Metaphorical Future

Metaphor gave a light groan as consciousness slowly returned to him. He could feel a slight tapping on his shoulder, almost like a nudge, but as he woke the touch vanished. A small ‘meep’ like sound filled the air followed by a shuffling sound that caused Metaphor to slowly look round. He blinked slightly as his vision focussed on a pink coated young mare with a purple mane. The unicorn moved suddenly, jerking upwards at the sight of the filly.

“How did you get here?! You escaped didn’t...”

Metaphor felt his head spin from the sudden movement, the unicorn stopping mid-sentence as his front legs collapsed on him. The same pain he had felt before swam round his head. As he looked back up he found the filly looking at him again with nervous eyes.

“Y-You should’t move...” she murmured quietly.

Metaphor studied her for a moment. She looked even more afraid than she had done in the snowy wastes outside. Her eyes were red with tears, her coat matted in places with thin red lines of blood from cuts under the hair. It also looked like her mane had been torn in places, the ends looking ragged. Around her front and back legs sat two heavy looking sets of shackles.

For a moment Metaphor let his mind work, what was going on here? He looked up, he was surrounded on all sides by metal bars, each about three inches thick, easily strong enough to resist the powerful force an Earth Pony could call upon and more than enough to stop a Pegasus or Unicorn. Looking back down he found a similar set of shackles around his own legs. It was all clear now, the filly hadn’t escaped...he was now incarcerated too.

His head still didn’t feel right though. Slowly he lowered his head so he could reach up with a hoof and touch it. Curiously he ran a hoof along his horn, coming to a stop as he reached the base of it where a thick metal band sat; a magic dampener. Metaphor sighed, he was definitely in trouble now. Magic dampeners were used to completely supress the magic output of a unicorn so they couldn’t cast spells. It was the same as the spell that had been used on him earlier but much more potent due to the proximity. The problem was that long term use of such a device tended to bottle up a unicorns power until they literally went crazy from being unable to expel excess magic from their body.

The dampener around his horn though did not seem to matter at that moment, there were far more pressing matters at hand. Namely what was he doing here? He looked back at the earth pony and gave a small sigh.

“What’s your name?” he asked bluntly.

“M-My name? I…I don’t know...” she replied, still looking afraid.

“You don’t know? What kind of…urg! Fine! If you don’t want to tell me I don’t care.”

“Are you going to hurt me?”

Metaphor paused, “Hurt you?”

The filly just gave a small nod as she remained pressed up against the bars at the far side of the cell.

“Please don’t hurt me,” she continued, “I don’t know anything...I keep trying to tell them but they just keep saying I’m lying and hurt me more. I...I...just want to go home...”

She stopped and began to sniff, the damp hair beneath her eyes receiving fresh tears as she curled up slightly on her haunches. Metaphor just watched silently. He had seen many prisoners in his time; he’d help capture them, he’d helped bring them back to base, he’d even helped in interrogating one of them once. And yet this earth pony didn’t seem like any other type of prisoner he’d seen before. It almost appeared as if she had no knowledge of the war, was she even a soldier?

“What did they want to know?” he asked curiously.

“About the Element of Harmony and where it was found...” murmured the filly, “I don’t know any of that...I don’t even remember who...”

“So you’re finally awake.”

The filly stopped talking and Metaphor turned to look behind him as a new voice split the air. And yet it wasn’t a new voice, it was one that Metaphor knew well.

“Topspin?” he asked in a surprised tone.

On the other side of the bars, flanked by a pair of earth pony guards, stood a yellow tinted pegasus. Her orange mane was cut short, as was her tail, giving her a very masculine appearance despite her feminine figure. She wore an amused smile.

“Well I must say, of all the ways I saw your future this wasn’t one of them,” she commented plainly before giving a small chuckle.

“Topspin? What the hay is going on?! Get me out of here already!” replied Metaphor as he turned to face her fully.

“Get you out? I’m sorry but that’s not possible.”

“What?”

“Well if nothing else I owe you an explanation, you’ve been a very useful tool over the years,” replied Topspin, “Simply put you’ve seen too much Metaphor. This filly, the Element of Harmony…you really have no idea how deep all of this goes. Neither do I for that matter…but I do know you’ve seen things that go above your station.”

Metaphor glared at the Pegasus. He had known Topspin for a number of years now ever since she became captain of his unit. They had been through a lot together but it seemed that mattered little now.

“So what? You’re here to kill me?” he asked calmly.

“Kill you?” chuckled Topspin, “Not at all, as I said you’ve been a useful tool over the years and you don’t simply throw away useful tools until they are completely broken.”

“Broken…?”

“Our superiors have decided to use you to test a few new ideas they have been having.”

Metaphor looked away for a moment refusing to believe this was actually happening.

“Well either way I have to go,” finished Topspin, “Good bye Metaphor, you’ve been a loyal soldier.”

Topspin turned to leave, the two earth ponies beside her turning also but not before giving a small smirk each. Metaphor didn’t say anything, he knew it was pointless right now; it wouldn’t change his situation. He watched the three ponies leave until a large metal shutter slid down across the doorway blocking his view. For a moment he simply stood in thought. What had Topspin meant? Why was all of this happening?

He lowered his head so he could raise a hoof to his horn again. He ran it slowly across the cold metal, a faint twinge running through his mind. He looked back at the young filly still cowering at the back of the cell they were in. He sighed and shook his head.

“Why me?” he asked himself plainly before addressing her, “Hey, come here!”

The earth pony jumped, clearly startled by his voice. Slowly she raised her head and looked back at him, the fear evident on her face. Metaphor sighed again; he wasn’t good at speaking to ponies normally never mind dealing with a scared mouse like this one.

“Look, I’m not going to hurt you,” he continued, trying to keep his tone gentle, “I need your help alright…if we’re going to get out of here we need to work together.”

It seemed comical really; asking the prisoner he had brought in himself for help. What kind of pony would agree to that? No pony he knew that’s for sure; everypony was always looking out for themselves alone…it was a diamond dog eat diamond dog world.

“…Y-You mean it?”

The filly was looking up at him from the corner of the cell. Fear still surrounded her but in her eyes hung something that Metaphor had not seen in a very long time…hope.

“I…yes…sure…”

Metaphor almost felt like he was in a trance as he stared into her eyes. Her gaze was soft but to him it felt like she was boring into his very soul. For a time neither of them said anything, each trying to work out what to do next.

“W-What should I do?” she asked quietly after a time.

“Huh? Oh right,” stammered Metaphor as he snapped himself back to reality and lowered himself to the ground, “I need you to take a look at this dampener on my horn.”

For a moment the filly didn’t move but eventually she raised herself to her hoofs. For a moment she stayed still, almost balancing herself before she moved, and then shakily walked across the cell towards him. She stopped a few feet away, seeming reluctant to come any closer. Eventually she took the final step and stopped next to Metaphor. He gave her a final look and then turned his head to the side, angling it so she could get a clear view of his horn.

“What does it look like?” he asked.

“Um…well…it’s metal and…there a red line all around it,” she murmured quietly, “There a few small lights on it and…”

Metaphor let out a long sigh, “Sounds like a type three…hay seeds!”

The filly backed off a little, still nervous of Metaphor. The unicorn didn’t move other than to raise a hoof to his head, a new throbbing pain was starting to pound back and forth between his ears.

“Maybe I just need to think about it a bit,” he said, “I’m going to try and get some sleep.”

With that he lowered his head to the ground and curled up. The filly didn’t seem to know what to do, staring at Metaphor for a moment before slowly moving back across the cell and settling herself down at the far side. She looked a little dejected as she looked back at Metaphor with a small whimper.