//------------------------------// // Ring Around the Rosey // Story: Pocketful of Posies // by GJT_Productions //------------------------------// The crack of the whip. Merciless symbol of dominion. When you heard it echoing off the cave walls, you performed or you suffered. Such was life for the unfortunate mares caught in the darkest secret of the Agents of Chaos. Agent Snake called it "his herd", a term loaded with connotations of total dominance, particularly among the pegasi of Equestria. In a society that had long since advanced beyond the cruelties of the ancient past, such a concept was considered not only unacceptable but totally vile. And yet, hidden in the mountain of Canterlot, mares lived - and died - cut off from Celestia's sun in this "herd" of Agent Snake. It mattered not what species they were, or their social status - if they were beautiful enough, they were abducted and brought into this "herd" under the dark cloak of the operations of the Agents of Chaos. Once "disappeared", they would remain in the dark, dank caves until they succumbed to the abuse heaped upon their bodies. None would escape alive until this most vile secret was uncovered in the fall of Agent Snake and the shadow enemy he lead... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was in such a sorrowful situation that an earth pony mare named Lilly Withers found herself. Once, she was a stunningly beautiful mare, something of the Fleur Dis Lee of her day. Once, she was the mate of a handsome but ambitious Congresspony. And once, she foaled a colt in his father's image, that grew into a young stallion with a promising career in professional polo ahead of him... and ambitions to capture a princess. The ambitions of both father and son was what would end the wonderful life Lilly enjoyed. She knew vaguely of the "connections" her mate had, and how they promised they would make her and her mate in-laws of Princess Celestia herself. Instead, those "connections" tore her life and family apart. As the maelstrom swirled around her, she wanted to speak to the authorities but dared not - she had been threatened with arrest and "execution in custody" by some of her mate's accomplices in the conspiracy to make her colt the mate of Princess Cadance. It was thus she watched helplessly as father and son were divided, her mate resigned from his position in Congress, and both she and her mate went into hiding in the remote wilderness of Equestria, cut off from civilization and her son. There, both Lilly and her mate Strong Withers hoped they could remain, under the nominal protection of "Agent 21", who had been given a special assignment to guard them under orders from the head of the shadowy organization he belonged to. Alas, such a fate was not to be. The last time she had seen "Agent 21" - going as he always did wearing a cloak and stockings so that neither Lilly nor Strong could see his real identity - was him leading four or five other stallions in invading their homestead, setting the entire property on fire and dragging her into captivity kicking and screaming, supposedly in retaliation for some "betrayal" Lilly had no idea about according to what the Agent told her. The last thing she remembered seeing of her exile life was her mate being attacked by the stallions wielding pitchforks and shovels - she could only assume he was dead now. She was smuggled to and through Canterlot by night, being dumped into another nightmare under the hooves of Agent Snake in the caves of the mountain. The whippings, beatings and humiliation to please his sick desires were unrelenting, compounded by the decided lack of friendship exhibited among her fellow captives. It was a place where even hope seemed to wither and die, and nothing was left but a gaping abyss of despair similar to Tartarus itself... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I've had enough of her! Throw her into solitary!" It was thus Agent Snake commanded separation of Lilly Withers into solitary confinement, where you did not come out until you made the proper gestures of submission and obedience - bowing before him as if he were a ruler of Equestria. At least one mare decided she would rather starve to death than submit, and as Lilly skidded across the floor of the cave chamber the stench of death assaulted her nostrils. Lilly ended up facedown, barely able to move due to the active starvation and dehydration she was suffering. Bruises, welts and scrapes covered her body, some freshly created from her being tossed into the chamber. She let out a mighty groan as she tried to turn herself over, pushing against the floor with shaking forehooves and her strength-drained body flipping onto its back seemingly entirely on her own willpower. Lilly now went into an extended panting session - the effort to even flip over on her back seemed to be too much for her to take. All around her was darkness and the stink of death, and she was sure at that moment that she too would meet her end here, utterly alone and her fate unknown to anypony except her captor. The earth pony mare cried as she continued panting on the cave floor - it amazed her how many tears she could manage to shed even when she was convinced she had no tears left to cry. The crying and panting continued for some time, slowly fading to mere echoes on the cave walls. All was silent for a moment, then a shy, quiet voice calling through the darkness: Lilly's name over and over again. Lilly Withers recognized the voice - a fellow captive earth pony mare who's optimism and faith seemed to be unquenchable by even the direst adversity, and for that reason had been cast into solitary. Lilly guessed the two were laying in the same chamber, even though she lacked the energy to even try to feel out whether she could touch her fellow unfortunate. "Posey... you're... alive?" Lilly weakly calls back. "Yes." came the shy voice in a croak. "Near... end... though." "You've... been... weeks..." Lilly replies. "She... stronger... than... him... must... believe." Posey croaks out again. "She?" Lilly asks, wondering who exactly Posey was talking about - the other mare thrown in solitary with Posey had already perished, and as far as Lilly could tell there was no reasonable hope of rescue other than the finality of death. "Filly... in my... image... kindness... she... will... save us." Posey continues croaking. Lilly's mind was clouded by haze as a result of the dire condition of her body - she realized Posey was trying to tell her something, but what that was she couldn't figure out head or tail of it. "We must... believe... elements..." Posey croaks out, and Lilly seems to feel a smile coming through the darkness of the caverns to her. They might die together, but at least Posey would ensure they would go out with hope...