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Chapter One: Ponies Vs. Wild1,037 words
Chapter Two: Meet the Master1,862 words

Chapter Two: Meet the Master

Rarity awoke to frantic shaking. She pulled up her blue silk sleeping mask and furrowed her brow, preparing to yell at the mischievous fillies at the side of her bed. But before she could open her mouth, a string of frantic words peppered her ears.

"RARITY, there-was-a-wolf-and-we-were-running-and-" Applebloom started, only to be interrupted by Scootaloo.

"Aa-and I-said-it-was-a-bad-idea-and-" Scootaloo was trembling visibly, her little orange wings pinned to her sides in terror. The two continued while Rarity's recently awakened mind began the mental gymnastics that it needed to perform.

Rarity sat up in her bed, blinking away the sleep that she had been enjoying. Nothing they were saying was making sense. Her eyes adjusted to the dim ambient light available at night, and she glared around the room. She was surprised to have not heard her sister's voice yet. The two other crusaders carried on in vain for a few minutes longer until Rarity finally spoke.

"Where is my sister?" Her voice carried out its normal and exaggerated accent, but any of her friends could have picked up the subtle terror in her voice. The alabaster unicorn's heart began to throb loudly, the pounding so powerful that it felt like her heart was in her ears. The stomach-plummet experienced by every parent who lost their child in the grocery store for a couple minutes was suddenly assaulting her. She leapt out of bed, her sleepy limbs suddenly losing their tiredness.

If I lose her now, the last thing I would have done to her was yell... Why am I so terrible? How could I have let this happen?

"She's in the Everfree forest! Sorta near Zecora's house, but then more to the east." Applebloom said gravely.

"Girls, you need to go and get help. I'm going to get Sweetie Belle. Don't you dare go back in that forest!" Rarity finished her statement with a meaningful glare, then ran out of her house. The slightly dissipated CMC departed soon after, heading towards the library.

Rarity's smooth muscles powered her motion forward. She bounded into the forest, her vision smeared by budding tears but sharpened by adrenaline. She was like a white blur through the forest. Her blue magic cleared brush and fallen logs from her path.

Where could she be? Would she have thought to hide in a tree? Oh please, Sweetie would have just kept running... she could be anywhere out here!

The sea of trees seemed endless. Rarity paused in her mad dash to look around, calling for Sweetie.

What on earth is Fluttershy is doing over there? ... Oh nevermind, that's just a tree. Where in the world is that little filly?

The image of the tiny little curly-maned filly limp on the ground flashed through the mare's mind. Rarity scrunched up her face and closed her eyes as tight as she could, shaking the thought out of her head. Her eyes flashed open again, determination taking over her fears and worries.

I'll find her ... even if it is the last thing I'll ever do!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sweetie Belle's much-needed sleep was cut off by shouting.

"Please, she's just a tiny filly. She was just lost in the forest!" Sweetie picked up the skinny one's voice.

"There is no doubt that she came here to scoff at my ugliness.... Send her away to the dungeons at once!" A deep and booming voice spoke. Sweetie's emerald-colored eyes flickered open slightly, widening at the sight of the beast before her. Her jaw slacked open in horror and awe.

A true beast stood before her. He appeared to be some sort of mix between a lion and a buffalo, and the combination was not pleasant. His face was shorter than a horse's and furrier, too, with two vivid green eyes peering out. It was more like a lion's but distinctively longer and thicker. Upon his mouth were a set of fearsome fangs, two large ones curling upwards from his lower jaw and a series of smaller pointed ones reaching downwards. His ears were that of a horse. Twin black horns curled out on top of his head, much like a bison's. His mane was like that of a lion, scruffing around his neck. He was taller than either of the princesses, though not by much, and much broader, too. His limbs were burly and long, but most of his height was in his body, which was thick and muscular. His legs all ended like a lion's, with massive paws and pointed claws. His fur was a hint lighter than charcoal, the color of something that was once beautiful and living but now an ugly side-product.

"See! You came here to make fun of me." His horrible face suddenly lurched forward, inspiring a tiny squeak from the white filly. He was only inches in front of the small unicorn's pointed nose.

"You think I'm an abomination!" He was. The small filly seemed to crumple onto the ground, terrified for her life. She had been gathering her courage to speak up for some time now, but his sudden movements quickly plucked her courageous words from her lips. The beast began to strut back and forth, giving her more room. His change in position was not to give her more room, but to allow him to pace and think.

"Get this foul being out of my sight. She is now my prisoner, and she should be sent to the dungeon. Clockwork, take her at once!"

Without another complaint, the fat servant with the brown coat and brown mane picked Sweetie Belle up and carried her down a narrow staircase. The dungeons were poorly lit, but fortunately they were also empty. A layer of hay was upon the ground, and a dish of water rested in the corner. Slowly, the filly began to accept her fate and wiped the tears off of her face.

If I don't figure out about this place, I won't ever escape! Maybe the clock pony could help me...

The servant remained down near her cell, busying himself with preparing a meal for the wretched filly. Sweetie now had a chance to get a better view of this "Clockwork" pony. He was the same fat brown one who was next to her when she was taken into the castle. She was startled - he was lacking a cutie mark. He was definitely old enough to have earned one by now. Curiosity overtook her bewilderment.

"Mister, why don't you have a cutie mark yet?" The stallion whirled around, hiding the blank flank.

"Oh! Well, uh... I have no idea what you are talking about!" He responded with false astonishment. Sweetie Belle was oblivious to his act.

"Well, when you realize what your special talent is, you get a cutie mark!" The little unicorn stood up, puffing out her chest proudly. She was a crusader, and cutie marks were her expertise!

"And what is yours?" Her face dropped and she looked at the ground, but quickly resumed its hopefulness. She looked back at the curious brown stallion.

"Well, I haven't quite gotten mine yet! But that's alright, the Cutie Mark Crusaders will succeed in the end!" She paused, mulling over the statement. Her tone changed from its previous hopeful ring into a more sombre one. "Will I see my friends ever again?"

Clockwork was visibly relieved that the topic had changed. However, he struggled to answer her new question.

"I'm sure you will. Surely the master won't hold his grudge against you for all of eternity!" He grinned awkwardly, knowing it was probably not true. The master was known for his fury and rage... and that was about all he was known for. The plain stallion had not seen him smile in years.

CLANG!

The loud noise of the opening of a door shattered the sombre atmosphere, causing both the servant's and the prisoner's heads to jerk up and towards the stairwell into the dungeon. The source of the commotion spurred a yelp of joy from the small filly.

It was Rarity.

She bounded to the bars of the cell, attempting to get as close to her sister as possible. They briefly touched noses before another noise broke their intimate reunion. Rarity whipped around, her body moving into a protective position. Her front legs were a bit more than shoulderwidth apart, she glared towards the offender. Her head was lowered, raring to attack, but only a few blue sparks spat out of her horn rather than its usual blue glow.

The beast lumbered down the stairs, his stormy fur flowing with his movements. His glaring green eyes caught sight of the sisters. The servant huddled in the corner, taking neither side.

"What brings you here?" The beast's voice boomed, so loud that every creature in the castle could easily hear.

"I'm here to rescue my sister! You must release her at once!" Rarity's horn sparked and sputtered, but no spell was cast. She panted heavily, exhausted by the running.

The beast stepped closer and closer, until he was inches away from Rarity.

"Get OUT. NOW!" His response was at the same volume before, but now Rarity was close enough to feel the power of his voice. Despite his booming audacity, the determined mare retained her composure.

"I will not budge until you release my sister!" Her voice was indignant.

To the three figures' surprise, the spindly stallion who had seemed to shrink against the wall spoke up.

"S-sir, this unicorn is a lady. You know..." His voice cracked on the "know" and he stopped after.

The beast made a loud humming sound, pondering the statement that seemed obvious to the two white unicorns but completely decision-changing to him. He paused for a while longer, seeming to mull it over.

"Madame, I have a proposition." His voice was surprisingly elegant when it was not being used for yelling.

Rarity responded with an annoyed mm-hm, making one of her eyebrows move up on her head.

"You and your sister can trade places. I keep you as my prisoner for all of eternity, your sister gets a safe ride back to wherever she came from. Simple as that!" He grinned smugly, flashing his gleaming fangs.

Rarity was silent for a few seconds. The image of all of her friends flashed through her head. Her dreams of becoming a fashion designer - scrapped. Any hope of seeing her friends ever again - gone. But the thought of Sweetie rotting here in prison for the rest of her life overtook all of those losses.

"I must accept, if there is no other way to save her from this wretched place." Even though a lump was forming in her throat, she knew that she needed to appear strong in her decision to protect Sweetie.

Before she could even utter a parting word, the filly was whisked away. A red glow surrounded her and she presumably reappeared in Ponyville, Rarity had no way of knowing. And that was all.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hey all! Thank you for reading, if you did. :) Please comment and rate! If you see anything that I should change, or if you found anything confusing, please tell me! I want to get better at writing.

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