Nature's Call

by Doc Crowl

Parousia Chapter 5- Mens Sibi Conscia Recti

Author's Note:

[NOTE: CHAPTER IS NOT REWRITTEN, AND IS STILL UP SIMPLY UNTIL THE REVISED CHAPTER REPLACES IT. ALMOST EVERYTHING WILL BE CHANGED IN THE NEW CHAPTERS.]

Sorry this one took so long! I really had to work on the painful bit in the Detention Hall, and creating two new ponies (along with their personalities, backstories, and their physical characteristics) was a particularly interesting challenge. Thankfully, a few of my friends were generous eough to let me build the characters on how I saw them! Funny story, I also had to cut a few thousand words off the end of this one to add to next chapter. So maybe that one'll get out faster????

For those of you who may say question why the ponies stopped talking to Creed, and claim Rainbow Dash was out of character for not remaining loyal- CALM DOWN! I may not be the best at characterizing the Mane 6, but there is definitely a reason to it- she's not (too far) out of character, I promise. Trust me. I'm a Doc. ;)

"Mens Sibi Conscia Recti"- A Mind Counscious of its Rectitude

SONGS: None :/

Our little band left the town proper fairly quickly, and I saw the dark building known as the “Detention Hall” in the distance. Deluge had described in perfect detail. A squatting, ugly blight on the beautiful nature it had replaced, I could see the stumps of trees that had once inhabited the same stretch of land. The eaves hung low off the roof, which was thatched, almost brushing the ground. There were a multitude of chimneys rising high above the flammable roof, belching a constant stream of acrid black smoke. There was a stench in the air I couldn’t place, but it put me on edge.

It lay backed against the large wall surrounding Ponyville, and I could only guess at why the Nuckelavee had deigned it necessary to build their own structure. Outside town limits. Away from anypony else.

The closer we approached the black stain, the more awe it inspired. The place was absolutely massive- its roof must have been a good three stories high, and whatever flames fed those horrible chimneys might have been just as large. While exuding an aura of pure evil, it gave no hints as to what atrocities were committed within.

According to Deluge, not even the Diamond Dogs were aware of what actually happened inside the Detention Hall. The only thing they knew was that the Nuckelavee living in Ponyville had made it their base. The Diamond Dogs were to bring ponies who caused trouble to the Detention Hall, and leave them with the Nuckelavee.

Whatever the Nuckelavee did, it produced broken ponies who were quietly escorted to Canterlot by the Nuckelavee themselves, and no others. The ponies that were destined for the Detention Hall were all sent within the first week: the mob starters, the rebellious, and the extremely magically inclined. None had gone quietly at first, yet every single one had left with the Nuckelavee without incident.

That had been almost a month and a half before I popped up in Equestria. Twilight had been in Canterlot when reports of nine riders sweeping the land of ponies with hordes of Diamond Dogs started to flow in. It took the Princesses too long to muster their forces- they had only ever kept a small standing army, barely enough to act as personal protection. I couldn’t blame them; as far as I knew, the last need of any sort of military was a thousand years before, with Nightmare Moon.

Canterlot fell three days after the first reports. Twilight was in the castle, the last remaining known stronghold besides Cloudsdale, and managed to escape through a secret tunnel in the back of the throne room. Luna and Celestia stayed to hold the invaders off, and their whereabouts were unknown.

Twilight had spent the intervening time intermittently searching for her friends and hoofing it on her own throughout the lands of Equestria. She had found Sweet Apple Acres filled with ponies, and even a number of her friends. She told me finding them had been a “ray of hope”, and that she had imagined taking back Equestria.

That was just days before she sent out the scroll that brought me into the mess.

The only place either Twilight or Deluge knew of that might have remained untouched was Cloudsdale. Neither the Nuckelavee nor their Diamond Dogs could reach the high flying city, and the ponies had early on restricted admittance to actual pegasi kind. It was a cheap trick, but one that had managed to hold off the enemy for longer than anywhere else in Equestria. Supposedly, there were some Nuckelavee campaigning there, but no one had any idea how many.

No one in our camp had heard whether or not Cloudsdale had fallen, though. Twilight assumed it had, due to the fact that her scroll hadn’t brought anypony from there instead of bridging the gap between worlds to fetch me.

That left the Detention Hall somewhat of a mystery to us. While we had discussed it at length, Deluge had never been inside, so could not tell me the layout or anything like that. All she could say was that it was where the rebellious ponies were taken.

As for the Part One of the Plan, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were the only pegasi of the Elements- that meant I only had a few choices on who to free. After all, it wouldn’t have been possible to get an earth pony or unicorn out without drawing a needless conflict. Of the two, it made more sense to free Fluttershy; she could get all the woodland creatures to help in our cause, and serve as a powerful ally to La Resistance.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, was best suited to leadership. She was the most active of the ponies Twilight knew, and she had already been in charge of the weather ponies in and around Ponyville. Not only that, she could personally turn the tide of any battles we might come across with her weather controlling magic.

Deluge, unfortunately, had never heard of Rainbow Dash. Either she had been taken to the Detention Hall before Deluge arrived as part of Gomorrah’s personal guard, or she was holed up in Cloudsdale.

I personally hoped it was the latter. Gazing up at the Detention Hall as we finally neared the large double door entrance, I could feel the veil of dread that surrounded the place. Whether that was some sort of mind trick with all the black smoke and the ominous visage, or actual magic employed by the Nuckelavee, I couldn’t tell.

I hated the fact that I had to be brought here. I’d never even had a misdemeanor, much less gone to a human jail. Going into a place of probable torture, in another world, where nopony knew what happened? A place that broke the strongest of ponies before sending them away in shame, never to be heard from again?

That was outright terrifying.

“Man, I’m even depressing myself at this point!” I mumbled, not really realizing I had spoken out loud.

“That the point, pony,” Lance said in a subdued growl, pulling me to a halt as we came to stand in front of the menacing doors. There was a small pause, like he was choosing his next words carefully. “Just… don’t resist. Heard they’re harder with ponies that do.”

I’d almost forgotten the Diamond Dogs were prisoners as much as any other Equestrian. They had family they were protecting, packs they could only hope to see again. They could be jerks, but they weren't evil.

I turned around and decided I had the perfect thing to cheer both Lance and myself up.

What am I if not resourceful? And a little unwilling to face my own mortality, emotionally speaking.

“Awww, you know just how to treat a guy right!” I cooed, throwing my arms around his neck and nuzzling up against him.

Basically, I’ve learned a few things in life: one is that a hug and nuzzle combo will either completely disarm someone who wants to fight, or utterly freak another man out.

While Lance was not a ‘man’ per se, he was still a male. And apparently, males in Equestria are just as uncomfortable being nuzzled by a stranger as human males are.

He pushed at me, trying halfheartedly to fight off my advances, but I was enjoying myself too much; no way was I giving up this hug! He even managed to scratch me a few times, but I didn’t care. I was making myself laugh, and that was the important thing.

“I know you Diamond Dogs aren’t evil; you don’t want this for your world,” I laughed quietly, patting his back. His squirming subsided immediately.

“What else can we do?” he asked quietly. “There no fighting them…”

My concentration was thrown off by a large creaking behind me, followed by the sound of clopping (not that kind!) hooves coming out of the Detention Hall.

By ‘thrown off’, I literally mean ‘thrown off’. Because that’s exactly what Lance did. He threw me a good distance, so that I landed face down in the dust. While I didn't appreciate the gesture, I could completely understand it when I raised my head.

I was looking right at the hooves of a Nuckelavee.

There was a silence, broken only by the harsh sounds of breathing. "Were you... huggin a pony?" it asked.

"N-no Nahor, no hugging! Pony was, uh, begging Lance not to give him up to you."

I raised my head higher to examine this Nahor, and Nahor bent his hooded horse head in return. My two blue eyes met his one glowing red one, and I saw myself reflected there. My image was... twisted looking. It wasn't any different than what I saw in Twilight's eyes, but there was something off about it.

It was almost as if the reflection was some corrupt, abhorrent future that was staring me right back in the eye. It was submissive, broken, and without the life I attributed to myself. I didn't like it one bit.

I scrambled to my hooves, only to be smashed back down to my side by an incredible, invisible force.

"Ah ah ah, pony. Musssn't have you getting any wrong ideasss about how free you are, hmmm?"

I couldn't move, but was somehow lifted into the air. As I rose, I saw that the robed humanoid growth on Nahor's back had its arm raised towards me. I extended my perceptions, and found the current surrounding me came directly from the tips of Nahor's fingers. The space it traversed to my pony body rippled with magic, but it was an unnatural magic that was entirely constrained to the will of Nahor. Twilight's magic at least flowed of its own accord; this stuff was laser pinpointed.

I slowly rotated, unable to move, as Nahor examined me. As I turned, I met Lance's gaze. He face gave no indication he felt one way or the other, though I couldn't tell if he was just putting on a facade in front of his master. The Diamond Dogs around him were all bowing, and none raised their heads.

"A fine ssspecimen for Canterlot, indeed," Nahor said, looking at me every which way. "Your family isss allowed to eat tonight, dog."

"Thank you!" Lance answered immediately, gratefulness apparent in his voice. "They wi--"

"I don't care what your family doesss, mongrel. Unlesss you have sssomething elssse to say, be on your way."

Nahor turned to trot into the Detention Hall, pulling me along behind. I saw Lance struggling before blurting out, "He freed two special ponies!"

Nahor stopped in his tracks. "Did he now?" he asked without turning. I couldn’t hear any malice in his slight Irish-accented hissing, but I knew better than to assume he wasn’t angry.

There was a few seconds where nothing happened, and then I was slamming into a wall ahead of Nahor. I was dazed by the force of the blow, and heard a ringing in my ears. The next hit, this time from the ground, burst starts into my eyes- I couldn’t see. I hit something else, and had the odd sensation that it hadn’t hurt as much.

My body continued rammed surfaces repeatedly, my perception of pain growing less and less as I was forced into unconsciousness. It was like treading water in a silent ocean for hours, trying to keep my head above water, as massive waves repeatedly overtook me. All my body wanted was to slip down into the dark void, and despite my wishes, it seemed like it would have its way.

The beating might have only lasted a minute, or could have been an hour long- I couldn’t tell. But it was enough. I felt something give, whether within me or some surface I had been hit against, I had no idea. Finally, there was sweet relief; the blows stopped raining down.

"Oh, we'll have usss a wonderful time, pony," I heard Nahor hiss into my ear. "Breaking you may very well be my finessst achievement yet."

As the darkness rose up to drag me down, I heard Nahor address someone else.

"Ride to Canterlot. Inform Lazarusss."

_________________________________________________________________________________________

I woke slowly, to the pounding headache of a lifetime. I was shivering on the cold ground, and felt an unearthly draft cross my body. I tried opening my eyes, to no avail. Either I'd been blinded by too many blows to the head, or there was an utter lack of light wherever I was.

I could hear nothing but that soft breeze which came from everywhere at once, and any sounds I made were muffled. I expected some sort of echo of my breathing at least, but there was none. If not for the fact that I could feel the breeze across my face, I would have sworn someone had come blindfolded me and left me adrift into the cold expanse of space.

I was painfully splayed out on my right side, and as I drew breath to make sure that I wasn't actually in a vacuum, I felt the pounding of my headache increase tenfold.

"I'm up, I'm up," I groaned aloud to myself. "You can cut it out now!" The headache subsided only slightly, and I sighed. That would have to do.

"Time to explore, then," I thought.

As I placed my left forehoof on the ground, aiming to push myself into a sitting position, I felt a blinding hot flash of pain lance through the entire limb. I gasped, immediately dropping back down to my side.

"Guess that's what gave away then," I laughed humorlessly, breathing hard. I’d broken my arm before, but that was when I was little and I didn’t remember it very well. The only serious injury I’d had was some shoulder dislocations in high school, from playing football.

"Probably a good bet," a voice spoke right next to my ear.

I have no idea how I did it, but I was up in an instant, the pain in my left foreleg momentarily forgotten.

"Who the hell said that?" I asked, my voice a whisper in the suddenly dense air. While I could still hear and feel the draft, there was nothing else to suggest there was another being in the same vicinity as me. I attuned to my senses, making damn sure there was no way someone was near me.

"Can't see them, that's a given. Can't taste them, and wouldn't be able to anyway. Can't hear anything but a small draft and my own breathing. No smells... whatsoever. Well, that's odd. Didn't I smell something horrible as I came into the Detention Hall? That only leaves touc-"

My train of thought was interrupted by something jabbing at my injured foreleg. "Who d'ya think it is?" the disembodied voice asked, seemingly irritated.

My immediate response was to scream like a little girl, followed shortly by swatting around with my good leg in the general direction the touch came from.

"Listen! I'm not having myself a very good day, I'm pretty sure the leg you just poked is broken, and I do NOT have time to deal with ghosts right now!" I yelled into the ether. "So, if you could, please leave me alone!"

"Pssh, I'm not a ghost!" came the reply from behind me. I whipped around, searching for anything even as faint as a heartbeat in the darkness, but couldn't find anything. It was just as still, and I felt just as alone, as when I'd woken up.

"If you're not a ghost, then why can't I hear you?" I asked in the calmest voice I could muster. It still came out in a squeak, and caused the not-ghost to giggle.

"Because I'm just that awesome!" it exclaimed, its voice cracking somewhat.

The voice crack elicited a ray of hope to shine within me, and I started getting excited. "Wait a minute... are you... Rainbow Dash?" I asked, almost giddy.

"Aw, how'd you guess?" she replied, punching my left shoulder.

I grated my teeth, trying to ignore the pain lancing through my foreleg. "Call it a lucky shot... you think you can avoid that limb, please?"

"Oh yeah, sure thing," she said easily. I still couldn't place the voice, but at least I knew I wasn't about to be murdered or haunted. Unless....

"Hey Rainbow Dash, this might be a question that seems to be completely out of the blue, but... You've never worked at the Rainbow Factory, have you?" I asked. If Rainbow Dash was anything like that one, well...

"Heh, not that I know of! Why'd you ask?"

I thought the voice was coming from in front of me and to my left, but I couldn't be sure; I simply decided to sit and talk straight ahead. It wasn't like it made any difference where I talked.

"Just curious about some... let's call them 'rumors'. But don't worry, it's not important right now. What’s important, is you. So, how are you feeling? How long have you been here? How are you holding up?" I asked, settling for a long discussion.

"OK, I have no idea, and fine," she responded immediately.

So much for our 'long discussion'.

"Um... alrighty then, can you tell me about this place? Are we even still in the Detention Hall?" I asked, trying to prompt her into the sort of important info I needed to learn.

"Yeah, we're still in the stupid Detention Hall. I know it seems like this place goes on forever, but that's just some sort of weird illusion magic those robed Nuckelavee things put on it. The cell's only a few dozen feet to a side."

My senses told me she was lying, had to be lying, but I wanted to see for myself. Standing up and keeping as much pressure off my left foreleg as possible, I made my way slowly forward. After a time, my horn knocked into something. It rang out, clear and loud. I sat down, and put my right forehoof against it. It seemed to be a large metal rod.

"Didn't believe me?" Rainbow Dash asked, a little too close to my ear for my liking.

"I couldn't, everything told me it was impossible... Sorry for doubting you."

"Meh, that's ok. I was a little confused when I was first put in here too. Hoofbump to make up?" she said. I could hear the smile in her voice.

I turned around, careful to extend my right hoof. "Sure… but where I come from, they call it a 'brohoof'. Just so you know."

I felt her hoof strike mine, and the sound echoed around the space. "Sounds stupid," she told me decisively. I smiled, knowing Rainbow Dash would make my stay here much easier.

Wait.

I looked around quickly, even pressing my face against the bars, realizing I had actually heard an echo. There were also other sounds- something like water dripping, mumbling somewhere far away, and... was that breathing?

I turned back, and was amazed to see the dimmest light cascading onto the face of who was undoubtedly Rainbow Dash. She had a black eye, and her nose looked a little crooked, but other than that she seemed none the worse for the wear.

Slowly, my eyes started to adjust. I could make out the cell we were put in, and the room around us. It contained a few other cells, all of which were empty. There was also a large door on the far side, which seemed to be the source of what small amount of light was in there.

"So, would you like the Grand Tour?" Rainbow Dash asked sarcastically, one eyebrow cocked and a smirk on her face.

"I think I got it now, thanks," I responded dryly. I could tell her sarcasm was going to be something I'd enjoy. "You want to explain what just happened, maybe?"

"What, the darkness being lifted?" she asked. I nodded.

"Simple: magic of friendship! Dark magic illusions? No problem. Friendship beats anything!" She grinned, flapping her wings a little.

I groaned, and her smile faltered.

"What, you don't think that's it?" she asked. "Then what the hay do you think it was, Mr. Brilliant Pony?"

"First of all, I'm a stallion. I'd appreciate being referred to as such… more than you know. Secondly, I know ‘friendship is magic’, that's the name of the freakin' show! I groaned because it's just such a cop-out. I mean, couldn't it have been some special pegasus magic for flying at night, or something Twilight taught you, or at the very least the magic of love? I mean, I expected a little better out of Equestria!"

Her expression turned to one of indignation. "Buster, I think you're overstepping your bounds there! I only just met you; I’ve got no reason to love you!"

I slapped my hoof against my face, before realizing I had used my bad leg. As I squeezed my eyes in pain, I shook my head. "Of course you wouldn't love me, we only just met! But wouldn't that also mean our supposed friendship would be null and void as well?"

She rolled her eyes. "Friendship is destined, duh. When that friendship is made, it doesn't matter how old it is- the magic of the entire friendship comes through! Don't they teach you 'stallions' anything?"

I didn't appreciate the way she did air quotes around 'stallions'.

"Here, I'll give you a lesson! When I was a filly, I was in a race." She jumped into the air and extended her wings, gliding in tight circles around the tiny cell as she spoke. "I was racing these jerks, right? And I was pushing myself harder than I'd ever pushed before, and then-"

"You broke the light barrier and produced your first Rainboom, I know. It influenced all of your friends' lives in inexplicable ways before you even met them, and you all discovered it later on after you met."

She closed her wings close to her body and dove the small distance between us, getting scary close to my face. "How'd you know that?" she asked.

"Already told you: you're on a show called ''My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.' I'm a fan of the show on another planet or another universe, who knows which, and we're known as 'bronies'. Long story short, I was brought to Equestria by Twilight Sparkle, I'm not originally a stallion, I can't really use much magic when I'm a unicorn, and I'm here as part of a plan to sneak into Canterlot to beat the head Nuckelavee and force them all to leave the planet. Basically, I'm here to be the savior of your world... no big deal," I explained quickly.

Hopefully, we could get the first questions out of the way, and down to what was coming next.

She glared at me a few seconds, then backed up and sat down. "Okay, what's your name?" she asked.

I was a little put out. "You, uh... you just accept all that?" I asked, a bit disappointed at her lack of excitement. Out of every pony besides Lyra and Pinkie Pie, I expected Rainbow Dash to be the most over reactive at my alien status. Which would be so much fun to deal with, and give me something to focus on other than my impending trials.

"Yeah, well, that all makes sense. Plus, if Twilight’s cool with you, then so am I. What's your name?" she asked again.

"Creed," I answered. "I guess... if you're not going to ask me anything else, I have a few questions for you that might be important later on."

She nodded sagely. "Go ahead."

"First of all, why are there no Windigos? I thought for sure they would have appeared by now, and maybe frozen out the Nuckelavee."

She shook her head. "What makes you think they’d show up? They only came when ponies weren't working together and making friends." She stuck her hoof out again, which I bumped automatically. “See? Friendship, alive and well. No Windigos."

I accepted that, and continued. "Alright, next question: from what others have told me, troublemaker ponies get sent here to be 'reformed', or... something. Then they're sent to Canterlot. Is that true?"

She nodded solemnly.

"Then... Where are all the other ponies, and why aren't you in Canterlot?" I asked.

She furrowed her brow and shook her head. "I've been wondering that, too. The other ponies have long since come through, and were sent to Canterlot, but... I wasn't even touched, except for a few beatings every once in a while. The only other two ponies in this whole place are being ‘taken care of’ right now. They aren’t much for talk."

It was odd they hadn’t tried to at least break in Rainbow Dash once, but I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I saw no reason not to use this to my advantage.

"Alright Rainbow Dash, I just need one more thing from you: do you know how they determine ponies to have been 'reformed'"?

She looked away. "They, uh... perform this 'test' every once in a while, most often on unicorns... I have no idea what they are, but the ponies are lead into the room next door. If we hear screams, they've failed and stay in the Detention Hall. If there are no screams, we never see them again."

I noticed her refusal to return my gaze, and remembered her fears of failing during that flier competition. It wasn't difficult to figure out exactly what was wrong. "So... since you've seen all these other strong ponies go before you, you’re afraid that you won't scream if they come for you? That you'll be weaker than all of them, and end up as broken as they were?"

Her eyes widened, and her shoulders hunched. "But... what if I don't scream? What if they're just saving me for last? What if I'm not as strong as I need to be? What if-"

I hobbled forward and put a foreleg around her, silencing her self doubt. "Don't worry, I understand," I said softly, rubbing her opposite shoulder. "You've always been loyal to your friends. I mean, come on- you're the Element of Loyalty! I can tell you that you'll never break- for the simple reason that I need you not to break."

She looked at me, confused. "Let me explain," I offered. "I knew coming here that I'd be tortured. I knew I needed to go through terrible pain in order to get to Canterlot, since that's where they're headquartered. I need to get rid of them with the least amount of collateral pony damage possible, and that means this." I gestured around vaguely, indicating the cell we were in. "I was afraid I wouldn't be strong enough to get through it. Now that you’re here, I would really appreciate you being strong for me."

"How can I do that?" she asked, straightening a little.

I gave her an encouraging smile. "Just talk to me," I told her. "Simple as that. Tell me your fears, make fun of me, just act like nothing at all's going on. I'll need to be able to distance myself from the surroundings, like you do with pain... and hope I can fake being broken as accurately as possible without actually losing myself."

She searched my eyes, and then nodded. "I can do that… ugly," she told me, slapping the back of my head with one wing.

"Ow!" I complained, rubbing the back of my head. "What was that for? We were having a nice little moment!"

"Why would I hit you when you're going to be tortured? Distance!" she countered.

"Touché," I said begrudgingly. "Why'd they let you keep those things unrestrained?"

She rolled her eyes again, her personality already coming back. "Where exactly am I going to fly off to?" she asked, gesturing around the small cell. There was no way out except for the cell door, and even then the room containing the cells was too small to allow for any proper flying.

"Hmmm... good point. Wait, is my horn covered in that black stuff then?" I asked, feeling around my forehead.

She shook her head. "Nah, they said something about you having ‘less magic than an earth pony’ when they dumped you in here." She snickered a little at my offended expression.

"Well, that's not exactly encouraging, is it?" I huffed. I knew it was true, but that didn’t mean I enjoyed hearing it.

The door behind me slammed open, interrupting us, and I turned to see two ponies floating into the room. A Nuckelavee walked in, holding its humanoid hand aloft. The cell closest to the door opened, and the two ponies were dumped unceremoniously in. As the door to the newcomers' cell closed, I saw the horse head turn toward me.

"Ah, ssso our new guessst is awake. Good! I've jussst cleared my appointmentsss..."

Rainbow Dash let out a breath of air, and turned me around as the Nuckelavee approached. "So, I'm your rock… right," she told me, looking into my eyes determinedly. "Remember everypony you've met, all the friendships you've made and what they mean to you. You'll be fine if you fight for ‘em."

I nodded, tying not to look too freaked out. "I will. Thanks."

The door to our cell flew open, and I was thrown into the air. I recognized Nahor's aura from earlier, and felt dread cascade down my organs in a torrential waterfall. My left foreleg began throbbing with pain, but whether it was actually caused by Nahor or simply ghost pains, I couldn't tell. My heart started pounding, and I didn’t know what to expect.

I got my answer as I was slammed into the wall opposite from our cell, and I cried out as my injured leg broke my momentum. If it hadn't already been broken, I would have thought I'd just snapped it based on the grinding sensations. The pain was incredible, a glaring heat that surged through my body.

Nahor's hissing laugh reminded me I had larger issues.

"Right then, Nahor is it?" I gasped, the pain making it difficult to speak

The ground rushed up suddenly, and greeted my face rather amiably. At least, it was more forgiving to my complexion than the wall had been to my leg. There was that.

"That'sss right, fat pony, you'd do well to remember it."

"Yeah, gotcha," I mumbled into the ground, unable to move. "Can we please just... get the orientation over with?"

I was lifted into the air in Nahor's less than comfortable death grip. He examined me more closely than before, making small noises I could only imagine the meaning behind. Finally he turned toward the door with me in tow, moving at a brisk pace.

"Asss you sssay pony, let usss 'get it over with'. Sssay goodbye to your rainbow-hair friend."

I would have waved, but I couldn't manage even a slight twitch with my limbs. Thankfully, I could still speak all I wanted to.

"Be right back, Rainbow Dash!" I called in what I hoped was a positive tone. “Keep my spot warm!”

She nodded once, smiling as I went out the door. As I just floated out of view, I saw her facade crack. The smile dropped, quickly followed by her head, and then she was out of sight.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

I collided with the back wall of our cell, and slid down it until I hit the floor. I ended up in a small heap on my right side, breathing shallowly.

I heard Nahor's hissing laugh as he trotted out. "Sssame time tomorrow?" he called over his shoulder as he slammed the door behind him.

I lay where I had been thrown, too tired to move. Every part of me hurt, even the things that hadn't explicitly been focused on. Thankfully, Rainbow Dash was there to lend a helping hand. She came over silently, and moved me away from the wall so I could lie down properly.

As she did, she gasped.

"What?" I asked in a small breath. "Am I just that attractive?"

As I laughed weakly, Rainbow Dash regained herself. "No, it’s... what’d they do to your cutie mark?" she asked, her voice weak.

"Oh, never had one," I said, raising my head to gaze at my newly occupied left flank. "Nahor was enough of a pal to provide me with my own when he noticed... I think it's a smiley face."

As I forced myself to sit up, I examined the mark for myself. Torture doesn't generally give you much time to sit and examine its effects. There, sure enough, was a newly branded, simple smiley face on my flank. It was charred and warped, the skin cracked and coming apart when I moved too much. A very small amount of blood oozed from the eyes, which made it look like it was crying.

"How... nice of him?" Rainbow Dash mumbled, examining it closer.

I flinched away from her close inspection. Even her breath on the burn hurt. "Yeah, he also set my foreleg for me. Should be healed in a week or so, according to him."

"Why would he heal you?" Rainbow Dash asked, shying away from the brand to look at my leg. "That seems like a stupid move on his part."

I simply shrugged. "If his ultimate goal is to march me to Canterlot, why would he want me to have a broken leg?" I asked.

"Because he's an evil bastard that gets a kick out of it," I heard a deeper, gruff voice call out from the first cell. I'd forgotten there were other ponies in there!

I turned toward the door to examine them. The one who'd just spoken was obviously the squat earth pony standing at the bars and looking at me. His coat was a mix between dark crimson and brown, with a blood red mane. His hooves and the tips of his hair were jet black. His mane and tail were well kept, and short- though not as short as mine. He was thicker than almost any pony I’d seen, yet was only two thirds the height of even Rainbow Dash.

“What’re you looking at, unicorn?” he growled. “Never seen an earth pony before?” His voice was like some bear that had figured out how to speak- but hadn’t lost its lust for salmon. If anything I could say he was looking at me like I was said salmon, with burning eyes that never wavered. His face was a set expression, and never seemed to change.

It was pretty disconcerting.

“Um… I don’t think I’ve seen any pony as small as you, short stuff,” I answered honestly. “I’m pretty sure you could give a filly a run for her money, in fact. But as long as we’re in the same room, do you think you could keep the cursing to a minimum?”

I gestured back at Rainbow Dash. “Virgin ears, you know how it is.” She shoved me a little bit, but didn’t add anything beyond snickering.

His eyes widened, and his thick barrel chest seemed to swell as he drew breath. “You little-”

His friend cut him off before he could launch into his tirade. “Oh stop it, Armada. I’m pretty sure he has no idea who he’s talking to. Besides, your rant would only make things more uncomfortable in here for all of us. Let’s start off on the right hoof, hmmm?”

I glanced at the other pony as he spoke, a unicorn. His voice was a stark contrast to his partner’s, being quiet and lacking reproach. He was sitting in the corner of the cell furthest from the door, which was closest to the one Rainbow Dash and I shared. His coat was a rich, royal hue of blue that was offset by his apparently autumn themed hair. There were muted browns and oranges mixed together, and it reminded me of a peaceful fall day.

The pale green eyes showed an intelligence that the golden lightning bolt on his flank seemed at odds with. His horn was covered in the same restraints as I was starting to realize were common with the Nuckelavee, but didn’t seem bothered with it.

The first pony, apparently Armada, huffed in reply. He turned back to his cellmate, and I saw the Phoenix outlined on his side. Its wings were extended, and with the background of magnificent flame, the cutie mark was one of the most majestic ones I’d ever seen.

“That doesn’t give him the damn right to insult me, does it?” he asked, glaring at the blue unicorn.

“Introductions, then! Before the two of you get into a pointless yelling match from behind bars. It’s not like that’d get us anywhere, and we need to focus on escape before we start debating what is and isn’t proper,” he replied, rolling his eyes.

He looked back at me. “My name’s Flotilla, and this is my brother Armada. We were the Princesses’ military advisors before all of this started.”

“Yeah, and such a great job you two did,” Rainbow Dash snorted. “How much time do you two think you bought for Equestria? Two, maybe three hours? Please.”

Armada started huffing and puffing again. “Young mare, I wouldn’t expect you to understand duty, but you can bet your flank we did ours! The entire kingdom would have fallen if not for us!”

My ears perked up. “Wait, wait, go back there,” I reeled, hobbling to get closer to the bars. “Did you say not all of Equestria has been taken by the Nuckelavee?”

“Of course not!” he snorted, his chest swelling again- though this time, with what seemed like pride. “Cloudsdale remains untouched thanks to us, though we were captured during that battle.” I could tell he didn’t like admitting that part. “Nonetheless, there is a strong resistance running through all of Equestria! We’ll beat ‘em back before they realize what’s going on!”

I was probably getting more excited than I should have, but Cloudsdale hadn’t figured into any plans. They were an unknown variable, an unexpected ally that just might allow the Equestrians to gain an upper hand.

“If that’s the case, then… Do you really have an escape plan?” I asked the blue unicorn.

He immediately seemed uncomfortable, with everypony staring at him. “Well, uh, that is… We have no immediate plans, per se, but we’re working on a few scenarios that might… pan out.”

I smiled a huge smile, and allowed my tired body to fall to the ground. “Awesome!” I shouted, happily trying to find the easiest way to lie without upsetting my new cutie mark. “In that case, you three need to get out of here after I’ve gone to Canterlot! Go to Cloudsdale, tell them what’s going on, and wait for reinforcements from Ponyville.”

There was a silence I didn’t particularly like. Cracking one eye open, I saw all three ponies staring at me incredulously. They looked even… offended.

“Who are you to order us around?!” Armada roared, throwing himself against the bars.

“Why the hay would you still go to Canterlot?!” Rainbow Dash asked, seemingly angry.

“That doesn’t sound like a good idea!” Flotilla agreed- though with which one of the yelling ponies, I had no idea.

I shut my eye again, the sudden increase in volume giving me a splitting migraine that came out of nowhere. I groaned, covering my face with my right foreleg. “I still need to get into Canterlot, because whether or not you three get out, the head Nuckelavee ‘Lazarus’ is still going to be in power. And I speak with the authority of Princess Twilight Sparkle, if you must know. So there.”

That made Armada quit yelling. I peeked through my crooked elbow to see his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open, much less intimidating than when he was glaring. I decided right then and there I like that look much better.

“Princess Twi… b-but… how…” he stuttered, confused.

“She brought me here, dude. And she’s the one who co-authored Operation: Cool Hoof Creed. So, I have her authority to go through with the plan to Canterlot, regardless of whoever I come across along the way.”

“Where exactly did you make up this ‘plan’?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.

I scoffed. “On the way here. She’s camped out in the forest with a group of Diamond Dogs, if you just have to know. They’re supposed to free the ponies here as soon as I get escorted to Canterlot- meaning it’s in your best interest to just accept the fact I’m going, and stop arguing.”

He closed his mouth tightly, and after a few seconds, turned and trotted to his brother Flotilla. He whispered in his ear a little, and Flotilla nodded once, before Armada continuing on his way to a spot by the back wall. He laid down, his back turned from me, and within moments he was snoring.

I turned my head back to Rainbow Dash, questions in my eyes, but she just shrugged. “Guess that’s the end of it. This the place you want to sleep tonight?” she asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Do you see anyplace better suited for lying in this beautiful cell?” I retorted, wiggling my way into the somewhat warming rock. It wasn’t comfortable, and I would have given anything to be back on my hard mattress in the dorms, but I was content.

She looked around a little. “Hmmmm… nah,” she said, and flopped down on her stomach next to me. Her wings stretched out, then folded around her, almost like a bat.

I closed my eyes, the migraine, broken leg, burn, and general malcontent of my body forcing sleep onto me. I didn’t resist, knowing I’d only get worse and that I needed whatever rest I could get over the coming days. I was a little apprehensive about what was next; we’d spent hours in that horrible room, and the branding was only the most visual of the torture. There were instruments in there I could only guess at the use of, and hope I never would have to find out, but plenty I’d already been introduced to.

Rainbow Dash moved a bit closer to me, so that she was pressed lightly against my side. She was already snoring, a grating sound louder than even the little monster that slept a few cells away. Still, the sound was calming. It reminded me why I was doing what I was doing, and I could never resist someone sleeping. I took a peek at her face, and saw the same general rule that applied to humans applied to ponies: even in the worst of situations, in good sleep, everyone makes the cutest peaceful faces!

I sighed, and put my foreleg over my face once more. It was time to get some sleep.

The throbbing pain in my body was like a twisted lullaby, and rocked me to sleep with each heartbeat. The heartbeats came slower and slower, yet grew more powerful. The last thought that crossed my mind was how odd it was sleep could contort time and our perception of ourselves, before I gave in to the soft embrace of the warm stone beneath me and Rainbow Dash beside me.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

I woke from my sleep when Rainbow Dash kicked me in the head.

Rubbing at the lump that was already starting to form, I groggily looked around me. There seemed to be just as much light in the room as before; no more, no less. My sense of time was completely messed up. It felt like I’d only been asleep for minutes, but I couldn’t tell how long I’d actually been laying there.

I glanced over at Rainbow Dash to see she wasn’t actually up. She was on her side, and had somehow shifted so that my head was next to her flailing back legs. She was mumbling to herself, and would kick out with each harsh word she intoned. I couldn’t make out the words, but she had a smile on her face, so I assumed it was a pleasant dream she was having.

I laid my head back down and sighed. Within seconds, my breathing was returning to the slow, deep pattern that heralded the sweet return to sleep. I thought I could hear mumblings other than Rainbow Dash’s, small whispers that resumed only when I laid back down, but figured I was imagining them.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

The next time I awoke due to the sounds of movement. I cracked one eye open, a little annoyed at whoever was interrupting my beautiful dreams about waterboarding at Saguaro Lake with my family. We’d gone there for my birthday, and it was one of the few times my entire family got along- especially my mom and I. Needless to say, I was kind of miffed someone would ruin it.

It took me a few seconds of head turning and squinting before I realized what I was looking at. When I did, I jumped away from the blue monstrosity that called herself “Rainbow Dash”, gasping overdramatically.

“Wha?” she mumbled, turning to look at me with sleep in her eyes. “You look like you’ve never seen a Pegasus before.”

“Not one with- you know what? I’m not going to say it. It’s disgusting, it makes no sense, and I’m somewhat amazed that out of all the fandom pieces- ALL of them- this was one of the true thing.”

She rolled her eyes, turning to face me. “You sound like one of those old mares. It’s natural, it happens, get over it.”

“I won’t!” I huffed, turning away. “I refuse to even look at you… don’t you think you can control it? You’re completely ruining a set of rules I made for Equestria right now!”

“… Why won’t you say it?” she asked from behind me.

I didn’t dare turn around. “I don’t know what you ponies call it, and I never liked the idea of it anyway. Just ‘cuz it happens with humans, doesn’t mean it should happen with other sentient mammals. Bad enough as is, trust me.”

“You get it too?” Rainbow Dash asked, apparently excited. “That’s pretty cool! I mean, as far as I know, Pegasus are the only things that get it, but if you ‘humans’ get it too then you can totally relate, and-”

“No,” I told her flat out. “We’re not talking about this. Number Three on the List. Case Closed.”

She poked me in my back. I was stiff from sleeping on the ground, and still pretty pained from the day before, and this whole indecent incident just made it worse. I growled, “Cut it out.”

“No.” Poke.

“Rainbow Dah, seriously, stop.”

Poke.

“Just say it and I’ll stop,” she teased, starting to poke me more and more frequently.

“Fine!” I snarled. “You don’t know how to treat a guy when he’s just woken up, do you?” I mumbled the insulting word under my breath, sure she wouldn’t catch it.

“What’s that? Can’t hear you,” she sang, poking me more forcefully.

“mmhmmphrmmnrrr,” I replied, not moving my lips.

“Oh, come on!” She cried, jabbing me. “You can do better than that!”

“Wingboner!” I cried, whipping around. “It’s a freakin’ wingboner, alright? You have a wingboner, morning wood, the stiffies, whatever you want to call it! Happy now?”

“Very!” she came back, smiling. Her wings were extended stiff as boards behind her, and were freaking me out. “Now get over yourself!”

I spat in disgust. “You ponies, always trying to ruin my List,” I muttered, turning toward the wall to lie back down. “You need to respect my rights as a human being, and not infringe on one right in particular.”

“What right?” she scoffed.

“The right not to be sexually harassed. Because that is what this is. Sexual harassment. You’re supposed to be better than that, as members of a kids’ cartoon!”

“We’re also living things, idiot,” she told me. “Circle of life has to turn somehow!”

I mumbled my annoyance into the rock. “I wish I had Benjamin here right now,” I sighed inwardly. “He would know what to say to make me feel better.”

I went to settle back into a semi-comfortable spot as dictated by my sore body, enjoying the little spat despite the disgracing of Rule Three. Little things like this would keep me from really thinking about what was going on.

The door burst open. I sat up, surprised, as Nahor trotted into the room. I looked at the other ponies- neither Armada nor Flotilla said a word, and only watched him warily.

”Time for the fat pony’sss sssecond day!” he sang out. It was weird when he said something in a sing-song way, because one voice would harmonize with the other a few octaves higher instead of mimicking the same sounds. I also considered just how well the Irish accent would make that sound as a drinking song.

The cell door flew open, and I started stretching while I could. I knew I’d probably be strapped down again, and I needed to get a few cracks in before being unable to move all day.

Rainbow Dash moved into the back of the cell behind me, her morning surprises completely absent. I knew she feared Nahor, whether she showed it or not, so I limped forward to meet him.

”Oh, ssso we’re walking already, eh?” he asked. “In that case, get moving on your own. I don’t feel like bothering with you today.”

“Well then… Who is?” I asked, a little surprised. The sound of hooves coming down the hallway alerted me to the other Nuckelavee approaching. When he entered the room, I was amazed at how purely large the thing was. It was like the Nuckelavee I’d seen before were children, and this guy was their tall uncle. He reached what I was guessing was two feet taller than Gomorrah had stood, human torso included, and his torso’s head alsmost scraped the ceiling. He was spindly, his movements flowed over one another, and he was just all around creepy.

Imagine Slenderman as a Nuckelavee, and you’ll be getting a rough picture of this thing.

“Ssso thisss isss the ssspecial pony?” he asked. His voice gave me the images of spiders crawling over each other for some reason, and I didn’t like it. A quick look confirmed Armada and Flotilla were outright terrified of this new eyesore. They sat together in the same corner, pressed against each other in some vain attempt to feel safe.

“I guess I am?” I said apprehensively, wishing it wasn’t true. Nahor had been bad enough.

He cocked his head to the side, and then gestured with one gangly arm. ”Come. We have much work to do.”

He turned and clopped out the door. I followed quickly, not wanting Nahor to have any reason to injure me further. I didn’t bother looking back, because I felt this was only the true beginning of a long process.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

I had no idea how long I’d been in the Detention Hall by the last day. Days? Weeks? A month? More?

Eventually, I’d stopped trying to count. The sleep patterns weren’t based on a day and night schedule. It was based on the damned Nuckelavee, and whatever they felt was a good amount of time to heal before the next round of torture. Sometimes only a brief respite, other times dozens of hours passed between the outings.

I’d found out the tall Nuckelavee’s name was Charon, and he was the true head of breaking in ponies. Fitting I suppose, since that was the name of the boatman of the River Styx, charged with ferrying dead souls to Hades.

It was also fitting because that’s what it felt like he was doing to me. He was ushering in my death, one experience at a time, bringing me to my own personal Hell. Whether it was more broken bones or, at one point, a hole drilled through the base of my horn to hang me from, his imagination was unlimited. For the hour after hour of experiences I accrued, never was there a repeat- something new was always waiting when they forced me to walk out of the cells. I didn’t like to consider the actions as they were taking place, let alone later on… For years I knew I would be haunted by nightmares of Charon reaching for me, pulling me back into his chamber of unspeakable pain. They never went away within the prison, either.

I would wake screaming from the only act I found respite in- sleep. And nopony would help, offer kind words of wisdom, or even acknowledge me.

That was the worst part of it all- the ponies. During that first experience with Charon, they seemed to have come to a decision to reject me, to outcast me through exclusion. I would try to start conversations, make a joke at my own expense, sing, and even imitate Queen Chrysalis with the hole in my horn in an attempt to illicit any sort of response from them at the beginning.

There was nothing. Rainbow Dash would look like she wanted to say something desperately, but one glance from either Armada or Flotilla would cause it to disappear. I could see neglecting me to save themselves emotionally, I could understand it even. Hell, I might have even taken part in it if I knew someone was intentionally being broken down and was willing to accept it, because I wouldn’t want to be too emotionally attached to that person.

But it was more than that.

They purposefully shunned every single advance I made toward them. Threats, compliments, casual comments, desperate begging, even screams went unnoticed and uncared for. I wanted something from them, some sort of reaction. Even if it was to spit in my face, I would have adored the fact that they were acknowledging me. Acknowledging the fact that I was still myself, that I hadn’t yet given in to the horrors being inflicted on my body and mind, that I was still worth at least the small amount of energy to condescend.

There was nothing. After that first night, Rainbow Dash slept as far from me as she could. When I approached her or the general vicinity she was in, she would stop whatever she was doing and move around me. None of the talked to me, not even once. They barely held conversations unless I was asleep, and even them, it was whispered between the bars to each other.

I’ve never been so… rejected before. I’d felt apart from people during awkward phases growing up, I’d felt like an outcast before, but I’d always had friends, or at least someone to talk to. I’d never been so truly alone.

At least when I was going to commit suicide, I was going to do it knowing people loved me and would miss me. Here, it was like I could die and not a single thing would come of it. Nothing would change, and they might even be happier.

I’d begun sleeping constantly. My dreams were my only semi-reprieve from my isolation. The only trips I would make were to the chambers of Charon, or to relieve myself. We were fed once a day, usually after I was tortured, with some simple bread and water. Rainbow Dash even started refusing to look at me when I was in the cell, though I would see her watch as I was walked out. That was the only time any of them would even glance in my general direction, and they did with these looks of pity.

I felt… a lot of things.

Betrayed.

Insulted.

Repressed.

Broken.

The one who had agreed to be my rock had abandoned me.

It got to the point that I welcome the daily meetings with Charon, because at least then there was some interaction. He would ask some questions, I would scream, and he would continue applying whatever he had cooked up that day for me.

But at least it was something.

When that final day came, I was at the end of my emotional rope. Things were bleak, and I was starting to slip. I couldn’t find any reasons to laugh anymore. Not at myself, the irony of being tortured horribly in what was supposed to be a pansy little girls’ show, or even at Rainbow Dash’s morning wingboners. It had finally reached a point where life had beaten me down to a point where I couldn’t laugh, and that frightened me more than I could ever describe.

I didn’t know how long I’d been in the Detention Hall, because time itself had lost meaning to me. It was only cycles- the cycles of my bodily needs, the cycles of torture and sleep, the cycles of depression. They were the only constants. I knew the exactly number of trips it had been since I’d last been addressed by one of the ponies, though.

Twenty-two. The next, and final, one would make twenty-three.

I couldn’t stand when they came for me. My legs were too weak. The bone in my left foreleg had healed, but I was running dangerously low on nutrients. I hadn’t even been able to walk the entire way back from Charon’s chambers for the last few trips, and had to be carried. This time, though, I couldn’t even stand.

Nahor just laughed, and picked me up in his magical grip. I felt ashamed as I floated out of the room, like I was some vile object on display at a window shop. All three of them turned their heads and refused to look at me- the floor, the ceiling, the bars, each other, anything but me. They would look before, they would pity before, but now they refused.

That was all I could take. I felt something… give. The last wall I had managed to construct within simply fell away into darkness. There was nothing for me anymore, I was less than unwanted, and I finally felt it to my core.

I was nothing.

I was worth nothing.

I would become nothingness.

When I floated into Charon’s eager hands, I was finally the shell they wanted me to be. I was empty inside, sucked of all emotion, and ready to allow whatever happened to happen.

I didn’t scream that last time. I tried to muster care, tried to get my body to realize it was in pain, but it didn’t. There was no reason to scream, no reason to feel pain, no reason to be sad and lonely, happy and exuberant, or anything in between.

No one cared, least of all me.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

When I was lead outside, both Charon and Nahor followed. Usually just one of them would take the newly reformed ponies to Canterlot, but they kept calling me their “best work”, their “finest creation”, a “true masterpiece”. Nahor wanted to see us off properly, and trotted all the way to the north gate with us.

I didn’t care. I lacked even the capacity to consider the fact that I didn’t care. The only thing I focused on was getting one hoof in front of the other, stumbling every once in a while. Charon laughingly said that if I couldn’t make it to Canterlot myself they might have to turn me into glue, and Nahor retorted that I wouldn’t understand what that meant. Then they had a good laugh, and continued to chat like old friends.

I distantly wished one of them would talk to me like that. A friend, someone to laugh with, someone to trust… that would have been nice. But even amongst enemies, other than the once in a while tugs on the rope slotted through my horn, I was ignored. The rope’s tugging was at least something.

I sighed as we reached the north gate, and didn’t look any of the Diamond Dogs in the eye. All I saw was their paws as they shuffled out of our way, dragging the gates open or simply watching.

After the gate was fully open, Charon and Nahor patted each other on the backs and parted ways. Charon tugged on my lead, and I followed out of the gate. I heard it slam shut behind us, a deep rumbling sound that I felt echo within me.

Maybe now he would address me? Like a dog, when you have no humans around to talk to? I hoped so, I really did. I wanted acknowledgement, I needed it. I had an emptiness inside I knew should be filled with the love and friendship of others, and it needed to be filled by something.

After ten minutes of walking, he finally did address me. It came in the form of a brutal jerk on the lead which brought me to my knees. I couldn’t describe the kind of pain that comes along with a bone being drilled through and then tugged on, but suffice it to say it causes massive headaches. A skull-splitting one erupted with the harsh yank, causing stars to brighten in my eyes, and I moaned softly.

”Quiet,” he hissed, the first word I’d heard him speak since Nahor departed.

I kept my moaning to myself. I didn’t know why he stopped, or particularly care, but if it kept me from pain then I’d do it. I’d had enough of pain to last a lifetime.

I heard whistling noises followed by some thuds, and felt the ground shake with each one. The bushes erupted around us in color, and something hard hit the back of my head. I dropped to the earth in a dream, unable to stand. My vision went fuzzy, and then completely white. I couldn’t tell if I was on the ground, or floating somewhere that was all bright white. Maybe somewhere in the sky? Somewhere there was no pain? The heat of the white that surrounded me suggested otherwise.

Horrible tugs on my lead brought me back to semi-consciousness, and I lurched to my hooves in order to stumble along with the pulling. It was fast, faster than I thought a Nuckelavee would move, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was the fact that my head felt like it was being beaten between an anvil and a hammer with each heartbeat. I followed the lead as far as I could, but eventually my weakened legs gave out.

Honestly, I was surprised they’d lasted so long.

As I collapsed to the ground, I stared straight up, into the blue sky. I only just then really realized that I was actually outside, that there wasn’t a ceiling to the world. There were no limits. I could float on my back all day long in the clear blue of the sky, sailing between the soft clouds and exploring the world. The darkness of the Detention Hall wouldn’t confine me. I could finally escape.

A large, harsh green blur forced its way into my vision before I passed out entirely. It was yelling something, and I felt the jerking on my lead again, but I didn’t care. It barely even registered; the pain was distant, something only my body was experiencing. I was somewhere else, somewhere no pain could reach me.

All I cared about was the soft, limitless sky, flowing every which way and taking me with it. Floating, lazy, with no need for others, I flew through the sky on my back, swam through it, drank it in. I had the entire sky, all the blue in the cosmos, and I didn’t need to feel lonely anymore. I allowed the white heat to come again, and it cradled me softly with its warming glow.

No more loneliness.

No more pain.

No more, no more, no more.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Two weeks earlier…

The sun was setting over the Equestrian landscape. It was a bloody sunset, one that cast the lands below the towers of Canterlot in a ghastly crimson. In the colored rays of the sun, the rivers falling from the mountain fortress were slit veins, pouring the life force of Equestria itself upon the open plains.

Lazarus stood at the balcony of the tallest tower. He drank in the power of that lifeblood, basked in the final magical rays of the day’s dying sun. The moon was no less invigorating, but each celestial body had its distinct flavor. He preferred the spiciness of the magic flowing from the sun to the quiet power of the moon.

He stretched his arms to either side, and willed his robes away. He wanted to feel the sun everywhere, to breathe its very essence in with every exposed fiber of his being. It was so vitalizing, so unlike the dying Earth he had come from.

”Massster, two of the Elementsss of Harmony have essscaped. The perpetrator wasss caught, and is with Nahor in the Detention Hall.”

Lazarus turned to Charon, grinning in a subtle way. Only the other Nuckelavee could interpret the slight moving of tendons and muscle as a smile, as they were unique in all of Creation. Unique, beautiful, and undeniable in their power.

”Exsssquisssite,” he proclaimed, clasping his uncovered fingers around his underling’s upper torso’s shoulders. “Jussst asss I foresaw. Do you feel it, Charon?” he gestured behind him. “Do you feel our victory approaching?”

Charon fidgeted in his master’s arms. “Indeed, sssir,” he answered. “We will be unssstoppable.”

Lazarus turned back to the final rays of light glimmering in the west, not wanting to miss a single breathtaking moment of energy. “With the human here, we already are,” he stated simply.