Chapter 10: Good Morning Ma'am!
Chapter 10
Yes Ma’am!
“Thanks for joining the land of the living.”
Nothing was making sense. One moment I was sitting in a carousel with Gemina, now I wasn’t even sure if I was awake or not. My vision was gently obscured, the world looking like a black void with multitudes of little lights destroying the purity of colour. All I was sure of was the words that had just been said, and that something had said them. The voice itself was feminine, in a loose definition of the word, and I immediately responded groggily with the first thing that my addled brain could come up with.
“Sorry mom, I’ll do my chores in a minute.”
“Who are you talking to?”
It was the same voice that had just spoken moments ago, and it was making no sense. Of course I was talking to her, who else would come into my room so early in the morning in order to wake me up? Was she annoyed that I wasn’t truly awake yet? I blinked my eyes a few times and felt my stomach lurch at what was waiting for me.
The voice I had responded to had to come from the only person in the room, a yellow pegasus with a coat reminiscent of the dirty blond hair I had seen back home. Her mane, however, looked completely different. It broke most conventions that I had known by being chestnut in colour near the roots while the rest was practically neon pink. Both her mane and her coat were short, almost as if they had been intentionally cut to their length. After I had gotten over the clash of colours on her, I saw that she was wearing a uniform over her front, metallic chest plates covering her breast and back. Upon her breastplate was what looked like a kite shield with a sword's hilt sprouting from the top of the shield. It was obviously well taken care of, and was so fancy that it seemed like a badge of office or something similar. As for her wings, the armour stopped just short of their bases, leaving them free to flap. Her wings looked very ragged, many of the feathers slightly out of alignment and a few even looking torn.
Her face told a tale. It wasn’t wrinkled, but there were multiple scars that crisscrossed over it, most of them so faint that I couldn’t notice them without squinting. In complete contrast to the harshness of her face, her irises were a sparkling emerald that seemed to dance with a lust for life. I felt a question rise to my lips as I looked at her, feeling curious over just who she was, and I would have asked it if she hadn’t been glaring at me as if I were the devil incarnate.
When I saw her staring at me like that I tried to back up, to move away, but all that I was met with was an immovable barrier to my back and a clanking tug against my wrists. A few seconds of struggling later I gave up, instead focusing on just where I truly was.
Looking back at the pony I finally noticed that there were bars between us, all of them made out of some weird glittering metal, brighter than steel yet not quite the same tinge as titanium. I could see that she was sitting with her back to a stone wall, a door next to her made out of the same strange material. There were no windows in the room, only a few brightly glowing crystals embedded in the ceiling outside of what had to be my cell. The crystals made it look like it was daylight, but I wasn’t able to move around enough to see the wall behind me. All I could assume was that, like the floor beneath me and the pony, it was made out of hard stone as well. Once again I shook my hands, and from the clanking sound that followed, not only had they been chained together but had also most likely been attached to the wall somehow. I heard my breath starting to quicken, a loud panting in the otherwise silent room.
The pony had begun to stand by now, still glaring at me as she slowly clopped closer and closer, each footstep ringing in the small, empty room. I wanted to back away from her, to retreat as far as possible, but there wasn’t anywhere for me to go. She stopped a few paces before my cage, and spoke again, her tone practically robotic in its monotony.
“I’m going to ask you a few questions. Answer them quickly and simply.” she said, her tone still devoid of all emotion. “Question one, why did you arrive at our gates at nearly one in the morning looking like you were running from the gates of Tartarus?”
I was trying to come up with a statement that would please her, placate her, but my brain had shut off by now. I was in prison, chained to a wall, probably underground, and was in a room with someone who seemed inhuman.
“Refusal to answer will result in permanent incarceration, so answers would be appreciated.”
“Iwasrunningformylife!” I yipped, my voice coming out at least an octave higher than usual, my heart hammering in my chest at the mention of incarceration. ‘Am I in jail? What did I do!?’
At the very least she seemed to find the answer acceptable, but the glare didn’t vanish. Instead it seemed to grow even more distrusting, as if wondering what would cause a dragon to run away. “Question two, why were you in possession of Equestrian goods?”
“What?” I gasped, feeling confusion mix in with the emotional brew of panic, anxiety, and fear. What had I been holding that had been from Equestria?
“The coin is an ancient product of Equestria, not quite a medal but at the very least worth a fortune to collectors and historians. How did you get your claws on it?” she asked again.
“I got it from my father’s hoard!” I replied, and the simple words seemed to pierce my heart with a lance. I was using Coalheart for stupid reasons, and even lying about who he was. What kind of person am I to do such a thing?
‘One who wanted to live?’
“Final question, why did you come here to Manehattan out of all places?”
“Mane what?” I asked, feeling genuinely surprised for the first time. Did she mispronounce Manhattan?
“Do you know what Manehattan is?” she asked, looking surprised herself at my obvious obliviousness.
“No. Is that the city I reached last night?” I asked, feeling both a sense of hope and dread. That and a bizarre interest in how she kept mispronouncing such a well-known city.
“Yes.”
It was a one word reply, something that usually marked anger or other unwelcome emotions, but instead of apprehension I felt a flood of relief. Her glare had been replaced by a look of resignation as a ring of keys appeared from nowhere. She pushed it into one of the bars and twisted the key, pulling open the cage, many of the bars sliding on a hidden hinge. A couple clops of her hooves later and she was right in front of me, staring into my eyes for only a second before sliding another key to the forefront and shoving it into something behind me. With a clatter the shackles on my wrists fell off, dropping to the ground. She gave me a look and a quick flick of her head as she clopped out of the cell.
‘Should I?’ I asked mentally, partially to myself and partially to my con…Gemina. However, after a few seconds without any reply, I instead sighed in resignation and followed the mare out of the room. The room outside looked like some kind of military barracks, a couple of ponies inside the room, all of them wearing the same uniform as the pony beside me and all of them staring at us.
“Ritz, what did you learn?” said a black coated earth pony, his crimson eyes glaring at me just like she had been just a few minutes ago.
“She’s young, like I told you earlier. She got her stuff from her father’s hoard. She came here by accident and apparently while running from something she considered frightening.” said, presumably, Ritz, giving him an almost mocking salute as she summarized what I had told her, obviously enraging the pony.
“Is she dangerous?” asked a bright blue unicorn, looking at me with interest.
“If a dragon who’s afraid of a pony is dangerous, then yes, she’s insanely dangerous.” Ritz snorted.
The whole room went silent, everyone looking completely and utterly speechless at this nugget of information. It lasted a whole ten seconds before everyone began to laugh, some of them even rolling on the floor in mirth. I could feel my face start to burn with a blush, and my hands began to fidget in my lap, my eyes cast towards the ground.
“You’re kidding, right?” asked the same earth pony as before, tears in his eyes.
“Nope, didn’t even threaten her either. I just used my usual interrogation voice and she cracked.”
The laughter was growing louder and louder. Why did it feel like it was always me who was at the butt of a joke? It took a couple of minutes for everyone to calm down, but once they did I could see that the previous glares and disapproving glances had given away to small smiles and rippling chuckles.
“So then, does she speak or is she a silent tom?” asked the unicorn again, the only one who still had a massive grin on his face.
“I do speak, it’s just…embarrassing…” I muttered, feeling my blush growing even darker at his renewed laughter.
“That’s who we were afraid of?”
“Yes. Do you see why I called all of you silly old mares last night?” Ritz chuckled. “Now then, interrogation is over, introductions are done, let’s give her all of her supplies back and then forget this ever happened, okay?” Everyone nodded and, as if we had never walked in, they went back to their tasks. It was almost eerie in how sudden the change was.
“So then, I never got your name. Do you even have one, or shall I just keep calling you a lizard?” she asked me, a small smirk crossing her face.
“Ember.”
“Ember? Like the ones in a fire? Seems that your mother must have had a sense of amusement for a dragon. Wish they were all like that.” She groaned, walking out of another door and into a sloping hallway. It took very little time before we reached yet another door, but the room beyond was far different from the other two I had been in. Lockers lined the walls to our left and right, a single large table in front of us with an earth pony sitting at it while two pegasi stood by the table’s side, all of them wearing the same uniform the others below. They were facing away from us, looking towards the open door in the other wall. There were multiple windows lining the walls, sunlight pouring through not only them but the door as well. It was a welcome sight, and despite the silence it was far better than the guard room below where I had turned into a laughingstock.
Ritz opened the locker directly to our right and pulled out my bag, giving it a quick look through before handing it to me, a pained grimace on her face. “Sorry about the misunderstanding. Please forgive us for taking your time and welcome to Manehatten.”
I nodded simply as I took my bag, looking at the three ponies at the desk. They were nearly frozen in place, but at the same time they seemed ready for anything, to move at a seconds notice. “Just where am I?” I asked Ritz, turning back to her.
“The guardhouse of Manehatten, otherwise known as the police station.” she answered automatically. “Why, is it important to you?”
“I…well…is there any chance that you could teach me to defend myself?” I asked, feeling like an idiot for asking the question. She was going to refuse me with an excuse or simple toss away problem. Maybe she’d tell me that nobody needed a dragon who knew how to fight, or she could even mock me by asking why they would accept someone who is afraid of ponies.
“So, you think that you could handle what I’d be throwing at you then?” she asked, an almost malicious grin on her face and a sadistic twinkle in her eye. “Truly?”
It wasn’t the answer I had been expecting at all, but the glee she was showing at the idea of training me seemed not only surprising, but frightening as well. Still, if I could learn to defend myself I would be far better off than if I didn’t, and what place would be better than a guardhouse that trains ponies to fight all the time?
“Y..yes?” I stammered, the response turning into a question at the fear I was feeling. Her smile grew even wider at my words, her grin so wide that she could have given the Cheshire cat a run for his money.
‘What in the world did I sign up for?’
“Actually, stand right there at attention.” she said offhandedly, still grinning at me. I followed her order, drawing my feet together and slapping my arms to my side, jutting my face out slightly. I could feel a series of slaps across my face, shins, and hands as she shouted loudly into my ear, her words indecipherable. My ears were ringing as she continued to slap at my shins, and I looked down to see what she was doing, only to receive a hoof to my face.
“You do not look at the ground. Listen only to what I tell you to do, don’t fix it yourself, and don’t assume you can!” Ritz shouted. “Feet cocked! Heels together! Arms at your side! Curl the fingers! Eyes forward! Back straight!”
She was barraging me with commands, but I tried to align my body as she told me to, but my head always tried to move downwards to check how I looked, and each time I received another face-full of hoof. It didn’t really hurt, but it was mostly annoying. I stopped looking down after the third smack, and instead forced myself to change my stance without looking at it, to simply feel how I was standing. It took a minute, but Ritz finally stopped hitting me, her hooves clopping softly against the ground. A grunt and a few heavy hoof-falls later and I felt a massive mat thrown over each of my shoulders, heavy enough that I could feel my knees trying to bend.
“Okay then, you want me to accept you, then you better be able to stand like that until I think you’ve stood there long enough.”
“Wait, all I’m do…” was all I got out before I felt yet another smack to my face. ‘What the hell?’
“No talking. Just stand there until I tell you otherwise.” Ritz chuckled, giving me a wide grin before trotting off to sit next to the other pony, quickly chatting with him before sitting down and apparently ignoring my existence.
‘Now that’s cold.’
‘Where the hell have you been?’
‘Stuck on a ferris wheel, you?’
‘You don’t want to know.’
‘Well then, hope you like standing.’
‘I can do it, it’s just standing!’
-----------------------------------------------------------------
My body felt horrible. Each of my arms felt like they had become sandbags hanging at my side. My legs were wooden, unbendable, and no matter how many times I tried to bend my knees, someone saw the movement and yelled at me. I was panting gently, trying to keep a façade of calm, but every part of me ached.
Ponies had been filtering in and out of the police station while I stood here, and most of them seemed intimidated at my presence, asking their questions or else reporting their problems before quickly scurrying out. Sadly, not everyone left me alone. A few ponies came right up to me and looked at my body like I was some sort of mannequin. The one time I had attempted to shoo the offending pony off, I had gotten a glare from one of the guards before I had even moved my claw. This was just another part of my test, and nobody cared if it annoyed me or not.
As for Ritz, she just gave me a few glances from time to time, a wicked smile always plastered across her face as she would turn away with a knowing wink to the other guards. It was infuriating, especially since I knew she could stop this all with a word.
‘Damn it all, why the hell am I standing here!?’
‘Damn yourself for agreeing to it in the first place.’
I took another deep breath and ground my teeth together, forcing myself to ignore the tingling and aches. I was going to do this no matter what!
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Nothing would move. I couldn’t feel my arms anymore, just a numbing buzz in my shoulders while my chest seemed to burn with the need for more air. Every breath had become a gasp, a desperate struggle to get enough air within me. My legs were rooted to the ground, each muscle feeling like molten lead, my mind struggling to deal with simply staying conscious. I could barely see anymore, but I could tell that the sun had gone down a while ago. Heaven knew how long I had been standing here, but the guards had changed at least twice during that time.
Despite it all, Ritz sat in a corner, staring straight at me, her gaze boring holes in the side of my head. I wanted to scream at her, to rage and bellow at her for what a stupid thing it was for me to just stand here with whatever the hell she threw around my shoulders, but she still hadn’t told me I could move. It had become more than just a test; it was personal now. I would prove to her that a little standing wasn’t going to beat me, no matter how horrible it felt!
‘Ember, this has already gone far enough!’
‘I. Can. Win. This!’
Finally, after everyone had already retreated to the barracks below and the moon had blessed us with her presence, Ritz came clopping up to me. Her eyes looked at mine, and I could see her still wearing the same. Goddamn! SMIRK!
“You can stop now you overgrown lizard.” She chuckled, walking past me and through the door.
I couldn’t even believe what I had heard. I struggled to make a noise, to say something in return, but my voice was less than a hoarse croak. My leg slowly slid across the floor and slipped, my whole body crashing into the ground as I was finally released to sweet, blissful sleep.
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I have no problem if u change it. Usually give authors more room to work with and not to worry so much if they crossed a line or something.
Awesome chapter.
5028281 But it also lessens the amount of users who can read it. Not everybody has that 'check mature' box on.
Also, Tamara, if it's not too much trouble, could you please credit me for helping edit?
This? I like!
... ask for self defense lessons, get hurled into boot camp... Uh, Wut?
This all reminds me of a very specific phrase everyone in my BMT flight learned to dread:
"WAAALL LOCKEEERRRS!!!"
When is the next chapter??
aww, i was really hoping for more... dang it. all well, all things must come to an end eventually.
i still enjoyed this story quite a bit. i look forward to more
Update????
Update?
6663246 I wantz updates!
7562584 me 2
last update was a while ago but nevertheless i enjoyed this little gem! ill be tracking this on the off chance that it does update sometime soon but if you see this author then thanks for the enjoyable read!
I still have a dream....
Sad to see the author died, or lost interest in the fandom, what with fimfic saying they haven't been on since 2014....another dead story that'll never be updated