As the hours passed, Midnight could do nothing but let himself be taken by these winged hairballs, because really, what could he do? His magic was inhibited by the ring on his horn, he was shackled and collared, and if these griffins wanted to, they could simply drop him into the sea!
Midnight knew he would have to bide his time and wait for the opportunity to escape, but he also had to get his Time Stone back. He glared at the Overseer, who’d flapped ahead to spearhead the flight.
Just you wait… I’ll get you, and my stone back!
Late into the afternoon, the griffins led their slave-carrying pegasi down towards a large island. It looked tropical and had a mountain in the middle, at the base of which was a large compound, and there was even a port with a few boats, but the griffins brought them all to a large field, and had the pegasi settle the caged ponies on the ground. Midnight looked towards the compound - It looked like a stone keep, with high walls, watchtowers, and a small castle settled on the side of the mountain.
The sound of his cage opening got him to turn around and a griffin reached him and yanked him out by his collar, Midnight grunting as he was thrown onto the ground, the griffin saying, “On your feet, slave! The lordship wants to inspect the new blood!”
Midnight realized ‘the lordship’ meant this Hresvelgr the Overseer had mentioned.
So, the fat cat deigns to grace us with his presence?
The griffin slipped a chain through a ring on Midnight’s collar and yanked him like a dog to bring him over to the other captured ponies when the Overseer squawked, “His Lordship approaches! Bow to your new master, you miserable heaps of horse-flesh!”
The griffins bared their weapons threateningly, and the ponies immediately complied although Midnight made sure he was the last to bow. He wanted them to notice him.
They heard a heavy thud as someone, the griffin lord, presumably, landed from the air. Midnight peered up discreetly and saw him. Lord Hresvelgr was a prime specimen of the griffin race. He was the biggest and most muscular griffin here, his lion body pelted black while his wings and plumage were of a cold metallic gold accented red. He had a large scar over a right deadeye. His large pointed feathery ears were erect and almost looked horn-like, he wore gold and silver ornamental armor like a polished breastplate, bands on his forelegs, and a silver earring with a ruby.
His remaining eye was colored a pale blue, and the way he inspected the catch of the day before him was as though he were glaring an icicle through them.
“Greetings, milord,” the Overseer bowed his head to Hresvelgr before holding up Midnight’s Time Stone.
“I bring you an offering with beating hearts, along with something pretty to add to your collection.”
“Hmm…” The Griffin Lord accepted the stone and gave it a close look. “Pretty indeed, and I’d bet my remaining eye this stone embodies some powerful magic. Pray tell, from where did you acquire this gem?”
“From that blue unicorn at the end, my lord,” the Overseer pointed Midnight out, who glared hatefully back.
Hresvelgr approached Midnight, looking down upon the enchained equine and asked, “So, unicorn, this twinkly trinket is yours? Then I assume you know what magic it holds…”
Midnight held his tongue and simply glared at the griffin.
“Not in the mood to talk, eh? That sort of behavior will serve you well,” the griffin sneered. “After all, a slave should only speak when spoken to. However, my query stands – What magic does this stone contain?”
Again Midnight said nothing, putting as much hate into his eyes as they gazed upon this wretch.
Growling, Hresvelgr looked to the Overseer, “This one has spirit, Overseer.”
“Which means I get to have some fun breaking him…” the Overseer gave Midnight a hungry look.
“I give you my word, my lord – By the time I’m done with this one, he’ll be crying his secrets to you before the next slave auction.”
“In the meantime, slave,” Hresvelgr snidely held the stone in front of Midnight’s face. “I’ll just hold onto this for when the moment comes you agree to be more… communicative.”
The griffin lord snickered wickedly as he walked away and said, “To the stockades, and be sure to separate them from the females.”
Midnight was led, along with the other new arrivals, through the portcullis beneath the gate tower, and saw before him a vast courtyard enclosed with high walls, overlooked by watchtowers, and throughout the courtyard he saw many slaves. But not all of them were ponies!
He looked to his right and saw an adolescent dragon with torn wings, his mouth sealed shut with a leather muzzle, and a heavy harness around his torso as a griffin screeched at him to back up and lower the portcullis. It shocked him to see that such a mighty beast, even if it were only an adolescent, to be reduced to a door-opener.
A jab to his rear made Midnight bray and he threw a hateful glare at the griffin guard behind him.
“Move along, slave! You’ll have plenty of time to get familiar with your new work area, heh-heh!”
Growling, Midnight begrudgingly obeyed and followed the other stallions while the mares were led alongside them on a different length of chain. Still, Midnight took in his surroundings and saw besides ponies and a dragon, the griffins had other species enslaved too. He saw a few minotaurs hammering away on a pile of rocks and dirt, with Sentient Dogs sniffing the pile and pointing spots out. Midnight could only assume the Dogs were sniffing for gems among the pile and the minotaurs were digging them out. He saw small building of glass with a wooden structure, and within were plants being tended to by zebras and earth ponies.
Pegasus ponies were weighed down with heavy balls enchained to leather bindings around their barrels while their wings were kept pinned with thick and hot tarps wrapped securely around their barrels, earth ponies were pulling heavy wagons, but Midnight didn’t see any unicorns, which bothered him. Soon, they were led before a large mead hall, with a griffoness standing before it, facing the fresh meat before her.
Midnight could tell she was a female by her smaller beak and slimmer build and more lithe frame. She had a golden-brown lioness body while her plumage was dark like coffee, her eyes purple and narrowed. She carried with her a whip, and wore a stunning necklace of gold.
The Overseer approached her, saying, “Lieutenant, I present to your our lord’s new merchandise. I daresay these specimens will fetch a pretty price at the next auction.”
“I’ll be the judge of that…” the Lieutenant remarked in a tone even and unfeeling. She walked between the stallions and mares but her eyes settled on Midnight.
This one is different… He doesn’t have one of those idiotic cutie-marks these inferior creatures love to boast about, could that mean he’s worthless? …No.
She looked at Midnight and saw despite his lack of a mark, he was in good physical condition and he carried himself with dignity while the rest of the ponies were afraid, submissive, and avoided her gaze. He met her eyes with hate in his own and she was certain were it not for the inhibitor ring on his horn he would unleash all his magic upon her and her cohorts.
This one could be trouble, but that is easily rectified…
“Send the rest of the meat to the stockades, but this one,” the Lieutenant pointed her talons at Midnight. “Tie this creature to the post, no food or water. Three days.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the Overseer replied.
Midnight yanked and pulled this way and that, grunting, growling, infuriating the humiliation! It was bad enough these feathered furballs had stolen his freedom, but now they had him bridled and tied to a post in the dead-center of an actual corral. It had been hours since he’d been put there but he refused to quit. Even so, those griffins really knew their knots and the tropical heat wasn’t doing him any favors.
Finally, Midnight took a rest, and felt his parched throat. Leaning against the post, he looked around, seeing griffins push all the slaves around. He saw a minotauress struggle to carry a heavy wooden beam, only for a smirking griffin to whip out his tail and trip her! As she struggled to her hands and knees, the Overseer appeared and lashed out a whip, screeching at her to keep moving.
Curse these miserable beasts! Midnight seethed.
To Midnight’s eventual relief, the sun began to set, only for it to bring quite a chill. Midnight sat and leaned against the post he was tied to, shivering as he tried to keep warm, but the sweat he’d worked up trying to get loose was making that rather difficult.
Midnight remembered the first griffin he met, Gilda, who had been the so-called friend of his good friend, Rainbow Dash. Gilda had been a jerk, rude, and a self-absorbed liar. He also recalled another griffin he met, Gustave le Grande, who had been a contestant for a sweets competition Celestia held in Canterlot. He’d been confident, maybe a little haughty towards the other contestants but nowhere near as mean as had Gilda been.
I had no idea griffins were slavers, he thought, but when were they slavers?
Midnight had no idea how far into the thousand year interim he was between the imprisonment and eventual jailbreak of Nightmare Moon. He recalled Princess Celestia (when he’d met her and helped her stop Catrina) that she’d mentioned about two-and-a-half centuries had gone by since Luna’s fall. He was sure after leaving that time he’d jumped at least another hundred years along the timeline.
So I’m either near or already at the halfway point of the millennium of Luna’s imprisonment. Not that it matters now…
Without his Time Stone, Midnight would be stuck in this time forever, unless he could get it back from Hresvelgr. But having seen the depth of these griffins’ evil, he wasn’t sure if he could just leave these poor creatures to suffer.
But if this is how it went, can I really afford to interfere…?
Midnight’s cloak and saddlebags, along with their contents which included the two-way journal to his master, had obviously been taken when the griffins knocked him out. He had no idea where they were or if they were even still intact! The saddlebags didn’t actually contain his belongings, they were safely tucked away in an alternate space that was anchored to the bags themselves, and since the bags belonged to Midnight, only he could remove the contents. If the griffins peered into the bags, they would seem empty, and if they’d been fooled Midnight couldn’t think of a reason for the griffins to keep them.
But they might still have them, after all, these inhibitor rings show they have some understanding of magic…
Before he could consider more, Midnight’s ears perked at approaching footsteps and he looked to see a cloaked figure coming his way, a hood hiding their face. But he could see this figure had talons. The figure stopped in front of him and held up their talons, Midnight tensed but to his surprise the figure held out what looked to be a canteen.
“Here, drink.”
“Uh… thanks?” Midnight accepted it in his hooves, which was a little difficult. He was used to handling objects in his telekinetic aura. But finally, he got his drink and did it feel so good to wet his whistle.
He gasped when he finally stopped, panting in relief as the figure took the canteen back.
“If you wish to survive and regain your freedom, you must act the part of an obedient slave.”
“I appreciate the water,” Midnight gave the figure the stink-eye, “but there’s no way I’m heeding the words of a griffin!”
“What about half a griffin?” the figure remarked, much to Midnight’s confusion. “Trust me, my friend, defiance and spirit will only bring you pain. You must keep your head low and patiently await when the right opportunity comes. I must leave you now, if I am caught giving you water we will both be severely punished. Don’t lose hope.”
Midnight was intrigued by this griffin but then noticed something off about him as he turned to walk away. He only caught a glimpse of it but he was certain! The griffin’s rear legs weren’t of a lion.
That griffin has the back legs of a pony!
He considered calling out to the figure but held his tongue.
Patience, huh… As much as I hate to admit it, he’s probably right. Attitude isn‘t gonna help me here…
Midnight had to face this harsh reality – He had to swallow his pride and act the submissive, obedient slave, and maybe whoever this griffin/pony character was, he was an ally.