In the Footsteps of a Giant

Tim remained still as he sized up these new, vaguely canine creatures. The tallest of them came up to his waist, his sharp fangs right at crotch level. Great... Lucky me. They were all wearing uniform, steel armor, and carried long spears. The stinging scratches on his arms and legs were a poignant reminder that he was quite vulnerable to sharp objects.  More importantly, many of them were pointing their spears at Twilight. He didn't need to speak their language to know the score, if he caused trouble, even if he lived, she wouldn't. Tim relaxed his body, and tried to look as passive as possible.

The lead canine had a mohawk of red hair coming out of his helmet. He smiled toothily at the giants quick compliance. "Good, it looks like your friend is smarter than he looks. Now start walking, pony, that way!"

Tim followed as the group moved into the forest, it was starting to get too dark to see, and he almost tripped more than once. The diamond dogs seemed to derive quite a bit of enjoyment from his clumsiness, they appeared to have better night vision than the giant, even Twilight was getting along okay; Of course, she was much closer to the ground. Eventually, they came to a narrow trail that lead toward the mountain. Now that he didn't have to concentrate so much on walking, Tim was able to focus on their surroundings.

The trail quickly became a dirt path, used frequently enough to keep the ever growing plants from overtaking it. So these dog things come out here frequently... maybe they're some kind of patrol. But what would they be patrolling out in the jungle for? Tim's line of thought was broken as they emerged from the forest into a vast farmland. With the tree cover gone, the moon's silvery light bathed the ground in an ethereal glow.

Twilight gasped at the sudden change from gloomy jungle to the stark beauty of the landscape. Flat farmland led to gently rolling hills, partially covered in orchards of various kinds, and as a backdrop, the volcano loomed over it all. The soft moonlight lent an otherworldly feel to the place, only compounded by the familiar buildings found in farmlands across any world. The scattered buildings were similar in shape to Applejack's barns and silos, but the similarity ended there. While her farmhouse and barn were not new, they were well maintained; the buildings here, however, were shabby and decrepit.

With the giant's clumsiness no longer entertaining him, the leader of the pack of diamond dogs grew bored. Noticing the pony admiring the view, he spoke up. "Beautiful, is it not?"

Twilight started, awoken from her reverie. "Ah- oh, yes, it's quite a landscape."

"Shame you'll probably never see it again."

"What? What do you mean? What are you going to do to us?" The pony froze in place, too scared to move.

This caused the leader and his pack to laugh hysterically. Finally calming down, he continued. "Oh us? As long as you cooperate, we won't do anything to you. It is the Emperor who will decide your fate..." he then turned and pointed a paw at the giant, "and his."

Twilight looked back at Tim, who was watching them intently. Maybe if she ran for it, he could get away as well. Of course, it was just as likely he would end up hurt... or worse.

Reading the unicorn's thoughts, the leader spoke up. "If you do decide to try and run or fight, however, I can promise you what we do will be far worse that what the Emperor probably has in mind."

"Of- of course." The giant had saved her life, putting his in danger was no way to repay him. "Please lead the way."

"Ah, such a brave pony, to walk willingly into the unknown." The lead dog flashed a toothy grin at her, then pushed her to get her walking again.

The group continued down the path, which quickly became a road, bordered by ditches. As they entered the foothills, the road even became paved, with markers set every mile. The orchards Twilight had noticed earlier had a much wider variety than she expected. Lemon, orange and banana trees were all there, but what really surprised her were the cherry, apple and walnut trees, which should not be native to a tropical region, at least not in such quantity. With an established infrastructure and global trade, these diamond dogs seemed to be much more organized and civilized than the ones near the Equestrian border. Surely the Emperor of such a civilization would be willing to forgive two unwitting trespassers, especially if it could open talks with a potential new ally. That was it! Twilight had a plan. She would simply talk to the Emperor, drop Princess Celestia's name, and the rest would be easy.

Tim wasn't sure why, but the purple unicorn actually seemed to be perking up. She's... trotting, I think they call it. Is that like strutting for a pony? Why the sudden change? Did she have a plan, some kind of foolproof escape? He didn't know how she held out hope, the closer they got, the worse their situation seemed. Hadn't she noticed the slave shacks lined up in rows? Didn't she see the guarded wall between the lower farmland and the obviously upper class orchards? As they entered a small village, the giant's eyes locked onto a stockade and gallows. Twilight trotted right by them, completely oblivious. The further they went, the more sure Tim was they were heading into a life of servitude or death. Still, if the unicorn had hope, he had to hold back, maybe she knew what she was doing after all.

They finally arrived at the foot of the mountain after passing through the town. A colossal metal gate ground open at the lead dog's call. The hallway inside was hewn from the rock itself, tall enough to accommodate even the giant's massive height. Magical orbs cast their glow from the ceiling, lighting a path downward. After several minutes of walking, it became clear they were headed into the heart of the volcano itself. The path finally ended at two vast doors made of ancient oak and lined with decorative brass. The lead dog walked up to the brass knocker built into the door on the right, and brought it down four times. The thundering echoes slowly died, and after a few seconds, a latch clicked and the door swung open. As soon as the last of the group walked through, the door quickly closed and the latch locked shut.

They were now in a voluminous, circular room, fashioned in the same style as the pathway. Orbs similar to the ones in the hallway, but brighter, spread their light from the circumference, under each light stood a guard, armored far more lavishly than the patrol. Topped by a dome, the room was tall enough for Tim to reach his arms up without brushing the ceiling.  There were only two entrances to the chamber, the one they had passed through and one on the far wall, directly across from it. Standing between them and it was a short, fat diamond dog with polished armor and an expensive looking sword sheathed in an ornate scabbard.

"Well?" the squat dog finally managed, after regaining his composure. "Where are the escaped slaves?"

Slaves? Twilight started at the word. But... but slavery is illegal!

"I bring you a giant and a pony... a unicorn pony no less, and that's what you're worried about?" The lead dog growled.

"What good is getting more slaves if they all think they can run away?" The pug dog pointed out.

"Bah!" The pack leader waved a hand dismissively. "If they aren't found tonight, they'll just end up some predator's dinner, anyway."

"I'd much rather they be found. Now go back out there and don't come back until you have them or their bodies!" Growling angrily, the pack turned to leave. "Or should I inform the Emperor you've been shirking your duty?" The fat pooch smiled when one of the pack actually yelped.

As the door closed shut once more, the pug dog finally seemed to relax. Taking in his new prizes for the first time, he smiled greedily. A unicorn pony! She would fetch a fortune! While the pony was rare, she was not worth waking the Emperor for, the giant, on the other hand... The pug waved one of the guards lining the wall over.

"Fetch me Dr. Topaz, I want to be sure I'm right before I wake the Emperor."

The guard hesitated only a moment before running off.

After searching and asking around, nopony had come up with any information on Twilight's whereabouts. Finally calling it a day, Rarity had carried Spike's bed to her house as promised, and even let him sleep in her room next to her bed. Any other day the dragon would have been ecstatic, but the weight of worry was too much, so he fell into a restless sleep. Just as the sun's first rays hit the land, Spike's eyes shot open and he bolted upright. There was no time to waste!

"Rarity... Rarity come on, wake up!"

"Ungh... Ten more minutes, please!"

"C'mon Rarity, it's morning, we have to go to the library, you promised!"

Rarity finally began to wake up. "S-spike? What are you doing in my bed? Oh, no, what happened last night!?"

"What? Uh, nothing... I think. But we need to go to the library to see if Twilight's back yet, remember?"

"Oh... oh of course! I knew that, I just though maybe I missed something!"

"I don't think so. Can we go now?"

"Of course darling, just let me get ready."

Even though Rarity did the bare minimum of morning preparation, Spike still thought it took far too long. The sun was still rising over the horizon as they stepped outside, though, and they made it to the library in record time. When they arrived, there was still no Twilight Sparkle to be found. Spike looked to Rarity and she gave a nod. He grabbed a quill and parchment and began to write.

Dear Princess Celestia,

It's me, Spike, and I need your help! Twilight's been missing since yesterday morning, and she didn't leave a note or anything! Can you help us find her? I'm really worried and I don't know what to do!

Your Faithful Servant Always,

Spike

Spike sealed the letter and sent it, fidgeting as he waited for a reply. In less than a minute, the room filled with bright light and Celestia appeared.

"Princess!" Spike yelled as he ran over and hugged her leg.

Princess Celestia returned the hug as a thoughtful frown spread on her face."It's okay, Spike, I'm here now. Thank you for contacting me, I hadn't realized Twilight was missing."

"I'm so sorry to bother you, Princess," Rarity remarked. "I don't suppose you have any idea about Twilight Sparkle's whereabouts. We're a bit worried."

"As am I. It is unlike her to leave without some form of explanation..." The princess hesitated. "And I'm afraid I don't know where she is, either. I can't detect her anywhere nearby." She failed to mention that 'nearby' meant anywhere in Equestria.

Over the millenia Celestia had infused her essence into the nation of Equestria. So pervasive was her presence, she could detect any living thing within its borders. The only limitation was that she had to concentrate on only a few dozen beings at a time, or she would become overwhelmed. This worked well for detecting invasion forces, or if she had to find somepony specific, but she couldn't track everypony all the time. Thus, Twilight's disappearance had gone unnoticed. The further from Equestria, the weaker Celestia's ability to detect became, so her student had to be relatively far away. Much farther than a pony could travel in one day.

"I suspect some kind of magic is at play here, I shall summon my best mages to get to the bottom of this iss-"

The princess was interrupted as the door to the library slammed open. A suddenly very scared and very guilty looking Lyra froze in the doorway.