Entry #71
May 8th, 2012

I lost somepony today.

A mare… no older than 20.

We were scouting the shops near Ponyville, looking for any ponies who were holed up. The assignment was given after a group of ponies came in all the way from Canterlot. How they survived was a mystery, but it opened up the question of enclaves. There was a spike in the number of ponies coming in, so we decided to make sure the areas were cleared.

My squad didn't know each other, we didn't even know each other's names. But they knew me. Who didn't? Element of Magic. Princess Celestia's student. No matter how little we knew about each other, we depended on each other. But that dependence only went so far, because we live by a rule.

Save yourself, because that's all that matters in the end.

We were near Rarity's old shop, since it was near the outskirts of the town. Unlucky for us, there was a group of scouts that had smelled us, and we didn't take any precautions in masking our scents. They creeped in, and we tried our best to sneak out. But we didn't know about the soldiers outside. It was my first glance at them… and they were horrific.

The moment I saw their teeth, their saliva falling from their mouths in hunger, I ordered everypony to gallop. Lyric Stroke, the earth pony, her armor got stuck in the window sill, and she fell from the second story, dislocating her shoulder. We had all rolled and started sprinting, but I slowed some when I heard her screaming. There was fear in her voice, terror would be a better word, and she showed as much when I looked at her. She tried in a vain attempt to crawl after us, tears falling as she saw the scouts upon her. I forced myself to turn around, but I glimpsed back to see her.

The scouts bit into her head, the other biting into her back. The soldiers stabbed the smaller monstrosities with their spears and tossed them aside, even as Tulip groaned lowly. Even with each other, they fought to get her carcass…

…and ended up ripping her apart from the waist.

I would have vomited, seeing her blood and organs spray out as they started to devour her, but I focused on galloping.

I abandoned her… but… I'm glad.

Not that she's dead… but that I'm alive.

Why? What I did was… awful. I should have at least gone back. What if she was Rainbow? Or Rarity? Or any of the others? Could I have done that? Watch as they tore into them without remorse? This… I'm becoming worse than Discord. Nightmare Moon even.

Am I becoming a monster like them?

I have to digress… I don't wanna think about this anymore.

I at least… got a good look at the soldiers. I don't know what else to call them, and from what I saw there were even more of them than there were scouts. So, I have to guess they're the main force.

Here's what I've gathered.

Soldiers:

Average Height: 3-4 meters

Average Weight: Unknown

They're bodies resemble scouts, but they have a full coat of black fur. Also, their heads are a bit more compressed, but they retain a small snout. Their teeth are larger and much more pointed than a small scout. Unlike them, their bodies are more bipedal, but not completely. From the inward-joints of their legs, and their hunched upper backs, they're also able to travel on all-fours.

They're slower than scouts, much so, but they are able to handle weaponry and armor. Their bodies are minimally thick, so strength is undetermined. Like the scouts, however, they are savage and instinctual, fighting amongst each other for food or over dominance within… a pack.

More information to be researched.

~~Twilight Sparkle

~~.~~

I woke up the next morning, my nightmares having left me in a cold sweat. It'd been a while since I had one, and I forgot how shaken they would leave me. I tried a few breathing exercises I'd learned from Zebrecan tomes from my old library. They worked fairly easy, but then again… they couldn't make me forget.

I had only two things in mind today.

Finding the survivor, then… checking up on the creature we brought. Maybe it's sentient, maybe I can learn something about it. Or I could at least make sure it didn't tear apart the others. I kneeled down and grabbed the small chest under my bed, opening it and draping a cloak over myself. I went to the door, left the barracks, and headed down to the shops. If my memory served me correctly, she didn't leave the settlement, and the last pony she came into contact with, that I know of, was a stallion named Crease Draw. Skinny stallion, worked in the slums, shady little guy. The thing about him, though, was that he was clever, tricky, and a slippery little wretch. From what I've heard, he ran all the way from Manehatten's settlement, to Appleoosa's settlement, and finally made it here. He caused a couple of fights, but his skills as a unicorn were pretty impressive.

But no unicorn could best the Element of Magic.

Everypony acted as usual, but there were audible clamors about the thing we dragged in. Some of the guards were chatty, undoubtedly, so it wasn't a surprise that a few of them had learned about it. But… maybe it was better they knew, keep their heads up and aware. I brushed past a few stands, looking for the largest stand in the settlement. It wasn't Crease's, he wasn't all flashy, but the biggest merchant stand was owned by some slob of a noble, who happened to work in the shadier parts of town.

A sudden urge, intuition maybe, nagged at me to glance behind myself, and soon I did. It was brief, a casual and nonchalant glimpse back to look at some stalls. Many of the ponies were going around as usual, but there was one in particular that caught my eye. The pony was wearing a hood, and whoever it was took notice of my glance and stopped at the nearest shop, suddenly, I might add. Being followed for a mugging was common, but I knew the layout of the homes like the back of my hoof. I took the first right, then rounded around the first turn and galloped down, going back into the streets. I pushed my way through the nearest crowd, trying to put as much distance as I could between me and my pursuer. It seemed to have worked, but I kept glancing back occasionally, lest they show up once more.

"Back off, flankhole."

I turned to look at a commotion, noticing the amusement on the face of the stallion sitting behind the stall. That was him. An arrogant smirk like that wasn't something common. I focused on the two stallions arguing, but they were quickly broken apart by a pair of guards. The slums were a different side of the settlement, but the Solars weren't as useless as they were ten years ago. With them out of the way, I approached the stand slowly, looking down at the odd trinkets and beautiful jewelry pieces.

"Anything I could interest you in, ma'am?" He smiled, showing as many teeth as he could without overdoing it.

A charmer, huh? Rarity would put him to shame with a single word.

"Not at the moment," I smiled softly, keeping my gaze lowered so as to not reveal myself. My horn lit up as I ‘examined’ a diamond necklace, which wasn't all that well made. "I was actually wondering if you could help me, if it isn't too much trouble?"

An innocent voice for a small mare who didn't know any better. His smile grew, and I could see the coy look in his eyes. "I'd be happy to assist you, madam," he nodded. "What kind of information?"

I shrugged softly, forcing myself to giggle like a school filly. "Well, I wouldn't say it was much information, more of a rumor," I said, moving on to a horn ring. "Is it true that somepony escaped Canterlot, not too long ago?"

His smile faltered for all but a second, then quickly reestablished itself. "Well, I wouldn't be able to say for certain," he chuckled, shifting a bit. "Where ever did you hear a story like that?"

I shrugged softly, giggling to keep up the ruse. "Oh, just a little gossip one of my old friends told me," I sighed, raising up a pottery piece. It was surprisingly exquisite, something Rarity might find interesting. "But have you ever met the pony?"

His chuckle was weaker this time, surely pushing him to a nervous wreck that would lead to a flight response. "I'm… I'm positive I haven't met her," he smiled, glancing down to the dagger he had on display.

"How did you know it was a mare?" I asked innocently, smirking as he gulped a bit loudly.

"I-I… I never… ma'am, I…" He tripped over his words like a foal tripped over their own hooves. "Ma'am, I'm sorry but this stand—"

"It'd be nice to meet her," I said, my voice returning to normal. I lifted my head so he could know who I was. "Are you sure you don't know?"

His horn flashed, but I casted a blackout spell to counter the flash. He was already galloping down the street adjacent to this one, shoving ponies out of the way. I was just a few body lengths behind him, slowly gaining on him. I brought a couple of crates down on him, but the sly little worm teleported in front of the mess. I tried blasting his leg, but he kept setting up shadow-spells to confuse me. By now, we were at the edge of the settlement, which was a huge space that reached from the cavern wall to the city itself. Nothing but our magic and hooves now.

He turned around, and a wave of crimson mana barreled towards me. I conjured an enormous wall for it to dissipate against, then stretched it out to run alongside him. Nothing to stop me now, but he did have one last ace. One I wasn't prepared for.

He turned quickly, reached into his saddlebag, lit his horn, then shot another beam of magic at me. I deflected it easily, but as it turned out, he teleported right behind me. I nearly got away, but he slapped something onto my leg that cut off my magic immediately. The magic structure I created vanished, and I hit my sides after a few feet. I groaned in pain, looking up to see Crease pull out a dagger and place it against my throat.

"So many questions for a mare like y—"

He was cut off as a hoof slammed into the side of his face, sending him tumbling off to the side. A pegasus pony landed where he once stood, huffing loudly and pulling back their hood.

"Rainbow?" I exclaimed, watching as she kicked the dagger away and pressed her hoof against Crease's horn.

"It would've been a lot easier if you'd let me tag along," she snickered, pressing down on Crease's horn. He whimpered softly, trying to push Rainbow's hoof away. "Didn't think he'd beat you, though."

"He didn't," I snorted, looking down to the brace he slapped onto me. I came over and pulled him up, then slammed him to the ground. "Where did you get this?!"

"She gave it to me! The mare you're looking for!" He frantically shouted, coughing from the landing. "Look, I don't know what you want but—!"

"First, get this thing off me," I snarled, showing him the brace. "And second, I wanna know where she is."

"I don't know how t' get it off," he quivered. "But she knows. And I could show you there. Just… just don't hurt me."

"After you put a knife to her neck?" Rainbow scoffed. "Getting hurt is the last thing to worry about."

"Just take us there, now," I grunted, pushing him towards the streets.

He cooperated without incident and showed us the way, while Rainbow and I kept a few feet back to make sure he didn't try anything. "So… how did you find me?" I asked.

Rainbow chuckled a little, smirking at me. "I never lost you, and second, you chased him across the entire market district," she told me. "Only took a couple seconds to see you couldn't use magic. That brace looks like—"

"The ones on the thing we brought in," I nodded. "I wanted to try and find Tulip so she could tell me a bit about their prisons. Maybe we could find out if it really is an experiment. Hay, it could even be a mutated pony."

The thought made Rainbow shudder some, and she shook her head to cast off the thought. "I'm gonna pray it isn't," she laughed quietly. "But… do you think this thing could help us? It's pretty freaking huge, after all."

I shrugged, and as I glanced back over to Crease, he stopped and waited for us. "This it?" I snapped.

"Y-Yeah," he nodded quickly. "S-So… if ya don't mind…"

"Get out of here, whelp," Rainbow sneered, sending Crease off in a gallop.

I looked upon the slightly-larger shack, noticing that the light inside was on. Normally, ponies would conserve as much oil lamps and candles as they could, since making them without factories took days. I glanced to Rainbow, who shrugged softly, then moved forward and knocked on the door. I heard some shuffling, and the door opened just an inch, a bright-cerulean eye looking through the space.

"W-Who's there?" She asked, her voice breaking repeatedly.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle," I said softly, leaning in some. "My friend and I want to talk."

"…About?" The way her voice cracked wrenched my heart. She sounded like she was 18, maybe a year older.

"Just some stuff," I smiled sincerely. "It could really help us out."

Her eye wandered to Rainbow, then retreated as she closed the door. At first, I thought she locked us out. Then, dozens of locks opening reached my ears. No pony, not even nobles, had a lock. Yet she had twenty-six. The last bolt finally unlocked, and the door opened slowly.

I restrained a gasp out of respect, but she looked terrible. Her neon-yellow mane was ragged and trimmed halfway, her orange coat had tons of claw marks, her legs were bruised in almost every place, and she looked thinner than most ponies should be. To top that off, her left eye was covered with a bandage wrapping… meaning she was partially blind or cut.

"Come in," she whispered, moving over to her bed as she waited for us.

I closed the door gently, trying to look as soft and caring as possible. "Your name is Tulip Petal, right?" I smiled. Rainbow went to sit on a chair while I stood in front of her.

She nodded slowly. "I… I think so," Tulip croaked.

I settled beside her, which she responded to by shuffling away. "Me and my friend are part of the Recon Corps. We're not here on business or anything," I assured her. "I just wanted to ask you about something."

"Is it… about my scars?" She questioned, a hesitant gaze directed towards me. "I'm not depressed o-or anything."

I shook my head, placing a hoof on her shoulder, which she flinched to. "It's fine," I smiled. "How did you meet Crease?"

"W-Well… when I came to the settlement… I didn't have anything except this little trinket I kept," Tulip explained. "I heard that… he bought rare and valuable things. I asked for enough bits to get this shack, and gave him it in return."

I rose my hoof, eliciting a gasp as she looked at the brace. "Is this it?" I giggled softly.

"My goodness, he… let me get it off you," she hurriedly squeaked, her hooves moving in a deft motion that left me wondering. She didn't even use her magic, and the brace unclasped itself. "Is that better?"

I nodded, feeling the mana getting absorbed back into me. "Much better," I nodded gratefully. "Thank you. But… where did you get this?"

Her demeanor shifted instantly, her eyes fogging with memories she had been trying so hard to ignore. "I… I…"

"They did this to you… didn't they?" I asked, whispering it gently. Tears rimmed her eyes, and she nodded slowly. "I came to ask you… what did they do to their prisoners?"

She sniffled quickly, her breathing becoming quicker and more forceful. "W-Why… why do y-you want… to know?" Tulip sniffled, wiping her eyes.

I placed my hoof around her and smiled with as much care as I could muster. "Me and my friend went into Canterlot yesterday," I told her. "We found a prisoner… and it's in bad condition. But we just wanted to know what it was like in there. Maybe you could help us help it. But… only if it's okay."

She nodded, her jaw strained as she refrained from letting a single sob escape her. After a while of breathing deeply, she got off the bed and stood in front of me.

"It was… awful." She lit another candle, even with her oil lamp on. "They… they kept us in these dark rooms. There wasn't any light… but you could still hear everypony next to you. They would leave us there for days, none of us getting fed. Some ponies died… slowly… and whoever made it… was tortured."

She sat down shakily, holding a candle close to herself as she was brought back to those times.

"They didn't do as much punishment on the mares like they did with the stallions… but we still had to watch it all," Tulip croaked. "I watched them tear ponies apart… cut them up piece by piece… they even crushed one of their heads with a hammer… just for fun."

Her tears were falling, and Rainbow looked as though she were ready to as well. It wasn't the fact that she had been tortured, but the fact that she was so young when this happened.

"And when the stallions were done… they tossed them into a huge oven," she shuddered, rubbing her hooves on the heated glass of the lamp. "They burned alive… but that still didn't compare to what they did to us."

She clenched her teeth and curled up, trying her hardest to not sob, instead letting out weak whimpers. I came over and sat beside her, Rainbow doing the same as we listened. She leaned into Rainbow, still withholding any noise.

"They… they took my friend… my friend Butters… and chained her to the ground," she sniffled. "Then… the big one… started… fucking her like some animal."

We were both caught by surprise, and we realized immediately where this was going.

"They did that to get us aroused… because they knew of our damn hormones… It was disgusting…" She let out a choked sob, her tears falling into Rainbow's mane. "Then they did it to me… like some… toy. And… and then… and then they… when they finished… they threw us in, too. If you were tight enough… they kept you for later."

She had been a virgin… I just knew somehow.. She had her innocence stolen from her by… by a monster. An evil… animal.

"They fed you… if you were good enough," she sobbed, reluctantly at first. "But they… kept cutting us… and raping us… until it was just me."

She sobbed into Rainbow's mane, and Rainbow placed her hoof on her back, rubbing gently to soothe her, no matter how vain an attempt it was.

"Everyday… they would line up for me… without waiting to clean up after the last," Tulip whimpered. "I screamed for hours… and I broke my voice. It happened for a year… a whole… fucking… year."

I pitied her. Death sounded better than being used like a piece of meat. Anger rose in my mind. Anger that had been brought forth at the thought of these creatures, sentient and intelligent, deflowering dozens of mares and fillies against their will. They knew what the resistance meant, what the attempts of fleeing meant. And yet they raped her… for an entire year.

"But I got out," she sniffled, sitting back up to tell the rest. "It… it was surprising… but my cell was opened. The chains on me kept me from using magic… but I could still move. There wasn't a single creature around… but the alarms were blaring like crazy. Some emergency… or a fight. The walls were shaking like crazy… so I galloped without turning around. I left Canterlot through the sewers… and I found my way here."

She had been diminished to sniffles now, her sobs having ceased for some time. "And how did you get the shackles off?" I asked.

She wiped her eyes and looked at the brace. "I watched them take it off of the unicorns they threw into the ovens," Tulip sniffled. "It's easier for them, but if you're fast enough it's pretty simple."

She showed me how to unlock it, then had us both practice it with one hoof. It really was simple, just a little tricky at first with timing. I asked her if she could come with me to the castle, but she hesitated about going near a tunnel. Rainbow and I pleaded with her, promising we wouldn't let anything happen to her. After five minutes, she reluctantly gave in and came with us. We passed by Crease's shop, Rainbow shooting a nasty glare at the fragile unicorn.

It wasn't long before we reached the castle, and I was allowed in with Rainbow and Tulip. We headed into the medical cavern, going over to the doctor overseeing the well-being of the creature. He smiled warmly at me, shaking my hoof with gusto.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Sparkle," he nodded. "My name is Quick Aid, but Dr. Aid is fine. I'm sure I know why you're here."

I smiled back, looking over to the creature that still laid as still as ever. It's heart rate was faster than a regular pony's, and it's body temperature matched that of a pony with an enormous fever.

"I was surprised by its body's regulations as well," he chuckled. "But it looks completely fine in almost every other aspect."

"Good," I nodded, glancing behind me and into the room across the hall. "Is General Shadow okay?"

Dr. Aid sighed and went over to the glass. "His coat was pierced in twenty-six different places, the largest ones being in his belly," he told me. "We closed all wounds, but he'll need a few weeks to recover. Perhaps even a couple months. But… he'll live. Maybe a few surgeries on his back to make sure he can stand straight."

It was relieving to hear. But I turned back to go over to the other window. "I need a minute inside, Dr." I said. "My friends and I want to remove those braces."

He nodded, a huff escaping him. "Damn things aren't easy to break. Touching them drains magic, and anything enchanted loses its edge on contact."

"We won't be needing magic," Tulip said. Dr. Aid's eyes widened when he saw the scarred mare, but we walked past him and entered the room.

It was the second time I ever got near it.

The second time I was in the same room as him.

We got to work on relinquishing it of its bonds, working at a slow pace so as to not disturb it. The whole time, Tulip looked very hard at it, almost as if she recognized it. I doubted it, but something else happened that I thought was strange. Rainbow focused on the bonds on its right leg, Tulip focused on the other, and I was working on the arms. I had mastered it fairly quickly, and so I was done faster than either of them. But… every time I worked on the braces on its shoulder… it would always take a deep inhale. At first I thought it was just from its sleep, like somepony having a dream. But it was no coincidence the second time, especially since it murmured incoherently.

I took note of the softness of its skin, no matter how hard I tried to ignore that. The skin felt as thought it were easy to tear, but the stone-hard muscle beneath it said otherwise. When I moved to the bonds around its head, that's when I realized what it was doing. Every time I exhaled, it inhaled deeply. I tried holding my breath as I skimmed its cheek, my grip having slipped, but it kept taking deep breaths, some a bit quicker.

It was smelling me. Whether it was out of instinct or pleasure was beyond me, but I was sure it was taking in my scent.

Today I understand why, but back then I was confused and nervous as to why it was smelling me in particular. After getting the other bonds off, only five remained. The wrist and ankle shackles, and the clamp around its neck. Without all the chains on it, it had an intimidating posture… somehow menacing yet gentle. Before we left, I noticed one last thing.

Its smile had vanished.

We exited the chamber, I hoofed over the other twenty chains to the guards, and went upstairs. Rainbow offered to take Tulip home, and she was thankful to us. She was also grateful for us being able to listen to her, since she had vented to no pony at all, and we had her trust. I gave her a smile and wave as she was taken back into the settlement by Rainbow, and I turned to go into the throne room. Instead of my old teacher, Princess Luna was sitting atop the throne. Time really slipped by nowadays.

"Hello, Twilight," she said, a faint smile on her muzzle. "May I ask why you are here?"

"I just needed to tell Celestia something," I replied. "Do you remember the creature we brought in?"

"I do," Luna said, tilting her head in curiosity.

"I was able to remove most of the chains with Rainbow and a unicorn mare named Tulip Petal," I explained. "We took off twenty of them, but there are five that can't be removed by hoof. I just wanted to let you both know. Tell her as soon as you can."

"I will. And, isn't Tulip the mare who escaped the monsters prison?" Luna asked. I nodded, and she gave me a knowing smile.

I turned to make my way out, but I turned my head to the side briefly. "General Shadow will be fine," I said to her. "He just needs some rest."

Luna's smile dimmed, but it was relieved no less. "Thank you, Twilight."

I made my way back to my bunk, tucked the hood under my bed and picked up the blue sword. It weighed more than any armor I've ever held, and it was just a sword. What was it doing in that camp? Did it belong to the dead soldier? The length was about the size of a spear, and markings were carved into the blade and handle. I tried sharpening it with a regular iron dagger, but it ended up dulling the small blade. So it was stronger than iron, big whoop. I did the same with a steel knife, and it had the same result. Stronger than steel meant a valuable mineral. Maybe I could make a dagger for myself, then give whatever's left to the guards.

I tucked it under my bed once again, then stared at the ceiling as I waited for sleep to overtake me.

Author's Note

Next chappie, and I'm having an inner struggle on whether or not I should make this a shipfic. Going away from that, hope this is good for you all, and, as always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night. Peaces!