Chapter Text
The office was smaller than I thought it was going to be. It was circular, the walls painted a light shade of pink that came together to form a bud shaped room. The only flat surface was the floor that was littered with papers and pencils. Toward the far wall was a large desk piled high with more papers. The window behind the desk had even more papers stuck to it, creating a weird sort of curtain that blocked out most of the sun. Blue and I both stood there, confused. What in the world was this? I thought.
"Mayor?" Blue called out, looking around as he stepped forward. No answer. "Mayor Razzaroo?!" He called out, louder this time. As he walked, his hoof landing on a piece of paper. The silence of the room was replace by the crinkle of paper and a cry.
"Huh?! Who's there?!" A voice came out from beside me, making me jump. I ran to Blue, hiding behind him as a pony shook themselves from a pile of papers. She was a violet mare with a messy white mane with green and pink streaks in it. Her tired light blue eyes looked around, as if searching for somepony else. I'm guessing Arctic. Yawning, the mare looked us over and sighed. "Oh, it's just some more prisoners? If she hasn't been collected, just toss her in a bubble." She grumbled, walking past us.
A bubble? What did she mean by that? Just before I could ask, Blue spoke up. "Mayor, if it was just some regular NPP, I wouldn't have bothered you but this mare is an outsider." He informed her, watching the mare stop. "She's from the outerlands, it would seem." Silence brewed between them, the tension getting thicker as time wore on. I wasn't sure why that was, but I knew better than to try and break it myself. I'd rather not be the center of this mares attention if my options were imprisonment or... I don't know what else they'd do to me yet.
"Solider, you know there are no ponies outside Ponyland." She said, her tone sending shiver down my spine. I knew that tone. It was that 'what I'm saying is final' kind of tone. Yet there was a underlying threat underneath. Like questioning this was worse than anything I may or may not have done. "Yes yes yes, Ponyland is-"
"The land where ponies thrive and succeed through the grace and mercy of our Divine princess." Blue interrupted, nodding his head. He apparently knew this song and dance already. "Still, this mare appears to be unregistered. There are no records of her in the files and she claims to not know of any of our laws. Mayor Razzaroo, I-"
Razzaroo raised a hoof, ending his speech there. She turned to us, smiling sweetly as she walked forward. Face to face with Blue, the mare barely reached his chin. Still, I was shocked when she had lifted her hoof to smash it against his muzzle, knocking him to the ground. I jumped back, keeping quiet as Razzaroo stepped over a mound of papers to circle him.I jumped back, watching her smile. She looked absolutely joyful as she stared down at him, pressing a hoof against his neck.
"You. Do. Not! Interrupt me when I am speaking, are we clear?" She snarled, her smile manic as she stared down at him. Blue coughed, trying to catch his breath as some blood slipped from his lips. "What was that? I didn't quite catch that. Was that an apology or did you need another bruise?"
"Y-yes, Mayor." He chocked, looking as if he was resisting the urge to fight back. He clearly could, if he wanted to. He was bigger and stronger than her yet he didn't try and defend himself. He just laid there as the smaller mare chocked him. "I-I'm sorry."
Razzaroo lifted her hoof, her smile easing as she did so. "Good. I'd hate for you to sent to SM for retraining." She laughed, ignoring the cringe Blue made as she spoke. "Now, back to business, or whatever." She turned and walked over to her desk, ignoring the papers and walking around the piles on the very little space that wasn't covered with a stray paper.
As she walked away, I crept over to Blue. He may be one of my captors but even I couldn't stand to just leave him there, bleeding. He didn't look too hurt though. His nose was and mouth were bleeding but otherwise, he looked fine. Expect for his eyes. They were a little less bright as before, which wasn't much considering how dead they looked before. I reached out to touch him, concerned but pulled my hoof away as he looked at me.
Blue turned his gaze to me, his eyes not really seeking anything, but to my eyes, they looked accusatory. Why had I remained silent? They asked. Why didn't I help? I wanted to say I couldn't. That it was none of my business. That I was just doing as he said. But his eyes told me that he knew why I had done nothing.
Because I was scared.
His eyes told me, I should be scared. Be wary and careful because this could very well happen to me. That his warning wasn't just words. Understanding somewhat, I nodded. I wasn't sure he understood me but he stood up on his own, coughing as he did so. Before I could help him up, Razzaroo called out to me.
"Oi, Outsider, get over here." She slurred, still sounding as tired as she did when we had first arrived. Unsure what to do, I reluctantly walked over to the desk, unable to see past the wall of paper between me and Razzaroo. After a moment of silence, Razzaroo groaned in annoyance and shoved the piles off the desk, nearly burying me beneath them before I dodged. I may not be the most athletic pony but I could at least dodge paper.
Razzaroo looked over the large desk, annoyingly holding a mug of what smelled like coffee. Black. Oi, she was hardcore with that. She didn't even flinch as she chugged a good portion of the probably scalding and bitter drink. Sighing, she rested the mug on the desk, probably staining a sheet of paper that didn't fall onto the floor.
"Presenting: Mayor Razzaroo, mayor of Ponyville as appointed by her Divine Majesty." Blue announced from behind me, now standing guard at the door. The distance made my neck itch but it wasn't far enough to tug on it. So I sat on the floor as Razzaroo groaned in that way ponies who hate their job does when they realize there is still 3 more hours before their break. It's a sound I know well but it kind of shocked me. I wasn't expecting such a grumpy pony to be the mayor of this saccharine town of smiles. Razzaroo looked up at me and smirked.
"Ah, so you did notice." She noted, regaining my attention. "Ponies are to be happy and smiling, as the divine princess decrees. yes, yes yes, because all pretty ponies smile. But you don't... You don't have to." She said, almost to herself as she took another swig of coffee.
"I don't have to what? Smile?" I asked, confused but hoping for an answer. All the smiles I'd gotten so far were genuine, if not creepy or condescending. But for it to be a rule?! That I was not expecting. The mayor just sat there, staring at me from over her mug before sighing.
"Tell me who you are and why you were in Fair valley." She demanded, shocking me. I didn't think anyone save for the small mare, Arctic and Petal knew where I'd woken up. Then again, Arctic and Petal were just in here, probably reporting my arrival.
"Am I not allowed to be there?" I countered, cocking a brow. Another sip from the mug, that I only now realized read "Super Starsong 4ever". Actually, there was a lot of Starsong stuff in the room, now that I looked around. There were quite a few posters of the word or name littered about. Violet wings and music notes. So this pony was a singer then? I tried to pick one up with my magic but again, it felt like I was blocked.
"Not without a permit, you're not." She retorted, unamused. "Seeing as you aren't in our records, I'm assuming you don't have a premit?" She asked. I nodded. "I see. So one count of trespassing on government property without a permit." She tapped the surface of the desk and a light appeared. Jumping back, I watched as the light solidified, though it was still slightly translucent, into a flat screen. The words on it were unclear but she was clearing punching into more information as she continued on. "Not to mention the fact that you are a NPP out on the main roads. So that's one count of trespassing on pretty pony only streets..."
"W-wait, are you seriously telling me I'm getting in trouble for walking on a street?!" I demanded, drawing Razzaroo's tired but strangely alert eyes on me. "That's not fair! I only just got here. I don't know any of there laws you say I broke."
"Oh? So you admit to being an outsider?" She laid her forelegs on the desk, a small smile on her face. "Interesting. Then tell me: Who are you, where are you from and why are you here in Ponyland?" Ponyland? Was that seriously the name of this place? I'd only just now noticed the name but... Damn, that was a stupid name. However it was also where I am currently so I should probably refrain from commenting on it.
"My name is Moonlight Sonata." I started, looking Razzaroo in the eyes. "I'm a librarian from Manehatten. It's a large city in Equestria. I'm guessing you have never heard of it but what I'm saying it true. Equestria is an entirely different world from your 'ponyland' but somehow I ended up here. I don't know how but I just woke up here. Well, not 'here' here. I mean back in Fair Valley or whatever."
Razzaroo stared at her as I finished my explanation. Her face didn't change at all, but I couldn't help but notice to cocking of her brow when I mentioned different worlds. I knew that was going to be a hard sell but it was all I had. After a whole minute of silence, Razzaroo took another sip of coffee.
"Okay, look. I'm really not in the mood for this stup- silly game of yours so how about this?" She offered, holding her mug close to her lips. "You tell me who you really are and why I shouldn't just toss you in a bubble to rot?" Again with this bubble thing. What was she talking about? Still, I didn't want to be locked up anywhere to rot. So I told her the truth.
"As I said, I'm not from here." I repeated. "I don't know why but I seem to have been taken from my world to yours. I really not-"
"Okay, if you don't want to be honest, even after I bothered to give a mutt like you a chance, I guess we'll just have to put you to work like the rest of you lazy NPP's." She proclaimed, slamming her hooves on the desk. "But where to put-" The doors slammed open, revealing the new stallion, this one orange with a light blue mane and of course, an earth pony. He wore armor too but his was a lot more... official looking. It had badges and fringes and... was that a sword!? I jumped back as he walked toward Razzaroo without even greeting her. He saluted, not even looking in my direction as he spoke.
"Mayor Razzaroo, I am hear to alert you to the arrival of my superior, Lieutenant Colonel Wildeflower." He proclaimed, before glaring at me for snickering. I wasn't sure why but the name mad me laugh. Something about it made me think of some hippy mare with a crown made of flowers and a weird accent that made her sound super tired. I hid my face, trying hard to not let out another laugh, as he narrowed his eyes. "Who is this?"
"Just another NPP going off to work." Razzaroo replied, smirking at me. "So that buck finally decided to get here? What took him so long?" The stallion said nothing, his eyes falling on me. His lips curled in disgust before turning back to Razzaroo.
"NPP or not, this information is classified." He stated, choosing not to look at me again. Apparently, I disgusted him now. Dick.
"Yes yes yes, you are right about that." Razzaroo tapped on the desk twice, sipping her coffee. "Solider, take the NPP to the showers. I heard she fell in the mudsprings. Probably got dirt all over the nice carpet or something." She rolled her eyes, as if she was dealing with a dog who had dragged their ass on the rug.
"I'm not a damn dog!" I snapped, glaring at her. This drew their eyes. They shared a look of shock before I felt the collar tug me toward the door.
"I-I will get her there, Mayor." Blue assured, almost dragging me out the room. I did my best to stay standing but he was somehow making the leash shorter with each tug. "Get over here!" I forced my legs to keep up, my eyes drifting back toward Razzaroo and her guest. I couldn't hear them exactly but I could have sworn I heard something about 'crossroads' and 'lost patrol'. Just then the door slammed closed, leaving me and Blue standing at the top of the short flight of stairs that lead to the Mayors office. Blue said nothing, just glaring at me for a second before stomping off, my slowly weakening legs struggling to keep up.
"You don't have to drag me down the hall like a petulant foal, you know." I complained, panting a bit. Not from exhaustion but from lack of air. The collar, while not necessarily chocking me, was obstructing just enough air to make me feel dizzy. Even my legs were feeling a bit buzzy.
"No, you are stupid like a foal." He growled, stomping down the hall. His face must have been scary, cause everypony who saw him instantly moved out of the way. "I told you not to be a smart as- Alec. I mean, Divinity above, you are the most idiotic mare I've ever seen! Talking back to the mayor and even cursing in front of her!"
"You sure do talk a lot more when you're just with me." I grumbled in response. Relatively, I mentally added, looking at all the passing faces we walked by. I could tell that they were deliberately ignoring us. A city mare knows the faces of those who pretended to see and hear nothing.
"Because I know my place." He muttered, yet somehow I heard him. His voice was filled with a kind of sad acceptance that I really wasn't used to hearing but I had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time.
"And mine?" I pushed, not pleased but following anyway. Blue must have replied but I was too busy thinking, planning, to hear it. My eyes drifted throughout the hall, looking for an escape route. The balloons hovering over us shimmered prettily, making the hall look bright and open but something about them now filled me with dread.
... just toss her in a bubble. I recalled Razzaroo ordering before she even looked at me.
A bubble. I stared up at the floating sphere that brought joy to foals in Equestria, trying to peer past its surface, to see what I must have been missing. The plastic smiles told me there was more to them than just decoration. I narrowed my eyes, my mind swearing to me that I could just barely make out-
I collided with a wall. Falling to the ground, I looked up. And holy shit, did I have to look up!
The pony, an earth pony stallion, was fucking huge!! Like, twice my size, huge! He was bright red, like an apple but built like a brick house. Even from beneath his military uniform, you could see the years of muscles and strength in his every breath. His mare was cut short and pink with streaks of grey showing his age. If the mane didn't speak of age, his face definitely did. It was like a marble sculpture, sharp and defined, his age lines well set but never showing any weakness. Gold eyes peered down at me, freezing me on the spot. But it wasn't the intensity that had me frozen in place. It wasn't the pure disgust or the annoyance dancing behind them. It was that look.
Those shallow, tired eyes of a solider. I knew those eyes. They weren't violet like my own, but I knew them well.
I looked away, fearing my heart would beat itself from my chest. I hated those eyes. Why? Why did they continue to haunt me?! Why did they follow me? I kept my eyes glue to the floor as the stallion spoke, his voice like rolling thunder.
"What is this?" He asked, though it still sounded like a command. "I thought I ordered all soldiers to search for the rebel."
"Yes, sir! You did." Blue answered, saluting the stallion with gusto. It was a bit weird for me because Blue sounded a lot different now. As I looked closely at him, I realized why. He looked... happy. Not happy to be scolded but happy to be noticed. He was doing everything he could to restrain a smile. "But the mayor ordered us to round up any stray mutts milling about. This mare is one of them."
"I'm not a damn dog!" I snapped, wanting something to lash out at. "I just wanted to go home and-"
"Repeat yourself, mare." Big red ordered, my anger fading as the thought of those eyes drifted back into my mind. I didn't want to look.
But something about the way he said 'mare' sent a shiver down my spine. Not from fear though. It was almost annoyance. Why did he say that in a way that made it sound like an insult?
"Lieutenant Wildeflower..." Blue whispered, sounding both scared and confused. I wasn't sure if the fear was for me or of him but that name. I clung to that humorous name, not wanting to think about the eyes that was attached to that name. My laugh was hollow but it was something. Something to save me from those eyes.
"You dare to use unsanctioned language in the presence of an officer." He noted, sounding more curious that angry. His statement was just barely missing that questioning tone. "You're bindings must be too tight. A smart pony would know better than to push the Divine's Princess's leniency." This made me legitimately snort.
"You'll have to excuse me for not being excited for being imprisonment." I grumbled, staring down at the ground. "I'm really not into bondage. At least not without a safe word." I said, smirking. Not looking at the scary and large pony really did wonders on ones confidence. I felt like a badass despite being too cowardly to look up. The silence (not really) was tense as Blue seemed to stammer at my audacity.
"...I see. You NPP truly are as vulgar as they say." Wildeflower stated, his tone revealing nothing. "But of course it'd be a mare. The Princess's Divinity has yet to grace females with any self respect, so why should I expect any from an NPP?" Okay, the mare comments were definitely pissing me off. Cause he was using mare as an insult.
"Oi, I-" I stopped as I finally brought up the courage to look him in the eyes again. What I found wasn't shallow and tired eyes but the eyes of a predator, a beast hidden in the dark recesses of his gold eyes that threatened my life. And like any prey, I froze, more scared of him than I recalled being. Eyes wide, I stared into the endless gold of his harsh scrutiny, watching as he studied me.
He glowered down at me, cocking a brow at my silence. "Nothing to say? Wise decision. Who knew you mares were capable of sensible thoughts." He snorted, his mouth almost smirking but still not enough to be called a smirk. "Perhaps you NPP mares are smarter than you look." He took a step forward and I jumped out of the way, hiding behind Blue as he continued to stomp past us. I could feel my magic suddenly boil beneath my skin before fading just as quickly. I had no idea what I had intended to do with it, though. I hadn't even thought of using it but there it was, boiling within me.
"S-sir?" Blue stammered, probably very torn about what he should have been doing. He looked back at me, his expression a mix of concern and awe. I wasn't sure if the awe was for my brave words or the fact that I turned tail so fast. Either way. he sighed and turned back to Big Red. "Sir, if you would excuse us..."
"You are dismissed, soldier." He replied, his rumbling voice echoing within me as my fear of him settled deep in my gut. That beast... I did not want to be its target. "As for the mare," He continued, stopping a little ahead of us. "Have her place in a bubble for three days, no food no light. Provide her water. It would do us no good if she died too quickly."
"Eh?" I turned toward the retreating giant as he walked away, assured that his orders would be fulfilled. "Wait, what does he mean by that? What bubble?!" I shivered, scared more of the fact that I had idea what this bubble was than the fact I was going to be imprisoned in one.
Blue grimaced, clearly upset of my behalf but resolute. "This is why I told you to stop with the backtalk, you idiot." He sighed, sadly staring up at the ceiling. "Now you might just end up like them. Forgotten." My heart racing, I followed his gaze. The balloons... Balloons much larger than was necessary and littering the hall. A bubble...
"No way..." I gasped, just as the vague shape could be seen within the balloon. It wasn't much, just a moment in which the sun's light had hit the surface just right, but I saw it. A pony, withered and gaunt with hunger. I could swear that it was still breathing but the surface turned opaque again. Blue tugged on my collar, dragging me away as I felt my heart drop, resting heavily in my stomach. "You just leave them in there?!"
"...It is punishment for their crimes." He claimed, not sounding sad about those poor ponies floating above us. "To look down and be unseen, while the law abiding citizens look upon them with joy." The certainty in his voice made me sick. And here I was, feeling bad for him.
"And your okay with this?" I growled, glaring at him as I struggled to keep up with him. He said nothing as he lead me further. "Does everyone just accept this monstrous act!" I shouted, gaining the attention of some of those walking past us. They only spared us a moment of speculation before continuing on with their day, none of them even bothering to look concerned about the fact that there were possibly dozens of ponies starving or dead above their smiling, empty heads. None of them looked even the slightest bit concerned with anything.
"I don't need to be okay with it." He replied, shaking his head. "It is the law of the land, or least in Ponyville. Criminals are to be imprisoned in bubbles for however long they are sentenced to. It depends on the crime for how long they remain but-" He continued to explain the ins and outs of imprisonment. How NPP's generally got longer sentences due to their lower status and how they couldn't be released early unless they were bailed out by a 'pretty pony' or a citizen as Blue called them.
All the while, my head got really fuzzy. I felt like I was burning up and the boiling in my gut continued to buzz beneath my skin. Was this my magic? No, it couldn't be. My magic was not this strong. It had never burned me like this. I felt like a balloon (bad choice of words) filled with hot water that was slowly but surely reaching it's boiling point. I felt like I was going to pop soon.
Soon, we turned to a doorway that revealed a staircase leading down. I couldn't see the bottom, so my fears were not assuaged. Still I followed Blue on unsteady legs, sweat dripping over my coat as I journeyed down the short but dark staircase. As we got further in, I realized that the corridor was lined with torches of beautiful green flame. Each time we drew near a torch, it would ignite, filling the room with a warm green glow, but as soon as we were far enough away, the light went out behind us. If it wasn't for my possible fever, I would have been quite impressed.
*****
It took us a lot longer than I thought to reach the bottom of the staircase. Not because the stairs were long though. It was a spiral staircase, so it was a bit tricky to tell but from the distance (ie: the number of stairs) and the change in air pressure, it seemed like we'd only descended about 4 floors below ground level. Deeper than I had thought possible but not too far. No, the reason why it took us so long to get to our destination was because I could not keep walking. Even without the possibility of a fever slowing me down, I was tired from all the walking I had to do today. I was not used to walking this much. By this time in the day, I would usually be curled up in a corner, nursing a nice long book as visitors wondered if I actually worked there or not.
As such, Blue had to carry me down the last 2- 3 flights of stairs. I really didn't have much of a choice really. My head was too fuzzy to refuse and he was considerable stronger than my scrawny ass. So for the 10 minutes it took us to reach the floor he sought, I rested on his back, struggling not to fall asleep in fear that I'd wake up in a bubble. The weird part of those minutes weren't the torch lights slowly but surely getting darker in color as we descended or even Blues many attempts to start a conversation (Really, that stallion was very talkative when alone.). No, it was the sounds that I could swear were right beside me. A brisk summer breeze blowing though tall grass. The gentle hoofsteps over a well watered field. The sporadic sound of water trickling over something. However, every time I opened my eyes to find the source, I only was only met with darkened stone walls and the sound of hooves hitting stone stairs. It really made me sad every time it happened, cause I could swear I could hear someone talking, though it was distant and faint. The voice was gentle and wise, as if an old buck was about to tell me a bedtime story. I so wanted to hear the story.
"We're here." Blue informed me, bucking me off his back. I hit the ground hard, groaning loudly as I struggled to my hooves and looked around. In front of me was a short, clean white hallway with two doorways gracing both sides. One had a pink sign above with with a pony wearing a bow of her head. So that was a mares room. The other was blue and had a picture of a pony with a helmet on his head.
Why a helmet for stallions? I wondered, rubbing my cheek.
At the end of the hallway (In other words, a few feet away from the doorways) was a small table beneath a large ornate mirror. As I looked at the two of us, I couldn't help but notice that at some point in our descent, Blue had put on a helmet. I didn't even know he had one to be honest. Where had he been hiding it? Then again, he was a soldier. Still, looking at the pair of us, me all raggedy and tired looking from all the shit I'd had to deal with, and him, looking prim and authoritative, I realized then that we really did look like prisoner and warden.
"What the hell is this?" I asked, walking closer to the table. On the table was a single large bottle. It was deep red, slightly transparent and was labeled 'FireAnt Whiskey'. Fireant? Ants were small, so why did the label show a picture of a burning pony and a giant ant that was very clearly the same size as the pony. And breathing fire!?
"That," He replied, pointing to the bottle I held in my hoof. "is the soap you are going to use to get yourself all cleaned up. Wormwood Mud is nearly impossible to get off without a special kind of concoction. Nurse Breeze dropped it off for you." He explained, stepping past me to look at the bottle.
"It say's it's whiskey." I stated, no longer really caring about the label. Sure, it displayed a firebreathing ant-like creature burning a pony alive but I had other concerns. Mainly, I was determined to stay upright as the fever I felt seemed to get worse. I was silently panting as Blue continued.
"Yes, well, apparently the recipe requires some... strong liquids to ensure it's effectiveness." He said, sounding weirdly nervous, as if he was talking about sex or something. Was alcohol against the rules too? They had a bar here so that can't be the case. Or was it a wine store? Damn it, it was getting hard to think as my body burned. My panting must have finally reached Blue's ears, cause he at long last noticed my condition. Or maybe it was because I had started to lean on him as he spoke.
"Are you alright?" He asked, sounding legitimately concerned. He pressed a hoof to my face and while the mud made taking my temperature this way hard, I felt hot enough that I was sure the heat could be felt too. " Do you need me to call for-"
"Don't pretend to care about me, you asshole!" I snapped, weakly pushing him away. I don't know why he let me. He was clearly stronger than me and could have easily ignored my pathetic attempt. Still, my thoughts were a bit scattered. I could swear I heard the sound of grass and a gentle voice telling me to move. To get away and run. Usually, I would wonder about that, weighing the options of 'you're losing it' and 'fever dreams' but right now, I agreed with the voice. I had to leave. "You say you're looking out for me but what the hell is all this? You're going to imprison me, just like those ponies you so blithely write off but you want me to think you care?!
"But I do care!" He insisted, reaching out to me before I moved out the way. A lot more smoothly than I thought I could. He continued, his face morphing into one of disdain. "Those traitorous mutts knew the laws and still chose to go against the Divine princess's merciful mandates. They chose their path and were punished accordingly. But you... you are different." This caught my attention.
"Oh really? How so?" I asked, cocking a brow, though I'm sure he couldn't see it.
"You truly don't know any better." He replied, looking at me like I was a complete idiot that had to be gently spoken to. As if I really didn't know anything. Which I technically didn't but still, what the hell? "That's why I wanted to help you somehow." He reached out to help me up but I slapped his outstretched hoof away again. Such a movement send a burning stab through my gut. The boiling had returned... Fuck. Holding my stomach, I clumsily limped past him.
"Fuck you and your 'help'." I snarled, holding the soap/whiskey to my chest as I walked (limped) past him. "I don't need help from bucks who act like I'm some mental invalid whose hooves need to be held."
"Moonlight, I-"
"I don't need help from pitiless guards who sneer at suffering ponies." I interrupted, tossing the bottle into my mane. Shockingly, it stuck. Disgustingly, it made a 'splosh' kind of sound when it did. I chose to store that nugget of info in my never-going-to-think-about-that-again vault and walked through the doorway.
The room was made of wood, steamy and had a bunch of shelves with baskets on them. I had a feeling I was so store my stuff in them but seeing as I was naked, I figured I could ignore it. Instead, I carefully walked past it and strode toward the bath. Or pool, considering how large it was. It was like it went on for miles, with how much steam and space the room had. Or maybe it was the fever that made it look like that. I mean, I'm pretty sure there was supposed to be only one statue at that other side of the pool. I think it was a pony but my vision was blurry now.
The burning under my coat hadn't subsided even a little bit as I clumsy made my way to the edge of the pool. I don't know why I did this. I could easily drown like this but I had to do it. To save myself. To save him too.
Who was him? I thought just before I fell into the pool.
*****
I was floating.
It was a familiar feeling. Much like that dream I had before waking up in this world. But this time, I couldn't breath. Gasping, I sucked in a mouthful of water as I kicked my legs to reach the surface. Bursting up out of the water, I coughed, trying to get as much water out of my lungs as possible. A bit hard, you can imagine, with my mane falling onto my face. Spitting the stray strands out of my mouth, I held the loose locks out of my eyes to see-
A grey mane.
My mane... It wasn't puke green? I swam to the edge of the pool, choosing not to think about how I'd gotten that far into the pool when I was sure I hadn't passed out at all, I climbed out and looked around for a mirror. As I searched, I noted a few things that my fever addled mind had missed. The cracks in the white marble floor and the missing hoof on the statue. Though I was sure it had one when I had arrived. Then again, fever.
After a minute of searching, I found a mirror. For the first time in hours, I saw myself. My jet black coat glistened with moisture as my two-toned grey mane lay messily on my back. And my horn. I rubbed it, missing the sight of it as it were a long lost friend. Still, I turned in circles, making sure I was all clean. Front, check. Back, check. Sides, check and check. I even took a minute to look at my cutiemark, a full moon hidden behind two clouds.
"Still nothing then." I sighed, bumming myself out a bit. I really wish I knew what to do with this mark. What did it mean? What did I do to earn such a useless mark? I reach up to scratch my suddenly itchy neck, only to stop when I noticed something. My neck... was bare. I looked in the mirror to check and yes, there was no collar! I looked around, searching for it just so I could be sure but then the situation hit me.
I could run!
Well, I mean, not run in the literal sense, since I wouldn't make it far but I could escape. I just had to sneak past-
"Hurry up and get out here, Mare." A heavily accented voice called out from beyond the curtain a few feet from me. I jumped, a bit scared that somepony had been that close and not made a sound. Still, I needed to get out of here, like he'd suggested (ordered). Tiptoeing toward the curtain, I stuck my head out to see if the coast was clear. There was no one to be seen. Blue was gone, but where did he go? Surely he hadn't just left me alone, had he?
"Hello? Anypony here?" I quickly called out, slowly creeping out from behind the curtain. I was only met with silence and a empty hallway. I really was alone? But then where had that voice come from?
My answer came in the form of a black cloak hitting me in the face from the side, making me slip on the still wet floor. As I wrestled to get out of it, the voice spoke again.
"Wear zat cloak, if you don't vant to get caught again, Mare." He stated, sounding as if he was right next to me but I knew he wasn't. I couldn't sense him that close. Even blinded, I could swear I 'saw' him some distance away. He was a wispy and dark dark blue but not Blue. DB (dark blue) continued. "If you vish to escape from here before the guards find you, follow ze vater."
And with that, he was gone. His retreating hoofsteps echoed off the wall as I finally found the way out of the cloak he'd tossed at me. Jerk. Still, I was a bit curious about... well a lot of things. Like why his hoofsteps were interspersed with clicks like claws and why I could see him despite not seeing him. I mean sure, It was kind of blurry, with him looking more like a dark blue wisp of smoke in the shape of a pony but I saw him.
More importantly, why did that stranger help me at all?
*****
~Splosh~
"Eek!" I cried out, only to quickly stifle it as my voice echoed through what I could only assume was a sewer. I thought I had gotten used to the idea that I was probably walking through some... well, shit but the sound still made things worse. The fact that the sludge I walked through made noise seemed to bother me more than walking through it at all. I mean, knowing was one thing but you could ignore knowledge for a little bit, drown it out with a good album or something but sound, that was a bit harder. It resonated within you and stuck, circling the drain of your mind for what feels like forever.
~Splosh Plish~
I shuddered as half my leg was swallowed up by the muck. I had been too scared to breath through my nose before now, wanting to pretend that I wasn't in a sewer. Mostly, just cause knowing would probably make me run back to the bath and drown myself until I felt better or died. Whichever came first.
But as my foreleg fell into what I assume was a pothole, I gasped, sucking in air on instinct. What I smelled was... Mint.
The sudden influx of mint made my nose itch and as I raised a hoof to scratch it, I noticed something about the muck. I couldn't see it very well, since I had refrained from using my magic to illuminate the sewer for fear I would crumble, but I could sewer I saw... leaves? At least, I hope that's what they were.
"Should I?" I whispered to myself, looking around for the first time since choosing to follow DB down this path. I mean, follow might not be the right word though. Follow would imply there was somepony to follow. DB had bailed. I couldn't even 'see' him anymore. No, I just walked down the same dark hole he had escaped into. I mean, it seemed like a solid plan at the time.
Until I started walking that is. Then things went to shit, fast. The place was dark and maze like. From what I could make out from the very little light within, the walls were smooth and rounded, so I was in a ponymade cave but the walls were all wet. I mean, that made sense considering I was in a sewer but something about that bothered me too. But I wasn't sure why.
After a few minutes of walking up a slight incline, I was panting. I leaned against a wall, ignoring the sound my cloak made when it touched the wall. Really, I didn't want to think about it and the smell of mint helped with that. I could pretend I was in some kind of candy store or something. I could think.
And I had so much to think about. The world, this world, wasn't Equestria. That much was obvious but it was more than just that. The ponies, the rules and practices... Everything was so much different from home. Even Manehatten, as harsh as other ponies are, doesn't lock ponies away like they did here. They weren't cruel and flippant about it either. The princesses would never allow for such a system as I'd seen here so far.
But then again, this worlds princess seemed to be A-ok with this.
This 'divine princess' or whatever was something new. I'd heard of evil queens and kings and stuff but never a princess. Maybe it was strange but I'd always thought that princesses were all kind and just. I mean, Princess Celestia would never chose a horrible pony to be a princess and if she did, she'd rescue her subjects from them. Alicorns were super strong, right?
I wonder, I thought, closing my eyes, does this world have alicorns too or-
The walls started rumbling, dragging me from my thoughts as I felt the ground shake too. What was happening? Why...The water... it was rising, fast!
"Shit!" I cried, hopping to my hooves and galloping down the path. I had no clue if I was going the right way but I knew I couldn't just stand there. Not when the place was about to flood. Damn it, I should have realized it sooner! But there's no time to worry about 'should of's. No, I had to find a way up.
I turned, summoning as much magic as I could to illuminate the hall in its violet glow. All the paths looked the same but one way had the pink water flowing downward. I ran up that way, trying to ignore the racing of my heart as the ground shook once more. As the rumbling grew louder, the smell of mint intensified, clogging my lungs with its generally pleasant but now chocking scent. It was even worse as I had to walk through the downpour of water as I ascended. I thought I'd drown but I soon reached the top, dragging myself out of the water onto a walkway.
I laid there, panting as I stared up at the ceiling, for what felt like hours. The ground still shook beneath me but I felt slightly safer. The warm glow of my horn kept the darkness at bay at least. After a minute or several, I pushed myself up and very slowly limped over to a door. It was really a manhole, some feet above me and preceded by a latter. It was rusty and oldish looking, probably from years of being bombarded with water and whatever else is in that stuff. I did not trust this latter but it was my only way out so far. If the rust reached the top there, staying was not an option. Sighing, I placed a hoof on the rung and started to ascend. Really, latter's were hard. It was weird and I had no clue how those construction workers I saw all the time back home did it.
When I reached the door, I noticed something. Words. They were engraved in the metal but I couldn't read it. Maybe it was in the language of this world but I could make out some familiar letters. Mostly vowels. I would have dwelled on this but I couldn't care less at that moment. As long as the door led me out of this place, I didn't care what it said. So with unusual burst of magic, I shot the manhole cover off, quickly pulling myself out before replacing it.
For a second, I was pondering why it was that my magic seemed to be a lot more... cooperative with me. Usually, I could barely lift more than a couple books but now I managed to launch a manhole cover clean through the air. That was new. I was just about to test out my magic once more before I heard it.
"Ahem?" Somepony coughed. I spun around, finding myself surrounded but three or four stallions, staring at me like I was a rat swimming in their soup. They were very clearly guards.
"...Shit."