Melissa woke up with a jolt, “Joshua!” She shouted before realizing where she was. Twilight had continued the tour around her library and showing what Melissa’s tasks would be late to the night and finally set up a small basket on the floor besides Twilight bed and blanket for her to sleep. Homesick and worried about Joshua, it had taken a long time for her to fall asleep. Awake now, she looked around, and saw through window that the Sun was already high. I must have slept late, she thought. I wonder why Mistress didn’t wake me up. She looked at Twilight’s bed and saw that the sheets were already tucked in.
Melissa yawned and rose up, and started to dress up, putting her clothes on slowly. She suddenly stopped. I called her mistress even in my thoughts? The door had been left open and when walking towards it she heard faint talking. Hesitating a bit, Melissa peeked from the gap shyly. She saw Twilight downstairs talking with another pony, an unicorn mare whose coat was spotlessly white, and she had a curly, purple mane. Even from her position, Melissa saw that the new pony cared how she looked.
Melissa faced the steep stairs, Twilight had levitated her upstairs and she hadn’t realized how steep they actually were, each step was easily as tall as she was, and something as trivial as going downstairs would be a laborious and potentially dangerous task for someone her size. She didn’t want to interrupt them by shouting from the top of the stairs, and while she was considering her options, she started to listen to them talking.
“…and it kind of went on to the late night.” Twilight said while brushing her mane with a hoof, clearly a little embarrassed.
“Twilight dear, I know you are little obsessed about your books, I wouldn’t even want to think what would happen to somepony who damaged them, but it was her first day, you could have made it easy.” The new pony said, with a slight judgmental tone.
“I know, Rarity, I know.” Twilight sighed and hung her head, slight blush on her cheeks.
Melissa had to smile. She really is nice, I guess. She looked at the new pony, whose name apparently was Rarity; her appearance and manner of speech was definitely more ladylike than Twilight. This puzzled Melissa and made her frown slightly. When Twilight had bought her, Melissa had guessed that she was a royalty, and Twilight had mentioned it to Melissa during their nightly session. She had not made a big deal out of it, on the contrary, she seemed annoyed by it.
“So… where is she now?” Rarity inquired, looking around the floor curiously.
“I left her sleep upstairs, it has been rough for her, so I decided to give her an easy start.” Twilight answered, making a nod towards the stairs. Rarity turned her head when Twilight nodded and looked up, hers and Melissa’s eyes met as she spotted her on top of the stairs, she squinted her eyes, “Oh, is that her?” she smiled delighted, almost sparkles in her eyes.
The two ponies turned to look at her, “Good morning, Melissa.” Twilight smiled and started to trot upstairs, Rarity following her close behind.
“G-good morning, Mistress.” Melissa took few steps backwards and bowed as the two giants reached the top of stairs. She couldn’t help but feel intimidated, and she had to crane her neck back to look at them.
“My, my, she is definitely well behaved.” Rarity said, tilting her head and looking at Melissa. “May I?” She smirked, turning her head to Twilight.
“Please.” Twilight smiled and nodded.
Melissa wondered what that was about, but then Rarity took a step closer and before Melissa could make another move, she felt herself being enveloped in a blue aura and lifted up into air. Melissa instinctively put her arms protectively over her chest.
Rarity saw this, and gave Melissa a friendly smile, “Don’t be afraid, darling.” She levitated Melissa to her eye level, and spun Melissa around, looking her from all sides, “Extend your arms, please.”
Melissa felt a little dizzy but did as she was told to, Rarity took another look and then lowered Melissa back on the floor.
“You are not going keep her in those clothes, are you?” Rarity said to Twilight, as soon as she had put Melissa back.
“Well… no, but-” Twilight started but was promptly interrupted by Rarity, “No buts. Come to my boutique when you want, we design her some fabulous new clothes. I started a line of human designs for this very purpose, you know.”
“Alright Rarity, we will come.” Twilight said and looked at Melissa near her hoof.
“Excellent.” Rarity grinned, “I will see you then.”
= = =
Joshua sighed and looked at his trembling hand, the worst part probably was not knowing what was going to happen. He stood up to stretch his legs. He had sat down since they had been brought here, six of them in total. The guards had ordered them out of the cages and left them on empty table, which was covered by a white tablecloth, they had even taken away the cages.
Two guards remained on at the door, standing in attention, and clearly waiting for something. They had not told them anything about what was going to happen here. This didn’t ease Joshua’s anxiety at least, because clearly they were the main event here. Joshua looked at others on the table. Mark had been looking down from the edge of the table, but the table was simply too high to jump down. The black haired stranger had been silent from the beginning, sitting there with his legs crossed.
Three others were teenagers, one boy and two girls. One of the girls had been sobbing silently from the beginning and the other had been trying to comfort her. The teenage boy had been restless, sometimes sitting down, sometimes walking around.
Joshua decided to walk to the stranger, while keeping the distance, “You seemed familiar with all this, so, um, do you know what will happen?” He asked carefully.
The man seemed to look at the distance and didn’t turn his head, he eventually spoke, “Do what they tell you do to, and you might survive this.”
Joshua sat down, and crossed his legs same way as he had. “You have been here before?”
He nodded, “Yes.”
Suddenly the door’s lock clicked and they all turned to look when door opened, the guards saluted and Prince Blueblood stepped in, followed by three mares. The first mare was an earth pony with a light purple coat and yellow mane and tail, the second was a unicorn who has pink coat and two shades of blue in her mane and tail, and the third one was an Earth pony who had light pink coat and purple mane and tail.
“Ladies, I reserved something for you… from my personal collection.” Blueblood said and smiled at the three mares, and then directed his words to the two guards, “That was enough, you can go now.”
Without saying a word, the guards left and closed the door, leaving the six humans with Blueblood and his associates.
One of the mares, the unicorn with a pink coat, noticed them, “Look, Suri, there are humans on the table.” She said to the light pink coated earth mare, and took a step closer, smiling.
“Are those for us?” the mare, Suri, leaned towards Blueblood, almost whispering the words.
“A little surprise for you all.” Blueblood answered with a smirk, walking to the middle of the trio.
“Oh, Prince, you are spoiling us.” Suri waved her hoof and laughed.
“I do this only for you, ladies.” The prince flashed his best smile. He nodded towards humans on the table, “Two for each of you. You can do to them what you like.”
Joshua shivered hearing this, he started to understand what the stranger had meant.
“These two are mine.” Joshua looked at Suri, she had came beside the table and was watching him and the stranger. Joshua swallowed, and took few steps towards her.
Others came towards the table too, the table was about the level of their chests, and the humans had to look up as the ponies gathered in front of the table.
Suri leaned forward a bit and looked at Joshua, and then turned back to Blueblood, “You naughty boy, he is just a child.” Grinning, she turned her attention back to Joshua, “Come here, boy.”
Joshua was too afraid to say anything, and walked towards the edge of the table and saw her raising her hoof against the table. Understanding what she intended, Joshua walked on the hoof, and to keep his balance, he had to sit down. She seemed not to care what Joshua did, and raised the hoof closer to her face.
“Hmm…” She examined him closely, finally lowering him back onto the table, “It is your lucky day, kid. I have no use for you.” She said and just dropped Joshua back on table. He stumbled and fell when she suddenly tilted her hoof. Joshua rubbed his knee which he had hurt when he fell.
The mare then turned her attention to the stranger, “Maybe this one.” She grinned and again raised her hoof and Joshua watched the man walk on it.
Suddenly Joshua heard a yell.
“Let me go!”
Joshua saw that it was Mark, who was being floated in mid-air, by the unicorn mare’s magic, and the grin she had didn’t promise anything good. Joshua started to shake, he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the courage. Mark was floated over the table’s edge and as she lowered him towards the ground, Mark disappeared from Joshua view but his yells could still be heard. The mare then lifted her leg and yells became screams, the kind of Joshua had never heard before and he covered his ears.
Suddenly the screams stopped and Joshua, trembling in fear, forced himself to watch what had happened.
“Oh, he fainted.” The unicorn said, and levitated the unconscious body back to her eye level, the purple coated mare beside her giggled at the scene. The unicorn mare then nonchalantly dropped him on the table, grabbing the teenage boy with her magic instead.
“D-don’t hurt me.” He whimpered.
“Can I keep him?” The unicorn turned her head to the Prince, while keeping the human in her magical grip. Teenager looked terrified, but didn’t struggle as he was floated in mid-air, Joshua thought he knew that it was useless and possibly a reason to hurt him.
“Of course.” Blueblood grinned, “Consider it a gift.”
Joshua gathered up every bit of courage that he had, stood up, and walked towards Mark’s body.
“Where are you going?” Joshua heard Suri, who was still keeping the stranger on her hoof, say. He turned towards her.
“I apologize, Mistress, I… I would like to go to check him… that he is okay.” Joshua pointed at Mark who lied still, his chest rising and falling slightly, on the tablecloth.
“No.” She said suddenly, “Come back here, boy.”
Joshua looked back, wanting to help him, but he remembered the strangers words and Joshua saw him watching him from the mare’s hoof, “Y-yes, Mistress.” Joshua bowed to her and walked back.
“I will take them both.” The unicorn mare said which made Joshua turn around. She was levitating the teen beside her head and now also Mark’s body floated from the table, “Ready to go, girls?”
“Yes...” Suri said, “You can both go.” she said to Joshua and the stranger. Suri let him to jump from her hoof and also turned away.
Joshua looked at other humans, and saw the two teenage girls, hugging, and the third mare pointed at them with her hoof, “Could you take them too? They could dirty my coat if I carried them.”
“Certainly.” The two girls also floated into air and the unicorn mare levitated all four humans as one group as they all made towards the door.
Prince Blueblood escorted them out, “Well, ladies, I take you are satisfied?”
“Oh, I am, my Prince.” Joshua heard the unicorn mare say before the door closed.
“Are you okay?” The stranger asked.
“Yes… Thank you.” Joshua managed to say and the stranger smiled and nodded. “Can I ask… What is your name?”
“My name is Wolf Leg.” he said, keeping his face emotionless.