//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Escape From the Slave Market // by Apple Bottoms //------------------------------// “What d’you think you’re doin, Blue? Lying down on the job?”  The jeering laughter echoed in his head; his right eye was a throbbing firebrand of pain, and everything was dark, disorienting. Dizzy, too; probably from that last kick to the side of his head. He tried to gather his legs under himself as every instinct he had screamed get up!, but he found himself unable to move.  “Aw, little kitty-cat can’t handle ship life? Does little kitty-witty-pussy wanna go home?” The laughter increased, and the smell of salt water burned his nostrils, intermingling with the copper tang of his own blood. “Sorry about that, kit-cat; no going home to Ponyland. Not unless you wanna go in a box.” The hot breath of his gryphon commanding officer washed over his face, and Blue shuddered, thrashing in the darkness, trying to get away.  “Knock it off!” A distant voice, but sharper than the others; somehow more focused, cutting through the kick to his head, somehow.  “Get away from me.” Blue Cat snarled, thrashing in the darkness, even as he felt the gryphon’s claws tighten around his foreleg.  “I’ll show you what disrespect gets you on my ship.” the gryphon hissed, and a thrill of horror went through Blue; this was the part where he broke his leg. Wait, how did he already know that?  “GET YER ASS BACK INTO TAE BED BEFORE I SHOVE YA THERE MYSELF, YEH MOGGY-WALLOP!”  Blue’s eyes snapped open.  Instead of a gryphon, another pony stood over him, blurry in the candlelight. He wasn’t on a ship; he was inside some kind of building, tall with stone walls and thatched ceiling. He wasn’t lying on a wooden deck, surrounded by briny sea air; he was on his side on a packed-dirt floor, and instead of his eye, his hip throbbed.  The arrow! The train! The pursuit! The little ones - where were the little ones?!  “You stop yelling at Blue Cat!” Well, that solved one question; Watermelon Seed was suddenly between him and the stranger, her magenta tail standing on end as she roared her disapproval to the stranger. Blue tried to get to his feet, but his powerful legs failed him, and he soon landed heavily back on the floor, his hip screaming in agony. Watermelon Seed whipped her head back to look at him, her tiny face pinched with a worry that aged her by years.  “I’m not - you! Sit tae fook down, afore I - och!” The stranger’s voice was thickly accented, and he swore in a sharp, angry undertone, watching Blue’s failed attempts to stand. “Yeh get fookin’ shot and suddenly yeh want tae go on a run around tae town! Yer stupider t’an a -”  “Who are you?” Blue demanded, his voice husky, blinking rapidly to try and bring his eyes into focus. “What’re we - what’s this?”  “Sit still and don’t undo what little healin’ I know how tae do, and I’ll explain!” The stallion snapped, and purposefully closed his eyes, taking a deep breath through his nose. Blue’s vision was rapidly coming back into focus, although the room was still dim; the light outside was fading, and there weren’t nearly enough candles to illuminate the large, empty building. It was far too large to be a home, and something uncomfortable prickled when Blue caught sight of the fourth wall, which was made up crumbled stone. A collapsed, abandoned building; this wasn’t dangerous at all!, Blue thought sarcastically.  “My name’s Sillach; most my family calls me Sil.” The stallion began to explain, and Blue’s eyes darted back to him. The accent seemed thinner now; maybe it came out when he was angry. “I found you three at the edge of the forest. Seemed like those guys wanted to finish the job; I got you under cover until they left, then I got you back here. Wrapped you as best I could. You and her legs.” Sil nodded down to Watermelon Seed, and Blue looked down in surprise, noting the thick wrapping on each tiny, green foreleg.  There was a warm pressure behind him, and Blue twisted his neck sharply, coming nose-to-nose with a teary Tilik. “Blyuu?” Tilik asked softly, and sniffled when Blue brushed the underside of his jaw between his ears, rubbing the top of his head gently.  “S’alright, kiddo. I think.” Blue murmured, and turned back to look at the stranger. Behind him, he could feel Tilik press his face against his shoulder, a bead of heat on his skin. “Alright. Why’d ya do a stupid thing like that? We could be criminals. Murderers.”  The stallion rolled his eyes; orange, Blue noted. They were striking against his greenish-greyish coat, which wasn’t any more flattering on his tall, lanky frame than any other shape. He was sort of like a moss-covered rock, which suited his home, Blue realized suddenly; the rocks used on his ‘home’ certainly looked old and covered with lichen at their edges. His mane was long, pulled back into braids, and light purple. He wouldn’t have been much prettier as a girl, Blue decided. His appearance was odd, but ‘odd’ seemed to be the word of the day. “Ah yes,” the stranger replied coolly, “I know so many murderers who travel with children. Slave children, it seems like. Which brings me to my next question: who are you?”  Blue’s small ears swiveled back in sharp dislike, and Watermelon Seed came a little closer to him again, finally sitting down so she could press on his other shoulder. “They’re not my slaves. They’re - former slaves.”  “That one had a rope on her neck.” Silach said coldly, nodding down to Watermelon Seed. The rope was gone, Blue noted with sharp surprise; it felt like he was one step behind everything, at the moment. “I took it off.”  “She’s - young. Little ones run off.” Blue replied, his tone equally cold. “What’re you so concerned about foals? And why’d you save us? You got an eye for little ones?” Blue growled, and he felt Watermelon jump at his side, nervous of his anger.  Silach’s face flushed hot with rage, and he scowled at Blue. “If I wasn’t a pacifist, I’d break your fookin’ jaw.” He snarled, his accent deepening with his anger.  “Don’t hurt Blue!” Watermelon Seed interjected, her tiny voice octaves above the two dueling stallions’ registers. “He - he saved us! From the bad gryphon!”  Sil eyed her, and released a long, deep breath through his nose. “I’m not gonna hurt anyone. Where did you come from, anyhow?” His voice was gentler now, speaking to the little filly.  “Ponyville.” Watermelon Seed replied softly, curling against Blue’s thick neck more tightly, nervous about the attention suddenly placed on her.  Sil took in a sharp breath, and he stared at her for a long moment in silence. “Ponyville? That’s … gods protect us.”  “I know. It’s fuck-me-in-the-ass miles from here.” Blue replied flatly.  “Don’t swear in front of them!” Sil snapped. “They’re just foals!”  Blue groaned out a little sound of annoyance as he rolled his eyes. “Fine, I’ll make sure the next guy who comes along to haul two little foals across various continents has a cleaner mouth!”  That quieted Silach, and he stared at Blue a little more closely. “You’re taking them home?”  Blue avoided his gaze, and instead looked over the new bandage on his hip. “Not exactly in the business of adopting foals. Gotta get ‘em back home if I don’t wanna keep ‘em, seems like.”  Silach watched Blue in silence for a few moments longer, to the point where Blue felt himself getting annoyed. “Alright ya weirdo, what?”  “I’m wondering what you are in the business of, Mister Blue Cat.” Silach asked quietly, his orange eyes now a dark umber as he considered him.  Blue sighed bone-deep, and felt the two shoulder-guardians on either side rise and fall with his breath. “How about a deal; I’ll tell you what business I’m in, and you tell me what business you’re in.”  Silach considered him for a beat. “Deal.”  Fuck, thought Blue.