Fateless

Grey hadn’t moved. Applebloom had sat in the darkness of the hole for almost thirty minutes waiting for him to stir. She could hear his soft breathing coming from the  exact place where his body had fallen.

Slowly getting to her hooves she crept to blackness where she last saw him. Her hoof bumped into another ponies, she stopped.

Grey didn’t make a noise, instead he continued to lie there unconcious. She reached a hoof out and found his body. She felt along feeling her hoof pass over a wing, the feathers were sticking out at random directions and a few of them were wet. She pulled back realizing that this was most likely blood.

Taking a deep breath she reached back towards him. She found his chest and gently gave him a shake.

He let out a moan. Applebloom sat down staring at the place where he was lying. She had meant to save his life, instead she made it worse. She felt tears well up in her eyes.

She quickly got a grip on herself, this was no time to break down. Reaching forward again she put her hooves under his front legs and began to drag him to a side wall of the hole.

He let out a soft moan again as she dragged him across the dirt, he was suprisingly light. When she felt her back legs hit the dirt wall she dragged him up to it and propped him up against it.

She shuffled back a few and sat down, staring at the blackness where Grey was now propped up.

She stared at the black space where he was, she had so many questions. She also had so many apologies she wanted to make, she couldn’t help but feel that his situation was partially her fault.

She waited.

It was impossible to tell how much time had passes when he stirred. It was hard to tell in a black hole. The first thing she heard was a shuffle of wings, the next was another moan.

“ohhhh fuck…” she heard him groan, his voice was almost as deep as Big Mac’s. Though it was nowhere near as rugged or rough sounding.

She heard him sigh, and waited for him to say something else. Then, remembering that they were encased in total blackness, she realized he probably thought he was alone down here.

She got to her hooves, and what happened next she didn’t see coming. Suddenly she found herself pinned to the ground underneath two hooves.

“Gotcha,” She heard Grey spit out. “Who the fuck are you and where am I?”

“A-Appleblom,” she managed to stammer out, “This is the hole, please don’t hurt me!”

She felt the pressure of the hooves lift up as Grey leaned back.

“You…. You’re the one that screamed….” He said quietly.

Applebloom didn’t know what to say, his voice had a hint of shock in it. There was silence between them for a moment, Applebloom was the first to break it.

“I’m sorry…. I’m so sorry…. I thought I was helping.”

It took a moment for Grey to respond.

“You did, if you hadn’t screamed they would have gotten the drop on me. I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I had if it weren’t for you…”

“But your wings… the-“

He let out a chuckle and she heard his wings shuffle again. She felt the pressure lift of her chest as she heard him sit back against the wall, “This? This is nothing, if you knew what I have been through… well you’d be laughing too.”

“And what have you been through?” Appleblom asked hesitantly curiosity getting the best of her.

“I… well….. I’d rather not burden you,” He said she could hear the strain in his voice.

“Oh… ok.” She found her self staring at the black place she assumed Grey was sitting.  He didn’t seem to like talking that much, she noted after they had been sitting in silence for quite some time.

“So… where were you going?”

Once again it took a moment before Grey responded.

“I’m not so sure I want to tell you…”

“Oh come on, we’re down here in a hole…. No ones going to hear you.”

“Look… Applebloom, there are things that I would prefer to keep to myself you hear? Now can you please just drop it?”

“Ok ok….” She waited a few minutes, she couldn’t help herself and asked another question.

“Where are you from?”

“Nowhere.”

Applebloom sighed, he really wasn’t going to tell her anything.

Grey hearing her sigh spoke again, “No im serious, I have never had a real home… I mean, once when I was little.”

There was a short pause before he spoke again, when he did there was a great amount of sorrow in his voice.

“Things… things didn’t work out so well.”

Applebloom waited for him to continue, when he didn’t she decided to talk about herself.

“I don’t have a home anymore…” She looked towards the ground, a tear ran down her cheek.

“They took my family from me… they took my life,” She closed her eyes and let the pain in, she hadnt realized how long she had been keeping it out. She felt herself begin to cry.

Suddenly she felt a hoof on her shoulder, she heard Grey’s voice again, “these ponies… they will get what they deserve, im going to make sure of that.”

Applebloom sniffed and wiped her eyes, “How? I have been trying to think of a way out of this place since I got here.”

Grey’s hoof left her shoulder and she heard him stand up. She felt a prescence walk past her, she heard his hoofsteps retreat to where the center of the hole was.

He spoke as he walked, “Applebloom, if there is one thing that im good at. It’s surviving. Once we get out of this hole, you and I can work together to find a way out of this place.”

Applebloom turned to look in the direction of the voice, “you mean you’ll help?”

“Well only if you help me in return… once we get out of here, I need to head back north.”

“Why?” She asked once again.

There was silence. His response was slow and measured, as if he was thinking it through as he spoke, “Look, if we get out of here and escape… I will explain everything. But priority one for now is an escape plan.”

She heard him shuffle around on the ground for a moment.

“Ah! Here we go.” She heard him say pleased. “I think its about time we got some light down here.”

She heard him grunt and suddenly there was a small beam of light coming down through the hole in the dirt ceiling. She saw his shape move out of the light and something came down the hole and thunked on the ground.

She walked over to it and looked down at it in the dim light, it was a rock. She looked back up the hole, in the tarp there was now a small hole where Grey had thrown the rock.

“A little better no?” She heard his voice speak from beside her. She turned to look at him.

She could just barely make out his features in the dim light, he was a solid stone grey color, his spikey hair started out white and ended in black tips. His eyes were an electric blue, they seemed to look straight through her.

“Y-yeah.” She said.

He smiled at her, “So how did you end up down here?”

She frowned as she thought of Lance, “I bucked a guard in the face.”

“Really? A little filly like yourself...” She glared over at him and saw he was smirking.

“I’ll have you know I can take care of myself,” she stated.

“I don’t dobut that, the way you defended yourself a few minutes ago eliminated any thoughts that you were weak and helpless.” He chuckled.

Applebloom couldn’t help but smile just a little bit, it felt like she was talking with her friends back in Ponyville. Then she looked away from him and remembered where she was, her smile quickly left.

“So how long are we down here?” Grey asked her.

“I don’t know, I have no idea how long I’ve been in here for…. Flint said he would let me out in two days.”

“Im assuming I wont be joining you when you leave.” He said his expression dropping into a grimace.

“I really don’t know…”

Grey stood and spread his wings, turning his head he took a look at them in the dim light. “Damn they really messed me up…”

He lifted a wing closer to his mouth and began to shift the feathers back into position. He grimaced when he moved one that was covered in a large amount of blood.

Applebloom watched, she felt helpless watching him suffer. “Is there anything I can do?” She asked.

“Nah, they just removed the primaries. They would normally fall out when they are ready… but seeing as they wernt” He let out a groan as he moved more feathers back into place.

Applebloom sat in the middle of the small dim pillar of light and watched as he continued to fix his wings, “I’m really sorry… “

“Look Bloom, can I call you Bloom? It’s really no big deal.”

“How can you say that! Look at you!” She gestured to his bent and battered wings.

“Seriously I’-“

Suddenly light burst down the hole, Applebloom turned to look up the light blinding her for a moment.

“Hey Applebloom, its me Flint,” A head appeared over the side of the hole. “look im sending a rope down, you grab a hold and ill pull you up… ONLY you.”

A rope fell down the hole and landed next to her, she cast a glance over to Grey. His blue eyes peirced back at her through the dark where he was sitting.

“Go ahead ill be fine,” he said giving her a small smile. “Ill see you topside.”

Flint yelled down from above them, “Hey! Hurry it up down there.”

Applebloom turned to Grey again, “I know you told me to stop, but I really feel awful…”

She bent her head down and picked up the rope in her teeth, feeling it tighten she felt herself lifted off the floor. She cast a look towards Grey, he sat there watching her rise into the light. Before he passed out of her veiw he raised a hoof and gave a small wave.

Applebloom felt her hooves hit the solid ground above, Flint looked her up and donw.

“You good?” he asked her.

She looked up from the hole, she had been staring down into it for a while.

“Yeah… ill be fine.”

“Listen, it’s the last thing I wanted to do. But if I hadn’t I would have been the one down there with you…”

Applebloom nodded silently, Flint walked over to the door and opened it to the courtyard.

“Alright, well your group is over by the forge, you're on armor duty today.”

She glanced one more tim back at the hole, Flint had just lowered the tarp back over it. She then turned and trotted over to the door and walked out, Flint followed.

“The forge is outside the gate, take a right… oh and don’t run… I think you learned why your first night.”

Applebloom grimaced, the memory of the yellow stallion becoming fresh in her mind. She nodded and walked through the courtyard. She looked around, there were more ponies out walking around.

Most of them wore the full suits of armor that the guards wore. The metal was painted black with red trimmings. Some were off in a corner sparring, others shooting bows at the training dummies.

She made her way out of the gate and stood looking into the forest. Freedom was before her... she could almost hear the forest calling to her. She almost thought about making a run for it, she turned her head and immediately was glad she suppressed the thought.

Standing next to her was Oaf, the massive brown pony was looking out into the forest also. He was wearing the black armor, his helmet however was off it was hanging off the handle of his hammer.

He turned his head and stared down at her, again for just a breif moment his face was not the hard expressionless mask. Instead his eyes looked filled with fear, his face was an expression of great sadness.

Suddenly if becoming aware that she was staring at him the mask returned. He turned his body to the side and gestured down the wall of the fortress. Applebloom looked where he was pointing and saw a small open air tent with smoke billowing out of slits in the roof.

Underneath she could see Boomer, Stormbane, and Slate, along with the rest of her group. She looked up at Oaf, he nodded at her, She slowly began her walk down towards the group.

“Applebloom!” she heard  Boomer squeak.

Stormbane looked up from a helmet that she was sharpening and smiled. Slate looked up from the billow he was pressing on and nodded at her.

Applebloom stood under the tent watching the ponies work. Oaf suddenly appeared next to her and strode by into the tent. He took his place in the middle of the action and grabbed a pair of tongs and removed a plate of metal from the coals.

Applebloom didn’t know what to do, she stood motionless where she had stopped. Oaf after striking the metal a few times replaced it back into the fire. Noticing Applebloom he pointed at her then to a grindstone next to Stormbane.

She trotted over and sat down at the machine, Stormbane handed her a helmet.

“So what happened to you?” She asked as Applebloom took the helmet.

“I got put in a hole, and before you ask its exactly what it sounds like.” She said.

“That’s it?” She asked skeptically.

“Well, I met another pony down there, his name is Grey.”

“Oh! Is he the guy they brought in all tied up?”

“I don’t know, they hurt him pretty badly then threw him in with me.”

“Was he a grey pegasus?”

“Yeah”

“Then that’s him, did you talk to him? Whats he like.”

Applebloom looked up from the helmet she had begun to sharpen on the grindstone. She stared at Oaf, he was paying no attention to their convorsation. He was busy once again pounding the metal into a new shape.

“I think he can help us…”

“Really?”

“Yeah, he’s definitely on our side, he told me he wants to get out of here.”

“Are you sure, the more people we have in on this the more likely someone will find out.”

“I trust him…”

“You barely know him!”

She stared at Stormbane skepticaly.

“I barely know you!”

Stormbane was silent for a little while.

“Fine where is he anyway? Didn’t he come out with you.”

“No they left him in the hole, “  She looked towards the ground and frowned, “I’m not sure how long he’s going to be down there.”

The two mares continued to grind the helmets in silence for a few moments. Applebloom thought about Grey, was Stormbane right? Would more ponies be risky? Grey had seemed so sure about himself though. No, she was sure she could trust him, Stormbane would like him, they just had to meet.

She turned her thought towards the helmet she was grinding. Her thoughts returning to the first night and how she had planned to take the place apart from the inside. It would be easy to break the helmet, it wouldn’t be that hard just put it the wrong way on the stone and the blade would be dulled in seconds.

Would it really be worth it though. She would most likely be punished and they would just re sharpen it. She looked over to stormbane who had finished with a helmet and was placing it on her head.

Applebloom stared at her, “Ummm what are you doing?”

“Trying it on, duhh.”

“Why?”

“Well I have to make sure it fits don’t I?”

“Wait you mean… this is our armor?”

Stormbane turned and laughed at her, “Yep, sorry they used my measurements for your armor. I think it will fit you ok though.”

Applebloom looked down at the helmet, the blades she had just been sharpening gleamed back at her.

“But why do we need armor… we haven’t even been trained yet!”

Suddenly Lance’s voice sounded from behind her, “Oh well you're going to need this for your training.”

Applebloom whipped around, Lance was standing at the edge of the tent smirking. One of his front right teeth was missing. Applebloom began to rise up from the seat she was on.

“Relax,” Lance said, “I’m not hear to kick your ass… ill leave that to the bugs.”

Applebloom narrowed her eyes at him.

“What do you mean?”

Lance smiled his crooked grin, “Well you see… recently a nearby changling hive has moved, when they leave the walls of their hives begin to dissolve. The fluid that is left behind is extremely volitle and when met with extreme friction or heat becomes… quite explosive.”

He trotted closer to the two mares sitting at the grinding stones.

“Well you see, we use this fluid to create explosives. And when the commander heard that a hive had been abandoned so close and so recently he immediately requested we retrieve the substance.”

He was very close to Applebloom and she could smell his rotten breath on her face.

“But you see… volunteer squads were hard to come by, so I offered up the idea of sending the new recruits. It would be a valuable training exercise and if any of you died…. Well It wouldn’t be that big of a loss.”

He lifted a hoof and gave her a shove laughing.

Suddenly Lance was stumbling backwards, Oaf had come out of nowhere and was standing in between Lance and Applebloom. Oaf raised one massive hoof and gave lance a shove, he tumbled backwards and fell on his back.

Stumbling to his hooves he gave Oaf a glare, the massive pony stared back menacingly. Lance turned his gaze to Applebloom and smiled once again.

“Good luck on your mission recruit,” he turned to walk away. “You're going to need it.”

As Lance retreated into the distance, Oaf slowly turned and walked back to the center of the tent. He resumed pounding on the metal. Applebloom stared at him for a moment before turning her gaze down into the helmet in her hooves.

The empty eye holes stared back at her. She looked over at Stormbane who had removed the helmet from her head and had returned to sharpening the blades.

Slate walked over to the two of them, “hes not serious was he?”

Suddenly Flints voice was heard over the pounding of metal. The ponies once again turned to look, Flint was walking towards them fully suited up in his armor.

“Oh he was serious allright, Oaf we have a new pony that needs a set of armor.” Flint walked over to the center of the tent and removed a piece of parchment from a bag on his side. “Make sure its ready by tomorrow.”

Flint turned to look at the rest of the ponies in the tent, “Alright everypony listen up, your group has been assigned the task of retrieving a highly volitle substance from an abandoned hive.”

He paused for just a moment taking in there frightened expressions. Lowering his voice he continued in a more casual manner.

“Look Lance was just trying spook you guys. The scouts have already confirmed that it is abandoned so no worries. And besdides myself and Oaf are going to be accompanying your group, seeing we need the big guy to pull the cart.”

Applebloom turned to look at the large brown pony who was still flattening metal with a hammer. She wasn’t sure having him with them made her more comfortable. Flint continued, returning to his commanding voice.

“Alright, I want you all do be suited up and ready by dawn tomorrow. Is that understood!”

The group of ponies nodded. Flint turned and walked back towards the gate.

Boomer trotted over to where the three ponies were standing.

“Oh my goodness,” She squeaked out. “This sounds awfully dangerous.”

Applebloom looked over at Oaf who was bending a piece of metal in his hooves. Going out into the forest with a massive emotionally unstable pony? Dangerous? Boomer had no idea.