Entrapment

Fluttershy could hardly believe her eyes. Malak had moved to the back of the wagon with her, allowing her to see the city as it passed. The buildings were all simple structures with very little decoration, but every one of them felt unique. Whether it was the plants literally growing out of the walls or the tribal masks that hung over every door, she felt that she could easily tell the difference between every building, despite the fact that they were all exactly the same shade of brown.

Well, not every building. They soon entered a commerce district, where the buildings became grander in scale. Whereas many of the houses thus far had all been small, one-story buildings, these rose up to two stories, or in some rare cases, three. While they certainly seemed to be reserved for commerce, she saw no signs on the buildings. How did the zebras know what was being sold where?

The answer came to her as the wagon rounded a corner, and she was met with the dull roar of a large open-air market. She saw that ponies were coming out of the buildings with crates and dropping them off at covered stands. It reminded her of the weekly farmer's market that took place in Ponyville's main square, but these stands were selling more than just produce. Clothing, dried goods, kitchen equipment and leather works were all things she saw. She wished Applejack could see this, as it might have alleviated some of her anger. A small amount, at least.

Just as they exited the commercial area, the wagon came to a stop. Fluttershy could hear Jaxton talking with two other zebra stallions, but she found that she couldn't pay attention to it, as she looked upon the zebra king's palace. Through a simple wrought iron fence, there was a long, open garden, currently being tended by ponies, presumably slaves. Beyond the garden, a tall stone staircase curved up to the second floor, where there was no door, only a series of archways. While the center only seemed to be two stories, the building grew taller as it moved outward, culminating at what must be four stories tall. And that wasn't counting the multitudes of towers that seemed to be placed all over. These towers were unlike any she had ever seen before. They were fairly thin from the bottom to the middle, then began to flare outward as they rose. The rooms at the tops of these towers must have been larger than some of the houses she'd seen on the way in. The wagon resumed its movement, and the palace disappeared behind another building.

It seemed as though the Zebras that had stopped the wagon a moment ago were following them. They wore very little in the way of clothing. From their knees to their ankles was a set of fur-lined boots, with carved wooden plates on the outside. Above that was a simple tasset made from the skin of some reptile Fluttershy didn't recognize. Across their chests was a cross of belts, holding their wooden pauldrons in place , as well as allowing them to mount their very tall shields on their backs. Only their right forearms were armored, in the same manner as their feet. Their weapons all seemed to be hand-carved from wood, with the grips being made from woven leather strips. The only metal they wore were their simple helmets, which only covered the tops and backs of their heads. Fluttershy wondered if the zebras really went to battle dressed like this, or if it was only for decoration.

Once again in a residential area, the wagon came to a stop. Malak stood up and leaped out of the back of the wagon, offering his hand to Fluttershy to assist her in disembarking. She gladly took his hand and hopped down. As her legs were still bound from the trip, she didn't land so gracefully, but Malak was there to steady her. "Is this our destination?" she asked.

"The king is gracing us with his presence. I expect you to be a picture of pleasance." Malak made sure that she would stay close to him by grabbing hold of her still bound wings. Zylah and Kayson had unloaded Applejack, who was still bound and gagged. As Jaxton came to the back of the wagon, a well-dressed zebra stallion came around the other side. Malak, Zylah, Kayson, and the two guards knelt before him, and Fluttershy was pulled down to her knees by Malak's grip. As Fluttershy was wondering why Jax didn't need to kneel, she saw him walk up and hug the well-dressed stallion.

"Jax, my nephew, good to see that you saw fit to visit me," laughed the stallion.

"Uncle Hasani, you've gained weight," responded Jax with a smile. "Eating extra meals of late?"

"What can I say? The cook you trained ends his days completely drained. But enough about me, where have you been? Off collecting slaves again?"

"These two were accidents, rest assured. Untrained thus far, but that will soon be cured."

Applejack struggled in her bonds as King Hasani lowered himself to look her in the eye. "What is this one's name, I wonder?" He pulled back the tape, releasing her mouth. Applejack showed her gratitude for this situation by spitting in the king's face. This caused the guards to draw their weapons, but stepped back as King Hasani held up a hoof. "Jax will punish her for this blunder."

Jax put the tape back across Applejack's mouth as he nodded to the guards, who then put away their weapons. "This one is a special case. She doesn't want to learn her place. But a patient zebra's what I am. I'll train her no matter how long the plan."

"And what of her? She looks quite tame." The king brought Fluttershy's face up to look at his. "Tell me, flower, what's your name?"

"I... I'm Fluttershy?" she replied weakly.

"You don't seem so very certain. Is this question such a burden?"

She couldn't move. She was terrified that she would offend him with her answer. He was the king, after all. With a snap from his fingers, she could be imprisoned in a dungeon. Then there would be no hope of going home with Applejack. Even the slim hope she was still holding onto was better than nothing. She closed her eyes, trembling.

"Milord, if I may interject?" asked Malak. The king nodded and he stood with her. "She wishes to herself protect. At the moment, she's rather scared, as you've asked while she's unprepared. Given some time, I'm sure she'll adjust. In that, you can surely trust."

"Very well," responded King Hasani. "A month I'll give. If by then, she wants to live outside the dungeon without shame, I trust by then she'll know her name."

Malak nodded. With a smile, the king strode off with Jax and the two guards in tow. Malak tossed Fluttershy over his shoulder and carried her down the road. She opened her eyes and saw that Zylah and Kayson were taking Applejack into the house they were standing in front of, while Malak seemed to be taking her somewhere different. She still didn't have her outerwear, as it was still in the wagon. She wondered how long it would be before she would see Applejack again.