The canteen cap fell to the side, and the unicorn forced the spout into his mouth, tilting it on an angle that would have caused any other pony to spit out the water or choke on it. Galloping Waves was lucky, and relieved, that his talents were still there and that they were indeed innate. He greedily drank from it, his body starting to hurt a bit less with each sip. Opening his eye, he saw that the earth ponies were staring at him in shock and awe, but the unicorn was unimpressed and frowning. There was a bit of worry in Gallop’s mind that he would purposely force him to spill, but surprisingly enough the unicorn let him drink until his tongue felt nothing else come out of the canteen.
Gallop panted. It was not enough, barely enough for his needs. If anything, he felt worse then before. He could feel all his aches and pains far better now. His body stung with pain: his right wing, still bounded, felt broken which made sense as he fell hard on it twice; his legs felt very strained and tired as if he pulled a muscle or two in each one; his chest was burning, he was worried that it was either a deeply bruised or broken rib; his neck was beyond sore, that heavy earth pony magic collar digging into his skin; his skin burning from the heat of the sand and everything else felt like he was tossed to the ground from the top of Cloudsdale.
Looking up, he stared at into the unicorn’s face. Breathing deeply, he forced himself to say, “Th-thank you.” He wasn’t why he just thanked the pony that just foalnapped him, and the one that also the one that prevented him from getting a full splash of water, even if it was piss filled water, but it felt right to do so.
The unicorn just glared at him, raising an eyebrow before dropping him back to the ground, on his right side. Wincing in pain, -yup, the wing was broken- he looked upwards to see unicorn’s horn glow. The unicorn placed a hoof on his neck, pushing down hard enough to make it difficult to breath. “I feel that you will be a smart slave. That you will not do anything stupid or I say not to do.” He spoke in his weird accent, soothing accent, it reminded him of the zebras. “I will release your legs so you may walk to the cart. If you try to flee, you will be punished. Am I understood?” He lifted his hoof off his neck, allowing Gallop to breath, gasping for air.
Gallop took several, deep breaths. He looked at the unicorn, before he nodded his head.
WHAM
“You will speak when spoken to slave.” He glared downwards, looking at his hoof, probably to see if there was any blood. Gallop was able to hold most of it in his mouth, feeling it drip down his muzzle a bit. He had bitten on his cheeks hard and these injuries were not helping. “I said do you understand me slave.” He glared into Gallop’s face, as if he was trying to see something in Gallop.
“Ye-yes. I understand.” He laboured through that, unable to without hold that building cough and spat out some of the blood onto the hooves of the unicorn. “M-myapologize!” He coughed again, spitting out more blood, fearing another blow to his burning barrel.
After a moment, the blow didn’t come and Gallop looked up at the unicorn. His horn glowed for a moment, and the ropes around his ankles united themselves in his aura. Blinking, Gallop shakily put out his fore hooves, drawing himself upwards, his hind legs nearly giving out. But he forced himself to stand upright, looking at the unicorn who’s face remained stoic. Looking to the earth ponies, he saw a cart in the sand with a tarp over it.
That’s how they got me out to here without anypony noticing, Gallop thought, wincing as he walked, nearly tumbling over. The two earth ponies were glaring at him and the unicorn, clearly the one in charge of the group, waiting to see him fall over. Gallop felt, knew, that he had to make it to the cart or things would become a lot more painful for him. As he walked past the two earth ponies, he saw that one had a falling net cutie mark and the other had a striking manacle cutie mark, both clearly meant that they were excellent at foalnapping and making them into slaves. His mind raced to why the unicorn’s cutie mark was so different from them, as he raised his hoof to the cart, causing his body to tremble. He forced himself forwards, putting a trembling hoof down on the wooden floor. Biting his lip, he forced himself to lift his other front hoof onto the bed. Panting and counting to three, he forced himself onto cart with a painful thud, turning himself around so his back would be covered.
“Commitment to the task.” The unicorn spoke in an approving manner, walking next to him, and staring down at him. “You are indeed a smart slave.” Using his magic, he lifted the tarp over Gallop and dropped it on him. Gallop winced as it was very hot from being out in the sun, but soon found it as refreshing as a cool blanket. “Swift Motion, pull the cart. Quick Hooves, erase the camp.” Blinking, he saw net cutie mark, Swift Motion, walk past him and felt the cart lurch, into it’s proper position. Groaning as the cart moved, Gallop held onto the cart with his hooves, blessing the earth pony elements in himself. Looking into the alcove, he saw the other pony smash the ground flat and move some sand around, destroying any indication that anypony was ever there.
Wincing in pain, he felt the sudden blast of heat as his aunt’s sun bore down onto him. The tarp was covering most of his body, but his face was exposed so he could see. Moaning in pain, he flicked his tail to his side and curled up as best as he could. Blinking, he could already feel the heat working against him, making him drowsy. Closing his eyes, he started to force himself think of his home and family, just in case he got near any wa-
Blinking, Swift Thought saw that alicorn had passed out in the heat barely a few paces away from the shade. Muttering in his head in disbelief at how fragile and pathetic this pony was, he began to rethink how to market his latest slave.
A terrible waste as a serving slave. He would die in days, if not a day, as a public slave if he was this weak to sunlight. That meant either a digging slave or –
Yes, that would be good, very good. In fact, he always knew that he would have to take him to her, but now he would he would be making far more bits from this.
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Gallop had been drugged, to a degree. He knew that he was asleep, but his dreams were void-like, nothing there but time. Which was both the entire length of the cart trip, which was very long, and a second, which was very nice. Oh how he hated being drugged to not have normal dreams.
Blinking upwards as he awoke, he saw it was late afternoon by the sun position. He saw that he was in some shaded area, the tarp gone with his back exposed to elements. Even though he was a terrible flier, he longed to stretch his wings and take to the sky, even though there was no moisture in the sky. Turning his head, he saw the unicorn talk to a set of guards, a pegasus and unicorn guarding a doorway, with more guards down the side. Going into his royal knowledge upbringing, he knew that this must be this was a very important place, either the place of a noble or something equally important to have guards this close together.
“Look Swift Thought, he does look important being an alicorn, I’ll give you that, but the Queen will not be pleased to be disturbed by a new slave-” The pegasus guard spoke, holding a wing to block him from entering the area.
“How dare you think you know the mind of our Queen!” He roared, using his magic to smash the ground in front the guard, causing him to yelp back in fright. “He is the son the false goddess of the night, that alone makes him worth the Queen’s immediate attention!”
“It will be your head on the block if you anger the Queen, not mine!” He snapped back. The unicorn, Swift Thought, turned his head towards Galloping Waves. Instantly, the seaweed colour pony closed his eyes to pretend to be still asleep. Not tight as it looked very obvious, but like a long blink. He hoped that the unicorn didn’t see him looking around when he felt a magic aura grab his body.
Letting out a yelp of pain, he found himself thrown to the stone floor on his right side. It was not paved stone, just normal stone covered ground cutting into his skin and his burning right wing. “Get up slave, you had more then enough to rest.” He barked, stamping the ground right near his ear, making Gallop aware of a headache he had.
Gallop didn’t have enough time to recover any energy. He barely had enough to stand up when his stomach heaved out the contents, the bits of the apple he had this morning, onto the floor. Groaning woozily on the floor, while managing to keep his head out of his own vomit, he looked up at the uni-Swift Thought who had a semi displeased look on his face.
“It took you long enough to retch.” He reached out with his magic again, lifting him up in the air. “I am pleased that you did not do so in front of the Queen.” He carried Gallop through the doorway, an earth pony running past them with a bucket of water and a rag in their mouth.
Panting from heat exhaustion, Gallop looked at the unicorn carrying him. “Q-qu-” He tried to get his question out, his wheezing and coughing stopped him. He looked around, seeing them go past corridor after hallway, finally reaching a doorway with actual doors with guards at hoof. “Queenwho?” He whimpered out, nearly passing out.
“She is the Queen, glorious regent until the true goddesses strike down the eons rule of the false deity.” He paused, glaring at the alicorn in his magical aura. “Deities.” With a nod of his head, the guards open the doors.
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