I woke up with a start. My head throbbed, and my body was stiff and sore. When I opened my eyes, I only saw the same pitch-blackness that greeted me from behind my eyelids.

"Ow, my head…" I groaned and blinked blearily. "Where am I?"

Silence answered me, punctuated by the steady roar of water somewhere nearby. The tangy scent of mildew clung to the air and burned my nostrils—a pebble pressed against my cheek. I was still in the cave, it seemed, though precisely where or for how long I was passed out I wasn't sure. Was there some sort of cave-in? Did I fall and hit my head? These and more questions swam through my jostled brain as I attempted to put my thoughts in order.

The rushing water brought attention to my parched mouth, and I licked my dry lips. If I was this thirsty, I must have been down here for at least a few hours - maybe even a day. My saddlebags were gone, likely fallen off in whatever accident befell me. I channeled magic into my horn for a basic light cantrip so I could find them.

Sharp pain lanced my skull as the spell rebounded, and I winced. I swallowed a wave of panic as the stars faded. Oh Celestia, did I crack my horn in the fall? Lifting a trembling hoof to my head, I carefully felt up the keratin to inspect it for damage. My fear turned to relief and confusion. Though I felt no damage, something was attached to my horn.

A horn ring. My relief evaporated, and my fear returned tenfold. The magic suppression ring clung tightly to my horn; its barbs angled upward into the ridges so that any tampering would cause excruciating pain. It needed a key to be removed safely. I flexed my wings and found them bound tightly to my barrel with chains and some other sturdy material. Then I reached down and finally noticed the cold metal collar that clung tightly to my throat.

I whimpered as the realization settled in: I was captured, ponynapped, and held somewhere underground. My friends and the other princesses would come for me - I knew this - but not even I knew where I was or how long I'd been missing. Could it have been the diamond dogs? Unlikely, not after their experience with Rarity, and they wouldn't dare try to hold an alicorn. Spike knew where I was going, so they would at least be able to pick up the trail there.

Something shuffled in the dark, and I scrambled across the floor to put my back against the wall. There was rattling around my hooves, and in my panic, I half-noticed the chains around my fetlocks. I had no magic, couldn't fly, and only had the foggiest idea of what creatures dwelt here. My heart pounded in my ears, and I thought I could see some shadow moving in the impenetrable darkness.

A voice broke the silence. Someone was whispering, but it was either too quiet for me to hear or a language I didn't know. The voice was soft and punctuated by an occasional yip and growl. Another voice responded, more resounding and despondent - almost bored.

"Hello?" I tentatively called out to the dark. "Is there anypony there?"

I felt something large approaching. The footsteps were soft but had a hefty weight to them, and the rattling of more chains accompanied them. Straining my eyes, I found the cave was not as pitch black as I thought. A small lantern hung from a chain on the ceiling, radiating with an eerie green glow that cast menacing shadows across the walls. One shadow filled my vision, close enough for me to feel its breath on my face, and I laid on my belly to make myself as small as possible.

"Pony," the creature said after a sniff. "You're awake."

This was the first voice I heard. Now that it was closer, I could tell this person was a mare - or whatever their female equivalent was. Her accent was thick and gravelly. The figure stooped beside me and, though I couldn't make out any defining features in the low light, she had a bulky body with thick-muscled arms that hung low. Her face jutted forward in a sharp snout. A diamond dog?

"Who…" I swallowed my nervousness. "Who are you? Where am I?"

"I'm Eldeth, little pony," she replied in what was probably meant to be a reassuring tone. "I am a prisoner, like you and among others, and you smell like you are very far from home."

"A prisoner? Imprisoned by whom, and where are we?"

"Well little pony," Eldeth plopped beside me, her chains clanking loudly. "I'm not entirely sure where, but I've heard the guards call this place Velkynvelve. We're somewhere in the Underdark, being held captive by denevér."

The word immediately rang familiar to me. It was an Old Ponish word of the thestral dialect - their word for themselves, to be precise - and not one used anymore except for old manuscripts and folk tales. My thoughts went back to one of my many lessons with Princess Celestia. When Nightmare Moon was defeated, many of her loyal followers fled into the deep caves scattered across Equestria rather than face capture or surrender. Princess Celestia sent a hooffull of expeditions to root them out, but the thestrals had delved too deep to find them reliably.

Over the centuries, the denevér had become little more than folk tales to scare foals at night, but I knew there was some truth to the legends. On the darkest nights of the new moon, their scouts would venture to the surface to capture innocent ponies and drag them back to their subterranean hideaways. Nopony knew what became of their captives since there was almost no record of anypony ever escaping the denevér, and any patrols sent after them were easily eluded or slaughtered. Officials had written off most of these ponynappings as monster attacks or unsolved missing pony cases, but the truth was there for whoever knew where to look or whom to ask.

And, unfortunately, I was privy to both.

A shiver went up my spine as a foalhood terror suddenly manifested, but I steeled my resolve. This was, after all, not the first time I've faced a myth-turned-reality. Though I've had my friends at my side before, I was sure I could pull through this trial.

"Do you know why they want us?"

Eldeth shrugged. "I'dunno. Slaves? Sacrifices? They also might have their giant spiders hunt us for sport. Some of us have been here longer than others, and we've heard things."

"S-sacrifices?! W-what…" I gulped and pushed the issue aside. "I'm sorry, but how many of you are there? I can barely see in front of my hooves!"

"Oh! I'm sorry. I forgot your pony eyes don't see very well in the dark. There's me and nine more in here."

"How did we get here?" I asked, uncurling my hooves and sitting up straight. The diamond dog sat a good head-and-a-half taller than me. "I remember I was just doing some surveying in the caves outside Ponyville. The local diamond dog pack had been having trouble with some quarry eels, and they asked me for help. I was in the cave, and… I think maybe I took a wrong turn? At some point, I think I hit my head and passed out. It's still a little fuzzy."

"I was part of a scouting party patrolling some of the tunnels on the outskirts of Grafaborg. We got ambushed, and those blasted bats pelted me full of their sleeping darts. I went down like a sack of gold nuggets, and next thing I knew I woke up here with these numbskulls. I'd wager something similar happened to you. Got turned around, went down a wrong tunnel, and stumbled across a scouting party without ever noticing them."

I stared at the ground, fell silent, and ruminated on what Eldeth told me. If what she said was true, then there's no telling how long I'd been captured. They could have brought me here before whatever drug they used wore off, or they might have kept me sedated indefinitely. Being at my captors' mercy for untold days, unconscious, brought a shiver down my spine and nausea in my gut.

"Hé, mutyi," another voice pulled me from my thoughts, "a póni végre felébredt?"

Another creature approached us. This thing walked on four legs but was much smaller than me. The gait made me think of hooves, but the patting of its feet was too silent. Thin, almost gaunt compared to Eldeth, I couldn't begin to guess what manner of creature this was. I would have thought it was a foal, except the voice that belonged to it was much higher pitched, almost squeaky, and with a slight hiss, but tempered by a smooth suavity that probably wouldn't have been too out of place among Canterlot Heights.

"Ő az," Eldeth responded in the same language. "és én elmondtam neki, milyen káoszban találta magát."

"I can only imagine what kind of shock you must be in," he turned to me and replied, this time in an accented Equestrian, drawing out his S's and making a sharp clicking sound at the end of the shock.

"Oh, you can speak Equestrian?" I blinked.

"The pony language is rare down here. I think out of all of us, only Eldeth and I are fluent. Ront over there in the corner, the gryphon, can speak a little. He's also from the surface."

"Oh!" Eldeth turned back to me. "I'm sorry… This is Jimjar. He's a sziklabold, a glitter sprite. They are like ponies, but tinier, and… made of rock, I think?"

"And how did you get in here?"

"Oh, a little of this and a little of that," he waved a spindly hoof and leaned against the wall. "I made a few bad bets, pissed off some well-connected people, got caught, and then I was sold to a denevér convoy. I told them I would pay them back… All I needed was one good score. And no, we're not made of rock. Our coats are just a bit more coarse than you sun-dwellers. So what's your name, pony?"

"Twilight," I said, reaching out a hoof. "Twilight Sparkle."

"Üdvözöljük a Alulsötét, Twilight Sparkle." Jimjar shook my hoof and dipped into a bow.

"What does that mean?" I looked back to Eldeth.

"It means 'welcome to the Underdark', Twilight Sparkle."

I could not tell if it was a warm welcome… or a warning.

There was a shout at the barred gate of our holding pen. It was the only sound I'd heard for a couple of hours besides rushing water, which I had learned to be a waterfall somewhere beyond this chamber, and the morose mutterings of my cellmates. I strained my eyes to see, but the dim light of the lone lantern only extended a few feet beyond the bars. All I could discern were four shapes.

The other prisoners clambered to their feet and paws and formed a line at the door. I joined them out of curiosity and a desire not to draw attention to myself. I stood between a grumbling gryphon, whom I guessed to be Ront, and a diminutive diamond dog. As we drew closer, I peered out from behind the gryphon to get a better look at our captors.

The two figures in the center were pony-shaped, though I could see their eyes' slitted, catlike pupils glowing a sickly green from reflecting the light of the lantern. On their flanks were two hulking behemoths that, at first glance, I thought were diamond dogs—but their proportions were off. They were tall enough, but their front limbs were much narrower, giving them a vaguely simian shape.

I glowered and scowled. It was so hard to see in here! If I could access my magic, I could get a good look around with a darkvision spell or a light cantrip. The first thing I needed to do was get this suppression ring off, and then– Oof!

I walked into a face full of feathers. Ront whipped around, glared at me, and snapped his beak in my face.

"Vatch it, pony," he snarled and shoved me aside. I landed on my rump with a grunt and looked up to see the gryphon walking away with a small clay bowl in his talons.

"Ahh, the pretty pony princess is finally awake," one of the denevér snickered, voice dripping with condescension and venom.

"Did you sleep well, your highness?" the other sneered. "I'm so sorry we couldn't have a servant rouse you. Maybe some breakfast will cheer you up?"

I shifted my eyes to the two thestrals, ears flattened and head lowered. They were noticeably taller than me by a hoof, an impressive feat considering the extent of my alicorn growth. While I was lost in thought, I found myself at the front of the line, and now I finally got a good look at my captors.

They were wearing some sort of armor, but I couldn't tell what kind while they were half-submerged in the pitch-blackness of the cave beyond the bars. Whether or not they carried weapons was also a mystery to me, but it was safe to assume that they did. I turned my eyes to the larger creatures. What I thought were some sort of apes were more ursine, except they stood hunched over on their rear legs and had pale white fur covering their bodies. It wasn't white like snow or clouds like Celestia's or Rarity's fur, though; this white reminded me of bone. Large claws and sharp teeth were on full display, and their front-facing eyes gave me a look that made my back hoof tremble.

One of the guards shoved a clay bowl through the bars, breaking me from my trance. I leaned closer to take a closer look and sniffed. It was some sort of broth and smelled earthy. Some mushrooms, maybe?

"What's wrong? Is the food not up to royal standards?" the guard mocked. Do you need help eating? We wouldn't want you to tarnish your hooficure. Well, not yet, at least."

I opened my mouth to argue, but then I looked up in confusion as he barked something in their language to the beast to his right.

The bear creature snapped its hand through the bars and grabbed me by the mane. I screamed and tried to twist away, but its grip was like a vice. It yanked and slammed me into the bars. Pain exploded in my face, and I blinked away tears. Oh Celestia, what was happening?! A hoof grabbed my face and forced my jaw open, and the next thing I knew, a lukewarm bitter liquid flooded my mouth.

I sputtered and coughed as something solid lodged in my throat. The flow didn't stop. It spilled across my mouth and down my chin. I couldn't breathe. They were laughing! I tried to scream or call for help, but nothing happened.

Finally, the flow ceased, and the creature violently threw me to the rocky ground. Feet shuffled past me, and no one dared to meet my tear-stricken eyes or offer a hoof—whether out of fear or apathy, it didn't matter.

"Méltó áldozat leszel, hamis istennő," one of the denevér guards spat.

I curled into a ball and sobbed.

The guards eventually left, and the cell grew quiet except for the faint slurping from bowls. I lay on the ground, curled in a ball, and stared at the wall. My face hurt, and I felt a bit of swelling along my gums along with the disgusting taste of copper in my mouth. There was nothing I could use as a mirror, so I hoped that thing didn't make me chip or bend a tooth.

My ear twitched as I heard the padding of feet come towards me. Something touched my back, cold and scaley, and I flinched away. I looked over my shoulder and half-expected to see one of the guards or the bear creature again, but I saw something else entirely. It stood on two legs. The body, though, wasn't like anything I had ever seen before... For one thing, it didn't seem to have a neck, and an enormous glossy eye on the side of its head met mine.

It gurgled at me and reached out with spindly fingers joined at the hand with webbing. I scrambled backward, fearful of another attack, but the thing raised its hands placatingly and backed away a step. The creature croaked and crouched down, meeting me at almost eye level at my prone position.

"What…" I sniffed. "What do you want?"

The thing tilted its head, shrugged, and garbled something else. It reached behind its back and revealed what appeared to be a small cloth, and it held it out for me.

"Is that… for me?"

It croaked and stretched out a hand towards me, palm up.

I tentatively reached out and took its hand. On closer inspection, it reminded me a little of Spike's claws, except these were longer, thinner, and the scales were smoother. It was still so alien; I couldn't recall seeing anything like this creature before. My curiosity peaked as it pulled me into a sitting position.

The creature took the cloth and gently wiped it across my muzzle and the fur on my neck. It felt damp, and the scent of mildew lingered on the fabric. Rarity probably would have had a fit, but it wasn't like there were any other options here, and the glimmer of kindness was a welcome reprieve from the kind of day I'd had.

Rarity. The thought of my friend brought a small smile to my face and a soft ache in my heart. I remembered when diamond dogs captured and enslaved her, but she could turn the tables on them with her wiles. In hindsight, those dogs were either not very bright or were just looking for an easy score. These bat ponies, however… I doubt those same tactics would work on them. Something told me it wouldn't go well if I started complaining about the living conditions.

"Ah, I see you've met Shuushar," Jimjar's voice appeared next to me.

"Ack!" I jumped, turning to face the sziklabold. "By Celestia, you're so quiet!"

"Sorry, heh," he snickered and sat beside me, his manacles clinking. "You need to keep your ears open more. Many things down here can sneak up on you if you aren't paying attention."

The creature, Shuushar, gargled indignantly at me.

"Oh, sorry." I replied and faced him again. "I know a spell that can help me see in the dark. If I didn't have this stupid ring on my horn then I could cast it and actually be able to tell what's going on."

"Ah, but if you didn't have the ring I'm sure you wouldn't be in this mess now would you? I'm sure that being a unicorn, and a winged one at that, you know a lot of very useful magic."

"Oh yes. The spellbook I brought in my saddlebags has a spell for opening locks. It's very useful if I have to get into any sealed tomes without damaging them. I also know a few variations of teleport. Unfortunately, I don't know where my bags went when I was captured."

"Well, if the denevér took your belongings, then they probably have them under lock and key. Yet another obstacle to overcome."

We lapsed into silence for a moment while Shuushar continued his cleaning. He had scrubbed a good portion of my face and neck, but I could only trust that he did his best to wipe away as much of that broth as possible. Sometimes, when the lantern light hit him just right, I saw the outline of a mouth that was far too wide and had far too many teeth. I shivered, and he seemed to clue into my discomfort and clamped his mouth closed.

"Jimjar, what… is he exactly? I don't think I've seen anything like him in Equestria. Same as you, actually."

"Unsurprising. Shuushar is a kuo-toa, one of the fishfolk. They, like my kind, are very sensitive to light and so rarely travel to the surface. The kuo-toa have a reputation for being quite mad, but Shuushar here seems… oddly level-headed, if that makes sense. Downright pleasant to be around compared to other examples of his species."

That was concerning. It seemed a little prejudiced to call an entire species insane. Shuushar seemed odd, yes, but I had never spoken to a fish before. He was very alien. I wouldn't be surprised if we seemed just as strange to him as he was to us.

Shuushar finally finished and then tucked the tattered dingy cloth away. He gurgled, turning his head side-to-side to look at me with one eye and then the other. I smiled and nodded, and he scampered away to a darkened corner of the cell.

"Jimjar…" I trailed off.

"... Yes?"

"Why didn't anyone help me when the guards attacked me?"

"The first rule of the Underdark, Miss Sparkle, is to keep to your own business. If anyone woulda helped ya, they would have been beaten half to death. What they did with you? That was hardly more than a prank, or some light teasing, to them. They don't care too much what we do in here - that's why Shuushar there could get away with giving you a hand - but they do not allow their authority to be questioned."

BANG! BANG!

I jumped. The clang of metal reverberated through the chamber, and our cell burst with activity. The bulbous shadows that clung to the room's corners rose from their resting places, chains clinking, and meandered towards the door. Jimjar sighed, stood up, and gestured to me to follow suit.

"What? What's happening?"

"Work detail," grumbled the muscular wall of Eldeth, who appeared next to me.

"You mean forced labor?"

"Essentially, except far less productive." The diamond dog scoffed. "This is mostly to keep us tired and them entertained. From what I've seen, there isn't much for a bored leatherwing to do around here except harass the prisoners and feed the spiders… Sometimes at the same time."

I stood on shaky legs and took a steadying breath. These thestrals were bullies and villains, yes, but they were still ponies. If there was good in them, I could draw it out. Friendship would win the day.

"Remember," Jimjar whispered behind me. "Stay low. Don't stand out. Do as you're told, and don't look them in the eye."

I was sure of it.

Author's Note

Welcome, dear readers, to The World Without Shadows! Alternately, The Story In Which I Do Hurtful Things To My Waifu. May God have mercy on my soul.

This is my first time writing in first-person, so this will be an interesting gear shift for me. I will also be determining a lot of what happens in this story through a D20 system, using the D&D 5e ruleset. So while I know the general direction this story is heading, things could take some interesting turns that will be a surprise for both of us. If you want to take a peek behind the DM screen and see the various skill checks, I'll post a link to the Google Doc for each chapter in an author's note.

I can't promise regular updates because I have a full-time job that is very physically demanding, and I would like to work on some of my other stories too, but for now, this project has captured my muse.

Behind The DM Screen