A Slave From Ponnheim

by reedman

Surviving Until the Big Day

The rest of the day went as predicted. Winger, Nebel and myself were pestered by Casteer about the event as soon as he got there. He wanted to know every detail. We tried our best. However, my focus wasn’t on the event. It was on the aftermath. The masked assassins were revealed. I recognized their accents. Eastern Germaneigh. They hurled insults at Sternenblick and I in the native tongue. We both elected to not translate. All they needed to know, was that they were hateful and vitriolic. The assassins were taken to holding cells to be interrogated further. Despite being healed, Winger was taken to the infirmary for an official checkup. Sternenblick and I took Nebel to their room to rest. Princess Celestia was filled in. Much to Casteer’s dismay, she ordered the testing to cease. It was clear that there were others that knew of Nebel. Others that were willing to cross that line. I knew it was Prinz Fiesling’s doing. I wanted to march to his airship, and strike him with all of my earth pony strength. My anger could wait. It had to. Nebel needed me.

The day was long, and I wanted to rest. I was just about to sleep when I had heard guards conversating outside my room. Which was strange, because I had kept a mental note of the guards’ schedule. They were far too early to be patrolling our area of the castle. I poked my head out to see two unicorn guards. The guards assigned to my door and Sternenblick’s weren’t there.. Winger was gone as well. Something was off about these two guards in their place. Far too relaxed in their statures. The guards around here have been on high alert since the assassination attempt on Nebel. When they went into Sternenblick’s room, that’s when I knew something was wrong. I should’ve ran for help. I should’ve done anything other than follow them. My concern for Nebel overtook my common sense. I couldn’t believe my eyes. They weren’t guards at all! Changelings! They approached the foot of the bed where Nebel was sleeping. I immediately charged at them. I headbutted them pretty hard, and next we were all on the floor. The tussle woke up Sternenblick and Nebel. The three of us had them cornered. I demanded to know why they were here. The changelings told us they were here to bring the magic-wielding human to their queen. She wanted him to join her. I could see in their eyes that there was more than what they were telling. Before they could talk more, guards burst in. They secured them, and took them away. A groggy Princess Celestia came in after the changelings were taken away. She was glad we were alright. Apparently I caused quite a ruckus when I charged them. The guards we were supposed to have were knocked out and dragged off to a closet. Winger was among them. I explained what happened. Queen Chrysalis getting guards into the castle, wanting a single magical human to join her? The princess told us she would make sure to find out everything they knew. For now, she wanted us all to rest up for tomorrow. Nebel and Sternenblick were shaken up. All three of us are sharing a bed for tonight.

The sunrise marked the last day before the meeting of the world leaders. We survived slave catchers, three changeling encounters, and assassins. All to get Nebel here. As he ate breakfast, I felt the pride my father felt when I had graduated the police academy. Princess Celestia was still quite nervous. Fears of another assassination attempt. Sternenblick and I had the some concerns. Winger was still protecting Nebel. We had a castle full of guards. After last night, the guard captain did a full sweep of the Royal Guard. Every last one was checked. No other changelings within the castle walls, besides the ones being interrogated. Her highness told us they refused to talk. She had considered having the meeting cancelled over security concerns. Both Sternenblick and I reminded her the importance that laid ahead. Freeing every human in the world from the clutches of slavery. I suggested that we alert the other world leaders to the changeling problem. They all had their own guards, and the more eyes watching for changelings, the better. She agreed. As much as I dislike them, the world leaders deserved to know about a potential changeling threat.

Given the past week, I have welcomed the boredom of the past few hours. Sternenblick, Nebel and I were simply relaxing in the same bed we had just shared last night. Winger was stationed at our door, and numerous guards were outside of it. We even had a number of pegasi on our balcony. Princess Celestia was taking zero chances with Nebel’s safety. We were summoned to the throne room. The three of us had a slew of guards surround us as we were escorted there. There was a brief moment I felt like royalty. The throne room’s conversion was total. If not for her throne, I never would’ve suspected this was the place where Princess Celestia commanded her kingdom. Chairs and tables, labeled for each country. All perfectly organized to encircle her throne. She wanted to practice her speech, and show Nebel what he had to do. I spent the time chatting up Winger. I asked if there was anything of interest had happened at the airship dock. He told me that things were oddly quiet. Next to no hoof traffic since last night. Oddly concerning. I wondered if it was connected to Nebel’s abduction attempt last night. While we both agreed it was a coincidence, we couldn’t prove anything beyond it. Although it lined up a little too well for my taste. I wish tomorrow will be a quick day. The faster we can put slavery in the history books, the better.

Supper was oddly tense. Not by tension of the princess. I feel the pressure of tomorrow was to blame. There wasn’t much said. A semi-quiet reminder to be up at sunrise. As we prepared for bed, I could see Nebel was still nervous. I asked him if he was alright. He told me he was worried about ponies refusing to give up their slaves. I reminded him that once the world learned about him, those with slaves would have no choice. Once Princess Celestia had the law on her side, humans would be free from a life of enslavement. No more slave runes. No more auctions. No more slave catchers. Nothing but freedom. It seemed to be the words he needed, as he gave me a hug before Sternenblick levitated him into the bed. Tomorrow will indeed be a stressful day, but I have faith that the tribulations will lead to a thousand tomorrows of freedom.

The morning was a blur. Breakfast was quick, and the time up to the big event rushed by even quicker. Before we were to be escorted to the converted throne room, Princess Celestia had a gift for Nebel. Besides some birthday gifts from Sternenblick, he never received presents from another pony before. He excitedly opened the box. It was an outfit. An elegant outfit. It was an all white button up shirt, with sleek pants. She admitted she felt terrible for not doing it sooner. Having him walk around in his old slave rags for the past week. Nebel hugged her, and thanked her at least a dozen times. He ran into the bathroom, and shut the door to immediately change. He looked so excited when he came out. It was a good distraction for him as we were escorted to the meeting. A few dignitaries were already seated, with more on the way. Numerous whispers and glances towards the sight of Winger carrying Nebel. The four of us took our seats beside the throne. Not much longer now. One speech and a display of magic. It was all we needed for humans to finally gain their freedom.

It seemed that fate had one final test for us. Things were going so well. Princess Celestia’s speech about the horrors of human enslavement and how she found the impossible human went off without a hitch. The reveal of Nebel was exciting. The sounds of shock when they saw his magic wasn’t a surprise. The grumbling of a certain front row Prinz Fiesling was enjoyable. His reaction when the country of Germaneigh was credited for discovering Nebel, is something I will remember forever. Everything was going as I was told it would go. Then, a massive crash. Every window in the converted throne room, shattered. So many changelings flew in, it was akin to a cloud of darkness. Half of the non-Equestrian guards in the room shapeshifted into changelings. It was all so fast. A group of them grabbed Sternenblick, Nebel, and myself. I saw Prinz Fiesling with us as well. He must’ve been grabbed alongside us. We were all far too high up to fight back. It wasn’t long before we were finally let go onto the ground. We were dropped off at the airship dock. With everypony at the meeting, it was devoid of life. Save for the enslaved humans on the decks of various airships. Queen Chrysalis stepped out from behind a bush. She thanked our captors, and ordered them to keep the other ponies busy. Prinz Fiesling started to yell at her. Shouting about how this wasn’t the plan at all. She retorted with how she didn’t need his bits. She had lied about following through on delivering Nebel to him, and planned to betray him anyways. I almost attacked the Prinz then and there. He betrayed us all. He was so desperate to keep the status quo, he sided with somepony as cruel and heartless as Queen Chrysalis. The queen went on about how having magical humans in her army would allow her to expand her territory. Not only conquering Equestria, but all of Equus. With Nebel’s help, she could take out all of the world leaders, and replace them with changelings loyal to her. She stepped towards Nebel. She asked him to join her. She loudly proclaimed that with her in control, she would free all humans, learn the secret to giving them all magic, and enslave all ponies. No more living in fear, or servitude. No more slave runes forced into the skin of little boys and girls. She shouted to the other humans on the airships if that’s what they wanted. I could see the desperation for freedom in their eyes as they all cheered her name over and over. She looked at him with a twisted smile. She held an outstretched hoof. There was a moment of doubt when he looked at Prinz Fiesling with anger in his eyes. The anger of a boy who went through twenty years of slavery and pain. The anger of a boy who had nothing in the world of Equus to call his own. Then he looked at Sternenblick. He saw the mare that treated him like a friend and an equal. A mare that taught him magic when the hooves of fate gave it to him. Finally, he looked at me. He saw the stallion twice his age that had looked out for him for a little over a week. A stallion that left generations of tradition behind for him. He brought out his smile once more before he looked back to Queen Chrysalis. He told her he would never betray his friends. Sternenblick practically jumped to his side. She said that this human stands by his friends no matter what. The queen’s face twisted into pure anger. She shouted that if she couldn’t have him, then nopony could. A sickly green blast of energy hurtled towards us. Sternenblick and Nebel put up a shield to protect all three of us. He pulled the Prinz in. Neither had taken on somepony as powerful as Queen Chrysalis, so their combined shield was breaking down fast. I was useless in that moment. Suddenly, a blast of magic struck the queen. I looked over to see Prinz Fiesling had attacked her. I hadn’t seen him use combat magic before in all the years I knew him. As the queen staggered, I could hear the combined buzzing and flapping of countless wings. The changelings were retreating, and the guards were chasing them out. I looked back at the queen, who was already flying away.

The Royal Guard had their hooves full securing the dock, as well as seeing how many humans were snatched from the numerous airships. The changelings had scooped them up as they had retreated. As the heavily-guarded carriage moved along, I asked Prinz Fiesling what made him attack the queen. He had three reasons. The first was out of anger for being betrayed. The second was to repay Nebel for pulling him behind the shield that protected him from the queen’s attack. He never had a human selflessly put his life before their own. Nebel had done it without a second thought. He said the third was because Nebel’s selfless act made him realize something. In that moment he was pulled behind the shield, he realized how close he was to throwing away everything we knew had the queen not betrayed him. How horribly he himself had betrayed everypony. All to keep humans enslaved. He spoke of how blinded he was by his own bigotry. He said he knew asking for our forgiveness was as fruitless endeavor. He looked at Nebel, and swore on his crown that he would dismantle slavery in Germaneigh. He would order all Germaneigh-based bounties to be canceled. I had never seen a pony bow his head at a human before that moment.

After the other world leaders heard of what happened with Queen Chrysalis, the decision was almost unanimous. Saddle Arabia was still a holdout, arguing over economic collapse due their country thriving mostly on slave trade. Not that his holdout really mattered. Humans were recognized as a magic-capable species and thus, couldn’t be enslaved. Nebel dropped to his knees after Princess Celestia congratulated him. All the pressure that was on him. All the weight on his shoulders. It was all gone. He most likely would’ve fallen over had I not been there for him to hold onto. I saw tears coming down his face. Tears of joy. While I’m happy his kind are finally and truly free, it’s not over. Dismantling generations of enslavement would take time. There would certainly be resistance. Those who would refuse to give up the control they hold over their humans. Despite Prinz Fiesling’s sudden change of heart, there was still the concern of weaponized humans under his control. Now that our biggest obstacle was gone, we could tackle these issues. Tomorrow though. I’m starting to feel tired as well.