Talking Animal in Horseland v. 7, Imprisoned Abroad edition

>day swollmouf in equestria

>You were a bit giddy at the prospect of meeting the combined Diarchy in judgment.
>Fuzzy as you were, you considered the odds of meeting one Lovebutt pony.
>Not bloody likely but you can dream, right?
>Being brought in as a possibly ‘dangerous animal’ saved you from an immediate inspection.
>But the confusion at possibly NOT being an animal also saved you from an intermediate doctor visit.
>Animals got better treatment than prisoners.
>Something about treatment constituting witness tampering.
>Thanks a lot dark ages judicial system.
>You clutched your hands to your belly, being led as you were by the leash again.
>They had affixed it to the collar at your neck.
>They may have even been planning on removing that sack at some point earlier, but the hole you had opened at the mouth removed the necessity for the Gaolers to do so.
>Or the Guard.
>Fuck if you know who runs the dungeon.
>Thankfully it was stained with the omnipresent damp and dirt common to dungeons everywhere.
>As well as whatever slop you could get that first time around.
>You weren’t much hungry anymore, however.
>So you walked carefully as you could, hoping that the next jerk of your leash wouldn’t cause you to run face-first into a corner or doorframe.
>Emerging from the DONJON, the air felt immediately better.
>No more stagnant air, even if you were absolutely filthy.
>You remember reading that living in caves would result in a permanent reduction in life expectancy due to the long-term effects of strain on the lungs or some shit.
>Drifting too close to the Guardspony holding your leash, the slack in the line allowed you to drift off course.
>The subsequent correction (a jerk of the line), pulled you off-balance.
>Having no desire to catch yourself with either your face or your hands, you harshly landed on your kneecaps.
>Oh god why?

>The pain is so intense, you need to vomit.
>No.
>No no no no no no no.
>The Gaoler/Guardspony doesn’t have time for your shit, and he just yanks the rope again.
>“Come ahn ya dumb bsste!” he growled, rope in his mouth.
>His buddies are having a giggle at his expense.
>Well, your expense too, but you hardly count in their mind.
>You flop as far forward as you can, turning to land on the meat of your right arm, extending your neck as far forward as you can.
>Hopefully showing willing, he won’t yank on it again before you have a chance to take your feet again.
>You can’t quite stifle a whimper as you choke down most of your vomit.
>Stopping most, but not all of your gorge, the flood of stomach acid in your mouth is agony.
>Not able to spit, the best you can manage to let it dribble out your mouth.
>Some of it escapes out the gap in your burlap sack.
>The rest of it dribbles down your neck, collecting where the clasp holds the bag around your neck.
>If you didn’t have several other more prominent complaints, you’d say that the dried effluence was irritating your skin.
>The rough sores rub in it by damp burlap and the fastener were enough for that.
>The Gaoler/Guardspony was getting a ration of shit from his buddies over his continued struggles, so you were eager to get back on your feet before he pulled on the rope again.
>You dragged your lower body forward so that you could get it under yourself properly.
>Rolling onto your neck, chin forward to keep as much pressure off your jaw, you rolled your hips to get properly on your still smarting knees.
>Careful not to put any pressure on your left hand, you were just getting one foot planted solidly before the Guardspony’s patience ran out and he jerked your leash once more.
>You staggered forward under the impetus, but being so low the ground the Guardspony only pulled you laterally and you hit the ground roughly once, to a chorus of guffaws from unsympathetic Guards.

>Before you could attempt to rise to your feet again, you were bodily hauled to your knees by at least two other Guardsponies.
>”Right, that’s enough mucking about, Their Highnesses are waiting on this one, so hurry it up!”
>You weren’t given much time to cringe on your still smarting knees before you were being pushed to your feet.
>Hunched over as you were, you did your best to keep your left hand from the predations of the Guards.
>Briefed on the incapability of magic in hauling your sorry ass around, it was Pegasi wings steadying your blind progress through the rest of wherever you were.
>Not the palace of the two pony sisters at least, since that one was abandoned in the Everfree.
>At least you would have known where the fuck you were going there.
>Maybe the Crystal Palace, Empire, or whatever the fuck they were calling it.
>More likely Canterlot.
>Yeah, probably Canterlot.
>You staggered roughly against the shoulder of the supporting Guardspony as you navigated turns, but you didn’t fall again.
>Feeling free flowing air, you must have entered a main thoroughfare.
>The Guards accompanying to brought you to a halt, and the leader conferred with another set of Ponies just out of earshot.
>You heard large doors being hauled open.
>The shift in the air, told you that this next room in turn was open to the outside.
>“BRING FORWARD THE SPECIMEN THAT WE MAY EXAMINE IT TO OUR SATISFACTION”
>Ah yes, the Royal Canterlot voice.
>Probably the one time that it’s appropriate, both socially and functionally given the distances involved.
>It wasn’t even the royal ‘we’ necessarily since they were both present.
>You must have hesitated too long, because you were gently, but firmly herded forward.
>”Guardspony, I hardly think we can examine it with that sack on its head.  Remove it at once.”
>An unceremonious nudge dropped you to your aching knees.
>The clasp unfastened, the sack was pulled roughly from your head.
>A chorus of intaken breath was drowned out by one particular cry.

>”What did you do to him?!” Fluttershy angrily demanded, somewhere off to your left.
>Bruising and trauma had caused your face to swell up.
>You could barely open your eyes, let alone see anything through them.
>Your rash across your face was hardly visible for the bruises of various colors.
>But it was angrily written down and across your neck.
>”Princess Celestia, Princess Luna!  We turned him over to the Guard in good health and condition!  What’s the meaning of this?”
>Right on cue, Penka Po.
>You slumped further from your aching knees, unwilling to lay down on the ground.
>For one, it’d be inappropriate to do so in the company of so many august figures.
>For another, you didn’t want to change the direction of pressure on your goddamn face.
>”Guardspony, what is the meaning of this?”
>”I—“
>You heard him sputter and fail to say anything cogent before you heard the Royal Canterlot voice in action again.
>”YOU THERE!  GO SUMMON THE CAPTAIN SO THAT HE CAN ANSWER FOR HIS SUBORDINATES WHO ARE CLEARLY UNAWARE OF WHAT’S PLAINLY IN FRONT OF THEIR FACES!”
>You heard a clatter of hooves as one pony in particular quickly evacuated the room to carry out the wishes of one very firm Princess of the Night.
>Feeling a soft-stirring of air beside you, you sense more than see the arrival of the Pegasus to your left.
>”Get away from him already, you beast!  Haven’t you done enough already?”
>Fluttershy had found her voice.
>You grinned internally at that, but only managed a cough that graduated to a low-pitched moan.
>You don’t think Royal Guardsponies would have budged in the face of Fluttershy, even at her worst, if it their sense of purpose hadn’t been shaken by the Princesses themselves.
>As it was, they scattered quickly.
>”Ah, your Highnesses Princess Celestia,” her voice sounding like it was coming from lower on the ground.  “Princess Luna.  May I attend to Anonymous?”
>”Yes, Fluttershy, I think you may.  This was court of inquiry, not one to determine punishment.  Please do so.”

>”You there,” Yellowquiet called out.  “I need you to remove his bindings.”
>Yellowquiet was busy examining your face when she noticed you favoring your left-hand.
>”Hey, let me see what’s going on there,” whisper quiet again, more to calm a patient than personal discomfort.
>Unable to see, you hesitantly proffered your bound wrists towards the sound of her voice.
>You could tell the moment she saw your similarly swollen and twisted hand from the intake of breath.
>”What did they do to you, Anonymous?” she asks, just a little forlorn.
::Not too afraid to rough me up, not too rough so as to snuff me out.  Just right::
>You slowly open your mouth just a bit, and you let the thick saliva dribble down out of your mouth, streaked with red.
>”I need some medical supplies!  Somepony, you!”  She gestured to someone.  “Rainbow Dash, hurry!”
>You heard her rapid departure.
>”I don’t mean to distract you, Fluttershy, but shouldn’t a Doctor take over from here?”
::Magic::
>She must have indicated non-verbally in the negative.
>”They aren’t trained to treat non-Ponies, and Anonymous here doesn’t respond to magical interaction.  They can’t do anything for him aside from treat the superficial injuries.”
>”Superficial?” Princess Celestia asked, not doubtful but genuinely concerned.
>”His hand, Princess.  Several of his fingers have been individually deliberately broken.”
>You heard another shuffling of discomforted feathers, and another feminine gasp from towards where Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had been earlier.
>”In addition to the general swelling of his face, he appears to have some injuries to his jaw.  He CAN’T speak right now.”
>You could hear the growing frustration in her voice, desperate on your behalf.
>”He’s bleeding from his mouth, Princess.  That appears to be from orthodontic injury sustained from a blow to the mouth.  I think several of his teeth are broken, in addition to his lower jaw.”

::Arms hurt::
>You barely nudge her hoof with your forearms, carefully because you can’t see out your eyes all that well.
>You feel the taught bunch of muscles flinch in response to brushing against your arms.
>”Pinkie Pie, I need your help over here!” Fluttershy calls out, voice cracking a bit at the end.
>You feel the sudden step arrive next to you without clattering across any of the marble floor between here in the middle and her position where she should have been with the others.
>”I need something to trim his shirt off, Pinkie.  It’s not worth it trying to salvage it.”
::Like shirt::
>She didn’t deign to acknowledge that particular bit, but you weren’t worried about it.
>”Will this do?”
>Penka Po was evidently showing something to Fluttershy.
>”No, your pastry knife won’t do.  Well, maybe….I just need a small cut right here.”
>You feel a draft as she grabs the hem of your shirt, holding it taught.
::Wait::
>”What?”
::Pinkie.  Shirt.  Remove.::
>”Eh?”
>Her confusion is evident in her voice.
>”What’s he saying, Fluttershy?”  Pinkie asks, none of her usual glib tone present.
>”Can you…can you remove his shirt without putting any pressure on his injuries?”
>You hear Pinkie squawk a bit at that.
>”D-did he tell you?”
>”That’s not important right now, Pinkie!” Fluttershy interjected, plainly exasperated.
>”Right, got it.”
>And you felt her grip your shirt, and with a great tug you were no longer wearing a shirt.
>”TWILIGHT SPARKLE,” Princess Luna started, before interrupting herself with a cough.  “We’d like to review the report submitted during the transfer of this ‘Anonymous’ to the custody of the Crown, as soon as possible in light of the circumstances.”
>”Of course, Princess.”
>You almost didn’t recognize her voice without the frustration or smugness.
>No sooner had you made that observation than the clatter of hooves indicating her departure was punctuated with the tell-tale crack of teleportation.

::see::
>And she did, by the sound of both Ponka and Yellowquiet upon seeing your arms.
>”Classic defensive injuries,” Fluttershy whispered.
>Pinkie appeared equally shocked, but for different reasons.
>”that wasn’t applejack was it?” was her hurried, desperate whispered question.
::foolish::
>”Don’t be ridiculous, Pinkie Pie!  You see all this?  Do you think Applejack did all this?”
>”Excuse me, Fluttershy?”  Princess Celestia gently interrupted Fluttershy and Pinkie’s whispered argument.
>”You mentioned earlier that ‘Anonymous’ wouldn’t respond to magical-based treatment.  By what basis did you make that determination?”
>Now here was the inquiring official.  If Fluttershy had the sort of self-awareness of any other person, that should have been enough to put her on alert.
::careful::
>She didn’t appear to register your warning, but in turn betrayed nothing to anyone watching for a particular response.
>You hoped that’s what it was.
>”Well, Twilight told me,” Fluttershy answered matter-of-factly.
>”I see,” Princess Celestia responded, a bit doubtfully.
>”Also, Anonymous told me,” Yellowquiet volunteered.
>Goddamnit.
>You’d facepalm if you didn’t have a broken hand and a solid bruise for a head.
>”What was that?” Princess Celestia asked, more confused than cogent.
>”He told me about it.  He can’t interact with magic.”
>”And Anonymous, he told you this earlier?”
>”Well, yes, but he reminded me of it just now as well.”
>You heard the clatter of an abrupt entrance, rushed hooves coming to a halt.
>”AH YES, CAPTAIN.  THERE APPEARS TO BE A DISCREPANCY IN THE CONDITION TO WHICH THIS ‘ANONYMOUS’ WAS TURNED OVER TO CROWN AND HOW HE IS RIGHT NOW.  GROSSLY SO, SOME WOULD SAY,” Princess Luna finished, managing to convey weighing consideration even at full Royal Canterlot voice volume.
>If Fluttershy hadn’t chosen that moment to attempt to massage your jaw you may have even heard Shining Armor’s choked first response before Princess Luna interrupted again.

>For fuck’s sake, couldn’t someone believe a thing’s broke without needing to manipulate it around for their own satisfaction?
>But you didn’t have the energy to fight, so instead the best you could do was mewl like a bitch.
>Your own dissatisfaction wasn’t enough to drown out the Royal Canterlot voice, so you caught the next part of the exchange as well.
>”NO, WE WON’T BE HAVING THIS DEBATE HERE.  APPOINT AN INVESTIGATING OFFICER, GATHER WHATEVER RELEVANT DOCUMENTATION, IDENTIFY WHO HAS HAD ACCESS TO THE DUNGEON, CONDUCT INTERVIEWS, AND WHATEVER ELSE YOU THINK MEET.”
>”I…of course, Princess!”
>You didn’t’ think he was really that directionless, but he’d just been blindsided by a situation without an inkling of it beforehand.
>”OH, WHILE I’M NOT SAYING THESE GUARDS NEED TO BE IN CUSTODY, I THINK DUTIES CAN BE FOUND FOR THEM INSIDE THEIR QUARTERS…AWAY FROM EACH OTHER AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE GUARD.  DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”
>You felt the air stir with another arrival.
>”What took you so long?” Fluttershy asked peevishly.
>”Those medical ponies didn’t want to release supplies to me.  I tried to just grab it and go, but there must’ve been about twelve orderlies who all mobbed me like I was some kind of junkie making a smash and grab!”
>You heard Fluttershy sorting through whatever knick-knacks she had but it seemed Rainbow Dash wasn’t done.
>”Is he okay?” Rainbow Dash asked, acting more the rubbernecker than out of any concern.
>”Not the time, Rainbow Dash,” Yellowquiet answered brusquely.  “Pinkie, can you get the grab the liniment?  It’s the brown bottle on the end.”
>You heard a rustling of bottles, and a grunt of affirmation.
>”They didn’t have anything appropriate for orthodontic use, so only use it on his external bruises.  That means keep it out of his eyes, nose, mouth, and from draining into his ears.”
>”Grrt rt!”  Ponka replied, before spitting out the bottle.  “I mean, got it!”
>You flinched as the fluid was first applied to your forearms.

>Your arms tingled comfortably under the care of Ponka, applying bandages over the top of the liniment.
>You didn’t think she needed to apply it to her own face in order to rub it on your chest and ribs.
>Not that you could voice your concerns at the moment.
>Best you could do was dribble some pink froth out the corner of your mouth.
>”…like to try, just to see for myself.”
::what::
>Fluttershy turns back to you.
>”Pinkie, get away from there,” Bananahush chided.  “Anonymous, the Princess would like to attempt to magically assess your injuries.”
::no::
>”But—“
::nope::
>”You can trust the Princesses, Anonymous,” Yellowquiet gently insisted.
>”Is something the matter, Fluttershy?”
>”It’s just…Anonymous is a bit anxious about it.  And he’s not willing to explain himself.  Not to me, at least.”
>Her fierceness had faded as she was now being questioned about things she had no clear answers.
>”Can I ask Anonymous then?  He can hear and understand my words, if I I’m not mistaken.”
>”Oh of course,” Fluttershy answered with unseemly eagerness.  “I just can’t promise he’ll answer.”
::hurt::
>”I know, I know,” she cooed at you.  “Can you be brave for just a little bit?”
>She turned herself about, and draped her wing across your back protectively.
>”Can you tell me why—“
::please::
>”Please”
>”What?”
::…ess, please::
>”Ahem…’Sun Goddess! Please!’”

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“Can you tell me why—“
>Intent as she was on the filthy creature, with varying shades of black, red, brown, yellow across its skin and it’s disfigured face, you weren’t prepared when she very abruptly interrupted you.
>”Please”
“What?” you asked, more confused than expecting any sort of explanation.
>”Ahem…’Sun Goddess! Please!”
>You narrowed your eyes at that, before the scene in front of you suddenly recalled to you another scene.
>From the Palace of the Two Pony Sisters, abandoned to the predations of the Everfree Forest.

>"Sun Goddess!  Please!"
>Taken aback, you considered your next words.  Your sister, meeting her role here as your dark counterpart pursed her lips in distaste.
>A spontaneous, unsettling silence descended as the ponypile of Royal Guardsponies who had borne the thing to the ground realized their Princess readied to speak.
"My sister and I have never made any claim of divinity, or to that title,” you spoke, slowly and evenly.  “Why do you address us so?"
>“You shepherd the Sun, coaxing it from its rest in the morning, and retiring it at day’s end.”
>The bipedal creature turned its head fractionally as allowed by the Guardsponies restraining it.
>“Your sister welcomes the Moon and its memory of sunlight, and the gentle stars to nurture dreams and imagination.  You do not purport to be all-powerful, all-knowing, or even benevolent to all things, but your celestial powers make you prime movers of the world.  I would be remiss in addressing Demiurges otherwise!”

>Unmoved by its flowery words, you allowed the resulting silence to stretch.
>Your sister, equally unmoved by the sycophantic description, broke the silence.
>”MARVEL SISTER, THAT IT BEGS CLEMENCY OUT ONE SIDE OF ITS MOUTH WHILST OUT THE OTHER INSINUATES WE ARE WITHOUT BENEVOLENCE!”
>With a contemptuous toss of her head, she continued.
>“WE ARE NOT SO MUNIFICENT AS TO IGNORE THIS SLUR.  FOR WHAT PURPOSE SHOULD WE STAY THE WRATH THOU SEEMS TO COURT?”

>“Because coming here was a mistake!” It exclaims.
>As best as it could, with a hoof between its shoulder blades, belly to the ground.
>“Because I’m alone when I could just have easily been here with a multitude!  Because there’s still the chance for death of both our peoples!”
>”THOU SEEM TO GROSSLY MISUNDERSTAND OUR POSITIONS!” your sister interjects scornfully, every bit the agitator demagogue.
>Lowering her head to meet the creature, your sister addresses it on the same level.
>“WHAT FEAR SHOULD WE HAVE OF A SHAVEN APE?” she demanded, insistently, mockingly.
>An unfamiliar look crossed its face.
>“Kill me if you must, but—“

-------------------------------------------------------------------

>Fluttershy was a wreck as she tried to choke out the following words.
>”K-kill m-me if you m-must, b-but—“
>”NAY SISTER, STOP!”
>You weren’t expecting your sister to yell directly in your ear.
>The next words in that exchange were still on your lips, but as you got your bearings, the urge to speak them faded.
>But your confusion grew.  Even if you spoke the order to “Do it now,” there wasn’t anypony there.
>No Guardspony positioned to obey immediately, spear in hoof.
>No spearhead to do ruinous damage as it spitted a helpless, prone, raving creature you didn’t spare another glance.
“I—“ you began, struggling with what to say.
>”I think we’re done here for now,” your sister said, eschewing the Royal Canterlot voice again for a sensible volume.
>”Fluttershy, find some accomodations in the infirmary.  A private room.”
>Relief at no longer speaking the part of conversation she didn’t understand, she turned to begin preparations.
>”I’ll send a few of my Nightguards until this business with Shining Armor can be resolved,” your sister added.
>Turning to face you, she had a new question.
>”I think we both need to give this some time.”
“I think you’re right, Luna,” you told her, as confident as you could manage.
>She didn’t appear convinced, but she let it rest.
>What’s wrong with you?