Three days.

Three days was how long it took to reach the river, and in that time Autumn had carefully and dutifully worked on the sliver of bone she had taken from her captors in secret. Each night, she would use her teeth to chip away at it bit by bit until it was small enough to slip into the locks of her chains. She hadn’t dared to try and open the locks for fear of tipping off the guards, but she at least knew it would be possible to try and pick them once the time was right.

The ponies had been kept in their cage for the entirety of that three-day span, meaning there was little choice but to relieve themselves in the corner of the cell and try their best not to stumble into it at night. Still, all of the hard work that had been put into getting them clean had effectively been ruined, their coats once again covered in dirt and dust as clumps of fur hung off of their bodies in sections. It was a miserable experience, but at least the guards made sure to feed them regularly. No one would want a starved slave working in the palace.

The light of dawn was only just past when the bridge came into view around the bend in the road, the thick trees giving way to the sheer cliffs that closed in on either side of the churning waters below. The stone walkway was indeed narrow, as Autumn had heard from stories told to her by some of the ponies who had been given to Lord Ravenwing from other slave owners. She hoped that it would mean that the guards would have to go ahead of or behind the caged cart, leaving the sides open for her to exploit if she could manage to get free of her chains.

Autumn cast a look at the others in the cart, her friends, her family. It hurt her in ways she couldn’t describe, knowing that even if she could free herself, there was no way she could save any of them without getting caught. She sucked in a deep breath as she watched the guards, looking for an opening to pull out her bone pick without being seen. She would only get one shot at this, so she had to make it count.

Like clockwork, the guards on either side of the cart shifted in front of or behind them as they marched onto the bridge, the river churning below them as white rapids crashed between bone-shattering boulders. For a split second, Autumn hesitated, fearing what would happen to her if she did make it to the water. Yet the image of her body, cut to pieces and left to rot with a foal in her belly, drove her forward as she carefully pulled out the sliver of bone from under her mane.
Most of the others were too out of it to take notice of her as she slipped the pick into the first lock, and it was only as the lock clicked open that Morning Light even glanced in her direction. Yet that glance was enough to spot the loose chain hanging from Autumn’s foreleg, and a soft gasp escaped her lips before the pegasus could hold it back.

Either the hen was just that paranoid, or she was paying very close attention, because the Royal Slave Master turned her head from the front of the line, and in the split second that her gaze met Autumn’s, everything fell apart.

“Hey!” She squawked as her wings flared wide, “What do you think you’re doing?!”

Panic set in as Autumn frantically worked to free herself from her chains as the guards began to converge on the cart like hungry Timberwolves. The Royal Slave Master slammed into the bars in front of Autumn and reached for her hooves, her claws grasping in an attempt to take the pick from Autumn’s grip.

By now everypony was aware of what was going on, and most of the others were content to step aside to avoid getting torn apart by the enraged gryphons around them. Everypony except Morning Light. The pegasus had taken one look at the Royal Slave Master and lunged as far as her chains would let her, taking a bite out of the hen’s foreleg as she battered the larger female’s head and shoulders with her wings.

“Ah! Get off me you stupid feather duster!” The hen began frantically clawing at Morning Light’s face, leaving deep cuts along her cheeks and muzzle as Autumn frantically worked to get the rest of her chains off.

Finally, the last of the locks popped open, and with a roar of fury, Autumn raced to Morning Light’s defense, spinning on her front hooves as she bucked the Slave Master with all her might. A caw of pain escaped from the hen’s beak as she was flung back, nearly falling over the side of the bridge as her top half hung limply over the edge. Even as the other guards worked to get the door to the cage open, Autumn couldn’t stop herself from tending to Morning, her hooves doing very little to staunch the flow of blood as it ran down her friend’s face and neck.

Her mind was so frantic with worry, that it was only when a gentle hoof came to rest on the side of her own muzzle that Autumn stopped and actually saw Morning’s face. Even with deep cuts and blood dripping onto the cage floor in fat drops, the pegasus was smiling.

Autumn fought back tears as Morning gestured towards the river with a wing, “Go. Get out of here while you still can.”

Autumn ignored the sounds of the guards arguing outside the cage, her focus completely centered on her friend, “But what about you? You’ll die if you stay here.”

Morning shook her head, tears joining the blood running down her cheeks, “My life was over the moment I was selected. I know you didn’t hear it, but I got selected for the Royal Harem as well. At least this way I can do something meaningful with my life.” Their heads spun around as the door to the cage opened, a duo of guards climbing in with their swords drawn, “I’ll hold them off as long as I can. You must go.”

“But –”

“Run!” Morning cried as she charged at the guards, their expressions morphing into shock as the pegasus barreled into them as hard as she could.

Autumn’s hooves worked on their own, her legs bunching and pounding against the cage bars with everything she had. She could only watch helplessly as Morning fought against the larger beings, somehow holding her own for a few moments until the second guard got his weapon into a good striking angle in the cramped conditions. Morning was too preoccupied with the first gryphon to notice the second coming up behind her, the only warning she received was the screech of fury that escaped the tercile’s beak as he impaled her on his sword. Morning gasped as the tip of the sword sprouted from the center of her chest, her gaze traveling down to watch in morbid curiosity even as her life blood poured from the wound. Silence hung over the group for a moment, Morning’s face lighting up with a smile even as the life left her eyes, her head turning to look at Autumn one last time as her body fell limp. It hung from the guard’s blade until he pulled it free, her body landing on the wooden floorboards with a sickening plop as her blood pooled and dripped between the cracks.

Seeing her friend die, doing what little she could to help Autumn escape, ignited a fire in her belly that she never even knew she had. Autumn’s legs burned with fury as she kicked the bars one last time, the metal screaming in defiance as both bars shattered under the impact. Blood flew through the air as Autumn’s hooves cracked under the pressure, but she battled past the pain long enough to charge through the opening she had created.

For a moment, she swore she could hear the Slave Master crying out for her blood, but that was quickly drowned out by the rush of the wind in her ears as she plummeted towards the water below. Rather than watch the approaching rocks, Autumn spun around and turned her gaze upward, hoping that the guards had let her go.

Unfortunately, her luck wasn’t going to hold that long, as a duo of gryphons dove after her, their wings pumping to drive them faster in the hopes of catching her before she hit the bottom. Autumn’s heart began to race even faster as panic overrode her conscious thought, her body pinwheeling in the air as her hooves flailed about in a desperate attempt to keep them at bay for a little longer.

One guard cried out and pulled away as one of her waving hooves impacted his beak straight on, although her actions pushed her directly into the waiting claws of the other guard. His claws wrapped around her barrel and pulled her close, even as his wings fought to get them away from the water that Autumn could hear rushing by beneath them. Thankfully, it seemed that Autumn’s luck had granted her one final favor, because the guard had pulled them belly to belly, leaving his face open to attack as she pulled back her head and bashed her skull into the side of his beak. The guard’s grip loosened for just a split second, but it was enough for Autumn to wiggle herself free, her body dropping into the water even as the guards made one final grab for her trailing tail.

Icy lances of pain ran up and down Autumn’s body as the frigid waters of the river stole the breath from her lungs, her legs locking up in agonizing cramps as her body was tossed about. There was no light except for the white rapids and the deep black of the river’s depths, there was no sounds except for the roar of the water in her ears. All she could feel was the numbing grip of hypothermia as her body cried out for air, and in that moment, Autumn knew that there was nothing she had left to fight with. So, even as her body was dashed against one of the river’s boulders, she let her body relax as much as it could, closing her eyes as the darkness of death began to close in around her.

“Wait for me in the Golden Fields, Morning Light,” she prayed as the last of her air escaped from her lungs, “I will be with you very soon.”

The last thing Autumn felt was the soft and warm embrace of her pegasus friend as her mind faded to black, the frigid water giving way to the golden glow and warmth of the next realm as her lips curled into a small smile. At least now she knew that her friend’s death had been worth the sacrifice. She could die in peace knowing that she was going to see her friend again as a free mare.

“Do not give up so soon, my child.” A soft yet commanding voice echoed through her foggy mind, “You have gone through much to be free of your captors, do not give them the satisfaction of seeing you bend to the first obstacle that befalls you.”

Even as the light grew brighter, Autumn only wished that the voice would go away so she could rest, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to let go. As the warmth permeated her body, pain began to replace the numbing sensation she had come to know. Autumn winced as she tried to move one of her forelegs, the limb sending lances of pain up her spine even as she felt a gentle hoof hold her down.

“Be still, child,” it was the voice from before, although much clearer and closer as the hoof moved to press gently on her chest, “You have been through much, and will need time to heal. Rest now, you are safe here.”

Autumn wanted to fight it, to open her eyes and see who was speaking, but after being apparently dragged from the river and saved from a watery grave, there was nothing left for Autumn to use to stay awake. That same gentle hoof ran through her mane in a soothing manner, a soft, tuneless lullaby carrying her into slumber as her mind finally let go. After everything she had been through, it felt good to let go and allow sleep, true sleep, to claim her.

Author's Note

Well, here we go, another chapter in the books for all of you to enjoy. Sorry for the slightly shorter length, but I was pressed for time while I was working on this one and I wanted to make sure I could get something out for all of you to see. I promise the next one will be longer, just give me a bit of time to get my brain in gear and then we'll be cooking.

As always, a shout out to my Patrons, WuBzY and Earthpatriot117 for their continued support, follow the link on my author's page if you want to join the club.

Other than that, I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.