Chapter 1
Out of Equestria
By Thunder Colt
“Thank you very much for coming,” Midnight said to the last guest as she trotted out the door. As soon as she was gone, Midnight closed the door and slumped against the frame, closing her eyes and sighing. She stayed there for a moment, enjoying the silence when she suddenly felt a hoof on her shoulder.
“Sweetheart, are you alright?” said a soft soothing voice behind her. Midnight allowed herself a smile, opening her eyes and turning around, looking at the tall stallion behind her. His bright white coat seemed to shimmer in the dim light of the hall, in dark contrast with his jet black mane. Baby blue eyes looked down at her, full of sympathy and that ever present bit of worry.
“I’m fine father,” Midnight said softly, pressing her face into his soft coat. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the familiar smell of parchment and old books in his coat. “I’m just a bit tired. It was a wonderful party, I had a lot of fun. Thank you so much.”
Signus chuckled softly, his warm breath ruffling Midnight’s mane. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. It’s a big day for you after all. Fourteen years old. I’m going to have to stop calling you my little filly soon.”
They stood there a moment, enjoying the silence.
“I wish mom was here,” whispered Midnight softly.
“I know. So do I,” sighed Signus sadly. “She would be so proud of you.”
Midnight looked away, unsure how to reply. “I-I,” she started, but her voice caught in her throat. Taking a deep breath, she started again. “I’m going to go up to bed. We can clean up tomorrow.”
“Alright,” Signus said, nodding. “I am going to run out to grab a few things. I’ll see you in the morning. I love you”
“OK. I love you too,” Midnight yawned, slowly walking away. She walked through the house, stepping around the aftermath of her birthday party. Streamers covered the ground, as well as balloons and wrapping paper. Dragging herself up the stairs, she walked into her bedroom and sat on her bed. Casting a sidelong glance at her mirror, she saw a pony with a jet black coat and bright silver cutie mark of three five pointed stars. Her tangled silver mane tumbled down her back, almost obscuring her horn that barley poked through the top. The bright green eyes that pierced through the hair were full of sadness and exhaustion.
Suddenly, she thought she saw something flicker in the background. She turned around, and looked at her window. It was open, and the drapes were fluttering in the breeze, but she didn’t see anypony outside. Below her window, Canterlot splayed. Behind her house, the giant wall stood, patrolled by the royal guard day and night. During the day, the city was rather dull and colorless, but in the evening, the city dazzled and shined.
“I’m on the second floor anyways” she thought. ”No pony could get up here.”
She berated herself for her foolishness, closing the window and turning around. She found herself face to face with a masked Pegasus. She opened her mouth to scream, but the Pegasus quickly put his hoof to her mouth.
“Shhh,” he said, voice muffled through the mask. “None of that now.”
Midnight growled and bit the hoof, and the Pegasus reeled back, cursing. Midnight dashed for the door, but before she could reach it she felt another hoof grab her pulling her back.
“Good. A fighter,” said a different voice in her ear. “That just means you’ll be that much more of a worker.”
Before Midnight had time to react, she felt something cover her nose and mouth. A putrid, sickly smell enveloped her, and she thrashed. Her head began to swim, and her thrashing became more and more subdued. With a laugh, the pony let go of her. Midnight tried to stand, but her strength failed her, and she fell to the ground. As a last effort, she tried to raise her head to see the other pony, but she could not, and her eyes closed, sending her into a labyrinth of darkness.
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Midnight felt like she was drowning. No matter how deeply she breathed, she couldn’t get enough air into her lungs. She forced her eyes open, and found herself in the middle of a field. Pushing herself to her feet, she looked around, breathing hard. As far as the eye could see, golden grass rippled around her.
Midnight blinked in confusion, looking around the field, then bent over double, coughing. The racking coughs forced her to her knees, and she screwed her eyes shut, each cough sending a wave of pain through her.
When her fit finally subsided, Midnight stayed where she was, shaking and panting. After a minute, she looked up, and then jerked back in surprise. Standing in front of her was a beautiful blue Pegasus. Her light blue mane, which matched her coat, almost blended into the sky, and her soft green eyes looked lovingly upon Midnight.
“M-mom?” stuttered Midnight, too stunned to move. “T-that can’t be you. H-how?”
She just smiled softly and said, “It’s time to wake up darling.”
“What? What are you talking about? Mom!” Midnight said, struggling to stand up.
“It’s alright,” said Sky soothingly. “I’ll see you soon. Now wake up dear.”
“No…Mom…” gasped Midnight as she felt the weight starting to press on her chest again. “Don’t leave me…”
Sky just smiled as Midnight collapsed to the ground, the world fading away.
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Midnight felt herself awake, but she didn’t open her eyes. Her head throbbed and her throat felt raw. Something hard pressed against her neck, though she could not tell what it was. She could hear several voices and hoovesteps around her, but they sounded muffled and far away.
The voices slowly became clearer, and Midnight was able to make out a few words.
“She…two days ago…strong one”
“Yes…maybe if…”
“Don’t think…five days till…check now”
“What are they talking about?” thought Midnight. “Two days? Have I been out that long? Or did something else happen two days ago? What if-“
Her thought was cut off as she heard a flap open. She kept her breathing slow and steady, pretending to be asleep. There were several moments of silence, and she relaxed, thinking the pony, whoever it was, had gone away.
“You can stop faking,” said a gruff voice. “You’re not as good of an actor as you think.”
Midnight tensed, not daring to open her eyes. For a moment, nothing happened. Then Midnight gasped in pain as she felt somepony stomp on her chest. She curled into a ball, assuming a fetal position to protect herself as the pain paralyzed her.
“I tried to warn you,” said the voice. It was low, gravely, and each word sounded like he chewed it before spitting it out. “But you wouldn’t listen. You’re going to have to learn obedience. And that could prove to be very painful indeed.”
Midnight slowly opened her eyes, looking up at the colt. It was a large earth pony, dark green with a rugged expression. He was covered with scars and blemishes, but the most noticeable was the thin, pale scar that ran from his left ear, down across his right eye and down to his jaw. Across his back, he had several saddle bags as well as an astonishing collection of long, sharp knives.
“Now, if you please, get up. Now,” snapped the colt. “Unless you wish to get a matching bruise on your other side.”
Grunting in pain, Midnight pushed herself to her feet. Her legs quaked, and her side throbbed from where the colt had hit her, but she managed to remain standing. She looked around the room. It was a small tent, with a dirt floor. From one of the posts, a chain ran across the floor to a silver collar around her neck. Midnight ran a hoof across the collar, which was smooth but surprisingly warm. The green colt nodded, looking her up and down, as if sizing her up.
“Good. You can walk,” said the colt, walking to her. He took a key from a pouch at his side, and then grabbed the silver collar that hung around Midnight’s neck. The chain was held to her collar by a small lock.
Midnight choked as the colt dragged her foreword, trying to resist his pull.
“The more you struggle, the harder this is going to be,” he growled, jerking her again. Midnight glared at him, but obediently stepped forewords. “Good.”
He unlocked her chain, letting it fall to the ground, sending up a small puff of dust as it hit the dirt floor.
“Now, it’s time to see your new life,” said the colt, smiling and starting to pull back the flap to the tent.
“W-wait,” choked out Midnight. She looked down at her legs, and realized she was shaking.
The colt raised an eyebrow, surprised. “What is it?”
‘I-I don’t understand,” whispered Midnight meekly.
“Understand what?”
“Well, a lot of things. Where am I? Why am I here? Who are you? What’s going on?”
The colt looked down, shoulders shaking. Midnight stared at him, unsure what she had done. She was about to ask if he was alright before she realized he was laughing at her. Her face reddened in anger and embarrassment.
“What?” She snapped at him, kicking at the ground with the tip of her hoof.
Unable to contain it anymore, the colt let out a husky laugh that sounded strained and painful.
“It’s just,” he wheezed, trying to contain his merriment. “You really don’t understand, do you?” He took a few deep breaths, composing himself, and then looked directly at Midnight, humor playing across his features. “Well, let’s just say that they call me Morcantus, and you are my newest merchandise.”
“What? I’m a pony! Not some trinket you buy at a shop!” shouted Midnight, horrified at the thought of what was being proposed.
“Actually, as of now, you belong to me. And what a beautiful piece of merchandise you are,” Morcantus murmured, running a hoof across her cheek.
Midnight flinched, slapping his hoof away and stepping back. Morcantus chuckled again, looking at her, an eyebrow quirked.
“Be careful little filly,” He said finally, a small grin on his face. Midnight noticed that despite his appearance, his teeth were beautifully kept, clean and bright white. “As far as masters go, I’m very kind. I take good care of my slaves. Other masters are hardly as gentle. Just remember, unless spoken directly to, it is wiser not to say anything.”
Midnight glared at him, but said nothing. He grinned, again surprising Midnight with his teeth in sharp contrast with the rest of his appearance.
“Good, you’re a quick learner. Now, shall we go on a walk? You must be a bit stiff, after being asleep for so long.”
He opened the flap again, letting in a shaft of sunlight. Midnight hesitantly stepped forewords, unsure if she wanted to see what was outside. Morcantus gestured impatiently with his hoof, opening the flap wider. Midnight could see ponies walking outside, but nothing else.
Taking a big breath and steeling herself, she slowly walked out the door, and then gasped in amazement. Outside the tent was a bustle of activity. Ponies of all shapes and sizes quickly walked between rows of tents, some carrying goods and saddles, others walking around proudly, flanked by bodyguards. Between the tents, numerous stands had been erected, where ponies shouted out their wares to the passerby’s.
“What is this place?” said Midnight softly in awe.
“This,” said Morcantus, coming out of the tent to stand beside Midnight, “is just a small trading post outside the Erethall woods. We’re leaving tomorrow morning. We will head through the woods to Keywa City. It’s about a three day travel from here. That is assuming we don’t run into any trouble.”
“Trouble?”
“Bandits, rival traders, bad weather, almost anything can go wrong in those woods,” Morcantus said gravely. “Not to mention the number of unnatural creatures in there.”
Midnight looked at the scars that covered Morcantus’s body and shivered, not wanting to think about what could have caused them. Morcantus ignored her gaze, and began to trot through the stands.
“Stay with me,” He said to her. “Despite what you might think, the safest place you’ve got is by my side.”
Midnight quickly fell into step beside him, feeling her cramped muscles burn as they were stretched for what felt like the first time in weeks. She didn’t complain though, making sure to keep up with Morcantus.
As she walked through the tents with Morcantus, Midnight found herself becoming more and more nervous. Around her, the colts in the trading post towered high above her, the biggest ponies she had ever seen. Each had a rough, fierce personality around them. Unconsciously, Midnight moved closer to Morcantus, pressing into his side. He chuckled, looking down at her, and she quickly stepped away, digusted at the thought of touching him.
“It would be impossible for me to try and escape now,” thought Midnight. ”There are so many ponies here; I probably wouldn’t make it five feet before being grabbed. Plus, even though I hate it, I don’t want to leave Morcantus’s side. These ponies would tear me to pieces. Or worse…”
Midnight was forced out of her thoughts as she ran into what she thought was a brick wall. She fell backward, landing on her flank and rubbing her head. She froze when she saw two gigantic hooves standing in front of her. She followed them up, past a massive brown torso, till she was looking at a huge brown colt. She sat there, frozen in fear as the colt looked down at her.
“I-I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going,” stuttered Midnight, barely able to force out the words.
“It’s alright little filly,” said the colt, breaking into a grin. His crooked, decaying teeth were matched by the rancid breath that washed over Midnight, making her want to vomit. “Though you should look where you’re going. Don’t want to run into anypony unpleasant, do we?”
“N-no sir,” said Midnight quickly, shaking her head. She started to get up, grunting slightly as her muscles screaming in protest. The colt reached down, and with a strong grip that was surprisingly gentle, picked her up and placed her on her feet.
“There ya go girl,” he said, smiling softly at her. “The name is Magnus. It’s a pleasure to meet ya.”
His expression changed into a frown, and he reached around her head, running a hoof down her collar. His brow furrowed and he looked at her, as if she was a completely different pony.
“I’m so sorry,” he said softly. “Where is he?”
Before she could reply, Midnight heard a commotion behind them. She turned around, wondering what it could be, and saw Morcantus pushing his way through the crowd.
“Midnight!” he shouted angrily, grabbing her collar and yanking her back quickly. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Midnight fell to the ground, coughing, and the brown colt stepped forewords angrily.
“What do ya think you’re doing?” he demanded. “She didn’t do nothing wrong! I got in her way, knocked her over, that’s all. I was just helping her up. No need to get uppity over nothing.”
“I don’t care,” growled Morcantus. “She’s not you’re property. You have no right to touch her. You hear me?”
“Property?” the colt said incredulously. “She’s a living pony! How could you possibly say you own her?”
“Oh shut up. You know how it works,” Morcantus snarled. “Just because you don’t approve of slave trade doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Now back off, or do I have to call the guards?”
The colt hesitated, then stepped back. “How much for her?”
“What?” asked Morcantus, raising an eyebrow at him.
“You heard me. How much are you selling her for?”
Morcantus looked him up and down, and then laughed softly. “Much more then you could afford my friend. Besides, she’s not for sale. Not here anyways. If you want to buy her, you’re going to have to go to Keywa.”
The colt said nothing, looking between Midnight and Morcantus. For a moment, Midnight thought that he was going to attack, but then he nodded.
“Guess I’ll see you in Keywa,” said the colt gruffly. He nodded at Midnight, and then quickly trotted off into the crowd.
Midnight released pent up breath she didn’t even realize she had been holding and looked around. She blinked in surprise as she saw a ring of ponies had formed around them. Some grinned and muttered with one another, and others shook their heads and looked at Midnight sadly. The ring slowly dispersed, and the area was again filled with bustling ponies.
“Follow me,” snapped Morcantus, pushing Midnight and snapping her out of her trance. “And I swear, if you lose me again, you will be very sorry. That’s a promise.”
He quickly trotted off, and Midnight scrambled to stay with him. Morcantus lead them back to the tent, and opened the flap. Midnight quickly slipped inside, and Morcantus followed her. He walked to the chain on the post and picked up the end, quickly locking it to Midnight’s collar.
“We need more supplies. I’ll be back in an hour or so. I’ll bring food, but you should probably rest up. We got a long trip ahead of us, and you’ll need your rest,” he said quickly, then walked out of the tent.
Midnight waited until she heard his footsteps recede, then stood up, studying her collar. She tugged on the chain, but the lock was strong, and she couldn’t break it.
”A little magic should do the trick,” she thought, grinning at Morcantus’s stupidity. ”How could he have overlooked such an obvious detail?”
Breathing deeply, she closed her eyes, searching her mind for the familiar wall. Finding it, she breached it, and felt the energy of magic flow through her mind, into her horn. Before she could perform any magic, she felt an icy, searing pain run through her body. She opened her mouth to scream, but no words came out.
Midnight fell to the ground, writhing in pain as she felt like she was being torn inside out. After what seemed like hours, the pain stopped, and she lied on the floor, gasping and shaking. Her coat was coated with sweat and dirt, and tears streamed down her face. All the energy had been drained from her, and she could do nothing by lie on the floor, clinging to consciousness.
Eventually Morcantus came back, spotting Midnight on the floor. He sighed, helping to pick her up and lean her against the post.
“I thought you were smarter than that,” he muttered. Midnight didn’t reply, averting her eyes and focusing on a patch of dirt on the floor. Morcantus just shook his head, then went outside, returning with two small cots. He put them in the back of the tent, then helped Midnight onto hers.
After he got settled on his, he tossed a hunk of bread and a flask to Midnight.
“Eat up,” he commanded, “we got a long journey ahead of us.”
As she eyed the bread, Midnight realized how hungry she was. She quickly bit it to it, eating greedily. It was warm and fresh, but tasted different then bread from home. Too hungry to care, she took the stopper off the flask, drinking deeply. She felt the cool water run down her dry, tortured throat, then sat back and sighed.
Quickly finishing the bread and water, she placed the flask at the bottom of her bed and looked at Morcantus. He was sitting on his bed, eyebrows knit and watching her.
“Can I ask you something?” she asked tentatively.
“What is it?”
“Well,” said Midnight, shifting on her cot, “it’s just the fact I thought slaves were outlawed in Equestria.”
Morcantus laughed and shook his head. “What makes you think we’re in Equestria?”
And without another word, he rolled over and fell asleep, leaving Midnight alone with her thoughts.
