Fact or Fiction

by Mocha Star

21) Into The Holy City

The morning after Rainbow Dash and Daring Do were captured was a painful blur. The two mares were brought before Natadibirus as the camp was packing up. Among the hustling of the many workers taking down the large tents and hoisting crates onto wagons, many of the workers looked whenever they got the chance at the two mares. Their Equestrian bodies angelic and exotic to the average eye. The 'luckiest' of the Torrent members there were the several pairs of guards around the two mares. With ropes tied around their wings and legs, it was certain the two mares couldn't escape.

Natadibirus was beyond impressed at the two mares. With a makeshift eye patch and an injured hand in hidden in his robe, he did his best to look as intimidating and regal as possible. Daring Do had to speak for herself and Rainbow Dash. The cyan pegasus was mortified and barely moved, let alone respond to anything.

Natadibirus straightened his back so his portly belly would show less, "Due to your… unique appearance I will have this caravan personally take us back to The Holy City of Dondurahl. I will have you meet The Prophet. I believe he will find you two as interesting as I."

"Why are you taking us as captives? What have we done to you?" Daring Do asked sternly, "Have we trespassed?”

"In a way.... yes," Natabirus grinned, "However, as rouge equines you have no rights," Daring Do glared at him, a heated look in her magenta eyes. Natabirus frowned, "If you need more clarification, my sweet, you're my property."

"You can't own another life!" Daring Do cried, "That's beyond inhumane! It's disgusting!"

The large centaur snapped his fingers. Another, smaller centaur hidden under black robes rushed up to his side. Natabirus whispered in the cloaked centaur's ear. With a subtle nod, the cloaked one rushed off again. Natabirus gazed up at the bleak sky, "I'll only speak peacefully this once. The three farming equines, remember them?"

Daring Do tugged at her ropes, "What have you done with them?!"

The guards and Natabirus chuckled. With a sleazy grin the fat centaur stroked his curly beard, "Nothing… yet. If you don't want them dead just cooperate."

Daring Do looked to Rainbow Dash, the poor young mare was in a contagious state of shock. The adventuress thought of Dew Berry and her family. She didn't want anything horrible to happen to them too. Her mind went back to Equestria, was she missed? Technically she didn't even exist there. A writer's torch can be passed on to another...

"Take me instead," Daring Do said with a pain in her chest, "Take me to Dondurahl! Don't take her or the farm ponies… just me."

Nataibirus laughed mockingly. The guards chuckled nervously at this outburst. The fat centaur wiped the wetness from his one eye, "That, my dear, is brave but impossible. I own you now. All five of you."

As he said this, the cloaked centaur came back. He had what looked like reins in his hand. He went over to the motionless Rainbow Dash and untied her rope binding. The cyan mare didn't even blink. The cloaked centaur put a silver bridle in her mouth and strapped it over her head. Next he put an decorative saddle who's strap went over her wings. It made Daring Do sick with sadness to see such a proud mare bound up like that, with no resistance.

`The bridle came next to Daring Do. The centaur took off her hat and put the saddle over her back. Daring Do stood there, holding back tears. She had never felt so helpless, so bound. As the silver bridle slid into her trembling mouth a sense of dread fell upon her. Would she really become a slave… never to know freedom again?

"Now you look beautiful," Natibirus said with a clap of his meaty hands, "Guards, put these two in my personal wagon. We don't want them to chip a hoof on the way there."

It was noon when the small town of a camp was on the move. Natabirus and his wagons were at the center, protected by the horde surrounding him. They marched away from the mountains that led to Borox's domain, away from Pea Gravel and hope. In the loud crowd was a wagon pulled by twelve oxen near Natabirus. It's bus-size draping canvas sheltered Daring Do and Rainbow Dash. They had been told they could read whatever they liked, touch whatever loot they found. They were two birds in that caravan. Two sad birds tied down and kept in an insultingly large cage. There were scrolls and books around them inside, some in a language they could understand. However Daring Do was to crushed to read and Rainbow Dash was still in a pseudo-coma. When ever she could, Daring Do looked out to see Dew Berry, Wheat Biscuit, Cardinal, any of them. She caught sight of the farm horse once, he was pulling a small wagon with a look of defeat on his face.

Later that evening, the caravan stopped. They didn't as stationary as when the mares first found the Torrent camp, they mostly slept under wagon leantos. Also in a way alien to Daring Do and Rainbow Dash; sleeping standing up with only a coat for shelter. Natabirus had a tent though, it was cramped for him but with all of the guards around it you'd assume he was a king.

Daring Do looked out the front flap of the centaur's and saw the bitter land. There was a low din of snoring or shuffling of the camp sleeping. Thankfully Wheat Biscuit was near where the tent full of loot was stationed. On the ground was muddy snow, cold and wet where Wheat Biscuit was sleeping. Beyond them was the rest of the plain and the low mountains behind them. Across the white expanse was a tall shape on the horizon. It looked like a tower of some sort.

Daring Do leaned further out of the tent where the cold air bit at her, the bridle felt heavy in her mouth as she tried to whisper, "Psst! Wheat Biscuit, are you awake?"

The farm horse lifted his head slowly, "Daring Do? Who put a bridle on your face?"

The adventuress grimaced, "That's what this thing is called? What a dirty word..." She shivered from the cold, "It's freezing out here, how can you stand it?'

Wheat Biscuit sighed sadly, "I… I have to, for her. For my son. They're somewhere here, I know it."

"Why not go look for them?" Daring Do asked, "They're your family."

Wheat Biscuit leaned a little to show his back. It was covered in fresh marks from a cruel whip. Daring Do gasped when she saw it and the farm horse sighed again, "I've been whipped before, I'm used to it. These whips they have here though… they're terrible. It's almost as if they had a vine of thorns instead of leather."

Daring Do began to feel helpless, she could escape but at what cost. The only ponies she knew were captured along with her or lost. She wished Wheat Biscuit a goodnight with a heavy heart and went back into her warm tent. The shelter from the cold was almost as painful as the icy air outside.

Halfway into the next day, a great black tower came into view. In front of it was an expansive wall. Behind that wall was the city of Dondurahl. The closer the caravan got to the city, the more helpless Daring Do felt. It was ridiculous, an adventuress like her being afraid. The slowly recuperating look on Rainbow Dash's face and the intimidating tower were both stabbing pains to the pegasus.

The tall sandstone walls had massive bricks, their weight impossible to guess. Banners on top of the wall's spires matched the Torrent's mark. An x with a dot above and below it. With Natabirus' caravan approaching the main gates opened up like a gargantuan animal's mouth. The daunting size of everything made Daring Do feel even smaller than she already felt. She held Rainbow Dash close, not sure how the cyan mare would react. The caravan they were caught in the middle of walked through the streets like a parade, with Natabirus waving to the citizens. The creatures who lived there matched the caravan, however in that crowd of citizens Daring Do saw more people than she had seen the whole journey.

Quite unexpectedly, an orange cloud of magic wrapped around Daring Do and Rainbow Dash, Natabirus' magic yanked them out of the wagon and out into midair for all to see. The mares looked with shocked faces and the crowd gawked at them in amazement. In a short time, the parade was over. The Torrent guards coming home shoved straggling citizens away for more space. Once the streets cleared Natabirus took a few hand picked centaurs in black cloaks and headed for the tower that was at the center of the city. Using an extra cloak, he bagged up the two mares so it looked like he was holding a large money bag.

From inside the fabric, Daring Do got a fuzzy look at the tower.It was strikingly black against the adobe and sandstone city around it. The tall tower's spires were built to look, at one point, like the building was made of black flames. Time had worn away a few of the sharp edges and dusted the pure black stone work. Though the city was old, the spire seemed ancient.

Two heavily armored centaurs saw Natabirus approaching and keeled in his presence. From inside the bag, Daring Do listened to their conversation.

"Your holiness, you have returned?" One guard asked.

Narabirus had a smug look on his face, "I have, now let me pass. I have important business with The Prophet."

The heavy plate armor clanked against itself as the two guards rose up and opened the tall door for the equally tall centaur. Inside the tower was cool and dark, lit by few torches. Before them was a hall with a tall ceiling and had an empty feeling to it. At the far end was what was at one time a throne, but now was an altar. The altar had several alien colored candles and an ornate triangle, Tirek's insignia. A figure in a black cloak was kneeling before and his low mumbling prayers echoed the quiet room.

Natabirus' usual headstrong attitude shrank into submissive. The cloaked centaurs on either side of him kept very still so not to disturb their leader.

The figure's voice came from across the hall. It was eerily angelic and warm, "Natabirus...you've returned. You know it is our custom to worship when the sun is highest in the sky and yet you have interrupted me."

Natabirus broke into a cold sweat. He fumbled the bagged mares in his hands, "A thousand pardons your Holiness, the news I bear clouded my mind."

The figure across the hall stood up, his size matching Natabirus'. This centaur's horns however, where bent out and back like a goats. Unlike Natabirus' ram horns. The figure turned around and it was certain who it was; Belial.

The cloak only covered his back, his chest and forelegs were exposed as well as his face. His cherry red skin was well kept and his muscles looked like chiseled marble. His pelt had a black sheen over it and glossy hooves. His face was beardless, showing off his squared off features. His eyes had a hypnotizing glow to them and his long hair was tied back into a ponytail that reached behind his shoulders.

With hands held out Belial smiled, "No need to be distressed friend. The Lord won't be ashamed of an esteemed centaur like you or I missing a worship, for the right reasons."

Natabirus reverted out of his panic attack, "Oh, oh yes. You're very wise Prophet Belial. Very wise indeed."

Belial pulled the cloak over his bare chest, "I expect you have an report to give me, I shall be in the floors above. Once you have cleaned the filth off of you you may meet me."

Natabirus handed the two mares over to one of the centaurs next to him, "Take these two two to the Bathhouse and clean them up. On second thought, pamper them like show horses. That's what they are anyway."

The cloaked centaur looked from the bag to Natabirus as the massive centaur rushed off for the pleasures of civilized life. With the two Equestrians in two the cloaked centaurs went to the tower's bath house.

It was a building very close to the tower, with skylights and a very clean looking walls and floors. There were several humans working there as well as ponies, both grooming the richer folk that lived in Dondurahl. When Daring Do and Rainbow Dash were brought inside and showed to the bath house workers, everyone was amazed. With the command of Natabirus' personal guard, they mares would be groomed for free. They were meeting the lone leader of the Torrent, they must be cared for.

For the first time in what felt forever, Daring Do had a bath. At first being lead with the bridle in her mouth made her feel like a piece of meat to look at but once it was taken off it felt amazing. Almost a dozen humans and ponies led the two Equestrians to a large stone bath. They were lowered into the shallow warm water by pairs of human hands. Bringing soaps and fragrant oils as other humans gently scrubbed the dirt away from Daring Do and Rainbow Dash, the cyan mare began acting less like a vegetable and more like herself. With a gentle hand scrubbing her hair and another her belly, Rainbow Dash giggled like a child.

After am mesmerizing bath, they were picked up like small children and taken to what looked like a small garden under a skylight. They were put on tables and dried off with the utmost care. Once dry, their clean manes looked frizzy.

When one person was brushing a mare's hair another was polishing her hooves. At this point Rainbow Dash spoke for the first time since that terrible night, "Did I die and go to heaven?"

Daring Do openly laughed, along with several of the bathhouse workers. The adventuress smiled, "Were in a better place right now."

Rainbow Dash looked tiredly around as a woman braided her hair, "Where are we… are we back home?"

"No… but it's not bad," Darin Do sighed, "It's called Dondurahl, a city of the Torrent."

If Rainbow Dash had more energy she'd panic, "What? Those guys tried to kill us… this can't be a place they live."

Daring Do cooed as a hand itched behind her ear, "It's...it's better than out there. Besides their soldiers they're quite civilized."

The fair woman braiding Rainbow Dash's hair was amazed, "My miss, your mane is the most beautiful I've ever seen! Did you use a silk dye for these vibrant colors?"

Rainbow Dash giggled sheepishly, "N-no, they're natural." The bathhouse workers laughed.

Comments

[BigBadBorox_Is_Back]

6375747 thanks mocha

[Mocha Star]

This is so enchanting.
Three days to read up to here. ..

[BigBadBorox_Is_Back]

6380393 glad you made it

[Mocha Star]

6382432

I'm so anxious.
How long to the next chapter, and the next 12.
Pm me spoilers if u have to.