There was a cool dampness. That was the first sensation, or was it the dripping sound? Somewhere, water was dripping occasionally and echoing in the void. Amethyst Dream didn't know how she’d come to be where she found herself. In fact, she didn't actually know where she was. She felt groggy, almost heavy somehow. Her company had stormed the castle. There was only light resistance from timberwolves. She remembered flashes of green light, and then one of her officers started shouting something. What was it? Everything had gone numb after that.
Panic flooded through her in the darkness.
‘Am I dead? No, that's crazy! If I'm dead, how can I think about being dead.’ Amethyst Dream slowed her breathing to remain calm.
She opened her eyes, but couldn’t see anything. Feeling about in the blackness might give some idea as to her location. Stone and rock all around. Cold. A foul smell, like a latrine. The quiet clinking of metal danced in her ears as she discovered the chain. She followed it up toward an iron band around her throat. So she was a prisoner, but what had become of the others. The air was cool but unmoving. She was likely in a cave or similar underground formation. The moisture in the air made her think it was likely a natural occurrence. Tugging at the chain, the other end was discovered close by, embedded in solid rock.
Somepony coughed, and it echoed through the chamber. Amethyst Dream's ears perked up and she listened. It could be coming from anywhere the way it bounced about. Gripping tightly, she pulled against the chain, testing its strength. Aside from a slight clinking, it made no sound as she pulled, nor did it budge. She attempted to stand, only to discover that the chain was too short to allow it. The links were thick, making it quite heavy in spite of it’s lack of length. There was nothing within reach but hard surfaces.
A wave of frustration overtook her, and Amethyst Dream pulled against her iron restraint. Then she moved to the other side and tried again. She worked at it one way and then another until she had soaked herself in sweat. Whether minutes or hours had passed was anypony's guess. Exhausted, she laid down on the hard stone floor. Left with only her thoughts, it took a while to catch her breath. Once or twice she found herself lost in a daydream, but she wasn't sure if she had actually been sleeping during those times. The silence was broken once, and Amethyst Dream could hear, not to mention feel, a rumbling somewhere far away. Whatever it was, the floor of the cave had trembled. Afterward, Amethyst Dream began counting to try to keep some sense of time. After keeping seconds in her head for what she guessed was about an hour, she started counting out-loud, softly.
The soft clinking of chains made her stop and listen. It sounded as if somepony were nearby and trying to move. Unsure how to feel about this, Amethyst Dream knew only one thing for certain: she was defenseless.
"Hello?" a thin, weak voice spoke in the darkness; it was a stallion.
Amethyst Dream thought it sounded familiar somehow, but she couldn't place it.
"That's what I thought," the voice sounded disappointed. "Dreams come, dreams go."
Amethyst Dream considered her options. There was a strong possibility that the changelings were playing some sort of game to get information from her. That being the case, whatever she said had to stay away from anything sensitive to the war effort. The other had grown silent again.
"Are you still there?" Amethyst Dream said into the darkness.
Fast movement was signaled by the noise the chains made.
"Who are you?" the voice called out. "Don't hurt me!"
"I couldn't even if I knew where you were," Amethyst Dream said, shaking her own chain.
"You're like me?" the voice said, hopefully. It sounded so familiar.
"I'm a prisoner," Amethyst Dream replied, unsure what else to say. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"
"When earlier? How long have you been here? W-What is your name? Have we lost the war?" the stallion spoke quickly.
"Calm down," she replied. "I think it's been a few hours, but I'm not really sure. I was in the middle of a battle and then woke up here."
“What battle?”
Still uncertain, she decided to evade, "It's a small detail; we'll figure a way out of here."
There was silence for a moment, and then the stallion said, "Amethyst?"
She wasn't sure how to respond, and she hesitated. How had he known her name? Was he one of her captors?
"It's me, Swift Echo," he said.
"Swift Echo," Amethyst Dream said blankly into the darkness. She hadn't thought of him in months. They hadn't even known where to look for him when they realized he'd been replaced by a changeling.
"There's changelings in Cloudsdale!" Swift Echo said frantically, "We have to warn everypony."
"They know," she replied. Surely it was safe enough to talk about this much. "Don't worry, they were found out months ago."
"What about Silent Blossom, have you seen her? Is she well?"
Amethyst Dream took a breath, feeling uneasy, "I'm sorry... your sister was killed in action."
He let out a sound of despair, somewhere between a groan and a sigh. He choked a moment before clearing his throat and asking, "How?"
"The changeling that replaced you came with us on our mission into the Everfree Forest. It led us into an ambush where she was killed.”
The chain fell and rested, and Swift Echo let out a sigh of desperate exasperation. Unsure what to say further, they sat there in silence for a while.
"Please tell me," Swift Echo said. "Tell me everything."
Although she didn't believe it was a trick, there still might be enemies listening. The fact that Swift Echo was still alive meant that they'd been feeding him, and that meant that they were likely to return. Beginning when she had last seen him in Cloudsdale, Amethyst Dream relayed everything that didn't seem sensitive information. Telling the story made her appreciate just how much they'd all been through since winter had given way to spring.
“Two months...” he sounded somewhat in shock.
"What about you?" Amethyst Dream asked.
"I don't know," he replied. "I mean, there isn't much to tell. I woke up once on the flight here, wherever here is. That's when I saw the changelings were behind it, but they knocked me out. When I came to, I was chained up in the dark, and I've been here ever since. They bring food and water, usually when I'm sleeping. I see them sometimes, if I lay very still. They use magic to light the way. We're in a cave."
That wasn't any new information. The cool dampness of the air had already told her that much.
"Did you see any of the cave?" she asked.
"Yes," he answered. "It's really big; more like a cavern. I've never seen anything like it."
Amethyst Dream tried to think where there might be a large cavern that the changelings could be using. There were the caves in Smokey Mountain, but she didn't think any of them were as deep as this. Maybe Foal Mountain had some caves. Those two ranges were the closest, but either would have likely been seen by EUP forces. But then again, the ranges are large, and it would probably be easy to dodge any patrols.
"Please don't stop talking," Swift Echo said, sounding a little frantic.
"Sorry," Amethyst Dream replied, "I was thinking."
He sighed with relief, "It's okay. I was just afraid I'd been dreaming and you weren't really there."
"Believe me, I'm here," she replied.
There had to be some way to get free, but she had to keep Swift Echo occupied so she could think.
"Tell me more about you," she said.
"I've been here. I thought I was finally going crazy when you arrived."
"No, I mean, tell me about before you signed up. Where are you from?"
"Oh, that," Swift Echo answered. "We grew up in Cloudsdale, Silent Blossom and me. We always loved flying, but I think my real gift was for getting into trouble. Our mother died giving birth to us, so it was just the two of us and dad. He worked at the weather factory. He would always come home sweaty and exhausted, so when we were big enough, Silent Blossom and I pretty much took care of the house and meals and that stuff."
He kept talking and Amethyst Dream tried to think while still listening. This proved as difficult as one would expect. She ended up only catching most of what he said. Whenever he paused, she made sure to make some kind of sound so he'd know she was still there. He seemed comforted by this.
There had to be something she could do to escape, but as long as she remained chained, she wasn't going anywhere. She had nothing to pick the lock with, and even if she did, the skill eluded her. The chains were thick, but there might be a chance of wearing them away against the rock. This didn't seem likely, but without another plan, she decided to try it. Taking the middle of the chain, she began slowly grinding it against the stone floor, pressing down on it as hard as she could. It made a quiet scraping sound.
"One time, while dad was at work, Silent Blossom wanted to see the edge of the city. So, we went toward the east side of town, and on our way, we found a group of kids that were also skipping school. They came with us, and one of them had this rainbow ball that they were playing with. Silent Blossom wanted it, and I tried to get them to give it to us, but they wouldn't, so I kicked it off the edge of the city. None of us were big enough to fly down after it, and they got so mad at us! They chased us almost all the way back home before they caught us. We ended up in a brawl, the two of us against five of them, mind you, and none of us were older than ten. Anyway, the fight happened to start in a market by a tomato vendor. I don't even know how many tomatoes we ended up smashing before the air marshals got there and broke up the fight. We got in so much trouble!"
Amethyst Dream laughed quietly at this. Her own childhood hadn't really seen that kind of excitement. A grumbling stomach, ignored by Swift Echo as he kept talking, signaled the passage of time, but just how much would have been anypony's guess. Amethyst Dream decided that it must be near evening now. It was a comforting thought, even though it probably shouldn't have been. The longer they spent down here, the less likely it would be that they'd be rescued.
That, of course, followed the assumption that her absence had been noticed. If she'd been replaced by a changeling... she shook her head and continued scraping the chosen link of the chain against the stone floor of the cave. Those kinds of thoughts would only distract her. There was nothing she could do about an if. The chain was in front of her, so that is what she needed to focus on. Amethyst Dream hadn't noticed at first when Swift Echo stopped speaking, but she now realized that the dull sound of metal on stone was the only noise heard. It sounded loud, causing her to pause.
"You don't have to stop," Swift Echo said. "But I should tell you; they'll just replace it when you're sleeping."
"Maybe," Amethyst Dream replied as she continued, "but at the moment, I don't have any other ideas."
"How far have you ground it down?"
Amethyst Dream lifted her chain and felt the piece she'd been working on. There were some light scratches in it, but it felt mostly intact still.
"Nowhere yet," she replied, a little despondently.
"Keep at it; if nothing else, it'll make you feel better."
Amethyst Dream did keep working on it in the silence that followed. She got a rhythm going that seemed to lull Swift Echo to sleep. After what must have been an hour or two, Amethyst Dream's front legs were aching, forcing her to rest. She didn't realize how tired she had become, but sleep took her before long. Disorientation was the most common sign that she had awakened, as the complete darkness made it impossible to tell if eyes were open or shut.
"Good morning," Swift Echo said softly; if it were possible, he sounded worse.
"How long did I sleep?"
"I don't know. I can't have been awake for more than an hour."
Amethyst Dream was suddenly concerned that the changelings had come while she was asleep and replaced her chain, but a quick check quieted those fears. Her progress was slow, but meaningful. At this rate she might be able to work through it in a few days. A sudden urge reminded Amethyst Dream that she hadn't been able to relieve herself since she'd been locked up.
"I don't supposed they let you off to find the latrine?" she asked hopefully.
"I'm afraid not," he replied grimly. "I just picked a spot and always go there. They do clean it up... sometimes."
“Lovely.”
The familiar sharp discomfort in her abdomen signaled that there wasn't a moment to lose. Amethyst Dream felt around for the roughest spot on the floor, which was fortunately slightly uphill from the smoothest patch. The short, thick chain didn't reach far in any direction, but the side with the smooth face would have to do. Getting into a position that wouldn't make a mess on herself was rather difficult, but she managed.
"I can't tell you how glad I am just to have somepony to talk to," Swift Echo interrupted her concentration.
She ignored him, hoping he would be quiet.
"It's pretty horrible down here," he continued. "Don't worry, I'm sure they'll bring us water soon. They also bring-"
"Please stop!" she said a little more harshly than she had intended. "I just need a minute.”
"Sorry!" he replied, and then became silent.
Amethyst Dream focused on the agony in her bladder, ignoring the iron collar that was chafing her neck, now threatening to choke her. The pain becoming unbearable, she was finally able to relax, and sweet relief replaced the frantic desperation she had felt as the sound of a small stream of water echoed quietly through the cavern. There was no way of knowing how long it had been, but the moment of release may have been the most wonderful feeling she had ever experienced.
When she was finished, Amethyst Dream moved carefully back to the other side and began grinding her chain on the floor again. Somehow, the experience was far less embarrassing than she'd thought it might be. Perhaps that was due to living in close quarters with so many stallions, or perhaps it was the absolute darkness. In any case being locked up was taking the forefront of her attention.
"You don't have to be quiet now. I'm sorry I snapped at you," Amethyst Dream said into the darkness.
"I didn't mean to be inconsiderate," Swift Echo replied. “They interrogated me once or twice early on, but since then... I haven’t talked to anypony else at all.”
“Forget it."
Sporadic talking filled what must have been several hours as she worked on the chain. The stone floor was hard against her body, which required shifting positions fairly frequently. The utter blackness seemed even deeper now, if it were possible; it could almost be felt pressing in on all sides. Amethyst Dream had to slow her efforts to keep from sweating. She was already thirsty, and there was no water. The last thing she needed was to dehydrate herself even more quickly by overexertion.
"How often do they usually bring water?" Amethyst Dream asked.
After at least a minute of silence, a weak answer came, "They're not that consistent, but I don't remember it ever being this long before."
"Are you alright?"
He sighed, “Not feeling well..."
It made sense. Swift Echo had been down here for months. He'd likely been underfed and not given enough to drink. He would naturally succumb faster than she would.
"Hey, don't you go dying on me," Amethyst Dream said, "Help is on the way, and we're going to be rescued. I had a whole division with me, and they'll be looking for us by now." The concern that he might be a changeling spy or that they might be listening still threatened, so she decided that half-truths would be the best option. She had to do something to lift his spirits.
"A whole division?" he asked weakly.
“Yes, five-thousand ponies,” she replied. "So you hang on just a little bit longer, soldier."
"Yes... ma'am..."
Within moments, the pattern of his breathing signaled that Swift Echo had fallen asleep again. Amethyst Dream pressed down on the chain with as much weight as she could as she scraped it now in hopes that it would grind faster. She slipped, grating herself against the floor instead and chipped a hoof. Pain from the little fall throbbed up her leg, but she couldn't stop now. She might be able to find water if she could just get free.
Indistinct shouting could now be heard, and it was joined by several other voices. Amethyst Dream stopped to listen for a few seconds, but the noise was so filled with echo that any message contained in the sound was obliterated. This did confirm to Amethyst Dream that most, if not all, of her company had been captured. They were likely all in this cave. That meant that they had to still be somewhere near Canterlot. It also meant that she had her work cut out for her if they were all not being given water. Her tongue felt swollen in her mouth for lack of moisture. She redoubled her efforts against the hardened steel.
Amethyst Dream continued working for some time in that manner before exhaustion forced her to rest. Without food or water, her energy seemed to spend faster every time she made effort of any kind. Sleep was the only thing that helped at all, though she tried to avoid it as much as possible. Swift Echo hadn’t spoken for hours or longer.
It was the sound that first awakened Amethyst Dream, but the light was the first thing she took note of. Two dim magical lights moved toward her. Uncertain, she lay still. The voices drew closer, the pattern of their speech telling her that she was in danger. Three changelings approached, two of them with pale green magical light emanating from their horns. A heaviness knotted up the mare’s stomach as she held her breath. The third changeling had a broken horn.
Dread filled Amethyst Dream as the changelings stopped over her. Lungs burned for air, and Amethyst Dream had little choice but to give in to that base need. Something akin to a low growling hiss escaped the one with the broken horn. He was laughing.
“Well, well,” his voice was deafening as it echoed through the cave. “I never thought our paths would cross again.”
The broken horned changeling leaned down close to her, the dim light making him almost silhouetted, but even so she recognized him.
“Drage,” the name escaped her as an almost involuntary whisper.
“You remember,” an evil grin crossed his face. “If I recall, you were less than cooperative the last time I had you for questioning.”
“Is she the one you told us about?” one of the others asked.
“Yes indeed, she is.”
Amethyst Dream’s heart was racing. It was all she could do to just keep breathing. Drage never took his eyes off of her. She could just see them glinting in the darkness.
“I suppose I’d best tell you the rules,” Drage spoke evenly. “It seems your form was needed, so I won’t be allowed to make any new scars on you, but there is quite a lot of pain you can endure without it leaving a visible mark. I ask questions; you answer, truthfully this time. Shall we begin?”
The mare’s mouth was dry; she decided her best response was to remain silent.
“Tell me something I don’t know about the EUP’s defenses.”
She wasn’t sure what to do. He was going to hurt her, of that Amethyst Dream had no doubt. On the other hoof, she didn’t want to betray anything useful to him. If she lied, it would likely just anger him more rapidly than her silence.
“No smart replies today?”
She returned his stare. Drage sighed and nodded at the other two. They walked to either side of the mare, the light from their horns now illuminating sinister expression on Drage’s face. Each took a turn and kicked her ribs. She took it with a grunt and tried to steel her resolve.
“I know you’ve been assigned to a special detachment. What is your objective?”
She could only wonder how much he actually knew. He wasn’t dumb, but he was likely to play as if he were in hopes that she’d slip. Her concentration buckled as the pair struck her again in turns. Drage’s eyes were gleaming with delight.
“Why did you attack Dodge Junction, only to abandon the battle after you’d taken the town?”
Another delay prompted a much more vigorous beating from the other two. Amethyst Dream’s sides ached. She still felt her best option was to cooperate as little as possible and hope he got bored.
“You’re a tough mare, aren’t you?” he hissed. “Perhaps we’ll just have to try something else.”
Amethyst Dream’s heart sank and an uncontrollable chill went through her. The look in his eyes was like an insatiable malicious hunger.
“Grab her hind legs.”
The other two did, and though she didn’t think it wise, Amethyst Dream struggled against them. Fear drove her, but the pair pulled as Drage swept her front legs out from under her. She crashed into the stone floor. Before she could gain any footing, the chain tightened because they had drug her back so far. Panic took over. Amethyst Dream struggled wildly and futilely against their grip. Drage sauntered around them, behind her. The iron collar was choking the mare, but she continued thrashing.
Drage stepped on her back and pushed her against the ground, and then his front legs were on either side. She continued to struggle, but she was hardly able to move. Between the other two and the chain, she was practically pulled taught like a rope suspending a piano. She thought her heart would explode for the fury of its pounding, sounding out her fear as a rushing in her ears. She felt his hot breath on her neck.
“You’re not really my type, so I doubt I’ll even enjoy this, but I will do whatever it takes to make you talk. I will break you if that’s what it takes.”
Amethyst Dream gurgled, her voice cut off by the iron collar. It was still the blind terror driving her. If she could talk, if she could say anything at all, maybe she could buy some time. Drage backed off, and the others relaxed their grip just a little. Amethyst Dream struggled to breathe.
“What was that?” Drage asked.
She coughed, trying desperately to speak.
“I’ll talk!” she croaked. “I’ll talk, I’ll talk!”
“I’m listening,” he whispered in her ear.
Amethyst Dream’s mind raced as she was unsure what to say. She had to do something, find some way out of this.
“The EUP is planning an attack,” it was vague, but might buy her a few seconds to weave together a half-truth that satisfied the psychotic changeling and didn’t betray her own kind. “I mean, a new offensive. It starts with retaking Canterlot.”
“Get to something I don’t know; this is your last chance.”
Amethyst Dream felt herself shiver. Her tongue felt swollen in her mouth, almost preventing her from breathing, let alone speaking.
“We’re going to press from the north, retaking everything north of Canterlot and establishing a new perimeter. That’s our next push.”
There was silence for a long moment before Drage sighed.
“You know, it hurts that you don’t believe me when I tell you what I’m going to do.”
Amethyst Dream felt herself tense all over as her blood ran cold.
“I warned you not to lie.”
The other two pulled again from either side and a fresh wave of panic took Amethyst Dream. She struggled, tensing every muscle in her body, as if by force of will she could overcome the iron collar, chain, and three changelings that had her firmly in their grasp. She couldn’t, she wouldn’t let this happen to her. Drage sniffed at her neck, and then shattered the last remnant of innocence that Amethyst Dream possessed.
She heard herself cry out, but it was as if she were somepony else, listening to it. Somehow, she felt removed as they assaulted her body, but reality came crashing back in a jarring and concussive way. She pawed at the stone in vain, still trying to escape what was happening. As he continued, it was as if something in Amethyst Dream’s heart died, strength failed her, and she stopped fighting.
Eventually, Drage finished, and the other two let go. Amethyst Dream felt as if her very soul had become hollow, a void that couldn’t be filled. Her body was bruised and sore all over. As if moving of its own accord, her frame had curled itself up.
Her attacker returned to face her, the other two by his side.
“When I return, I expect you to be more cooperative.”
As the three walked away, the soulless form was left in the dark with nothing but her thoughts. She heard a ghastly cry of sorrow echoing through the vast cavern. It took several minutes to realize that Amethyst Dream herself was the source of it, but she didn’t care.
Author's Note
This had originally been written as part of The Last Cutie Mark Crusader, but both myself and my editor ultimately decided that this was far too grim/dark to include in that story. At the same time, I was so happy with how well it came out (I feel strange being happy about this one considering the nature of its content), that I didn't want to just throw it out either. So, here it is in all of its original horror as a stand-alone one-shot. All of the characters are renamed, so if you go looking for them in The Last Cutie Mark Crusader, you won't find them (though, if you've been reading that, I'm sure you can tell who they were originally to be). Some of this will get used there, but it will be toned down a bit.
Thanks for reading! 