Final entries
For as long as I can remember, we've lived underground. For as long as my parents can remember, we've lived underground. For as long as their parents remembered when they were still around, we've lived underground. We've lived underground, all nearly one hundred of us, for longer than anypony could possibly remember. And I messed all of it up.
All of our rules are their for our safety, and I broke the biggest one. You see, every time the monsters come, we run, and we hide. We don't fight back, we don't protect the foals and the elderly, we just get back in our houses, and save ourselves. We only save ourselves. I don't like that rule, so I broke it. I fought back. My parents found out. They were so angry at me. I'm still sore a week later.
I just want to go home.
Let me tell you, dear diary, the one friend who didn't abandon me, what happened on that day. Or would It be that night? I can never be sure which it is.
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It was just another normal day (night?) and then the monsters cam again. Normally most of them are weird slime things, with a few ponies made of bones, but this time it was mostly bone ponies. I was playing with my other "friends" in the mushroom fields when they came. We never saw them coming. Truffle and Chryssie were the only two caught. Sometimes I still hear them screaming. Everypony else got away, except for me. I was hiding in a pile of mushrooms that got cut down, and a saw something that saved my life. When on of the bone ponies found me, I hit it in the head as hard as I could with the ax I found. None of the other bone ponies found me, but the grown-up ponies form the village did.
They saw the bone pony, they saw the ax in it's head. They saw what I did, that I fought back, that I didn't run and hide. But I did save myself. That's why we run, I didn't know I'd be in trouble. I didn't know what they would do to me. I only found out just before I started writing this. I have to leave forever, and I don't have a choice. and they won't let me bring an ax, even though that's what my Cutie Mark is.
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I'm so hungry. I'm sorry, but I had to eat a few of your pages to make it stop hurting. I think I might have to eat more of them. I've had plenty of water, and the monsters haven't found me yet, but I don't have any food. I don't know how long it's been since they made me leave, but I do know I still hear Truffle and Chryssie screaming, more then I used to. Why won't they stop screaming, don't they hear me telling them I'm coming?
I thought I found them, but I was just some rock that were trying to trick me. Why did the rock want to trick me? Why don't the cave want me to find my friends? WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER? Something's coming, and getting closer. It's scrapping at the other side of the wall. Did one of the monster's find us? I'm going to hide you in case they did. I'll be in this room, I won't abandon you. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe.
Author's Note
This Is just an opening chapter, and gives some back story, along with some insight into the main character's mind. As for why I said "bone ponies" instead of skeletons in this chapter, well, do you really expect a scared little filly for before they had any real anatomical studies to know what a skeleton is? I didn't, but assumed she knew what bones were, and thus "bone ponies." and as you can see she's going insane, but that's just from isolation. Don't worry, she goes sane again, later.
Capture and Plans for Escape
Frost was hiding behind a rock that was sticking out of the dirt floor of the cave she was in. Even in the low light she was easily visible, her startlingly white coat seemed to not want her hidden, even though it was stained with a weeks worth of dirt. Her cutie mark was entirely covered, making it where her unseen observer couldn't tell if she was one they could keep. They'd know soon enough, they had the little pony surrounded. Suddenly the scraping on the wall stopped, and at that signal, they went into action, and had the little pony caught.
"I was hoping this one'd put up a bit of a fight."
"Hard to put up a fight when you fainted."
"Still wanted a fight."
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Frost recovered from her fainting in a different cave then the one she was in last. This cave was lit better then what she was used to, and the light hurt her eyes a little. The stone walls were crudely worked and was covered in claw marks, but a few places were smoothed out. Other than that, the room had nothing the filly found noteworthy.
Frost tried to stand, but she was too weak from hunger, and even if she wasn't the ropes she just discovered around her legs would have kept her down. She started to panic because she thought the monsters that caught her were going to eat her, or worse take her to the parents of the bone pony she hit with an ax.
While Frost was worrying about being eaten, unseen to her one of the creatures that captured her entered the room though the door behind her. It walked up behind her, and used on of it's clawed paws to wipe the dirt off her flank. As soon as Frost felt the unknown limb against her body she screamed "DON'T EAT ME!" and started sobbing uncontrollably.
"Quiet!" her captor commanded in a rough voice as it kicked her in the stomach, winding her. "You will only speak when given permission, understand?" Frost, whimpering in pain, nodded. "Good." Frost didn't scream when her captor tried to wipe the dirt from her flank this time. After removing the dirt, and leaving a few scratches, Frost's Cutie Mark was uncovered. It was strange for somepony who lived a relatively peaceful life, an ax with a blood-red head half buried in a pony skull. "A mercenary's foal, or maybe an insane pony, either way, it doesn't matter. I know exactly where to put you to work."
"What if I don't want to work?" Frost received another winding kick to the stomach.
"If you don't work, you don't eat."
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Frost was put to work in a mine, digging for gems and metals. She learned from the other foals working in the mine, who were all unicorns, that their captors were called "Diamond Dogs." She also learn that more then a few foals had starved to death because the didn't work when the were sick or injured, and that it was more common to die from another foal killing you for your food.
The food was, if it was even possible, worse than the situation. Dirty, uncooked, mushrooms were all they were given to eat. Sometimes somepony got a clean mushroom. They didn't live long, because somepony else always wanted it, and would do anything to get it. Today was Frost's lucky day, she got a clean mushroom.
A dark blue colt with a black mane trotted over toward Frost, after everypony had been given their meal for the day. He was the oldest pony working the mine, and had survived, and caused more than a few "accidents." One he caused had backfired, and the tip of his horn had been broken off, leaving a jagged end. He couldn't use magic very well anymore, but he could use his horn as a weapon, which he did whenever somepony else wouldn't hoof over their food on demand.
"I already know what you're going to say," Frost remarked when he was close enough, "And no you can't have my food."
The colt stopped in his tracks, "Why not? You know what'll happen if you don't hoof it over."
"As much as I'd love to," Frost easily popped the hole mushroom into her mouth, "it seems I've already eaten it."
"Why you little-"
"The only reason I didn't eat it right away is because I have something I need your help with." The colt snorted in a cross between irritation and amusement.
"If you wanted to get beaten to within an inch of your life, you could have just tried to escape."
"That's what I need your help with."
"What, almost dying, or escaping?"
"The second one. Also, not so loud; you'll attract unwanted attention."
"You actually think you'll be able to escape, even with my help? Everypony that tries has gotten killed, or worse. I'm not about to risk my neck, just so you can head back above ground."
"If my plan works, we'll both be free. But, if it doesn't, neither of us will be around to care anymore."
"Fine, I'll help. But if we die, I'll kill your ghost."
"I guess that's fair?"
"So when are we going to try to escape?"
"Just wait for the signal."
"You never told me what the signal was."
"Trust me, you'll know."
