Chapter Five

> how long have you been down here?
> it’s impossible to tell the passage of time in the darkness
> you never see sunlight, you can’t even use your hands to count heartbeats
> the only reference you have are the meager meals twilight brings you
> but even that is unreliable, your hunger and thirst grow between each meal, making each interval seem longer than the last
> maybe they were getting longer? You don’t know
> you can only guess you’ve been down here close to a week
> your hair has become greasy and matted
> your clothes reek, you’re in desperate need of a shower
> the manacles have rubbed off the skin of your wrists and ankles, leaving them raw and bloodied
> you’ve fallen into a routine
> Twilight would enter the basement, the lights painfully blinding your eyes
> she would give you the same meal of moldy bread, burnt fish, and a single glass of water
> you would relieve yourself into the empty bucket, and she would rebind you
> and then she would force herself into your mind
> you still fought her, you resisted every time in the hope you could keep her out
> but it was always in vain, she pushed your will aside with casual ease
> she would begin poring through your memories, looking for anything useful on humans
> memories of friends or family were only glanced, before being quickly discarded
> to her they were useless, inconsequential, irrelevant
> she didn’t want to learn about your feelings or thoughts, she only wanted information
> she started with your earliest memories, moving up chronologically with each session
> last time was only a few years from the present, it wouldn’t be long until she was finished
> and then she would have no use for you
> you hated being trapped here
> you hated being left to go mad in the dark
> you hated the constant cramps and pains of your bindings
> you hated being fed the same horrible meal
> you hated the indignity of using that bucket in front of her
> you hated how she invaded your mind, how she disregarded your fondest memories as meaningless
> but above all else, over all the indignities and pains you’ve suffered
> you hate that you can do nothing about it
> you hate that you are helpless
> that is what she really took from you
> she took away your freedom
> she took away your future
> she took away your ability to choose, your ability to steer your own fate
> that was the most precious thing you had, you guarded it with all your heart
> and she took it away, her and that damned Celestia took that simple yet elegant idea away from you
> and left you sitting in the dark, waiting
> the lights come back on, your eyes burning in pain as they adjust
> you’re confused, it was too soon after the last meal for another.
> your curiosity rises as you hear multiple sets of hooves on the stairs
> this was new, Twilight never came down with anyone else
> you get a better look at the new p0nies as the reach the bottom of the stairs
> there were five of them, all mares. one was a unicorn like Twilight, except with a pristine white coat and a curled, dark purple mane
> two of them were pegasi, one with a  yellow coat and a long pink mane, the other was cyan blue with a short rainbow mane
> the last two were normal p0nies. one had a light orange coat, her blonde mane tied in a p0nytail (go figure) and wore a stetson
> the other was all bubblegum pink with an absurdly curly mane, she bounced around the group, humming a simple tune
> “Well,” Twilight said, gesturing to where you were sitting, “you all wanted to see. Here it is.”
> ‘It’, she always referred to you as ‘It’.
>never ‘anon’, or ‘him’, or even ‘the human’
> You were just an ‘It’ to her
> the white unicorn scrunches her face, covering her snout with one hoof
> “My word! That thing reeks!”
> you give her an angry grunt
> of course you smell! You haven’t bathed in over a week!
> suddenly, the pink mare is inches from your face, inspecting your features
> holy fuck she’s fast, you didn’t even see her move
> she pulls away, giggling into her hoof
> “It looks silly!”
> Your anger swells. As if your regular imprisonment wasn’t enough, now you’re some freak show display.
> “Pinkie!” Twilight shouts, grabbing the pink mare’s tail with a magical field and pulling her back into the group
> “Stay away from it! It eats flesh!”
> So the all pink p0ny is named Pinkie. This world has no originality
> The yellow pegasus lets out a small “Eep!” at Twilight’s outburst and shies away fearfully behind the others
>Pinkie’s bubbly demeanor seems to calm down a bit as well, her bouncing stops and her head droops slightly
> The orange mare shakes her head and speaks up
> “A feller who chooses to eat critters? That just ain’t right”
> she glares at you with barely constrained hate, as if she would like nothing other than to reduce you to paste right there.
> the other p0nies have similar expressions
> the white unicorn looks at you like you’re some sort of mistake, like your very existence is an affront to the world
> Pinkie keeps her distance, looking at you with a mixture of fear and mild curiosity
> Twilight has the same look of disgust she’s worn since you arrived
> the yellow pegasus huddles behind the others, shielding her face in her hooves
> lastly your sight moves onto the cyan Pegasus
> her expression is neutral and impassive, but her eyes…
> oh sweet lord, her eyes…
> her eyes are filled with… pity?
> you see in her a great amount of sadness and grief, tentatively held back by the force of will
> you realize that she’s the only one who doesn’t just look at you, but actually meets your gaze with hers
> you realize she looks at you and she sees not a monster, but a person
> she sees a man imprisoned and sentenced to death by those who don’t understand him.
> and you see it’s breaking her heart