Masai and the Brotherhood finally made it back to their home with the Element bearers and Spike. It was cold outside, and it wasn't much warmer in the Brotherhood's home. As soon as Twilight and the rest entered the hut, they were all hit by a horrible stench. The stench was so foul that Rarity and Fluttershy began to gag,
"Oh gosh. What's that smell?" Rarity asked as she covered her nose.
"It's food in the freezer below us, you'll get used to the smell eventually" Vaako replied.
"It reeks" Rainbow Dash uttered.
"Quiet" Lavo said.
"What should we do with them Masai?" Vaako asked.
"Tie them" Masai ordered, "I need to ask them some questions"
Lavo used his magic to sustain Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie and Applejack in a magical vice, whilst Vaako took Rainbow and Fluttershy, and Mimic held Spike. Masai used his magic to pull out several chairs, one at a time for them to be sat in. Lavo then used his magic to tie a stream around all of the Brotherhood's prisoners, then concentrated further with his spell and turned the streams into rope,
"Okay, so now it's question time" Masai said.
"I'm not answering any of your questions" Twilight replied.
"One of yous will" Masai told her.
"Why are you keeping us alive? I thought you wanted to kill us?" Twilight asked.
"Not here, no, but you see, Twilight dear, I want you and your friends to witness Equestria burn to the ground before meeting your fate, but if you were all to die in this shit-heap, it would be very anti-climatic for all of yous, I'll let you stay around for maybe a few months. Also, if Mr. Tesla was here, he would be building my some of that fine machinery I've heard so much about" Masai said, "Which is why I need to you, what other machines can he make?"
"I'm not telling you" Twilight replied stoically.
Masai smirked at her, "Fine then, Twilight. I'll ask your friends"
Twilight frowned and then looked at her friends in worry, she was terrified for who Masai was going to interrogate. Masai first started at Spike,
"So, little non-threatening dragon. Do you know what else your friend Nikola can make?" Masai asked.
Spike didn't look at Masai straight in the eye and instead ignored him. Masai then decided he needed to break him,
"You're an embarrassment to your race, you know that?" Masai said, making Spike look at him.
Masai grinned as soon as Spike looked at him,
"A dragon? That's what you say you are? You're not a dragon, Spike. You're an embarrassment. Dragons are meant to be monsters, you're not a monster. But you know what you really are? An atrocity. You follow the dragon code, right?" Masai asked.
Spike nodded,
"You shouldn't follow it. You're a pony in reptilian form and that's all you'll ever be. And to top that all off, you're a pet and slave" Masai insulted, "Now tell me, what else can Tesla ma-" Masai continued to ask before being interrupted by Spike, who spat on his face.
Masai wiped off the saliva from his face. But something different happened, he managed to keep his cool, the demon he would usually unleash was still concealed, but there was no telling on how long he can keep it concealed. He then turned around and moved away from Spike and then turned back around to face the prisoners whilst keeping far from them,
"Vaako, untie the dragon" Masai ordered.
Vaako was unsure of what his leader was going to do to Spike, but he didn't question his brother's motives and followed his orders. He untied Spike and held his arms behind his back,
"Put him over there" Masai said as he pointed to a space between Masai himself and his prisoners.
Vaako pulled Spike over to the spot Masai pointed at,
"Leave him, Vaako" Masai said.
"Yes, brother" Vaako replied.
Spike looked at Masai and was both curious and worried as to what he was to do to him. Masai smirked once again and then said to Spike,
"Turn around, dragon"
Spike hesitantly did so. Spike faced his friends as Masai came up from behind him,
"Get on your knees" Masai ordered.
"What?" Spike questioned.
"Now" Masai replied.
Spike was still trying to piece what Masai was about to do. He still followed Masai's order and got down on his knees. Masai stood next to Spike and then asked him,
"Tell me again, Spike. What else can Tesla make?"
"I don't know" Spike replied, with fright in his voice.
Masai looked at his prisoners in front of him and looked at the expressions on their faces, Twilight's expression was angry, Rainbow Dash's was angrier, she was gritting her teeth so much it looked like she was going to break them, Rarity had a worried expression on her face, she was worried for Spike, Pinkie closed her eyes, she didn't want to look, Applejack had a frown on and Fluttershy was quietly sobbing to herself,
"You're loss" Masai told Spike as he got Spike's hand in a magical vice. Masai then slid one of the holes in his hoof around Spike's index finger.
Spike instantly knew he was in trouble, he tried pull his hand out of the magic's grasp, but it was too late. SNAP! Masai pulled his hoof back along with Spike's finger, breaking it in the process. Spike yelled as he felt his finger break, he fell to the ground and held onto his finger, trying to fit it back into place,
"SPIKE!" Rarity screamed.
Masai stood over Spike and laughed, angering both Rainbow Dash and Twilight. Twilight tried to use her Unicorn magic but it wasn't working for her, and Rainbow Dash tried to break her ropes loose, she struggled and tried to wiggle herself free, but she ended up toppling her chair to the cold and grimy floor,
"Don't you dare touch him again Masai!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"Care to vouch for him, Rainbow Dash? All I'm wanting to know is that if your friend Tesla can make anything else besides machines that transport objects. Anything will do" Masai replied.
"Why isn't my magic working?" Twilight asked herself.
Masai chuckled, "Oh Twilight, my dear. The reason your magic isn't working is because I had my brother Lavo enchant this little place here to be ridden of all magic from all beings, except Changeling" He explained, "But anyways, none of yous have gave me an appropriate answer to my question, and if you want Spike safe from harm, you better answer quickly"
"He made me a machine" Applejack uttered.
Masai looked over at Applejack and then approached her,
"What kind of machine?" Masai asked.
"It was just a machine that chopped apples, that's all" Applejack replied.
"Was it big?" Masai asked.
"Ye-yes, it was" Applejack stuttered.
"What did he make it out of?" Masai asked.
"Ah don't know, some blades, scrap metal, all that stuff" Applejack replied.
"Okay then, I see" Masai said, "Well, due to Twilight's pet's attitude towards me asking him a question. I don't really feel like asking any more questions just now. Lavo, Vaako, Mimic. Chain in the basement"
Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Spike were now in the basement of the Brotherhood's home, they were close to the freezer, they all felt cold, and Spike felt cold and in pain. Twilight was sitting beside Rarity and Twilight said,
"I love him" She said quietly.
"Pardon me, Twilight?" Rarity questioned.
"I love Nikola. You know how Changelings can replicate the identities of some ponies loved ones?" Twilight asked.
"Yes" Rarity replied.
"Well, I might as well admit to all of you, to avoid the big reveal that could come" Twilight said.
Rarity sighed, "I have feelings for him as well, Twilight"
"Really?" Twilight asked, "What do you like about him?"
"He's smart, he's sophisticated and he's...he's..." Rarity lost herself.
"He's what?" Twilight questioned.
"...Dreamy" Rarity uttered in her daze.
Twilight chuckled at Rarity being love-struck like that, her typical personality,
"I guess he is" Twilight joked.
Twilight and Rarity then shared a brief laugh with each other, it felt weird for them to share a laugh in the situation they were in. After the laugh was over, they both looked at their friends, they weren't happy. Fluttershy and Spike looked the worst, Spike was still in pain and Fluttershy was frozen, staring into space, it was like she was catatonic. Pinkie sighed,
"I never managed to find out my results on my chemistry test" She uttered.
"We'll get out of here, Pinkie" Rarity comforted her.
"The fuck we will" Rainbow Dash cut in.
"Rainbow..." Applejack tried to stop her.
"No, let me speak. This guy is nuts, he's won though, we've lost" Rainbow Dash continued.
"Nikola will save us" Twilight told her.
"How do you know that?" Rainbow asked.
"Because he's a friend, he promised he would save all of us, and he will, he keeps to his promises" Twilight said.
"You know what?" Rainbow Dash asked sarcastically, "Yeah, let's wait for the fantastic Nikola Tesla to save the day, it's not like he hasn't done it enough times, with the kart race, rig..?"
"Be quiet, Rainbow Dash" Fluttershy interrupted her.
Rainbow Dash turned to see Fluttershy still staring into space,
"What?" Rainbow asked surprised.
"Please be quiet, all of you" Fluttershy told them, "I have been violated by that monster who keeps us prisoner, he used me because Rainbow Dash couldn't help herself to get in Masai's face. Don't mock Nikola by saying he's 'saved the day countless times', because you're no different with your big mouth, Dash. So shut up, and keep what you're going to say to yourself"
All of them looked at Fluttershy with shock and surprise, they've never seen this kind of behavior associated with her. But they could understand where she was coming from, even Rainbow Dash, she was touched by Masai, her good friend Discord was murdered and she couldn't put up with the conversations that were going on around her.
It was at this time that the door that led up to the ground level, burst open as both Vaako and Mimic came down the stairs,
"Alright, shit heads!" Vaako called the ponies and Spike, "Time for lunch"
Vaako and Mimic opened the door to the freezer and both of them entered it, after about two minutes the two Changelings exited the freezer, whilst carrying a large chunk of meat, the two then dumped the large piece of meat in front of the prisoners,
"What is this?" Rarity gulped.
"Deer" Vaako said.
"We can't eat this" Twilight said, "We're all vegetarians"
"This is the only thing we have" Vaako chuckled.
"What's so funny?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Seeing all six of you ponies here" Vaako replied, "Eating meat. It's either tainted meat or you starve, ponies. The choice is yours"
Rarity and Fluttershy both barfed in their mouths then swallowed it back down again, it felt uncomfortable to do that. Twilight then noticed the scars on Mimic's forehead,
"Excuse me, but how did you get them scars?" She asked.
"Oh these" Mimic said, "These were given to me by...um..."
"Who, Mimic?" Vaako asked jokingly, "Tell them"
"Discord" Mimic uttered.
Everyone looked at Mimic, even Fluttershy broke out from her frozen state and looked at the scars his forehead, Fluttershy never could have thought that a being as nice as Discord was to her, could be capable of mutilating a Changelings forehead. Mimic turned and approached the door atop the stairs that led to the ground floor and Vaako followed him before finally turning around to face the prisoners once more,
"Enjoy your meal" Vaako laughed as he closed the door behind him.
Everyone was left without the Changelings once again, they all looked at the deer meat that lied in front of them, they knew that they would eventually have to eat, and this was the only option. Fluttershy looked at the meat whilst thinking Discord, his unfinished last words before finally being plunged into the volcano, she then began to cry, she thought this was like a nightmare, but she couldn't wake up from this one, and she knew it would eventually get worse and worse