When humans arrive in Equestria, everything seems well. But when the rift connecting the two planets closes, it forces a drastic change in power as humans enslave ponies for power. But what happens when a slave hunter soon becomes the hunted?
Twenty years have passed since the emergence of a new species in Equestria. Hailing from a land across a rift, these ‘humans’ as they called themselves, arrived brining peace and prosperity to the ponies of Equestria. Though two years later, everything changed. The rift holding the two planets together started to decay. Many of the humans tried to escape, hoping that they could reach the rift before its final departure. Just a few short hours later and the rift collapsed, severing the two planets from contact. With no viable means of survival, the humans turned to the benevolent goddess that had helped them years ago, establishing a permanent place in the heart of Equestria. But for most humans, they saw this as a chance to gain what they desired most. Power. With the advances in technology and several experimentations, the humans discovered a way to suppress a unicorn’s magical ability with the use of inhibitor rings. With almost no resistance from the powerless ponies, the humans took control of Equestria and dethroned her previous leader. These humans now rule Equestria while all ponies were sentenced to servitude as slaves for their new masters. A new and thriving market for slave ponies has boomed over the last several years, creating another submarket of slave hunters. For one particular slave hunter, his life is forever changed when all of sudden, he becomes the hunted.
Twenty years have passed since the emergence of a new species in Equestria. Hailing from a land across a rift, these ‘humans’ as they called themselves, arrived brining peace and prosperity to the ponies of Equestria. Though two years later, everything changed. The rift holding the two planets together started to decay. Many of the humans tried to escape, hoping that they could reach the rift before its final departure. Just a few short hours later and the rift collapsed, severing the two planets from contact. With no viable means of survival, the humans turned to the benevolent goddess that had helped them years ago, establishing a permanent place in the heart of Equestria. But for most humans, they saw this as a chance to gain what they desired most. Power. With the advances in technology and several experimentations, the humans discovered a way to suppress a unicorn’s magical ability with the use of inhibitor rings. With almost no resistance from the powerless ponies, the humans took control of Equestria and dethroned her previous leader. These humans now rule Equestria while all ponies were sentenced to servitude as slaves for their new masters. A new and thriving market for slave ponies has boomed over the last several years, creating another submarket of slave hunters. For one particular slave hunter, his life is forever changed when all of sudden, he becomes the hunted.
Dirt Road Twenty Miles Away From Canterlot (10:30pm)
“Move along faster you stupid equines,” a skinny-pale man said, whipping the closest pony. The pony gave a yelp and began to trot faster, her muzzle bounded like the rest of the ponies, and tethered to a long metal rod used to move several ponies at once. The ponies continued to move in line, following the human that was guiding them. A few moments passed before a lantern in the distance caught the attention of the leading human.
“Hold up a sec boss. I think someone is coming,” the man said, pulling the ponies to the side of the dirt path, followed by the man behind them. Minutes crawled by, both the men watching the approaching lantern, wondering who was traveling at this time of night.
“Slow down there... I said slow down you stupid equine,” I repeated, raising my hand in the air to backhand the mare that was trailing behind me. The mare cringed in fear before I stopped and had a smirk of satisfaction on my face.
“That’s what I thought,” I said, turning my attention to the ponies on the opposite side of the road and then towards the two men guiding them.
“Good evening to you two,” I politely said, taking off my Bonnie leather hat and walking towards the two. The two men reached for their sides, an indication for me to stop advancing.
“I'm sorry, I don’t mean to be bother. I just got done chasing down this stupid little pony right here and was wondering if I am headed in the right direction. Is this the way to Canterlot?” I asked, both men still wary of the possibility of danger. One man then stepped forward to address me. He was relatively skinny, with pale white skin and greasy brown hair. His eyes gave off a glow of brown in the light of the moon and lantern. He was dressed in normal attire for someone in his line of work; a blue plaid flannel shirt and horribly discolored blue jeans.
“You are going the wrong way son. Canterlot is that way,” the man pointed, his arm extended in the opposite direction of where I was headed.
“Thank you so much. I don’t know what I would have done if I walked all the way to Ponyville. I might end up like this one right over here,” I said, pointing to the mare behind me. The man that addressed me looked towards the dark blue mare before pointing his finger at her and stuttering.
“That... that’s Princess Luna,” the man said in shock. Upon hearing the name Princess Luna, the other man quickly pushed past his ponies and examined the mare I was escorting to Canterlot to sell.
“Holy hell, it is,” the other man surprisingly spoke. This man was larger than his partner, overweight to be precise. He had short red hair and similar pale white skin like his partner. He was dressed in the same attire, besides the color of his flannel shirt, which was red instead of blue, and a leather hat adorned his head. Both of the men’s eyes looked up at me, receiving a confused look from both of them.
“Who is Princess Luna?” I asked, receiving blank stares from both of the men.
“How do you not know who Princess Luna is? She is the sister to Princess Celestia, the one who was dethroned all those years ago,” The skinny man replied, causing me to think for a moment and then quickly smile.
“You mean that she is going to sell for a lot on the market then,” I thought a loud, a grin plastering my lips and thoughts of fortune running through my mind.
“Hey son, how would you like to sell her to us?” the overweight man offered, snapping me out of my illusion of fortune.
“Sell her? Why would I want to sell her? You just said that she was worth a fortune if she is indeed the Princess’s sister,” I retorted.
“Well yes. But Canterlot is so far away from here. We would be saving you a trip there and you would still make a killing,” the skinny one quickly responded, making me think for a moment.
“Eh, sure, why not. But it has to be a good deal. I would say that she would sell for around... thirty thousand dollars. Would you agree with that?” I asked, both men nodding at the reasonable price.
“Ok then, since you pointed me in the right direction and have to travel to Canterlot, then sell the stupid horse, I would guess around twenty seven thousand should be good. You both can make a decent profit and I wont have to walk all the way to Canterlot.”
“Twenty seven thousand sounds a little expensive. We would have to wait and find the right buyer to get thirty thousand for her. How about twenty four thousand,” the overweight man counter offered. I thought for a moment before shaking my head.
“That still seems a little low for her. How about this, twenty five thousand for her, and you let me have a little fun time with one of your mares,” I countered offered. The men had a somewhat look of disgust on their face, but soon agreed.
“Fine there sonny. We ain’t gonna question what you are into. Everyone knows that this is becoming more popular anyway,” the skinny man replied. I smiled and shook his hand to close the deal.
“I just have different tastes is all.” A laugh soon left me as I handed over Luna to the two other slavers. I then went to inspect their selections of mares, hoping to find a good one. My searching stopped when my eyes fell upon a unicorn, eliciting a small smile from me. The unicorn was lavender colored and had a dark purple mane and tail with stripe of pink and purple running down it. I leaned in close to the mare, looking her up and down before saying anything.
“We are going to have a little fun here in a moment,” I said, seeing her trying to look away from me, small tears in her eyes. I then returned to the two men, standing in front of them as they counted out my money. The men finished counting out my money, me quickly recounting it to make sure it was all there. I then smiled and shoved the money into my jacket pocket, walking with the men over to the mare I chose.
“So tell us son, how did you manage to catch yourself that mare. It must have been a hell of time chasing her down,” the skinny man said, stopping in front of the mare I chose. I laughed and shrugged my shoulders.
“Well honestly, these stupid ponies will believe anything,” I laughed, then continued on.
“Well, if you really want to know, I lied to her. She came barreling through the woods and ran into my camp I had. I am just starting out as a slave hunter and was on my way to capture one. The next thing I know, she is pinning me to a tree with her magic, a look of anger on her face like she was about to kill me. I smoothed talked my way out of it and told her I was a friend. Then I offered her dinner with me, which she accepted. Apparently she was too ignorant to think I wouldn’t try something, like drugging the meal so she would pass out. It took a while for the drug to kick in though, so I had to make small talk with her and try to befriend her more so she wouldn’t run off. I even told her that I promise I would help her find all of her friends, and help restore Equestria to its rightful owner,” I finished, the three of us laughing uncontrollably.
“Ha, these ponies really will believe anything they hear,” the overweight man said. I laughed for a few more seconds before I heard the sound of a muzzle slide off the unicorn. My eyes turned to her and we stared at each for a few seconds before I spoke again.
“And you really want to know the funny part?” I asked, both men still recovering from their laughs, but nodding their heads.
“I wasn’t lying to her,” I blandly stated, receiving a quick look from both men before I reached at my side and pulled out a revolver. I let out four shots at the two men. Each shot hit their mark, both in the chest of the two men. Both men fell to the ground, dead or near death. I smiled and looked at the unicorn that had wide eyes at the moment. I then walked towards Luna, taking out my boot knife and cutting her free from her bonds. I did this to everypony that was tethered to the metal rod, along with removing their muzzles and ring inhibitors if needed. Everypony then looked at us, speechless and unsure of what to do with their freedom again.
“Loyal subjects, we have freed the from thy imprisonment. Make haste to Ponyville, for that is the only safe place for us ponies. Now go everypony, go and live out the rest of your lives in freedom and peace,” Luna exclaimed, receiving bows from all the ponies. The ponies then quickly galloped away down the path, leaving just Luna, Twilight, and myself with the two men.
“What... what is going on?” Twilight nervously asked, receiving a smile from me.
“We will explain everything later. For now, you just need to come with us. We need your help in restoring this land back to its former glory,” Luna nodding her head in agreement. All Twilight could do was slowly nod her head in compliance.
“Who the hell are you?” I heard a raspy voice ask, followed by some coughing. I walked over to the man that lay near death’s door, smiling at the question. I raised my gun to his head before responding.
“Name's Leo. See you in hell,” I profoundly spoke, pulling the trigger and sending a piece of lead through the man’s frontal lobe and through the back of his head. I put the gun back into its holster, then began searching the dead bodies for anything of value. The only thing I managed to find was an extra ten thousand dollars stashed in the larger man’s pocket of his flannel shirt. I stuffed the money into my pocked and then walked next to Luna. With a nod from me, Luna’s horn began to grow and the three of us were teleported to a safe location.
Leo’s Manner
A bright blue light filled the downstairs basement, blinding everypony around it. After a few minutes everypony’s eyes adjusted to the darkness again. I slowly made my way to the foot of the stairs, navigating by memory until I found the light switch and flicked it to the on position. The room was quickly lit with florescent lighting, making everything around Twilight and Luna visible. Twilight’s eyes went agape when she scanned the room before her. It was a workshop of sorts, but most of the machines in the workshop she did not recognize. Before she could ask any questions I interrupted her.
“Hey Twilight. I think there a few ponies who would love to see you,” a grin on my face as I headed up the stairs. Twilight looked at Luna, who gave a nod of approval before they both started to ascend the stairs.
I continued down the hallway where the basement led up to, and then to the main room that sat a few different ponies. Once Twilight entered the room she immediately stopped and stared at the eyes of the ponies looking back at her.
“Twilight!” a multitude of voices called, tackling her into a group hug. They all continued their embrace, me watching idly from the couch while I smiled at the scene of friends reuniting. I stood up from the couch after a few moments before I walked into the kitchen. Once there, I opened the fridge and pulled out a loaf of bread, with several things of cheese and lettuce. I closed the fridge door and began to prepare multiple sandwiches for everypony. Halfway through sandwich making, I heard the soft patter of hooves approaching. When I looked up, I saw Luna standing in the doorway, a gentle smile on her face. I smiled back and continued to make the rest of the sandwiches. Luna slowly walked in my direction, stopping only a few inches away from me.
“Thank you Leo,” she said, her voice sincere and loving. I continued to make the last sandwich before responding.
“It’s nothing really. It’s just a little something for everypony to eat,” I calmly spoke, receiving a partial but friendly glare from Luna.
“You know what I mean Leo. Thank you for reuniting everypony and trying to save Equestria,” she finished, followed by a small bit of laughter from me.
“Just trying to do my civil duty as a decent huma...” I stopped, not wanting to finish that last part. I sighed and grabbed the tray of sandwiches before turning to Luna with a neutral facial expression.
“Thank you Luna. It was you who saved me Princess,” I whispered loud enough for her to hear before I made my way into the main room with the tray full of food.
Everypony had now taken a seat and were intently listening to a story that Twilight was telling, most likely one that happened in the past few years while she was separated from her friends. I set the tray down on the wooden coffee table that sat next to all of them. Everypony quickly dove into the sandwiches, including Luna and myself. After taking a few bites out of my sandwich, I set it down on the coffee table and walked over to the fireplace. I laid a few logs with an old newspaper underneath them before striking a match and lighting it on fire. The newspaper shriveled as it burned, catching the dry logs on fire a few seconds later. I then sat down on the couch again, listening to Twilight tell her story. The story itself was bearable, just another story of a cruel master whipping his slaves to move faster or work harder. My stomach churned as the story progressed, but relieved itself when she finished.
“And then I was teleported here by Luna and... and... I actually don’t know the human’s name that saved me,” Twilight admitted, me raising my head from its lowered position to meet eyes with the mare. We stared at each for a few moments before a cyan, rainbow-maned Pegasus blurted out my name.
“His name is Leo Twilight. He saved all of us actually,” Rainbow said, Twilight quickly looking at her and then at me.
“Is that true?” she asked. I nodded my head in acknowledgement.
“Thank you Leo. Thank you for everything you have done,” Twilight said, the other ponies agreeing with her, giving small praise to my deeds.
“It’s nothing really. Besides, I don’t really deserve praise for doing the right thing. Just the satisfaction that I know I am making a difference and making ponies lives better,” I said, all the ponies smiling.
“Well thank you again Leo. I thought all humans hated us. It is a nice change to finally meet a human who is willing to help change Equestria back to it’s former self,” Twilight replied, me nodding my head in agreement. Twilight smiled before looking around and noticing a certain orange earth pony was missing from the group.
“Hey, where is Applejack?” Twilight asked, Luna shaking her head this time.
“We don’t know Twilight. Leo just got done researching where you were. That was why we were able to find you on that dirt road to Canterlot. Leo saw that a shipment of ponies was supposed to be coming in and that you were listed as part of that shipment. Now that we have you safe, we need to find Applejack and then all the Elements of Harmony will be together,” Luna stated, Twilight and the others nodding their head in understanding.
“And then we rescue Celestia. Once we do that, I am positive you can use the elements of harmony to rid this land of my kind, and restore harmony and peace within Equestria,” I boldly stated, a passion in my voice and posture as I spoke.
“What about you? What are you going to do when all of this is over darling?” Rarity asked, receiving a shrug of my shoulders as an answer.
“I have no idea actually. The only thing I can truly say is that I will restore this land to a time before we humans plagued it or I will die trying. After that, I have no idea what to do with my life,” I spoke. All the ponies, including Luna looked at me for a few moments without a word spoken between any of us. I was the one to break the silence, standing up and stretching.
“Well, it is getting pretty late. Twilight, I need to show you where your room is so you can make yourself at home. If you would, please follow me,” I said, walking up a spiral staircase and then down a short, wide hall that was filled with bedrooms. We walked past the first set of doors and arrived at the third door on the left.
“Ok Twilight, this is your room. I have taken the liberty to design it myself, with the help of Rarity and input from your friends. I hope you like it.” I then pushed open the door and walked in followed by Twilight. Twilight’s eyes quickly shot around the room, admiring everything about it.
“This... this is amazing. I can't believe this is my room,” Twilight spoke, completely shocked of her new living quarters. The ceiling was decorated with different galaxies and constellations painted on a dark blue background. The walls were also a dark blue background, but were covered with white writing. Upon closer inspection, Twilight realized that the writing was that of different phrases, spells, and monologues from some of the most renowned books and scholars of her time. Her bed had dark blue sheets and a dark blue comforter with stars sewn into it. Along one of the walls was a fully stocked Mahogany bookcase and desk with several quills, bottles of ink, and writing paper. On the other wall, shown an open door that led to a small bathroom also decorated in a similar style. Twilight had tears in her eyes as she took another step into her room. She began to cry lightly, worrying me for a moment.
“I'm sorry, do you not like it? I can always get it redone,” I spoke caringly, Twilight shaking her head.
“I love it. It’s just that I haven’t had a room for myself in over four years. This... this is the best thing anypony has done for me. Thank you,” Twilight said through her tears, hugging me around my waist. A sense of happiness filtered through my body as I returned the hug and stroked her mane.
“No problem Twilight. I'm just happy you like it,” I said, Twilight pulling away from the hug and wiping the tears for her eyes.
“How about you get some sleep. You have had a very long day. Tomorrow you can read to your hearts content and visit with your friends too. Also, I will be going into Canterlot tomorrow to see if I can locate where Applejack is. If you need anything, please make a list of what you need and I will be more than happy to get it for you.” I said, Twilight nodding her head.
“Ok. Goodnight Twilight, I will see you in the morning,” I softly said, leaving Twilight in her new room. Twilight nodded and wished me goodnight as well. I gently closed the door before I entered back into the hall. Looking at the stairs, I could see everypony retiring to their rooms for the night.
“Goodnight everypony,” I called to all of them. They all smiled and wished me goodnight as well, all except for one pony in particular. Luna, who was trailing behind the rest of the ponies, was more awake than tired. She stopped in front of me and had a soft expression on her face.
“Are you going to bed as well?” she asked. I shook my head no before walking towards my door with her at my side.
“No. I think I am going to meditate for a while. You are more than welcome to join me,” I offered, Luna accepting my offer with a nod. I smiled and opened the door at the very end of the hallway, entering my bedroom followed by Luna. We both made our way to the balcony and positioned ourselves comfortably on it. I looked up at the moon and night sky before giving a sigh of relief. I then closed my eyes and tried to wipe my mind of any and all images, sounds, or thoughts that would come to it. Another minute or so later and I was completely entranced in my meditation. It was only after two hours of meditation and the soft patter of hoofsteps that I found myself reemerging from my trance like state. I looked over to my right and noticed that Luna had left. I then heard my bedroom door open and close, but as silently as it could be done. I waited on the balcony for another few minutes, not meditating, but thinking of my past and all the wrongs I had committed. I soon stood up and made my over to bed after closing and locking the balcony door. I stripped off my shirt and pants, and then clothed myself in basketball shorts and a new pair of boxers I had Rarity fabricate for me. I was almost in bed when a soft knocking could be heard at my door. I got up from my bed and answered it, assuming it was Luna. To my surprise, Fluttershy was standing in front of me, looking down at the ground and using her front hoof to paw at the floorboard. I stared at her for another moment before speaking.
“Did you have another bad dream again?” I asked, Fluttershy nodding her head. I opened the door even more and allowed the mare to silently walk into the room with me. Once she was in, I closed the door and proceeded to get into bed, Fluttershy still standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.
“Come on Fluttershy, you know the drill,” I said, Fluttershy lifting her head up and smiling softly. She gently hovered to the other side of the bed and slid under the covers with me so that my chest was facing her back. I put an arm around her and began to stroke her mane in an attempt to calm her a bit.
“Was it the same dream as last time?” I asked, Fluttershy nodding her head. I continued to stroke her mane and reassure her that everything was going to fine. After a few more minutes of soothing, I could hear quiet snoring coming from the mare next to me. I stopped stroking her mane and just positioned an arm around her for a sense of protection before I began to fall asleep; the excitement from the day quickly pulling me into a deep slumber.
The sun slowly rose over the horizon of the mountainside. The light radiating from the peak of the mountains began seeping through the blinds of the main window in the master bedroom. I was soon graced with a slight annoyance of it finding its way to my face. A few moments later and I found myself out from under my covers and standing at the side of my bed. With a quick glance I noticed that Fluttershy was still peacefully sleeping in the bed. I smiled and pulled the covers over her, making sure not to wake her. With a mental nod of my head, I turned to my dresser and grabbed a new pair of clothes. I then headed into my bathroom and turned on the shower, letting the water warm up. Passing the time until it did so, I opened my cabinet next to the sink and pulled out a toothbrush and some toothpaste. Running the toothbrush under the water, I squirted a glob of toothpaste on it before beginning the task of brushing my teeth. I then proceeded to step into the shower and let the warm water wash over my body, relaxing my muscles with every passing moment. Taking the soap from the shelf, I began to wash my body followed by using shampoo to wash my hair. I then let the water wash away any remaining soap on my body. I waited a few more minutes before turning off the water and standing in the warm vapors that linger in the shower. Thoughts of my past filled my head, but I soon dismissed them and took a step out of the shower, pulling a towel around myself. After thoroughly wiping myself clean of water, I dressed myself and stepped out into the bedroom. I looked towards the bed and noticed that Fluttershy was still sleeping. I smiled and slowly crept to the front door, opening it quietly and slipping out without a sound. Once in the hallway, I made my way downstairs and into the kitchen. I opened the fridge and pulled out some jelly and butter. Within a few minutes I had made myself a quick breakfast. Taking a seat at the kitchen table to eat my breakfast, I was greeted with the soft clatter of hoofsteps coming towards me. Looking up, I was met the sight of Twilight standing in front of me. She stood still for a few moments, silence plaguing her tongue before I offered her a seat. She nodded her head and sat down across from me.
“Would you like something to eat?” I asked.
“If you wouldn’t mind,” she hesitantly replied. I could tell she was still getting used to her newfound freedom. Being a slave for years has a profound impact on a pony’s psych. I smiled as warmly as I could and slid her a plate with a few pieces of toast and jelly on it.
“I hope this is enough for now. It isn’t much and I need to go shopping for some more groceries,” I calmly said, Twilight smiling at me and nodding her head.
“It’s fine. This was usually a full days rations,” Twilight lightly said, chuckling slightly. I nodded my head before a serious expression came to my face.
“Hey Twilight, I have a favor to ask of you,” I said, Twilight looking at me with a puzzled look.
“I know you have been through a lot over the past few years. I have seen what my people are capable of, and I am sorry that you had to go through it. I just wanted to say that if you ever need to talk to anypony, you can come talk to me,” I offered, waiting for her response. She looked down at her toast before looking up at me with a small smile.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice slightly above a whisper and almost as gentle as Fluttershy’s. I nodded my head and finished my food, picking up the empty plate and placing it in the sink. I then turned back to Twilight.
“By the way, how did you sleep last night?” I asked, trying to form a light conversation with her.
“I slept well. It was actually very weird believe it or not,” Twilight said, followed by a slight giggle.
“Don’t worry, you will get used to it in time,” I said, trying to reassure her. Twilight nodded her head in agreement.
“So anyway, did you need anything else beside from what you have? I'm not sure if you have gone through all your stuff, but if there is something special you need, just let me know,” I said, Twilight nodding her head, putting a hoof to her chin in the process.
“I don’t really think I need anything at the moment. I have all the quills and parchment I need, along with enough ink. I think I should be fine,” Twilight happily responded. I smiled and started to walk towards the entrance of the kitchen.
“Alright then. Help yourself to around the house. I only ask that you stay inside, just in case there are any unwanted visitors. If that does happen, Luna will know what to do,” I said, waving a hand in the air as I left for the front door. I then slid on my shoes and grabbed my large rucksack before making my way out the front door and to the garage. A minute later, the garage door opened and the high-pitched revving of my Yamaha TZR 50 resonated through the small garage. Though it was an older model, most likely about forty years old, it was in great condition due to the replacement of almost every part. Within a few seconds, I had made my way down the dirt driveway and onto a side road that was rarely ever traveled or known about. Luckily I had switched out my regular tires for tires more suited to retain traction while on dirt and other similar surfaces. Now it was a smooth ride to Canterlot, the largest city in Equestria, and also the largest dealer of slaves.
An Hour Later
I stepped off my bike and took the keys out of the ignition. Looking around, I could tell the city was just beginning to become lively. It was still early in the morning, so I figured I had around an hour or so before it became overly crowded. With an eagerness to avoid the crowds, I opted for buying groceries first. Turning in the direction of a large general store, I started to make way towards it.
The walk took around five minutes or so, but was mostly uneventful. Along the way I noticed a large stage that was being crudely assembled near the center of Canterlot, most likely for an announcement that our beloved president has prepared for us. This was a common occurrence in Canterlot though, so I didn’t pay it much attention. The only oddity I could see was a strange device being assembled on the part of the stage that was already constructed. Pushing the thought out of my mind, I walked through a pair of sliding glass doors and found myself in the lobby of the store. Grabbing a shopping cart, I began my journey up and down the aisles, stocking up on numerous foods and vegetables. Walking along the outer rim of an aisle, I looked towards the deli where there were a few people standing in line, waiting to be served. I gave a look of disgust and continued shopping for food that was meat free. After visiting several aisles, I made my way to the candy section. Since sugar cubes were always in high demand, being used as rewards and rations for slave ponies, candy was relatively expensive. Knowing full well that this was a special occasion for coming one step closer to my goal, I went down the aisle and grabbed many assortments of sweets. After filling my cart up with about ten loaves of bread, I made my way to the checkout. Everything in my cart was emptied onto the conveyor belt and scanned for the price. The cashier eyed my and all of my items before she attempted to make small talk.
“So, are all these things for your slaves?” she asked, me looking at her and shaking my head.
“Kind of. It’s around fifty-fifty,” I replied, the women still scanning the items and bagging them in plastic bags.
“Why would you feed your slaves this type of food? It is more expensive than just regular feed,” she said, making me chuckle slightly.
“Alright. I will answer your question with another question. Is it better to be feared or loved?” I asked, waiting for the women to formulate her response. She kept scanning the remaining items and shrugged her shoulders.
“I don’t know. It’s hard to decide on one or the other.”
“Precisely. It is hard to decide on either one or the other. That is what makes it a ‘black and white’ so to say,” I replied, the women finishing up scanning the items.
“I don’t fully understand what you mean by that,” she spoke, tallying up my total as I reached for my wallet.
“What it means is that the question has no definitive answer. We tend to see options and choices in two ways; either fully one way, or fully the other. That is why I call these questions, ‘black and white’. It is because we only see two options. But what about the other options that we can take. You can be somewhat loved and mostly feared. You can also be mostly loved and only feared slightly. It all depends on what your goal is. For example, I found that it is best to offer my slaves decent food. This boosts their morale and at the same time, their work efficiency. They like me a little more because I am feeding them food that is normally only eaten by humans. But at the same time, if they start to slack off or produce insufficient results, then they fear what will happen to them, whether it is a loss of food or even physical punishment. You just have to balance it in the right order to produce the best results.” The women had now finished bagging all my items and taking my money for them. She returned my change and nodded her head.
“I think I understand now,” she said, giving me a small smile. I nodded my head and took the change from her, stuffing it into my wallet. I then grabbed my cart full of bagged groceries and bid the women a farewell. I pushed my cart to the entrance of the store and began unloading the groceries into my large, military-grade rucksack. It was large enough to accommodate everything, but left almost no room for anything else. Once I had positioned everything in my bag, I walked out of the store and headed down the center of Canterlot, towards the slave auction house.
My stomach churned at the sight of all the malnourished ponies. Some were near the brink of starvation while others had brutal marks and scars covering them, most likely from beatings from their previous masters. I quickly found my way to the main room of the auction house and walked up to the booth I had been so many times before. It was a booth that everyone had to go to in order to conduct trades of slaves. It had files of everypony being sold, bought, or moved from city to city. It was wonderful how easy this made it for me to track down certain ponies. Scanning through a logbook, I found the transaction sale of three ponies to a place called Ulta Farms. Among the names listed was one that immediately recognized and rather happy to see. It was Applejack name, and to further my point of confirmation, a cutie mark of three red apples was placed on her next to it. This assured me that I had found her. Mostly, pony’s cutie marks are used as a symbol of identification, if a pony ever happens to escape. They can then be returned to their rightful owners. I smiled and wrote down the address of the farm, stuffing it into my pocket. Closing the logbook, I walked past the main auction area and out the door of the auction house. I began to make my way through the crowded streets and back to my bike. I was stopped when I heard announcement being yelled from the center of the stage I saw earlier. Turning my attention towards the stage, I was in state of shock at what I saw. Standing in the middle of the stage was a man in shackles, bloodied and bruised all over his body. His clothes were in shambles and he had long-overgrown facial hair. He was then dragged to the right side of the stage and stood up by two guards. An overly dressed man appeared in front of the crowd and began to issue his speech to the crowd.
“This man has been charged with aiding and abiding escaped slaves into the territory of Ponyville. He has been found guilty during his hearing and sentenced to death. Let this be an example to all who help fugitive slaves and accomplices.” The man then motioned for the convict to be hoisted up and noosed around his neck. I watched in stunned silence as the man put up little resistance as the noose was around his neck tightened. Standing off to the side of the stage was a large man whose hand hovered over a lever to release the stage underneath the convict. Noticing the man about to pull the lever, I turned my head and began to walk away, hearing applause from crowd when the man’s neck made a grueling snap. I continued forward with haste and didn’t stop until I had reached my bike. I paid my parking fee as fast as I could and bolted down the road with utmost haste.
Fifty Minutes Later
I parked my bike in the garage and turned off the ignition. I took the keys out of the ignition and ran towards the house. Entering the house, I immediately made my way into the kitchen. I set my bag down on the kitchen counter and took a seat at the table. I sat in silence until Luna came into the room looking happily at the large bag of food, until her eyes fell upon me.
“Leon what’s wrong?” she asked, trotting next to me. I shook my head and looked bleakly at the ground.
“Can you gather everypony? There is something I need to discuss with all of you,” I said, Luna nodding her head and walking back upstairs. I started unpacking everything I had gotten today and placed them appropriately in the cabinets and pantry. Once everything was unpacked and in its rightful place, I went upstairs and set down my backpack before coming back down into the main living room. Everypony was sitting idly in the middle of the room, chatting with each other. Everypony stopped when they saw the distressed look on my face. I walked to the fireplace and turned around so I could see and address them all.
“I have some good news and bad news. Which do you want first?” I asked, waiting for everypony to reply. Everypony was silent, even Luna. I took this as a sign to continue with any order I wanted.
“Alright then, I will start off with the good news first.” I paused for a moment before a small smile appeared across my face.
“I have found where Applejack is. Within a few days I will have her back here safe and sound.” All the ponies began to cheer lightly, nodding their heads and smiling at one another. My face then turned to one of seriousness. Everypony settled down and began to listen again.
“That was the good news. The bad news is that something is happening with our ‘perfect’ government,” I said, emphasizing the perfect part. “This afternoon, I witnessed a pony sympathizer hung in the main area of Canterlot. His crimes were aiding and abiding fugitive slaves. Normally, they would slap him with a heavy fine and put him in jail for a month. This time they decided to kill him in front of the general populace, as a moral booster for people who have come to rely on slavery and a warning for those who wish to end it. That was the general message it sent, but I think there was something else too it.” I put my hand to my chin in thought.
“Yeah, there must be a reason why,” I said again, nodding my head. I looked up to see all the ponies had confused, or somewhat scared looks on their faces.
“Is that going to happen to you if you get caught?” Rainbow asked, the others also interested in the answer. I nodded my head and everypony remained silent.
“I would most likely be put through a mock trial with no chance of winning. Then I would be put on display for public humiliation before I was hanged,” I finished. Everypony look shocked and even slightly angry at my response.
“You, you can't keep doing this then. What happens if you are caught?” Rainbow yelled, receiving a small smile from me.
“Then it will suck to be me then. You ponies have endured so much at the hoof of my people. Sacrifices must be made to achieve our goal and if I happen to be one of them, then I hold no grudge against anypony at all. We all have to fight for what is right, and if I die for that cause, then at least I will rest easy knowing that I did everything in my power to help change this world,” I said, looking away from everypony. Rainbow was about to say something else, but stopped and hovered back down to her seat. She knew I was right, and trying to dissuade me was unlikely to happen.
“Alright everypony. I have restocked the kitchen with fresh food and vegetables for you. I have also included some candy in there for everypony. Now if you will excuse me please, I have to research on where this farm is that is housing Applejack,” I stated, walking away and then upstairs to my room, closing the door behind me. Sitting down at my desk, I began to paw through countless map of the area, looking for my destination. It wasn’t until about an hour later that I had finally located the area on the map. It was around a half of days trip by foot and was mostly on an unused dirt road. What struck me as an obstacle, were the natural surroundings the farm had on it. It was protected on every side by thick walls of rock and made escaping a very dangerous. I sat in silence for another good portion of the day, thinking of a strategy to get back A.J. with the most success. With the plan’s outline already in my head, I started to write down every idea and possible situation in which I could rescue Applejack.
The Next Day (10:00am)
“Alright, I got everything I need,” I told myself, looking over my backpack to double check everything. I then grabbed my sidearm and placed it in my hostler that was hidden under my jacket. I looked up to Luna and smiled.
“I will be back early tomorrow morning with Applejack. Please watch over everypony while I'm gone and try to worry. I will be fine,” I said, strapping on my backpack and walking to the door with Luna in tow.
“Everypony will be fine. Just... just be safe ok.” Luna said, looking worried as I opened the front door.
“Don’t worry about me. I have done this type of stuff before. I will sneak in during the night, grab Applejack and the other ponies, and sneak out undetected,” I boldly claimed, Luna still looking concerned.
“I know, but I just have a bad feeling about this,” she stated, me laughing in response.
“You always say that. But don’t worry, I will be fine. Tell everypony I said goodbye and that Applejack will be reunited with them shortly,” I yelled, running down the road while I waved to Luna. Luna waved a hoof to see me off and when I was out of sight, she let out a deep breath she didn’t know she was holding. With nothing else to do but wait, she proceeded into the house and tried to find anything that would keep her mind off of me until I returned.
Light shone brilliantly down through the upstairs window that overlooked the main road to the house. Luna was laying on her bed, continually looking through the window while waiting to see a familiar figure walk down the path with Applejack in tow. About five minutes or so passed before a soft rapping come from Luna’s door. Luna averted her gaze from the window and magically opened the door, seeing Twilight standing in the doorway. A smile was upon Luna’s face as she motioned for Twilight to step in. Twilight quickly stepped through the door, closing it behind her.
“Hello dear Twilight. How can we help you?” Luna asked. Even though Luna was better versed in modern speaking, due to interacting with Leo and other ponies over the past few years, she still had a habit of substituting we for I. This didn’t seem to bother Twilight though, returning her question with a smile before speaking.
“Well, I was actually wondering if I could ask you a few questions about Leo?” Twilight asked, Luna perking her ears up.
“Oh, but of course Twilight. We will try to answer to the best of our abilities,” Luna responded, Twilight nodding her head and proceeding.
“Thank you. I was wondering what you could tell me about Fluttershy and Leo. Two night’s ago I was having trouble sleeping. Even though it was late, I assumed everypony was asleep. I then heard somepony’s hoofsteps along the wooden floor outside my room. Curious, I got up from my bed and peaked through my door. I then saw Fluttershy standing in front of Leo’s door before it opened all the way and she entered,” before Twilight could finish, she was interrupted with a slight giggle from Luna.
“No dear Twilight, it is not what you think. They are not acquainted in that sort of way,” Luna said, another giggle sounding from her. Twilight was confused by her answer.
“What other explanation could there be for Fluttershy to do that?” Twilight asked herself, being pulled out of her thought when a slight cough and serious tone from Luna caught her attention.
“It is not a subject we like to dwell on. As you know, most ponies were sold into slavery,” Luna said, Twilight nodding her head in agreement.
“Well, some of us were sent to farms and mines for physical labor. Some other ponies had a more horrific place of where they were sent. Have you heard of a whorehouse Twilight?” Luna asked, Twilight shaking her head.
“A whorehouse is a place humans frequent. The purpose of this place is to provide sex, usually for men, in exchange for money and or other services. Fluttershy was unfortunate enough to have been sent to one of these places. It was there that Leo saved Fluttershy, risking his life for her. It happened only a couple of years ago.”
Flashback Two Years Ago (Leo’s P.O.V.)
I walked along a wide dirt road. It was still light outside, though the sky was turning a beautiful shade of red and pink from the setting sun. It would be dark soon and I wanted to make my way to my destination as fast as I could. Picking up the pace, I began to walk slightly faster than normal, a brisk walk compared to most people. It was only another twenty minutes until I reached my destination. I looked at the building that lye in front of me. It was a large-wooden building, run down by the looks of it, and smelt of pungent odors that made me gag. Walking up to the front door, I was met with a loud source of music, followed by the distinguished smell of alcohol. I knew I had found the right place and gave a knock on the door. To my surprise it was answered fairly quickly, even though the music was blaring on the other side. I could only see the man’s eyes that stared at me through a slot about three-fourths of the way up the door.
“Password,” the man asked, his voice cold and unemotional. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a hundred dollar bill. I held it to the slot on the door where the man promptly took it and closed the slide. A moment later the door was unlocked and the man motioned me in.
“Welcome brother,” the man said as I stepped through the door, closing it behind me. I looked around the room at all the drunk, but more importantly, gun bearing people in the tavern portion of this whorehouse. It was a small tavern, only around ten or so people in the main area. I turned to the man who had let me in before he motioned me over to a quieter spot. We both walked over to a secluded room near the back of the main floor.
“So what can I do for you today boy?” the man asked.
“I'm here for a certain pony. I overheard some people talking about her and would like to see it for myself,” I said, the man grinning in return.
“Ah, you must mean that yellow one with the pink mane. She is quite a score. Doesn’t fuss or anything, just lies there and takes it. She is so helpless I almost feel bad,” the man said with a short laugh, eyeing me up and down.
“So the going rates are three-hundred an hour for her,” the man said, making my fist clench faintly, but was unnoticed by the man.
“That is all the time I will need,” I replied, taking out three hundred dollars and handing it to the man. The man smiled as he happily counted his money, making sure that he wasn’t getting shortchanged. He then led me upstairs and into a corridor filled with rooms. I wasn’t sure how many rooms I had passed, it had to have been at least five to six before he stopped and opened the door to my right. I walked into the room and the door closed behind me with a lock. Looking in front of me I was horrified at what I saw. It was a yellow Pegasus pony with a pink mane and tail. She was restrained to the bed, each hoof tied down to a bedpost. Her fur, tail, and main had stains of semen and blood, which was shockingly visible. A small trickle of dried blood was on the front of her muzzle and under her nose. She had been forcefully given drugs, most likely cocaine, and beaten many times. Bruises and bare patches of fur covered her body along with cigar burns to the fur and skin. Her hooves had small cuts on them from where the rope was rubbing against fur and skin. The only thing left unscathed were her wings, which looked like they were still healthy. Taking a step closer to the mare, I truly noticed how life threatening her condition was. She was malnourished and probably dehydrated from the lack of care she was receiving. Wasting no time, I took off my backpack and opened it. I then walked over to her and cut her restraints loose with my boot-knife that I always carried. Once all her hooves were free, I gently moved the water bottle I had and tilted it to her muzzle for her to drink. I let a light stream of water wash over her muzzle; Fluttershy taking almost insignificant swallows of the cold refreshment. After a slow few minutes, I pulled the water bottle away from the mare and reached back into my back and pulled out a small piece of bread. I broke the bread into even smaller pieces, no bigger than a nickel or quarter, before feeding it to her one by one. I then took out my water bottle again and started another small stream of water on her muzzle. This time however, she greedily took in all the water I was pouring, making sure that she wouldn’t waste a drop. Once my water bottle was near empty, I pulled it away from her and she slowly opened her eyes for the first time during the whole ordeal. It shocked me at what I saw. I was looking into the eyes of mare that should have given up all hope; but instead I found a pool of innocence and hope in those cyan-green eyes of her. This only infuriated me more. My blood was boiling over and I knew what I had to do. I looked at the mare that regarded me with fear, which was completely understandable to see. I would act the same way if I had another species violate me in both physical and mental ways, taking away my innocence when I was such a loving creature. With the best smile I could muster, I gently leaned in and kissed the mare on the forehead. She flinched at my contact with her, but still stared at me with innocence in her eyes. I then began to rummage through my backpack, pulling out part after part. I then assembled all the parts into their specified order, thus producing a fully functional AK-47. I then took out a large magazine for the gun, loaded with sixty rounds before I looked back to Fluttershy on the bed.
“Everything is going to be fine Fluttershy. I'm not going to hurt you. I will be back here to get you in a minute or two. Please stay right there, cover your ears, and close your eyes please,” I asked, Fluttershy trying to make sense of the situation she was in. She complied with my demands though, and soon her hooves were covering her ears and her eyes were closed. I wasn’t sure how much that was going to help, but it should be better than nothing, I reasoned, reaching for the handle and trying to turn it. It was locked from the outside so I did the only logical thing I could think of. I knocked on the door and began to say that I was finished. A moment later the door was open and my AK-47 had claimed its first victim. It was a security guard who was stationed outside every room when occupied, just in case something happened with the mare, but more likely to tell a client when his time is up. When the door had opened, I pulled the trigger to my AK-47, making a large hole in the guard’s head. To my relief, Fluttershy had her eyes closed so she didn’t have to see the carnage that my AK-47 had done on another human’s cranium cavity. Walking out of the room, I heard the music from downstairs blaring. To my surprise and generous relief, the shot had not awakened anybody to the onslaught that was about to happen. Switching my AK-47 to fully automatic mode, I proceeded down the stairs, where everyone was enjoying music and booze. They had no idea what was about to happen, and I wasn’t going to let them know. With no warning, I pulled the trigger to my AK-47 and let the bullets do the rest. Within five seconds, the entire lobby was leveled and littered with corpses of humans. I made sure to not strike anypony that may have been in the crossfire, and luckily enough I didn’t even graze any. Walking over to the stage, I saw a pony with a treble cleft cutie mark playing a large instrument of sorts. I now know that the instrument that was being played was in fact a cello. Smiling, I helped her off the stage and gave her a list of instructions of what to do.
“Please, take everypony you can to the city of Ponyville. I will have one of my friends help you shortly,” I said, walking over to the bar and staring at the pony that was behind it.
“You can come out now, it’s safe,” I stated, the pony poking her head up from behind the counter. She was a bright white with a blue mane and tail. Her cutie mark resembled that of an eighth note. The most notable feature on this pony was actually a pair of purple shaded sunglasses she wore.
“Please help that pony with taking everypony you can to Ponyville. You will be safe there and away from my kind,” I said, turning to leave.
“Wait,” the mare shouted out to me, causing me to turn around and stare at her.
“Who are you?” she asked, me turning back around and beginning to walk back towards the stairs.
“A man trying to find redemption,” I plainly stated, walking back upstairs. A few minutes later, I had disassembled my AK-47 and stored the parts for later. I then grabbed Fluttershy and was carrying her down the stairs in my arms. She was in no condition to travel and I could think of no other way to transport her. The poor mare was shaking though, obviously terrified of what was happening. I tried my best to calm her, but nothing seemed to work. She just continued to shake in my arms. Reaching the lobby, I saw a familiar face that I was glad to see.
“Nice of you to finally join us Princess,” I somewhat sarcastically remarked, Luna turning to me with a coy smile.
“You sure did a lot of damage here,” she responded, looking around the room at all the dead people. I shrugged my shoulders the best I could with Fluttershy in them and responded with my answer.
“They all had it coming. Anyway, all the ponies downstairs have been moved to a safe location and are on their way to Ponyville. There are two more mares upstairs that I was unable to move. They have been cut free from their bonds and I want you to teleport them to Ponyville hospital. They should be well cared for there. As for the building itself, when you are done, burn it to the ground,” I said, turning towards the door and walking away from Luna. Luna nodded her head and proceeded to do as I said. In ten minutes time, I was already on my way down the road, Luna beside me and a large cloud of smoke filtering through the night sky. I turned to look at Luna and gave a smile of content before looking at the mare that was now sleeping in my arms. I smiled as I continued to walk down the dirt path, knowing that my journey for restoring balance to Equestria had finally begun.
End Flashback
“She finds safety in Leo. Her memories still haunt her to this day, though they are not as bad as they used to be. At night, she sometimes has nightmares of her time in that horrible place. I have seen them for myself and couldn’t wish that fate upon my greatest enemy. Though when she is with Leo, she is at ease, feeling safe and secure. When she first came here to this house, weeks went by to where she had to constantly have me around to comfort her. After realizing that Leo was no threat to her though, she found relief just being with him,” Luna calmly stated, looking at the window.
Twilight’s eyes were a wide mixture of feelings. The most dominant of these feelings was sympathy, followed by anger then sadness.
“How... how could any being do this to somepony?” Twilight asked, not directing her question to Luna, but to herself. Luna shook her head and looked towards the window again.
“We don’t know Twilight. We simply don’t know,” Luna said, sighing for a quick moment before shooting to her hooves. Luna had a bright smile on her face as she saw two figures walking down the road and towards the house. One of them was clearly undeniable. It was an orange pony with a blonde mane and tail. The other one was no doubt I, but something seemed off. Luna focused her vision more intently and soon her smile turned to one of panic.
“Twilight, gather Fluttershy and the first aid kit now!” Luna shouted, racing out of her room and down the stairs. Twilight did as she was told and quickly found Fluttershy and the first aid kit. Luna had practically ripped the front door off its hinges trying to get out. She raced towards Applejack and me, becoming more worried by the second. I was being supported by Applejack, walking slowly in sync with her hoofsteps. I then noticed Luna racing down the pathway towards me. I stuck out my arm to reach for Luna, but lost my balance. I fell onto my side and both Applejack and Luna helped me to my feet. Upon helping me up from the ground, Luna noticed many tiny spikes that were protruding from the right side of my chest and back.
“What the hay happened?” Luna yelled, enveloping me in her magic and levitating me off the ground. I was rushed into the house where Fluttershy and Twilight were waiting downstairs, along with everypony else. Luna quickly levitated me into the kitchen and placed me sideways on top of the kitchen table. Fluttershy ran into the room and quickly began to work, Luna offering aid as much as she could.
I let out a demoralizing scream as more spikes were taken out of my back. The process had been going on for around ten minutes and it had been the most painful ten minutes of my life. Pulling another spike from my back, I cringed in pain but suppressed my pain-induced scream. Fluttershy was hard at work, doing the best she could to save me. With one final tug on a spike, my back was now free of any metal extrusions. A large pad was placed on my back where all the spikes had been. Blood was not flowing heavily from the wounds, and the pad was now absorbing any blood that did flow. Turning me over onto my back, I let out a small grunt.
It was very uncomfortable on my back, but that was the least of my worries. If I thought my back was in pain, I was sorely mistaken. Removing the metal spikes from my chest was a more meticulous task, requiring more precision and about ten times the pain. With every metal spike removed from my chest, my screams of pain became harsher and more demoralizing. It also didn’t help that everypony was sitting in the next room, listening to everything unfold. Every cry of pain made everypony in the next room cringe or tear up. Their friend and savior, who had risked everything for them, was now experiencing some of the most intense pain in his entire life with nothing anypony could do to help it.
Another grueling twenty minutes passed before Fluttershy walked out of the kitchen, a smile on her face.
“He is going to be fine. We have removed all of the metal spikes from his body and he should make a full recovery,” Fluttershy happily said, everypony breathing a sigh of relief.
“What were those things that were protruding from his body?” Rainbow asked. Fluttershy wasn’t even able to answer before I beat her to it.
“They are called flechette rounds. They are most commonly used in shotgun shells. They are basically little spikes that hit our target and wound them, usually not killing them. I will tell you what though, they hurt like a motherbucker if you get shot, and even worse if you try to get them out,” I said, slowly walking into the living room and taking a seat in an unoccupied chair.
“Leo, you shouldn’t be up right now. You need your rest,” Fluttershy stated, a worried tone in her voice. I smiled and nodded my head.
“I know Fluttershy, this will only take a minute or two,” I said, turning to everypony in the room.
“Alright everypony, we are another step closer to returning Equestria to its rightful owners. We now have all the Elements of Harmony, which was no easy task, but has finally been achieved,” I said, looking around and smiling at the ponies around me.
“I also have some very disturbing news,” I said, pulling out a piece of parchment from my pocket.
“I found this on the man that shot me. Take a look at what it says,” I said, handing it over to all the ponies so they could read it.
“What... what does this mean?” Twilight asked, not sure how to interrupt it.
“It means that they know about you and about the Elements of Harmony. They have placed large bounties on your heads for your capture, more than likely to stop you from using the elements,” I said, everypony still staring at the paper I handed them.
“What it also means is that these idiots are going to play right into our hands... um hooves I mean?” I said, standing up from the chair with a smirk on my face. Everypony was looking puzzled, including Luna.
“We’re going to rescue Celestia. And this is how we’re going to do it.”
Time seemed to quickly pass as the days for Celestia’s rescue gradually came to fruition. My wounds were almost healed, leaving a few noticeable scars, though easily concealed with a simple shirt over my body. Everypony also started to become more... attached to me. They all knew what I was prepared to do. Bring Equestria back to its harmonic state with the rightful rulers in charge. But none of them truly realized how far I was willing to go until they saw me hobbling towards them, a large amount of flechette rounds in my back and torso, dried blood coating my body and wounds, along with numerous cuts and bruises. It was at that moment they knew I was prepared to die for this cause. In all honestly, this frightened them. One of the only humans to treat ponies with any emotion of sympathy and kindness, not to mention the fact I was their savior from a horrible life of slavery; and I was prepared to give my life so they may have a better future. Though flattered by the thought of me wanting to give them so much, it still made them uneasy. The constant question of, “how much is too much?” inundated their minds. They saw me as sacrificing more than anypony could have hoped for, while my perspective of the issue consisted of, “If I'm still breathing, then I haven’t given them enough.”
Though my workload for the past two weeks was profound, I still managed to bond with everypony even more than I had previously done, Applejack and Twilight the most due to them being so relatively new with me and not having the previous luxury of time that the rest of their friends had. I found myself soon enthralled about tales of their past. They reminisced about their time in Ponyville, talking about Winter Wrap Up, The Running of the Leaves, an Iron Pony Competition between Applejack and Rainbow Dash, and anything else they could recall. Everypony was laughing wholeheartedly, even Luna when Twilight brought up the story of Nightmare Night. It was the first time in a long while where I felt I had a sense of genuine happiness.
Leo’s House (Two Weeks After Injury)
The time was now around three in the afternoon. I had been down in the basement, making the final adjustments to the last piece need for the plan. Satisfied with how it looked, I began to test out the controls. Each test run yielded positive results. After linking the device to my computer for a power diagnostics test, I left my basement, which I had called my man cave for the past two weeks, and preceded to head upstairs and into the kitchen. I was greeted with the sight of all my friends smiling happily at me, a large basket sitting on to of the kitchen table.
“What’s this?” I asked, walking over to the basket and opening it. My hand was quickly swatted away before I could see inside. I recoiled my hand, not from pain, but mostly due from an initial reaction. I looked towards them again before Luna spoke warmly.
“We have seen how much effort you are putting into all of this and we truly thank you. We just wanted to show you some appreciation by going on a picnic. We know it is not much, but please accept our small token of gratitude,” Luna finished. I smiled warmly at all the ponies in front of me, my eyes scanning everypony as they all blushed.
“Thank you. Thank you all. You know you didn’t have to do this.” I stated, instantly receiving Rarity’s two cents.
“But of course we did darling. You have shown us nothing but kindness and love. You have taken us into your home and allowed us to live normal lives again. This is the least we can do and I speak for everypony here when I say that we all feel guilty for not contributing more,” Rarity stated. I was at a loss for words. Everypony I looked at was nodding their head in absolute agreement with everything that Rarity had said. I found myself getting teary eyed, quickly wiping away any tears before they fell. For years I have lived without a family or even friends. I didn’t see it before, but now there was denying it. These mares that were standing in front of me were more than friends. These ponies that I have grown attached too, sharing laughs and even pain. They were more than my friends. They were my family. I loved them and they loved me, willing to do anything for one another in a moments advance. Surprisingly enough, it took me this long to realize this. Looking at all the mares I internally made an oath to myself.
This is the reason I am alive. This is the reason I am still here, to preserve the sanctity of family and friendship throughout this land. I will not rest easy until I have done everything in my power to right this wrong my people have created. There is no turning back now. ‘If’ is no longer an apposite word to use. For I will not fail, and when that time finally comes and balanced is restored to Equestria. Only then do I have permission to be at peace.
I smiled internally as I wiped away the last tear in my eye. I then grabbed the picnic basket that was setting on top the kitchen table and began to move towards the back door. Holding the door open like a gentleman, I waited for all my friends to exit before turning around and locking it. I turned my attention back to the group of smiling faces before we all began to make our way to a large meadow in the distance, completely out of view of any road or trail.
Large Meadow (An hour later)
Time seemed to quickly pass. The sky soon began to show signs of a red and pinkish appearance, signifying that it was almost time to set the sun and raise the moon, a responsibility Luna had taken upon herself. I meanwhile, continued to roughhouse with Applejack and Rainbow Dash. The three of us would sometimes mess around in the living room of the house, trying to see who could pin each other the fastest, though my size added a considerable advantage. This would usually result in a two on one, Applejack and Rainbow usually on the same team. The confines of the living room often left us with little room to partake in these shenanigans. Most of the time I would knock my head on either the coffee table or the sofa, giving the two mares a brief moment to pounce. Let’s just say that I would have a few nasty bumps on my forehead by the time we were done and a short lecture from Twilight or Luna following suit. Out here it was different though. I had more room to maneuver and ‘horse around’ so to say, leaving me with almost no unnecessary injuries. As the three of us continued to roughhouse with one another, Luna was sitting next to Twilight watching us as we played. Twilight gave a content sigh, enjoying the view of her friends happy and lively. Luna was also enjoying the show, watching as Rainbow and Applejack pounced on top of me and pinned me to the ground, eliciting a laugh from the three of us before we were back at it again. During this time, Twilight turned to Luna, Luna noticing and giving Twilight her attention.
“Twilight, is there something wrong?” Luna inquired, Twilight shaking her head with a smile.
“No princess. Though I did have a question for you,” Twilight said, Luna smiling softly while she waited for her friend to ask her question.
“Leo is one of the nicest and most loving humans anypony could have met. I was wondering if you knew why he treats us the way he does?” Luna looked at Twilight, her mind in deep thought before she responded with a heavy sigh.
“Dearest Twilight, the answer for that question will lye with Leo himself. I know the answer you seek, but would inappropriate for me to infringe upon Leo’s past without his consent. If you still wish to know, I would ask Leo himself,” Luna stated, Twilight staring at the mare with a bemused look. She was about to say something else before a hand on her shoulder interrupted her. Twilight turned to see me staring at her with a soft smile on my face, completely alleviating Twilight of her curiosity for the moment. I sat down next to her and everypony else soon joined. I took in a deep breath, slowly exhaling before a large smile found its way to me.
“I have good news everypony. We are finally able to set our plan in motion to save Celestia. The last two weeks have been spent gathering intelligence and formulating a precise, detailed plan, though we already had the rough idea of how were are going to do this. I have also completed the device that is going to help us pull it off. It is back at the house and if the power diagnostic check comes back as expected, then we are able to proceed with the plan tomorrow,” I stated, Everypony beaming wide smiles of happiness and anticipation.
“Rarity, have you finished decorating the princess’s room the way I designed it?” I asked, Rarity nodding her head with a look of satisfaction.
“Wonderful. Then by tomorrow night, we will have Celestia here with us,” I claimed, standing up from the picnic blanket.
“I also think this calls for a toast. Let’s go back to the house and celebrate a bit before we head to bed,” I said, everypony agreeing with me and standing up. We began to start walking towards the house and as I turned back, I saw Luna standing in the meadow still, a strange look on her face.
“Luna is everything alright?” I asked, everypony stopping and turning around before staring at the mare.
“Yes, we are fine. We will catch up to you momentarily. I wish to perform my duty of raising the moon now,” Luna said, me picking up on her subtle body language that she wanted to be alone.
“Ok Luna. We will be back at the house. Come meet us there when you are done and try not to be too long. Even though the night is your domain, it still makes me nervous when I cannot watch over all of you,” I confessed, Luna nodding her head with a small smile. I then turned towards my house and began to walk, Luna slowly growing smaller as we distanced ourselves from her.
When Luna thought we had distanced ourselves far enough away, she turned to the sky and stared at the dimly fading pink and blue splotches that littered the sky. Her horn began to glow and the entirety of the sun had vanished from view and where the sun sat, a radiant moon now adorned its place, leisurely making its way to the peak of its cycle.
“Sister, it is almost time. Let the rays of our moon cascade through the night and foretell the coming events. Tomorrow you will no longer be lonely sister. Tomorrow, you will be where you belong. In the safety of your sister’s hooves,” Luna whispered, a single tear gracing the grass at where she stood, shimmering in the moonlight as Luna departed ways towards my house.
Leo’s House (Fifteen Minutes Later)
Luna quietly walked in from the back door and made her way into the kitchen. Everypony was in the living at the time, chatting with one another while splurging into the wine I had gotten just for special occasions. Luna was soon met with a soft hand on her shoulder, startling her to some extent before she turned around to see me standing in front of her with a glass of wine in my hand.
“May I offer you a drink?” I asked, holding up the glass as it soon levitated out of my hand and towards Luna’s lips. She elegantly took a sip of the wine, the red liquid gently tinting her lips with the sweet nectar. She levitated her glass and rested it upon the kitchen table before turning her full attention to me. All was silent between the two of us, our eyes fixated upon one another. This continued for a few moments before I gently reached a hand up to her face, brushing is over the side of her muzzle and cheek, our faces slowly coming closer together. Our faces were only a few inches away from each other now, the smell of Luna’s sweet breath infused with the red wine she had just consumed. Leaning forward slightly more I hesitated, stopping only an inch or so away from where our lips would meet. We both continued to stare into the eyes of the other, time seeming to lose all meaning to us. It was then that I diverted my head slightly to the right, brushing my left cheek against the right side of her muzzle and face before enveloping the mare in a passionate hug.
“We are going to rescue her. I promise you Luna, we are going to get Celestia out of that place and reunite her with you. I give you my word,” I softly spoke, tightening the hug around Luna. I soon felt soft tears running down the mares face, the tears falling onto the back of my neck as Luna wept of sorrow and joy. A few minutes passed before both parties released from the hug, a teary-eyed princess whose tears were now that of understanding. I smiled innocuously at the mare before I walked out of the room and rejoined the main group in the living room. Luna waited a minute or so before following suit, her glass of wine levitating next to her as she entered the room.
“Alright everypony lets toast,” I said, raising my glass high into the air.
“What are we toasting too Leo?” Twilight asked.
“Whatever it is you feel like toasting too Miss Sparkle,” I said, Rainbow being the first to raise her glass.
“To Loyalty,” she said.
“To Laughter,” Pinkie Pie quickly added.
“To Generosity,” Rarity elegantly furthered.
“To Honesty,” Applejack stated, her southern drawl apparent and fitting.
“To Kindness,” Fluttershy said, surprisingly loud enough for everypony to hear.
“To Magic,” Twilight said.
“To reuniting with family,” Luna loudly voiced.
“To redemption,” I quietly whispered, Luna being the only mare able to hear me. I quickly downed my wine before setting the glass down on the coffee table.
“Alright everypony, it is time for bed. We needed to be fully rested to welcome the Princess tomorrow,” I said, everypony nodding their heads and getting to their hooves.
After saying their goodnights, everypony made their way for their respective bedrooms so that the only ponies awake were Luna, Twilight, and myself. I slowly gathered up the glasses of empty wine before making my way into the kitchen followed by Twilight. I set the empty glasses gingerly in the sink, being as cautious not to break or chip any of the delicate crystal the glasses were made out of. I then turned to Twilight and motioned for us to take a seat at the table. She nodded her head and sat down at the table across from me. I let out a long sigh before looking up from the table and at Twilight.
“Twilight, are you sure you are up to this? I mean, if things go wrong, you could be stuck in that dungeon for who knows how long,” I stated, Twilight retorting with a coy smile.
“Of course I am. This is for Celestia after all,” she said, me giving a slight laugh.
“I can tell you are determined to the cause,” I said, my face then turning to a look of seriousness.
“Twilight, I am sorry to say this, but I may have to some... persuasive techniques so that the other humans don’t arouse suspicion. I am a trained slave hunter after all and even showing you the smallest bit of kindness will have the whole castle on alert,” I regretfully said, Twilight nodding her head in agreement before speaking.
“I hold nothing against you Leo. If I were in the same predicament I would do the same thing you are doing,” Twilight said. I then stood up from my seat at the table, followed by Twilight.
“Thank you Twilight,” I softly spoke pulling the mare into a short hug before releasing her.
“Alright, let’s get to bed. We have a very long day tomorrow and we will both need our rest,” I said, Twilight nodding her head in agreement as we both ascended the stairs and went into our respective rooms. I was almost under the covers of my bed before I heard a soft rapping coming from the other side of my door. I walked over to the door, fully expecting it to be Fluttershy who had another nightmare, but instead I was met with the sight of Luna.
“Oh, hey Luna. You okay?” I asked, finding it rather strange that Luna was at my door during this time of night. The mare began to paw at the floorboard just like Fluttershy would.
“Luna, is everything ok?” I asked, worry plaguing my voice. Luna quickly nodded her head before responding.
“We...or ‘I’ was wondering if it might be suitable for us to share a common place of sleep tonight?” Luna asked, sounding as formal as she could. I stared confusedly at the mare, wondering why she would ask something like this. I could tell she was feeling a bit uneasy about asking me the question, but something else seemed to be bothering her as well. I opened my door and allowed the Princess entrance into my room. I closed the door behind me and walked over to my bed, Luna standing at the doorway, a blush slightly noticeable on her dark blue fur.
“Alright, you can have the left side of the bed and I will take the right. Is that alright?” I asked, Luna nodding her head as she made her way to the left side of the bed before getting under the covers.
“We really appreciate this Leo. Thank you,” Luna said, only letting out a slight shriek of surprise as I rolled over to her back and placed an arm over her center torso, like I do with Fluttershy.
“Luna, what is on your mind?” I asked, stroking her mane with my free hand. A few minutes of silence passed, me still gently stroking Luna’s mane before I heard her begin to whisper to me.
“I'm scared Leo. I'm truly scared,” she stated. I continued to stroke her mane, offering her comfort and support as she continued.
“I'm scared that somehow the Elements of Harmony won’t work on helping Equestria. I'm scared of seeing my friends being sold into slavery and having their lives taken away from them again. I'm scared of seeing my subjects cruelly treated, beaten, and even tortured. But most of all, I'm scared that you will die,” she confessed.
“And what makes you think I'm going to die?” I asked, still gently stroking Luna’s mane with my hand.
“I... I don’t know. I just have this strange feeling something bad is going to happen,” Luna truthfully stated. I then stopped stroking Luna’s mane as I turned her head to face.
“Luna, I promise you that I won’t die. I give you my word and my honor I will not die until Equestria rests in the hooves of its rightful owners,” I said, determination in my voice as Luna continued to stare at me. Luna was about to say something, but stopped herself and settled with a small nuzzle on my cheek. She then turned around and faced her side of the bed again, my arm stilling lying over her middle torso with my chest resting against her soft back. Ten minutes later and Luna was fast asleep. Sleep began to win over me as well. My eyes were completely closed and I was venturing through the phase right before one falls completely asleep. The only opposition my sleep faced, was my mind. After talking with Luna, I become slightly uneasy. To her, she thinks that I will keep true to my promise. To my dismay, I know that I cannot. But if my death means a brighter future for ponykind, especially Luna, Celestia, and the Elements of Harmony; then I may rest easy knowing that I gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect the ponies that I love; that for one more time before I die, I had a family to call my own. And with my final thoughts, I soon drifted off to sleep.
A brilliant burning sun was starting to gently peak its way over the horizon of the white snowcapped mountaintops in the distance. My internal clock had already awakened me, edging me to get up and start the day about half an hour before the sun was visible. As the sun was making its presence known for the day, I was walking out of the bathroom, freshly bathed and ready for what was sure to be a very long day. I placed my dirty clothes in a small laundry bin that was located next to the bathroom door before looking towards my bed. Luna was still peacefully sleeping, stirring once every few minutes, but quickly relaxing and resuming her peaceful slumber. I smiled at the sight in front of me, quietly making my way towards the door and slipping out without a sound. A few minutes later and I was in the kitchen downstairs making breakfast. Twilight soon arrived and seated herself at the table. I soon joined the mare, accompanied with slices of toast and fruit that I promptly shared.
“How well did you sleep last night?” I asked, Twilight nibbling on her toast before staring up at me with a rejuvenated smile.
“Surprisingly, I slept very well,” she happily replied, taking a larger bite out of her piece of toast.
“I'm glad. We both have a very long day ahead of us,” I reminded. Twilight finished off her first piece of toast before giving me a hearty smile.
“That we do. And by the time that today is over, Celestia will finally be free and in caring hooves,” Twilight stated. I nodded my head in agreement before downing the rest of the water I had in my glass. Twilight continued to nibble on her fruit and toast as I got up from the table and walked down into the basement. I slid my hand against the grainy wall until it fell upon a light switch. I switched on the overhead lights and began to walk over to my workstation that housed my computer and devices that were instrumental in the rescue effort of Celestia. I walked up to my computer and examined the main screen. I had left the power diagnostic system scan running and as I moved the mouse pad on the laptop, the results of the power diagnostic system came up. I smiled and grabbed the midsized ring attached to the computer before pocketing it. I then turned my attention towards another device before I picked it up in my left hand and examined it. Everything seemed to be in order and I was confident that it would get the job done if something went wrong with the plan to rescue Celestia. Though it was a little bulky, it would be the perfect weapon to protect Twilight. Its outer appearance would deceive any guard or person that happened to look at it. I smiled to myself before I turned around and ascended the stairs from the basement, turning off the light switch as I did. I then walked back into the kitchen and set the medium sized briefcase next to Twilight before I pulled out the ring from my pocket. I looked at Twilight before dropping down to one knee, the ring in my hand. Twilight had stopped eating and stared incredulously at me as I cleared my throat.
“Twilight. I know we haven’t really known each other for a long time, but I feel that this is the best time. Twilight Sparkle, will you marry me?” I asked, Twilight blushing profusely red before she began to stutter over her own words.
“Le... Leo. I... I don’t know what to say. I mean this is so sudden and I think you are a great pony and everything, but...” was all Twilight could say before she noticed my straight face had faded and I was on the verge of laughter. It took her a few moments, but once she finally pieced together everything, she slugged me in the arm with hoof before responding.
“Very funny Leo?” Twilight commented, sarcasm plaguing her voice. It was then that I let out a little chuckle before taking a seat next to her, holding up the ring so she could see it.
“This is a fake inhibitor ring. It was designed to look and function like a real one, but only until I tell it otherwise. Once I give the signal, the ring will emit a high frequency pulse of electricity, frying every electrical device in the vicinity. It isn’t audible to humans so the guards won’t know you have disabled their video surveillance and Walkie-talkies, giving you around a two-minute window in order to rescue Celestia. Luna will be upstairs in the living room casting a spell that will let you easily teleport to her, since the distance to Canterlot is many miles and will strain your magic. I will be downstairs in the basement providing assistance and communications with you, via the fake inhibitor ring and also this thing,” I said, pointing to the metal briefcase that seemed like an ordinary briefcase to Twilight.
“Um, Leo. That is just a briefcase,” Twilight responded. I began to shake my head with a smirk on my face.
“It may look like a briefcase Twilight, but believe me when I tell you that it is much more than that,” I smugly said, Twilight looking at the briefcase over again before agreeing with me.
“I can't really tell what it is, but you have never lied to me before, so why would you start now,” Twilight added, both of us laughing for a few moments before we got serious again.
“Ok Twilight. After I drop you off at the castle and collect my rewards, I'm going to go into town and gather as many supplies as I can. This may be one of the last times I will be allowed to show my face in Canterlot, without being hunted that is,” I said, Twilight nodding her head in understanding.
“Good. I'm going to try to stock up on as much food and ammunition as I can get my hooves on,” I stated, Twilight making mental notes of everything I was going to do.
“During that time, you may be subjugated to a few... types of torture by these people, but it will only be light. You will have to wait till night time in order to spring Celestia from her jail cell,” I mentioned again, Twilight nodding her head as she already knew the plan.
“Ok, and after that, I will disable your inhibitor ring and help you find Celestia. You will then teleport both Celestia and yourself to Luna, who will be in the living room of the house and awaiting your arrival. Then Celestia will once again be in safe and loving hooves,” I stated, Twilight nodding her head and making a mental note of everything I said.
“Alright, any questions on what to do?” I asked, Twilight shaking her head. I took that as a no, and before long, we were on our way to Canterlot, our plan finally set into action.
Canterlot Castle (Two Hours Later)
“Ah, just the person I was hoping to see. Tell me, do you have the pony with you,” an overly eager man asked, me moving to the side to reveal a muzzled Twilight with an inhibitor ring nestled on top of her horn. The man quickly examined the unicorn and after a few minutes of thorough investigation, he was sure that the unicorn standing in front of him was Twilight.
“Splendid, just splendid. If you would please wait right here, I will go fetch him for you,” the man said, quickly scampering off and returning around five minutes later.
“If you would please. Mr. Carreras will see you now,” the man said, leading Twilight and me to another room in the castle. Two armed guards were stationed outside the door, military style M4’s at the ready. The man in front of me gave them a slight nod before the guard on the left reached over and opened the door for all of us. We all filtered through the door and into the room. I was quite shocked by the room itself. Inside was a large, dark-wood table that would be used for conferences. Leather chairs surrounded the table. As I glanced around the room I noticed a man was sitting on the sitting at the far end of the table, his feet reclined on top of the table and a cigar hanging from his mouth. He stood up from the table and started to walk over towards me, his arms outstretched like a friend I had known my entire.
“Ah, my friend. It is such a pleasure to meet you,” Mr. Carreras said in a thick accent one would use to describe a man of military power. He firmly grasped my hand and shook it before his eyes narrowed themselves onto the unicorn to the right.
“And this must be the famous unicorn, Twilight Sparkle,” he said, examining Twilight before his focus returned to me.
“So tell me, how did you manage to capture this unicorn?” Mr. Carreras asked, a smile forming on my face.
“Well sir, I was actually tracking this unicorn for several weeks. I had heard rumors of her whereabouts and that she was close to Ponyville. Seeing the reward, I decided to take my chances and see what I could do. Stalking the outer border of Ponyville, I realized that she would leave every Wednesday and Saturday. I do not know the reason why, but I didn’t particularly care. A few days ago was when I struck. I had followed her from a distance for some time and gotten familiar with her path of entering and exiting Ponyville. I waited for the opportune moment and took it. While a section of foliage blocked the view of the path from Ponyville, I knocked her out and dragged her body into the thicket of woods. I slapped an inhibitor ring on her and dragged her ass all the way over here,” I finished, Mr. Carreras laughing at the story.
“Seems like you went through a lot of trouble to capture that pony,” he said, me giving a small nod of my head before I undid my shirt. Within a few seconds the front part of my button down shirt was open, revealing the injuries I had sustained over the past few years, but more prominently, there was one injury running along left side of my chest near my heart. Twilight had never really seen me with my shirt off before and was somewhat curious as to what caused the nasty scar.
“Seven years ago, I was training to become a slave hunter. My family owned many slaves and it would be beneficial for them if they had a family member retrieve there runaway slaves. Well, I excelled in learning the tools of the trade and was even granted a license to hunt slaves at a young age. I was then sent out to retrieve my first slave one week later. I had followed protocol and tracked the slave from a distance, finding the slave’s camp about a mile away right as it was getting dark. To play it safe, I decided to wait until early morning to strike,” I clenched my fist tightly and my gaze turned to one of cold and hatred.
“I was visit by a certain pony that night. The named, Luna, the previous monarch’s sister,” I said, slightly calming my body but keeping my cold eyes.
“She came into my encampment with an intent to kill. She used her horn to carve this nasty scar into my flesh, puncturing my heart, or so she thought. Turns out she missed my heart by mere inches. When I was finally found I was on the verge of dying from lack of blood. It took me six months to recover from the incident. My life has never been the same after that day. That fucking pony changed my life, and this is a permanent reminder everyday I wake up and look in the mirror. I will always see this scar,” I coldly stated, peaking Mr. Carreras’s interest.
“The reason I tracked down this mare was so I could hopefully find the so called, Princess of the Night, and return the favor she so graciously gave me.”
All was silent for a few moments before Mr. Carreras motioned for me to follow him.
“Come my friend. I may be able to help you in your endeavors for finding this mare, and in return, you will also be helping me at the same time,” he stated before stopping and looking at his assistant.
“Mr. Miles, please take Twilight down to the dungeon. I have a feeling she is missing her mentor. We will be joining you shortly,” he said, Mr. Miles quickly nodding his head and taking Twilight by her collared muzzle.
“Come on you stupid horse. Let’s go see your almighty ruler,” Mr. Miles evilly voiced, harshly dragging Twilight in the opposite direction that Mr. Carreras and I were going. Once Twilight was out of sight, Mr. Carreras continued on his path and motioned for me to follow him again. I was led down a long corridor with colorful stained glass and tapestry designs all over the walls and windows. I continued to walk next to Mr. Carreras, keeping a slow pace while taking in my scenery.
“There is something I wish to talk to you about Mr.?” he paused for a moment and waited for me to inform him of my name.
“Leo is fine Mr. Carreras,” I said, the man quickly smiling before he started walking again.
“Leo, there is a matter I wish to discuss with you that will be most beneficial for you and me,” he spoke, my interest now peaked.
“And what would that offer be?” I asked, Mr. Carreras stopping in front of a large tapestry with the picture of the sun on it.
“We are about to unwilling thrusted into a revolution Leo. Ponies are becoming more independent and defiant everyday. They are even becoming hostile, which you have already experienced first hand. I want you to find the Princess of the Night, Luna, and I want you to bring her back to me. I want you to show everyone what you showed me. Your story, your legacy. A poor boy almost killed by the supposedly peaceful ponies of Equestria, and one of their princesses no doubt. I then want you take your revenge on her in front of thousands of humans and ponies alike. Show them what happens when they try to match force against a superior race. We will put down this revolution before it even begins. You, of course, will also be rewarded handsomely for your contributions, as well as allowed access to my personal armory that you will probably find to your liking. So what do you say Leo? Do we have a deal?” Mr. Carreras asked, me thinking it over for a few seconds before I grabbed the man’s hand and firmly shook it.
“When do we start?” I asked, a smile and laugh coming from Mr. Carreras.
“I have a feeling I'm going to like you kid,” he spoke, my heart fill of malice every moment I had to spend with this dictator.
“I am glad to have your support and cooperation. First though, let us have a little bit of fun shall we?” he asked, turning around and walking towards the direction Twilight had been taken. My instincts told me that I was mostly likely heading towards the dungeon. They also told me that the next few minutes were going to be... hard so to say.
Not wasting any time, I quickly fell in line with Mr. Carreras and within ten minutes, we had reached the dungeon level of the castle. As the door opened, we stepped through it and the temperature fell a few degrees, causing me to shiver lightly to myself. What was really bothering me was the stench that was coming from inside the dungeon. It smelled like several decaying bodies, and as we passed a few jail cells, I noticed why.
Dead pony carcasses were strewn about some of the cells in the dungeon. Some ponies even had the misfortune of living in their tiny cell with a dead pony carcass still lingering with them. I had to hold my hand over my nose and mouth to prevent myself from gagging. Another minute or so and we had finally arrived at the main jail cell areas. Most of the cells were empty, say for a few dead ponies, but at the very far end of the hall, a heavily modified jail cell was present. Getting a better look at the cell, I noticed that the Princess of the Sun, Celestia, was chained down with magical inhibitors, as well as multiple inhibitor rings along he horn. She slowly opened her eyes and noticed the two of us staring at her. Her eyes quickly fixated themselves on the other man before she let out an audible low growl.
“Whoa, take it easy there Princess. I haven’t come to torture you today... oh I actually have. But I am only going to watch this time. I would like to introduce my friend to you. His name is Leo, and he has brought a very special present with him today,” he said, motioning for Mr. Miles to drag Twilight out from her cell out of view.
“Leo here has been looking for a particular pony, your sister that is. Years ago she gave him a permanent reminder of how cruel your kind can be, he is only looking to return the favor. If you have any information about where your sister is, then you will tell us or your friend here is going to have a... fun time with Leo,” he spoke, Mr. Miles brining Twilight into view as Celestia saw her student being dragged into the cell next to hers and chained down. Celestia began to violently thrash about, trying her hardest to reach Twilight. It was to no avail though and tears were soon pouring from the God’s majestic face.
“Please, don’t hurt her. Torture me all you want, but please don’t hurt her,” Celestia begged. Mr. Carreras laughed loudly as Mr. Miles finished chaining Twilight in her cell. She was now incapable of moving and Celestia could see how terrified Twilight looked. It was then Mr. Carreras banged on the cell door to get Celestia’s attention.
“Alright, this is how things are going to work. My friend Leo here is going to have fun with Twilight in any way he seems fit, unless you answer our questions to the best your abilities. If we have any indication at all that you are lying to us, then we will torture Twilight anyway,” the man spoke, Celestia still having tears pour down her face.
“Mr. Carreras, if it would be alright, I brought some stuff with me just for this occasion,” I spoke, showing him the briefcase in my left hand.
“Splendid. Did you hear that Celestia? This is going to be so fun. It’s going to be like a game show, where if you answer a question wrong, Twilight gets tortured instead of you losing money,” Mr. Carreras said. During the time he was talking to Celestia, I set down my briefcase and opened it. Inside, were a several inhibitor rings as well as a large cattle prod with an electrical tip at the end. I took out the cattle prod, knowing full well I was going to have to use it on Twilight. My stomach churned on the inside from what I had to do, but in order for the plan to work, I couldn’t show any sign of weakness or hesitation.
“Alright Celestia, first question. Where is your sister?” Mr. Carreras asked, Celestia shaking her head.
“I don’t know,” she spoke. At that response I lunged the cattle prod into Twilight before she gave off a loud shriek of pain from the electricity flowing through her body. I then pulled it away from Twilight as I heard Celestia yelling and begging for me to stop.
“I promise you I don’t know. Please, just please don’t hurt her,” Celestia once again begged. Mr. Carreras was not satisfied with that answer, and I soon struck the cattle prod against Twilight again. The same audible scream was heard and Celestia thrashed about in her chains, tears once again streaming down her face.
“Please, I beg of you. Please don’t do this to her. If you must, do it to me. I'm the one who doesn’t know,” Celestia, pleaded, Mr. Carreras laughing.
“But this is too much fun Princess. I haven’t seen you this active in years!” he happily exclaimed. Celestia was trying her hardest to not break down in front of Twilight. Seeing Twilight about to share a similar fate that she had been forced to endure for the last Twenty years made the God’s heart weep.
“Leo, this may take a while, I think it is time we move to more drastic measures,” he said, pulling out a handgun from his holster and handing it to me.
“Alright Celestia, this is your final chance. If you don’t tell us where your sister is, you will have one less pony to worry about,” Mr. Carreras stated, the pistol firmly in my hand. I knew the instant I had the pistol in my hand, what I had to do. Celestia continually begged, tearing up and saying to take her life instead. Mr. Carreras still didn’t receive a sufficient answer, so he gave me one look and I knew what that meant. I held the pistol up to Twilight, her face pale and scared. She knew I had to put on an act, but she didn’t know how far I was willing to go to make it look good. I turned to Celestia with a coy smile on my face, her eyes narrowing on my cold gaze.
“Any last words?” I smugly asked, Celestia still begging and thrashing around in her cell.
“None? Ok then. Time to end this little unicorn’s life,” I said, pulling the trigger to the gun that was aimed at Twilight’s head. Celestia let out the most heart-stopping scream I have ever heard. It wasn’t until a few seconds later that Celestia realized her student was still alive. I turned my head back to Mr. Carreras before staring at the gun.
“I don’t understand. I thought you gave me a loaded gun?” I asked, unloading the magazine to see that the magazine itself was empty. The man across from me let out a smug laugh before nodding his head.
“I gave you a real gun, but never loaded it. I needed to see if you were truly on my side or not. Judging by what you did though, I would say you have proven yourself,” he said before I handed the gun back to him. He holstered his empty pistol and turned towards Celestia.
“Looks like you get to spend a few more days with your beloved student. I would used this time to catch up on old times, maybe even establish a will,” he said, laughing as we both turned around and headed out of the dungeon. I took one last look behind me at Celestia and Twilight before ascending the rest of the stairs and catching up with the man who was now convinced I was his friend. The plan to free Celestia had been going perfectly. What everyone failed to notice was that I no longer had my briefcase with me. It was still sitting in the dungeon next to Twilight and Celestia, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
Six Hours Later
A newly acquired truck had pulled up into the driveway of my house. It was packed to brim with different assortments of supplies, including new weapons and ammunition that I would surely need. I also had many bags of groceries in the back of the truck, well over two months worth of rations for everyone. I turned off the engine and jumped down from the driver’s seat. I was greeted with Luna in the driveway. Assisting me with the groceries, we managed to take everything into the house and store it so that the pantry was now gushing with food. I then turned around and headed back to the truck to fetch my weapons and ammo I had gotten from Mr. Carreras. Taking those inside, I pulled the truck into the garage and inspected it again. Content with everything, I then moved into the house where I was greeted by everypony.
“Leo, how did everything go?” Rainbow asked. I looked at her and sighed before I turned to everypony that had made their way into the kitchen.
“It... it wasn’t good for Celestia and Twilight. I saw the conditions she has been living in the last twenty years, and in all honesty, I couldn’t fathom what I saw down there,” I said, Rainbow quickly losing a little bit of her spirit.
“The good news is that everything is going according to plan,” I stated, everypony breathing a sigh of relief.
“That is wonderful darling. When can we expect the Princess back here?” Rarity asked, me shaking my head.
“I don’t know. It won’t be for another couple hours or so, but I need to get everything set up. We only have one shot at this and I don’t plan on bucking it up,” I responded, Rarity taken slightly aback by my language, but knew that is an appropriate time for the usage. I grabbed a can of soda from the fridge and walked downstairs into the basement, setting up my equipment before waiting... waiting for the perfect time to initiate our plan.
Canterlot Castle (11:45pm)
“All right, there should be a guard shift right about... now,” I said to myself, the hidden camera in my briefcase capturing all the audio and video of everything happening in the dungeon area of the castle. I smiled and moved the camera over to face Twilight. The guard was several meters away from her, so if she were to whisper very faintly, then the guard wouldn’t hear her. Seeing this as one of the best times to strike, I called up to Luna to activate her spell. I heard several hoof stomps from above, indicating that she had the spell up and ready for Twilight. I turned my attention to the computer monitor that was giving me a live feed of the dungeon. I then pressed a small button on the laptop and spoke softly into the headset I was wearing.
“Twilight. Hey Twilight you there?” I asked, Twilight quickly looking up at the inhibitor ring on her head.
“Ok, listen to me. I can see you right now. Are you ready?” I asked, Twilight nodding her head before she heard me again on the inhibitor ring.
“Ok, on the count of three, I'm going to deactivate the ring and fry all the guard’s electronics. Ready, one, two, three,” I spoke, hitting another button on the laptop. A moment went by before the electrical pulse killed every electrical device in the area, besides everything I had made. Seeing how I was expecting this, I made sure that my devices would be able to withstand the extra surge of electricity.
“Ok Twilight, go, right now. I will take out the guards and cover you while you get Celestia out of there. Luna has the spell up and running as we speak, so just lock on and teleport to her when you have Celestia,” I said, hitting a button on a separate laptop. The briefcase that was setting peacefully on the ground began to hum. A guard noticed this and walked over to the briefcase, examining it. A second or so went by before the guard’s face filled the targeting screen of the device. I quickly pulled the remote trigger, a 5mm round impaling the man’s face, causing the man to fall lifeless on the ground. The second guard quickly took aim at the briefcase but was defeated as I let out a three round burst into him. He fell to the ground with a loud thud before I trained the machine gun briefcase at the door of the dungeon. Within thirty seconds, a wave of guards were hauling ass down the stairs, only to be pumped full of lead. By this time, Twilight had successfully gotten out of her chains, opened her cell door, opened Celestia’s cell door, and was working on getting Celestia’s chains off her.
“How you doing Twilight?” I asked, Twilight hearing another barrage of bullets spew from the device I had made.
“I'm working on Celestia’s chains, then the inhibitor rings and we are good,” she stated, another barrage of bullets sounding from the device protecting her.
“Hurry up please. I'm about to run out of ammo,” I said, Twilight finally getting all of Celestia’s chains off her. Twilight then gripped the inhibitor rings in her magic and crushed them with minor ease. After that happened, the sound of hundreds of footsteps came echoing through the corridor of the dungeon. Twilight’s horn grew a bright purple and by the time the guards had made it to the two ponies, they had vanished from view, many miles away and in the safety of a loving home.
Leo’s Home (12:00am)
“Yes! Yes,” I excitedly yelled, fist pumping in the air because of our victory. I turned back to the screen of my briefcase and noticed that the 5mm machine gun had been disabled. I smiled to myself and pushed another button on the laptop. Within a few seconds the device began to beep sporadically before it detonated, blowing most of the guards away and killing them. Only a handful of guards lived through the explosion. I made sure to pack as much explosive powder as I could inside the briefcase. From upstairs I could hear the excited voices of everypony, especially Luna, who was using her Royal Canterlot Voice, but realized this and returned to her normal tone. I took off the headset connected to my laptop and ran a hand through my hair. I did one more victorious fist pump before getting up from the chair I was seated in and making my way towards to stairs. I made sure to turn off the light switch on my way up the stairs, before I hurriedly made my way to the top of the stairs. I opened the door to the basement and walked through it, hearing the voices of my friends in the living room. I quickly made my way into the opening of the door and saw that both Twilight and Celestia had made it. I smiled to myself before walking into view of the everypony. Twilight and Luna quickly noticed me and greeted me with warm smiles. Celestia also happened to notice me, but her reaction was distinctly different. Remembering me from earlier, and the persona I had to keep, the Princess of the Sun turned from peace to hostility. The next moment I found myself levitated in the air and forcefully flung across the room into the wall, a large grunt of pain resounding from me as I hit. Celestia quickly rushed to where I was still pinned against the wall, a look of complete rage filling her eyes. Luna and Twilight were shocked by the initial reaction of what happened, but Twilight soon realized why that was.
“Celestia wait, he is a friend,” Twilight yelled, running towards me. Celestia was in such a state that she didn’t even hear Twilight. Her focus was undivided and was unfortunately targeting just me.
“I'm going to kill you for what you did to Twilight. You had every opportune moment to stop but yet you persisted, even to the point of almost killing her,” Celestia coldly spoke, followed by a nasty snarl. Luna was now accompanying Twilight and trying to calm her sister.
“Sister, please release him. He means us no harm and is a friend,” Luna stated. Celestia turned her head to Luna before directing her attention back to me.
“He is not a friend Luna. You didn’t see what he did to Twilight. The look in his eyes of enjoyment when he was torturing her. His kind are all the same and can't be trusted,” Celestia yelled in her rage. Twilight and Luna desperately tried to convince Celestia that I was in fact a friend, while everypony else knew that it would be best to let them handle it.
“He needed to do that Celestia. If he showed any sort of hesitation, the plan might not have worked,” Twilight said, still trying to convince Celestia.
“Yes sister, everything that transpired, happened because he needed to gain their trust. Without that, you may not have been here with us right now,” Luna sincerely stated. To my dismay though, Celestia had been molded by twenty years of torture and seclusion by humans. She had also come to realize how deceitful us humans can become in order to get what we want, making it even harder for her to trust us.
“He is fooling you Luna, all of you. He is no better than the humans that kept me in captivity for all those years,” she stated, her eyes narrowing back at me.
“But sister, please listen,”
“ENOUGH!” Celestia boomed, somewhat frightening everypony in the room.
“He needs to pay for his crimes, and I need to make sure he will not be able to harm anypony ever again,” Celestia reasoned aloud. Everypony was about to interject before they heard a faint laugh coming from the magically pinned human. I looked at Celestia with a calm smile on my face before speaking.
“Then do it Celestia. Kill me. Make me pay for all the atrocities I have committed during my life,” I calmly spoke, Celestia becoming more infuriated with the answer I gave her. I could feel the pressure of the magic intensify and he pain increase, but still held my cocky attitude.
“You can't kill me Celestia. You don’t have it in you. You are weak and pathetic and that is why you can't you kill me,” I spoke, Celestia pulling me several feet from the wall and forcefully slamming me back into it. I let out another grunt of pain as Celestia continued her stare.
“Don’t you dare call me weak. I have suffered more than you could ever imagine by the hoof of your people,” Celestia claimed.
“Then killing me shouldn’t be a problem. Come on Celestia, put me out of my misery,” I almost begged, Celestia throwing me across the room with her magic and quickly closing the distance as I landed on the ground with Celestia’s horn at my throat.
“I am going to make you suffer first. Put you through the same pain I was forced to endure,” she stated.
“I have suffered enough in this lifetime Celestia,” I emotionlessly stated. This comment seemed to only aggravate the goddess.
“What could you possibly know about suffering? I bet you grew up with a loving family who gave you everything you wanted,” she remarked, striking a nerve.
“Take that back,” I defensively retorted, Celestia noticing the change in my attitude and deciding to press the matter.
“I bet you owned numerous slaves and were pampered like an aristocrat,” Celestia said, my anger starting to build.
“Stop it, now!” I yelled, Celestia smirking when she noticed her comments were really affecting me.
“You lost nothing in your life and when something was lost, your loving parents would replace it without a single thought,” Celestia smugly said. This was the turning point for me. I couldn’t hold it in anymore and my hand shot up from its position on the ground and wrapped itself around Celestia’s neck, not choking her, but enough to hold a decent grip.
“I LOST EVERYTHING!” I bellowed, tears starting to stream down my face. Everypony in the room was shocked by my sudden hostility. I slowly got to my feet, my head hung low as I held Celestia’s throat in my right hand. Tears were still flowing from my face and my arm started to shake.
“Le... Leo...” Luna softly spoke, walking next to me before I felt a wing placed over my body. I slowly lowered my hand from Celestia before I fell to my knees with Luna trying to comfort me. Celestia was actually shocked at the scene in front of her, and didn’t really know what to do. Twilight put a soothing hoof around her mentor to assure her that everything would be ok.
“Leo, are you ok?” Luna asked, my sadness turning to that of rage. I quickly shoved the mare away from me and stood up to face her.
“This is all your fault. Everything in my life was just fine until you came along,” I yelled, Twilight becoming defensive for Luna.
“What do you mean this is all her fault?” Twilight yelled, me turning to her and then to everypony that was staring at me.
“Oh, she didn’t tell any of you did she? She never told you what happened all those years ago and what happened to make me have a change of heart,” I said, Luna shying away slightly.
“Leo, what are you talking about?” Twilight asked.
“Well I think this is a good time to tell everypony what happened, don’t you think Luna?” I asked, directing the question at Luna who pinned her ears back before taking another step backwards. Everypony was now trained on the Princess of the Night.
“Leo, please,” Luna pleaded, my harsh stare not relinquishing any of its ferocity.
“Tell them what happened Luna, or I will and I will not be gentle with the details,” I demanded, Luna staring at all the different faces that were staring back at her. Knowing that she was backed into a corner, the mare let out a heavy sigh before proceeding with her story.
“It was seven years ago when I met Leo,” Luna began.