Exploits of a slave

After a strange conversation that involved waffles, howler monkeys, and thoughts on necromancy, Twilight was able to fall asleep, though she wasn't any closer to assuring her sanity. However, she discovered a few things about herselves.

Flutterside was really funny, but never at anypony's expense. The little Discord in her head, while certainly her crazy side, was a great deal more sedate than his real world counterpart. And Rariside was so polite, and she made such wonderful conversation, even when little Discord brought up howler monkeys.

That was when Twilight thought, 'They're all part of me. If wanted, and tried really hard, I could be just like them.' This left her with a happy thought and a smidge of hope. If she ever got lonely, she could always talk to the voices in her head. She smirked at the wry thought.

But then she laid down, and wasn't met with the familiar bed she had come to love over the years, but with a hard wood floor. And she remembered. Suddenly the happy thought was gone, and the smidge of hope seemed so very far away. The voices didn't talk to her anymore, maybe they were as tired as she was? Twilight scoffed at how ridiculous her thoughts were getting.

Then she fell asleep, and dreampt no dreams.

And not once did she notice the eyes in the corner of the room, watching her.

                                                                            -----

Twilight was woken fairly early the next morning by a ruckus. Several large gryphons rushed past her.“Hey! Hey what's going on? Do any of you speak equestrian?” She asked through the bars that separated her cell from the hall. One of the Gryphons stopped and opened her cell. {Come along, little pony. We must show you what happens to trouble makers.} He said, though Twilight couldn't understand it.

He grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and started lifting her. “Whoa! Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa! Stop! Ponies aren't built like that! Stop!” Twilight said, trying to stop this gryphon that was obviously ignorant to that bit of pony anatomy. She braced for what she could only think would be a very painful experience. But it wasn't, oddly enough.

It felt disconcerting, being lifted from one's neck, but not painful. It should have been very painful. She didn't have anymore time to ponder this thought as she was whisked away like a little kitten. The gryphon carried Twilight all the way to the deck, where they witnessed a smallish gryphon with a shockingly large amount of white feathers tied to the mast.

{Why?! Why would you betray me for a trinket such as this?! Answer me Talos!} Shouted the captain at the white gryphon while shaking what appeared to be a piece of two-bit jewelry. {I'm sorry, captain! I had to do it, I would have starved! You always said, 'Keep what you take', I've been getting nothing! You know the cook charges us for food!} {YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME! You think I'm such a devil of a captain I won't share a loaf of bread with a hungry gryph? We're family! Or at least we were.}

Twilight saw the white gryphon's eyes shrink to pin-points, and he started screaming something. She felt her carrier shudder. The gryphon that was carrying Twilight felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see good friend Jorme. They exchanged a few words, and the gryphon, whose name was Icarus, handed Twilight over to Jorme. “Saw you across crowd, kitty. Thought you want know what going on.” He said. And as peeved Twilight was that he called her a little kitten, and that he even still held her in such a position, she did want to know what was happening.

She nodded, and Jorme started to explain. “The white gryphon was caught stealing from ship because he doesn't been eating, for sake of greedy cook. The Captain leaving him alone.” He explained. “What's so bad about being left alone?” She asked. Jorme closed his eyes in concentration, looking for a word. “He left all alone.” he finally said when he couldn't find it.

The captain ordered the rope to be untied. After all, rope isn't the easiest thing to get a hold of a kilometer up. After Talos was released he rushed to to captain's feet and started sobbing for him to let him stay. But to no avail. The captain similarly grabbed Talos by the scruff of his neck, and threw off the side of the ship.

Twilight gasped and wriggled out of Jorme's grip. After she hit the deck, she rushed over to the rail on the side of the ship that Talos was thrown off of. “Flap your wings! Fly, you foal! FLY!” She screamed at him. But it didn't matter how harshly she screamed.

He fell.

Twilight collapsed, unsure what to make of this. That gryphon would rather be dead than alone? “Little pony, get back to your room.” She heard a voice behind her say. She turned and saw the captain, staring at her. “You speak equestrian?” She asked. But she never got an answer. {Icarus! I told you to keep a firm hold of this pony! What is she doing in a heap by my feet?}

{Captain, it's not my fault! Jorme asked to carry her!}

{Jorme! Get over here!} Jorme quickly rushed over and saluted to the Captain. {Yes captain?} He asked, glancing at Twilight. {Put this pony back in her cell, and next time you let her out, keep her in your grasp.} {Yes Captain!} Jorme said before grabbing Twilight by the scruff of her neck again and walking below deck to the prison blocks.

She sat there, stock-still, where Jorme had left her for a long time, thinking. 'He would rather die than be left alone.' She thought. 'Sobering thought, isn't it?' That was the little Discord she had in her head. 'What must it be like, being alone? All, alone?'

“It's terrible. You yell and you scream, but nopony's there to save you, to listen.”

'I don't believe you've been 'all alone' before.'

“What are you talking about?! Aren't you supposed to be a part of me? At my brother's wedding, down in the crystal mines.”

'Cadence was there. You were alone for all of  three seconds.'

“You sound, different. Are you okay?”

'I'm just fine! But you, you've never been alone. Never truly alone. You've always been surrounded with your family, then your friends. And even now, in the belly of a Gryphon slave ship, you can't help but make gryphs like you.'

'Twilight, be careful, that isn't me. She's something nasty, something you'd be better off ignoring.'

“What are you?” Twilight asked foolishly. “My inner what? Hate? Angst? Envy?” 'No, no. nothing  as fancy as that. I'm just a demon you'll have to face before this is through.' The voice said coldly. “A demon? Like what? What kind of demons do I have?”

But the Cold voice didn't reply. Neither did any of the others. “H-hello? Anypony? Discord? Sigh.” She sighed. “I really don't like being alone.” She whispered to herself. Their dialogue  ended, so Twilight tried taking apart the pinball machine until night fell, though she couldn't really do anything with just her hooves. A gryphon walked by, and gave half a fish to Twilight.

She wrinkled her nose at the smell, and was going to say something, but the gryphon was gone before the could even squeak to get his attention. She sighed and looked around. She wasn't in the same cell she was in the first time, for this one had a barred window. She tried levitating the fish, but when it didn't even budge she remembered just where magic could and couldn't work.

So, she gingerly picked it up in her hoof, and walked over to the window. “Sorry.” She whispered before throwing it out. She turned back to her cell and spotted the semi-fresh hay on the floor. She sighed before walked over and taking a tentative bite. She grimaced. It tasted like sawdust and mud, but it was food.

She only took a few more bits before she felt like she was going to throw up. Deciding it was better to go a little hungry than to lose what she had already managed down her throat, she opted to stop eating. She quickly fell asleep, lulled by the giant whirring blades so far above her.

She found herself in a vast field of golden wheat swaying in the wind. “Hello?” She shouted to nopony in particular. “Is anypony out there?” She heard a rustle and a whooshing sound, so she whirled around, but saw nothing. “Must have been the wind.” She said to herself. She heard a thump and a whoosh behind her and she turned around again, this time faster than the last, but saw nothing. She heard the thump again, but this time it seemed very far away.

Then it thumped behind her again. She turned just in time to see Princess Luna wrestling with a massive serpent before it coiled itself, launched itself into the air, with Luna in it's grasp, and landed very far away with a thump. “Princess Luna! What's going on!?” She yelled.

The serpent coiled and launched itself again in Twilight's direction. “Ah! Twilight, We hast allured thine attention at last! Verily, how hast thou been these many days?” Luna asked when she had successfully locked the serpents mouth with her legs.

“Er, not too horrible, I guess. But I 'm on a prisoner on a Gryphon pirate airship that I think is going to sell me as  a slave, but it's hard to tell with these Gryphons..” “Oh.” Luna said with a look of dismay. She quickly flipped away from the serpent. “Thou farest ill, than. I shall bring this to mine sister's attention, posthaste.” 'No!' The serpent screeched. 'She is mine!' “Vile beast, thou hast entered the wrong dream. Advance towards me!”

The serpent coiled and shot itself at Luna, though as fast as it was going, it was too slow. Luna quickly side-stepped and bucked it as it went by. The serpent writhed in pain but soon recovered. This time, the serpent tried to use it's massive size and surround Luna in its coils. Luna raised her eyebrow before flapping her wings, and then she began to fly out. She didn't get very far before the serpents tail swatted her down. The serpent quickly tightened it's coils and Luna was trapped firmly in it's grasp. “Any last words, Princess?” The serpent spat. Luna smiled before yelling “PIKA!” as loudly as she could. Both Twilight and the serpent were confused why her supposed last word was the catchphrase of a character in a popular foal's game, until a gigantic bolt of lightning struck Luna and the serpent.

Twilight stared, mouth agape, as the the serpent writhed and rolled on the ground, trying desperately to put out the fires that had begun burning on it's back. Luna, however, looked just fine. Better than fine, she looked energized. “What the Hay was that?!” Twilight exclaimed. “Why actest thou so surprised? Are we not in a dream, my domain? The minds play thing? Verily, whatever I canst imagine, it is set forth. And thou art more powerful than even I, for it is thy dream.”

“Oh.” Twilight said simply. She screwed her eyes in thought, and suddenly an asteroid made of vanilla ice cream flew across the sky, something that though scientifically impossible, she had always wanted to see. “Awesome!” she exclaimed. “Curse you! Curse you to a thousand deaths! However, now that the secret is let loose, I will destroy you, Luna!” Screamed the serpent, burned and charred as it was, glaring at them both. “You're going to have to go through me first!” Twilight said.

“You? You are nothing but a vessel. You will be dealt with quickly enough.” The serpent replied flippantly. Twilight growled, and moved to destroy the serpent, but was jerked back. She looked behind her and saw an iron chain on her leg, binding it to the ground. She heard a struggle behind her and whipped her head around to see Luna once again in the serpent's coils.

Twilight wasn't very concerned until it ate Luna. Twilight gaped for a second or two, before she began screaming. And then she woke up to somepony shaking her. She looked and saw a very irritated looking Jorme. “Pony, stop screaming. Go asleep.” He said before leaving and locking the cell. But she couldn't sleep, not with that thing in her mind. So instead, she stayed awake, and she thought.

    -----

Deep in castle Canterlot, past guards, servants, and the occasional paparazzi hiding in linen cupboards, were the royal bedchambers. The one on the right was painted and stylized with a sun, the one on the left, the moon. Some ponies thought this had some kind of meaning to it, that Celestia thought that she was better than Luna in such a miniscule way that it was shown in the direction she walked to get to her bed.

They were, of course, wrong. What some might know, but few connected, was that Luna was left hoofed, and Celestia was right hoofed. (This is also how the political parties got their names.) But never mind all that, it doesn't have a lot to do with the story except that if you turn left, you will arrive in Luna's bedchamber. And in it, you would find Luna on this particular morning laying on a very nice pillow that she had favored since her return, dream walking.

Or being unconscious after she had been eaten by a giant snake in a dream. Of course, she didn't remember that. For all Luna remembers, she accidentally fell asleep when she had meant to dream walk. She awoke slowly, and her mind was sluggish, which was odd. For, strangely enough, when you are the princess of the night, you tend to be a morning pony.

There was a vile taste in her mouth, and for some reason her vision was blurry. She shuffled groggily to the Royal Powder Room. She sat down and took several deep breaths. Eventually, the blur sharpened, and she felt energy course through her. “Ah, nothing wakes you up like the smell of gun powder in the morning.” She said with a smile before heading to the Royal Bathroom to look her very Royal best.

She walked in, and shut the door behind her. There was nothing for several minutes, then an ear shattering screech from the bathroom. “CELLY ! What have you done?!” Luna burst out of the bathroom, startling two guards, and ran full tilt into Celestia's room, bowling over some other guards.

“Celly, I know you like a practical joke every now and again, but this is crossing the line!” Celestia grumbled and turned back over in bed. Luna's eyes burned with righteous fury. But currently being without a horn, she couldn't let physics know that. Instead, she opted for the old earth pony tradition for waking late sleepers. (She had experienced it some months back when she had visited the Apple farm.)

She ran down to the Royal Kitchen to procure an essential item. It took her minutes to get back to the Solar Bedchamber. A thirty minute trip for anypony else, but Luna felt like she was moving in slow motion. She tromped as loudly as she could across the floor until she was in front of Celestia's bed. She propped the Item against one of the bed's pillars and sharply punched it. The gong sounded, and Celestia all but jumped out of her bed. Okay, I lied. She did jump out of her bed.

“LUNA! What in Faust's inkwell are doing?!” Celestia yelled at her sister, now fully awake. “I could ask you the same thing! I think I could understand you changing the way I talk, but stripping me of all my powers?! That's going a bit too far.” Celestia was confused for a second, until she looked Luna up and down, and saw that she was no longer the proud Alicorn princess of the night, but rather, a very peeved looking dark blue earth pony with a very light blue mane. And she was a bit shorter, too.

“Oh dear.” Was all Celestia could say. “'Oh dear' is right! Now, change me back!” Luna commanded. “Er, Luna, I didn't do this.” Luna looked confused, then shocked, then very very worried. “So, you're saying, that something else is capable of stripping ponies of their very beings, and changing the way they talk?”

“Lu, I think the speech thing was a side effect.”

“I don't care! I don't like it! It's like I'm waring braces for my tongue. It's not nice.” Luna said with a tone of finality. Celestia sighed. “Lu, I'm sure it feels unnatural, but we have bigger problems than the way you talk. Do you remember what you were doing last night?” Briefly, the image of a giant serpent in a wheat field flashed across Luna's mind, but it was soon gone.

“Mmm... I don't quite remember... I think I was going to visit Twilight's dreams, but I must have fallen asleep myself.” Celestia gave her a worried look. “What?” Luna asked. “Lu, you are the princess of the night, you don't just fall asleep. You have to make a very conscious decision to do so.” “Oh, yeah, right. I must have... Forgotten.”

“Lu, I don't think whoever did this wanted you to remember last night. I wish Twilight were here, she'd be helpful.” Luna started tapping her head, like she was trying to remember something. “Twilight, Twilight Twilight...” “What about Twilight?” Celestia asked, now very worried. “Twilight's been foalnapped!” Both princesses swiveled their heads to see who had just spoken. It was, in fact, Rainbow Dash.

“Rainbow Dash? What are you doing here? I thought you were visiting the Zebrahara for the week?” “Yeah, we were,” Dash gasped. “but Twi getting' nabbed kinda messed up our plans.” “Where are the others?” Asked Luna. “Who's short stack here?” Dash answered her question with one of her own. Luna was fuming and was about to give Dash her best impression of the Royal Canterlot Voice without magic when Celestia diplomatically stepped in.

“Dash, this is Luna. Something stole her magic, thus stripping her of her alicorn status.” “Ah! That's right! I remember what happened last night!” Luna said before quickly explaining what had happened the night previous. “Woah. Heavy stuff.”

They heard a clip-clopping noise and all turned to see the remaining Elements of Harmony running at them. They all slid to a stop at Celestia's hooves and Applejack started talking. “Who is this?” She asked in a questioning tone, nodding at Luna. “I'm Luna.” She replied. “Oh, so your parents named after a princess? Is that legal?” Rarity asked.

“Well, it might not necessarily be illegal. After all, pretty much nopony knew about Luna when she must have been born.” Fluttershy replied. But then she realized that everypony was looking at her. “I mean, probably...” She squeaked, shrinking. “No girls, this is actually princess Luna. Ya see, she got eaten by a giant snake in Twilight's dream, so she got turned into an earth pony. She go a bit shorter, too.” Dash said for Luna, who looked like she was on the verge of tears. Not being recognized by even your closest friends can do that to a pony.

Pinkie Pie did not let this go unanswered. “Aww, don't worry Luna, I totally get it.” She said, wrapping Luna in a hug. “To go from one of the most powerful beings in the universe to just another beautiful face in the crowd? Happens to the best of us.” Luna sniffled, then steeled her resolve. “No, this won't, can't stop me now.”

She pushed Pinkie off of her and stood tall and proud. “W-well, anyway. If RD done did what she was supposed ta do, than you know Twa'light got foalnapped. What do we do princess? Es?” Applejack asked. “Well, there isn't much we can do. Slavery is very much legal in Gryphus, and our treaty with them is shaky as it is. Even though stealing a slave is considered fair play over there, our crew stallions aren't exactly adept in thievery, while theirs are.”

“Don't you have a super awesome crack team of secret agent ninja ponies just for this purpose? Like the wonder bolts?” Dash asked, starting to hover after catching her breath. “Er, no. We have the guard, and we have the army, but that's pretty much it. And they might consider using an army cheating.”

“Couldn't we hire mercenaries? Like the Neigh Team?”

“We can't do that, they stopped talking to the palace after Twilight accidentally turned them all into frogs for a day.”

“Well,” Rarity spoke up. “don't you have any exceptional soldiers? Any heroes?”

Celestia's gaze took on a much more distant quality. “We did.” She said quietly, absently. Luna patted her back comfortingly, though not without difficulty due to the current difference in height. She remembered that particular passage in her sister's diary.

“Well,” Applejack spoke, breaking Celestia from her thoughts. “Why don't we buy 'er back?” Rainbow Dash objected. “PHBBB as if! Twilight's already ours. Why should we pay money for her? And besides, how do we know they won't try to take us as well?” All of the mares stopped to dwell on that thought. None of them liked it very much.

“Ma'am, if you would excuse my interruption, we of The Guard are willing to give our lives to recover your student, ma'am.” The Elements, Princess, and Night all looked at the guard who had spoken, and saw that in the time they had been discussing their options, he had amassed exactly sixty four stallions behind him, all wearing the gold and blue armor of the Solar Guard.

“Though your courage is commendable, I can't let you throw your lives away. Don't you have families?” Asked Celestia. Over half of the congregated stallions started fidgeting nervously, including the one who had spoken. “That's what I thought. I appreciate the thought, I really do, but I get the feeling that what has to happen has to happen quietly, and sixty guards in full armor isn't quiet.”

They all stood there for several seconds, none of them moving even an inch. “You're dismissed.” Celestia finally said. The sixty guards all stomped the floor once in unison and turned to march back to their posts. “Very well, ma'am. But, if I may, you should continue your planning in a more secure location, ma'am.” Said the guard who had spoken, before he too walked off, leaving the mares alone.

“He's right. Come, we'll talk in my room.” Celestia said, leading them to the door on the right side of the hall. They all walked in and she closed the door behind her.

   -----

Back on the ship, Twilight was still wide awake and scared. Dawn was breaking and light filtered in through the bars on her window. She heard a whistle echo through the hallways, and whoever was doing the whistling was coming closer. She saw a visibly cheerier Jorme walking down the hall, whistling as he went, trailing a cart behind him.

He saw Twilight and sighed. “Was pony silly and not sleep? Silly silly pony. Here, have fish!” He said with a satisfied smile while holding out half a fish. Twilight smiled nervously and took it with her hooves. He nodded in satisfaction and when about his business. Emptying the bucket, laying out fresh hay, and collecting the profits from the pinball machine, which came to thirty seven bits, five wooden nickels, and three bus tokens. He quickly finished and went on to the next cell.

When he walked out of sight Twilight went to the window and once again gave a fish a burial in air. 'I sure hope there was nopony underneath me.' She thought to herself. She then turned her interest to the fresh hay that was currently residing on her floor. She eyed it hungrily, but wasn't sure if it was safe to eat. 'You didn't care if it was safe to eat last night.' Commented the little Discord in her head.

“Fair point.” She replied and took a mouthful of the fresh hay. “I can do this, you know.” She told her little head Discord. “I can totally do this. Just you watch, I'm going to get to Gryphus. Who cares if I get sold as a slave? I'll just free myself. I can totally do this.” She declared. Little did she know that she was dead meat.