Ch 8 - If A Tree Falls In A Forest
I did not get any sleep at all that night, the chains binding me to a tree cutting too deep to give me the ability to rest. Instead, I kept an eye on my captors, who were taking their job surprisingly seriously for their blunders earlier. They each took watch for half the night, keeping an eye on both me and the campfire that kept animals away.
Partway through the night, the unicorn noticed that I was watching them and used a rag as a blindfold. He also stuck a muzzle on my face so I couldn’t speak or bite him, forcing me to simply growl. Now blind, mute, and bound, all I could do is listen for potential help and hope it was coming soon.
You know, for a creepy forest this place is surprisingly quiet. That is never a good sign.
After what felt like an eternity of silence, I felt my ears prick up as whichever of the foalnappers was sleeping woke up and headed over to their partner. I heard them whisper to each other, making me strain to hear bits of what they were saying.
“She....older....weird?” The stallion whispered, his hooves stepping in a circular motion, probably around the campfire.
“Spell....not...problem.” The pegasus responded before I heard a hiss. Probably them putting out the campfire. Hopefully.
Why is everyone wondering why I’m older? Am I supposed to be younger? I need to ask Rarity when I return.
“Alright princess,” the unicorn roughly pulled the blindfold off of my face, having walked over while I was lost in thought. “We are going to walk through the forest. You’re walking with us. Understand?”
I nodded, unable to speak with the muzzle on. The unicorn grinned, magically lifting and sticking a collar on my neck, locking it with a click. He then added a leash, tying it around his belt to make sure I don’t stray too far. With a chuckle he finally unlocked the chains tying me to the tree, levitating them into a set of saddlebags on the pegasus’ back. I couldn’t resist groaning a bit as I stretched my legs, my wings still bound stopping me from being able to fully relax.
“Come along princess. We have a long way until we reach the train station.” The unicorn pulled the leash with one hoof, forcing me to follow him and the pegasus as they walked.
As we went through the forest I had to trot to keep up with the unicorn and avoid being strangled by the collar around my neck. The two of them didn’t stop for anything, trotting as fast as they could through the dense forest. Several times I tripped on the underbrush, my shot legs unable to clear some of the debris. Instead of slowing down they just continued to move at a fast pace, forcing me to quickly get back to my hooves so I wouldn’t be dragged.
After what felt like hours upon hours we finally slowed down next to a stream, the two foalnappers sitting on tree roots to take a breath. I took the moment to flop onto my side, breathing as deeply as I could with a muzzle around my face. I glared as hard as I could at the two, wishing I could kick their ass with my tiny frame.
The pegasus gave me the dirtiest look back, the wing I crushed bound tight in bandages and tape. We stared at each other for a minute before she stepped over to me, looming over my comparatively tiny body. I raised an eyebrow before I felt a sudden pain in my gut as she kicked it hard. I coughed in surprise and pain, the reaction making the pegasus grin. She proceeded to repeatedly kick me, forcing me to curl up in a ball to protect my vital areas against her blows.
The pegasus kicked and stomped, again and again, forcing me to whimper and curl smaller. She finished as brutally as she began, rearing up and coming down onto my chest, making me cry out in pain as at least one of my ribs broke under her onslaught.
At this the unicorn stepped between us, frowning at the pegasus. She glared back at him but stood down, stepping back over to her tree root and taking a seat. The unicorn looked me over briefly, his eyes cold. I could see to him I was simply a piece of meat, something to be sold. I couldn’t help but shiver slightly, the look especially uncomfortable considering the body I was stuck in.
“Get back up.” the unicorn barked, pulling me to my hooves with a tug on the leash. “The boss is going to want you as soon as possible.”
I tried to pull against the leash, now deathly afraid. The unicorn shrugged and started to walk off, letting me choke myself for a moment before I had to follow him unwillingly. The pegasus walked beside me, giving me a wicked glare the whole time as we walked through the quiet forest.
After countless hours of hiking through brush and dense clusters of trees, night fell, forcing the foalnappers to make camp. They lit a campfire in a clearing in the trees before pulling two sleeping blankets out of their saddlebags. I was tossed against a tree and chained back up, a blindfold slapped against my eyes almost as an afterthought.
Despite my best efforts, I eventually fell asleep. The fatigue from a day full of hiking and abuse overtook my will and discomfort.
“Come on Storm, only one more hour before we make camp.” I could only vaguely hear my father’s southern twang over the beating of my own heart.
I coughed, winded as we rucked up a mountain as part of my father’s ‘training program’. Regardless of his assertions that this would make me a man like him, my ten-year-old frame was feeling the strain. I coughed again into a hoof, forcing myself to keep up with him. He looked back one more time, raising an eyebrow before laughing and continuing forward.
“What’s so funny dad?” I tilted my head, confused.
“Look down, ‘Storm’.” My father motioned to me. “You are no son of mine.”
I looked down and saw instead of my normal ten-year-old body, all I saw was the filly body I’d been trapped in. I began to hyperventilate, falling over as I tried to calm myself. I saw out of the corner of my eye the moon begin to rise above the trees before a faint knocking sound rang over the forest.
“Wake up, bitch.” The pegasus snarled as she kicked me in the gut, forcing me from my dreams with pain.
I hissed in pain as my broken ribs ground together before the blindfold was pulled off my face, greeting me with the angry face of the pegasus. She spat in my face, making me flinch despite myself. At this she simply grinned before lifting her hoof up, making me whimper slightly and lean farther against the tree.
“That’s what you get for breaking my wing.” she frowned before walking away from me, shaking her head.
I sighed, sinking into my misery. Before I could tune out everything, I heard the sound of breaking branches heading towards our location. I tried to look in the direction of the noise, but it was just out of my sight thanks to my bindings. I tried to cry out as well, but unfortunately, the muzzle made it just a weak murmur instead of a true cry for help.
The two foalnappers jumped to their hooves, the unicorn arming himself with his super cattle prod while the pegasus simply took a fighting pose with her hooves. However, that didn’t save the pegasus from the purple blast that smashed into her face, sending her rolling into a tree with a cry of pain. The unicorn looked at her with a hint of shock before yelling and charging at whoever fired the blast.
I continued to strain against the chains, crying out with all my strength through the muzzle. The pegasus slowly got to her hooves, shaking her head to get her focus back. Seeing me struggle she trotted over, rearing up as she approached. Seeing her hooves at about my head height I started to actually freak out, flailing around against my bindings.
Before she could reach me she was knocked back against a tree by a blue and rainbow blur, making the tree itself shake with the impact. Dash stood over the pegasus, who curled up in self-defense, whimpering for mercy. Dash shook her head at the display before stomping a hoof down on the enemy’s head. Hopefully to knock her out.
In the background, I could hear whatever fight was going on between the unicorn foalnapper and my other rescuer continue, but all I could focus on was Dash. I used whatever emotion was left in my tired eyes to plead with Dash to free me from these chains. Thankfully she saw me and quickly flew over, working on the chains with her hooves.
“Flurry! Are you alright?” She asked, concerningly looking over my bruises and the blood dried against my mouth. “Don’t worry, we’re here to save you!”
As soon as the chains were free I collapsed against the forest floor, shivering a bit. I looked back up at Dash, who was trying to look over my injuries with a grimace. I breathed a sigh of relief before I looked back at the other rescuer and felt my heart go cold.
Lifting the unicorn into the air was my ‘aunt’ Twilight, her eyes and horn glowing with an angry purple aura. The unicorn flailed against the alicorn’s magic before he was smashed into a tree hard enough for the crack to echo throughout the clearing. The unicorn went limp, causing her to toss him aside and look at me. Her eyes radiated a sense of pure rage, an endless storm of magic threatening to burst forth at any moment.
I ran.
By the time my thoughts came back together I was completely lost in the forest. My wings were still bound, along with the muzzle and collar still locked onto me. I sighed, rubbing my head at my own stupidity. All I could do was head forward, so I picked the most amenable path and headed down it.
After an hour of trotting and thinking of my own stupidity, I noticed a faint humming in the air. I turned to head towards it, hoping it would lead me towards any pony willing to help. Instead, I quickly found myself in front of a ravine.
In the center of the ravine, I could barely see a faint rainbow glow, an oddly familiar glow. Before I could make out anything else I felt a hoof on my shoulder, making me jump in surprise. I whipped my head around, squeaking in a bit of fear at the sight of Aunt Twilight standing over me before hugging me as tight as possible.
“Flurry, I'm so happy you're alright!" She looked at me at smiled a bit too wide for my liking
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Why is Flurry grounded? What did I miss?
yea why is furry grounded she was afraid can't blame her and the foalnappers got what was coming to them
11150409
No idea. One would think Twilight would be crying and embracing her beloved niece, who just moments ago was kidnapped and with obvious signs of physical abuse.
So, Twilight commits a rage-induced murder in front of who's supposed to be her young, amnesiac niece, causing Flurry to flee in sheer terror... and Flurry's the one in trouble? Yeah, that doesn't seem right.
11150409
All I can think of is that she ran away right at the end. Nothing before then, even all the way back to when she was last in the company of a responsible adult, seems worth grounding for.
11150409
I think I need to reword that real quick. Supposed to be more of a 'you need more supervision' than a 'you're in trouble' statement
11150436
What about a more emotional, realistic reaction?
Twilight had her amnesic niece kidnapped, then found out alongside her captors with visible injuries. She goes all purple rage against the criminals, maybe killing them (is this Twilight used to kill anyway?), making Flurry flee in fear...
Tapping her shoulder and saying "you need more supervision" is NOT a realistic reaction.
this arc is pure stupidity. a kidnapping for sake of kidnapping.
you would think they have some countermeasures against the mane6 if they're going to kidnap the niece and little sisters of equestrian's heroes.
at least give them something like alicorn amulet to work with.
11150440
Admittedly, my aim was to lead into the next chapter with the 'hey, please don't try to be a hero/run off with the CMC instead of sticking around Rarity because obviously, dangerous stuff is happening'. Rereading it over, yeah that isn't the best reaction. Gonna leave it with a hug and concern and deal with the consequences of being a heroic fool for the next chapter.
But is that Twilight... or a changeling?
11150454
changelings don't have magic aura masked when they shapeshift, so if Twilight were a changeling, her aura would be acid green
11150443
I dunno, it doesn’t seem stupid to me. It looks like something bigger is going on in the background, unknown to Flurry/Storm, and the kidnapping has something to do with it.
I expect the kidnappers wanted to be long gone before the Mane 6 even contemplated a kidnapping occurred, so hooking them up with valuable and rare magical artifacts would be unnecessary, not to mention it could possibly draw unwanted attention, especially if it has a corrupting effect like the Alicorn Amulet does.
11150434
you do know, it doesn't automatically mean somepony died when they went limp right? There is this called being 'knocked the f out"
Ow! Ow! Ribs! OW!'
11150443
If you really think about it... this is par with the course... all villain's in mlp are, generally speaking, very stupid!
loved the chapter keep it up i have really been enjoying this story, take your time but just know i'm loving it... Twibow ftw!
that was quite the fight and i think you did well with the chapter 
11150467
But maybe the Twilight at the end is different to the one we saw earlier.
Does Twilight know that's she's not Flurry or something? This has been on my mind for a while now. I mean, she practically left her "niece" alone the entire time while she has "amnesia" just for "princess" duties(I have no idea why there were quotation marks on the princess word but i'm going to use it too). And where the hell is her parents?! One of them should at least have came to help save her, she was foalnapped for Celestia's sake!
11150884
Maybe yes, maybe not... I think it is not necessary to write the continuation of this phrase, because it is not appropriate.
What kind of smile? A relieved one? "Lesson Zero"? Yandere? "I'm trying to smile to show nothing is wrong, but everything is going to Tartarus around us"?
11150409
Her wings were still bound.
11150475
they definitely need magic artifacts if they want to get away with what they did. there're many ways to manhunt once they know what to looks for.
luna has dream magic, flurry connected with crystal heart, spike's letter sending flame.
unless this story counted all episodes of the last few seasons of mlp:fim as its continuum. includes the episodes that show celestia and luna are too incompetent to take each other night shift and petty enough that they need to be taught friendship lessons.
but that would crash hard with serious tone of this story.
11150630
most acts of stupidity come from their pride and cockiness. and often they have something to backed it up.
most of them shows their stupidity only after they ensured their victory. they would win if not for rainbow magic laser.... or love power explosion.
A tight hug with broken Ribs, poor Flurry.
How did they even lose her after the rescue? Dash should have been right there the whole time afterward.
Arbitrary and capricious cruelty. Walking with a broken rib would be extremely painful, and counterproductive to their apparent goal of escaping as fast as possible. What would they have done at the train station anyways?
Okay, something is definitely up.
Well, a scary alicorn is scary.
zzz,,,...,,
11167436
Stick her in a suitcase.