Chapter 2 Life as a Slave.

                     Once we arrived at the 'Perverted Palace' as I liked to call it, Phobia gently placed me down. After all, the King wouldn't want any of his slaves crippled, as he found psychological torture a lot more efficient. Or that's what Phobia tells me.

                      As she did so, I bit down on her claws, hoping she'd drop me and get in trouble with the King for inconveniencing a member of his work force. I was spiteful like that.

                      She laughed ''Don't bother. My scales are impenetrable, so there's no use.'' and then plopped me down.

                      She flew back to Mt. Phobos, the volcano located not far from here, where she would do who-knows-what. I watched as the volcano shot out its daily stream of smoke that added to the blanketed skies constantly.

                      In Somber's Empire, the Crystal Ponies are divided into ten parties of ten. Each group is given a different assignment each week. My party was assigned the 'Field of Depression'. Every party switches assignments per week, and today was our last day in the Field of Depression.

                       My observations were interrupted ''Um, Arete?''

                       I turned my head towards the familiar voice, and saw Crescent Moon. I couldn't help it. I reached out and hugged him tightly to put an end to my fears. It was he, my brother, who gave me the will to fight. He was the one who convinced me to be the mare I am today. Though, he regrets ever doing such a thing, since he doesn't like seeing me get hurt.

                       I finally responded ''Yes, Crescent?''

                       Despite being in a usually depressed mood, he still showed signs of anger and sorrow. He scolded ''Arete, how many times do I have to tell you to stop with your foolish antics?''

                       I sighed ''Crescent, I can't just sit back and do nothing! There's a whole other world out there beyond his rule. We all saw an army of flying ponies from another nation with our own eyes!''

                       ''And we also saw how he effortlessly dealt with them,'' he warned.

                       ''It doesn't matter how the king dealt with them. What matters is that King Somber doesn't rule the entire world like we thought he did. There's still hope!''

                        Crescent nuzzled my cheek affectionately ''Arete! We appreciate your bravery and tenacity, but the threat is just too great.''

                         ''No threat is too great when you have the strength to overcome your fears.''

                         My brother patted me on the back ''Just because Somber wants us alive, doesn't mean we can get away with resisting,'' he truly cared for me, so I couldn't blame him for fearing for my safety. ''He could do things to us that are far worse than death,'' She directed her hoof over to the rest of the fields. ''Look, Arete! What do you see?''

                         I followed her gesture and saw in the distance, at least ten Crystal pony slaves with pikes in their mouths, who seemed to be on their way to mine for crystals inside Mt. Phobos. Riding on top of each of them, using horse tack such as saddles and head collars, were diamond dogs, fully clad in plate armor, and wielding crops.

                         I shivered as I looked at one of my fellow slaves, with their bloodshot eyes and bags under them. Their expression was one filled with apathy and defeatism, as if they gave up resisting long ago. They all had lashings from disobedience, with the numbers varying for each of them.

                         I looked back at my sister '' ...I see a people who have been beaten and broken into nothing but hollow shells of their former selves. I see ponies who are in desperate need for hope and inspiration. I may not stand a chance against Somber, but I can do my best to give my people hope, can't I?''

                         ''Arete, we're in no shape to do anything about his rule. All we can do is endure the torment and hope for a hero to come and save us.''

                         ''AND LOOK AT WHAT THAT ACCOMPLISHED!!!'' I snapped. There was only so much contempt I could bottle up, and said bottle shattered into pieces long ago. Now, I was a pony who felt like everypony who was not my people should be destroyed and forgotten. I had anger issues.

                         My brother lowered his ears and hushed ''Shhhh. You want to get lashed again?''

                         I sighed, then pointed a hoof toward one of the distant towers, where flashes of light and booming sounds came from. ''You remember that battalion of flying ponies? They are now zombies, who're being used as target practice! For the Dark Heart, no less!''

                         Crescent just stared down in shame ''I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to anger you.''

                         Taking a deep breath, I placed a hoof on his shoulder ''Crescent! I can't just sit back and watch other ponies suffer for us, without at least helping. Those flying ponies lost not just their lives, but their very souls, without even realizing. Do you really want their efforts to be in vain, by holding out for a hero who could very well end up being another victim?''

                          I looked to my flank which had the duty mark of a pony standing up to a ghost. My special talent was most likely bravery, since I try to restore hope in my fellow citizens as a daily routine. I muttered disappointingly ''I can't even fulfill my special purpose.''