//------------------------------//
// When you can't Take the Agony 
// Story: Roses and thorns 
// by LunaMint 
//------------------------------//

I reached out my hoof wearily, and he helped me up from where I fell. I blushed at the sight of his face. He had blue body feathers, and lime green head feathers and tail feathers. I looked into his shining eyes, and felt as if I could stare into them for infinity. 
"Um, Miss, I asked if you're alright?"
I blushed and felt myself shrink slightly. 
"I- um, yeah I... I'm fine."
"Good, I'm Silver Gem. What's your name?"
I was speechless until the words slowly fell out.
"M- my name is Joy."
"That's a pretty name."
I blushed even deeper.
"T- thanks."
"Are you new here?"
"You could s- say that."
We laughed slightly.
"Hey, if you want, I could give you a tour of Mount Aris."
"I- I would like that a lot,"
He let my hoof go and nodded for us to go, and we began to step away.

He showed me everything, from the tallest peak to the beaches below. It was sunset by the time I headed back to Master and Misses. Luckily, the food stands were still open before I went back. So I would have food to cook with, and Misses and Master would hopefully not be too suspicions.



When I arrived in the suite, they awaited my arrival with hungry eyes. 
Silver's tour didn't help much with staying on time.
"Now, where have you been! Slaves have curfew you know, and here, there will be no more 'tree conversations'!"
"I've been getting the food for your dinner!"
I said the rest under my breath, "You ungrateful piece of crap."
"Excuse me, but I'm quite sure the cooking is not our job!"
I scoffed, "Maybe you just don't know how being the goody four shoes you are,"
I did not keep my opinions to myself.  Not now that the light had suddenly returned, as a tiny sliver. 
"Remember what happened to you last time you spoke out of turn!"
Misses gestured to my clipped wings with a point of her hoof, I was so done with them by now. 
"I don't care, do whatever you like! I will continue to speak up for myself! I am not like the others, cowering from the shadows you cast upon us!" 
Master grabbed me by my wings and pulled me to the ground. Misses turned around and picked up a cane with her magic. 
She hit me with it, square in my back. I shrieked in pain as she struck me again. 
"You- can, h- hit me as ha- hard as you want! B- but I w- will not g- give into the d-darkness as I d- did before!"
I screamed, loud enough for the whole of Mount Aris to hear. Loud enough that they would all understand my desperate cries for help. Even with this, Misses was not done with her abuse, she grabbed a knife from the nearby kitchen, and sliced it across my ear and cheek. 
If I didn't give in then, I would be dead. 
I admitted defeat and let out a shriek of pain. I let myself go limp, and lay in a weak fetal position on the floor. This was worse than any pain I had ever experienced. When I looked around to stare Misses in the eye, they both had already left. They just, left me. On the floor. Screaming in my head. Whimpering on the cold ground, as blood ran down my ear and cheek. 



Luckily, even though that was the worst experience of my life, I was no longer caught in the same trap I fell into last time. They didn't come back to the suite for a long time, and the pain had ceased slightly, so I left. I had not a care for them. I would run away. Be my own pony, I- I could do that, couldn't I.

The first priority I had, was getting as far away as possible, there wouldn't be another train arriving to take anyone back home from Mount Aris for about a month. I wandered the kingdom for hours that night, looking for an inn or some pony kind enough to take me in for a while. But I found nothing, I fell asleep in a dark alley, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

From then on I knew, this is what happens when you can't take the agony.