Warning, explicit description of physical assault.
There was a long silence after we left the hospital, not even Fylakas chirped as we left. the old hospital room. We were on our way back to the cruise ship, and I became worried more and more about the two young passengers we were bringing back with us. Both Rue and Fylakas were cause to be worried about. Did they seriously decide that... That this was going to be a good idea? I poked my scar and just closed my eyes. My battle with that demonic force drifted through my thoughts. I could still see the form of Slasher. Her throat slit. My stomach churned. I closed my eyes and clenched my fists in anger. That's never going to happen to her. I promised myself that I would protect her. Next comes my conversation with Fylakas.

"Fylakas. I need to ask you something." My throat was still scratchy, this only having been my about third time using my voice officially. I blinked and grunted, feeling the vibrations in my vocal cords. He looked at me distractedly as he held Rue protectively. He held her so her front hooved were over his shoulders and her head was in the crook of his neck.

"Yeah? Whatcha need Bal?" My eyebrows rose at the strange nickname, but I took it with a grain of salt.

"What do they... What do her parents do to her and you?" His head swerved to me, his eyes seemingly boggling out of his skull. I knew I had just asked the worst question imaginable for him, the poor guy.

"Why...? Why do you n-need to know...??" He was biting back tears. I knew this was hard.

"Because the princesses... They won't take kindly to the treatment of her." He closed his eyes and took in a huge breath, trying to get his thoughts together completely. I pat his shoulder.

"Soon you're going to be moving on. Living with us." He nodded thoughtfully and looked at me. He knew about the princesses. He knew- somehow in that moment -that they were never going to hurt him again. He nodded once and whipped away a tear, closing his left eye and inhaling sharply. This slightly scared Wench, who was dozing off slowly.

"They... He would... Her father would stumble in and... He would come in, the first night I was home with her. I went into her room with her and she had set up a pillow and blanket for me... I was grateful. That had been the best night sleep I had had for... Weeks. Possibly longer." He was getting choked. "The-the female stumbled in and whinnied something to her, and Rue was frantic to hide me. She used her weird... Levitational magic t-to move me into her bed and she jumped up into the bed in front of me. I heard heavy stomping and the female horse... She looked terrified. She gained a look of horror as soon as the male came in the door, leaving a huge thud or something. He came into Lily's room- that's what I call her, lily because she likes flowers." He closed his eyes and tears broke for a moment. "He finished the bottle of gin or something. Then he threw it at the females head." He looked off to the side. "Then he... He looked at Rue. He saw her and he saw me... He became raged. He was... He began screaming and whinnying and stamping his hoof.. Eventually... Eventually he hit her. He Lily. Blood came from the tip of her horn as well as some sparkling liquidy stuff. I shouted for him to stop, but he didn't listen. He turned to the female- she was bluish violet so I just called her Blueberry. He just... Wailed on her. Nonstop beating, for almost five minutes. I... I jumped up and.. And I just screamed in rage and... I kicked him. I kicked him out the door. He grunted in... Surprise? I'm guessing." He gained a look of pride in his eyes, however it was vague and faint. "Then Lily and Blueberry began to whimper and cry, huddled on the bed. I just... Stood there defensively. In the doorway. He glared at me in pure rage. Pure unbridled rage. I saw his eyes go a slight red? I don't know. But he just began screaming and charging, and... I slammed the door... I locked it... And he... He pounded for hours. Hours on end. He finally stopped around midnight." He blinked and strained visibly, trying to remember. "The two had fallen into a restless sleep, and I peeked out and he... He was waiting. He kicked in the door and began to beat on me, stamping on my legs and my arms and they... They shattered... They shattered. The bones in my arms and my legs all in fragments. When he was done he burned me with a cigar and then just... He just walked out and went to bed. Lily woke up and watched, crying and screaming and shrieking with her whinnying. She was less worried about her horn then she was me. She used everything she had, even with that weird sparkling magic shit pouring from her fracture. She undid the damage. She fixed my shattered limbs." He was fully crying now, and I was in no better shape. He sobbed quietly and I sobbed with him, smothering my grief with my hands. He tried to stop his quivering, but failed. Yet he still wasn't done. "The next day, she left. And so did her father. And so did Blueberry. I was left alone, next to a pitcher of water and a weird obsession causing pepperoni stick. I could barely move. My limbs they were... Horribly sore. Soon Lily came home, and saw my sorry state on the floor and she.. Gave me some milk with... With pills in it to make the pain go away. Her father must have been a doctor or something, and then a few hours later he came back in, snorted at my form curled around her and he just... Walked out. He stopped there." He closed his eyes and I continued to giggle. Rue looked at us both and we both froze, I looked at her, tears dripping helplessly down my face as tears dripped down his face too. We both had the look of crying children, no doubt. I desperately apologized for waking her with my beak language, and she was equally as confused.

=Oh stars Rue I'm sorry! We were trying so hard not to wake you!=
She shook her head and she gave a small grumble.

=Baladia, you're fine dear. Just... Try not to cry like that.=

I stroked her mane until she finally fell back to sleep.

"You'll move on. You're not alone."

=You're not alone.=

Author's Note

You are not alone.
Call this 24 hour hotline: 1-877-988-5559
To report any abuse. Domestic or not. You are NOT, alone. You understand me? You are never alone. You have those who will help you. Just get out of anywhere you don't feel safe and go. You will be safe. Find someone who will love you. You deserve betther than this and the way you are being treated.