Survival Begins at Home

Shining shook his head. "You're asking too much. I cannot release every captured zebra for you, and even if I could, half of the citizens of this town is not a fair trade for them." He'd been in negotiations for several hours now, and every demand that Captain Jaxton had suggested had been unreasonable. His first suggestion was to return one hostage in return for a long stretch of territory between here and San Palomino, over a hundred kilometres of road. He would return the rest of them in exchange for the town of San Palomino and all of its residents. Equestria would receive around seven hundred civilians, and lose nearly two thousand, as well as a strategic point that was defending itself particularly well.

"I cannot report back with my hands empty," replied the captain. "In exchange for these slaves, you must give me plenty."

"You can't expect me to give you all of Equestria on a silver platter," growled Shining. "I want you to take these negotiations seriously. I gave you an offer that is more than fair an hour ago. One soldier in exchange for one civilian. Two soldiers per civilian if you vacate the town, and we'll escort you back to the border safely. It's in your favour, it's simple, and nopony comes to harm. If you can accept those terms, I urge you to do so. If you have a reasonable counteroffer, I cannot wait to hear it."

Jaxton thought for a few minutes before replying. "We'll return half the slaves in exchange for one life. Four hundred of our slaves in exchange for your wife." Knowing full well that his newest offer would not be accepted, Jaxton folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Numbers accounted for, it makes perfect sense. Send her right to us, and we'll release our prey thence."

Shining's scowl intensified. "It seems to me that you're just toying with the idea. You have no intention of releasing any of our civilians. I've been more than generous with my offers, and with each one, you've spat in my face. I shall return tomorrow with all of my patience restored. Hopefully, by then, you'll have learned some civility."

Grabbing his helmet and slipping it over his head, Shining noticed one of the guards place his hoof on Jaxton's shoulder and whisper something to him. "Wait!" called Jaxton a moment later. "Let us not be hasty. I apologize for my misconduct and offer you something tasty. It may very well be that we have skipped lunch. My demeanor is because of that, I have a hunch."

Shining pursed his lips. "I certainly doubt that had much to do with it, but if it will put you in a more agreeable mood, I will wait for you to eat before we continue this discussion."

"Surely you can join us for our meal. Your trust in us would grant you a greater appeal."

Shining placed his hand on the back of the chair that they'd tried to ensnare him with. "I can't trust you enough to not booby trap a chair. What would give me the impression that you wouldn't poison my tea? No, I think I'll be best off taking care of myself." He slipped his hand just down his leg, lifted his fauld, and pulled out of his pocket an MRE, a dry one that he could just pop open and eat. He almost always had one of these on him, just in case he needed to eat while marching. He was actually considering popping part of it open on the carriage ride back home, but now was as good a time as any.

The captain had one of the guards bring him a plate of eggplant parmigiana while the soldiers guarding him ate nothing. As a sign of good faith, Shining offered part of his lunch to each of them, still sealed in the packaging. Only one of them accepted, and had an okay snack of dehydrated mango slices. They were eight months old, but tightly sealed and still tasted just fine.

When the captain had finished eating, he clasped his hands. "Now that we have finished our meal, what say you now to our little deal? Give us your wife, lovely and fair, and we give back half the foals and mares."

"Your request is just as unacceptable now as it was before you ate," growled Shining. "A full stomach has done nothing to change your mind, and I'm beginning to suspect that you knew it would not. As for me, while I do usually feel better after a meal, the fact that you did not exchange your guards to allow them time to eat tells me that you care little for them. My assessment of your command style has only become worse. You have my most generous offer, which ends with you alive. Think it over tonight, for I shall return tomorrow. Good day, Captain Jaxton." As Shining began to make his way out of the room, the one soldier who had taken Shining up on his offer of lunch tried to return what remained, but Shining just held up his hand. "Keep it."

Shining walked out of the office, not waiting for an escort to come take him back to the carriage. He knew the way, and the walk into town had informed him that all of the zebras would step out of his way. Nothing would stand in his path. In the lobby, he passed by the receptionist again. She looked up at him hopefully, but he shook his head. He'd not managed to free her yet. "I'll be back tomorrow," he promised, determination in his gaze. She nodded in response, holding onto the hope that he would succeed.

As Shining stepped out into the street, several zebras either jumped or froze at his sight. They were frightened of him when he'd come in, but now he was unattended and looked to be angry. What few of them had merely been spooked by him before were now terrified, making a path for him to the exit.

He had walked in complete silence for several blocks before he heard any sound aside from the clip clop of his boots. When he was about halfway to the city limits, he heard the sound of a door being forced open, and his instincts turned his attention to it. In an alleyway, a unicorn mare who looked to be in her early twenties was running away from three zebra soldiers, bruises on her back and completely nude. It didn't take long for the zebras to grab her and push her up against the wall. She turned her head to Shining, seeing him in his plate mail and screaming for help from anypony that would listen. Two of the zebras were laughing as the third one spoke in a low tone something that Shining couldn't make out. The mare's eyes pleaded with Shining to come save her.

The world around Shining seemed to spin. The mare almost looked like Twilight. Could this be another nightmare? Was he about to watch his sister die again? Things began to blur and fade away. As it all turned black, Shining heard himself scream and felt his body convulse. He was waking up.