Both of the bound Mares looked up at their captor. Void was practically shaking with fear, while Tempest simply glared him down. Void remembered what she had been told about the last Equestrian Cold had gotten his hooves on. She had a sneaking suspension that something like that may happen to her and Tempest if they didn't think of something. Void figured she may be able to stall him, while either her or Tempest found a way out. So, she began to try.
"Where are we? What's going on!?"
Cold laughed. "Well, I know you are stalling. And it won't save you. But, I will humor you. We are in my cabin on the Maelstrom Gambit. No, none of your 'teammates' will be helping you. And, I'm going to cut you open, you Equestrian Pricks. "
Tempest spoke up. "How do you know we're equestrians?"
He laughed again. His laugh had know become crazy. It was the laugh Void had heard on the train, and wounded eerily similar to the laughing from Her dream. His knife, still swinging back and forth, was now incredibly close to Voids snout.
"Oh, I know. No one from down here says 'Buck'. Also, I overheard your little, conversation. You know, down in the hold. Plus, even if I didn't know for certain, I may have just done this for fun. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! Now, let's get started, shall we?"
Tempest growled, "With what, you sick B******?"
He grinned like a madpony, which he was. "Oh, you know. Me cutting you open, then healing you. I'm really good at that part; I can revive you if you had your guts hanging out! 'Actually, that sounds like fun.'Anyway, Rinse and repeat as needed. Up until I get bored and just throw you off my ship. Now, no more stalling. I'm just giddy with anticipation!"
He calmly trotted over to the Bound Void, his curved knife held in his aura. Now that she was closer, she got a better look at the knife; needless, it hasn't made her any less terrified. It was wickedly curved, almost resembling a sickle. The back end had a serrated edge, and the whole thing seemed to radiate heat. She then noticed with horror why: the whole blade was glowing, like it just came out of a forge. He then leviated her upright, so that the knife was level with her underside, one of the few places Void was completely void of marks. He whispered in her ear,"'This will hurt you, a LOT, more then it will me.'" Then, he shoved the point into the lower part of the barrel, back by her gut.
Agony coursed up her body, every nerve in her body screaming out in pain. The blades that gave her her long, jagged scars, had nothing on this. The blade was wearing hot; it was as if the heat of the desert was focused on this one blade. He then used the serrated end to rake across her barrel, pain coursing throughout her body. When it seemed like it would never stop, he pulled the blade free. Void looked down at the wound.
Fortunately, most of the wound was cauterized by the heat, but some blood still found its way out. The green aura around her tell away, and she dropped to the floor. Fresh pain shot through her, and she heard a wet *Squish*. Looking low again, she saw what had made that noise.
It was her intestines.
Her guts had spilled out of the wound. The sausage looking organ was still part in, part out of her body. Every cell in her body began to scream one thing: Kill me! Her body seemed to realize that this was it. There was no way she could naturally heal from this injury. And that the only way to end the pain was to end her life. Fortunately, she saw Colds horn begin to glow.
Then, her innards flew back into her body, and the wound began to close. It was not, however, a pleasant feeling, like the healing magic she was exposed to before. This one felt like she was being stitched back together. Which, in hindsight, she was. Soon, she was more or less good as new, save for the new scar on her lower gut. The soreness and pain didn't leave either.
As she sat on her haunches, clutching her gut, Cold Bit went over towards the equally bound Tempest. He slide the knife into a metal scabbard, and levitated over a piece of bronze. Brass hooves. Void looked over at tempest, both not wanting to watch, and also unable to look away. While she did, she also took in tempest, who had been stripped of her armor. She had a muscular frame, more reminiscent of a Earth Pony then a Unicorn. She also caught sight of her cutie mark: A broken horn, shooting Blue sparks.
Cold slid the hooves on, then seemed to study Tempest. Tempest tried to struggle, but Cold held her in his aura. He then raised his hoof, and brought it down in her face. Blood shot from it like a geyser, and what Void thought was a piece of her tounge. Or maybe, a tooth? It didn't matter, as he raised it again, and struck her again. And again. And again. And again; over and over, getting progressively faster.
As he did, he continued to laugh. He was enjoying this. It was like this was reading pointless books for Twilight, or making dresses for Rarity. Now is not the time. I am not one of thrm, no matter what he says. Void continued to struggle against her bonds. But they were made of thick rope, and seemed to tighten as she struggled. Void looked back over at Tempest, to see that Cold was done.
Tempest face was a bloody mess. Her jaw hung by a thread to her face, and blood leaked from many wounds as high up as her nose. Then, with a swirling of Colds green aura, it began to close. It was actually kind of....cool? To look at. Faust, my time out here has made me so morbid. Eventually, with much wincing and gurgling from Tempest, she was healed. Sort of. Like void, she had a reminder of it. In this case, a series of lacerations along her jaw area, so it looked like a Hayburger someone had thrown in the sand.
Cold seemed satisfied. "Well, I'm satisfied for now. You two rest up; I'll be using you as punching bags bright and early tomorrow. Ta-ta!" And with that, he left the small room they were in, shutting and locking the door behind them. With their front hooves bound, it wasn't like they could get far. Both looked over at each other. And for the first time she had known Tempest, which admittedly wasn't long, she was true fear in her eyes.
Both took hours to fall asleep. And neither had any booze, or anything else, to stave off the demons of sleep.