Lights Out

I awoke with explosive pain in my head, I started coughing and gagging, my arms were outstretched and chained to the walls on my left and right, I was on my knees and trying not to throw up.

I vomited, my vision was blurry and I had blood running down the right side of my face, I recovered from retching and tried to get the blood out of my eye which was burning.

The chains on my hands stopped me, I tugged at the chains trying to get free, I barely mustered the strength to even move the chains enough to jingle.

I looked down at my torso to see the right side of my body dripping blood, there was a deep gash spreading from the top to the bottom of my ribs, it didn’t puncture my lungs or break my ribs, at least.

Everything but my underwear and pants were on me, said pants being soaked in my own blood.

My arm felt like it was on fire, I looked up to my right to see it was burnt slightly, saying it hurt like hell was an understatement, my shoulder had a small gash, it wasn’t deep, luckily, but it bled a lot.

The left side of my body fared a little bit better, I could tell that I broke at least one rib and had a fractured arm, along with small cuts and bruises.

I was surely going to die of blood loss if I didn’t get out of these chains and get medical attention, I had to do it soon.

I tried my hardest to push past the pain and get on my feet, I roared in agony, I didn’t even have to look to tell that my left leg was fractured and on the verge of being broken.

Adrenaline and instincts took over, I closed my eyes and grit my teeth as I used my right leg to stand up, I fell again and tears started forming in my eyes from the pain.

I heard a door open in front of me, I looked up and saw a tall pony silhouette in the dim light coming from behind me, the light behind the tall pony obscured any actual details from its figure.

I noticed something wrong, the pony had holes in its feet and what looked like bug wings on it’s side.

Changelings.

These were the race of shapeshifters that Twilight told me about.

Breathing heavily I spoke to the figure, “Who...who the fuck are you?”

The figure didn’t say anything before closing the door and turning back to me, when my eyes adjusted I saw a very tall female changeling with seaweed-like hair and long fangs staring at me with tealish green eyes.

“I am Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, you will do right to respect me, weakling.” She gave me a threatening glare that I wasn’t fazed by.

“Why am I...here.”

She smiled, “My Changelings heard about a mysterious creature appearing in the Everfree, but they were just rumors, I asked my children at the castle and they confirmed this, I must say you do look a little weak, no?” She gave a smug grin, I wanted to smack that grin off her face.

I was gritting my teeth in anger, “Get me outta these goddamn chains and I’ll show you how weak feels.”

She started laughing, “Ohhhh, we have a feisty one, don’t we? Your anger is a bitter sweet, if I must say.” She gave that smug grin again and I about lost it.

This bitch wants to fight, I’ll give her a fight.

I flexed my arms and pulled the chains with newfound strength, the chains strained but held strong.

She gave that arrogant smug laugh again, “You won’t be able to escape, your magic is worthless, I will need you later so I will patch most of your wounds, and if you don’t start respecting me I’ll be forced to take...jurassic measures.” Her horn lit up and my broken bones were realigned, my deep cuts mostly healed.

I screamed in anguish, my mind couldn’t take the pain anymore and I passed out.

=== === ===

I awoke with a dull throb in my head, I opened my eyes slowly and looked at my body, it looks like she allowed bandages for the bleeding, my right side had a bandage that showed some red underneath, all of my broken bones were healed and my fractured ones stayed fractured.

Looks like she borderline saved me.

The right side of my head was bandaged and my eye was cleaned, I could now stand without as much pain, but it still felt like fire down my leg, I just decided to stay on my knees, my arms being outstretched was really starting to annoy me.

The door in front of me opened, there was no bright light behind the door this time, I looked at the Changeling that entered, he had a plate with bread and a tin cup filled with water, he approached me cautiously.

I didn’t move as he set down the plate in front of me, he grabbed the bread with his hoof and cautiously put it up to my mouth.

I was considering biting his hand off before slowly eating the bread, I didn’t devour it as I wanted to savor it as long as possible, when I bit the last piece off he grabbed the small cup and put it to my lips and let me drink, I drank slowly, but it was still gone before I knew it.

He took the cup back and set it on the plate before leaving, when the door shut with a thud I kept looking at my kneeling shadow in front of me, the dim blue light behind me never changed, so I couldn’t tell what time it was.

I looked around the room with a critical eye trying to spot anything that could help me escape, as I was looking I felt as if the shadows were moving, something was watching me.

The shadows were watching me it seemed, all around me, but only one pair of eyes, watching from every angle.

The door opened and Chrisalys sauntered into the room, she had a grin on her face while walking over to me, only when her snout almost touched my nose did she stop and speak.

“I hope you enjoyed your meal, you’ll be fed that for a very long time.”

I snarled in my throat, she backed up a bit but kept close, her smile wiped off her face.

“It seems that you need to be shown discipline.”

Her magic arced and hit me square in the chest, electricity was flowing through my every nerve, but I didn’t scream, partially because of the shock, but mostly out of defiance.

She kept it up for a bit before stopping, my head was swimming and my eyes were heavy.

Shortly afterwards I passed out.

=== === ===

The days kept rolling by, the torture sessions were becoming creative, at least they let me eat normally, my only thoughts were of escape and vengeance, I didn’t know what day it was because of my passouts and sitting still in a dark room was taking its toll on me.

I was starting to think, usually I’d have something to, but now all I had to pass the time was think, things I kept trying to forget.

I could tell something was here, something was moving the shadows and playing tricks with me, it felt like something was trying to get into my mind.

The nightmares got me the most, I couldn’t think straight, I was sleep deprived, my body was beaten and battered from the torture, the only good thing was that my bones healed.

I had just woken up from another sleepless night when Chrysalis walked into my room again, I was preparing myself for another session when I realised I hadn’t been struck yet, she looked down on me with those green eyes, I stared back.

For a while she didn’t do or say anything, words were rising in my throat when she interrupted me, “You certainly are a hard one to break, I’m having you moved,” she smiled an evil smile, “I hope you enjoy.”

She struck me with iron plated hooves, pain flared, but I was out cold before I realised it.

=== === ===

Celestia was having a rough day.

Her nobles were filing complaints about the local club, talking about how it ‘ruined the atmosphere’, she knew the only reason they wanted it gone was so they could make another brothel or something of the sort.

Another stack was the city finances, there was a shortage of wheat this season due to the recent drought, inflation was bound to make a lot of ponies angry.

But Celestia couldn’t think about those things, her mind always wandered back to the mysterious creature that seemingly fell from the stars.

It’s been a little over a week since the chariot was found burnt to a crisp, the heat so intense that no bodies were found.

The funeral for the guards and the human was three days ago, there was a group of Lunar Guards that showed up for Jason, but other than that no one else really cared about the strange creature other than Twilight and Fluttershy, the others didn’t come, anyone else that came were there for the guards funeral.

She personally didn’t know him, but she could tell he was a disturbed creature, she only wished he found peace.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a servant knocking on the door, “Come in.”

The maid approached the sun goddess with forms in her mouth, “Here are the wedding papers, Princess.” she gingerly set down the papers on Celestia’s desk.

She smiled warmly, “Thank you Weave, I’ll have these filled shortly.”

The maid nodded before exiting the room and closing the door, Celestia looked at the papers and saw the decorative invitation first, she was to wed Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadence, and Captain Shining Armor of the Equestrian Royal Guard.

The wedding was to happen in one week, her heart warmed at the thought of the couple, they were truly meant for each other.

She sighed and remembered all the paperwork she still hadn’t done.

This was going to be a long week.

=== === ===

I awoke to ice cold water being splashed on my face, I awoke quickly and struggled in my captor's grasp, I realised that they were waterboarding me, I was thrashing around, trying to do anything to get free.

Just as I was about to go under the onslaught stopped, the rag was ripped off my face as I took deep gulps of air, my captors were silent as they dragged me into a different room and hoisted my chained form into a green pod, they quickly closed it around me.

Then a liquid was filling the pod, with my hands chained behind me I attempted to kick the pod with the little leg room I had, the transparent green liquid reached my mouth and nose, it filled the pod as it entered my lungs, strangely I didn’t start drowning, it seemed that the liquid was a sort of ‘thick air’.

Then the pain started, it was all over me, like an army of angry wasps under every inch of my skin, my brain stayed conscious.

I was roaring in pure agony, but the liquid muffled my voice, I then saw the three that waterboarded me exit my lone room with only myself and locked the door.

Hell was only beginning.