Upheaval: Reckoning
Chapter 29: Unshakable Loyalty
A couple of days had passed since Hashymissa's group successfully captured Scarlet Rabbit, and the coatl pony. They made their way south as stealthily as possible, holing up during the day, and traveling cautiously at night. Though the slaves she picked were all pegasi, Hashymissa had them stay on the ground to avoid the aerial patrols.
It didn't take long for them to notice an increase in those patrols, slowing progress. It helped that their “ally”, Longstride, was on a lookout.
By noon, the group had hunkered down in what their map called Ghastly Gorge. They stayed in a cave by the river, disguising the entrance as best they could.
Scarlet Rabbit continued to struggle, forcing them to keep him bound tightly, and suspended from a pole for two slaves to carry. The coatl pony proved more manageable. Hashymissa rode her when they traveled by coiling her tail around her torso, and she had yet to act up.
Indeed, even after all her years of managing Hassyth’s slaves, it was a rare thing for Hashymissa to encounter such a docile, easily-controlled pony. Whenever she had seen it, it was either an Ophidus-grown pony, or a desperate criminal fleeing from Equestria, eager to forget a former life. After the initial dose of Emperor's Tears, the coatl pony knelt, walked, stopped, and turned on command, as if she was a properly bred slave trained since birth. If only all ponies were like this, Equestria would be a productive, well-ordered province in the span of a century.
Despite the initial success, Hashymissa remained on edge. In her lifetime of service to Hassyth, this would be the first time she suspected that she was in over her head. The Equestrian Legion was searching for them with a fervor that could only mean that they had taken some important ponies.
If she had been allowed to decide, she would have refused to do this based on their method of infiltrating Equestria alone. Too much depended on their mysterious benefactor. If this Black Rose decided to abandon them now, her group would be stranded in the middle of a nest of very angry ponies. She didn't put her master above being blinded by the prospect of recapturing Scarlet Rabbit. For all their power and influence, the coatls were a superstitious lot. Hassyth’s fortunes began their decline when he lost his prize racer to a Legion raid. Gaining him back had to be the signal for their return.
As the one to do all the work, Hashymissa wasn't as excited by the prospect. She also didn't like that Black Rose's gains in this arrangement remained vague. And those were just the distant concerns. At the moment, one of the slaves, Wild-eyed, had been glancing at the coatl pony whenever he thought Hashymissa wasn't looking.
“Wild-eyed,” Hashymissa hissed. “You fancy the coatl pony.”
“Not at all, mistress,” Wild-eyed replied. His tone told Hashymissa his real answer. He was a strong pony, with muscles showing under his mint-green coat. His dark green mane was cropped short; the standard cut for all slaves. He was a hard worker, and smart enough not to trip over his own hooves when asked to do something. He was starting to show some wear, however.
“I wasn't asking a question,” Hashymissa said. She fingered the whip attached to her harness. “Are you calling me a liar?”
“Certainly not, mistress,” Wild-eyed replied. “It’s exactly as you say.”
‘This one is good,’ Hashymissa thought. “If that’s the case, then why hold back? You might go crazy during the wait.”
As expected, Wild-eyed’s face lit up, though he kept his voice cautious and respectful. “But…but what about…well…possible consequences?” he asked.
Hashymissa smiled reassuringly. “We can always purge her once we get to Ophidus. Go on, relieve yourself. I’m responsible for this mission’s morale after all.”
“A-are you sure, mistress?”
In the blink of an eye, the tip of Hashymissa's whip lashed at Wild-eyed’s shoulder, drawing a trickle of blood. He grunted, and fell to his knees while the other pegasi tensed. The whip was already coiled, and back in its place before anyone could follow it. “Don’t second-guess me, pony!” she hissed.
“A thousand pardons, mistress,” Wild-eyed said. He didn't even dare to nurse his injury under her scrutiny.
“Take her outside,” Hashymissa said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “There’s a niche of rocks nearby that’s hidden by bushes. The sight of you ponies at it is enough to ruin my meals.”
Despite his wound, Wild-eyed eagerly grabbed hold of the chain attached to the coatl pony’s collar, and gave it a tug. Still dazed by a recent dose of Fool’s Cap, she stupidly stared at Hashymissa, who nodded her towards Wild-eyed.
“Does anyone else want a turn?” Hashymissa asked the remaining seven in the cave. Two of them stood up. She took note of their faces of those who stood.
A minute had passed when then the coatl pony suddenly dashed back into the cave. She was breathing hard, and her eyes were wide with panic. Blood had spattered on her back, and wings. The other ponies quickly grew alarmed, but Hashymissa merely turned towards the two who had stood up earlier. “Drag Wild-eyed in here,” she told them. It was past lunch time, and she had a hunger for some fresh meat.
They were soon dragging in the lifeless body of Wild-eyed. A lone arrow had buried itself into the back of his head with its point poking out between his eyes.
“They've found us!” one of the pegasi exclaimed.
“That’s not a Legion bolt,” Hashymissa replied. “It’s from the same weapon that brought down our prizes to begin with.” She looked towards the two from earlier. “Do you want your turns now?” Both ponies shrank back, and went to their own parts of the cave. She looked to the coatl pony. “Back to your corner."
The coatl pony lay her head down by a corner of the cave. None of the ponies around her gave her so much as a glance this time. Hashymissa would have chuckled if she wasn't all too aware of what her demonstration entailed. Hassyth didn't care for who Black Rose was beyond a useful ally who pointed him towards his lost property, but his vipren steward was more diligent. This Longstride was a highly dangerous pony, and he was but a servant. How dangerous was this Black Rose?
When the mint-green pegasus started dragging her outside the cave, the coatl pony was barely aware of what was happening. The world was a fogged up place of dulled sounds, muted colors, and pleasant feelings. She had looked to the mistress, thinking that the snake wanted her to do something. If it meant more of this sensation, she would do anything.
Once outside, things took a horrible turn. The mint green pegasus shoved her against the stone face of the gorge, just by some bushes. When he grabbed her tail, a rising panic beat back the euphoria. She was just about to struggle when the arrow struck.
Hot liquid spattered across the coatl pony’s back and wings as the stallion fell over. At the sight of the arrow, her mind exploded with sudden, familiar sensations and memories: the feeling of cold snow under her hooves, somepony’s blood spattering on her body, the snarl of a monstrous creature, ponies being struck by bolts and, most of all, a crushing sense of failure that gripped her heart tightly. The images cut through the haze of euphoria as easily as sunlight cut through morning fog.
The cave’s darkness offered no comfort when she rushed back in. The mistress merely ushered her over to a corner, then ordered the other pegasi about. The coatl pony huddled by herself, desperate for some more Fool’s Cap, but all the mistress tossed her way was a rag to clean herself up. The coatl pony did her best to reach all the difficult spots, straining her neck at some points. The blood was seeping into her coat, and tainting her insides. She had to get it all off.
The surge of unwelcome thoughts worsened at the sight of the crimson rag. Hot blood splattering across her face, cold snow pelting her back…what did it mean? She looked around the cave, trying to find something to focus her thoughts on. Her eyes locked on to the red pegasus they kept tied up by a far corner of the cave. He squirmed in place, his green eyes wild, and frenzied. They had gagged him so his jaws worked relentlessly against the ropes, and cloth they had stuffed between them. How long had he been like that? Days? He seethed with so much rage that it seemed to rise from him like steam. He caught her staring, and she looked away on impulse.
‘Why?’ she thought. ‘Why am I thinking all these things?’ She clutched at her head, pressing her hooves against her skull to try and squeeze out all the garbled thoughts, the unwanted images and, most of all, the constant feeling of failure. What had she failed at? She had done everything the mistress asked! She was even rewarded for behaving!
“You still want that race?”
"He's nowhere near a pegasus like you, right? You're fast, you've got your Sonic Rainboom and, most importantly, you mean what you say."
She pictured that same red pony saying those words. They made no sense no matter how confident and reassuring they tried to be. In fact, the red pony’s face was accompanied by fear and pressure. He was smiling, but there was nothing to smile about within those eyes. That smile weighed down on her more than when the mistress rode on her, or when the other pegasi pulled on her collar. Sonic Rainboom? What was that? She didn't have anything. She was just a lowly slave.
“Rainbow, has Scarlet…challenged you to a race?”
The red pony’s image faded and the sight of a white unicorn’s concerned face replaced it. There was that word again; “Rainbow”. Wait…was that her? Unlike the previous face, this one resonated much stronger. The images flowed swiftly, a white unicorn with a neatly styled purple mane…whirling blades, a rainbow-colored dress, butterfly wings, and excessive make-up…
‘Rainbow…’ The coatl pony “tasted” the word. Was that her name? It sounded like a name coming from the white unicorn.
"I think it's wonderful that you're staying here again, Rainbow Dash."
Rainbow Dash…yes. That hit the nail on the head. That was her name, not “coatl pony”. She held on to that name as if it were a piece of driftwood in the sea of her muddled thoughts. Who was this white unicorn? Rainbow felt something different with her image; comfort instead of uncertainty.
“Rainbow! You’re hurt! What happened?”
“Let’s have a sending off party! It’ll be fun! We can mix it with our victory celebration!”
Two different ponies entered the picture. A pink-maned yellow pegasus, and a pink earth pony. They contrasted starkly with each other, one a picture of worry and the other joyous and carefree. Both gladdened her for some reason. She felt as if she’d been ignoring these two. What had she been doing before the mistress captured her? Where were these ponies, and why was she not with them?
“How about we pledge to protect this ‘new’ Ponyville?”
The purple unicorn hit another chord. To protect…that was what she was doing. Or…at least that was what she was trying to do. Was that why this crushing sense of failure won’t go away? Had she failed to protect something or somepony? The sight of blood filled her mind again. Blood and snow…why was it blood and snow?
“What are you waiting for? Fly!”
There was another pony, an orange earth pony mare in plate and chain barding, standing alone in a field of snow, and holding back the jaws of gigantic wolf-like creature. A massive swipe and Rainbow’s vision filled with blood. This was it. This was where the sense of failure came from. Rainbow pressed her face against the cold stony ground. Maybe that was why she was here. Maybe this was punishment all along. She shouldn't have tried so hard to remember if this was the truth. She looked at the mistress in a different light; punishment.
“Rainbow!”
It was the same earth pony as before; standing on the street while Rainbow looked on from above. No condemnation showed on the earth pony’s face, just a genuine sense of acceptance.
“Stay with us tonight!”
The words struck Rainbow hard, harder than all the others. The confusion shattered at the blow. No, this wasn't punishment. Nopony inflicted this on her for any reason. Not Applejack, not Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy or Pinkie. She saw things clearly now. She had stupidly taken on Scarlet’s offer to race, then flew over to the edge of Canterlot, where both of them got easily taken down, and captured. She stared at the snake-monster that had captured her. This thing was no executioner. It was just some cowardly reptile taking advantage of a bad decision. She tensed, ready to charge into the snake, and fight her way out.
‘No!’ The haze of confusion had made it so hard to think that being able to was like being able to breathe after almost drowning. She was weak from carrying this snake all night. If she charged, she would easily be repulsed, and subdued. Even if she did make it out, there was still the sniper that had captured her in the first place, and killed the pegasus stallion earlier.
“What are you looking at, coatl pony?” the snake monster asked. “Do you need something?”
Rainbow looked meekly away. She had broken through their hold, but they shouldn't know that. If they saw that their poison wasn't working, they’d double the dose. Better to pretend that she was just some meek little slave, and look for a way to escape. She had to brace herself when they used more of that stuff that caused her to forget what had happened in the first place. She was not going to be led around anymore.
Night eventually settled, and everyone was on the move again. To Rainbow’s fury, the snake monster coiled its tail around her torso, and rode on her again. Its scales chafed against her wings, and its oppressive weight bore down her back. Her still-bandaged flank ached with each step.
“Put some spring into those hooves, coatl pony, I intend to get us to the edges of this Heartland before sunrise,” the snake monster hissed.
Rainbow grit her teeth, and nodded. The moonlight was bright enough to let her see her surroundings. At once, she saw an opportunity. It seemed that she had been acting so meek and obedient when they had her muddled up that they didn't pay a great deal of attention to her now. Her rider was more concerned with the where they were going while the other pegasi were distracted with either trying to keep up, or searching the distance. They must be trying to catch a glimpse of the sniper. Out here in the open, they were all sitting ducks.
‘So you like my mane and tail so much, huh?’ Rainbow thought. She remembered the humiliating “inspection”. When no one was looking, she pulled out several strands from her tail. ‘Let’s see how pretty you think they are when they lead my friends right to you!’ She scattered the hairs around some bushes she was passing through. All throughout the night she was going to do this, even if she had to pluck her tail bald.
From his spot, Longstride watched Rainbow Dash with renewed interest. He had been wrong about this mare. She hadn't died in the first few hours. Things were also not going as badly as he expected them to be. During the last few days, Rainbow Dash had been behaving exactly as he expected: as a shameless pony slave without a thought in her head. Ophidite drugs were potent substances, even for hardened legionnaires from the south, let alone for an unexposed chosen mare. Still, Longstride wrinkled his nose at how easy it was for Hashymissa to control who was supposed to be the bearer of the Element of Loyalty. On the third day, he was on the verge of just shooting her when something strange happened.
One of the slaves led her out of their hiding place for some worthless reason or another. It should have been inconsequential. He should have just let it happen, and observed how she handled it. If she was strong, she would survive, if she was weak, she should die. That was why he devised this method to begin with.
But Longstride hadn't just observed. The next thing he realized, the arrow was already leaving his bow. The stallion slave was dead in an instant, and he was berating himself severely. He had provided his assignment with undeserved help, all but compromising the result of this test. It couldn't be helped now. He hoped that his mistress wouldn't be too displeased with his botching that part.
However, the result had given him pause. He saw the gleam of recognition in Rainbow Dash’s eyes when she saw his arrow strike. He had triggered something, and that was when he knew that his failure was serious.
“Longstride,”
Longstride stiffened when Black Rose's voice came from his collar. “Yes, mistress,” he replied, his tone neutral.
“I felt a flash from the Element of Loyalty. Has something happened to Rainbow Dash?”
Longstride’s lips twisted. “Yes,” he answered. “It is difficult to tell exactly what, mistress, but something has been triggered.”
Black Rose’s voice took on a pleased note. “Isn’t it wonderful?” she asked. “The pony you had so little faith in is the first to show some mettle! Don’t you just love it when expectations are shattered?”
Longstride frowned, but said nothing. It was true that his expectations were shattered, but that was easy when he expected nothing. Half a minute of silence passed before Black Rose spoke again.
“What’s wrong, Longstride? You should be happy. You can boast to the other thorns that your test proved most effective.”
“Loyalty is the virtue even dogs excel in,” Longstride replied. “But you’re right, mistress. I am glad to know that one of the key figures in saving Equestria is, at least, on the same level as a dog.”
“Our favorite rainbow pony is finally growing on you,” Black Rose said. “Once she returns to her friends, you ought to apologize to her for shooting her cutie mark.”
“As you wish, mistress.”
“I assure you that, when that time comes, it won’t be my wish that will motivate you. Keep up the good work, Longstride.”
Longstride’s collar device fell silent. He let out a long, controlled exhale as Rainbow Dash's captors made their way out of Ghastly Gorge. He didn't see the reason for apologizing, whether it was for shooting Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark, or forcing her to endure a small taste of what Ophidite captivity was like.
This was to be expected. For all his enhanced vision, he failed to see many things that his mistress did. He doubted that the rest of his fellow thorns did either. Sablesteel certainly wasn't shy about expressing her doubts. Lion Court may prance and posture, but he was just in the dark as any of them. As for the new recruit…she was no proper thorn until she completed her first mission.
Longstride silently glided to the next perch as Rainbow Dash moved farther away. It was a difficult balance of distancing that he had to accomplish as he was also keeping track of another group of ponies. A couple of Special Operations squads had gone in the right direction, and were moving dangerously close to Rainbow Dash’s captors. He had considered eliminating them, but decided against it. They were the means by which Rainbow Dash might actually survive this test.
‘Interesting, it almost seems as if I want to see her succeed.’
Longstride shook his head. No, that was asking for too much. A single “flash” from the Element of Loyalty did not mean much. It was a hopeful sign that Black Rose eagerly gambled with. That his mistress had always succeeded with her gambles should not be considered. There was a first time for everything, especially when one tempted fate.