Chapter One: Ponies Vs. Wild
"Applebloom, I don't think this is such a good idea..." Scootaloo's voice trailed off as she nervously glanced at the darkening sky. It was almost midnight, and the fillies had just barely begun their daily quests.
"Oh come on you little chicken, it's gonna be just fine! Let's go! CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS - PONIES VS. WILD EXPERT SURVIVORS," Applebloom shouted. She grinned and began to canter into the forest, soon followed by her two more reluctant best friends.
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Rarity was curled up in her large purple bed, her eyes daintily covered by a sleeping mask. She awoke suddenly. Her ivory ear twitched as it picked up a loud noise from outside.
"WILL YOU FILLIES GO TO SLEEP ALREADY?!" Rarity managed to yell while simultaneously falling back asleep. She never really was the best babysitter, but she definitely put up with her fair share of nonsense. Her limbs ached from working at the sewing machine all day, but the headache that had hammered around her forehead all day was definitely not from the soothing hum of her work.
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Sweetie Belle was actually pretty nervous, too. If her sister found out that they had snuck out, she'd be grounded for weeks! And this mission was a bit more dangerous than the usual-let's-all-sing-a-song-together kind of mission that she would have appreciated. Sometimes Applebloom's reckless behavior was scary, but if she ever showed it then she would be the chicken! And that was simply not acceptable!
"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Scootaloo looked around at the virtually indistinguishable mess of trees.
"Of course I am! Look, here's the clearing I found!" Applebloom gestured at the small patch of uninterrupted grass that she had somehow located, while her red bow flopped to the side cartoonishly. "And now we have to set up camp!"
"How are we going to do that?" Sweetie Belle expressed her concerns politely, wondering what on earth they could possibly do in the forest so late at night. They had no tents, no matches, no sleeping bags, or any food.
"It is so easy, all you have to do is grab a branch and - " Applebloom jumped up at the tree nearest to her, trying to grab off a branch with her mouth. She underestimated the strength of the branch and simply held there for a few seconds until she finally released. Her cream-colored form deftly landed on the ground with a gentle thump. A loud growling noise permeated the atmosphere.
"Oh please, Scootaloo, didn't you eat before you got out here? We won't get to eating until after we set up that tent!" Applebloom asked exasperatedly, ignoring the fact that ponies can easily eat grass from the ground.
"What do you mean? That wasn't me, Applebloom." Another growl ripped through the air, this time in a more distinctively non-gastrointestinal manner. All three ponies seemed to become glued together, their candy-colored eyes widening in terror. A wolf-shaped form emerged from the shrubs nearby, signaling the stampede of the fillies. Applebloom ran towards Rarity's house, and Scootaloo followed quickly behind. The two assumed Sweetie Belle would be nearby, so they continued bolting on their way. The wolf began to pace closer to Sweetie Belle, noting that she was frozen in terror and that she would be the easiest target.
Suddenly, pure adrenaline broke the cloud-colored filly's frozen state and she bolted off in the opposite direction of the wolf, perpendicular to that of her friends. The gray wolf followed in hot pursuit, his breath upon her flank. Sweetie ducked and leaped, dodging horizontal trees with agility that the wolf simply did not possess. Soon enough, a tall stone wall interrupted by a pointed cast-iron gate loomed in front of her. She crashed against the gate, screaming for help as the wolf bounded behind her.
Just as her defeat seemed imminent, the gate swung open, and she was dragged inside the grand courtyard by two medium brown stallions. The gate quickly slammed shut, the infuriated wolf howling outside. The little filly whimpered as she was carried inside by the skinnier of the stallions. The two were both earth ponies, and despite their similar color and gender, their builds were quite different. One was taller and skinnier, the other more stout and portly.
"I do hope the master does not get angry. It has been a long time since we have had visitors," the fatter one said gravely.
"Surely he would not harm this little filly, she is clearly not a threat," the skinny one chirped optimistically. They were now moving through an eerie courtyard. Gray statues symmetrically lined the path to the castle. Each was a fearsome looking pony, armed to the teeth and bristling with fury. Sweetie Belle was terrified, and she knew that she would be in a lot of trouble when Rarity found out about this. Her green eyes brimmed with tears, spilling over onto the skinny one's brown coat.
They entered the castle through the twin massive wooden doors. Sweetie Belle picked up her weary head from the skinny stallion's shoulder and she looked around the room, curiosity trumping her paralyzing fear. All of the walls were made of stone, but frequently decorated by elaborate tapestries. The ceiling was also stone, its structure provided by pointed arches. A warm fireplace roared on the side, with a few ponies sitting around it.
One of which was a plump mare, who was lavender with a curly white mane. She stood to greet the two brown stallions, and was surprised to see the pathetic white blob upon the skinny one's back.
"Oh dearie, we simply must get you all settled down. We can deal with the master later. For now, let's get you cleaned up!" The mare prattled on gently, reminding Sweetie Belle of Cherilee for some reason. The white filly found herself being pulled up into the matronly mare's lavender arms. That was the last thing she remembered before she fell into a weary asleep.
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I'm not very good at writing fan fiction, and I'd really appreciate any advice or constructive criticism you have. I know this is short, but I wanted to get some critiques in before I got too far. Thank you for reading! :)
Chapter Two: Meet the Master
Rarity awoke to frantic shaking. She pulled up her blue silk sleeping mask and furrowed her brow, preparing to yell at the mischievous fillies at the side of her bed. But before she could open her mouth, a string of frantic words peppered her ears.
"RARITY, there-was-a-wolf-and-we-were-running-and-" Applebloom started, only to be interrupted by Scootaloo.
"Aa-and I-said-it-was-a-bad-idea-and-" Scootaloo was trembling visibly, her little orange wings pinned to her sides in terror. The two continued while Rarity's recently awakened mind began the mental gymnastics that it needed to perform.
Rarity sat up in her bed, blinking away the sleep that she had been enjoying. Nothing they were saying was making sense. Her eyes adjusted to the dim ambient light available at night, and she glared around the room. She was surprised to have not heard her sister's voice yet. The two other crusaders carried on in vain for a few minutes longer until Rarity finally spoke.
"Where is my sister?" Her voice carried out its normal and exaggerated accent, but any of her friends could have picked up the subtle terror in her voice. The alabaster unicorn's heart began to throb loudly, the pounding so powerful that it felt like her heart was in her ears. The stomach-plummet experienced by every parent who lost their child in the grocery store for a couple minutes was suddenly assaulting her. She leapt out of bed, her sleepy limbs suddenly losing their tiredness.
If I lose her now, the last thing I would have done to her was yell... Why am I so terrible? How could I have let this happen?
"She's in the Everfree forest! Sorta near Zecora's house, but then more to the east." Applebloom said gravely.
"Girls, you need to go and get help. I'm going to get Sweetie Belle. Don't you dare go back in that forest!" Rarity finished her statement with a meaningful glare, then ran out of her house. The slightly dissipated CMC departed soon after, heading towards the library.
Rarity's smooth muscles powered her motion forward. She bounded into the forest, her vision smeared by budding tears but sharpened by adrenaline. She was like a white blur through the forest. Her blue magic cleared brush and fallen logs from her path.
Where could she be? Would she have thought to hide in a tree? Oh please, Sweetie would have just kept running... she could be anywhere out here!
The sea of trees seemed endless. Rarity paused in her mad dash to look around, calling for Sweetie.
What on earth is Fluttershy is doing over there? ... Oh nevermind, that's just a tree. Where in the world is that little filly?
The image of the tiny little curly-maned filly limp on the ground flashed through the mare's mind. Rarity scrunched up her face and closed her eyes as tight as she could, shaking the thought out of her head. Her eyes flashed open again, determination taking over her fears and worries.
I'll find her ... even if it is the last thing I'll ever do!
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Sweetie Belle's much-needed sleep was cut off by shouting.
"Please, she's just a tiny filly. She was just lost in the forest!" Sweetie picked up the skinny one's voice.
"There is no doubt that she came here to scoff at my ugliness.... Send her away to the dungeons at once!" A deep and booming voice spoke. Sweetie's emerald-colored eyes flickered open slightly, widening at the sight of the beast before her. Her jaw slacked open in horror and awe.
A true beast stood before her. He appeared to be some sort of mix between a lion and a buffalo, and the combination was not pleasant. His face was shorter than a horse's and furrier, too, with two vivid green eyes peering out. It was more like a lion's but distinctively longer and thicker. Upon his mouth were a set of fearsome fangs, two large ones curling upwards from his lower jaw and a series of smaller pointed ones reaching downwards. His ears were that of a horse. Twin black horns curled out on top of his head, much like a bison's. His mane was like that of a lion, scruffing around his neck. He was taller than either of the princesses, though not by much, and much broader, too. His limbs were burly and long, but most of his height was in his body, which was thick and muscular. His legs all ended like a lion's, with massive paws and pointed claws. His fur was a hint lighter than charcoal, the color of something that was once beautiful and living but now an ugly side-product.
"See! You came here to make fun of me." His horrible face suddenly lurched forward, inspiring a tiny squeak from the white filly. He was only inches in front of the small unicorn's pointed nose.
"You think I'm an abomination!" He was. The small filly seemed to crumple onto the ground, terrified for her life. She had been gathering her courage to speak up for some time now, but his sudden movements quickly plucked her courageous words from her lips. The beast began to strut back and forth, giving her more room. His change in position was not to give her more room, but to allow him to pace and think.
"Get this foul being out of my sight. She is now my prisoner, and she should be sent to the dungeon. Clockwork, take her at once!"
Without another complaint, the fat servant with the brown coat and brown mane picked Sweetie Belle up and carried her down a narrow staircase. The dungeons were poorly lit, but fortunately they were also empty. A layer of hay was upon the ground, and a dish of water rested in the corner. Slowly, the filly began to accept her fate and wiped the tears off of her face.
If I don't figure out about this place, I won't ever escape! Maybe the clock pony could help me...
The servant remained down near her cell, busying himself with preparing a meal for the wretched filly. Sweetie now had a chance to get a better view of this "Clockwork" pony. He was the same fat brown one who was next to her when she was taken into the castle. She was startled - he was lacking a cutie mark. He was definitely old enough to have earned one by now. Curiosity overtook her bewilderment.
"Mister, why don't you have a cutie mark yet?" The stallion whirled around, hiding the blank flank.
"Oh! Well, uh... I have no idea what you are talking about!" He responded with false astonishment. Sweetie Belle was oblivious to his act.
"Well, when you realize what your special talent is, you get a cutie mark!" The little unicorn stood up, puffing out her chest proudly. She was a crusader, and cutie marks were her expertise!
"And what is yours?" Her face dropped and she looked at the ground, but quickly resumed its hopefulness. She looked back at the curious brown stallion.
"Well, I haven't quite gotten mine yet! But that's alright, the Cutie Mark Crusaders will succeed in the end!" She paused, mulling over the statement. Her tone changed from its previous hopeful ring into a more sombre one. "Will I see my friends ever again?"
Clockwork was visibly relieved that the topic had changed. However, he struggled to answer her new question.
"I'm sure you will. Surely the master won't hold his grudge against you for all of eternity!" He grinned awkwardly, knowing it was probably not true. The master was known for his fury and rage... and that was about all he was known for. The plain stallion had not seen him smile in years.
CLANG!
The loud noise of the opening of a door shattered the sombre atmosphere, causing both the servant's and the prisoner's heads to jerk up and towards the stairwell into the dungeon. The source of the commotion spurred a yelp of joy from the small filly.
It was Rarity.
She bounded to the bars of the cell, attempting to get as close to her sister as possible. They briefly touched noses before another noise broke their intimate reunion. Rarity whipped around, her body moving into a protective position. Her front legs were a bit more than shoulderwidth apart, she glared towards the offender. Her head was lowered, raring to attack, but only a few blue sparks spat out of her horn rather than its usual blue glow.
The beast lumbered down the stairs, his stormy fur flowing with his movements. His glaring green eyes caught sight of the sisters. The servant huddled in the corner, taking neither side.
"What brings you here?" The beast's voice boomed, so loud that every creature in the castle could easily hear.
"I'm here to rescue my sister! You must release her at once!" Rarity's horn sparked and sputtered, but no spell was cast. She panted heavily, exhausted by the running.
The beast stepped closer and closer, until he was inches away from Rarity.
"Get OUT. NOW!" His response was at the same volume before, but now Rarity was close enough to feel the power of his voice. Despite his booming audacity, the determined mare retained her composure.
"I will not budge until you release my sister!" Her voice was indignant.
To the three figures' surprise, the spindly stallion who had seemed to shrink against the wall spoke up.
"S-sir, this unicorn is a lady. You know..." His voice cracked on the "know" and he stopped after.
The beast made a loud humming sound, pondering the statement that seemed obvious to the two white unicorns but completely decision-changing to him. He paused for a while longer, seeming to mull it over.
"Madame, I have a proposition." His voice was surprisingly elegant when it was not being used for yelling.
Rarity responded with an annoyed mm-hm, making one of her eyebrows move up on her head.
"You and your sister can trade places. I keep you as my prisoner for all of eternity, your sister gets a safe ride back to wherever she came from. Simple as that!" He grinned smugly, flashing his gleaming fangs.
Rarity was silent for a few seconds. The image of all of her friends flashed through her head. Her dreams of becoming a fashion designer - scrapped. Any hope of seeing her friends ever again - gone. But the thought of Sweetie rotting here in prison for the rest of her life overtook all of those losses.
"I must accept, if there is no other way to save her from this wretched place." Even though a lump was forming in her throat, she knew that she needed to appear strong in her decision to protect Sweetie.
Before she could even utter a parting word, the filly was whisked away. A red glow surrounded her and she presumably reappeared in Ponyville, Rarity had no way of knowing. And that was all.
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Hey all! Thank you for reading, if you did. :) Please comment and rate! If you see anything that I should change, or if you found anything confusing, please tell me! I want to get better at writing.
