Chains

Don’t Want to be Boring

In a small manor in Canterlot, a boy slept on the floor in the room of his Mistress. She had provided him with a big blanket, and a pillow which was almost too soft to be comfortable for him. The first night she got him, she threw a fit because her parents said he couldn’t be in the bed with her. But she accepted it, so long as he was in her room. Her parents had conceded, letting him sleep at the foot of the bed.

It had been nearly a week now since he was brought there, and he had been helping his young Mistress in whatever way he could. Most of the time it was to either grab another book for her, or be the guinea pig for testing the spells. Luckily the worst thing to happen to him so far was uncontrollable belching.

Well, that and an itchy purple rash that took an hour to remove with the magic of Twilight’s parents.

But he never complained. He was glad to help and that she found him useful. He didn’t want her to throw him away or anything.

Throwaways. that’s what he called the ones that came back to the old market, more broken than before. Some would even rage angrily before the guards subdued, or in some cases, disposed of them. Nopony wanted them anymore, so it was fine.

He didn’t want to be a throwaway, so he promised he would never complain to her, or refuse to do anything he was asked or ordered to do. He didn’t want to be unwanted again. He made that private oath was only the other day, but he held nothing more sacred to himself.

He woke up slowly. It wasn’t uncommon for him to be awake before Twilight was. More often than not she sent him to bed early before continuing studying. He’d carefully offer to stay awake for her a little longer if she wished. But he could rarely force himself to stay up as late.

As he became conscious, he stretched and looked around the filly’s room. He pulled the loose clothes around him a little tighter. They were beginning to smell, and so was he. Perhaps he could ask for a bath. He knew it wasn’t in the slave’s place to request anything, but he was sure his Mistress and her parents wouldn’t appreciate a foul smelling human.

He got up and began to fold the blanket he used to make the area neat. It was then he noticed something.

The chain marks around his wrists were beginning to disappear. They were barely noticeable compared to yesterday. They must have been healing since he had arrived.

While he felt relief that they wouldn’t be there forever, he also felt something cold in his stomach. Those marks are what got him his name, and they seemed to interest his Mistress a great deal when they first met. The young boy’s heart pounded in his chest. He didn’t want them gone. She wouldn’t find him interesting anymore. He wouldn’t be Chains anymore. Just a boring human.

Then she’d throw him away.

Chains tried to calm himself, saying his Mistress was too kind to just throw him away. He hugged himself, trying to control his breathing. But no matter what he told himself he was scared.

He didn’t want to be boring. She wouldn’t want him anymore.

He had to do something about it. He had to fix it.

He looked to the sleeping filly in her bed, and quietly got up and looked around. There wasn’t likely to be anything of use in this room. He gave his mistress one last look, before leaving the room, hunting for something that could help him in this seemingly large problem.

The house was quiet; it was likely that Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle were sleeping. This was good. He hoped he could find something quick. He didn’t want to get in trouble.

……..

He searched for nearly an hour, and didn’t find anything, until he checked an old supply closet, that looked like it hadn’t been opened in a really long time.

He carefully opened the door.

It was dirty inside, and the caking of dust proved just how long it had been since anypony had bothered to look in here.

He looked around, and eventually his eyes fell on it.

It was an old chain, made out of links not nearly as large as the ones that had been around his wrists. They were still heavy, and made of metal. The desperate human went into the storage closet, and picked up the chain. He carefully wrapped it around his left wrist.

He thought for what seemed like a long time as to how he would do this. He figured the best way would be to stand on one end of the chain, and wrap it around one wrist at a time, and pull hard with the other one. That should leave the marks just like the old chains.

Though scared of the prospect of pain at his own hands, his fear of his Mistress becoming bored with him was greater.

He took a deep breath. Grabbing the chain, he stood on the other end, and pulled hard, gritting his teeth as tears filled his eyes, feeling his wrist being constricted by the chain. The links were pinching his skin, and he couldn’t do it for longer than a few seconds, and released the chain. Gasping as he felt the pain relieve itself in a small way, he looked at his wrist.

It was bruised badly, and the indentations were clearly visible.

He smiled, glad that he had found the solution he needed. No matter how much it hurt, he was glad. So long as his Mistress wouldn’t throw him away, it was worth it.

He wrapped the chain around his other wrist, and pulled hard.

Tears were streaming down his cheeks.

Not only did it hurt the wrist the chain was around, but the wrist he had already injured was in great pain. It was harder to pull the chain. But the small boy was determined beyond reason, and only stopped when he was sure his wrist was matching to his other one.

He breathed heavily as he set the chain aside from him. He then looked at his wrists, and smiled despite the pain.

He hugged himself warmly, letting his tears fall as he lay on the floor.

She wouldn’t throw him away now.

He wouldn’t be boring.

……..

After a moment of resting he quietly put away the chain and closed the closet, and cleaned up his face. It wouldn’t do if his Mistress found him crying. She may not like it.

He made his way back to her room, trying to remain quiet, and hoped she was still asleep.

He was a bit surprised that despite the self torture, the skin on his wrists hadn’t broken, and he wasn’t bleeding everywhere. That definitely would have made Twilight and her parents angry with him. No matter how interesting he was able to make himself, they likely would have gotten rid of him then.

He snuck into the bedroom of his Mistress, and found her still sleeping peacefully. He smiled as he made his way to the foot of her bed, and sat obediently on the floor, waiting for her to awaken.
……..

“Try to hold still Chains,” said the young lavender pony, as she tried to balance on the young boy’s head, her little hooves digging into his scalp a bit. She had him stand on a chair so she could stand on his head, trying to see if there were any books she would be interested in on the top shelf of the library.

Chains had obliged without complaint, and tried to hold onto her legs to keep her steady on his head. “I-I’ll try Mistress,” he stuttered.

She peered to the top shelf and looked through a series of them and smiled brightly, finding exactly what she was looking for.

She concentrated very hard, and tried to use her magic to pull it off. But as much as she studied and practiced, her magic was still unrefined, and all she managed to do was drag them off the shelf, which in turn made them land in the boy’s face, causing him to lose balance.

The two of them fell to the floor with a squeal from the filly, who landed on the human’s chest. Books lay sprawled out all across the floor.

Twilight shook her head, clearing it out and looking at the boy who cushioned her landing.

“Chains are you alright?”

Though the wind was knocked out of him, the human boy smiled to show he was. This earned a giggle from the filly, and the two of them continued to giggle while they lay on the floor of the public library, before the librarian gave a harsh shushing noise to make them quiet.

Chains stopped laughing and cowered a little, and to a lesser extent so did Twilight.

But after the librarian turned away to continue working, the filly smiled to her slave, and got off of him and asked him to pick up the books.

He did so and they went to the desk and checked the books out and left the library.

……..

It was getting late in the afternoon. The streets were mostly empty, the sky was clear, and the air began to cool off as the sun began to set to make room for the moon in the sky.

“It sure is a nice day! Wouldn’t you say so, Chains?” she asked him as they walked through town.

Chains nodded, looking around. He didn’t get the chance to see much before, so he really liked when Twilight went to the library so he could see it on the way they walked. Her parents trusted him enough that they would let the two go alone. And while he was more timid of the idea than his Mistress, he was happy to be with her.

She glanced at him as they walked. Her eyes then grew wide as she noticed for the first time that day how badly bruised his wrists were. She could have sworn that they were healing fine just yesterday.

“Chains, are you alright?” she asked him, concern laden her voice. She stopped in her tracks, causing him to stop as well.

He looked at her, and then noted she was looking at his wrists. He was a bit surprised; he thought she would be happy.

“Those were healing fine yesterday! Did something happen?” she asked, coming closer to take a look while he held the books.

He wasn’t so sure now. But he couldn’t lie to her about it.

“I-I did it to myself,” he said.

The silence seemed palpable, and neither of them spoke for what seemed like an eternity.

“Why?” the filly whispered.

Chains looked down at his Mistress with surprise. She glared up at him with tears in her eyes, putting her front hooves on his chest and pushed him against the wall, causing the boy to drop the books. Tears falling down her face now.

“Why would you hurt yourself Chains?!” she cried at him.

He was stumbling over his words, “I-I thought that if they healed, you wouldn’t like me anymore. You named me because of them, so I-”

She lightly hit his chest with a hoof.

“Don’t do that,” she croaked. “Don’t hurt yourself again, I don’t want you hurt,” she said. “I’d never find you boring, Chains.”

She started to calm down, and rubbed her head into his chest while pressing him against the wall. “You’re my human, and you’re nothing but interesting Chains,” the little filly said quietly. “So please promise me you won’t hurt yourself anymore.”

Chains looked down at his Mistress, hating himself for making her cry. It tore his heart out to see her crying like that.

On the spot, he promised to never make her cry ever again. Seeing her sad like that hurt worst than anything before; even when he bruised his own wrists, and even when the slavers had branded him with his number.

In perhaps his most bold action, he gently embraced his Mistress, and held her to him, trying to comfort her and make her stop crying.

“I promise Mistress, I won’t do it anymore.”

And though he said it only once out loud, he never stopped saying it to himself.

I promise.

I promise…

..............

Authored by Bookybrony
Edited by SpyroManiac_1