//------------------------------// // 2 Forced Labor // Story: The tale of an Armor Lizard // by Fex //------------------------------// My head was ringing, once more, as I was slowly was waking up from my forcefully induced sleep and guess what it hurts like hell. I could hear voices from somewhere close even though they were muffled by something but not matter how muffled it still hurts my head. I wanted to rub my head better but for some reason I couldn’t move my arms … or any of my other limbs as I slowly started to figure out. Opening my eyes squinting from the bright sun that was shining though a high barred window. I seemed to be locked in a small room with chains hanging from the wall from which some, meaning most, were attached to me. I didn’t need to be a genius to see that this room was made to keep something like me or similar tied down. Which mend that there was only one option left for me and that relax and try to hear what was being said. “Ya can’t be serious. ‘Let’s send this bitch to one of the slave camps we could earn lots of bits.’ Sure and who is gonna bring him there, huh? You? You can barely lift a single rock let stand drag something like that along and have you forgotten what happened the last pony who tried that? Everypony got killed in that try but one. Who’s freaking back legs got chewed off and spit out like used gum. No, I say we kill it and sell it in parts much safer.” One voiced said in a heavy tone but mimicked a girly like off voice to mock the other. “Dude, chillex. You’re so negative bro. Just think, this one is far smaller than the last one and we have improved the bindings that only a dragon can crack it.” The other said as if he was on some beach and didn’t sound so concerned. “Alright, shut the buck up. THE BOTH OFF YOU. I got something better than all of that.” A third voice yelled at the other two sounding like he had a plan. Having a slight idea what to expect and I tried to see if I could force my jaws open and chew myself through the chains. I mean they just told me that one of my kind had done it and how much better could these improvements be I reasoned with myself. I put as much strength on my jaw as I forced the braces around my head open slowly causing the metal to groan by the force. The braces were now bend enough that I could open my mouth and lick my dry lips but not enough to chew on anything and in the process I had alerted my captors. From which one was looking at me with a stare that could shatter stone through a small hatch in the door. “Well, well, guess who woke up Mr. let’s-crash-this-town-with-an-avalanche. Because off that little stunt we had to keep off the bone heads all night so that they wouldn’t over run us. So I hope you had a good sleep because you’re the one who is going to help us repair it.” This dark blue pony stallion, which looked like he was taller than me, said as he walked towards me and lifted my head up with both his hooves. “And as you are doing that and dare to escape, bite or do something else I don’t like, by Celestia’s mane, I will neuter you with my bare hooves do you understand?” Only one thing went through me and that was pure terror. For some reason this pony was able to scare me senseless causing me to nod without even thinking about my answer. This made the pony smile and tap my jaw a few times. “I see that there is at least one sort of smart armor lizard among your kind. Good. This will make everything much easier.” The pony said as he left. Not much later I was dragging carts with stone to the steep hill I had fallen from away from the wall. At least they used a crane to lift the stones back on the wall as they were repairing the wall and the pieces they couldn’t use no longer into my cart. I lost count after around twenty times back and forth as the wall was coming closer to completion. At least I did got a good look off the village as I put away smaller rocks and came back with more bigger rocks. There seemed to be around ten buildings all build around a stage off some sort and on the other side was a small pond with whitish water in it. A big tube was laying in it which went through a wall in the nearest building probably a place to remove the big amounts of salt. On my oh-so-much round back towards the wall I was able to get a pretty right description off the place the town was made in. It seemed to be a sort of diagonal hole in the ground around two-hundred-and-fifty feet deep. The walls on the side, along the one I fell from, were around eighty degree but nearing the top it bend inwards to create a ceiling covering the town. There was a path in front of the town going up slope off forty five degree steep. This all made the town a perfect living place because the sun was only shining in the mornings on the town and the rest of the day it was sheltered from the burning heat. Against nightfall we were half way done but it seemed to be enough to stop the walking skeletons for this night at least. They guided me back to that small room by prodding me with pointed sticks and tying me down once more. Closing my eyes as I put my head down from fatigue I felt as if I had beaten close to dead and then some. But before I fell asleep a light appeared around the braces around my jaw and a loud click was heard. By my surprised I could open my mouth and I stretched it from being closed all day. It seemed I had been really tired because I hadn’t heard the plate shoved in front of me and I did the first thing I could think and that was, food. starting to eat as fast as I could tasting the crystal chips and dust only a bit. The small bread and the bowl with water disappeared just as fast. “Dude, I always wondered. Can you guys, like, speak?” A baby blue unicorn colt, looking younger than the other pony, asked from the hatch as he scratched his mane through his white bandana. “Of course I can talk though I am not sure about the others like me. I haven’t seen any other, well not that I remember.” I explained as I looked at the unicorn. “To bad dude, it seems you can’t or I just can’t understand. Oh well.” The unicorn said as his horn glowed a light blue and locked my jaw once more. I was pretty shocked when he said I couldn’t understand me. This probably mend I would go crazy over time because I was unable to speak or communicate with them but my own species. That was my very first time, that I could remember, that I felt this lonely. The next day the routine off being woken up roughly, drag stones to the wall many times, send back to the room, eat and going asleep had repeated once more. But the wall was at least complete but it seemed they wanted to prevent that the wall would collapse once more by an avalanche and made it thicker all around. My day cycle happened for many days in a row as the wall was getting stronger all around till to my joy it was complete. This also made me anguish for my future as I was no longer certain and the thing they said the first day I got here became an option once more. But this day I wasn’t woken up early and I was surprised what I saw. The food I normally got in the evenings was now in front of my face and they unlocked my jaw as well for me to eat. I dug in instantly I always felt a bit hungry in the morning but it wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t work a whole day before dinner. My body probably was used to not eating much and all the time because off the environment we lived in. But I was pulled from my musing as the door opened and my jaw locked instantly by the bright light from the blue unicorn. He stood on the left side off the big earth pony not a small smile on his face and on the other side stood a green pegasus with a scowl on his face. The big dark blue pony boss came closer with a creepy smile on his face causing me to feel as if there was a rock in my stomach. “All right chump, I am going to give you two choices from which you can pick. You can choose to be send towards an outpost closer too Equestria to be sold as a slave, food or a pet.” He said as he lifted his right hoof causing the pegasus too smile in a cruel way. “Or you can choose to stay and work for us by pulling the cart with valuables we find back to camp and maybe just maybe we might let you go when we have enough. Shake to be send away and nod to stay.” He lifted his other hoof on which the unicorn nodded and smiled at me. I didn’t have *much* of a choice its either be transported and you can die or stay work for who knows how long and either be released or be killed. So I did the only thing I thought was right and nodded. Rather a long hard life than one where my fate is cut short. The boss nodded as he left and I was untied and pulled along by the two other out of the building. There a cart was waiting for me with four ponies on it, which I had seen from time to time pulling rocks, waiting for me. They strapped me in front the cart and guided me towards some unknown destination. We arrived at some cave not all too far from the town because in the distance I could still see the hole as I looked back. I did wondered what was inside it that they needed me to pull the cart for they seem strong enough to do it themselves or maybe it was easier to let me pull it. As I waited outside there was one who was always watching incase I wanted to flee. None of the ponies had bothered to tell their names even the nice unicorn but I used the color schemes to remember them. This time I was watched by a white earth pony with a yellow mane that was somewhere the height off my jaw like the most off them. It was probably their average length with here and there a pony that was taller than average like the boss. But as I was getting bored they came out of the cave with lots of items all seem to be made of valuable materials from simple things like ores to fully crafted items like bowls made from every precious metal and stone you can imagine. They only made a few trips back and forth before we left the cave behind on our way for the next cave. Its content was not much for I didn’t need to pull much extra weight. We drove in a circle around the town allowing us to go back when needed fast. For some reason they didn’t dare to go further away probably to do with the skeletons moving around and I agreed with them. As we were about to return we came across an another cave and there were probably enough treasures inside to fill the small layer we had now but it was getting late and within an hour or so the sun would be gone. The group was arguing if we should go in or not. “We have to hurry we are running out of time!” One seem to shiver “You know that we might never see this cave again for the area changes every night and who knows if we ever see it again.” The other argued. “But the dead! have you forgotten what happened with the first patrol few groups when we came here not so long ago?” A third sided with the first. “Of course not but if we hurry we can go in there, grab what we can and leave. This entrance seems big enough that the cart can be pushed in backwards allowing us to do it much faster.” The fourth one reasoned as he already moved towards the cave. “But? … Fine.” The two who didn’t want gave in. I was being guided backwards by one of the scared ponies who made sure I didn’t get stuck or hit something on my way. The other three I could hear talking in the distance as they seemed not being able to shut up. As we reached the main room I was amazed by the sheer size of it and I would almost think someone had made this but there were no tool marks what so ever. Items were being piled in the middle by the ponies as they went into many of the what seemed to be small rooms probably used as living space by whoever used to live here. The pile they had collected was already big and they had just started. “It doesn’t fit anymore. It keeps falling out.” An annoyed grunt was given behind me as he tried to push a big gem into the cart only to have it roll off once more. “Can’t the lizard like create a few baskets with rocks and carry it like that?” The one who had been guiding me backwards and had been watching for danger asked. “Dude, you’re a genius I could kiss you. Alright do your thing and create baskets.” The one with the gem said as the watcher made a gagging sound. The metal bars on my side were removed from the cart allowing me to move with them and be reattached easily after doing what they wanted me to do. But there was one problem I had no idea how to do that what they wanted to let me do. But because I couldn’t talk I had a problem telling them that so I did the first thing I could think off to let them know. Slightly tilting my head to the side. “Don’t tell me. For the first time we find a Armor Lizard who is smart enough to follow orders but is so stupid that he doesn’t know how to use his own natural defenses?” He asked as he face hoofed himself. “Alright try this. Go to the wall and rub your side against the wall and think of many little claws on your skin that grab and mold the stone in the shape you want it.” The third one advised as he made a couple of hoof signs trying to explain what he was saying. I gave a soft shrug and tried what he said I should do. I pressed my body against it but nothing happened so I started to move up and down. Still nothing. I got annoyed as I scratched the wall with my claw creating great gashes on it as if it was made of paper. But I expected it to fall on the ground but for some reason I clung to my claw. I got a smile on my face as I now slammed my body against the wall causing it to crumble and I got covered by the debris and rubble. I was amazed as I now was covered head to tail by rocks which had shaped like a giant armor now I also knew where the name of my species came from. I concentrated the stone and created two stone containers on my side and one on my back and still have enough to keep my head covered. My success was answered with cheers as the four ponies attached me to the cart and started to fill the remaining treasure even though they had barely even started to look through all of the rooms. “Aaaahhhh, get it off, get it off of me!” I heard as I saw that the pony who had been keeping watched had been surprised as he had been attacked from behind. But as if it was a cue from nearly all the rooms came the skeletons and a big group from the entrance as well. The soft groaning and scraping gave me cold sweat and we had to go *NOW*. Running towards the entrance for it was the only way out. I was planning to use the helmet I now wore to bash my way out. But first I had something else to do first and that was to save that pony because no one deserves to be eaten alive. At full speed I ran towards the two and slammed my face against the pony looking skeleton sending it flying against the wall shattering it in a million pieces. Grabbing hold off the pony who had been covered in scrapes and cuts with my two claws because there was too little time to put him in the cart with the others. Because the skeletons were approaching far faster than last time for they were now at speed walking speed. I made a fast turn and slammed head first against the skeleton wall which filled the entrance causing them also to fly away. I tried to imagine that I was digging as he went through it feeling from time to time them grabbing or trying to bite me. The ponies in the cart were using everything they had to keep the dead of the cart and my back. One of them had been casting shield spell after shield spell and from time to time a thunder spell to blow a skeleton that was too big for me to get through. What felt like an eternity might be just a few minutes as we exited and left the skeletons biting the dust. The moon had been over the mountain already meaning that everypony in town was probably thinking we were dead. As we moved towards town we saw many skeletons around and the big ones were walking as well causing what felt earth quakes with every step. Every time one would blink a mountain or a cliff or some other stone formation would appear or disappear. We went the wrong way a couple off time but we had been able to find the town which was still on the same spot so far we could see. We were greeted as hero’s as we reached the gates and entered the town. Unicorns on the watch towers were casting spell after spell destroying the dead ones who followed us too town. I handed the pony who I had been holding towards some medics before I let myself drop to the ground tired. My stone armor gave and dropped against the floor causing the content to spill all over. But there was at least one good thing and that was as I was completely untied from all my bindings that prevented me from escaping. “For what you have done by saving one of us has given you the right to move around without bindings.” The boss smiled before he good a killer look in his eyes and grabbed my chin and pulled my eyes near his. “Don’t make me regret it you hear me.” The boss threatened as he left. “Fine, you’re not so bad as I thought.” The green Pegasus scowled as he said that and the moment he saw my small smile he gritted his teeth. “But your still sleeping in that room.” He then stormed off. The baby blue unicorn came towards me with the same relaxed behavior as first. “Dude, lets party you’re a hero now.” He said as he tried to pull me towards the rest of the town.