//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: The True Awakening // Story: A slave's Story // by mickg123 //------------------------------// Chapter 4: The True Awakening Third POV for now, but switches to Chocolate's POV later It had been a few hours since Princess Luna had arrived at the mare's hospital room. She was nearly asleep when she noticed something. The mare was moving a lot more than before. "Good. She's finally waking up." Luna thought, smirking slightly. She continued to watch the mare for a few minutes, but she just continued to move in her sleep. "Ok, maybe she's NOT waking up." Luna thought, thinking that it might just be another nightmare. She sighed, slightly mad at herself for feeling hopeful that the mare was finally waking up. "Stupid!" Luna said to herself, facehoofing (I hope that's the right word...) herself for thinking that. Thinking that the mare might be closer to waking up than before, Luna decided to check to see. Going over to the mare, she placed her hoof on the mare's forehead, like when she had gotten rid of the mare's nightmare. Concentrating deeply, Luna used her magic to look in the depths of the mare's sleeping mind, to see how close she was to waking up. What she saw was something far worse. The mare's nightmare. Inside the nightmare... and it is the slave's pov The slave girl watched in horror as her masters tortured her family. She wanted to save them, but for some reason, she couldn't move. All she could do was watch tearfully as the final lash was delivered to them. She found her voice at last. "Mama... Papa.." Finally able to move, she runs towards them, the man lashing her parents having disappeared. "Mama! Papa! Please don't leave me." She sobbed. Looking into their brown eyes, she sees them glaze over. The slave slumps, knowing that she was too late. "I will kill you for making me lose what meant the most to me, I SWEAR!" She cries out to the heavens, sobbing silently. Back to the hospital room... In 3rd POV Luna lifted her hoof from the mare's forehead, many tears staining her face. "You poor, poor dear... I will try my best to make sure your parents stay alive back on your world, no matter the consequences." Princess Luna promises. Now that she new what the mare was currently going through, Luna decided that she needed to take immediate action. "This may hurt young one. You will wake in a strange place with strange creatures. Stay calm no matter what happens." She tells the sleeping mare. Sighing deeply, feeling sad for the pain that she was going to inflict on the mare, Luna put her hoof on the mare's forehead once more. Luna's horn started glowing a deep blue, much like coat. Closing her eyes in concentration, Luna charges her horn more. When her horn was fully charged, the room now eerily glowing blue, Luna released the charge on the mare. When it hit the mare, she started jerking and twitching immediately, followed by screams, moans, and whimpers. Luna opened her eyes, looking around the room. She was glad to note that her spell hadn't damaged the hospital. Sighing in relief, Princess Luna looked at the mare, to see if the spell had actually worked. The Slave's POV When I was still weeping over the corpses of my mother and father, everything was fading into darkness around me. I did not notice until my parents had disappeared, along with me. It was at this moment I felt the most terrible pain that I have ever felt in my short life. I learned later that I had screamed bloody murder at this point. After what felt like forever, the pain started ebbing away. I was coming to. It felt like I was rising through water towards the surface to breathe. "Ugh... My head.." I moan to myself rubbing my head with my eyes closed, still half asleep. "You are awake at last." I hear someone say. I jerked up, tensing for what I was sure was going to be punishment for sleeping in. Slowly, I opened my eyes. Gasping, I closed them tightly, then opened them again, not quite believing what I saw. It was a mini horse. What shocked me however, was how it looked exactly like that being from my dreams from a few weeks ago. "Wha-a-a-a-a-t...are you.." I stutter out, staring at the magnificent creature, not expecting it to answer like in my dreams. "A pony. I am Princess Luna, as I'm sure you know." the pony says, much to my shock. I stutter out rambling stuff. The pony waved her hoof in my face. "Yoohoo! You there?" I'm assuming that it's a she, says. I just stare at her, my mouth most likely gaping open. She sighed, then slapped me. Hard. "Ouch!" I exclaim, rubbing my cheek where she had hit me. It was then I notice something. MY HANDS WERE GONE! In their place were what looked like brown hooves. I looked at the rest of my body in wonder. It appeared I was in an equine body, much like what the Princess looked like, except without the wings... or the horn... I did, however, still have my scars on my back. I sighed, sad that one of my worse souveniours had stayed with me through this transformation. I was also covered in bandages. I was so busy seeing what I looked like, that I had ignored Princess Luna. She sighed again, then slapped me in the same place. With even more force. "OWWWWWWWW!" I cry out in pain, jarred from my looking. "Where am I anyways?" I ask, changing the subject. "Ponyville Hospital. You were quite near death when Twilight Sparkle and her friends found you on the outskirts of town." She replies, waving a hoof dismissively. I shrink at the thought of having more people, or whatever creature lives in this town, seeing me and mistreating me for being a slave. I didn't know yet that there was no slavery here in Equestria. Princess Luna, noticing this, asked worriedly,"Don't be afraid of the residents. There is no slavery in Equestria. My sister and I would never permit it." I looked up at this in astonishment. No slavery? Does that mean...I am a free person here? By this point I am sure my eyes are popping out in disbelief at my good luck. I jumped up and started hugging the other pony quite tightly exclaiming,"THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKY OU!" a bunch of times. It took Princess Luna quite some time to calm me down. "Now, you are going to need a pony name if you are to live here. You can choose whichever name you want." Princess Luna tells me softly. I gape at this, wondering in a far corner of my mind how my jaw isn't stuck open yet. "My...own...name?" I say slowly. Princess Luna nods. I gasp happily and clapped loudly in happiness. Since I was going to have this name for the rest of my life, I wanted something sweet. "How about...Chocolate." I say finally, a wide grin on my face. Princess Luna glances at me thoughtfully. "That name DOES suit you. Chocolate it is!" She says suddenly.