Chapter 1
Twilight finally had her first day off since becoming a princess. Today was the day that she was going to have a picnic with her best friends who she hasn’t seen since the coronation ceremony three months ago.
After all the festivities were over her brother and Cadence had moved back to the Crystal empire, her friends had moved back to Ponyville and she was so swamped with paperwork she could barely keep up. Celestia said that it would get better over time, but that had been a while ago. They had kept in touch using letters, but she still missed spending time with them. Now all of that was behind her as she was whisked along in her sky chariot.
She saw Ponyville in the distance as Spike leaned forward over the front, eager to get there.
“Oh-boy! I can’t wait to get the gang back together. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity.” He said, letting out a big sigh when he said Rarity’s name.
“Be careful Spike, you don’t want to fall off.” Twilight said as she looked onward. The town looked the same. Ponies walking along, chatting, eating at the restaurant, and having a wonderful time. She saw Sugar Cube Corner with its cake topping roof and pink sides. and the town library, unmistakable in it’s design.
Seeing it made he nostalgic. lots of adventures started in that library, times she will never forget. In the distance she saw Sweet Apple Acres, the trees already red with fruit and sending their sweet aroma in the wind. Her stomach grumbled from the smell, and she instructed the guards to land just outside the town limits. They had no idea she was coming and she wanted to surprise them.
After they landed she hopped out, grabbed a cloak and sent Spike out on his mission to quietly deliver the messages that had a map leading to the designated picnic place. The guards voiced their concerns about her going there alone, but she explicitly instructed them not to come so as not to attract unwanted attention. Being mobbed wherever she went was another downside of being a princess.
"Princess can you do this? Can you do that? Show us some cool magic. SIGN MY FLANK!" What was she? A pop celebrity? It got tiresome. She needed this vacation.
She set out towards the mountain where she and the rest of the gang set out to talk to the sleeping dragon. About halfway there she saw Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo playing with water guns. She pulled her hood down and continued walking as Apple Bloom got nailed in the face. Twilight went farther along and arrived at the meeting spot.
She situated herself under a tree. It was scorching under the cloak. Then she brought out the cloth and tableware. The checkered pattern making her remember the many times the six of them sat on this and talked. It was the one that applejack brought when they heard about the wedding, and the time she got so stressed she caused the town to go gaga over her smarty pants doll. She smiled as she continued to set the arrangement and bring out the food, when she heard a chirping in the background. It was a cricket, but it sounded unusual, not like the crickets that sounded through the night. It was longer and more trilling.
Her curiosity peeked, Twilight headed towards the sound. She found the cricket in plain sight, which was the first unusual thing. The second was it was a pinkish color. Totally out of place in this environment. Twilight was delighted, it was so long since she did any sort of self studying, and her private internal database was starting to get rusty. She could only name 26 of the 30 different spells for sculpturing with clay.
She got a notebook from the basket and started taking notes.
Monday 22 days after the rising of the sun celebration. 12:47pm
Found an unusual cricket chirping near where I was setting up a picnic. It appears to be an albino, more study is required to confirm.
She pulled out a small magnifying glass from the pocket of the inside sleeve of the cover, and examined it more closely.
Completely see-through with a pinkish hue. No sign of any compound eyes, unusual. This is characteristic of creatures that live deep within caves. Where there is no light for eyes to be effective. It is emitting the most strange sound I heard from a cricket. A shrill Tweeerp Tweeerp sound.
Just as she wrote this down, it jumped away towards the mountain.
Twilight followed, keeping it in sight, which was easy to do thanks to it’s unusual color. It eventually landed next to a small hole about the size of a ring and chirped some more before it climbed inside.
“Huh, strange.” Twilight said as she saw it scramble into the hole, adding that data in, noting the location relative to the mountain. “That was certainly an odd, but pleasant encounter.”
She looked at her watch. “Time to go over and wait for the rest. I can read my book while doing so.”
She turned around and started walking back to the tree. She had gone farther than she thought, almost fifty yards by her estimate. Walking back twilight felt the ground shake, then it shifted from under her hooves. This was enough to catch her off balance. She fell onto the dirt sprawling. She stood up and shook the grass from her mane.
“What was that about?” She looked around and saw the hole where the cricket crawled in was now substantially bigger. Big enough for somepony to twist an ankle.
“Okay, I need to tell the guards about this. Perhaps they can then tell the pony that needs to know. ”
Without Spike she would need to go there herself. She turned back to the tree to take off as the ground fell from underneath her. It was so sudden, she didn’t have time to flap her wings before one of them hit hard on a rock protruding from the side of the crevasse that had suddenly formed. She heard a crack as the joint twisted out of place, rendering it useless.
She continued down, bouncing against the walls, which hurt like hell but slowed her descent so as not to get smashed at the bottom. It smoothed out as she kept falling, and curved into a gentile slide. She rolled the last few feet and hit her head on the wall, promptly knocking her unconscious.
She awoke up with both her head, and wing throbbing. Her vision was blurry, and she tried to estimate how long she was out. Once her vision cleared she saw she was shackled in rusted chains, attached to a large table piled high with stinking meat and cheese. The smell assaulted her nose and sent waves of nausea coiling down her stomach.
She heard a noise at the far end of the table, and looked down to see a troll eating bits and pieces of the meat and cheese. It picked up a large leg that looked awfully equestrian and opened its wide mouth, revealing large, tusk like canines and yellow fangs. With effortless ease it stripped the meat off the bone and swallowed it in one gigantic gulp. He glanced over in her direction with its small black eyes and she flinched away. It smirked and tossed the bone next to her, teeth scrapes running along the length.
Twilight fought against the bile that wormed it's way into her throat. This creature had no idea who it was messing with, she is Princess Twilight Sparkle and she could blast it away with one flick of her horn. She stopped her train of thought right there. Luna had warned her about what she called Royal Pride. It was just another thing on the list of the many irks of being a princess. Instead of saying anything that she would regret, she settled on giving it a condescending glare.
The troll couldn't care less and went back to its dinner, rooting around with its long gorilla like arms and wiping it’s pudgy nose with the back of it’s hand. Eating whole cheese blocks at a time.
“So our guest awakes.“ said a cold voice from behind her. She turned around to see the face of a stallion who was vaguely familiar. His coat was a sickly light yellow color, clashing with the dark purple of the cushion on the throne that he was sitting on. His orange mane was slicked back away from his horn, above emerald green eyes. He sat with a wine glass in his hoof swirling it before taking a sip every so often. On each side of the throne were mares with collars around their necks. One was a purple earth pony, the other was a light red pegasus who's wings appeared to have been chopped off, judging by the stubs and bandages.
“I’m so delighted that you decided to drop by." The yellow unicorn said, taking a sip. "I was just wondering how I was going to get a female alicorn into my collection and here you are! As if providence was on my side.” He got up and set the glass down on one of the armrests.
He got closer and circled round her pulling out a magnifying glass to see any imperfections. “Hmm, nice shiny coat, cute face, a little smaller than what I was expecting, but acceptable.” He kicked her right wing with his front hoof.
“Ouch!”
He tutted. “Injured wing, not good, but not too bad considering what you went through." He thought for a moment, then nodded, coming to a satisfactory conclusion. "Well the wing really is unimportant. If it were fine, then you could try to escape. So I think this way is better, don't you?"
Twilight remained silent. Her eyes glued to his. She was scared of him, but she wasn't going to let him know that. All the books she read about being kidnapped said that you shouldn't make the captor angry, compliance, followed by finding an escape route, were key to surviving this experience. There was also her newfound princess pride, and she was worried if she said anything, that royal pride would come out.
"You’re lucky that you didn’t break your neck," he said, continuing to talk, "then you would have been useless. I don’t need a dead alicorn. ” He put his hoof to his chin. “I could have had you stuffed if that happened, but by the time I had all the things prepared, you would have become mush.”
Twilight didn’t like how he was talking about her. It was like she was his property. It was unnerving how calmly his tone was. Not to mention that there was a troll within ten feet of them chewing loudly in the background. Yet he was completely nonchalant about it. He looked familiar. Maybe if she could get a good look at his cutie mark, it might give her a better idea. All she had gotten so far were bits and pieces of something green.
“Not much of a talker are you? Well that’s okay, for what I have in mind for you talking isn’t required.” He said finishing his inspection.
He stepped back and his horn glowed. From behind the throne, a collar that looked like the ones the mares were wearing floated towards her. When it got closer Twilight saw it was made out of crystal and painted with green runes.
She struggled against the chains, but it was no use. He grabbed her chin and swiftly and simultaneously slipped the collar around her neck with practiced ease. The collar made a loud click as it fused to itself creating a seamless ring.
As he turned around she caught a glimpse of his cutie mark, a snake coiled around a black pole in the form of a hundred bit sign. Then she knew who he was.
”Regal Medallion?”
He froze when she said his name. Slowly he turned his head around, showing a reddened eye. “How do you know that name?” he said coldly. Then his irises shrunk and the red in his eye became more pronounced.
“Twilight Sparkle?" He said, recognizing her for the first time. "You’re an alicorn? How is that possible? Last time I saw you you were just a little brat barely able to lift a book off the ground. Now your a princess?”
He walked over and grabbed under her chin forcing her to look into his eyes. They felt like all he was thinking of was how valuable she was to him now that he knew who she was. He grimaced and let go of her. Then he turned to the troll eating at the table.
“You can take her to her room now.” He said to it. “No need to be gentile.”
The troll grunted as it got up. It stood at eleven feet, nine of which was arm. It’s face was squashed and had a hoofball shaped head. It walked over to Twilight, with a bone still in its mouth. It was chewing it, and Twilight heard it crunch under the massive jaw strength. When it got to her it reached down and grabbed the chain that connected her to the table. When he pulled it broke away from the table, leaving behind a few links still attached. Lifting her up, he swung her over his back, earning her some more bruises.
“Oh and by the way,” Regal called out to her as she was hauled past the door that she didn’t notice before. “The name is Avarice Envy now. Regal died a long time ago.”
Twilight heard him say this as the door closed behind her. The troll who was carrying her turned a corner and waddled down the hall.
She was carried past rooms carved into the sides of the rock. None of them had any doors. Inside the first were trolls and goblins, gambling over a dog fight. Each dog had two heads and was circling each other with murder in their eyes. The troll kept walking and as the door went out of sight there was a loud yelp followed by cheers and groans.
The second room she passed featured a large cast iron pot suspended over a pool of lava. A goblin was stirring it with a large wooden spoon while standing on a stool. Its bulbous pointy nose sniffing at the contents to see if it was done or not. The light from the lava underneath made each wart pop out in grotesque detail. It glanced at Twilight and licked it’s lips when he saw her and grinned hungrily, revealing all nine of its teeth. Thankfully the troll lumbered on.
The next room had an anvil with a giant troll pounding at a metal bar. Each time it did blue and green sparks flew from it. The troll stuck it back into the lava waterfall behind it and pulled it back out, keeping it red hot. The continued clang of the metal reverberated down after Twilight as the troll carrying her waddled down some stairs.
Her nose was assaulted by the stench of filth as she was hauled into what she assumed was the dungeon. There were cells lining the walls. Some of them had ponies, many more were empty. Every one of them were mares. Each one had a collar, and the unicorn's had the creepy green runes. All of them had broken expressions, filthy coats, and starved figures. When they saw her they clambered to the cell door, ghostly faces pressed up against the bars, and started whispering amongst themselves.
Twilight could make out some words. “He caught an alicorn…a princess…no not a princess…he’s gone too far this time…we’re never going to get out…”
The troll slammed his fist against one of the cell doors. The resounding clang making the ponies stop their murmured whispering.
It continued walking down, deeper into the jail. Then it turned suddenly, and Twilight heard a key turning a lock. Then she was thrown into the cell. She landed on her injured wing, sending lightning waves shooting down her back. The troll closed the gate behind her and she heard the loud clang of the lock engaging.
She still had the shackles on. At least they didn’t impair her movements much. She sat up and looked at her surroundings. The cell was quite large. A natural pool of water was in the corner, fed by a small stream coming from the roof and down the wall. She turned towards the back wall and saw something unexpected. A statue of an alicorn on the wall.
It was a male, and appeared to be made out of some silver grey metal. Its mane appeared it was made out of fire. It flickered and gave off a gentile light like a candle, but did not move. The same was true for its tail, which was long and had slightly ragged edges. Its hooves were chained and spread apart making an x shape, and its giant wings were open, apparently fused to the wall. The chains were with the same crystal that made up her collar but without the runes. She went closer to see more detail. The wings appeared to be nailed into the wall. Each nail was also made of the crystal that made the chains. There were what looked like stains of blood running from the entry points. The detail on it was amazing, almost like it was just a sleeping pony. You could barley see any tool markings. She went closer to examine the handsome facial features, when it opened its eyes revealing two gem like irises the same color as the lava from the forge.
She reeled back and tripped over the rusty chains, landing hard, the shock waves sent pain shooting from her injured wing. He also was surprised by her sudden and close proximity to him, and moved his head up and back with a shout, smacking it on the wall behind him. They each groaned in pain as they felt their injuries throb. Finally he looked up and saw her holding her wing gingerly.
“What’s wrong with your wing?” he asked. His voice was deep and had a slight accent not unlike the ponies from Sydniegh have. Except his was less pronounced. She noticed that around his neck was a collar like her's.
“I hit it on something when I fell down a crack in the ground.” She turned touched it and felt a sliver of pain creep down the length of the wing, “I think it might be broken.”
“Here, let me see.”
Twilight walked over and turned her body so that he could get a better look. Making sure not to get too close. she had no idea who he was, and given her current circumstances, she didn't want to take any chances. He was chained up and posed no threat physically, but Twilight could feel some underlying emotion that he was trying to keep in check. Sadness maybe? No, more like, anger. He was also an alicorn, and an angry alicorn was a force to be reckoned with. Twilight silently thanked Celestia for teaching her how to read micro-expressions. She wasn't the best at it, but she was a quick study.
His candlelight mane glowed with just the right amount of light for him to see her clearly in the oppressive darkness of the large cell. He looked up the front, examined each joint and bone with a calculating expression. “Doesn’t look broken, looks dislocated.” He said, and after a few more seconds he nodded. “Yep definitely dislocated.” He concluded.
“Are you sure?” Twilight asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow. She knew it was, but she didn't want him to think she was too smart.
He raised his head a little higher, and smiled reassuringly. “Most assuredly. If it was broken it would be bending somewhere it shouldn’t. Plus it would hurt just to walk. Since you aren’t grimacing on every step, it’s safe to say that it’s dislocated.”
“How does that help me?” Twilight asked, with a frown on her face.
The pinned alicorn smiled a little wider. “A dislocation is much easier to fix than a broken bone. Takes a shorter time to heal too."
He lowered his head and his face took on a more serious look. “Okay, listen, with me stuck on this wall obviously all I can do is give you directions. If you do as I say then your wing will be fine. We can’t leave it like that, or the nerves will continue to stay pinched and eventually give out. Ideally we should be in a hospital and have a doctor do it, but that is not an option."
She gave him a look that said "Duh,"
He continued. "So I need you to find something to bite, cause this is gonna hurt.”
Twilight looked around and saw a pile of wood in the corner. She walked over to see a piece sticking out that looked like it would do the job. She picked it up and held it in her mouth.
“Good now head over to the door and stick your wing through the bars, keeping it parallel with the ground.”
She headed over and did as instructed. What had she got to lose? He was stuck over there and she read about this and he was right. If she didn't do anything the pinched nerves would die, and no amount of healing magic would bring them back. Her jaw reflexively clenching as she rotated her wing, feeling the bones grinding against each other.
“Okay now comes the hard part.” The alicorn said. “You need to simultaneously twist the front of your wing upwards and push against the front bar to slip it back into the socket. It will hurt a lot more than it did dislocating it, so be prepared.”
Twilight positioned the stick more securely in her mouth and gritted. She knew he was right. She had looked up medical books after Rainbow Dash crash landed, and everything he said was correct. Plus he was chained to the wall, and from the wounds she guessed he couldn't use magic. Otherwise he wouldn't be in this situation. So he posed no threat, yet Twilight was still wary. She could still sense his power, even if he couldn't use it, and it was volatile.
“Whenever you’re ready.” The alicorn said to her side.
She breathed a few times to prepare herself mentally, staring straight forward. She still wasn't sure if this was necessary, but she didn't know how long it would take for her to escape, and it needed to be fixed. Otherwise it would be a hindrance. The quicker she got this over with, the sooner she could leave. Taking a final deep breath in, she pushed.
The pain was extraordinary. She felt the bones grind up against each other, sending waves of agony each time one of the small ridges slid past each other. The tendons stretched as the wing moved slightly away from her body. It felt like it was going to be ripped off. She was holding her breath and her jaw hurt from biting the piece of wood. Finally with a pop, it slipped back into place. The pain subsided and she let out all the air in her lungs with a whoosh. Spitting out the stick at the same time. She panted, her body covered in sweat. It dripped off her nose and onto the floor. Her wing still pulsed in time with her racing heart, but it was more a numb reverberating, rather than a painful throbbing.
“Better now?” The wall alicorn asked, looking genuinely concerned for the first time.
Twilight open and closed it a few times, testing it out.
“Much better, thanks.”
“That’s good.” He said after breathing a sigh of relief. “It would be best to keep it folded and immobile until it has fully healed.”
“Okay.” She replied, tucking it in.
A silence stretched between them, lasting longer than was considered comfortable.
“Soooo….what’s your name?” The alicorn on the wall asked.
Twilight eyed him warily. His attitude was so unlike what somepony in his position would have, and she knew he was trying to keep his anger inside. Yet he was showing a smiling face. He kind of reminded her of Pinkie, with her unbridled optimism.
That thought made Twilight think of her friends. Will they be able to find her? They could put two and two together and figure out what happened. She just hoped they would stay far enough away so that they wouldn't get hurt. She could escape any time using her magic. The others might not be so lucky.
“Princess Twilight Sparkle.” She said, after a pause. She still wasn't really sure she could trust him completely, but maybe her name would make him think twice of doing anything to her.
He whistled. “A princess. Well welcome your majesty,” He said as he bowed his head. “to my humble incarceration room.”
“What’s your name?” She asked, taking his sudden formality as a sign that her tactic worked, or he was just a great actor.
He looked up and Twilight could see a sort of sarcasm in his eyes that did not reach his tone. “Terrance Alloy at your service. Well as much service as I can give.”
"Well Terrance," she said, "I think I'll be going now, but I will bring back help as soon as I can. Regal will not get away with this."
She turned towards the door and summoned her magic to teleport her through the door and into the hall. Nothing happened. She tried concentrating a little harder. Still nothing. She turned towards the stick that she bit and tried to levitate it up. It didn't even twitch.
Something was very wrong. She could feel her magic flowing through her body, but when she tried to use it, it kept slipping away. The harder she tried to use it, the harder it was to hold onto. Like a wet bar of soap.
She was truly trapped.
"What was that about leaving?" Terrance said, tilting his head to the side. His voice and face devoid of any amusement. "Face it princess, your trapped in here just like everypony else."