A Cross To Bear

The carriage must have traveled for ten minutes or so. Silver Cross lay curled on one seat, the lady sitting next to her, ignoring her. Silver had no idea where they were going. Her last carriage ride had led to really bad things happening. She'd like to think this one was going to be different, but why would it be?

As she lay there gloomily, the carriage came to a stop. The driver came around and opened the side door for the lady.

"We're here, Mistress," he said.

"Thank you, Agares," she replied, and stepped out.

Well, they must be wherever they were going. Silver Cross wasn't really sure she wanted the ride to be over, though. She was tired and hurt and would rather just lay there. Of course, she wasn't sure what would happen if she didn't come along, either.

"Agares, stay with that foal while I go get the Princesses."

She probably hadn't heard that last right. Why would the princesses be here?

Now the lady had left her there with that stallion standing outside the door. She didn't think he was going to do anything to her. Still, maybe she should just pretend to be asleep? She wasn't sure that'd help, since woken up at least once to having her legs grabbed and her tail.... shoved aside, but it couldn't hurt. She closed her eyes and tried to pretend the world wasn't there.

A few minutes later, she heard hoofsteps outside.

"I found the filly in the dungeon of Blueblood's house," she heard the lady say. "She's been obviously been raped by the pervert."

It sounded like she was back and was talking about her, though she wasn't sure what all the words meant. Silver Cross just breathed in and out, and tried not to be there as much as she could.

She heard the door open and close, though with her eyes closed, she couldn't really see who it was. Nopony bothered her, anyway.

"There she is. What do you want me to do with her?" the lady said.

An unfamiliar voice chuckled.  "Say, Cielia, would you mind adopting her?"

What did 'adopting' mean? Nothing good, judging by the ladies reaction.

"What?!"

"You heard what I said. I want you to adopt her," the voice replied, sounding amused. "It'll be entertaining, since you're an akuma."

Silver decided to stop trying to even understand this conversation. It made no sense to her.

The lady sighed. "Fine, I'll do it."

She wished she could go home, but daddy had told her to go with the bad stallion. He'd just make her go back. She wished everything was different.

"I'm assuming her parents left her because they couldn't take care of her," the lady continued. "That or either her parents are indebted to Blueblood."

She hadn't cared for baths before, but she'd really like one now. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had one. She felt dirty all over. Though she'd feel dirty anyways, with what he'd done to her.

"One of my servants will send you an adoption form tomorrow," the voice said. "For now, take her to your manor and give her a bath."

Was that something about a bath? She cracked one eye open for a minute.

"I'll be going now. Goodbye."

She saw the lady step back in the carriage, and that stallion - Agrees? - went back up front. Then the carriage took off.

Well, they were moving again. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. For all she knew, maybe they were taking her back. Though hopefully they were taking her to get a bath. The lady seemed to be ignoring her, at least. Ignored was good.

Cielia glanced over to the filly. "Say, what's your name, anyways?"

So much for being ignored. She supposed she'd better answer. Bad things tended to happen if she didn't do what she was told. Of course, bad things tended to happen if she did do what she was told...

Given that her eyes were open, she didn't think she could pretend to be asleep, at least.

"S-Silver C-Cross..." she stammered out nervously.

"I see," the lady said. "How old are you?"

Where was this going? She wondered what day it was or how long she'd been in her cage, so she couldn't even give a good answer to her.

"Er, 8 or 9?" she guessed. She might have had a birthday in there.

"Hm. Perhaps this'll help us find your real parents."

Maybe she shouldn't have said that, then. If she found daddy, she'd just end up with the bad man again. She might have already said too much. Thinking about going back, she shivered.

Silver Cross lay there in silence for a few hours, until eventually the carriage stopped again.

Had they finally gotten where they were going? She couldn't really tell where they were. Not that she'd really known where she was for a long time now. This time, a young teenage stallion opened the carriage door.

"Welcome back Mistress!" he said, enthusiastically.

Mistress? That sounded awful lot like 'Master'. He'd wanted to be called that, when he'd even acknowledged her at all.

"Hm, good afternoon Finnian," the lady replied.

Finnian stepped aside to let her out. A mare dressed in a maid's uniform stood next to him.

"Huh? Who's this?" he said, spotting her.

"A guest?" the maid asked.

You know, she'd kinda like to know the answer to that question herself. She stayed quiet.

"She's going to be staying here. I've adopted her," the lady said. "Maylene, prepare a bath for her."

She was going to be staying here? She wasn't totally sure about what adopted meant. Maybe that was something like owned? Perhaps she'd been sold to the lady now? That could be good or bad, she supposed. A bath sounded nice, though.

"Yes, Mistress!" the maid said. "But wait, what is her name?"

Already starting to walk away, the lady glanced back. "Her name is Silver Cross."

Then she continued on her way.

Well, the lady was gone. Who had she left her with? Maylene?

"Silver Cross, follow me!" she said, in a voice that sounded like she was trying to be stern.

You know, she might be able to just take off. They might not find her. They'd probably catch her before she got too far, though. Besides, she hadn't had a good meal in quite a while, and it hurt to move a bit. She slowly tried to get down from the seat.

Maylene extended a hoof to help Silver Cross out, but she shied away and hopped down, a join of pain  as she hit the ground.There was a big fancy house nearby. She guessed that was where she was supposed to go?

"Follow me." Maylene started walking toward the manor.

Silver Cross followed her slowly, wincing every so often as walked. No matter what she did, at least one of her bruises got hit or rubbed against when she moved, and it hurt.

Eventually they made it to the first floor bathroom. Leading Silver Cross in, Maylene bent over the bathtub to fill it with warm water.

Silver Cross sighed. She was finally going to get a bath. She looked over the dirt and grime, and other unpleasant substances matted in her coat, the bloodstains on her hindquarters, and occasional cuts and bruises. She was more than ready for this. It had been a long time.

Finishing, Maylene turned to her. "Ok, it's ready."

Then she left the bathroom, leaving Silver Cross alone.

She wasn't staying? Good. She'd been worried the maid would want to scrub her down, and she wasn't sure how well she'd handle that.

She climbed into the warm bathwater and sighed. It felt wonderful. She could stay in here all day.

Next to her was a pink bar of soap and some shampoo.

She grabbed the soap and a scrub brush, and started trying to work some of the grime off, wincing when she hit a bruise. The water in the tub gradually turned muddy and fairly disgusting-looking.

Hmm. She thought there was a plug down there somewhere. She fished around wih one hoof, pulled it out, and drained the water. Rinsing out the tub, she put the plug back in, and filled it back up, nearly burning herself before she got the temperature right.

Silver Cross had to do this several times before her coat was back to its normal light grey rather than the rather darker shade it had gotten to. Of course, now you could clearly see most of her bruises, too, and the occasional cut marks. Before the dirt and grime had made them less obvious.

She started shampooing up her mane and tail. She had to wash and wring them out quite a few times, too, but eventually they went back to a light brown color. She rinsed off one final time, drained the tub, and got out.

Standing in the bathroom, sopping wet, there was a large towel hanging on a wall barely in reach of her muzzle. She grabbed it with her teeth, pulled, and it fell, covering her. She started drying herself off with it as best as she could.

Stumbling out, towel wrapped around her mane and waist, she was surprised to see the girl from before there with some clothes. She hadn't worn clothes in a long time, ever since what happened to her last ones. Were those for her? They didn't seem like anything she was really familiar with, either.

Maylene nodded to her, indicating the clothes. "It often gets very cold here at night, so please wear this."

These were hers? They looked kinda complicated to get on. She supposed she'd do her best to try, though.

She grabbed what looked like a shirt first, and pulled it on. Then she started puzzling over the other items. Lets see, now there was some sort of skirt. Once she had that on, there was this long robe thing she figured she was supposed to wrap around her somehow. It was all very confusing.

 "Do you want me to help you?" Maylene asked politely.

 Well, she didn't really want anypony touching her, but she wasn't sure how to put this on.

"How am I supposed to wear this?" Silver Cross asked. "I wrap it around me somehow?"

"Well, I think you could just wear the robe for now. You can tie the Obi by yourself, right?"

Well, tying things was easy, though she wasn't sure what an Obie was. Nothing like an Oboe, she assumed.

"I think so."

Silver Cross grabbed some sort of tie and tied it around about where she thought it was supposed to be. Maylene clapped her hooves.

 "Okay, that's good enough. Would you like some dinner?"

 A real, proper meal? She was sure something bad was gonna happen, but she may as well enjoy it while it lasted.

"Um, yes please," she said, trying to remember her manners. they were kinda rusty, by now.

 "Follow me." Maylene walked down the hall.

 She followed, trying not to trip on the weird clothing. It still hurt occasionally as she walked, as some of her bruises were in places that made walking a little awkward. But she managed, if slowly.

Soon enough, they made it to some sort of dining room. A teenage colt and the lady were sitting at a table, and the stallion from before was pushing a cart with a pot towards them.

Silver Cross looked at them. There was a table there, but she wasn't really sure if this was where she was supposed to be eating. Maybe they were just passing through. And if she was supposed to eat here, where was she supposed to sit?

Maylene gestured to a chair, not too far from the others. "Please sit down."

 Well, that answers that. Silver Cross sat down in the chair, and a look of pain crossed her face. She'd managed to sit right on a big bruise. She squirmed around a little, trying to shift her weight around so she was more comfortable.

As she did so, Agares put a plate in front of her with curry and rice on it. He then put similar plates in front of the other two. Mylene seemed to have left the room while she was settling down.

The smell from the curry came up to her nose, and her mouth watered. It smelled really good. She knew better than to count on it, though. He'd done that to her in the past, putting really good food in front of her, then eating it when she tried to take a bite. Still, it looked delicious.

The other two seemed not to be concerned about this, and started in as Agares moved away from the table. After a moment, she decided it was safe enough. She took a bite, and then another. It was just as good as it looked.

She knew she ought to slow down and eat politely, and she tried a little, but she was too hungry. Pretty soon every last speck of food on the plate was gone.

Silently gliding over, Agares looked down at her. "Would you like another serving?"

 More? She'd best get it while she had a chance. Meals weren't exactly an everyday thing for her.

"Yes, please."

 He ladled out another serving of curry and rice, then left.

 This time, she managed to eat this plate of curry slower and somewhat more politely. It still vanished just as thoroughly, though.

As the other two finished their own servings, the stallion brought out three plates of French pudding.

This caused her to cringe a little. The last time she'd eaten pudding, it hadn't been on a plate. Or by her choice. Still, she managed to finish it off.

The other two seemed to have finished their own servings as well. The lady stood.

"Well, that was good. Goodnight." She gestured at Silver Cross. "Agares, show Silver Cross her bedroom."

The lady turned and walked down the hall, paying no further attention to anypony in the room, and the lanky teenage colt walked behind her.

" Please follow me." Agares began walking down the hall.

She followed him as best she could. A staircase later, and feeling like she'd never remember the layout of this place, they came to a room. The stallion opened the door, and motioned her in.

This room was a really fancy bedroom. The floors were hard wood and a large mirror sat on a dresser on one wall. There was a fancy high up bed, with lots of pillows. A comfy chair was in one corner. There was a couch and a television. And curtains hid a large window.

Nervous, she looked around the room apprehensively. She'd been in a room like this before, and it had never gone well for her. This room was all too similar to his in a few ways. Especially the bed.

The stallion bid her goodnight, and walked out the door, closing it behind him. Well, she was all alone in the scary room. That was better than not being alone there, she guessed.

Silver Cross walked up to the mirror, since she hadn't really been paying attention back in the bathroom. It'd really been a long time since she'd gotten a good look at herself, and she really looked different.

The kimono looked strange on her, and she was a lot skinnier than she remembered, for one. Her mane was long and all over the place, not having been cut in a long time. And all the bruises and cuts certainly didn't help her appearance any.

The basics were still the same. Same light grey fur, same light brown mane.  She did look different somehow, though, but she couldn't really place it. There was a look in her yellowish-green eyes she didn't really remember being there before, though.

Maybe it was just attitude. The last time she'd looked in the mirror, she hadn't a care in the world. And she'd thought her daddy loved her. Now she knew better. She wasn't even sure such a thing existed, for her, anyways.

Oh, there was a calendar over her with the date marked off. Well, what do you know? She was 9. Her birthday had been yesterday. She'd wondered about that, since she'd lost track of time, or even day or night, quite a while ago.

She looked around some more, and wandered over to the windows. They were huge. She wondered if there was a balcony or something there. It'd be nice to get outside for a while. Being in here was better than in a cage, but outside - outside was free. Something she hadn't been in a long time.

The clock struck 10 o' clock and it was very dark outside.

Hmm, it was pretty late. Maybe she should get some sleep. Not in the bed, though. The last times she'd been in a bed had very unpleasant. She moved the chair to the far corner of the room, positioning it where she'd have a good view of anypony coming in.

Grabbing a soft cushion, she put that on the chair. With all her bruises, she'd need that. Then

she grabbed a blanket, and took it to the chairs as well. Then she turned out the lights, leaving only a light coming from where the door was open a crack.

Curling up on the cushion, she pulled the blanket over her, head poking out, and watched the door, trying to get to sleep.

The minutes and hours ticked by slowly. Getting to sleep was difficult. She wasn't really that tired, not having been on a sleep schedule anywhere near normal. There had been a lot of excitement. And most of all, she was still scared he would show up, and take her away.

That night was not a particularly quiet one in that room. Low music started drifting at some point, with what sounded like a lullaby, but it didn't really help her state of mind. Sleep did not come easily, and when it did, her dreams were not pleasant ones.

In the majority of them, she was back in her cage, or in Bluebloods bedroom, and all manner of unspeakable things were being done to her. One particularly bad one left her screaming and thrashing around in her blanket in her sleep, without waking her up.

After a few minutes, running hoofsteps could be heard going through the hall towards her room, and the music came to a halt. She was oblivious, and continued thrashing around, clothes drenched in sweat, and her tail curled tightly between her hind legs.

The teenage colt from dinner burst into her room at a gallop. "Are you alright?"

Still on her chair, Silver Cross was still tangled up in the blanket, locked in her dream.

"No! Get off of me! Stop it!" She pushed away at the blanket in front of her,  clearly unaware anyone else was in the room.

 Maylene stumbled into the room and flipped on the lights. "S-Silver Cross!"

Next in the room was a brown stallion with a thick mustache and navy cap on. Seeing Silver Cross's state, he walked over to the chair.

"Wake up, sweet little filly," he said. "Your uncle Nautilus is here."

"That sounds so perverted. Nautilus," the teenager commented, walking up behind him.

In response, Maylene smacked him upside the head. Nautilus elbowed him as well, sending him into the wall. "That's Uncle Nautilus to you, Avery."

Avery rubbed his head. "Ow…"

In the meantime, Silver Cross's screaming had just turned into non-stop whimpering and crying, and she still was totally unaware of her surroundings.

Maylene pointed at Silver Cross. "We really need to wake her up, yes?"

Nautilus pulled the blanket aside, grabed her shoulders, and started shaking her.

As Silver Cross came back to consciousness, she became aware of a few things. First, he was not lying on top of her. Second, she was not in her cage, or his bedroom. Third, the room was full of ponies, and one of them was shaking her, though she couldn't see anything clearly.

Of course, being shaken awake was kinda scary in itself.

"W-Where am I?" she asked, still halfway asleep.

Nautilus stopped shaking her. "Good morning, Cross. You're in your room at Phantomhive manor. I'm your Uncle Nautilus."

"Not in my cage?" she said, plaintively.

"No. you're not, Cross," he replied.

 "And he's not here?"

"No, he's not here. Cross. I shall never let anything hurt you."

Silver Cross looked at him doubtfully. She remembered the strange events of the previous day now, but she didn't remember ever meeting this 'uncle' of hers before. Her family'd always been small. Mommy, who was dead, and daddy. And he had told her he'd bought her from daddy, so she didn't have a family now.

Never letting anything hurt her seemed unlikely, anyways. And how did he know anything about her? All the lady had told anypony else that she had heard was her name.

While she was thinking about this, the teenage colt got up and approached her,  with a concerned look on his face.

"You were screaming and thrashing about in your sleep. Are you alright?"

She considered the question. She wasn't sure the last time anypony had asked her if she was alright. The answer, though, was obvious.

"No."

Brr, it was chilly. She should take off this robe, since it was soaked.

Silver Cross slowly took it off, and wrapped the blanket around her properly, untangling it. She glanced around at all the ponies she'd woken up.

"I'm sorry. You can all go back to sleep. I won't wake you up again tonight."

And she wouldn't. She didn't really need sleep, anyways.