the price of freedom

“Get up!” Diamond Tiara yelled, kicking Derpy in the side. Derpy gasped for air and bit her lip, trying not to yell and just taking the abuse.

“What is it Diamond Tiara?” she asked, quietly fighting back the remaining pain from her last beating so she could stand.

“I’m hungry!” the spoiled filly snapped, “where’s my breakfast?! And that’s MASTER Diamond Tiara to you!”

“Yes master Diamond Tiara” the slavemare whimpered, not wanting any more pain.

“Then what are you waiting for?!” she snarled, kicking Derpy in the shin, “get cooking!”

Derpy hobbled as fast as she could to the kitchen, tripping over her own hooves and falling on her face.

“You’re no good for anything” Diamond Tiara snorted, spitting in derpys' face as she walked by. The poor mare bit her tongue and fought back her tears.

She crawled into the kitchen and over to the counter. Using a chair, she managed to climb to her hooves. She went about her work, mixing up a breakfast of pancakes for the family and setting aside some left over scraps from last night’s dinner for her own meager breakfast.

A small bowl on the other end of the counter caught her eye. She had not noticed it before and its contents caused her to salivate uncontrollably.

In the bowl sat a collection of ten or twelve muffins, each baked to a perfect dark golden brown and speckled with various nuts and blueberries. She hadn’t had a muffin in so long. The last time she had was when a kind pink pony had caught her behind a bakery rooting through a dumpster. She didn’t yell at her like most ponies did, instead she gave her a muffin and hopped away.

She started to step closer to the bowl but stopped herself. She knew if she took one the filthy would become furious and most likely beat her again (knowing his hair trigger temperament). But the longer she looked, the more tempted she became until she couldn’t take it anymore.

She looked over to the door to check and see if anyone was looking, then snatched up one of the muffins and hid it under her wing. Having finished her work and set up breakfast she walked swiftly to her room, nearly running as her paranoia kicked into high gear.

She closed her door as quietly as possible and sat on her blanket, listening for movement in the massive house. When she felt completely satisfied that she was safe she pulled the muffin out from under her wing.

She admired it for a few minutes, just taking in the perfectly browned top and liberally applied blueberries that peppered its surface. She held it up to her muzzle and inhaled deeply. Its scent was intoxicating.

Slowly, ever so slowly, she took a bite and began to chew. Her eyes closed in bliss as the sweet flavor of the dessert rolled over her tongue and down her throat. She slowly and meticulously at the rest of it, savoring every bite until it was gone.

“Diamond Tiara!” filthy rich called from the kitchen, “did you have a muffin?”

“No daddy!”

Derpy froze, she knew she was caught. Her eyes grew wide as she heard loud hoofsteps coming towards her. She coward in the corner wrapped in her blanket as the door to her room flew open.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Do you think she’ll be alright?”

“I think so, the fractures aren’t too bad and the cuts are minor. But she should rest for a few days at the least.”

“Thank you doctor”

Derpy awoke on the family couch, bandaged and aching from head to hoof. Her left foreleg was in a cast and her other three legs were badly bruised, one or two with little cuts along her skin. Her right wing was strapped to her side and her left eye was swelled up, making her bad vision even worse. She moaned and clenched her teeth, she was sore all over and her head felt like it was going to explode.

Filthy rich was standing over her with a deep scowl imprinted on his face, he had a couple butterfly stitches over his eye but other than that he seemed unaffected from the night before. “I hope you learned your lesson Derpy.”

“Wh – what happened?” she groaned, shifting her weight off of her injured wing with a gasp of pain.

Filthy leaned in even closer, an eerie grin creeping onto his face. “If you ever, if you EVER! Steal from me again…” he leaned in so close Derpy could smell the whiskey that stained his breath, “… then the doctor won’t be the one who’s called, but a hearse!” he stood up and walked away, leaving Derpy to stare out the window.

It was nighttime now, she had blacked out during her beating and had apparently been out all day. She stared out the big bay window next to her, into the night sky. How she wished she could be out there, sleeping on a cloud, free as a bird with nothing to hold her down.

A bright light shot across the black velvet sky, leaving a glowing streak behind it. Derpy closed her eyes and repeated her wish, quietly whispering the words.

“I wish I were free.”

She didn’t bother to open her eyes again, she was exhausted. She stared at the back of her eyelids as she once again drifted into unconsciousness, her dreams carrying her away.