//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: My Little Pony: Exodus 
// by HunterBrony101 
//------------------------------//

5 years later.....In Egrypt, the pegasi suffered greatly in their bondage, as they slaved away, they sang of the toil and pleaded for Amalthea to save them...



In the palace, a griffon official approached the griffon ruler with a report regarding the slaves. 

"Great Seti, we've worked the pegasi harder every day, yet they thrive." 

"Excellent! Where is Luna?"

Luna then came into the throne room right on cue.

"Ah! There you are~ How are you Luna?" Seti asked with a smile.

"Good. Seti, there's something important I need to tell." 

"What is it Luna?"

"The number of pegasus ponies has grown larger by the day."

"I see...." Seti said showing concern.

"If this keeps up, they could start an army and overthrow us." Luna stated.

"Hmm....well, we should make sure that does not happen."

"We could send the guards to find every newborn male pegasus and throw them into the Nile River." A griffon advisor suggested.

"Hmm....brutal...I like it; how is Hurricane doing?" 

"He's fine." Luna said casually. She was also shocked at the idea of filly newborn foal, but she spoke not a word in fear of being executed.

"Good; so let us enact this idea." Seti decreed.

So, the griffon guards did as Seti ordered and took the newly born foals of the slaves, at their great anguish.

"This shall keep them in line~" Seti chimed in dark joy.

Among the pegasi was a mare named Jochebed whose husband was named Amram. They had two foals: A filly named Miriam and a colt named Aaron. One day, she gave birth to a colt, but she was not going to let him die. She hid him for 3 months. When she could no longer hide him, she fashioned a basket out of bulrushes, waterproofed it with pitch and hid the basket among the reeds of the Nile.

"May Amalthea guide you my son." Jochebed said softly as she let her son drift away and to his destiny.

The basket floated out into the river. Miriam followed it wondering where Amalthea would guide her baby brother. Meanwhile, Tuya was coming down to bathe in the Nile when she noticed a strange basket floating near. 

"What is this?" Tuya inquired as she opened the basket and found a weeping baby colt, and... She took pity on him. 

"Aw~ There there little colt~" Tuya said to sooth the foal.

Luna who saw the whole thing felt sorry for the colt as well.

"It is most precious, what shall we name it?" Luna asked.

"Since I drew him from the water, I will name him....Moses." Tuya answered.

"A good name." Luna agreed.

So, Moses was raised as a Prince of Egrypt alongside his griffon brother Ramesses and his griffon sister Bithiah. Moses and Ramesses were close as any brother were. They would learn the ways of ruling a kingdom together as well as practicing combat. At times, they could cause mischief around the palace, especially when it came to chariot racing, Moses now 8 and Ramesses 11.

"Hey keep up!" Moses called to Ramesses.

"Second Born, Second Place!" Ramesses retorted in celebration as he rode ahead,

"Hardly!" Moses shouted back as he speeds up to catch Ramesses.

But by racing, they wrecked a monument that was currently being built...Seti was quite upset. 

In the throne room the two were summoned by their irritated father. 

"Why must you two be so reckless?!" 

"Forgive me Father, It was all my Idea." Moses stated.

"I understand such actions would be dismissed but THIS? This is something you know better than, Ramesses." 

Ramesses hung his head before answering, "Yes Father."

Seti sighed then and in a softer tone said, "Rameses you are my heir, I need to know you will be responsible enough to handle ruling the kingdom."

"I understand." Rameses replied.

"Good..now go on...that is all." 

Rameses then left the room leaving Moses and Seti alone to talk further.

"Father, you know it was my fault. Must you be so hard on him?"

"Moses...You do not bear the same burden as he does...You will not know the weight of being a ruler." 

"All he cares about is-...Is your approval, I know he will live up to your expectations; he only needs the opportunity."

"Hmm....Let me think on that."

Moses nodded to his father out of respect and left his father, when Moses had left Seti sighed tiredly.

Elsewhere, Moses was sowing a sack while whistling a melody when he found Rameses in a usual place he liked to be when seeking solitude.

"Well, that went well. Rameses? Where are you?" Moses called out knowing he was nearby.

Rameses was sitting by a statue surely enough.

"Ah there you are." Moses said with a smile.

"Why do you always get us in trouble?!" Rameses snapped at him.

"It is not like I try to!" 

"Figures!" Rameses said rolling his eyes.

"Come on, don't be like this.."

"You're always looking for fun." Rameses said flatly.

"Aren't you too?" 

"I'm trying to learn to be a great ruler, to be ready for when Father passes on." 

"Doesn't mean you can't have a little fun." Moses reasoned.

Rameses simply turned his back to him.

"Come on loosen up Rameses." Moses said trying to cheer him up. 

"With that sort of attitude, how can you possibly be a true prince?!" Rameses squawked, then walks off leaving a stunned Moses alone.

Moses sighs then walked off, Moses soon sat by the bank of the Nile pondering Rameses' words.

"Maybe he is right...but no, a little fun is alright, isn't it?" 

Then a Ramesses hallucination in his mind snapped at him parroting what he said earlier and something else he said, "With that attitude how can you call yourself a Prince?! Moses isn't even a griffon!" 

Moses cringed and sighed at that statement as just then, Hurricane walked up. Moses notices him and responds. 

"Ah Hurricane! May I speak with you?" 

"Of course."

"I have questions about being a prince…"

"Tell me." Hurricane said sagely.

"How do I act like one? Ramesses says I do not have the right attitude to be one...I have fun too much…"

"I suppose you're not taking your responsibilities seriously."

"Seti says I am not in line for the throne...So why be so serious if I will not be king?" 

"Even if you're not the heir, you still need to take things seriously."

"I suppose I should...But what is wrong with enjoying yourself?" Moses sighed looked perplexed.

"You can still have fun, just not so much." Hurricane advised.

"That makes sense…" 

"There, problem solved." Hurricane said with a soft smile.

"I can try…"

"I know you can."

"Thank you Hurricane."

"Anytime, happy to be of help."

"What brings you out here anyways?"

"I felt like getting fresh air. Also, I heard your little argument with Ramesses."

"You did?" 

"Yes."

"Ramesses does need to have a little fun though...I mean well."

"I also heard him say you were not a griffon."

"I heard that too.."

"Well I should tell you....He's right." 

"I know I am not a Griffon…But-..." 

"You feel a like there's a missing part of you." Hurricane filled in.

"Perhaps...." 

"Here's some advice, there is somepony in the area called Goshen who might help you know more about yourself."

"Where do I find Goshen? How do I find this pony?"

Hurricane told Moses how to find Goshen and how to find the hut where the pony lived.

"Thank you." Moses said as he walks away. That night, Moses put on a cloak and traveled to Goshen. 

Moses looked around when he saw a filly gathering water from a well.

Moses walked to well when the filly saw him.

"Oh, greetings your Highness."

"Hello. Do you know where Goshen is?"

"It's around you, this is where I live." 

'Oh...." Moses said looking around, "I was told by Hurricane that I was to find somepony, or something here."

"He did?" 

"Yes."

"Why so?" the filly asked.

"I was told it would teach me how to be a Prince."

"Don't you learn that in the palace?"

"Apparently not fully....I have the wrong attitude my brother says…"

"Wrong attitude?"

"Apparently I like to have fun too much…" 

"I'm not sure you can learn royalty from a slave."

"Neither do I...." Moses sighed, "I wonder why Hurricane sent me here…"

The Filly noticed something strangely familiar about Moses but could not put a hoof on it.

"I will leave now, thank you....?"

"Wait!" The filly said stopping him before looking into his eyes, "Could it be.....?"

"What? Who are you?"

"I'm Miriam. You're my baby brother."

Moses chuckled at this claim, "You must be mistaken."

"It's true, come with me!" She pleaded, Moses then decided to humor the older filly and followed, Miriam led Moses to a hut.

"Where are you taking me? What is true?"

"You'll see." Miriam said as she took Moses inside and was greeted by Aaron. 

"I never thought I'd live to see this day."

"Hello....How do you know me beside being a Prince?"

"I can answer that." A mare said from out of sight.

A mare came up to Moses smiling at him. Moses felt like he knew this mare

"Who are you?.....You look....familiar…"

The mare sung a song that Moses seemed to recall as an infant.

Moses looks stunned and asked, "Who are you?...."

"Jochebed, your real mother."

"M-Mother?....YOU are my mother?....." Moses asked in disbelief.

Jochebed nodded softly.

"My mother....a slave?....I knew I was no griffon...But a pony slave?" 

Jochebed told Moses the whole story, from Luna and the griffons enslaving the pegasi to the killing of the newborn colts to her hiding Moses in a basket in the Nile River.

"So that is how I was found?....No...it can't be...you lie!"

"There's a mural in the palace that can show the truth." Aaron said.

Moses looks at them in surprise. "How do you know?...."

"I worked at the palace on some occasions."

"I see....I will see for myself whether or not you speak truth."

Moses returned to the palace and found the mural that Aaron told him about. As he studied it, images of Griffon Soldiers taking the baby colts and throwing them in the Nile flashed before his eyes.

"No.....No.....It can't be...." Moses said staring in horror at the image he saw.

Seti having walked up after seeing him placed his talon on Moses’ shoulder.

"The Pegasi grew too numerous. They might have risen against us."

Moses on the brink of tears then said begging, "Father, tell me you didn't do this.'

"Moses, sometimes, for the greater good, sacrifices must be made."

"Sacrifices?" Moses asked not believing his ears.

Seti taking Moses tenderly into his arms spoke to comfort him, "Oh, my son... They were only slaves."

Moses could only look at him in disbelief and takes off in horrified disgust.

Later, Moses was sitting by the bank of the Nile again deep in thought. Just then, Tuya walked up, Moses does not notice her.

"Moses?"

"Is this where you found me?"

"Moses, please try to understand." Tuya said trying to control the situation.

"So everything I thought, everything I am...Is a lie."

"No! You are our son and we love you." Tuya said genuinely.

"Why did you choose me?"

"We didn’t Moses. The gods did."

Moses was in his room pondering his thoughts when Luna came in.

"Luna?" Moses said seeing her enter.

"Moses, You look troubled."

Moses explained why to her in detail.

"I see." Luna said trying to calculate what she heard and respond correctly.

"I don't know what to think...."

"Just do what your heart tells you."

"I am a Slave Pegasus child...Like the ones you had killed…"

Luna flinched at the harsh and blunt remark/observation.

"What am I to do about that?"

"I don't know. But maybe you should keep your true heritage a secret. If other griffons found out, they might kill you."

"I see...." Moses said looking lost in thought.