Desolate Places Arc
“‘Fear’?” Essenta cocked her head.
The other girls looked to one another; it was a strange statement.
Hagano licked at his split lip, “Yeah… Every village we stopped through… was strange. Like they wanted to have nothing to do with us.”
“You’re a pirate, Hagano… What’s strange about them treating you like shit?”
Hagano laughed at the princess, “Money’s money and treasure’s treasure, kid. I’m sure you’ve traded with ponies you’d never like to deal with… But it was different than that. They were scared of something, the lot of them—Hell they were terrified—and it was never clear what about.”
Delia stepped in, “Scared how? How did they behave?”
Hagano had noticed in drooling passing how attractive Delia was but he took a few seconds to get a good look at her; he didn’t smile when he spoke, “You seem to know something, girl.”
“You could say that,” Delia said coolly. “Were these villagers acting like somepony was watching them?”
“Yeah…” Hagano replied. “Show me the underside of your left hoof.”
Show him what? The other mares didn’t understand.
Delia showed little emotion, “Fine.”
She held up her front left hoof. Sitting around, the girls realized Delia had a brand on the bottom; a small, embellished “M” was visible.
Hagano’s eyes widened; he looked at Delia differently, “So… you’re one of Melchior’s… It’s no wonder you seem to know something.”
Delia dropped her hoof, “That’s right.”
He smiled nastily, “You escape? Or did that asshole actually free you? I’m surprised; judging by your special brand, he must’ve enjoyed you. I’ve seen that more than once in the fillies we moved—the really beautiful ones. Were you in his special harem, or did he just let his stallions fuck—?”
Whoomph!
Spittle flew from Hagano’s mouth; Delia had slugged him in the gut with a lot less restraint than Ama had used to bust up his jaw some. The mares had already gathered Delia was nopony to toy with in such a way.
She eyed him, her eyes stony, “You make another crack like that—about me or any of the others here—I’ll break your wings, tie them around your neck, and watch you choke…”
They couldn’t say Hagano was afraid yet—there wasn’t enough “humanity” in him, probably—but he didn’t appear to want to invoke any more wrath.
Hagano coughed, “Fine… Yes, that’s exactly how all the ponies we met acted.”
“After you and your crew had your fun… what ended it?” Delia sat back down.
“It was weird. It happened about a week ago—maybe a few days more; it’s hard to remember,” Hagano’s breathing from being winded had evened out some. “We were gathering supplies to head back up to ‘Last Chance’. After half the year we had plenty to sell up north, so we wanted to go back.
“The village gave us a warmer reception than most of the others. It was strange, mind you, the way most of the villages treated us; it was nothing we’d never seen before, though. We stayed a while and when we told them we were leaving they insisted we stay for the party.”
“A party?” Delia cocked her head, scowling.
Hagano looked annoyed, “Yeah, a party… with good food and rum. They’d just harvested the last of their sugarcane; they said they celebrated it every year.”
A town celebrating a harvest didn’t seem at all strange. But the girls saw this leading somewhere.
“But you thought something was up, didn’t you?” Delia’s expression was hard to read.
“Yeah…” Hagano shifted, hoping to find comfort in Zyra’s magical restraint. “Something seemed fucked up, so while all my crew—the captain, especially—got totally shitfaced, I only pretended to get that way. Something was wrong…”
“Then what happened?” Delia pressed.
For the first time since he’d had his faculties about him, Hagano looked genuinely ill at ease, “The captain disappeared first. We’d come to know the townsponies pretty well, staying there for a couple of weeks, so it didn’t seem strange they were asking us to come to their homes. They said they had homebrewed booze and old family recipes they wanted to share with us.
“I wasn’t alarmed at first… I was just keeping light on the booze; I was drunk, sure, but I had my wits about me. When they asked if I wanted to try some homemade ale, I said I was fine. They kept asking and I kept refusing. I was only scared when I was the only one left. Our cook had disappeared…”
The girls saw the discomfort in Hagano rise. He was a scumbag, sure, but the terror they saw in him when he was half-awake was real enough; even ponies like him weren’t immune to raw fear.
Delia insisted he continue, despite his apparent distress, “Go on.”
“They finally pulled me along; as to not rouse suspicion, I went along. It wasn’t until I saw… the chains that I was really afraid.”
Delia felt her heart constrict, “Chains?”
“They thought I was really drunk… and they tried to chain me up,” Hagano forced out, finally looking shaken.
It was impossible for Delia to not feel the smallest bit of sympathy for Hagano; she’d remember the day those chains were fixed to her 8-year-old legs until the day she died.
Still, sympathy or not, it didn’t stop her from digging into him, “So… the slaver almost became the enslaved…”
The company easily noted the contempt Delia was showing.
Hagano, whether he registered this or not, went on, “When I realized what was going on, I ran. I fought and ran—as hard as I could. I hid in the woods; they couldn’t track worth a fuck, so hiding wasn’t hard. I had to wait until daylight to even tell what direction I was going.”
Delia was again impassive, “And then you escaped to the desert?”
“First I circled back… stole a few canteens of water and a bag of food from the town. I… didn’t see any of my crew. Once I had that, I figured I could make it through the desert; I knew about halfway through there’s this oasis.”
Delia certainly remembered the oasis; it had her thinking about all those fillies, chained up, sitting around the water while the nine stallions probably had a Hell-of-a-time.
Hagano wasn’t aware of the former maid’s mulling, “I was scared… I wasn’t thinking clearly. The humidity got to me, sapping me. By the time I was in the savanna I was weak; I tried flying… and didn’t make it far. I used up the food… the water… and I walked. Next thing I remember… your little mage zapped me!”
Delia had everything she wanted, “Shut up… You’re alive, aren’t you? That’s more than we can say for your crew… and those poor fillies, most likely.”
Delia turned, “I’m done with him…”
Hagano looked around, “How about something to eat? I’m hungry.”
“You’ll get fed,” Essenta moved back in. “But first—”
Loress produced a chain of their own from one of their bags. Ama hoofed her a steel bar.
Hagano didn’t know what scared him more. Not only did the girls chain him to the wall by his neck, but Loress bent the steel bar around his neck as if it were a branch from a willow, creating a collar.
Loress gave him a nasty expression, “You give us enough trouble, we won’t need to chain you up. Understood?”
Hagano—eyes full of genuine dread—nodded.
“Good,” the Terran mare paddled away. “Just wait… You’ll get something to eat.”
With Hagano fed and watered the girls had gathered outside. They discussed just what to do with Hagano. Considering their food supply, they’d only be able to rest another day before they had to head back to the oasis 300 miles away. And they had to feed and water Hagano.
It was a given they didn’t want him traveling with them—how to keep him away was a matter for another time—and they’d have to give him enough food and water to make the oasis. He could fly, after all; if he was in good shape and managed his water, he could reach the oasis in just a couple of days, traveling at night.
They’d give him a head-start and begin their own schlep back soon after, they concluded. They’d also decline to tell him anything about what had transpired in the big city; they had no problem with him going into town ignorant and they weren’t interested in him figuring out who they were, either.
It was after dark and Essenta was sitting with Loress and Delia on the toasty rock they’d come to enjoy; the princess wasn’t pleased with things, “Oh, I wish we’d just been able to move tonight.”
Loress wasn’t happy about things either, “We need to give Hagano more time; he isn’t showing it but he’s still pretty weak. And I don’t want him riding on the wagon until he’s ready to fly.”
Delia hoofed a pebble, “And unless one of us is willing to deal more harshly with him, we need to tolerate him a little longer.”
Essenta was unmoved by Delia’s unpleasant statement but Loress wasn’t; she frowned at the former maid, “That isn’t funny, Delia…”
Delia looked back, “Oh, believe me, I’m very serious. We need to watch him carefully; I don’t trust him, even chained up. You might’ve scared him earlier, Loress, but he’s just gonna go back to his act since he realizes we’re not gonna kill him.”
Loress grimaced, huddling into her blanket she’d wrapped herself in; the rock was warm, but the air was already frigid.
Essenta sighed, “We give him until tomorrow night. We give him a start after dinner and set out a few hours later. Agreeable?”
The other two nodded; they really were Essenta’s righthoof and lefthoof mares.
The girls were thankful Hagano slept through the night. Essenta had told him what they were planning for him. He was still a little rattled from Loress showing him a taste of Terran strength and took their advice to keep quiet and sleep as much as possible. They’d feed him, water him, leave him to his devices, and cut him loose after giving him dinner.
Hagano behaved himself until morning. It could be said Wilka was very uncomfortable around Hagano. Delia chose to stay with her during her watch over him; they always kept eyes on him.
With Essenta and Ama sleeping near the entrance to the cave and Orni—now sleeping, having kept the watchmares company—further in, Dechaa, Zyra, and Loress sat around outside, nattering in the cold.
The girls didn’t really talk about each other behind each other’s backs but… ah, Hell, sure they did.
Up for discussion that dawn—among other sordid topics—was Dechaa’s encounter with the prince of Dagda, the year before, in one of the castle’s powder rooms back in Greendale. Zyra knew a little about it but Loress was hoping to learn more.
Loress shifted in her makeshift seat in the sand, wrapped up in a couple blankets, “I gotta ask, Dechaa… When you gave that prince the hoofjob, did you… use your front hooves or your back hooves?”
Dechaa’s complexion reddened a few dozen shades, despite the chill, “Oh, that… He… didn’t want me using my front hooves; he wanted me to use the back ones…”
"Yeah? Loress giggled.
Dechaa fidgeted, "Before that though... he... had me lie down and he... well, he licked and sucked on my back hooves... a lot."
Zyra was eating this up, fit to bust.
Loress cringed, her face showing horrified amusement, “For real?! And then you jerked him off with your back hooves? That's so weird...!”
Dechaa nodded, looking ill, “Yeah… it was hard.”
“That’s what she said!” Zyra spurted.
Dechaa slugged Zyra’s shoulder, “Eat me, Zyra… and that joke doesn’t work that way, anyway.”
“But it works anywhere!” Zyra protested, rubbing at her shoulder. “That’s what your brother said!”
Dechaa’s face screwed up, somewhere in between amusement and anger; unsure of what to do, she just went after her friend, “That’s it! I’m finally whipping your ass!”
Loress laughed louder than she meant to, watching Dechaa dive at Zyra; the two mares giggled and grappled, rolling around in the sand.
Their merriment was cut short by some very nasty yelling; something was going on deep in the cave.
Dechaa and Zyra halted their mischief; the three mares looked at one another and sprang up, galloping into the cave. Passing by the half-asleep Essenta and Ama, they came to find an ugly sight.
First and foremost, Orni had hold of Delia. It was clear that while Orni was strong, she was at least rivaled in that area by Delia; Essenta may have spent some time laboring in the Dale as little more than a diversion but labor had been Delia’s life. The former maid easily dragged Orni as she tried to reach Hagano.
Hagano’s face was bloody; his nose might’ve been broken. And he looked frightened.
Lastly, Wilka was curled up in a corner, sobbing; looking closely, they saw she’d wet herself.
Delia was bellowing, “You’re dead! Lemme go! I’m tearing this fucker’s lungs out!”
Zyra reacted first. Encapsulating Delia in a bubble, she lifted the mare from Orni’s hold and pressed her into the wall.
Loress was aghast, “What are you doing?!”
Dechaa wasn’t sure what to do, eyes darting from Hagano to Delia to Wilka.
Essenta scrambled into the cavern, looking panicked; Ama was close behind.
“What’s going on?!” the princess cried.
Nopony answered at once but the situation wasn’t hard to ascertain.
Essenta, glaring around, barked out orders, “Dechaa, help Hagano! Ama, Loress, stay here and help Wilka; keep an eye on Hagano, too! Zyra, get Delia outside! Orni… with me! Now!”
Even without her princessness Essenta could definitely command attention; they obeyed without hesitation.
Essenta led Orni out to the dawning desert, Zyra close behind, levitating Delia.
The princess turned, “Orni, guard the entrance to the cave! Zyra… let Delia down…”
The two mares commanded did as obeyed; they dreaded the next, seeing something coming.
Delia was still struggling, cussing and spitting, but immediately came out of it when Zyra dropped her a couple feet to the sand. As if coming out of a daze, she looked around… and saw the princess glowering.
It seemed a sure thing Essenta was going to lay into Delia and try to kick her little horsey ass up and down the dunes. Orni knew Essenta could fight, personally.
But the princess kept her cool, even if her voice dripped venom, “Would you mind telling me, Delia, just what that was?”
Delia just glared.
Orni put in; she seemed very agitated, “Hagano… he… was pushing Wilka. He… was pushing her buttons.”
Essenta cocked her eyes towards Orni, “‘Buttons’?”
Delia looked disgusted, but not up for a scrap, “That’s all you’re going to say about that?!”
“About what?” Essenta looked to Delia.
Delia was pretty wound up, “About—”
“NO!” Orni cried loudly, stunning them both; she shook and inhaled, giving a ragged sigh. “No, Delia…”
Essenta was now very confused… and worried; just what was going on?!
Delia glared at Orni, “This isn’t right, Orni…”
But Orni insisted, “Hagano got into Wilka’s head, Essenta… That’s… that’s what happened.”
“What do you mean?” Essenta’s powerful gaze fell on the little Knollwing.
Orni looked very young and very upset, “I… I can’t tell you.”
“What did he do to Wilka, Delia?” Essenta felt frantic, looking to the other Earth pony.
Delia’s eyes were so angry they were watering, “‘Did’? Nothing… It’s what he said.”
Essenta’s eyes narrowed, “And you’re not gonna tell me?”
Delia looked as if she wanted to, very much, but was defiant, “I won’t.”
“What the fuck’s going on, Orni?” Essenta jumped ship fast, glowering at the little mare.
Orni, shaking, broke out in a sob, “I can’t say…”
The tears caught Essenta off-guard, invoking compassion; realizing she’d been screaming at her friend, she relented, “Okay… stop crying…”
Delia sat in the sand, very unhappy with things, watching Essenta hug Orni, soothing the little mare, who reciprocated the embrace.
The former maid said to nopony in particular, “This is a big, fucking mistake…”
“No, Delia,” Essenta asserted. “I don’t want you near him again.”
“Let me see him, Essenta,” Delia’s gaze was lowered in a dangerous way.
The other mares looked to one another nervously. It was mid-morning and Wilka was asleep, having been given a “calming” session by Dechaa, who was staying by her side.
“No, Delia!” Essenta repeated.
Delia came in close, whispering, “You don’t understand… You don’t understand what’s going on… If you did… you’d probably kill him now…”
The words rattled Essenta, “What…?!”
Delia was adamant, “Let me talk to him; I won’t lay a hoof on him. I promise you that.”
Glancing back to the others, Essenta knew they hadn’t heard; she turned to Delia, “Don’t betray my trust, Delia.”
The mare had no intention, “I won’t.”
Delia moved past Essenta and the rest. They followed her into the cave. Passing by Wilka, with Dechaa fretting over her, Delia felt her heart seize up again. It only served to harden her resolve.
Entering the cavern in which they kept Hagano, Delia barked, “Hagano!”
He looked up; his face was still a mess but Dechaa had repaired his nose. All of his coolness and guile was gone from his manner… He was afraid, alright.
Delia came up close enough she could smell his sweat; his nervousness smelled like weak pickle juice, “Hagano… the only reason you’re alive right now is my friend over there got hold of me before I crushed your windpipe. What you said to my other friend… it’s unforgivable…”
Essenta and those out of the loop again wondered just what had occurred, but they were content to listen to Delia set things straight.
Delia’s voice showed no irresolution, “You’re going to sit here, quietly until we cut you loose tonight. If you so much as look at the little pink Pegasus… there’s nothing on Earth that’ll stop me from tearing your heart out…”
The air Delia gave off was beyond unsettling.
Delia had a little more to say, “That’s what’s going to happen, Hagano. And I’d die to see it through. Remember that.”
With that, Delia left the cavern.
Essenta looked to the girls… and to Hagano, who’d soiled himself.
She sighed, “Zyra… please clean Hagano up… I don’t want him stinking up the cave. Ama… I want you to watch him first. Loress, if you could get lunch started, that’d be great. Everypony else… get some rest.”
Essenta left the girls to do whatever they’d do and went after Delia. She found her sitting on the rock they’d so come to enjoy.
The princess wasn’t sure what to do. There were still a lot of things she didn’t know about Delia
But she knew one thing: Delia was different.
She could tell.
Zyra had tortured a stallion to death… Ama and Loress had killed ponies too… The rest had certainly fought through their shared troubles. But it wasn’t “for them”, Essenta had realized; it had come close to breaking them, every time they were pushed into such things.
Perhaps Delia wasn’t a killer—Essenta didn’t know and didn’t want to ask—but she was different.
“Essenta…” Delia’s voice jostled the princess from her thoughts. “Come sit.”
She did so.
Delia looked to the sun, already baking the landscape; it was hot.
“Gonna be hotter than yesterday, Essenta…” Delia considered. “We’d best stay inside today, more than we might like.”
Essenta let things sit a moment before speaking, “Delia… I know you and Orni know something… but you’re not going to say what. I’m worried about Wilka, though… Please… is there anything you will tell me?”
Delia stewed for a minute, “I noticed it almost right away, regarding Wilka… She’s got wounds, Essenta… deep wounds… What Orni said… was right, so leave it at that; Hagano got into her head. He led her, and I didn’t realize what he was up to at first. If Orni hadn’t woken up and held me back… I would’ve killed him.”
Essenta felt the wind whip around them, giving all the more power to Delia’s statement. She listened.
“Hagano’s just about the worst kind of pony there is, Essenta… and I take back what I said about not wanting to kill him; we’d be doing the world a service…”
The hard words stung; Essenta looked to her hooves.
“But that’s not what we want to do, Essenta. It’s not the way. He’ll keep quiet, I’m sure… He may take a dig at us when we finally let him go, but he’ll go. If we’re fortunate we’ll never see him again… or hear of him… but ponies like him are beyond saving.”
Essenta still looked to her hooves, taking in the monologue.
Delia stood up, dusting off her tunic, “About Wilka… try not to think about it. She has Orni, so leave it at that. I’d discourage the others going on about it too. It’s something beyond their reckoning.”
Essenta looked up, feeling pretty young and foolish, “Okay.”
Delia began to paddle back into the cave, “Take your own advice you gave the others… Rest. I’ll wake you for lunch.
After a few minutes Essenta stood up and made her way back in. She passed Loress and Delia, cooking, and went on. Zyra and Orni were already asleep. She knew Dechaa would watch over Wilka… just as the dependable Ama would keep a lid on Hagano.
Feeling drained from the morning, Essenta lay down next to Zyra, content to sleep a while.
“I’ve given you a magical tracker, Hagano…” Zyra stared him down. “It’ll never wear off; remember that. If you come close, I’ll know it. If we ever see you again… we’ll just start blasting and consider it self-defense, you hear?”
He heard alright and he nodded.
It was soon after dinner. The mares had brought out their gear and were packing the wagon… and cutting Hagano loose. They were glad to be seeing the last of him.
Dechaa magicked a stone to him, “I enchanted this rock, Hagano. It’ll lead you to the oasis and then to ‘Last Chance’ City.”
“And here’s what we’re giving you,” Zyra pointed to a sack not unlike the others, among their other gear, with a red ribbon tucked in a fold. “You have a blanket, three days of water, and four days of food with a little extra salt in the bag. Our healer insists on giving you an extra canteen with a couple gallons of water, too.”
Dechaa had gotten into an argument with the other girls—in Hagano’s presence—about making sure he wouldn’t run out of water.
Zyra frowned at him, “Don’t dawdle when you get to the oasis; gather food and water and leave once you rest up. Fly at night and it should only take you a couple days to reach the oasis; you’ll be back in ‘Last Chance’ in four-and-a-half or five days with a decent pace.”
With the unicorns’ dire warnings fresh in his mind, Hagano twitched as Loress undid the steel around his neck.
Essenta pointed to the sack with the ribbon, “Take it and go. We never want to see you again, Hagano…”
He glanced across the mares, approaching the sack they were giving him, and smirked.
As Delia had predicted, he couldn’t resist giving them a final dig; he leered, looking about exaggeratedly, “The little pink-and-blonde didn’t want to say good-bye?”
The girls looked to Delia, ready to jump and restrain her, but the messy-maned pony, tensing up, merely hissed, “Fuck off, Hagano.”
Not letting his guard down, he picked up the sack, under the very watchful eyes of the mares, “Well, that’s all fine and good, because I never want to see any of you again, either.”
They watched as he slung it across himself, allowing his wings freedom.
Dechaa approached with one last item, “And take this.”
She slung an extra-large canteen of water over his shoulder.
“Move quickly and stay hydrated,” as loathsome as he was, Dechaa couldn’t help but want to help him.
Taking another look to the girls, Hagano snorted.
“Well, see you never!” he turned to the girls, grinning with his gaps.
“Just get out of here!” Loress scowled.
Shaking his head, simpering, he ran and took off flying, a little unsteady.
Having watched him go, Essenta turned to the rest, “Okay… let’s get packed. Orni… please check on Wilka.”
So, the girls packed the wagon and contented themselves to relax for a time. They had a lot of ground to cover that night.
The moon was already high in the sky when the mares were setting off. Almost four hours had passed since Hagano had left them.
Essenta’s breath was visible as she turned to her friends, all bundled up, “Everypony ready?”
They collectively nodded.
Looking to Wilka in particular Essenta gently asked, “Are you alright, Wilka? Would you like to ride in the wagon a while?”
Wilka shook her head, “Thanks, but no… I think I’m fine.”
Essenta was glad Wilka seemed better, “Very well.”
“Princess…” Loress spoke up. “I wouldn’t mind a snack as we start. When I was packing the bag for Hagano, I noticed the last bag of pears had gone soft. By tomorrow they’ll be mush, with the cold.”
Essenta could do with a pear; there were enough each of them could have one, she remembered, “That sounds nice.”
Ama harnessed up, “I’ll pull tonight.”
“Sure,” Essenta moved to the food-bag near the front of the wagon. “Zyra, could you lend me your horn?”
Smiling, Zyra walked up, lighting up her horn, “Sure thing, Cap.”
While the rest stood by, Essenta opened the food-bag; she hadn’t realized she was just a little bit hungry.
Looking inside, Essenta’s jaw dropped; she sputtered a few seconds, “What the fuck?!”
Zyra jumped back, startled, “What is it?”
Essenta pulled off the bag and upended it. To the horror of the girls, a single blanket, a three-gallon jug of water, and a meager amount of food fell out onto the sand.
Hagano had taken their food-bag.
Essenta was stunned to stuttering, “W-w-w-w-what happened?!”
She shook the bag, as if it still had something in it; of course, it didn’t.
Zyra stared at the empty bag, “He switched the bags!”
The girls felt an unpleasant jolt up their spines; this was… nightmarish.
“How?” cried Loress. “How’d he do it?”
“Did he move the ribbon to the food-bag?” Essenta demanded.
“No!” Ama shook her head. “We saw him take the bag with the ribbon; there was no moving the ribbon!”
“Did anypony move the ribbon?!” Essenta almost shouted.
They shook their heads; none of them would do such a thing.
Loress’s face dawned horrified realization, “He moved the ribbon after I assembled his bag…”
“What?” Essenta turned.
Loress’s eyes were welling up, “We packed his bag right in front of him, Essenta! He knew which one was which!”
“HE WAS CHAINED TO THE WALL, LORESS!” Essenta shrieked. “How would he do such a thing?!”
Loress choked up, “His wings… he could’ve pulled it out and tucked it away on the other bag… He’d have been able to reach it when we weren’t looking.”
Essenta’s eyes reflected the same dread as Loress’s, “And with the jug of water in his bag… there wasn’t much difference in weight from the food-bag.”
The princess meandered a very short distance before falling to her rump.
She turned to the girls, eyes streaming, “And he already knew he’d be getting a couple extra gallons of water with the other canteen…”
The night wind howled, and the little company felt the full effect of its chill.
Hagano had condemned them to the desert.