Carte Blanche: The Paradox of Hedonism

Carte Blanche: The Paradox of Hedonism Chapter 7

Caligula whimpered on the back of Lovelock as the large zebra carried her through the halls of the house. She wore bandages wrapped around her lower body, hiding the stitches and mangled fur that had been set in place by the two reluctant doctors. They’re work carried on much longer than anypony present had intended, forcing more and more agonizing screams out of the filly as her fallopian tubes were cut and blocked. The pain was so intense that even Lovelock and the other slave standing outside of the surgical room had trouble blocking the poor filly out.

Lovelock stopped at the door to the slave quarters and waited for the other slave to open it. He looked back at the whimpering filly, his ears drooping and his frown deepening. He did his best to mitigate the amount of bouncing that Caligula would receive on their way back to the slave quarters, but even with his efforts the aftermath of the operation took its toll on her. The residual pain remained due to the fact that the doctors feared giving Caligula sufficient painkillers on the basis that she may have further damage done to her internal organs.

“Chef Lovelock?”

Lovelock turned his head to find Jade standing at the entrance to the slave quarters. Her mane was all frazzled and dark circles hung under her eyes, indicating that she had not gone to sleep since Caligula left hours ago. She peered around the large zebra and spotted Caligula. Her ears fell flat against the sides of her head.

“Little Caligula need rest,” Lovelock whispered. “She go through ordeal—terrible ordeal.”

“Is she okay?” Jade asked. She stepped out of the way when Lovelock walked into the slave quarters. He carefully strode over to Caligula’s bed, followed by the other slave, who then gently lifted Caligula from his back to place her on the mattress. Jade stood a little ways off from the two larger ponies, her tail tucked between her legs and her lips quivering. Her heart felt heavy watching her friend keeled over and clearly in pain.

Lovelock turned from Caligula’s bed with a sigh and walked back over to Jade. She stared up at him with her big eyes, her mane flopping back away from her face.

“You must stay strong for Little Caligula,” Lovelock said. “She in much pain and sorrow. Need friend like you with big heart and big soul.” He touched his chest, to which Jade did the same.

“What happened?” Jade asked, glancing behind Lovelock to see the other slave gently pulling Caligula’s blanket over her.

Lovelock shook his head and said, “That for her to tell you if she wishes. The circumstances she maybe not know. She only know of the pain of doctors and servitude.”

Jade sighed and looked at the floor, kicking one of her hooves. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the slave that was tending to Caligula depart from the bed.

“Is it okay if I visit her?” Jade asked.

“It be best that you do,” Lovelock said with a nod of his head.

Jade and Lovelock stared at each other for a little while longer before the larger zebra trotted off over to his bed. Jade looked over at Caligula and found that the unicorn filly lay staring at her. Their eyes locked only for a moment before Jade broke from her spot to walk to Caligula’s bed. Testing the bed with her hooves, pressing down on the mattress to see if Caligula uttered a sound, she found it was safe for her to climb up and get herself settled in next to her friend.

Jade ran her hoof over Caligula’s cheeks, then slid her hooves down further under the covers. She lifted the covers and peered underneath, immediately regretting her decision and cringing. Caligula’s forehoof reached out and touched Jade on the chest, who responded by letting the covers fall back around Caligula’s body so that she may clasp their hooves together.

“It hurts, Jade,” Caligula whimpered.

“I know, Cally,” Jade said sympathetically. “It probably hurts more than anything in the world.”

Caligula nodded her head. “W-why’d they do this?”

“Master Nyeusi does what he wants,” Jade whispered.

“How can somepony do something like that?”

Jade sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know. Cally, remember what you told me a few weeks back? About your home and the forest and the beach?”

Caligula nodded her head again.

“Protect yourself with that memory. Imagine you’re back home with the forest and the animals, walking through its paths that lead you to the long beaches and Eternal Sea. You bask in the sun’s light and stare up at the night sky’s beauty. You’re safe, free, and it’s all your’s. You can forget the pain that hurts you and forget the cruelty that plagues you.”

Caligula choked and nuzzled herself up against Jade’s side, shifting herself in her bed. Sharp jolts of pain ran up along her sides, but she suppressed any further cries that she may have uttered otherwise.

“I want to go home, Jade,” Caligula said.

“And it’s a beautiful home that you want to go home to,” Jade said. “Teeming with adventure, full of wonder and excitement and love. Far away from the savagery and heartlessness that makes up the empty sands of this country. The crossing you undertook, far from fair or sincere, brought you here against your will, and it is only right that you try to find your way home.”

Caligula sniffled and looked up at Jade. “P-princess Luna told me the same thing in my dream.”

Jade blinked. “Princess Luna talked to you in your dream?”

“She can travel through dreams to ponies who are even very far away.”

“Cally, that’s… incredible. You spoke to Princess Luna!”

“But I don’t know how I’ll find my way home, Jade. The world is so big and we’re so small.”

Jade smiled and shook her head. “That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try. In a world as big as this our goals may be so distant, but that only means that we have a whole bunch of options to achieve them. We can make plans, take adventures, live and love and laugh until finally our road comes to an end at our destination.”

“It’s so scary, though,” Caligula said. “Princess Luna says that we must endure and wait for our chance, but how can we do that if ponies will keep hurting us?”

“With help, of course,” Jade said. “I have you and you have me, and together we are an unbreakable team. When one pony knocks us down, we just help each other get back up. We can’t give ground to anypony that only wishes to hurt us over and over again.”

Caligula looked up at Jade as a small smile etched across her face. She hugged the zebra filly, who took Caligula’s head in her forelegs.

“See? Now you’re getting it,” Jade said. “No matter how bad things may get for us, we’ll be there for each other. Our goal is to escape into a better life, and we can only do that if we are helping each other along the way.”

“We’ll be the best friends ever,” Caligula said. “You give me so much hope, Jade. Even when I’m down, you find someway to pick me up and make me smile again. I could be in pain or crying, but that doesn’t matter to you. You know how to cheer me up and make me feel better again.”

“You mean the world to me, Cally,” Jade said with a hum. “I know you’d do the same thing if you were in my hooves.”

Jade and Caligula snuggled up closer to each other and Caligula’s ears perked when she heard her friend humming. It sounded sweet yet melancholy, like the last slow song of one of the best parties somepony had ever been to. The melody swam in Caligula’s ears, and she felt herself relaxing as the hum of Jade’s voice took over the gentle snoring of the slaves around them.

“I live in a dream,

With open eyes I breathe again.

I see all of your fears.

Together we can feel.

I feel, we can heal,

And take the road less traveled on.

To here, in the new

Like diamonds we will shine.

We will rise

Two hearts, where souls are free again.

We live.”

Caligula closed her eyes and felt her heart getting heavy. It wasn’t sorrow anymore that plagued her, she felt the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach that only came from excitement. The pain within her slowly subsided, subdued by the magic of Jade’s voice as she sang on and on. Happiness welled up in her like never before, her smile growing wide as Jade acted as the catalyst.

“We sail the seas of life and believe

The storms will lead us home

These open roads will call us with The Promise

We walk the earth alone.”

Unbeknownst to them, Lovelock looked over at Caligula and Jade with a smile on his face. He recognized the song that Jade sang, a warm and ominous song, something that warmed the hearts of ponies fortunate enough to hear it sung and sung well. Jade’s beautiful voice was no exception. Caligula sat more at ease through Jade’s efforts than any other time she had come to Zebrica.

Lovelock rolled over in his bed and closed his eyes, although he still kept his ears perked in anticipation for the rest of the song.

“This dream is a universe

And every soul shines

Where the darkness turns into light

I take you to fly with me

And follow the way

There will always be a new day

There will always be a new day.”

Caligula looked up at Jade as she finished the last verse. The warmth coursing through her body was unparalleled to anything she had ever felt before.

“Jade, I want to promise you something,” Caligula said. She saw Jade cock her head before continuing. “You’re… the greatest friend that anypony can ask for. The smile you put on your face, the hopefulness that you give to me and everypony is something that not even the princesses can hope to have. It’s something that I wish I had, but am glad that you show me.” She took a deep breath. “No matter what, Jade, I promise that whatever happens, I will always be your friend and always be by your side.”

Jade smiled and hugged Caligula, careful not to hug her too tight to set off any pangs of pain from her surgery. Caligula heard Jade’s heart beating furiously.

“And I promise to always be by yours, Cally,” Jade said. “You’re special to me, the most special pony that I know. Never will I separate myself from you.”

The two fillies settled themselves in to Caligula’s bed, shuffling below the covers. Jade took Caligula into her hooves, wrapping her up in a warm and loving embrace. After tonight neither of them wanted to separate from the other, far more content to know that in their hooves, only millimeters apart, is each other.

It didn’t take long for either filly to drift off to sleep, but before too long it was morning again. Dreading for working with the pain coursing through her body, Caligula groaned when the sunlight finally found its way to both she and Jade’s eyes. The light didn’t remain, however, as Lovelock came into view and blocked out the annoying glares.

“Stay in bed, young ones,” Lovelock said. “We take care of jobs for you.”

“You really mean it?” Caligula asked.

Lovelock smiled and nodded his head. “More than anything.”

Jade and Caligula looked at each other for a moment before their eyes lit up. They smiled and hugged each other, squeeing. Jade quickly had to retract her hug, though, when Caligula burst into a fit of “ows” and whimpers. She coughed and looked away, apologizing under her breath.

Lovelock chuckled and walked away from the bed, leaving the two fillies alone. Caligula pushed Jade’s head back up and smiled at her.

“Would you like to teach me Zebrish?” she asked.

Jade’s eyes widened and her ears perked up. “Would I!” She shrunk back afterwards and looked down again. “But… it’s forbidden for slaves to use the language. I’m not allowed to teach you.”

Caligula looked around the room. “I don’t see anypony else here. Besides, it’ll help you stay in practice, right?”

Jade looked up and around the room as well, a smile forming very slowly on her lips. She returned her gaze back to Caligula and nodded her head.