Trial and Error: Second Edition

Chapter the Third: The Monster

Kai gently pressed his cold, damp cloth against the swollen lump on the young mare's head. The two had safely arrived back at his home, and he had fluffed of what scrap cloth he could find to form a makeshift bed for her to sleep on in one of the cells. She still hadn't woken up, and he was starting to grow fearful that she might have suffered more damage than he could repair. He knew how to heal smaller wounds, and had even managed a few larger ones, but he had no inkling when it came to dealing with a concussion.

To his relief, she began to stir a few moments later. To help coax her out of unconsciousness, he gently dabbed at her face and neck with the rag, wiping away any tears and sweat that had settled on her face. As her eyes fluttered open, she pushed herself back against the wall, away from him. He gripped her shoulder to hold her steady.

"Take it easy. You hit your head pretty hard back there." He brought the rag once more to her face to chill the swelling, but she pulled her head away. "It's just a cold compress. It'll reduce the swelling. It may even help with the headache." Reluctantly, she brought her head to his hoof. "That's better. I'm going to take that gag off now. Promise me you won't scream?"

She nodded, and he untied the gag, levitating it over to his work table. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice trembling as much as her body.

"I'm the stallion you invited into your home earlier tonight. You wrapped up my leg because I had been injured."

"I meant your name. Your title, your job, something to identify you."

"My name..." It had been years since he last needed to use it. Nopony had been around to call it. He had almost forgotten it. "It's Kai. I think."

"You think?"

"I'm pretty sure. If not, it will do for now."

"How could you not know your own name?"

"Nopony's asked for my name in years."

She paused for a moment before speaking again. "I don't know if I believe you. Surely your neighbors would--"

"I don't have neighbors. Not for the next mile, at least."

"Well, certainly when you go shopping, you--"

"I don't go on shopping trips. I tend to not go out much for anything."

She fell silent for a moment. "I can't imagine not going to the supermarket at least once a week."

He folded the cloth over to find a colder spot. "And what about you?"

"Hm?"

"What's your name?"

"M-my name?"

"Yes. Your name."

"I-I'm Fluttershy."

"Fluttershy." He smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Fluttershy."

"I wish I could say the same, but my hooves are tied." She let out a nervous chuckle and wriggled in her bonds.

"Right. You didn't scream, so I guess you've earned enough of my trust to undo some more of your bindings." With his grip on her shoulder still firm, he pulled her in a bit closer to him, undoing the bonds on her wrists and elbows. He was expecting her to start swinging at him, or frantically try to undo the rest of her bonds, but with her front hooves free, all she did was take the cold cloth into her own hoof. "There we go. Feeling better now?"

She shook her head. "I want to go home. I don't want to be here, this situation is terrible. You kidnapped me!"

"I know." There was sorrow in his voice, and she could hear it.

"Why would you do something like that?" Tears began to well up in her eyes. "Do you have any idea how terrifying it is to have somepony break into your home in the middle of the night, pull you from your bed, tie you up and throw you in a cage?"

"Very nearly. I know it hurts. I can tell you from experience, it's the most awful thing I've ever felt."

"If you know how bad this feels for me, why do it in the first place? Have you no caring for other ponies? Did you bring me here just to watch me suffer the same fate you had to?"

"No, not at all."

"Then why?"

His eyes fell to the floor of the cage. "I told you why before I left your house. I need your help. I need a change in perspective that only you can offer me."

She placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Why would I want to help somepony who locked me in a cage?"

"You wouldn't. I fully understand that you won't want to help me, and I've accepted that." He stood up and took a step back. "That's why I'm not taking 'no' for an answer. Whether or not you're compliant doesn't matter in the long run, as I will have what I need from you. However, I'm not unreasonable. If you do as I ask, I can promise that you will not be harmed. Also, the sooner we finish my project, the sooner you can resume your life. This can be the darkest chapter of your life, or just a terrible footnote at the bottom of a page. That is the choice I leave in your hooves."

Tears were streaming down her face now. She softly whimpered, sniffling as she wiped her nose on the damp rag. she pulled her knees to her chest, both still bound with his grass rope.

"I'll give you a moment alone to think about that. I'll be back in a moment." He turned to unlock the door, slipped through it, and locked it once more from the outside. Tossing the key onto his table next to the bathrobe sash and stockings, he left the room.

True to his word, he returned twenty minutes later. With him he carried a bucket full of water, a carved wooden cup, and one of the apples he had grown downstairs. Rather than entering the cell, he sat down just outside the bars. "I've brought you some water and a snack, if you're interested."

Fluttershy looked up. She had stopped crying, but otherwise hadn't moved. She scooted herself over to the bars and accepted the cup, taking a sip of water from the bucket. "Would... Would you be willing to accept a few... concessions, in exchange for my compliance?"

"It depends on what concessions you want me to make. I have my limitations."

"Of course, but if I'm going to help you, wouldn't it be fair for you to help me with some things?"

"It would be fair. I'm not a monster, you know."

Fluttershy's brow furrowed. She had interpreted him as a foul creature, or as some cruel beast. He felt like a monster to her. Still, she wasn't about to tell him that.

He reached through the bars and placed his hoof on her shoulder. "What terms would you like to set?"

She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "If I promise to help you, will you let me out of this cell? I have things I need to take care of at home."

"No."

"B-but..."

"I can't let you go to the guards and have me arrested. You can go home when we're done."

She could feel tears welling up in her eyes again. "But... What am I going to do about my animal friends?"

"They don't have somepony else who can take care of them?"

She shook her head. "If I could go home, I might be able to arrange for somepony to take care of them, but you won't let me go home."

Kai was silent for a few moments. He very much wanted her to be willingly helping in his work, but he couldn't let her go home. "What if I took care of them?"

She stared at him. "I don't really know if you're the best choice. I don't know you very well, so I can't vouch for your ability to take care of them."

"A list of instructions, then. I'll even enlist the help of somepony you trust, so they can ensure that I do a satisfactory job. Would that put your mind at ease?"

She thought for a moment, then nodded. "I suppose that would be acceptable."

"Excellent. Is there anything else?"

She thought for a moment. "It's probably asking too much to have you bring in a real mattress, isn't it?" She poked at the pile of carpeting and torn tapestries that he had put together.

"Yeah. I might be able to fit a cot together, but a mattress is out of the question for this area."

"Only you are allowed to sleep on a mattress, huh?"

"Actually, I usually sleep at the table over there." He indicated the table he had placed her sash and stockings on. "Not always intentionally."

"That's really bad for your back."

Kai rubbed his lower back. "I know. Like I said, it's not intentional. That's just where I work. Sometimes I fall asleep in the middle of my work."

She chuckled at that, but her smile faded quickly. "I guess that's all for now. Those were my top concerns."

"So you'll help me?"

She nodded. "Can you untie me now?"