Fire and Ash

                Best Laid Plans

“Escape, aha” he proceeded to burst in uncontrolled laughter right in front of me”you wouldn't believe how many times ponies have said that to me, the conversation all ways ends the same way,if you try and escape you will die its that simple” I frowned “Oh get rid of that look your new here so ill tell you about what happened to the last group of so called escapists,”

Steel cleared his throat then continued “ About three months ago a group of eight ponies and one Minotaur decided to try and escape, the plan was going very well until they got spotted by a guard they hadn’t planed for' you see the shifts change all the time so you cant plan for one, anyway they then got caught and they were used to make an example ….”

He paused for a few moments before continuing “We were all awoken and taken to the main chamber, they made us stand in a line and watch as they slit the survivors throat's, one of them was just five years old, no one has planed an escape since then”

It was at this point he began to stare of into the distance thoughtfully. I couldn't believe it, they executed prisoners, and a child at that. Yes I most definitely wanted to kill every dog I could find right now.

Steel hoof quickly broke out of his trance “Don't go thinking about some glorious escape,it will just end with you and many more ponies dead,” he sighed “ You might be able to pull it of if we had magic, but we can't without any unicorns.”

I perked up at that statement, would he be willing to give it a go if he knew I could do magic? Or would he just call the guards in hope for a reward ? I though for a few moments “ Would you be willing to try if we had someone who can do magic?”

“I would be willing but like I said we don't have any unicorns”

I was about to tell him what I meant but I was interrupted by the ringing of another bell, I glanced down at steel hoof about to ask what that meant but he cut in probably anticipating what I was going to ask “It means we are about to get some food, I hope.”

Thank god I’m starving, as if on cue my stomach grumbled as screamed for food. A dog was passing down the corridor handing out bowls of... something. I took one of the bowls that it had placed just in side the cell and give it a sniff, it smelt like grass, even though it looked like a brown paste.

I scooped up a bit on my finger and took a taste, and instantly spat it out “ This tastes like fucking grass”

“That's because it is grass” steel replied “ why? What do you monkeys eat?”

I sighed for the last time I'm not a monkey, I am a human and we can eat many things, fruit, veg, steak but best of all is bacon.

“What's bacon?”

“Bacon is the meat of a Pig” my lips began to water at that, what I would do for a nice bacon sandwich.

Steel flinched at that “So you’re a carnivore then” he wheezed out and began backing away.

It as rather humorous really, I considered shouting boo very loudly but that would have just been sadistic.

“Don't worry I don't eat pony” steel relaxed at this “But then again, things change” I said with a predatory grin

his face dropped, I tried keeping a straight face as long as possible, the silence didn't last long before I burst into laughter. “ha-ha you should see your face, priceless!”

Steel blinked a few times “Wait so your not going to eat me?”

“Of course I wouldn't eat you, I'd never eat anything that can talk.” And I meant that I would never eat something that could talk, unless maybe my life depended on it.

I needed something to break the ice, “ You have any family?” that sounded good but the look steel gave me told me other wise

“I don't want to talk about it”

“OK” was all I could muster after the look he gave me, that killed all hopes of a conversation.

After a few minutes of silence I yawed realising I hadn't gotten any sleep in what felt like 1thirteen hours I picked up the potato sack and rested it against the wall as a make shift pillow. I placed my head against it, I hope this is just some crazy dream that I will wake up from none the wiser tomorrow I thought before I drifted into a dreamless sleep.

“Well fuck” I groaned “guess this isn’t some fucked up dream after all” my body ached from sleeping on the hard floor, why couldn’t this have all just been some weird dream. But then again the universe always seemed to hate me, no matter where I was.

I turned my head to find steel hoof sleeping in a similar way,

I could feel my magic returning now, it was faint but it was most definitely there. Soon I would be back at full power. Maybe I should test it now. I picked out a small stone on the opposite side of the cell and focused on it. Stretched out my hand and focused on lifting it in the air, the stone slowly raised into the, before shooting out of my control into the ceiling leaving a small hole along with aloud bang.

I sat there mouth agape, I didn't put that much power into it, that shouldn’t have happened. My musing on the matter was cut short by steel hoof muttering “what the buck was that” before pushing himself up into a sitting position.

He stared at me looking for an explanation to what the noise was.”I don't know, one of the guards down the hall maybe?” I probably said a little to quickly.

He was about to say something before dogs began running into the hall checking all the cells for any sign of a break out. When they got to my cell he eyed me warily, my heart was trying to rip out of my chest at the speed it was beating, please don't look at the ceiling I thought as it began unlocking the door.

The dog entered flanked by two other guards, he walked right up to me his eyes never leaving mine. “I don't like being stared at, ape”

I opened my mouth to humour him but was stooped in my tracks as a heavily armoured paw smashed into my stomach. The air left my lungs as I fell to the ground. It let out a grunting laugh before leaving the cell and locking it behind him.

After a few moments of enduring the agony I tried getting up into a sitting position only to be met with more pain.

“Are you OK? “ a small voice whispered to my left, it was steel. He walked over began helping me into a sitting position.

“Yeah I’m OK, my magic will heal any internal damage.” oh shit, please don't notice the last part, please, please, please.

“Wait you can do magic?” he asked shocked “ How? They kill anything that can do magic.”

Well I guess keeping a secret now is impossible, stupid fucking brain

“I guess its a good thing they haven’t seen a human before then, isn’t it.”

The pain in my stomach was fading now but it was still incredibly painful, stupid fucking dog.

We sat in silence for a before we heard the familiar ringing of a bell that signified the star of out day.

And that's how things went for the longest of times, get up talk for a bit work until my hands bled, got back to the cell and eat that green shit and talk until we would fall asleep. But every day I got stronger not just in magic but physically to. Mining is hard work after all, and that’s how things would have stayed day after day until a guard made one very large mistake. He made me very angry, there is one major rule where I come from, and that’s never make a sorcerer angry.

Me and steel were being lead back to our cell like every other day but something was of, steel looked pained , I mean we are slaves working against our will, but he looked depressed beyond belief. Once we were back in our cell I decided to press the matter. “what's wrong?” I asked flatly I couldn't really think of anything else to say really.

Steel looked at me with a very vacant look him “ I have been here for about eight months now, I have been keeping count, no pony has ever survived for longer than that... they get taken away and never seen again, I think they must just kill them, I mean after eight months of non stop labour the body becomes weak. On those day's we hear laughing from the main hall, I hate to think what happens in there to ponies.”

“You know” I butted in “ we could speed up our plans,”

“NO! We keep to the plan, It might just be a coincidence, I hope.” He said that a little to quickly, as if he hadn't even given it a thought.

I Stayed silent ,I wanted to press the matter but I had learnt by now that if steel set his mind to something then he was going to do it. Beside in three days we would launch our plan for escape and be home free.

Our plan was simple wait until my powers had returned and make a break for it. Some fucking plan wasn’t it. We were planning on waiting till morning and then “attempt” to disarm the guards and get the keys. After that... well we hadn’t really planed that far ahead we were pretty much just going on the lines of “fuck it what could possibly go wrong” when you say things like that things never go as planned