke, again. Seriously, if I was going to wake in the hospital everytime I get hit or blasted; I might aswell rent a room here. Though this time I find my bed surrounded by white sheeting, or what I think is sheeting. The room was like when they declare a biological hazard and quarantine a building by covering it in white plastic.

I move my head to look at the sheeting and find it was all around the bed. The hospital had also moved me into a bed that seemed to be in the centre of the room. But the strange thing was that the sheeting was in the shape of a tent, square sides and a point in the roof.

I find that my body was feeling much better than it did before. My energy levels had increased and I could feel more of myself. I raise my arms and flex my hands a little, I make clenched fists and then open them again. I do the stretching for a couple of minutes before deciding to try out my legs. I remove the bed covers noting a new addition to my wardrobe, a harness.

“Huh! At least they made it fashionable.” I say out loud. I take a better look at the harness. It was black with small gems embedded in the joints (Raritys influence no doubt). The straps didn't feel like leather, though I wasn't surprised ponies don't skin sentient animals. After checking out the harness for several minutes, I decided that more investigation of my confinement was necessary.

I swing my legs over the beds edge, when I feel my feet touch the floor I relish the cold feeling. I let out a long sigh before bracing my body and pushing myself from the bed. I stand for several seconds before almost falling on my face, I manage to regain my balance by grabbing the beds edge. My legs felt like jelly, not surprising as I spent four days sleeping.

It takes almost ten minutes before I get some resemblance of movement out of my legs. I stand there thinking happy thoughts as I twist and stretch my legs, making sure blood is flowing freely.

“Next time, i'm getting Applejack to massage my legs.” I say, chuckling afterwards.

As I wait a little while longer for my legs to grant me motion, I look over myself.

“Shoes and socks? Nope! Pants? check! Shirt? Nope! Sexy toned body? Double check!” I use my free hand to check my body, I feel my torso. Getting no feeling of pain from several pokes and prods, I move on to my new limbs. I reach back and feel my wings, the standered sensation of pleasure from touch was there but no pain or discomfort. “Oh thank Luna's fine flank their alright.” I cover my mouth. “Oh shit! Hope she didn't hear that!”

I find that my legs are now fully awake and ready to obey me once again. I take one step after another until I reach the sheet curtains. I raise up one hand and touch the sheeting only for it not to give.

“What the hell?” I say. I push harder, but what ever was behind the sheeting doesn't budge. “What the fuck is going on here?” I look up and see the sheeting was connected to the roof sheeting by a long rail. “Ah! So the sheeting can be removed.” I grab the sheeting and with little effort I rip it free and let it fall to the floor. What I see is a clear box, I was I a see through room completely cut off from the rest of the larger room I was in. Though I don't think I was in Canterlot any more.

The room beyond my clear entrapment was a dull red, but looked like it had suffered severe wear over years. I spotted containers stacked in one corner and metal boxes piled up opposite them.

“Were am I?” I place my hand on my transparent cell, I feel a slight tingle before a surge of energy hits my hand. I pull my hand back. “What was that? A magic field?”

“I wouldn't do that if I was you.” I turn my gaze to what looked like the door to the larger room. I see a pony, from his voice he was a stallion. He had a brown coat, a orange mane and a horn. So he was a unicorn I think to myself. “The cell carries a magical enchantment, touch the outside for more than a few seconds and you get a jolt.” My suspect captor states.

“Who are you? What do you want? Why did you kidnap me?” I ask, pointing to the stallion.

“It's my job, I collect things for paying clients and I deliver them.” The stallion walks to my cell and stands infront of me.

“What kind of things?” I question.

“Rare things, and I think the only human in Equestria counts as one of those things.”

“I am not a thing!” I state, shouting. “I demand you let me out!”

“I can do that. Letting you out is up to my client, and she is not so kind to the things she collects.”

“I take i'm not in Canterlot anymore?”

“No. You are far from Canterlot now.”

I growl my frustration, then I smile.

“I take the client won't like it if the item is damaged?” I say, looking at my hand.

“She will be displeased, yes.”

“Then, you better make an excuse.” I say.

“For what?”

“This!” I place both of my hands on the cell wall, feeling the magic tingling my fingers. Then the wall erupts into a sparks as the enhancement tries to make me let go.

“Stop! Even you can't break the cells magical charm.” The stallion calls out.

“I...don't....care!” I press harder as the pain in my arms reached critical. Just as I could smell my flesh burning, my hands glow and the cell wall begins to crack.

“Impossible! No creature can break the cells structure.”

“I'm no ordinary creature!” I shout. I push with all my strength as upon the disbelief a my captor, the cell wall shatters sending debris flying in all directions. The stallion shields his body with a force field, only to have my hand break through and grab his neck. “Tell me why I shouldn't kill you!” My grip tightens.

“I'm only doing my job!” The stallion replies. “Please don't kill me!”

“You kidnapped me and held me in a cell, I will ask again! Why shouldn't I kill you!?”

“I have a filly on board!” The stallion blurts out. “She's next door waiting!”

“Call her!” I say.

“What!?”

“Call her! If you are telling the truth, then I'll let you go!”

The stallion levitates a gem from the rooms wall and taps it on his horn. The gem glows blue.

“Petal? Can you hear me?” The stallion speaks into the gem.

“Yes Daddy!” Comes an excited younger voice replying.

“Can you come into the cargo room precious, daddy needs your help.”

“Of course daddy, I'll be right there.”

“Thanks baby girl, see you in a minute.” The stallion taps his horn again and the gem stops glowing. “See, i'm telling the truth.” He says to me.

“We'll see, it could be fake.” I reply.

Seconds later we both hear a small knock on the large door to the room.

“Daddy? Open up!” I walk to the doors edge, telling the stallion not to make a sound.

I open the door but stand back out of sight. A small unicorn filly wanders in and looks around.

“Daddy? Where are you?” The filly sees the cell wall destroyed, she starts to back up to the door. The filly holds her head low and her ears flat. “Daddy?” The filly says quietly with a tremor in her voice.

I close the door with a bang, getting the filly to spin around.

“Don't move!” I say. The filly starts to shake. She looks to the stallion in my grip.

“It's ok princess! Just do as he says.” The stallion states giving her a smile. The filly just nods.

“What's your name?” I ask the filly.

“Petal, Flower Petal.” The filly replies almost as quietly as Fluttershy.

I look at her and hold out the stallion dropping him to the ground. The filly looks at me and then runs to her father hugging him.

“Daddy!” The filly shouts.

“Why did you let me go?” The stallion asks turning to me.

“You told the truth.” I reply.

“Just like that?”

“You don't know me very well do you? I have been coltfriend of the element of honesty for almost two weeks. Her ability to detect lying has somewhat rubbed off on me.”

The stallions face drops, a shadow of dread falls over him. “C-Could you repeat that?”

“I said I am the coltfriend of the element of honesty.”

The stallion parts from his filly and starts to pace about the room.

“This is bad! Very bad, pony feathers why didn't it detect it?” The stallion asks himself.

“Hey! I want some answers! Who are you giving me to?”

“I can't! Not now! This has just turned bad! I'm in deep manure here.”

“Why? And what didn't detect what?” I was actually starting to worry here. I just wanted to get home and put Applejack into multiple positions. Wait! was I really thinking that? Jesus christ! I need help. Anyway. The stallion stops walking.

“I have a gem, it tells me if a target is....I don't know how to say this but....Touchable, would be the closest term I could use.” The stallion replies.

“Dad? Should you be telling him that?” The filly Flower Petal says, walking to stand by her father.

“It's ok Flower, I don't think he's going to hurt us. Are you?”

“That depends? Are you going to capture me again?”

“If you are the um...stallion I think you are, I won't even come near you any more.”

“That's fine by me, but maybe we won't have to go that far.” I say.

“What do you mean?” The stallion asks.

“Well, I don't know very many ponies outside of Ponyville. I thought maybe when we get back to Equestria you and I could get along a little better.” I reply.

“Just like that?”

“Just like that!” I answer.

The stallion just looks at me and then looks to his daughter, the filly nods.

“Well then, I guess we can. My names Strider, Clear Strider. You already know my filly.”

“Nice to know you finally.” I chuckle, holding out my hand. "My names John." Strider puts one front hoof into my hand and we shake.

"Huh! I never though you would be called that, I was thinking you would have had a pony name." Strider states.

"I'm thinking of changing it to a pony one but I haven't thought of one yet, I know the last name is going to be core." Strider looks at me confused. "As in apple core." He nods understanding. "But the first name, I haven't come across one that suits me."

"Maybe you just haven't looked in the right place yet?"

"Probably, but then again I need it to go with my marefriends family name. So anything to do with apples really." Strider just nods again, I look down and see flower still looking a little scared of me. I bend down. “I'm sorry I scared you little one, I don't normally do that to filly or colts. I hope you can accept my apology Flower.” I put one hand over my chest and wait for her reply.

“I accept! But don't you hurt my daddy again!” Flower replies, poking me with a hoof.

“I don't intend to!" I say chuckling. "But now, I think getting out of here will be on the agenda.” I look to the door. “So? Who's running this.....boat?”

“Actually it's a ship, the G.C Black Talon.”

“Not to sound dense or anything but what does the g and c stand for?”

“Griffon Colonies.”

I lost some breath for a moment, I read about griffons and how they can be quite war like and combative.

“Griffons? Really?” I ask.

“Yup.” Strider answers.

I think about this for a second.

“So your client is a Griffon?”

“No idea! I don't ask.” Strider walks to the door. “I just get payed to find and acquire the target and then bring it to a certain location.”

“So you don't know who or what ordered the capture?”

“Nope.”

“Daddy, the captain will order the patrols soon.” Flower Petal states.

“Patrols?” I ask.

“Yeah, the captain sends out security patrols every two hours. Especially when there's valuable cargo on board.” Strider says while smirking.

“Well this valuable cargo is leaving.” I state, pushing open the cargo room door very slowly so I could poke my head out. I saw just outside that there was a large corridor. It was made in the style of the cargo room, metal with very little features. I reel my head back in. “Looks clear!” I state. Strider was about to walk out when I put a hand out to stop him. “I think you should stay here.”

“Oh hay no! You have no idea where you are, you need help to escape.” Strider says, batting my hand out of the way.

“You have a filly Strider! This will end badly, you must understand that?” I say.

“I know but Flower is a strong filly, she's stronger than she looks.”

“I am! Just you see! I can be useful!” Flower says. I give her a smile.

“Then we should get going before the patrols start.” I state, opening the door again.

I walk out when I make sure the coast was still clear. I gesture for the others to follow.

“So, which way?” I ask.

“We have to go up several decks before we reach the main deck.” Strider hesitates slightly.

“We have to go through something bad before we do don't we?” I ask, holding the bridge of my nose.

“Yeah, there's a recreation area two decks up. The griffons always train there, we may have to get pass several of them.” Strider replies.

“That's just swell, anything else I should know?”

“No, not that I can think of. But then again I haven't got free reign of the ship.”

“You haven't!?” My question was louder than I like to admit.

“No, to the griffons i'm just some sort of glorified bounty hunter. They keep me confined to my quarters or the cargo hold.” Strider answers.

“So? Where are your guards then?”

“Never had any.”

“Bit lacking on security then.” I exclaim.

“Not really, griffons are expert fighters; guess they know one pony with a filly ain't going to be much of a threat.”

“Makes sense.” I say. We approach a doorway at the end of the corridor. “Which way?” I ask.

“Up and to the left, then again at the next floor.” Strider whispers.

I go to move up, only for a door to open somewhere on the next floor and the shadow of two figures appear at the top of the stairs.

“Back!” I say.

We find a small room filled with boxes to hide in as the figures walk past. Their conversation peeks my interest.

“You heard about the 'cargo'?” The first voice says, I think it was female.

“Yeah, had a quick peek when they brought it in!” The second voice replies, this one was definitely male.

“So? What did you think of it?”

“Not sure what to think, damn things tall though; I would say about one to two feet taller than us.”

“Really, I heard that it's taller. But then I don't believe much of what the guys down in hauling say.” The female says.

“Yeah know what you mean, some of those guys are crazy.” The male replies.

The what now I think are griffons at this point, decide to stop right outside our door. I see strider put a hoof over his fillies mouth, she was shaking.

“Oh and talk about cargo, did you hear the colonels on board.”

“No way! Really! Damn, why is she here?”

“Something about 'picking up what's hers' or something like that.”

“You don't think it's the other cargo?”

“Maybe, she has the connections.”

There's a little pause before I hear their claws move off down the hall, the rest of their conversation lost in the distance.

“Well, that's a load of pony feathers.” I hear Strider exclaim behind me.

“What is?” I ask.

“The colonels here, I have never met her but from what I hear she is one tough griffon.”

“Maybe it's a different colonel?”

“You don't know much about griffon military do you?”

I shake my head. “Not really, I only know what I read in books and most books never really had any info on griffon military.”

“Well, in the griffon military only one griffon can obtain the rank of colonel. It's a kind of rank that is given as more of namesake than an actual rank. How ever this colonel has held the rank for many years, ten I think.”

“Huh, back on my old world some militaries had a similar rank. I think it was called Commodore or something, it was only given to a person as a temporary rank during war when they are given command of a navel fleet for an operation. Though the rank has no official status, it was just so everybody knew who was in command.” I state.

“Ah right! So at least that doesn't need explaining then.” Strider replies. “Anyway, I suggest we avoid her if we can.”

“Ok, I think it's safe to leave now.” I push open the door only to have a crossbow type weapon pointed down to my face.

“Freeze!”

“Well, shit!” I reply.

Author's Notes:

OK guys I might have got the Commodore explaination wrong, I'm not sure. If i did my friend is going to kill me as he was in the Royal British Navy for several years. If it is wrong I will correct it but I think it isn't.

Anyway Chapter 19 is completed and Chapter 20 will be started and released probably on the week end if not early next week!

Happy readings!