Missing Magic

by Coda Singer


Chapter 6: Old Times

Steel woke. This time he was relieved to find nopony kicking him. Everypony else was still asleep but it wasn't long before guards burst into the room. It seems Steel had woken up early, and he was grateful he did for the the guards began to kick and shake the other ponies awake. Steel examined the guards once more, the same guards who had woken up the captives gently were repeating their actions. A pattern... Good. Steel attempted to commit their description to memory.
Red mane, white coat... Black mane, red coat... Yellow mane, blue coat... Blue mane, white coat. He repeated this message in his thoughts. The same helmeted mere marched everypony outside, put them in a line and gave them a speech.
"We will not accept anything less than your best. And even when you reach your best, we will beat you until your best gets better. Right now you might not think this place is too bad, but if you don't start working harder... It'll get a lot worse. Not just for you, but for everypony. You really don't want to punish your friends for something you did... Do you?" Steel jumped as the helmeted mere jumped in front of him and stared him down.
Is she asking me? He panicked.
"Uh... No." His voice cracked. Great... Just when he thought he was getting the hang of this, tough, analyzing, bad-ass act. He swore he could hear Gear exhale with disappointment.
"Excuse me?" The yellow mere asked, her voice grew louder and more intimidating but Steel stood resolute. She stepped forward, Steel didn't know if he should step back or stand strong. But apparently he made the wrong choice, because when he didn't move, the yellow mere shoved Steel back almost making him trip. "You will speak with strength and confidence! You're a slave and you're proud to be one!" She swung her hoof upward. The muscles in Steel's right hoof twitched, willing it to block the oncoming attack, but Steel knew better. He could still show strength without fighting. The mere's hoof swung back across her body and smacked Steel on the right side of his face. He strengthened his spine and showed no sign of pain or recoil as her hoof slid across his cheek. "And you will address me as Ma'am! Ya got it!?"
"Yes ma'am!" Steel shouted. She raised an eyebrow in response before moving on down the line. Once his adrenaline died down, the pain of the mere's attack set in. His cheek went numb before a fire was set in his nerves. His eyes began to water slightly but he showed no sign of weakness on his face. The helmeted mere finished her speech and sent the ponies off to do their work. Steel did his normal routine, clean litter, get beaten, eat moldy food, plow the fields, get beaten. But this time when he was told to return to the containment room, he was met by the yellow mere. The few spots on her helmet that weren't rusted or dirty, glinted softly in the sunlight.
"You." She began marching toward Steel who quickly snapped to attention. The yellow mere was slightly shorter than Steel but he didn't want to underestimate anypony, it was a mistake that should never be made. "Look me in the eyes!" She shouted. This surprised Steel. From what he was told of soldiers, they were told to stare at a wall... Or something... It was called, Standing at Attention. But then again, he wasn't a soldier, he was a slave. Whatever he was, he decided to lower his gaze and stared into the mere's eyes. She had golden eyes that were so beautiful Steel could swear they could sparkle in a pitch black room.
Wow... If she weren't a bitch, she'd be pretty attractive. Steel thought to himself.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" She was calm, collected, not angry. Steel had just gotten used to everypony beating them, so when she even suggested at being kind it took him by surprise.
Focus Steel... What are you forgetting... Oh!
"Yes ma'am!" He shouted. She smirked.
"Good." The mere nodded to the other guard who nodded in response and walked off, presumably to another post. "You have shown... The smallest sign of strength." The yellow mere began pacing around Steel who followed her gaze restrictively. Making sure not to seem disrespectful in any way. He began to wonder if he would regret acting strong that morning.
"Yes ma'am." He responded. The helmeted mere paused and looked at him curiously, before resuming her pace.
"My name is Solar, but you will still address me as ma'am!" She added quickly. "I have been told by Ignatius that he needs some new soldiers after the unicorn bombing. If you continue to show strength then you may be considered for a job." Well... Looks like Steel would become a soldier. "However... If your loyalty should ever come into question, you will remain as a slave. You may ask questions if you wish." Steel paused, he wasn't used to being allowed to speak freely.
"What comes with the job?" He asked. Solar raised an eyebrow.
"You mean, what perks do you get if you become a soldier?" Steel nodded. "Well for one you won't be beaten, you'll get better food and you'll get a better sleeping quarters." Steel had to admit, he liked the sound of that. "But you have to stay loyal, you will be questioned, tested and you have to pass these tests or you will go back to being a slave." Steel nodded. "So are you interested?" Solar stopped pacing in front of Steel and looked him in the eyes. There was that sparkle again.
"I'll have to get back to you on that ma'am." He responded. Solar smirked.
"Very well... You may return to your containment room." She nodded and marched off. Steel watched her walk before shaking his head and walking back to the containment room where Gear was waiting for him in their usual spot.
"Ready to begin?" He asked. Steel sat down and rubbed his hooves.
"Not yet, first I have to tell you something." Gear tilted his head. "Solar... The mere in the helmet," Gear nodded, indicating he knew whom Steel was talking about. "Offered me a job as a soldier." Gear recoiled slightly.
"Really?"
"Well... She offered me the Chance at a job. She said I showed strength and Ignatius could use some of it." Gear rubbed his chin in thought.
"What did you learn?" He asked suddenly.
"What?"
"What did you learn from your conversation with her? Part of your training will be to learn how to squeeze as much information out of a short conversation as possible, deductive reasoning and all that." Steel paused, thinking.
"Well... I know that she's actually kind of attractive." Gear smacked Steel over the head. "Ow! Hey!"
"Get your mind out of the gutter kid! Focus!" Steel rubbed his head and thought harder.
"I know that she's close with Ignatius..." Gear stood and began pacing as Steel talked. "I know that they're low on soldiers... I know that they may be desperate. I know that they do have better food to offer... I think that's all." Gear sat back down.
"Ignatius and the others that work here, aren't very good at keeping secrets." Steel chuckled and nodded in agreement.
"But what should I do?" Steel asked, meeting Gear's gaze. "Should I accept the job or not?" Gear paused.
"I think you should wait until your training progresses. After that, it would be a good idea to." Gear reasoned, Steel nodded in response. "We could learn more about Blood Field's inner workings."
"I get the feeling there's not much to learn." Steel joked. Gear shook his head.
"Come with me." Gear gestured back to their usual corner. Ponies that had previously slept there seemed to understand Gear and Steel were doing something that Ignatius Blackwood would deem unruly and wanted no part of it, so they had moved their mattresses to some other cramped corner. Steel examined the other ponies, their faces were littered with bruises and cuts, black eyes and bandages. The mix of black, blue, red and white colors made a rainbow of pain.
Steel realized how lucky he was. He had barely any bruises and no cuts to show, he was the favorite of Solar and was the closer than anypony to getting out of here. He felt a mix of confidence and sorrow, why was HE so lucky? He didn't want others to suffer in his place.
Detach from emotions Steel, He thought to himself. But then something caught his eye. Upon a second sweep of the wounded, beaten ponies. There was one who was lacking in white, black, blue and red. She was an older pony, maybe around Gear's age. Perhaps older if that was possible. She had a long, yellow mane with an orange coat. She bore a cutie mark of three apples in a triangle formation. Steel didn't recognize her... He didn't see her in the line with the other slaves from Craterville. She must've been here already.
"Kid?" Steel snapped out of whatever trance he was in and saw Gear waving his hoof in front of Steel's face. "What are you looking at?" Gear attempted to follow Steel's gaze but his eyes probably weren't the best. Steel, among Gear's wisdom and knowledge of death, seemed to forget how old the weakened stallion was. Steel pointed toward the old mere with his hoof.
"Her, she didn't arrive with us." Gear seemed to focus. His eyes widened with hope.
"Well I'll be." He chuckled and stood up. "Kid, we may just be able to get out of here after all." Gear began to walk over to the mere. Steel attempted to stop him but he shrugged Steel's hooves off of his shoulders. Steel shook his head and followed Gear, tip toeing between mattresses and the limbs of resting ponies. As they got closer, Steel noticed markings on the steel walls. Symbols etched into the metal, it resembled mathematics but it was too complicated for Steel to solve. In fact more complicated than Steel had ever seen. Complex equations and symbols representing different processes that gave Steel a headache just to think about.
"Gear!" Steel whisper shouted, "Who is she?" But Gear ignored him, instead walking faster toward the mere until they were right next to her mattress. Steel was so close he could see the freckles on her cheeks. She didn't seem to notice Gear and Steel, she was staring at the floor. Not in defeat and hopelessness like other ponies, but in contemplation and calculation. Whoever she was, she was smart.
"A.J... Is that you?" The mere by the apparent name of A.J looked up suddenly. First in fear but then in delighted surprise as she saw Gear.
"Gear? It can't be!" She had an accent that Steel had never heard. A.J stood and gave Gear a hug. Gear hugged her back, both of them laughing. "You son of a bitch!" She exclaimed playfully. "You got caught? I'm a little disappointed." Gear waved a hoof.
"You're one to talk. Besides, I retired remember?" Gear sat down without paying attention, nearly sitting on a bruised stallion's head. "You however, are still a general. How did you get caught?"
She was a general? Steel thought to himself, Like in the war? This explained how Gear and A.J knew each other.
"Oh, I have a plan for this place." A.J looked to the equations on the wall with a sinister smile. Steel, feeling awkwardly like a third wheel, cleared his throat. A.J snapped around, prepared to fight some guard but was met by Steel who waved with a smile. Gear seemed to remember Steel existed and introduced him.
"A.J, this is Steel, he lived in Craterville. Steel," Gear looked to A.J, his eyes full of pride. "This is General Apple Jack. Leader of the Fifth Earth Pony Battalion. You're looking at the mere who crossed the badlands with now food or water and took down the Golden Delicious slaver empire." Gear looked like he could die happy just because he knew General Apple Jack, who waved a hoof as if to say, "It was nothing."
"So you lived in Craterville huh?" She asked, Steel nodded. "I'm sorry for yer loss." She was very polite for somepony who had fought in the war. It seems all of the murder and death didn't tarnish her manners.
"It's not your fault." I responded. I wanted to come off as friendly yet serious, after all, this was a general. I needed to seem like someone who could be molded into a soldier.
"So A.J?" Gear spoke up. "What did Ignatius do to invoke you're wrath." He spoke almost sarcastically, but Steel sensed an element of truth when he said Wrath. Apple Jack's charisma seemed to dissipate slightly. Gear noticed he had hit a nerve. "Oh, uhh... Something personal?" A.J gave weak smile.
"Something like that." Gear nodded with respect.
"Soooo..." I added, reminding them I was still there. "You two fought together?" Gear nodded.
"We almost died together several times..." Gear smirked as he remembered something. "We even dated briefly." Apple Jack snorted.
"Tshhh, you wish!" Gear winked at the old mere. "We went under cover as a couple. But that didn't stop him from flirting with me every once and a while. You still haven't lost your..." Apple Jack looked Gear up and down and spoke sarcastically as a joke. "Charm."
"You know you love it." Gear added. Steel laughed. "So how did you break in?" Gear asked, "Steel didn't see you in the line on the way here." Apple Jack looked around, most ponies were asleep. After a long day of work, they didn't have to worry about sleepless nights, nightmares however.
"Can y'all keep a secret?" She asked. Gear gave her a look that seemed to say, "Really?" Apple Jack nodded and lifted her mattress. Beneath it was a hole. Burrowed right through the metal and into the ground.
"You dug this and just... slipped in?" Steel asked, the jagged edges in the metal made his metal worker side anxious. He thought of several tools that could smooth out the edges but he shook off these thoughts.
"Yep," A.J nodded, lowering the mattress and hiding the tunnel. "This leads out of Blood Field, it opens near the train tracks." Steel's eyes widened.
"So wait... We can just leave?" He asked. Staring at the mattress, hiding the gate to freedom.
"Technically yes," A.J responded. "But we won't." Steel looked up and met A.J's emerald green eyes. She may be old, but she was still beautiful, Steel could see why Gear was interested. "We still have work to do." Gear rubbed his hooves, a mad look in his eyes.
"So what's the plan?" He asked, clearly happy to jump back into the Frey. A.J smiled.
"Runaway Wagon." Gear began to laugh. Clearly "Runaway Wagon," was a code-name for a plan of attack.
"What does that mean?" Steel asked, once again feeling left out. Gear leaned toward Steel and whispered a description.
"We find the main base of operations in Blood Field and we topple it, collapse it completely." Gear seemed ecstatic to be helping his old friend once more. "We take out the supports and use the confusion to escape."
"The operation was named after a mishap at a family reunion I had before the war." A.J chuckled. "We sang a song and everything."
"Back when singing songs at random times was relatively normal." Gear added, A.J chuckled at that. Steel tried to remember which building seemed most important in Blood Field. There was one tall building, built like a small fortress, made entirely out of wood in the center of town. There were more guards there than anywhere. He voiced these thoughts to A.J and Gear. They pondered this.
"That seems like the right one." A.J said in contemplation. "But it could be a decoy."
"I don't think they're that smart." Steel responded, A.J and Gear looked at him, confused and curious. "Well, earlier today I had Solar, the mere with the helmet, offer me a job as a soldier." He explained. "From that conversation I could figure out a lot of things. They're not very good at keeping secrets so I doubt they could make a decoy." A.J added this conversation and looked up at the equations.
"Well then that gets rid of the need for these." She turned away from the equations on the wall, apparently the new input Steel had added, rendered them completely void. Steel would've asked what they were for, but he figured he would just get confused.
"So when do we attack?" Steel asked excitedly, eager to leave this place before it got worse. Solar had told everypony this was just the tip of the iceberg and Steel didn't want to be around when they started to sink.
"Woah kid, hold your horses." Gear interrupted. "We still need to advance your training. If we do have a chance at getting out of here, we need you to be competent enough to not screw it up." Steel felt disheartened.
"Ah, So yer trainin' him?" A.J asked. Gear nodded.
"Just got started, I taught him the history of the war yesterday." Gear explained. A.J raised an eyebrow and looked Steel up and down.
"Well you should learn the geography." A.J quickly lifted the mattress and slipped into the tunnel. She was fast despite her age. After a few seconds she slipped back from beneath the mattress, a folded piece of parchment and a quill in her teeth. The parchment was old, chipped, yellowing, dirty. A.J prepared to unfold the map but Gear stopped her.
"Not here." He added. "Follow me." Gear led Steel and A.J back to their usual corner as to keep as much privacy as possible. Once they felt like nopony was listening in, A.J unfolded the map.
In a small corner the word "Equestria," was written in black. the map showed one main land mass. It ran up the center of the map and widened near the top. One small branch spread to the left just before it reached the top with the rest of the land. To the right was a second land mass. smaller than the first. The two were separated by a body of water.
"Woah." Said Gear in awe. "This is a map of the old world." A.J nodded. "Where did you get it?"
"Been keepin' it safe fer years." Said A.J, her voice muffled by the quill in her teeth. Gear shook off his shock and began to point to different towns and cities, they all had the names they used to have before the war.
"See where it says Apple Loosa?" He asked, Steel nodded. "That's where Craterville was." A.J scribbled out the name with the quill in her mouth and wrote Craterville Crater in it's place. Steel's heart sank slightly. Gear continued to name cities and change them. "Ponyville is a ghost town, just beneath that where it says Everfree Forest? That's where we are, Blood Field. Baltimere is now called The Keep. Don't go there, it's a terrible place. Canterlot is in ruins, nopony is living there that I know of. Replace Rock Farm with Iron City, beneath Yak Yakistan write Icemore. Replace Cloudsdale with Fallen Sky. Where it says Manehattan? Write Pit."
Steel recalled the two ponies from his first night here, they talked about Pit. It was a hole leading straight downward, seemingly endless.
"In the center of the Badlands write Nowhere. Write Fall where Neighagra Falls used to be." Steel paused. Fall... That can't be right.
"Isn't it supposed to be Pure Falls?" Gear and A.J looked up at Steel, confused. "You said, Fall... It's Pure Falls, right?" Gear shook his head.
"Kid, It hasn't been called that in a long time." Steel looked down at the map confused. So much has changed, couldn't things just stay the way they were supposed to? "Write Steam City over Griffinstone, and scratch out The Crystal Empire and write Danger." Now Steel was REALLY confused.
"Danger is a city?" Steel stated, confused. "Isn't Nowhere weird enough?" Gear chuckled.
"No, danger as in keep out. Nopony has ever entered the Crystal Empire and come back. No bodies, no blood, nothing." Steel tilted his head. What could be in there? "And that's it! We'll get into the details tomorrow." Gear folded up the map and gave it to Steel who took it and slipped it under his mattress. A.J and Gear hugged each other and headed back to their own mattresses. Steel laid down, not feeling tired yet somehow still exhausted. How could so much have changed. Even after the war things were still changing. Nothing was sacred anymore, nothing too important to lose.
Steel shifted on his mattress. He had hoped the outside world wasn't as bad as he thought it was, but it was worse. Steel slowly drifted to sleep, a feeling of uncertainty hung over him. He didn't know if he wanted to survive out here anymore.
No, He told himself, I have to find my friends, then I can die. He thought of Iron Rose, Dale, Cable and Silver and he fell asleep with a small smile on his muzzle.