Kyra stared at Starlight Glimmer, sympathy and pity taking hold of her heart. For the past three days, she had watched this mare suffer at the hands of the diamond dogs, while she had studied their behaviors to find weaknesses she could exploit. during that time, she had observed Starlight being starved, beaten, whipped, and even denied food and rest. Despite knowing what she had done to other ponies, watching her toil in this awful place had without a doubt been one of the cruelest and saddest things Kyra had ever seen. No living creature, pony or otherwise, deserved to suffer this much. So when the time had come for her to rescue the mare, Kyra had been more than eager to beat the ever-living shit out of the diamond dogs, leaving the entire colony unconscious in the caves and tunnels above - and, just to spite the miserable wretches, she'd stolen as many gems from their stash as her money pouch could carry, before tipping the rest into a deep crevice. Even the fact she had suffered an injury during the fight was negligible - Kyra would have gladly done it over again if necessary.
"My name is Kyra," Kyra said at last. "I came here to free you."
While it wasn't the real reason Kyra had originally come here, she didn't care. Whatever Luna had said to her before no longer mattered. All Kyra knew was she had to get Starlight out of here and get her to a doctor as quickly as possible.
From inside the folds of her cloak, Kyra lifted a key attached to a rope over her head. Within seconds she had unlocked the cell door and had stepped inside. Remembering how cold the caves were, Kyra pulled off her cloak and helped the bewildered but grateful Starlight into it.
"Can you walk?" Kyra asked.
"I..." Starlight answered weakly. "I'm not sure."
"Here." Kyra extended a hoof to Starlight, who looked up at her, stunned. "Let me help you."
"...Okay."
Starlight took the hoof Kyra offered. Although she wouldn't say it out loud, Starlight was wildly, desperately grateful for Kyra's help. The two ponies left the cell, with Starlight leaning on Kyra as they began to climb the steps. Once or twice Starlight nearly slipped on the uneven surface of the stairs, her exhaustion becoming all the more apparent to Kyra with every step. But Kyra was patient, muttering low words of encouragement until finally, they emerged onto the floor above, with Starlight panting heavily from the exertion.
Still, as exhausted as she was, it would be impossible to miss the sight that waited for them. Starlight's jaw fell to the floor as she realized that the entire diamond dog troop had been decimated. All of them now lay on the ground, their bodies bearing black and purple bruises with their armor cracked and dented - an indicator of how formidable a fighter Kyra truly was. If what Kyra had said was true, she had done it all to save Starlight from this place.
The realization was staggering. Starlight had never known anyone willing to risk their own well-being for the sake of hers. Yet Kyra - a stranger whom she had only known for a few minutes - had seemingly done it without a second thought. It was almost enough to make one swoon on the spot - if Starlight had been the swooning type, that is.
"You'd better climb onto my back."
"Eh... what?" Starlight said distractedly, not sure if she'd heard right. "Sorry?"
"I'm worried you might collapse if we keep going like this." Kyra indicated the fact Starlight still had one foreleg around her shoulders for support with a hoof. Embarrassed, Starlight quickly pulled her foreleg away, confused as she felt a sudden warmth in her face.
"Oh. Right." Great Faust, what the Hell is wrong with me?
Kyra knelt down on the dusty cavern floor, while Starlight clambered somewhat awkwardly onto her back, linking her front hooves around Kyra's throat.
"Hold on tight now," Kyra said to her, as she began to walk surprisingly quickly. Her stride was smooth and firm, hardly making a sound on the floor or jostling Starlight at all as she broke into a trot, heading for the exit. With how gracefully she moved, Starlight couldn't help feeling impressed. "Now, let's get you out of here."
.....
After several hours of navigating through the caverns, Starlight and Kyra felt a surge of excitement as up ahead, they could see the light of the setting sun shining into the mouth of the cave.
"We found the way out!" Starlight said.
Seconds later, she had burst into tears. Kyra said nothing, but there was a kind smile on her face as she carried Starlight out into the open air. As soon as Kyra's hooves touched grass, Starlight leaved herself off the mare's back and sank to the ground, pressing her face into it.
"I'm out!" she said. "I'm free!"
She lay in the grass for some time, content to let the breeze wash over her, banishing the dark memories of her captivity. Kyra let her, content to let Starlight revel in her newfound freedom. As the sun sank lower however, she reluctantly when to Starlight's side and nudged her.
"Come on," she said. "We should find somewhere to shelter for the night."
"Okay," Starlight said, smiling for the first time in what seemed like forever. Soon the smile gave way to a laugh, clear and beautiful as it echoed through the quiet woodlands that surrounded them. For a moment Kyra stood still, spellbound by the mare before her. She'd never heard a laugh like Starlight's before. Somehow, knowing that she was the reason for it made it all the more special. It only lasted for a few minutes, but by that time Kyra had made her mind. She would do anything to see Starlight happy again. Whatever it took, Kyra would gladly do it.
.....
That night, the pair camped out on a riverbank, beneath the shelter of the wild apple trees, with hazelnut and raspberry bushes also flourishing. Much to their delight, the fruit and hazelnuts were ripe for picking, and shortly after collecting a bushel's worth of fruit and nuts, Starlight quickly gorged herself on the lot, while Kyra sat slowly munching her way through an apple and a handful of berries and nuts.
Once Starlight had eaten enough, she stretched out beside the fire with a satisfied burp, leaning against a large boulder.
"Oh," she said sheepishly. "Excuse me."
Kyra just smiled, crunching a hazelnut between her teeth.
"You know, that reminds me," Starlight said. "I don't think we've been properly introduced. My name is Starlight Glimmer."
Kyra nodded, crunching another nut. After a moment's silence, she spoke. She already knew the answer to her question, but she wanted to hear it from Starlight's perspective this time. She just hoped that being asked to recount the events wouldn't upset Starlight too much. "Well, Starlight. Might I ask how someone such as yourself was captured by diamond dogs? I mean, if you don't want to talk about it it's fine!" she added quickly as Starlight's face darkened. "It just seems that you seem to have run afoul of rotten luck for something like that to happen."
Starlight scoffed, and her tone was bitter as she answered Kyra. "Please! 'Rotten luck' doesn't even begin to cover it!" Starlight was quiet for a moment longer, before finally continuing. Rather than look Kyra in the eyes, she instead gazed into the flames of their campfire, her expression unreadable. "The truth is, I was running from my mistakes." She looked at Kyra, and her eyes were sparkling with tears. "I've done some pretty horrible things in my life. At the time I thought it made sense but... I guess I was just angry with how unfair the world has been and was taking it out on ponies whom I didn't even know." She sniffed as her tears fell to the ground, hugging Kyra's cloak around herself as she watched the dancing flames. "But the worst part? I did it to ponies who were innocent, who'd never done any harm to anyone else." She sniffed again. "I'm a horrible person. A monster."
"You know, no one's perfect," Kyra said after a time. Starlight looked at her, surprised. "Look, you've made some mistakes, and that's okay. When we fall, we learn to to pick ourselves up and keep going. I think you're a good person, Starlight. You just need a chance to let other people see it."
Starlight was silent for a moment, letting Kyra's words sink in. You're a good person... You just need a chance to let other people see it...
Maybe Kyra was right. Maybe she could find a way to redeem herself. In spite of everything, Kyra had managed to cheer her up. Starlight dried her eyes with the corner of Kyra's cloak, feeling hopeful for the first time in years. But now it was getting late, and she was too exhausted to think anymore. She stifled a yawn.
"We should probably turn in, now."
Kyra nodded. She was feeling sleepy too. "All right. Rest well, Starlight."
"You too, Kyra."