The patched me up, crudely but effectively, a bath in dirty water cleaned away most of the blood. then I was dragged back to my cage.
The 'training' amounted to being handed a heavy blunted pickaxe, pointing at a spot on the cavern wall, "DIG!" and then a rap across the back with that damned stick for good measure.
I was slow to begin with. Being a computer tech doesn't give one much of a tolerance for hard labor.
I just collapsed from exhaustion in my cell at the end of the day, smarting from the welts on my back.
Mining is a pain in the ass job. Especially when working with little more than claws and hooves. At least i had a pick axe when on the digging crew so it was less painful to work but still heavy labor. Other days I spent time chained to a mine cart.
I never spoke. Letting on that I was that intelligent would only let them take greater advantage of me.
So I sweated, strained, and toiled, enduring the stares of the ponies, my face an emotionless mask.
I was overweight to begin with, That ended pretty quickly considering the gruel they fed me and the hard labor.
I am 6 foot 4, was 375, and after a week of work had bottomed out at I'm guessing around 250 lbs.
I had recovered most of my health, had gotten used to the lean food, but never let on that I had really recovered.. I was waiting, biding my time.
Then She arrived.
-
I was awoken one morning with the high pitched voice of a mare. a rather distinct voice... I knew that voice.
“Put her in the cage next to the Creature! Maybe that will stop her whining!”
Whining... There could be only one pony.....Then they tugged her into view.
Yes it was her, the ivory white mare, purple and indigo mane in a ragged version of her typical curl. The 3 diamonds on her flank were hard to miss.
I glanced up as they led her, scratched up, dirty, with a cloth gag in her mouth and tossed her into the adjoining cage. She saw me, clothes torn and filthy, bearded, huge in her eyes. She squealed through her gag and scooted to the far corner of her cage. Watching me with pinpoints for pupils. Whether it was my appearance, or the frightful condition of my clothes I don't know.
I looked up at the dogs for a moment, then huddled in the opposite corner, not wanting to frighten my new cellmate, and IMO, best pony... Rarity.
They paired me up with her, She'd keep away from me, but point out where to dig, I'd step in and with my tool I'd liberate the gems from the stone. Still hard labor, but easier knowing where to dig. Even she seemed surprised at how quickly I could pull stones out of the rock.
-
That night...
After the dogs had left us alone, I sat in the middle of my cage, Rarity, still huddled in the corner.
I decided to give it a try...
“psst!”
Rarity groaned softly, lifting her head from it's resting spot across her fore hooves.
“psst!”
Rarity looked up groggily, looking around for the source, when she realized it was me she squealed again and shivered...
“Please don't scream. Keep quiet. I am no monster.”
She lifted her head, and stuttered in a whisper, “Y- Yo -You talk?!” She stared at me incredulously for a moment, then her eyes rolled in their sockets and her head droped to her hooves as she passed out.
Yeah... I could use a nap too....