//------------------------------// // Chapter 17 (part 2) // Story: An Expression Of Love // by Fluttershy20 //------------------------------// Fluttershy’s eyes opened upon feeling the goblin carrying her stop, and tensed herself for whatever was about to happen. Whatever was beyond the sack she was contained in, it wanted her marefriend and her, and she needed to be ready to jump out, save and re-unite with Twilight, and then do what they were best at: running for their lives. She didn’t expect to be suddenly turned over so she was now lying on the sealed top of the sack. “Uh oh,” she whispered, her eyes widening as she realised what was about to happen. “Going down, little pony,” the goblin said in a high-pitched and crackly voice. With that, he pulled open the sack, and allowed Fluttershy to drop out. Instead of hitting the ground with a thud as she had expected, however, she was greeted by a long fall into the darkness of a chasm. Fluttershy screamed as she fell, her wings flapping uselessly and her legs flailing about as she tried to slow down her descent. All it did was make the goblins watching laugh, and direct her fall towards the side. She felt a sharp pain against her side as she banged into the wall, and cried out. She screamed once again as she began to scrape against the side of the wall like a stone bouncing across the water of a lake, feeling her belly get cut open by the sharp rocks. She managed to push herself away from the wall, only to start spinning like a falling tree trunk. Through the spinning, she barely made out the ground closing fast. Squeaking in fright, she closed her eyes and braced as she slammed face-first into the ground, knocking her out. She groaned into the mud when she felt herself coming around once more, feeling a thumping pain in her sides, head and muzzle as she lay on the ground. ‘That hurt. A lot,’ she thought as she lifted her face out of the ground. She shook her head, wiping away some of the mud staining her head, and sat onto her haunches, gasping for air. She looked down at her body and saw to some relief that she only suffered a few heavy bruises, some minor cuts along her sides and a few out of place feathers. She quickly licked her feathers back in place, and sorted out her ruffled mane and tail. ‘That could have gone better,’ she thought. ‘But that could have been a lot worse.’ But she felt thankful that she was still alive. The only question that remained unanswered was: where was Twilight? She didn’t have too long to wait for the answer, as she heard a familiar scream coming from above. The pegasus looked up and her eyes widened to see Twilight falling towards her, bouncing across the walls of their prison like she had done, and shouting, “Ow!” every time. Fluttershy could only wince and look away when Twilight slammed bottom-first into the ground, her eyes watering on impact, and then fell onto her back with her eyes circling their sockets. Fluttershy rushed over to Twilight’s side in an instant, lifted her onto her rump and held her in her forelegs. “Twilight, speak to me, please!” Fluttershy shouted, shaking her lightly and causing the unicorn to moan. “Are you all right?” The pegasus mentally slapped herself. ‘Of course she’s not all right, silly. She just dropped a good twenty feet or so.’ Twilight’s mind was a blur. Everything ached like she had been pushed heavily around in the schoolyard, and her nerves were a haze of panic as she remembered being thrown into a sack and carried heavily about the place like potatoes. She groaned once more as her vision finally came into focus, though it came slowly like an approaching light. When she saw the blurring form of Fluttershy, she breathed a little more calmly. “Fluttershy?” she moaned. ‘Thank goodness she’s all right,’ she thought. Fluttershy smiled, sighing lightly in relief. “Yes. It’s me.” She slowly helped the unicorn back to her hooves. “That’s it. How are you feeling?” Twilight groaned again and kept her head low, rubbing her forehead as she felt a headache coming along. “Could be worse, but then could be a lot better,” she replied. She looked up at her lover, concern written across her eyes. “What about you?” Fluttershy nodded, backing away once she was sure Twilight was able to sit on her own. “The same,” she answered. “Just a few bruises here and there.” She slowly spread her wings out. “And a few feathers were out of pla– ah!” she cried out agonisingly as her wings stretched out at their fullest, but felt a sharp and searing pain slash their way through her right wing and along her body. She tucked her wings back to her side and collapsed onto her stomach. “Fluttershy!” Twilight cried as she jumped to her marefriend’s side. She gently set a hoof along the pegasus’s wing, but quickly pulled it back when Fluttershy squealed in pain again. “I think you might have sprained your wing,” she said quietly. “Do you think I don’t know that?” Fluttershy snapped, gritting her teeth in pain. Twilight took a step back, her ears drooping across her head as she stared sadly at her marefriend. Fluttershy sighed and looked away in shame upon seeing what she had done. “I’m sorry, I-I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. It just hurts so much.” Fluttershy clenched her eyes shut and pressed her teeth together as she could feel the pain receding, but it was fading so slowly it was still an unbearable feeling. Twilight looked to the ground as she pondered on what to do, though quickly realised she saw no sense in thinking; she knew she could not help. ‘How can I help her when I have no bandages to wrap around it?’ she thought sadly. She started sniffling as tears came to the forefront of her eyes. Fluttershy looked at her upon hearing Twilight’s sniffles, and could only stare in horror and shame. ‘Oh no. What have I done?’ She painfully got up and delicately stepped forward. “I’m so sorry, Twilight, I mean it. I didn’t mean to snap like that, I really didn’t. Oh, please don’t cry, please…” “It’s not that,” Twilight sobbed, as the tears started to fall down her cheeks. “I just feel so useless right now. You’re in pain and I have no way of treating your wing or keeping the pain away, and neither can I get us out of here.” She looked at the rough walls of rock around her with teary eyes. Fluttershy felt gutted that she did not have the power to make Twilight feel useful. “Are you sure you can’t get us out?” she asked carefully. “You’re an amazing pony, Twilight, I’m certain in that amazing brain of yours there’s an idea waiting to be used to get us out of whatever this thing is.” Twilight shook her head numbly. “Not this time,” she replied. “Firstly, this is an oubliette, a prison designed into a pit with only one entrance and exit: the top.” “Yes, I remember the last time we fell into one,” Fluttershy reminded her. “But you managed to teleport us out of that one, so you can surely do it again.” Again, Twilight shook her head morosely. “When I was in the sack, I had no holes to look out and see where we were going, so I couldn’t see anything to give me a clear image on where I would like to teleport. Moreover, I don’t know how far the top is from here, so–” “In other words, we’re stuck down here,” Fluttershy finished, finding herself not in the mood to hear the unicorn’s long explanations. She sighed wearily and fell onto her rump. She looked up again to read Twilight’s expression, and saw shame for getting them into this mess. “Before you start, just know that this isn’t your fault. None of us could have prevented this.” Twilight’s head lowered further, her eyes spilling enough sadness to make Fluttershy’s heart break. “I wish I could have done better. I could have, I really could have. But I didn’t, and because of my hesitance we are now stuck here.” She lowered herself onto her stomach and rested her head on her crossed forelegs, groaning in sorrow. ‘She’s giving up,’ Fluttershy realised in horror. She shook her head pitifully at her lover. “I didn’t take you for a quitter, Twilight,” she said bluntly. Twilight didn’t reply, but whimpered powerlessly once more. Fluttershy ground her lower teeth against her lips; she was so sure that would get Twilight up. ‘Very well. If she can’t do anything about this, then I will have to.’ Fluttershy spun away from her marefriend and looked up at the pit. Above them was darkness like a starless night, with no indication as to how high it went up or if there were any goblins up there. But she knew they were there, guarding the top and listening to them as they lost all hope. Just because she was shy did not mean she was an idiot. “Goblins!” she yelled as loud as her voice could fly. Twilight’s head shot up in alarm as the pegasus began to pace around the oubliette, looking at the darkness above them. “I know you’re up there listening to us! I know that you want to hear us whimpering like this! That feeling of hopelessness! Well it’s not going to work!” “Fluttershy, what are you doing?” Twilight demanded, rising from her place to stop her if she could. “Getting us out of here,” she whispered, glancing at her. “Just be quiet for a bit and I’ll do the rest.” She looked up again, and yelled, “We want to know why we are being kept in the darkness like poor, defenceless rodents, and what use you have of us! “Now, I know we are all intelligent creatures; you need something you cannot get, and we need to get to the end of the valley! So, why not help each other? We help you with whatever you need us for, and then you can show us the way out!” She waited for a minute to hear a reply, but none came. “What say you?” Twilight’s ears flicked as she looked into the darkness, waiting just as desperately as Fluttershy was for a reply. The seconds turned into minutes, and a voice did not come down from the night sky above them. The unicorn sighed and lowered her head again, and then turned to Fluttershy, who looked morbidly depressed. She set a hoof on the pegasus’s shoulder, rubbing it in a circle. “Hey, now, that was great. A star for effort, certainly, but did you really think the goblins would listen to anything we say?” she asked gently. Fluttershy shook her head sadly. “No. But I hoped they would,” she answered. “We needed to do something, though; we’ve come too far to give up now, not when we are so close to the flower.” Twilight knew the pegasus was right. They had come further than any pony before them, and had seen sights that no living Equestrian – except maybe Celestia – had ever gazed upon. To end up here where they may stay until they are needed as slaves or when they are dead… it was something Twilight could not stand. ‘We have come so far now. Further than I had ever dreamed.’ She started to mentally tap her brain to get it to work and come up with a brilliant plan. “We…” she slurred eventually, prompting the pegasus before her to raise her ears and smile hopefully. “We could just wait until your wing gets better, and then one of us takes us up halfway, and then the other takes us the rest of the way.” It was not exactly the escape plan Fluttershy wanted immediately, but she was certainly happy to have one regardless. “That could work,” she said, nodding. “But wouldn’t that require the pair of us to have…?” She pulled out her undamaged wing ever so slightly, emphasising the fact Twilight didn’t have any wings. “You forget that I can use my levitation spell on myself to lift us into the air,” Twilight reminded her. “Oh,” Fluttershy oozed. She lightly smacked her head. “Of course you do. But, um, why don’t you use it now? Not that I’m forcing you to, but if we want to get out of here quickly then…” Twilight chuckled, though it was a sad one other than a happy one. “I don’t think I could lift us both as high as we need to go, or have the ability to carry the pair of us for what might be a long time; I do have my limits, you know.” Fluttershy nodded, feeling like an idiot for thinking it. “Of course you do. Silly me,” she chided herself. “So, how about you use it to get yourself out of here?” Twilight raised an eyebrow bemusedly. “And leave you here all by yourself? No. I could not do that, not even for a second,” she answered. Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile, knowing that Twilight would stick to her word. She looked at the ground and saw Twilight’s shivering hooves. “You’re cold,” she gasped. Twilight looked down at her hooves and noticed how cold she was. “Yeah. Just a little bit, though,” she said, as the rest of her body caught up with her hooves and started to shiver. Fluttershy could not let her marefriend go cold; Twilight wouldn’t let her. She shuffled forward until her knees were touching hers, and gingerly wrapped her forelegs around the unicorn. Then, ever so gently in case the other one hurt, too, she brought her left wing out and wrapped it around Twilight. Twilight’s eyes widened in shock as she felt Fluttershy’s kind warmth spread across her body and fill her with a heat no fire ever could. “How are you doing this?” she asked quietly. “Just being a penguin for the day,” Fluttershy replied, giggling at the image of her and Twilight looking like king penguins, complete with coat colours, manes, and tails. “In a cold blizzard, penguins huddle together to keep warm as the temperatures drop dramatically to the point not even a lone penguin can survive the cold.” She slowly started to caress Twilight’s back with her hooves and wing, her eyes narrow and staring lovingly into her lover’s. “Is it working?” ‘If I didn’t know any better,’ Twilight thought, ‘I would have thought Fluttershy was flirting with me with that look.’ If she was, it was working incredibly well. “Very much so,” she replied, grinning ecstatically. Fluttershy smiled but kept her silence. Silently, Fluttershy leaned forward and rested her head on Twilight’s shoulder; a bit later, Twilight did the same. They stayed huddled together for a long time, with only their steady breathing keeping the silence back. “Back when we were in those sacks, I realised you could have used your magic to get yourself out, and sometimes I thought that you did. Now I see that you didn’t, and it makes me wonder,” Fluttershy said, many minutes later. “You could have teleported out at any time and saved me later. Why didn’t you?” “For the same reason I am not heading up there now,” Twilight replied, smiling. The unicorn pulled away, her smile growing a little wider at the sight of her marefriend. “I care about you so much, sweetheart, and I couldn’t bear to abandon you, not even for one second. That, and I was scared I would never find you again in the numberless caverns around here.” Fluttershy stared at her marefriend incredulously for a long moment, before breaking into a wide grin. She shyly looked away and blushed as a thought crept to the forefront of her mind. “Um, I know I said so, and you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, but, um, I was wondering…” Her voice trailed off into soft little nervous whimpers that were adorable to Twilight’s ears. Twilight cupped her marefriend’s chin and smiled encouragingly. “What is it you want to say?” she asked patiently. Fluttershy smiled, even as the blushes on her cheeks grew fiercer. “I know I said that we should have our first proper kiss in a more romantic setting, like when we discover the flowers or somewhere better. But, um, I thought, since we might never leave this place, we could… share our first kiss together here? Now?” Twilight’s cheeks suddenly felt hotter than the rest of her body did; yet the largest, most gleeful grin ever recorded was plastered across her face. “I would… love that,” she whispered, and slowly inched her head closer, her lips ready to make contact with Fluttershy’s. Fluttershy showed off her squee grin, and slowly brought her head forward to kiss Twilight. ‘Oh, I hope this time it goes all right,’ she thought wonderingly. ‘Are my lips clean? Is my breath okay? Maybe I should back out of this and wait until I’m ready.’ No matter how many times she argued with herself to get out of it, she did not back up; her head slowly inched closer until she could feel Twilight’s breath against her lips. ‘This is it.’ She closed her eyes. Suddenly, a large groan parted the two ponies in shock, and they looked up to see where it was coming from. ‘Oh for goodness sake! Does anything on this planet want me to kiss my marefriend?’ Twilight yelled in thought, staring angrily at the darkness above them. Fluttershy backed away from Twilight a few paces as the groaning continued, followed by a squeaking noise, like the sound of one of Applejack’s pulleys in her barn. “What is that?” she wondered aloud. Twilight, oblivious to the fact that Fluttershy wasn’t looking at her, shook her head. “I have no idea, but it’s coming down here,” she said, her eyes wandering across the darkness to look for the cause of the groaning. Suddenly, out of the darkness, the thing emerged. It looked like a great wooden lift from below, and was wide enough for around two dozen ponies to stand on. Fluttershy rushed over to Twilight’s side, shaking in fear of what could be coming down. Twilight glanced over and saw her fear, and inched closer so that her coat was brushing against hers. “It’ll be all right,” she whispered. Fluttershy smiled bravely, but her trembling did not stop. The two looked up again when they felt the thing’s shadow fall upon them, and their mouths parted in wonder as they finally had a good look at what it was. It was a cage of some sort – empty of any goblins – with a thin door on the side closest to them, and thick metal bars running around it. The cage landed on the ground with a thud, pushing up a cloud of dirt and dust, which flew through Fluttershy and Twilight’s noses, sending them into a coughing fit. Twilight shook her head and neck, shaking some of the dust off her, then sneezed the rest out. “I think some got onto my tongue,” she spluttered, spitting out dust between words. Fluttershy spat her mane back out of her mouth, which sent the dirt that had landed on it to fly away once more, and stared at the cage before them. “What are we meant to do with that?” she wondered. “Have a staring contest with it, I think,” Twilight replied teasingly. Fluttershy’s eyes widened as if Twilight stated the obvious, to which the unicorn simply groaned. “We’re meant to get in it, silly.” She proved her statement by trotting inside the cage. “Come on,” she said as she entered. Fluttershy sheepishly followed, feeling a bit silly once more in thinking that Twilight was right. ‘I must have hit my head hard on the ground to think that,’ she thought as she entered the cage. “Sorry,” she said, moving ploddingly to stand beside Twilight. Twilight chuckled as she looked around, using her magic to shut the door of the cage. “Don’t be,” she said kindly. She looked back at Fluttershy, who was staring at the ground, and smiled softly. “You are cute when you are like that, though.” Fluttershy looked up, a thin colour of pink on her cheeks. “R-really?” she asked bashfully. Twilight nodded, then leaned forward and nuzzled the side of her face. “You are always cute and you know it. So don’t act all surprised,” she said. Fluttershy opened her mouth to retort, blushing furiously, when she suddenly stumbled backwards as the cage lurched. “What’s happening?” she yelled as she tried to retain balance. Twilight groaned as she removed her back from the bars. She moved to look down and see what just happened, but the groaning from above was enough to give her the answer. “I think we’re moving up.” Fluttershy spun around to look at the ground, and saw to her alarm that Twilight was right. The ground began to move away from them, shrinking into the darkness as the cage was lifted steadily up. Even with the speed it was going, the ride was not comfortable at all. Fluttershy stumbled across the floor of the cage, her face turning green as the cage began to sway. Twilight was surprisingly okay, though her face slowly began to turn a darker shade of green than her marefriend’s. “Ooohh, I do not like this at all,” Twilight moaned while she pressed her hooves against the floor, trying desperately to think straight to cast a spell. “Me neither,” Fluttershy slurred, her whole head now a grassy green. Despite being a pegasus, and with her mind still wobbly from the fall and her injuries playing up, she didn’t feel right to be going up a swaying cage. She stopped and her eyes widened as she clamped a hoof around her mouth. ‘Oh my,’ she thought, before running over the side and throwing up through the bars. When the rocking of the cage subsided for a little bit, Twilight shook her head to clear her mind, and closed her eyes and ignited her horn with magic. At once, an aura of magenta magic surrounded Fluttershy and herself, and the world suddenly felt a bit straighter, even as the rocking began once more. Fluttershy froze in place when she realised she did not feel sick anymore, and brought her head up to look behind her. A faint cloud of magenta magic surrounded her body like a dress, keeping her body firm and stable and allowing her to take the rocking cage. She looked from her body to Twilight, and smiled gratefully. “Thank you, sweetie,” she said. Twilight smiled and bowed her head. “You are most welcome, my love,” she said, before looking up as the top of the pit began to appear. “We’re almost at the top.” Fluttershy looked up as well and saw that she was right. She took a deep breath and steadied her nerves as she prepared to face whatever they would find up there. When the cage stopped at the top of the oubliette, they were met by four goblins: three of them were armed with crude bows and arrows and were pointing them at the couple, and while the forth goblin had a broadsword sheathed across his back, his criminalizing gaze alone was enough to instil dread into the two ponies. Twilight’s gaze shifted between the three goblins with their aiming bows and the goblin with the sword, before leaning her head closer to Fluttershy so she could whisper. “Do you know what fascinates me most about goblins?” Fluttershy looked at the goblins for a bit then glanced at Twilight. “I don’t know. What?” “The fact that they all look alike. Seriously, same height, same structure, same colour of the skin. The only differences are battle scars, eye colour and body hair.” “Ew,” Fluttershy said, grimacing at the thought. “In a way, they are like us. Think about it, we ponies more or less have the same body structure.” “That’s true, and–” Twilight stopped talking and squeaked in fright as the leading goblin reached over his shoulder and rapidly drew his sword. He pointed it at the two trembling ponies, sneering, before lunging forward. Fluttershy clung to Twilight in fear while the unicorn wrapped her forelegs around the pegasus to keep her safe, closing her eyes and tensing up as the sword came down. To her surprise, she heard it clang against metal, and then there was silence. Twilight peeped an eye open to see that not only had the goblin smashed his sword to pieces, but had also ripped the door off its hinges and sent it sprawling to the ground. Twilight let go of Fluttershy and took a step forward. “You know you could have opened up the door, right?” she asked. “It was unlocked after all.” The goblin shook his head. “You took too long. Needed to get it open quickly,” he replied. His voice sound like the poor thing had a very sore throat, but due to its low tone, it was very intimidating. “Come on, get up so we can get a move on.” “Um,” Fluttershy spluttered, trembling in place. “I would love to, but my legs don’t work because of… because of the…” The sweet pegasus trailed off into squeaks and whimpers as she glanced at the three goblins aiming arrows at them. The goblin noticed her fear, as well as Twilight’s, for with a swift wave of his arm the goblins lowered their bows. “There. Better now?” the goblin asked exasperatingly. The two ponies straightened up and politely smiled. “Very, thank you,” they said at the same time. The couple stared at each other, and giggled quietly, not paying attention to the looks of confusion from the goblins thrown in their direction. “Come on!” the goblin snapped, throwing the two a step back in fright. “The Master’s waiting to see the pair of ya.” Twilight grunted disapprovingly. “All right, all right. Goodness, so impatient, these creatures,” she muttered as she leapt out of the cage and onto the firm ground. She turned around and with the magic of her horn, lifted Fluttershy off the ground and set her down beside her. Twilight’s heart cracked upon seeing the fear in Fluttershy’s eyes. “Be strong,” she whispered, leaning forward and ticking the pegasus’s ear with her voice, before kissing her cheek. Fluttershy smiled bravely, and wrapped her tail around Twilight’s. At that moment, even though she felt battered, bruised, hungry and thirsty, she felt like she could take on the entire goblin kingdom, all because of Twilight’s faith and love for her. “I am now,” she said confidently. Twilight grinned, then turned to face the goblin with the broken sword. “Take us to your leader,” she said, giggling afterwards. Fluttershy raised a bemused eyebrow in her direction, which Twilight sheepishly grinned in response. “That’s another thing I have always wanted to say.” The goblin bobbed his head, then turned around and walked slowly down the tunnel. “This way, then. And keep up or else we’ll force you to!” the goblin called. The two ponies took the threat seriously, as behind them the three archers fell in line and trained their bows on the couple. At once, the pair broke into a canter and followed the leading goblin, while the other goblins slowly followed them, their arrows drawn and ready to loose at a moment notice. “Do you think you could teleport us away from here before they could shoot us?” Fluttershy asked, glancing over her shoulder at the three archers. Twilight looked back with a scrutinising eye, and then subtly shook her head. “I don’t think so. Those archers could bring those bows up within a second, way before my teleportation spell is fully cast, and could shoot us just as we could get away. Sorry, but I don’t think it’s worth the risk,” she explained. Fluttershy nodded sadly, averting her gaze to follow the clean walls of the tunnel, which were no bigger than the main gates of Canterlot. “Had any thoughts of escaping yet?” she whispered. Twilight sighed. “No, not yet. What about you?” Fluttershy shook her head. “No. Other than improvise and wait for the perfect opportunity, I’ve got nothing,” she answered. Twilight sighed, her ears falling a little, yet she refused to lose hope just yet. “I’m sure we’ll think of something.” The two stayed silent as they were led further through the tunnel. After half an hour or so of moving through a tricky network of passages and crossings in silence, the pair found themselves staring at a massive cavern. Taller than Canterlot itself, the ceiling of the cavern was supported by hundreds of natural stone pillars that varied in size and shape across the rocky chamber. To the left, a large waterfall cascaded down the under-mountainside and fell into a great lake that covered the lower floor of the cave. On the right was a sloped path that curved up the cavern and led to the higher levels, which the two could just make out crudely built homes and small caves for the goblins to dwell in. And in the middle of this lake was a large island, connected to the mainland by a large wooden bridge that led into a cave carved into the island itself. The goblin was waiting for them at the end of the bridge, staring at them impatiently to get a move on. “Keep up, will ya? The Master doesn’t have all day!” the goblin bellowed. Twilight snorted disdainfully at him as they began to cross the bridge. “I am seriously getting tired of his b–” She cut herself off when Fluttershy stopped and squeaked in pain, her whole body tensing up. “Oh my gosh, what’s wrong?” she whispered, gently rubbing the pegasus’s back. “It’s my wing,” Fluttershy replied in a hiss. “It keeps playing up every now and then, but this time it’s worse. I don’t know what to do.” She tried to take another step forward, but the pain became too much and she stumbled to the side. Twilight quickly caught her with her forelegs and wrapped her in her embrace. “What’s the hold up?” the goblin snapped as he walked to them, a new longsword in his hand. “Fluttershy’s injured, thanks to you!” Twilight yelled, glaring at the goblin with a look that would annihilate if it could. She looked back at her pained lover, feeling her heart crack at the pain in her eyes. “And I don’t have any way of helping her.” She sighed as she turned to face the goblin once more. “Please. Help her.” The goblin huffed impatiently, and then turned around and ran into the cave. Twilight watched him go, and then turned to face the other goblins behind, who looked ready to loosen an arrow into her marefriend to speed things up. “Touch her, or so much as aim at her, and there won’t be anything left of you or your arrows when I am done,” she growled. The goblins took her threat seriously and backed off a little, turning their aim on her instead. With them a bit scared, Twilight turned back to comforting her lover. “Just take your time, sweetheart. We can move when you feel ready to,” she said, holding Fluttershy close and stroking her mane. Fluttershy nodded briskly. “I will. Thank you, Twilight,” she whispered, shaking in fright and pain. Her wing was better than it was before, but now it was a throbbing feeling that flared wildly every now and then. ‘Why did I have to be born with such sensitive wings?’ she thought begrudgingly of herself. She broke out of her thoughts when the sound of running across a planked bridge whistled through her ears. She looked up and saw to her surprise the goblin running back to them with a handful of bandages around one arm. He stopped before the two ponies and stretched his arm. “Here, take these and make it snappy. The Master’s getting impatient,” the goblin said. Twilight carefully took the bandages off the goblin’s arm with her magic, and quickly began to apply them around her lover’s sprained wing. “Thank you, I suppose,” Twilight muttered. Fluttershy looked up and nodded gratefully, but quickly bowed her head again as pain shot through her every time Twilight wrapped a piece around her wing. The unicorn grimaced every time Fluttershy let out a squeak of pain. Finally, Twilight used up the last of the bandages, then got up and backed away from her, a hoof still in Fluttershy’s. “There. How does that feel now?” she asked worriedly. Fluttershy stretched out her bandaged wing, and apart from a numbing sensation she could feel across her wing, it was manageable now. She set it back to her side, and smiled thankfully at Twilight. “It’s better now, thanks to you,” she said. Twilight blushed, casting her gaze to the floor. “I’m just sorry there’s no more I can do,” she said. “And it will mean you won’t be able to fly for a long time, probably not for the rest of this trip.” Fluttershy nodded understandably as she, with Twilight’s help, hauled herself to her hooves. “I know, and that’s fine if it means I can stay closer to you,” she said before she could stop herself. “Um,” she quickly added, leaning forward. “What do you mean, the rest of this trip? We could be stuck here for a very long time.” Twilight wrinkled her nose. “Oh, don’t worry, we will be continuing this journey one way or another,” she whispered. With Fluttershy confused, Twilight turned back to the leading goblin. “Lead on, please.” The goblin snorted, and quickly limped over the bridge, beckoning the two ponies to follow him. They swiftly complied and trotted after him, followed not too far behind by the archers. Twilight smirked wryly to herself, looking around as a plan came together in her head. Above them, hundreds of goblins ran across the passages through their city, their eyes following the trespassers as they made their way to what was undoubtedly the residence of their ‘Master’. ‘This is getting easier by the minute,’ she thought cheerfully, watching the goblins’ movements and seeing how far they were from the main entrance, as well as the distance of the archers and calculating the time of their arrows reaching their targets. The more she thought about it, the easier it was to just go with the plan now and get away from here before something bad could happen. Yet, and she knew this was her worst weakness, the desire for knowledge on goblin kind was telling her to keep going and keep learning. ‘Besides,’ her mind told her, ‘if we do anything rash, then we put not just my own life at risk but Fluttershy’s as well.’ Twilight looked to her marefriend, and saw not just the fear in her eyes, but also the determination to get away from this place and continue with their journey. ‘She has great spirit,’ she thought, ‘and I love her for it.’ The pair made it to the end of the bridge, and swiftly walked through the cave entrance and down a thin passage no bigger than the average pony door. As they walked, Fluttershy’s fear began to rise, causing her to tremble violently. ‘What will they do to us? What if they separate us?’ Her tail latched onto Twilight’s tighter at the thought. ‘They will not take my Twily from me!’ Fluttershy’s thoughts stopped, and her tail slackened its hold. ‘Goodness, I sounded so clingy there. What does that mean?’ She must love Twilight to sound so clingy, surely? Or was it because of the want of a good friend to be by her side? She didn’t have much time to think about it, as soon the couple were herded around the corner and found themselves staring at a peculiar sight. “Well… this is not what I was expecting,” Twilight remarked. Fluttershy could only nod in agreement. Before them was a great feast laid out on a long table that was unlike anything the two ponies had ever been to. The table was covered in large bowls of lettuces, carrots, cabbages, onions both green and red, celery – Twilight’s favourite – olives and tons more flowers awaited them, complete with bowls of water. There wasn’t a single goblin sitting on the benches around it, however, as the fifty or so of the little creatures that made up the large chamber stood around the edges, watching the two ponies or chatting amongst themselves around large barrels of what was probably wine and fresh produce. Fluttershy shied away from their gazes and turned her attention towards Twilight, who looked regal in her pose, almost like a true leader should. ‘She’s so brave,’ she thought, smiling at her. “Well? You’re gonna just stand there and stare? Come on, come in! There’s plenty to eat and share!” the voice of a male said joyously and in a singsong tone. Twilight and Fluttershy looked from the dinner to the goblin they had completely missed sitting at the far end of the table – probably because he was too busy sticking his entire face into a bowl of pickled onions. The goblin was much like the others, but taller and wider with a belly the size and shape of a cauldron. His eyes were a dark, menacing blue, his skin was a pale colour, like a pony that had its coat shaved off, and ragged black hair ran down the back of his head to his shoulders. But despite his size and what he was, he wore a cheerful smile as he dug into the dinner left for them. The Goblin Master stopped eating for a moment, and stared wonderingly at the two ponies. “So how about it then? You’re just gonna let me have all of this, cause if you are then how kind of you!” He laughed loudly, clutching his belly as he hollered. Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion. This didn’t seem like they were prisoners, but more like welcome guests to a great and ancient town. Then she remembered her mistake. The last time they were ‘guests of honour’ was in Esperius, just before Grey Spot ordered to have her killed and have Twilight manipulated into becoming the Prince’s lover. It didn’t work last time, and it certainly wasn’t going to work this time, either. But she was so hungry, and the food looked delicious. ‘Oh, I’m sure a few bites won’t hurt,’ she decided eventually. Slowly, she walked forward, ignoring the cheers from the goblins, and stopped before the bowl of carrots. She looked back at Twilight quickly, and saw that she was looking at her in horror. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but I am so hungry,” she said ashamedly. “See? The winged pony gets the idea!” the Goblin Master said cheerfully. “Go on, dig in, if it all doesn’t go then it goes into me.” He chuckled, then pointed to Twilight. “You too, horny one.” “Beg your pardon?” Twilight asked, shocked she had been called such a thing. She could see with the corner of her eye that Fluttershy was trying really hard to keep a straight face. She glared at her into looking away. “Come and take a few bites,” the Goblin Master beckoned. “Put up your hooves and fill up your belly. You certainly look as though you need to.” Twilight sighed inwardly. Although she didn’t like a bit of it, she had to admit that the food looked tasty, and her stomach was rumbling continuously in anticipation. However, if the goblin thought that he could convince them that he was friendly, then he was wrong; Fluttershy and herself knew better than that now. ‘If he’s trying to trick us into thinking he means no harm, then he has another thing coming,’ she thought darkly. She looked back to Fluttershy and saw how much she was stuffing in her mouth at once, all the while being goaded by the goblins around her. “Fluttershy, you have to slow down!” she hissed as she sauntered up to the pegasus. “This food might look nice but it could have some darker undertone to it. How do we know that the goblins haven’t poisoned it, wanting to watch us choke and die slowly while betting who will be the one that dies first?” She jumped back in fright when the Goblin Master laughed. “Poisoned? Why, horny one, you have wounded this old goblin’s heart,” he said, setting his large, bulging hand where his heart would be. “The food’s perfectly fine. Picked from across the old farms that were once used by the quadrupeds of old. Fresh, of course, as we tend to those farms when we can.” Fluttershy saw the sincerity of the Master’s words, and turned to stare insistently at Twilight. “Come on, Twilight, eat up so we can feel full once more.” After a minute, she leaned forward and added in a whisper, “And try not to look so suspicious.” Twilight’s mind instantly discovered what Fluttershy was doing. ‘Oh,’ she oozed in thought. Hesitantly, and ignoring the cheers from their captors, she sat on the bench next to Fluttershy, close enough so that their sides were touching, and began to devour whatever was in front of her. “There, that’s it!” the Goblin Master cheered. “Enjoy, little equines, for later we chat.” With that, he began eating greedily and noisily what was before him. Twilight eyed him with disgust, before drawing her gaze to Fluttershy, who ate with the grace and dignity she had always seen in the pegasus – before the adventure began, at least. “You really think this will lose their suspicions?” she asked quietly. Fluttershy swallowed a large piece of lettuce before nodding discreetly. “Yes, I do. If they see we’re following on, then they might lower their guard and be more… Oh, what’s that word? When they are slow to act as we escape?” “Sloppy?” “Maybe,” Fluttershy replied thoughtfully. She eventually nodded. “Yes, that sounds about right. If we simply do as we are told, they might lower their guard and be slower then usual, giving us a chance to get away from here when the right moment comes. Besides, they might think we won’t be able to run far on a very full and bloated stomach.” Twilight thought about Fluttershy’s words for a bit, before leaning forward and pecking her on the cheek. The pegasus’s face lit up pink in response. “I love it when you’re like that,” Twilight said. “Like what?” “Being an amazing genius, that’s what. An adorable genius,” Twilight purred, nuzzling the side of the pegasus’s cheeks, turning the heat on Fluttershy’s cheeks to maximum. Twilight giggled as she pulled away and resumed eating, leaving Fluttershy in a state of shock and embarrassment. “What I don’t get, though,” Twilight said a little while later when Fluttershy had recovered and was able to eat again, “is why are they giving us all of this feast?” she asked, gesturing with her hooves at the massive amount of food before them. “I thought we were prisoners.” “Why, yes, you are, but I can’t allow my prisoners to starve to death now, can I?” the Goblin Master said cheerfully. “I used to do that when I was a younger king, but that was a dumb mistake; they all tended to die after a few weeks! Now, being older and wiser, I know I should not starve them but stuff them silly, let them work it off, and fill them up again! Brilliant plan, eh?” Fluttershy and Twilight stared at the Master in shock, then glanced at each other with dread writing across their faces, and finally back at the Master with large, fake grins. “Oh, yes, it is a very good idea,” Fluttershy said first. “Yep, totally, truly, one of the best plans to have ever been conceived, your Excellency,” Twilight said, before stuffing her mouth full of anything her hooves and magic could get hold of. The Goblin Master chuckled. “Oh, please, none of this formality stuff between prisoners and king. To you, simply call me Krull, the Master of Goblasia.” Twilight and Fluttershy collectively nodded in understanding, before resuming the silence and began eating again. “Okay, so we got a ‘benevolent’ slave master that likes stuffing ponies silly with grub, and hundreds of goblins that wouldn’t hesitate to put an arrow into us right now around us,” Twilight observed quietly. The couple faced each other, and smiled wryly. “Just an average day for us, then.” Fluttershy nodded in agreement, before tucking into the food before her, though slowly so she would not get a tummy ache. Twilight followed shortly after, her ears flicking as the goblins started to sing in their own coarse language, and using the top of the barrels for drums and anything else they could use to create music. ‘Hmm, kinda catchy, if you think about it,’ she thought, as she felt her body start to bob up and down to the tune. After a while, the two ponies leaned back, pushed their empty plates away, and sighed happily as they rubbed their full bellies. “Why do ponies rub their bellies anyway?” Fluttershy asked curiously. At Twilight’s odd look, she explained. “It’s just that, I see loads of ponies do it, and yet it never seems to do anything.” Twilight merely shrugged, watching as goblins scurried about and took away their empty plates and whatever food was left. “I’m not sure, to be honest. I think it came about from one of the pony kingdoms east of Equestria. A sign to show how pleasant the food was and such,” she answered. Fluttershy opened her mouth to ask something else, but stopped when she felt a thump from her left. She shot her head around to see Krull had jumped off his chair and was moving ploddingly to a large throne just behind him. The throne itself was wooden and crudely misshapen, with mismatched armrests and a weirdly shaped backrest. ‘Well… that’s a different throne to what I’m used to,’ she thought, tilting her head at the thing. “Now, then, let’s get a little closer and have a nice little chat,” Krull said, gesturing with a finger for them to come closer. The couple jumped off the bench, and made their way to sit in front of the throne. Twilight looked behind to see the four goblins that had escorted them to this place had now moved away from the entrance and were now on the far edges flanking them. ‘I have to time our moment of escape perfectly, or else we’re in trouble,’ she thought, before fixing her eyes on Krull. “Right, then, now that dinner is out of the way, let business commence,” the Master said. He leaned forward and eyed them curiously, tapping his fingers together. “Now, I have seen other equines before, but you two are not like those Esperians from that golden city. Who are you, and why are you in these parts and within my kingdom, may I ask?” Fluttershy bowed her head and leaned back, trembling with shyness. Twilight shuffled closer so that their sides were touching, and wrapped her tail around Fluttershy’s for comfort. “We are ponies from Equestria,” she answered. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, a unicorn, and this is Fluttershy Whisperwing, a pegasus.” Fluttershy glanced up shyly and waved. The Goblin Master raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Equestria? What is this ‘Equestria’ you speak of? It is something I haven’t heard of before.” “That’s because it is far across the sea,” Twilight answered as politely as she could. ‘And too far away for your grimy paws to harm.’ Krull leaned back in his chair, seemingly satisfied with Twilight’s answer. “Ah, I see, so you are both foreigners in these lands, yes?” Twilight and Fluttershy nodded. “And I take it those ponies in Esperius didn’t warn you about us, did they?” “Oh, they did mention you a little bit,” Fluttershy answered quietly, “but, um, they weren’t very specific on the details.” Krull merely chuckled. “They usually aren’t,” he said. “It’s as almost as they want those that wish to travel this far to go through these places, only to be caught and enslaved.” He chuckled again, seemingly not noticing the pair’s shared glances of fear. He shifted so that he was leaning on his left side. “Anyway, enough of such formalities. How about this. We ask each other a question on anything, the questioned answers, and then the questioned takes a turn to question. How about that?” The two ponies shifted in place to get comfortable. ‘We might be here a little while,’ Twilight thought. Not that she minded, considering she could ask anything about the goblins she desired. “Okay, then, so who is going to go first with these questions?” she asked. The Goblin Master bowed his head respectfully. “Why don’t you go first, horny one,” he said. “Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight growled, briefly hearing the quiet snort from Fluttershy. She looked to her and whispered, “You have such a strange mind, Fluttershy.” The pegasus blushed and kept her silence, prompting Twilight to turn back to Krull. “So, I have a question: when and why did goblins start living in this mountain, and just below the old city of the earth ponies, for that matter?” She turned her head a bit and raised an eyebrow. “Was it a coincidence?” Krull shook his head. “My dear, I’m afraid not,” he replied. He took a deep breath, telling Twilight that there was to be a long reply. “We have been here since before the quadrupeds that have dwelled in that city left. My ancestors saw the great use the homes and farms outside had to my thriving people, so we snuck in and built this little community below, waiting for the right moment to jump up and take the city from them. “Eventually, as our numbers grew into the thousands, we started digging the tunnels that are now across the city so we could sneak around the city without being noticed. Finally, when the last of the tunnels were completed and our numbers were over a million, we launched our attack.” He paused to laugh. “What a waste of time that was! As soon as the first goblins jumped out of their hideouts they realised that nothing lived in the city anymore; it had been abandoned for almost a hundred years. We simply stole what was left, set up traps and warning signals to capture anyone that trespasses or tries to get through the city, and farmed the remaining fields outside for food to keep alive with.” He leaned back with an almighty sigh. “Does that answer your question, horny one?” “Yes, it does, thank you, and it’s Twilight. Sparkle,” she growled, her eyes turning red with rage. Fluttershy raised a hoof and calmly caressed her from the top of her neck to the base of her tail. The effect calmed the unicorn greatly, and she let out a sigh of relaxation. “Thank you, my dear,” she breathed. Fluttershy smiled softly. “You’re welcome, Twily,” she said. She looked back at the Goblin Master, hoping that he would allow her to answer her question. “Um, excuse me? So, uh, who asks the question now? Me, or…?” “I ask the next question, tweety,” Krull replied, causing Fluttershy to slump in her place. “Now then, my question is this: are you both a couple?” he asked bluntly. The question was enough for the pair to lurch their heads back in surprise. “Oh, well, yes, we are in a relationship,” Twilight replied, placing her hoof on top of Fluttershy’s. “Yes, though we’re just getting to know how a relationship works and see how things go from there,” Fluttershy added, blushing faintly at Twilight’s touch. She leaned to the side and nuzzled Twilight’s neck. “I don’t regret it, though. And I never could.” Around them, the goblins let out one large, “Awww,” which was silently cut off by Krull’s look in their direction. “I see. Never heard of such a relationship before, so I find such a thing weird to see,” Krull said. Fluttershy’s ears shot downwards and she flinched back at the use of the word. It was a horrible word to be compared to, and it made her feel like an inferior. She looked up to stare into Twilight’s comforting and loving eyes, and those thoughts were instantly washed away. ‘I’m not an inferior. I am a pony, born and bred in Equestria, Terra, like many other ponies and creatures,’ she reminded herself. “But anyway, back to the questioning, if you two don’t mind?” Krull asked, with a voice that told them he was getting a little impatient. Twilight and Fluttershy both shook their heads at their captor. Twilight turned to Fluttershy, awaiting her question to be asked. The unicorn gave her an encouraging nod, which the pegasus returned. ‘Just take your time, Fluttershy,’ she told herself. She looked up at Krull, and carefully asked, “Why are we here, Krull? What do you want with us, and when are you going to set us free?” The Goblin Master let out a quiet laugh as he slumped back in his seat. “Ah, so you are one that likes to get down to business, eh? I like that. I like that a lot. Well, you two are required for one particular thing that we goblins cannot create and use ourselves.” Twilight sighed annoyingly, which was noticed by Fluttershy, who threw a light glare at her. ‘Oh, I was hoping to learn a bit more about them. Thanks a lot, Fluttershy,’ she thought. Her right ear twitched. ‘No, I shouldn’t be annoyed. It is something else to learn about them, and we don’t want to be here all day.’ She looked up apologetically at Fluttershy, who smiled in forgiveness before turning back to facing Krull. “And, um, what is that, exactly?” Fluttershy asked, dreading the answer. “Well firstly, let me ask you two something: what do you know of farming?” Krull asked. Twilight averted her gaze and stared at her hind hoof, while Fluttershy rubbed her foreleg sheepishly. “I don’t actually know anything on farming,” Fluttershy answered eventually. “No, me neither,” Twilight replied a bit later, much to Fluttershy’s shock. “I thought I did, but everything just seems to have left my mind.” “Ah, well it doesn’t matter anyway, since what I have in mind for you two is but a simple task,” Krull said, smirking as an idea came together in his head. “There is a simple and effective way on growing plants and vegetables than just simply water. A source of nutrients that would be most useful and needed for the plants to grow.” “Like what?” Twilight asked curiously. “Fertiliser,” Krull answered, smirking. Twilight’s eyes widened in horror, while Fluttershy stared oddly between the pair of them. “Um, forgive me if this sounds a little stupid, but uh, what is fertiliser exactly?” Fluttershy asked timidly, her head low as she already dreaded the answer. Twilight leaned to the side and whispered in Fluttershy’s ear what fertiliser was exactly. At the explanation, Fluttershy went green. She drew back to stare at Twilight in horror. “You mean, fertiliser is–?” “Yep.” “So all that food on that table was–?” “Indeed.” “So they want to use–?” “It seems that way.” Fluttershy wobbled in her place, her face a dark shade of green. “Oh, now I don’t feel so good,” she slurred. Twilight wrapped her forelegs around Fluttershy and let her head rest against her chest, calming the pegasus by allowing her to hear her heartbeat. “So, you want us to do what exactly?” The Goblin Master shifted in his seat, the throne creaking under the strain of his weight. “You will both be given very large meals daily, which you will be required to eat all of it. Then, once a week, the amount of fertilizer you both create will be taken to our farms to serve as nutrients for our seeds and grow more food.” “And how long will you need us to do that for?” Fluttershy asked, glancing at the Goblin Master from her place on Twilight’s chest. “For as long as you are both alive,” Krull answered. At their looks of horror, he explained. “Farming is a never-ending cycle, ponies, and it needs to be continuously cared for.” He got off his throne and threw his arms out wide. “You will be here forever!” Fluttershy and Twilight jumped back in alarm. “Forever!” they repeated. “Forever!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, her head popping out from one of the barrels. The couple stared incredulously at the earth pony, while the goblins stared with looks of bafflement as Pinkie looked around. When Pinkie’s eyes locked onto Twilight and Fluttershy, her eyes widened. “Oh, hey girls!” Pinkie called, grinning ecstatically at seeing them again. “Bye, girls!” she exclaimed, before shooting back into the barrel and out of sight. Twilight and Fluttershy blinked incredulously, their mouths parted, even as the goblins slowly approached the barrel their earth pony friend emerged from. “Please tell me I had just imagined that,” Twilight said. Fluttershy shook her head. “No, I don’t think you did. I shouldn’t be surprised, really, it’s Pinkie Pie, after all,” she said. She looked around to see that the goblins were still staring at the barrel. She gently nudged Twilight in the ribs. “Hey, sweetie, I think this is our chance.” Twilight looked around, and saw to her delight that the goblins were now crowding around the barrel, looking within for the pink pony that had appeared. With her magic, she flung Fluttershy’s hooves around her waist, wrapped her hooves around Fluttershy’s neck, and then began to cast her teleportation spell. “Well, thank you, Krull, for the lovely feast and the invite to stay here, but I’m afraid we have to decline the rest of your hospitality.” “Well, you are most welcome, horny one, for… hold on, what do you mean?” Krull asked, turning back to look at them. Twilight grinned, and her and Fluttershy’s body began to glow white with teleportation energy. “Hold on, we’re out of here!” she yelled to Fluttershy. “Stop them, they’re escaping!” Krull yelled, pointing to the couple. Four of the goblins recovered from their shock of Pinkie’s appearance and moved closer as they drew their bows back, aiming for Twilight. Fluttershy felt the magic wrap around her, before pulling her in to the magical realm. The last thing she saw was a goblin appearing in front of them before she closed her eyes. The last thing she heard before a popping sound was a twang of an arrow being loosed from its string.