Helpless To Help

by Mykola

Chapter 2

Pins and pricks.

Twilight hated the sensation. Back when she did little more than read, she always managed to forget to get up and stretch. Either she was too invested in what she was reading, or she was furiously writing one of many research projects. In the process, one of her legs would fall asleep, only for that unbearable sensation to take hold.

She knew a spell for things like this. Something that Celestia herself taught her.

It was simple.

She tried to conjure some magic, still groggy from what was certainly a long night’s sleep… but nothing happened. It felt as if something was holding her back. Odd. She’d just try again, it was no big deal—

No. She meant to—

No!

The alicorn wrestled her eyes open and summoned what seemed like every ounce of strength to do so. It was still dark. Still? She didn’t recall it being dark before she went to sleep. All she remembered was that griffon, some cider, smiling...

Rainbow.

Pinkie.

Where were they?

‘Rainbow?’ Twilight croaked. ‘Pinkie? Where are you?’

Where was she? She didn’t remember having that much to drink. Cider. She had cider before. Sure, she was a lightweight—

Rainbow. Pinkie.

That griffon. Gat’? Where was he?

‘Girls?’

The pins and pricks didn’t matter anymore. Despite how dizzy Twilight was, she ignored them. Nerves getting the best of her, her mind buzzed with activity that her muscles couldn’t replicate. Where were her friends? Why couldn’t she use her magic? What was going on?

Hooves. She still had those. Maybe she couldn’t walk, but she could drag herself. A full-grown alicorn, and she was reduced to a clumsy filly!

That didn’t matter!

Where were her—

‘Get her up!’ a hoarse voice commanded. She wasn’t even aware there were other ponies in the room with her—

Claws wrapped around her legs and hoisted her up without effort, holding her upright. These weren’t ponies. These were griffons, and not particularly gentle ones at that—whatever that meant for their kind. She wanted to protest, but the disorientation of being swept onto her hooves was too great.

‘By the Boreas,’ the griffon to her left grunted, ‘what did they give this miserable thing?’

‘Grigory didn’t say, but said it cost a fortune,’ a calmer voice on her right muttered.

‘That and the cider! What a waste!’

‘Waste?’ Callous laughter. ‘No, brother, we’ve caught the biggest fish in the lake!’

What were they talking about? Cider? Fish? What about—

Focus, she silently commanded herself. Focus! Wake up!

The pain!

Pins and pricks!

Twilight tried to break free, thrashing her wings and legs at the creatures that flanked her sides. With every effort, she felt her strength evaporate, until she was left to hope that it was enough to drive them away. But the claws only gripped tighter. Her magic! Her magic… it didn’t even cross beyond the thought—

Her friends.

‘Where is Pinkie?’ Twilight demanded. ‘Where is Rainbow—’

‘Quiet!’ a griffon warned. ‘Save your breath for the Politburo! Your words mean nothing here!’

‘Where are my friends?’

They didn’t respond.

Light! Blinding light! Twilight’s eyes burned as she was dragged out of what felt like a pit before being thrust into some chamber. The air was thick with tobacco smoke. Tears brimmed at the corners of her eyes. She couldn’t tell if that was because of the light, or because of that insufferable smell.

Indistinguishable chatter. It wasn’t Ponish; it was something more harsh. Beaks snapped. A number of voices were raised, matched in number by those that were silenced.

‘There!’ a voice shrilled. ‘Bring it forward!’

‘Trespasser!’

‘Interloper!’

‘Silence! We haven’t resisted only to fall into disorder!’ a voice boomed. It rushed across Twilight like a cold wind. ‘Come, brothers! Let us see what our comrade has brought us!’

‘Grigory is certainly worth his measure,’ another hummed. ‘Bringing these foreign actors who try to intervene in griffon affairs to justice—’

‘What?’ Twilight croaked. ‘No! We weren’t—’

‘Quiet!’ that voice commanded. Her wings were involuntarily closed and hugged against her body. ‘Never speak without being spoken to, and especially never speak before those mightier than you! Never without permission! Only when they give you voice, shall you speak!’

‘It trespasses even in speech! What more needs to be heard?’

‘These three—all who have relation to Equestrian royalty, mind you—visit the country occupied by the monarchist-apologist Interims! What other reason would they be here? They seek to violate the will of the people!’

‘They are seditionists!’

‘They plan to steal the property of the people!’

Twilight’s head spun with every new voice that shrieked, her ears flattening. She didn’t know how to respond, how to make her case, to argue on behalf of her and her friends.What was she going to do? She tried to find one friendly face in the crowd, even one neutral expression if she must—

There were smiles. They were anything but friendly. They were almost... like Gat’s—

‘The capture of this Equestrian rabble rouser and its posse will do much to prevent further damage to our social cohesion.’ A larger griffon sitting at the head table puffed on his pipe. ‘And her imprisonment at the Freedom facility and eventual deportation will be enough to… “encourage” others to not test the unity of our people.’

‘You—you can’t do that!’ Twilight raised her voice, ignoring the chorus of outraged griffons. ‘We were drugged, abducted, and had outrageous accusations made against us! If anything about that is criminal, it is what you’ve done and what you are doing!’

‘She makes accusations against the Politburo?’ A griffon laughed. ‘She mocks the people! She mocks justice—’

‘You’re the ones mocking justice, with this, with this…’ Twilight searched for the right words. ‘Kangaroo court!’

‘She mocks our kangaroo comrades too!’

Twilight blinked.

‘Shall we let this trespasser speak?’ One at the head of the table wagged his head. ‘We have heard enough! Comrades! How do we find our defendant?’

‘What was my crime?’ Twilight demanded.

A concord of answers rang the hall, but none of them agreed with each other—save for the verdict.

Comments

[Bicyclette]

Nerves getting the best of her, her mind buzzed with activity that her muscles couldn’t replicate.

Do like this sentence.

‘These three—all who have relation to Equestrian royalty, mind you—visit the country occupied by the monarchist-apologist Interims! What other reason would they be here? They seek to violate the will of the people!’

Between this and the Politburo, super cool stuff!

‘She mocks our kangaroo comrades too!’

Classic! Could see this as an actual show line

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Ah, poor Twilight! Things do seem to work very differently here than in Equestria.