//------------------------------// // Hopetown: Arrival // Story: Blood Red Road // by Dawn-Designs-Art //------------------------------// Golden Pinch throws anchor on the Desert Swan jest outside Hopetown. Miz Pinch unties me an jerks her head. I follow her, shuflin onto deck in my chains. I stand there, blinkin in the bright daylight. I feel dazed. I ain’t bin outside the dark cramped hut since they snatched us. Must be five, six days ago now. I squint at the sun. High noon. Hopetown spreads out in front of us, half a league away. It squats at the foot of a dusty hill an straggles up its slopes. I ain’t never seen more’n one shanty at a time before. Heard tell of how Wreckers lived, all crammed close together in cities an towns, but never thought I’d see such a place. An it never crossed my mind that if I did see such a place, it wouldn’t be nuthin more’n a heap of ramshack shanties leanin one aginst th’other. It looks like the whole lot ’ud come tumblin down if you gave one a good kick. "What a fine sight!" says Pinch. "Nothing like the hurly burly of city life to gladden the heart!" There’s commotion all around us. Folks rattle past the Swan in clouds of dust, in carts pulled by fierce-lookin wolfdogs, other ponies, camels an donkeys. They flow in an outta a big gate in the junk palisade that runs all around Hopetown. I ain’t never seen so many ponies before in my life, that said, I aint never seen griffons, zebras. donkeys or minotaurs before either, but here they are. I look this way an that, tryin to take it all in. Penny’s standin next to me. The Pinches ain’t lookin. I lift my chained hoofs an she slips unnerneath. She wraps her hoofs around my neck an gives me a fierce hug. The Pinches keep her workin so hard, she’s even scrawnier’n usual. "This is it," I says. "Hopetown." "What’s gonna happen now?" she whispers. "I dunno," I says. "We’ll find out soon enough, I reckon. Whatever happens, keep yer eyes peeled fer Sun." Jest then, a familiar caw caw caw rings out. I look up. A big black bird circles, high above. I’d know that wingspan anywhere. "Nero!" I says. He swoops down, buzzes jest over our heads, then soars on up agin. My heart soars with him. Tears spring to my eyes. "He must of bin followin us the whole time," I says. "I knew he wouldn’t leave us!" says Pen. "I knew it!" "You better move," I says. "Quick, before she sees you." I lift my hoofs an jest as she slips out agin, Miz Pinch turns around. She frowns. "What’s goin on? You know the rules!" She grabs Penny Rose. Raises her arm to slap her. Jest then Pinch calls out, "Miz Pinch! The chariot’s here, my love!" She stops. Looks over her shoulder. A scabby camel steps up beside the Swan. He’s pullin a rusted out car behind him, hitched on with a harness with chains, a slave. By the filthy look on his face, he ain’t too pleased with how things’ve worked out fer him. He glares at the little pegasus colt perched on his hump with a whip. Miz Pinch turns back. "I’ll tend to you later," she hisses to Pen. "Right now, I got bigger business." "C’mon, missus, I ain’t got all day," says the colt. "Where to?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I peer outta the windows as we bump slowly through Hopetown on flat tires. It’s so crowded with ponies an other types of folk we cain’t hardly move. They press aginst the chariot, starin in at us. The colt leans down an cracks his whip at ’em, tryin to clear the way. I look fer golden mane tied back in a long braid. Fer eyes blue as a summer sky. Are you here, Sun? A white cloaked stallion back. Broad shoulders, gold an red mane—short, but they could of cut his hair by now —the right height. My heart skips a beat. Every muscle in my body goes tense. Turn around, turn around, oh please turn around, let me see you. He does, a unicorn. It ain’t Sun. At that moment, a stallion leans through the window. He grabs me with dirty brown hoofs an starts to try an pull me out, chains an all. I don’t stop to think. I twist, I scrabble, I brace myself on the chariot, give myself a hoofhold. "Stop!" Golden Pinch beats at the ponies head with his tattered umburella. "Unhoof her!" "Moon!" Penny cries. The red hot floods me. I bite down on his filthy leg. He yells out but hangs on. I bite harder. Deeper. I bite till I taste his blood. He shrieks an lets go. He falls back. Gits swallowed by the crowd. "That’s it!" shouts Pinch. "Run, you villain! You coward! Ha! No one crosses Golden Pinch!" "Moon," says Penny. "Are y’okay?" I spit outta the window. Spit out the taste of him, the smell of him, the feel of him. I sit back in my seat. I wipe my mouth with my chained hoofs. "I’m fine," I says. I look over at Miz Pinch. She ain’t moved through the whole thing. She’s jest sat there, starin at me. An there’s a little smile on her face. The colt parks the chariot in front of a long low stone buildin on the edge of Hopetown. It’s a proper built place, not a Wrecker-junk shanty like the rest. "You bring the filly an remember, keep yer mouth shut," says Miz Pinch to Golden as we git out. "I’ll deal with the Cage Master." She grabs my chains an hauls me along behind her. Pinch brings Penny. Two big mean-lookin stallions step in front of the door as we come up to it. My heart skips a beat. They’re dressed in long black robes with leather body armor over top. Jest like the ponies who took Sun. They must be Tonton, like Mercy told me about. "Cage Master ain’t in," says one, a zebra. "He’ll be in fer me," says Miz Pinch. "Tell him Miz Pinch is here. Say I got somethin special fer him." They look at us with hard eyes. They got merciless faces. "Didn’t you hear me?" the zebra says. "I said, he ain’t in." "You’ll tell him I’m here if you know what’s good fer you," says Miz Pinch. The zebra jerks his head at his grey coated brown maned earth pony companion, who opens the door an disappears inside. He’s back soon. "You can go in," he says. "But you better be quick." We all go in. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Cage Master sits behind a big stone table in a white room. In the wall behind the table, there’s a big wooden door. A dull roar, the mufled sound of many voices, comes from behind it. There’s partly et food spread out all over the table in a big mess—flatbread an platters of roast meat an boiled pigeon eggs an jugs of grog. The Cage Master hardly even looks up when we come in, he’s so busy stuffin it all into his mouth. He's a unicorn an he’s got a fat, round, pink furred face with three chins an a few long hunks of green mane plastered flat to his skull. There’s a red napkin tied around his neck. Puffed up, greedy toad. I ain’t afeared of you. He picks up a roasted sparrow an crams the whole thing in his mouth. "Well, what is it?" he says. "I’m a busy pony, Miz Pinch. I ain’t in the mood fer no time wasters." Miz Pinch goes still. Like a rattlesnake about to strike. "Them Tonton guards of yers is all chaaled up, Cage Master," she says. "You better hope that my—that … certain people don’t find out that yer lettin standards slip." His face goes pale. He pulls the napkin from his neck an wipes his greasy mouth an fat greasy hoofs on it. "But … my guards’re clean," he says, "I swear they are!" "It don’t look that way to me," says Miz Pinch. "Ain’t that right, Golden?" "Yes my dear," he says. "Whatever you say, my dove." I look at Miz Pinch, then the Cage Master. They’re starin at each other. The Tonton warn’t chewin on no chaal leaf. She don’t like the way he talked to her an she’ll settle the score by makin trouble fer him. "Well, what’re you waitin fer?" says Miz Pinch. "You better see to it." "Yes," he says. "Yes." He hesitates, still chewin. Then, he heaves hisself to his hoofa an waddles around the table. "Blaze!" he bellows. "Blaze!" The door behind the table opens a crack. The noise outside spills in, a deafenin roar, as a unicorn stallion slips through. The sound fades as he closes the door behind him. He’s a Tonton. Tall, like they all seem to be, an robed head to hoof in black. But this one wears metal body armor over his robes where the rest wear leather. A shiny breastplate an armbands from his wrists to his elbows. Charcoal coat. Long flame coloured mane tied back. His horn is longer than usual, an sharp lookin. A watchful face. A strong face, with broad cheekbones. You don’t call stallions beautiful, I know that. But all the same, that’s what he is. He says nuthin. Waits. The Cage Master, so cocky jest a moment ago, shrinks. He looks off to the side of Blaze when he says, "Uh … this … uh Miz Pinch seems to think there’s a problem with the guards on the door. Of course I uh … assured her that we run a tight ship here but uh … I’d be ah … most … ah …" Blaze don’t show that he’s even listenin. He moves towards the main door, silent as a cat. As he goes past us, he pauses. Right in front of me. He raises his head. His eyes meet mine. They’re deep set. Dark blue, almost black. Full of shadows. Time shrieks to a halt. I cain’t move. I cain’t breathe. I cain’t take my eyes from his. I don’t want to. Lookin deep inside of me. Findin my darkest thoughts, my worst fears. 'I know you,' a voice whispers. 'I know you.' Cold starts to creep through my blood. I shiver. It runs through my whole body, from my hooftips to my head. He feels it. Sees it. There’s a slight flicker in his eyes. Then he moves, slips through the door an he’s gone. It only lasted a heartbeat. Him an me, locked inside a heartbeat. Nobody says nuthin fer a long moment. Nobody moves. It’s like we all felt the same thing. Like we all stopped breathin. What jest happened here? Who is he? They’re all afeared of him. Then the Cage Master lunges at the table, pours hisself a cup of grog an drinks it dry. He slumps into his chair, moppin at his forehead with his napkin. "So," says Miz Pinch, "we unnerstand each other, I think." "Yes," he says. "Of course. Now, you’ve brought somethin to show me. Yer latest acquisition, I take it." He looks me over with his greedy little eyes. "So, you think she’ll be good in the Cage." "I don’t think," Miz Pinch says, "I know. This one’s very rare. Very fine." "Not like that last one you brought me then," he says. "She was a disappointment. Didn’t cooperate at all. I was startin to think that maybe yer judgement ain’t what it used to be, ha ha!" Miz Pinch’s neck flushes a darker red. "Mind what you say, Cage Master," she says. "I … I meant no disrespeck, Miz Pinch. You know me, I didn’t mean to—" "Jest remember who yer talkin to," she says. "Who I am. I got influence! Anyways, I dealt with that girl. She got what she deserved." "That’s right! That’s the way! Yer one in a million! Well go on," he says, "let’s take a good look at this prize of yers." "Step up," she says to me. She goes to give me a push between the shoulders but I shrug her off. 'Don’t give in to fear, Moon. Be strong, like I know you are.' I take my time walkin up to the table. My chains clank on the stone floor. I hook a chair with my hoof, pull it over an sit down. I lift my chained front hoofs, help myself to one of the roasted sparrows an bite the head off. Then I pour a cup of grog an drink it down, starin at him the whole time. I put the empty cup upside down on the table. He narrows his eyes. "Well," he says, "she’s bold enough, I’ll grant you that. Stand up girl, let’s see you proper." I look him up an down. I curl my lip. He’s around the table in a flash. He grabs my arm an hauls me to my hoofs. Who’d think a fat pony could move so fast? An he’s much stronger’n I thought he’d be. He pulls me tight aginst him. "Be very careful," he whispers in my ear. "I’m in charge here. I don’t care who you are or where you come from. In Hopetown my word is law. Unless I say so … yer nuthin. Less than nuthin. The dirt under my hoof’s more use to me than you are. Do you understand?" I nod. "Good," he says. He licks my ear slowly. Then he steps away. My stummick turns over. I feel the blood rush to my face. I wanna scrub at my ear, chuck up, run from the room, but I cain’t. I don’t. I jest stare straight ahead. "She’s strong," says Miz Pinch. "An smart too." "Strong, smart an bold." The Cage Master struts around me, lookin me up an down. "Well, she looks impressive. You might just have somethin here." "I told you," she says. The Cage Master stares at me. Then he says, "The question is, can she fight?" "Only one way to find that out," says Miz Pinch. "Quite right," he says. "An there ain’t no time like the present. Come." The Cage Master walks to the door that Blaze came through an throws it wide open. The roar that we heard before spills into the room an fills the air. He stepsmoutside. We follow him. We’re standin on a platform, lookin down on a great crowd of ponies. "Welcome to the Colosseum," he says. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I try to take it all in. The Cage Master’s house sits on the top of a hill. It sweeps down an away from the house. Down below us, cut into the hillside, there’s rows an rows of benches with three clear paths that cut through ’em from top to bottom. The benches is crammed full of ponies, griffons an zebras. Everypony’s shoutin an some of ’em’s leapin around an pointin an shakin their hoofs an in the griffons case, fists. An they’re all lookin at one thing. A cage. At the bottom of the hill in a open space stands a big metal cage. Inside there’s two stallions fightin, a one winged blue pegasus an a broken horned red unicorn. From the roar of the crowd, from the smell of the excitement in the Colosseum, it looks like it’s buildin up to a big finish. The fighters both wear short tunics. No weapons. They punch, wrestle, kick at each other, scramble up the sides of the cage an throw theirselves off to land on their opponent. The unicorns gittin tired. Blood’s pourin outta his nose an he’s startin to stagger, throw wild punches. "Looks like the end fer Artashir," says the Cage Master. Artashir’s opponent backs him into a corner, picks him up by the throat with both hoofs an holds him there, slammin him aginst the cage bars. Artashir goes limp. The pegasus lets him go an he slithers to the floor. The winner holds his hoofs over his head, flutterin his good wing in the air an the crowd goes crazy. They’re all pointin at the Cage, screamin an jumpin around. Some of ’em’s even fightin with each other an guards wade in to break it up. Their eyes look wild. Artashir pulls hisself slowly to his hoof. He stands there, swayin slightly. The crowd boos. Then they turn to face our platform an start to chant, Gauntlet! Gauntlet! Gauntlet! Artashir looks up at the Cage Master. The Cage Master stares down at him. "I usually look forwards to this bit," he says. "But there’s somethin about this one.… His will to live seems to be stronger ’n most. I s’pose that’s why he’s lasted so long. He’s certainly been good for business. Well, no point gettin sentimental. He’s lost his last two fights an this one makes three. Rules is rules." He tugs the red napkin from around his neck an, holdin it in his right hoof, raises it above his head. The crowd’s screamin even louder by now. The Cage Master sighs. "Oh let’s get on with it," he says. Then he brings down his arm. Two burly cagekeepers open the cage door an pull out Artashir. The crowd all rushes towards the path that runs up the middle of the Colosseum, climbin over each other, punchin an kickin to get right next to it. Armed guards haul ponies outta the way, push ’em back so the path stays clear. "They live fer this," says the Cage Master. "They’re worse than animals. That’s what too much chaal does to you. Fools." Then everypony starts to stomp their hoofs on the ground. The whole place shakes, even the platform we’re standin on. The stompin gits faster and faster. The keepers push Artashir forwards. He looks around the Colosseum. He drags in deep breaths through his nose, his head held high. Then his face changes. Hardens. Like he’s made a decision. He stares up at the Cage Master an spits on the ground. The Cage Master gives a little laugh. Then Artashir throws back his head an roars. Bellows like a wild beast that’s bin hunted down, that’s cornered but that’s gonna go down fightin. He starts to run. He sprints up the center path. Hoofs reach out, hit him, grab at his tunic, tryin to pull him down. He throws a punch an gits hisself free. Manages to stagger on a few steps more. But the crowd surges forwards onto the path, howlin like wolves at a kill, an bodies close over him. Waves pullin down a drownin man. Artashir disappears. My stummick heaves. "It’s a shame when a good fighter goes down to the gauntlet," the Cage Master says. He looks at me. He reaches out a hoof an strokes it down my cheek. "Now it’s yer turn," he says. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The girl’s smaller’n me, only a filly, an earth pony with a grey green coat, the remains of a pale blue mane and purple eyes. She comes at me hard, right from the off. She moves so fast I cain’t even see her hoofs. The first punch to my face. Then my ribs. An I jest stand there. Like I’m asleep. But then the red hot kicks in an at last I unnerstand what it is. It’s like animals. A animal will do anythin to live. Even chew off its own leg if it’s caught in a trap. That’s the red hot. An I’m gonna hafta learn to use it if I wanna survive in the Cage. The girl’s tough. And she fights hard. She fights mean. She lost her last two fights. This is her last chance. So she’s got the red hot in her too. But mine is stronger than hers. I watch what she does. I learn fast. She gives me a helluva beatin before I learn enough. Then I git lucky. I go at her with a flyin kick to the stummick that slams her hard aginst the bars an that’s it. She don’t git up till the keeper pulls her to her hoofs. An it’s over. The end. The end fer her. The beginnin fer me. They don’t tell me her name. Her cutie marks a delicate butterfly. Like the Cage Master says, it’s a shame when a good fighter goes down to the gauntlet. But one of us had to. An it sure as hell warn’t gonna be me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Pinches is outside on deck. They’re celebratin their good fortune with a jug of squonk an a roast pigeon. Tonight’s our last night on the Desert Swan. Tomorrow they move into a place in town. The Pinches an Pen, that is. I’m gonna be moved to the cellblock where they keep the cage fighters. I lie on my bunk. I’m chained, like usual. Pen sits beside me. She’s got a cloth dipped in cranesbill juice an dabs it, real gentle, on the cut near my eye. "I ain’t hurtin you too much, am I?" she says. I know my body’s sore. It must be. But I feel the hurt from a long ways away, like in a dream. Like I ain’t inside my body no more. Like I’m floatin around somewhere outside it. "I’m sorry," I whisper to Pen. "Sorry fer what?" she says. "You shouldn’t of had to see that," I says. Her an the Pinches stood with the Cage Master on his balcony. She saw everythin from start to finish. "I was so afeared," she says. "She would of killed you if she could." "I ain’t gonna let nobody kill me," I says. "I’m gonna live. I’m gonna live an I’m gonna git us outta here an we’re gonna find Sun. I promised him I would an I … oh Penny … Penny , what’re we gonna do? What am I gonna do?" An that’s it. I’m undone. The tears trickle at first. She tries to wipe ’em away, but they start comin too fast. "Shhh …" She strokes my face. "Shhh … don’t let ’em hear you," she says. "Don’t ever let ’em hear you cry." She gives me the cloth to stuff aginst my mouth. She lays down beside me on the bunk. She puts her skinny little filly arms around me an holds me tight. "It’s all right, Moon," she says. "Everythin’s gonna be okay." I double up in pain. I howl into the cloth, my whole body shakin. I weep fer the filly with the butterfly cutie mark. I weep fer Penny Rose. Fer Pa. Fer Sun. Fer me. Fer what we used to be. Fer what got took from us. Fer what’s lost to us ferever.