“NUKE!”

“Nuuuuuke!”

“NUUUUKKEEEE!!!!!”

Nuke rolled his eyes. “WHAT?” he called.

“COME HERE!!” replied his siblings.

The mutant pony trotted into the bedroom, where Skullsmasher, Swordfighter, and Bladeslasher were gathered around one of the cave’s few windows.

“What do you want?” sighed Nuke.

“Come look at this!” shouted Swordfighter, her voice cracking in horror.

Nuke could sense something was wrong from the tone of her voice. He pushed his way through the trio to look outside. His pupils were reduced to thin slits as terror surged through his veins. There, on the grass outside, was a unicorn. She was a beautiful sky blue with gorgeous golden eyes, and her cherry-red mane gave off a healthy glow. While these things made her look good, she certainly wasn’t feeling good. She was caught between two factory workers with long metal pincers used to contain zoo animals. The unicorn’s horn was trapped in one pincer, stopping her from using any kind of magic. She screamed for help, sobbing hysterically in horror as she writhed and struggled.

Suddenly, the other pincer opened wide and closed around her neck, making her cough and choke. The factory workers dragged her away out of sight. The Shadow Ponies strained to look to the left. There was a factory truck parked on the grass, and the two workers threw the pony in there, slammed the metal doors shut, and locked them with a special, magic-proof lock. They then climbed into the truck and started the engine. Even above the roar of the engine, the four siblings could still hear the unicorn’s desperate cries for help. The truck’s wheels moved, and the big, bulky vehicle drove out of sight.

The Shadow Ponies darted away from the window, gasping with horror.

“O-Oh...m-m-my...G-G-God...” stuttered Bladeslasher, eyes wide with fright.

“W-WHY...D-D-DID...YOU...W-WANT...TO...SH-SH-SHOW...ME...TH-THAT?” stammered Nuke, his heart pounding.

“We...thought...y-you...would be...i-i-interested!” answered Skullsmasher.

“WELL I WASN’T!” cried the green pony.

“SORRY!” replied the long-maned Pegasus. “We thought you would go out there and do a Nuclear Blast or something!”

Nuke choked on his spit. “WH-WHAT?!” he screamed. “Are you out of your goddamn MIND?! I ain’t doing no Nuclear Blast! Do you know how much energy that takes?!”

The other siblings shrank back. “S-Sorry...” whimpered Swordfighter.

Nuke sighed, one ear twitching. His shook his fur out and trotted away. “Well, whatever. Who wants lunch?”

“No thanks.”

“Not hungry.”

“I think I just lost my appetite.”

Nuke was about to open the fridge when a sudden feeling washed over him. His stomach now didn’t feel like holding any food of any kind. He slowly backed away from the fridge. “Know what? Me too.” he called.

He walked back into the bedroom and sat down on his bed. His mind was racing. A few months ago, a company built a huge fur factory that captured ponies and used their pelts to make clothes for humans. Many humans had protested against it, lining the streets and shouting, signs and posters gripped in their hands. The Congress had tried to shut down the factory, but once they saw how much money it was raking in and the amount it would give to the government each year, they’d hastily agreed to let the ponies be torn to shreds without a second thought. Since the Congress was much more powerful than the protesters, the attempt to close the factory down was futile. Knowing that they had been defeated, the protesters had solemnly ended their reign and let the factory continue working. Nuke thought it was unbelievable how quickly the protesters had given up. He sighed and curled up on his bed.

“Nuke?” Bladeslasher was standing at his side.

“Yeah?” asked Nuke.

“I’m scared...” Bladeslasher’s ears pressed flat against his head and his wings clasped tightly to his sides. His whole body was shaking. “Wh-What do they do to the ponies th-the people catch?” he stuttered.

Nuke sat up. He then saw that his younger brother had tears trickling from his eyes. The mutant pony pulled Bladeslasher into a hug.

“I...d-don’t w-w-want to b-be...c-c-captured...!” sobbed Bladeslasher.

Nuke let out a breath. “I’m scared, too. I’m...I’m more scared than you.”

Author's Note

Sorry it's short. It's my first fanfic, okay?