Shadow Heart jolted upwards in shock, attempting to come to attention and salute from her position on the bed. However, she was prevented from doing so by the soft blue glow of the Princess's magic. “Princess Luna! I-” She started to say, but was interrupted by the Princess's soft laughter.

“Calm yourself, Private. You are still very injured, and I do not require any formality from you at this moment,” Luna said as she stood up from her place next to the bed. Quietly, she made her way to the door of the room while Shadow Heart settled back on the bed. Settled, but not relaxed.

Shadow's mind was racing as she watched the Lunar Diarch open the door, then quietly talk with whoever was on the other side. What in Celestia's name happened? Am I in... Luna's bed? She thought in disbelief. Luna finished whatever it was she was doing, then made her way back to the bedside.

“You took quite the beating, Private Shadow Heart. Your foreleg was completely shattered, but we managed to piece it all back together,” Luna said, gesturing to the cast on Shadow's right foreleg as she sat down next to the bed. “We've accelerated your healing as much as we felt was safe, so you should be able to remove the cast by this time tomorrow. I would suggest that you be a little more careful from now on.”

“...How did I get here?” Shadow finally asked after several seconds spent composing herself.

“My agent brought you here after your little encounter,” Luna answered her, smirking a little to herself.

Just then, there was a knock on the bedroom door. "Come in,” she said, her face becoming more serious.

The door smoothly opened to allow the entrance of Captain Knight Breeze. However, something was... different... about the Captain's appearance. At first, Shadow simply thought it was that the Captain was wearing Night Guard armor; but as the Captain drew closer, Shadow Heart suddenly realized what it was.

The Captain's face was covered in scars, with one particularly nasty one passing over his right eye. The sight, as a whole, was a little disconcerting. Especially since she had to reconcile this stallion with the one that had been making her life miserable for the past few days.

The Captain approached the Princess of the Night, then bowed deeply. “Princess Luna, my ship just contacted me, and it is exactly as you feared. With permission, I would like to have Private Heart read in, to avoid any... repercussions... from the party's events,” he said from his prostrate position.

Repercussions? Shadow Heart thought, as The Princess nodded to Captain Breeze. Breeze then stood at attention and turned and regarded the wounded mare. “Private, what I am about to tell you is highly classified, until such a time that the crowns decide to reveal it to the general public. Only myself, the Princesses, Prince Shining Armor, and a few others know any of this. If you reveal it to any other soul, you will be charged with high treason. Am I understood?” He asked, his voice firm, his eyes unwavering.

Mutely, Shadow Heart nodded, unable to take her eyes from the Captain's form. If it were possible, the Captain stood even further in attention. “Some time ago, a few hundred years after the Lunar Rebellion, A cancerous growth sprang up among the noble class. At first, it was only a single pony. But, as time wore on, it grew and festered. Princess Celestia did her best on her own to stamp out the infestation, but since the Lunar Rebellion had taken her sister and co-ruler, Celestia simply could not handle them on her own. She had the rule of a nation, and the responsibility of the sun and the moon to handle, and as such she could only offer a token resistance to the darkness that was growing right under her nose,” as Knight Breeze said this, Shadow Heart couldn't help but notice Luna look away in shame and grief.

“Since my return, my sister has told me of what these so called 'noble' ponies have done in my absence,” Luna said, unable to meet Shadow Hearts gaze. “To say that I am appalled would be an understatement. For this reason, have I commissioned Captain Breeze and his crew to weed out and exterminate this plague in its entirety.”

Shadow Heart waved her hoof a little at this. “Ok, so a cancer has sprung up. What kind? Sedition? Treason? Are they conspiring to preform a coup? Have we been infiltrated by a foreign power?” she asked, a little impatiently.

Luna just looked at her, a expression of distaste on her face. “How I wish it were that! If they were conspiring against us, then my sister would have removed the infection long ago. But as it stands, she cannot move against them without irrefutable proof.”

“No, what the noble class is currently engaged in is something far more repulsive, which they hide under the guise of pirates and robbers. Frankly, the noble caste has hired a number of brigands to steal ponies from their lives. They then torture these victims, and sell them into indentured servitude.”

Luna then turned and looked directly into Shadow Heart's eyes. “They are making slaves of my ponies, Shadow Heart,” she said, fury burning deep withing those turquoise orbs. “And I will not let that stand.”

Bon Bon woke suddenly to the sound of the crack of a whip, and a sharp pain lancing down her side. Somewhere above her, she heard a rough voice shout “Get up slaves! Time to meet your new masters!”

Quickly, Bon Bon rose to her hooves, confusion and pain still echoing through her brain. What in Equestria is going on here? She thought to herself. She tried to shake the cobwebs from her head, but was interrupted from her thoughts as that terrible whip cracked against her rump.

Bon Bon jumped in pain, her mouth opened in a silent scream while the chains around her ankles clanked noisily. “Get a move on, slave!” The gruff voice yelled behind her.

Bon Bon complied, her mind running in circles as hot adrenalin poured into her brain. She glanced around her and noticed that she was in some sort of pen. She was also not alone.

The pen was roughly fifteen feet in diameter, with horrid, blood-stained wood forming its ten foot high walls. There were a few other ponies in the pen with her, as well as a griffon and a donkey. Bon Bon quickly noted that each of them seemed to be shackled, and each seemed to be wearing a glowing metal choker around their necks. She saw a mixture of emotions on all of their faces, ranging from shock, to despair, to fear. Some were openly crying, while others had a dead, emotionless look on their faces.

Near the back of the pen, though, was the pegasus responsible for her current misery. He was a huge, monster of a brute, muscles clearly seen through his grey coat. He had a purple mane and tail, and at his flank, Bon Bon could see a coiled whip cutie mark.

Terror coursed through her mind as she was herded out of the pen. Where in Tartarus am I? Last thing I remember was taking a train up to Canterlot, then nodding off while Lyra was talking to the conductor. Did something happen aboard the train? She thought to herself as she quickly joined the growing line. They all seemed to be in a hallway of some sort. The walls, floor and ceiling seemed to be made of a rough-cut stone, lending to the feeling that she and the others were underground, possibly an abandoned mine shaft or something similar.

Worry gripped her as she glanced up and down the line. Where is Lyra? Did she get foalnapped too? Does she know that I'm even missing?

She didn't have any more time to dwell on this issue though, as she was roughly grabbed and yanked none-to-gently towards a door. “Get in there, slave! You're first!” He said, as he roughly shoved her through.

Terror and confusion were coursing through her brain as she stood in the semi-darkness. She fought against the tears and the mounting terror as she desperately looked around her. What the...? she thought to herself.

She was interrupted in her bewildered thinking though, as a spotlight suddenly illuminated the area around her, and several things immediately became apparent as she looked around her.

She seemed to be on some sort of stage. To her right was the pony with the whip cutie mark, while to her left was a unicorn that she had never seen before. He was thin, almost emaciated, with a green coat and a gray mane and tail. He looked sickly, judging by how his fur and mane seemed to be patchy and inconsistent. Over his right eye he wore an eye patch, while at his side he wore a regal looking cutlass. She couldn't tell what his cutie mark was though, because of the large, white burn mark that was positioned where it should have been.

In front of her, she could see an audience of some kind. However, she was unable to recognize anypony because everypony in the audience wore brown robes with cowls over their faces.

On the whole, it made her even more terrified. She was about to be sold into slavery, and she couldn't even see the faces of her new owners.

She tried to be brave, but she couldn't stop the shaking as the terrible pony to her right stepped forward. “Mares and gentle-stallions, how much will you bid for this delicious treat? As you can see, she has a lovely coat color, and her mane is a delightful, dual color that is somewhat curly. Perfect for servant duty, as well as...other duties. However, she is an Earth Pony as well, which means she is well suited to bearing heavy loads and working your fields, gardens and factories. The bidding will start at one hundred bits,” he said, as he stomped heavily with his right front hoof.

The bidding seemed to be fast and furious, yet strangely silent, with the sickly unicorn the only one talking. “I have one twenty five, do I see one fifty? One fifty. One eighty. Two hundred!”

On and on it went, as if she weren't even there. She tried to voice her protest, but no sound came from her throat. She felt humiliated, terrified, and utterly helpless.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the bidding over her life seemed to be coming to a close. “Do I hear two thousand two hundred? Do I hear anything higher than two thousand one hundred? Two thousand one hundred going once. two thousand one hundred going twice. Sold! To stallion twenty eight!” Eyepatch said, as he stomped heavily on the podium.

Roughly, Bon Bon was dragged out of the spotlight. She felt so distraught and helpless at that moment, that she almost missed seeing who was shoved on stage after her.

Almost.

She would have gasped if she could, but she unfortunately wasn't given the opportunity as she was roughly shoved out the door. Quickly, she was herded down a corridor, which led to a large wooden door with the number twenty-eight painted in red near the top.

The stallion pulled a key from his key ring, then deftly opened the door and shoved Bon Bon through the opening.

After the monster had locked her in, Bon Bon quietly made her way to a corner of the empty room, doing her best to not stumble over the uneven surface. Once she had situated herself, she finally let herself cry.

In her mind though, she couldn't erase the look of terror on the other mare's face. Bon Bon had never seen Lyra that terrified before.

Bon Bon was rudely awakened from her uneasy slumber by a swift kick to her gut. “Careful you brute, she is my property, and I would not have her damaged any more by your incompetent care,” she heard a dignified, refined voice say from somewhere close by.

Silently, Bon Bon coughed and wheezed as she tried to get air back into her lungs. She was grabbed roughly by her guard, then blinded as a hood was pulled over her face. Briefly she caught a glimpse of a rather tall form wearing a brown robe and cowl before everything went dark.

Somewhere nearby, she heard her new owner sigh in frustration. “Very well, then. Have her follow me to the teleporter, but be gentle about it. She is a delicate flower, and I would not have her wilt by your mistreatment."

With noticeably more care, she was herded in a seemingly random direction. All around her she could hear the awful sounds of that terrible place. Somewhere nearby, she could hear the sounds of laughter and jeering, accompanied by the sound of a cracking whip and somepony screaming. That soon faded, however, to give way to the sounds of grinding machinery and unintelligible yelling. However, since she was unable to see any of this, she could do little more than imagine what each sound she heard meant. This seemed to drag on for hours, until finally she was forced to stop.

“Are you sure you'll be leaving so soon? The after party has only just started,” Bon Bon heard a female voice say seductively.

“I'm afraid I must, my dear. I have too many pressing issues back at court, and this auction has delayed me enough as it is,” Bon Bon heard her owner say.

“Well then, don't work too hard, love,” the other voice said, disappointment registering clearly in her voice.

“I make no promises, but rest assured. Someday soon, you and I are going to have a long, long 'talk',” the stallion said suggestively.

There was a sharp, gut retching feeling, and briefly Bon Bon's world turned bright green. She collapsed onto the hard, stone floor as soon as solid ground appeared beneath her hooves again.

Quietly, Bon Bon just laid there, crying into the darkness underneath her hood. She expected her new master to yell at her to get up, remove the bag over her head, and begin the nightmare anew. She was expecting another lash from that terrible whip, or even something much, much worse.

She was not expecting hooves to gently encircle her, as the bag was removed from her head, allowing her sight once more.

Briefly, she attempted to struggle against the stallion, until she saw the distinct golden armor of the two Royal Guards standing at attention behind him. Her brain froze as she struggled to understand this new development.

The robed and cowled pony continued to hold her as he gently removed the magical choker from around her throat, allowing her to speak once again. “There, there... Just let it all out... You're safe now,” the stallion said as he gently cradled her in his hooves. “You don't have to be scared anymore, nopony will hurt you here.”

Bon Bon hiccuped gently as she continued to cry into the stallion's shoulder. Somewhere nearby, she heard hooves quietly approach. “I trust everything went as planned?” A soft, feminine voice said.

“Not quite. I will explain later, but for now, we have more pressing issues to deal with. Go make contact with Captain Knight Breeze and let him know of our newest rescue. Be sure that Princess Luna knows of this as well as her special task force.”

Bon Bon pulled away as the other mare in the room quietly left. She looked up at the stallion, tears streamed down her face. “...who are you?” she said, daring to hope that she was indeed safe again.

Hushing quietly, the hooded stallion levitated a tissue from his pocket and gently began to dab at Bon Bon's eyes, drying her tears. There was a slight rustle as the stallion lifted the hood from off his face, revealing a white stallion with a light blue mane. On his muzzle her wore a perfectly trimmed mustache, while over his left eye he wore an expensive-looking monocle.

“My name is Duke Fancy Pants, though my friends just call me Fancy Pants, or Fancy when they are being informal,” he said, smiling down at her as he gently removed the shackles around her hooves. “Welcome to my private villa.”

Author's Notes:

Well, here's my fourth chapter! Hope you guys like it!
Originally, for this chapter, I had Luna and Knight Breeze give a lot of expositon as to the who, what and how of the depravity of the inner circle. Then a little voice in my head said "too wordy, to much tell, not enough show."

So, instead of telling you about this, I decided on a front-row seat to the action, not to mention a little bit of awesome from Fancy Pants.

Good Guy Fancy Pants will rescue you from slavery, and bring down evil slavery rings.

All while keeping that suit of his immaculate.

As always, comments and criticism are welcome, as long as they are constructive.

Also, thank you so much for your support, and thank you so much for taking the time to read the fan creations of a college kid.