A Rather Large Adventure

by BradyBunch

Chapter two: Life's Not Fair

A flurry of colors. That's all Twilight remembered. Indistinguishable voices. And pain. Lots of pain.

Gradually, she came to, and she groggily opened her eyes.

She was at one end of a large, sparsely lit room, lashed by hard, frayed ropes to a wooden post. Directly in front of her face were three of the insectoid creatures that she fuzzily remembered had knocked her out. Twenty other guards were lining the circumference of the room, under flickering orange torches.

Twilight blinked a bit of eye crud out of her vision. Her hooves were lashed to her side, but she still had her horn. Her magic would not fail her now. She tried to cast an unlocking spell to loosen her bands, and then blast through the walls and be free and out from the clutches she was now trapped in. The only problem was, she could not even summon enough magic to make her horn glow.

Twilight's emotions tripped over each other. She was angry, yes, but also scared, and desperate, and confused. Where was she? Was she in the dungeons of Saddle Arabia? Was King Ironhooves really this paranoid about her, or was this... someone else?

Upon her waking, the creature in the center stepped forward slowly. Twilight flinched as he came close. His blank face failed any emotion he may have otherwise had. The effect was terrifying, which Twilight guessed was the point. He drew within striking distance of her and raised two of his front claws, leaving four on the ground.

But he didn't hit her. He instead loosened the ropes holding her to the pole. Twilight didn't realize it at the time how weak she was, but as soon as her bonds were slackened she fell forward, her left wing crying out in pain as her malnourished body collapsed.

But she felt someone grab her around her waist and chest before she hit the ground. She wildly looked around and she saw the insectoid creature holding her gingerly, softly steadying her on the floor. Twilight smiled in gratitude, but he moved away again, no emotion creasing his face.

The other two then came around and ushered her forward through the room, where the other creatures leered at her in contempt. Twilight shuddered. What were they thinking of in those heads of theirs?

The three creatures escorting her never let a sound come out of their mouths. The doors to the room opened and ten additional guards came to her side. Outside was a hallway that was wide and tall, and made of reinforced steel with doors and hallways leading off to the sides. Her escort enveloped her view for the most part, however.

Twilight tried to stay away from the intimidating monsters around her. A mix of bug, pony, and dragon? She held her tongue wisely and held back, not daring to touch anyone, until the troops around her started to march and Twilight was prodded along harshly towards an unknown fate.

---

They walked for a while; Twilight could not say how long. Her mind was entirely focused on the loss of her magic as they walked. Was this permanent? She could not imagine herself without her magic, much as she could not imagine herself without her friends.

Her heart ached. Her friends. Her support in life and the source of her hope--gone. They would all be worried sick. What would happen? Would Celestia launch an attack on Saddle Arabia once she realized Twilight was missing? Would her magic be incapacitated as well? How could such a thing happen, anyway?

Through the screen of nightmares surrounding her, she could not see a thing. She grew weaker and weaker, and her wing sung in pain as she trudged along belatedly. Just as she thought she could go no further, however, they marched through an ornately carved pair of double doors into another dimly lit room, barely lit enough to see into the corners. There was a raised dais in the middle of the circular room, and wrapping around the room was a raised bar similar to that of a courtroom, with twelve of the strange evil-looking creatures behind the bar. Twilight was ushered in and practically hurled onto the dais, further hurting her wing. She cried aloud in pain and struggled to a standing position.

She looked around at the terrifying guards that now surrounded her and sighed apprehensively when she saw the three creatures that had stood watch over her. She tried to signal the one in the center with a smile and a small wave, but he showed no reaction. He continued to stand rigidly high and silent.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle," a voice spoke. Twilight looked up and saw a creature identical to the others, except he wore a tall red headdress. His face, along with the faces of the others, was hidden in shadow. His voice graveled. "Welcome to the capital city of Krasrax."

So she wasn't in Saddle Arabia after all. That city wasn't on any marked map, as far as she could tell.

"Is there anything the convict would like to say before the trial begins?" another jury member spoke up.

Convict? "I-I'm sorry, but..." and all of a sudden, Twilight felt the questions being poured out like a loosed torrent, and her tongue was suddenly free. "Who are you? Why am I here? Did I do something wrong about the wrath of King Ironhooves? Where am I?" She turned around, looking for any sign of emotion in their faces. "I-I remember I was on the train to Saddle Arabia and I was hijacked..."

The creature in the headdress nodded. "Let us explain. A small mercy to the filth who stands before us and dare claims she did nothing wrong." Before Twilight could answer, he spoke again. "You are in the lands of a species called the Noxxa on the extreme southern border of Saddle Arabia. The city of Krasrax is its capital."

So that's who they were. Just terrifying nightmarish beasts of Tartarus looking to kill her. That's all. Nothing to be worried about at all, no siree. "But why am I here?" she asked again.

"Because you are a threat to our nation and its inhabitants," another jury member spoke up.

"But how? You were the ones that attacked me while I was just on a diplomatic mission to Saddle Arabia's coronation of King Ironhooves. That doesn't make any sense!" She was scared and at the same time indignant.

The creature in the headdress gave as close to a grin as he was physically capable of. "Every princess of Equestria is a threat to the Noxxa, but so long as you stayed in your precious borders, you were protected by the other princesses. Then, you had the gall to travel so close to our borders, unprotected and unsuspecting."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked. Her wing still hurt.

"It means you did not even suspect that the note from Saddle Arabia was a fake just to bring you out here." He sounded smug. "How blind you were. We weren't sure at first that you'd take the bait, but you took it hook, line and sinker."

Twilight was stupefied. So everything in the letter was false. There was no such pony as King Ironhooves or a queen called Queen Strategus. There was no king and queen taking the throne of Saddle Arabia. She had been led out here just to get captured. But why? Why did they want her? "Look, I'm sorry I went close to your borders. I can just leave and we can forget this happened-"

"Absolutely not," another jury member refused. "You are too powerful to just return." The member swiveled his head from side to side and made a slashing motion to the stenographer. "This is off the books. It doesn't matter if you know anyway, and it just feels so good to plunge you into despair. Your fate was already decided. The only reason we perform this stunt is to make your execution legitimate in case Equestria pries into the matter."

Execution?! "B-b-but I didn't do anything! It was an honest mistake!" But looking around at all the faces, she could tell none of them cared for her words. It scared her. There was nothing she could do.

"Marshal Malice wanted you here for a reason," another member snarled. "And Marshal Malice always wins. For the moment, you shall stay in our prison until Marshal Malice wants to see you and takes what he needs from you in order to further his grand vision. Then, and only then, will you be executed." He looked around. "Is the court in agreement on this?"

The assembly nodded collectively.

Twilight was maddened. They didn't even make a pretense at justice! It was open contempt! "This wasn't even a trial!"

"Then why was a sentence given?" one of them spoke. "Let me explain something to you, Princess of Filth. Here you are powerless. Here you have no rights. Here you are worthless. Weak. Unworthy of being kept alive. You are far from home, you have no help coming for you, and you are surrounded by creatures that hate you. Frankly, I'm surprised you aren't crying your tear ducts out by now. And we are going to make you, one way or another."

His words stung as Twilight realized her situation fully. There was no help coming, as everyone thought that she was safe in Saddle Arabia. By the time they found out... it would already be too late.

"It... It's not fair..." she said dejectedly.

The lead speaker smirked so hard a small smacking noise came from him. "Life's not fair, Princess. Get used to it." He then announced to the guards, "Take her back to her cell. And shame her."

The three guards surrounded Twilight again, amid her protests, and prodded her off out of the doors leading out. The doors shut with a boom, and nothing more could be heard.

The lead speaker turned to the stenographer. "Do you think you can manufacture a good enough record from this?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do it and deliver them to Marshal Malice. Omit some of the more important bits. Nopony can learn of what he wants with a princess of Equestria."

"Yes, sir", he replied.

---

As they marched along in the corridor, one of the Noxxa in the front whispered to the other, "Our full day's almost up. The transformation potion is almost empty."

"Then we had better act quickly, while we still can," the other replied.

---

Twilight was oblivious to her outside environment. All that mattered was the pain on the inside.

There was nothing. There was no hope. It was gone. Burned to ashes.

Comments

[Jade Dawn]

Well, this certainly got dark. 'Course, I should've expected it, it being right in the tags section, but still...

[BradyBunch]

9412584
It gets better in the next few chapters. Don't worry.

[P6rT]

Great so far. But they better not do anything to Twilight!

[Jade Dawn]

Little inconsistency here. At the start of the chapter, it says:

She was in a large, sparsely lit room at one end of it, lashed by frayed hard ropes to a wooden post.

But then a little later, we get:

Twilight blinked a bit of eye crud out of her vision. Her hooves were chained above her head,

What, did they switch it up while she blinked? Like those statue things from Doctor Who? Twilight might wanna keep her eyes open, they might do something worse if she blinks again.

[BradyBunch]

9478549
Shoot. I'll get on that. Thanks for noticing!

[Jade Dawn]

9478555
Just noticed you fixed it. Consistency is now running at maximum. :)

[Sarah Dino Runnerhoof]

Man! Twilight is in the world of hurt!

[DmitriTheWriter]

Twilight felt the questions being poured out like a loosed torrent, and her tongue was suddenly free. "Who are you? Why am I here? Did I do something wrong about the wrath of King Ironhooves? Where am I?"

There's your first mistake, Twilight. Your first question should've been "where can I see my lawyer?"

"It means you did not even suspect that the note from Saddle Arabia was a fake just to bring you out here."

I knew it! The Noxxa might as well have mailed her a giant red flag that said "Pls come to Not-A-Trapville. Is not trap, we swer. :)"

As they marched along in the corridor, one of the Noxxa in the front whispered to the other, "Our full day's almost up. The transformation potion is almost empty."

"Then we had better act quickly, while we still can," the other replied.

What's all this, then? Something plot-relevant, perchance?

---

Seems like Twilight's completely screwed here. I look forward to reading how she inevitably gets rescued in the next chapter(s).

[EMBER SPIRIT SHIELD]

Wtf! Seriously WTF!

[Undead Equestrian Writer]

As soon a Celestia realizes she's gone, she's going to glass the entirety of the Saddle Arabian deserts... You don't fuck with the sun