The Invasion

Cutthroat and his entourage exited the area, slamming the door behind them. The thud echoed throughout the chamber, giving life to our innermost thoughts of danger and horror. It sounded like the crack of a lethal magic shot, spinning its projectile towards the head of its most unfortunate victim. We were hapless and helpless, completely at the whim of the striped crusaders that had incarcerated us therein. It did not help that we knew what our fate would eventually become. Pain laced our patience as we awaited the inevitable. I began to question what death would be like. I saw my lungs quit working as I stood on the edge of some interminable abyss. Unable to breathe, I fell headlong into the pitch black hole, and I just kept falling. It was like being in the worst limbo ever created, and I tried to scream to get out…but…nothing happened. I fell and fell and fell, and no end ever greeted me.

Then, my vision turned somewhat happy. I know that may sound odd, but as I looked to my right, I broke out in a smile. I might not have been able to sing or talk or even move my lips, but there she was. I saw Twilight falling with me, and I felt stronger. She was a rock to me, as tough as steel and ten times more durable. Even in death, she and I were together, and that was when I knew that my feelings for her were more than I’d ever imagined. It was greater than simple beginner’s love, and bled over into undying devotion. This was the mare I wanted more than anything in the world, even the Ponylitzer Prize! I managed to maneuver myself over, and I kissed her as we fell. But…the kiss brought no feeling. Since we were dead, we could no longer subscribe to equine sensations. However, her smile was true, and my happiness only grew.

I suddenly felt myself being shaken, and I awoke to find a concerned Twilight standing over me. We had ripped up part of her wedding gown to bind her wounds, and these now stood shockingly red against her purple complexion. Her eyes carried a little less pain, but she still held a sense of dread about her. It was as if she were putting on a completely different face, just for me. But I knew that a great deal of my strength lay in our friendship, no matter what she looked like. We were together, and that was all that mattered. Somehow, some way, we’d figure out how to free ourselves from this bondage and bring our attackers to justice.

“Are you okay?” She asked, “I heard you groaning in your sleep.”

“I’m fine,” I said, “but I had the craziest dream.”

“Oh? What about?” She asked curiously.

So, I told her everything about the abyss, but I left out the part where we kissed. I would tell her that at a more appropriate time. Plus, I had no idea if Flash Sentry was alive or not, and I felt obligated to keep my feelings entombed until we found out. But at the same time, I wanted to be there for Twilight. I wanted her to understand that we still had our friendship to fall back on. So, I explained the dream in those terms, and I saw a smile grow on her face as I finished. It was a small expression, yet it caused my heart to skip a few beats. The way her mouth curved upwards reminded me of the days of yore when we would happily run about town with our friends.

“There’s a smile,” I said.

“Well, it’s just nice to know that I have a good friend like you, Trundle,” she responded, “even if we don’t make it out of here, at least I will die knowing that I’m with somepony so close to me.”

I sighed, wanting us to become closer, but continuing to force my feelings downward. “So…shall we try to bust out of here?”

“I don’t know if we can,” she said sadly, “I mean, these bars are made of iron, and these walls are solid stone. We don’t even know where we are!”

This was where I brought forth a smirk. Being the fictitious writer that I was, I knew exactly how we could escape. In fact, I’d even written it into one of my stories once. Ponies seemed to enjoy it, except for this one mare. She would sniff and spit at me and everything I did. There were ponies out there who would criticize my stories, but they’d always do it in a kind and cheerful way. This mare constantly put me down. She also put some of my fellow writers down. So, in the end, we just decided to ignore her and focus on those who told us how we might improve instead of just pointlessly insult. It was nice to have a steady foundation of those kinds of ponies. But, that’s neither here nor there. The point is, I conjured up the images of my story and began plotting our escape route.

“I still don’t know how we’re gonna get out,” Twilight said, “I guess we could come up with a cunning strategy to get the key away from the guard.”

“Exactly,” I said, “and Twilight, this is where you come in.”

“It is?”

“Yep!” I said, “you need to seduce the guard.”

“I BEG your pardon?!” Twilight roared, making me flinch, “I don’t care how desperate we are, I’m not seducing any guard! I may not be as prim and proper as Rarity, but even I wouldn’t stoop to that level.”

“But, Twilight, you-“

“I am a princess, and not only that, but I’m one of your best friends! How would you feel if I asked you to seduce a guard?”

“If it was a sexy female guard, then maybe I might be cajoled into doing so,” I said, hoping to catch her off guard with an unpredictable answer.

It didn’t work, because at that moment, a zebra mare with bright blue eyes and swaying hips came into the room. My eyes must have nearly popped out of my sockets, because I saw Twilight begin to smirk. Her look of “put your money where your big fat mouth is” was devastating. I knew what she wanted me to do, and she wouldn’t let me do anything else until it was done. So, I accepted my fate. I would try and seduce this female guard.