This was, without a doubt, one of the worst days I’d ever had, lost in the badlands, just had a fight with a strange hybrid creature, who I was just beginning to get along with, and now a splitting headache to top it all off. I skipped breakfast, I wasn’t hungry, and simply set up pulling the cart. While I strapped myself in I noticed the faint tracks of Ruby’s tail leading in the direction I was headed, either she was hoping that after I travelled a bit I’d have calmed down and would let her tag along again (Which I wouldn’t!) or she had just set of in any random direction.

“Better be the latter for your sake Ruby.” I thought and began to walk.

The ground quickly changed from snow, to thin green grass that quickly turned yellow then dry brown and then sand, I looked back the way I’d come. It looked almost like a giant wall of green trees that quickly split away into desert, it didn’t make any sense. The slow progress of my wagon gave me time to think over the previous night .

“She betrayed me! I was used like some toy for her amusement. And I poured my heart out to her! It’s true what they say about the badlands... everything within is just evil.” I thought bitterly.

I hadn’t even noticed I was still following Ruby’s trail when I heard voices.

“Aw is the reject crying? What’s wrong fail to fit in being a runaway as well?” the tone of voice was that of a mother who might care for a foal but the words didn’t match the tone. I glanced around, there was nopony around and it was an empty space except for...

“How did I get so close to them without noticing?” I thought staring at several large boulders that were likely forming an overhang on the other side.

I could have... No should have just left, but I wanted to find out who this cruel pony was talking too and I had a small list of guesses.

I climbed on top of the boulders, leaving the wagon on the hidden side of the rocks, when I reached the top I was only mildly surprised at who I saw. Ruby and four other lamias of various colours who were giving Ruby her just deserts. Ruby herself was huddled against the rocks whilst the lamias insulted her about various things, mostly about her leaving her home treating her like a reject. I bit my lip, refusing to admit we had something in common, we didn’t, I got bullied true but Ruby deserved it... didn’t she?

I decided to look at the other lamias too distract myself. One had a long blond mane and dark bark brown coloured fur, with a matching bark and yellow coloured tail.

“So their tail is the same colour as their mane and fur, interesting.” I thoughts, she also had purple eyes like Ruby... in fact they all did, every single one had purple eyes with a slitted pupil, some sort of genetic thing about being a lamia I guess. Blonde also had a large blackened log with thorns wrapped around it as her cutie mark, nice.

The second and third looked like twins. Bright leaf green fur with dark brown manes done in pony tails, the only difference between them was their cutie marks. One had a rose with petals that seemed to be changing colours; I briefly flashed back to Ruby’s eyes the previous day and tore my gaze away. The other had what looked like a bouquet of multi coloured flowers, strange. The final one, presumably the leader since she was the one making the cruellest jokes, with the others laughing at them guaranteed or joining in laughing after she started, was a dark grey unicorn mare with a short black mane, her cutie mark was a bright red shield with a spear behind it, likely a guard then.

The leader seemed to have grown bored of just petty insults, whilst I was about to leave in fear of being spotted.

“Pin her down.” I froze and watched as Ruby attempted to escape but was piled on by the twins, their tails gripping Ruby’s down.

Blonde grabbed Ruby around the waist pinning her hooves down and holding her up facing the leader. I flashed back to my childhood a similar experience, several colts blocking the view of me whilst a few more held me down and the largest continued to beat me, until my wings were bent at unnatural angles and I couldn’t see and could hardly keep my head up. I blinked it was just like how it happened to me, other colts and fillies could easily see but nopony bothered to help, they just watched and... Enjoyed the show... Until my friends saved me... But who would save Ruby?

I bowed my head in shame; I looked up as the leader approached Ruby, who was struggling like a caged animal. I don’t know what happened, one minute I was feeling nothing but guilt at the sight then something snapped within me and then I was barrelling straight into the lamia. She looked up in time to see a red coloured missile hit her, we flew back and I landed on top of the Lamia pinning her down. I repeatedly brought my front hooves down on her face screaming.

“YOU ARE A COW-ARD NEED-ING THREE FRIENDS TOO BEAT UP ONE PONY!” I hit her for every syllable and she had a bright purple, black and grey face soon.

I was surprised the lamia’s friends were just watching, as Ruby slowly escaped from their pin hold, then again a random pony falling out of the sky attacking one of them must have shocked them all except for Ruby.

“Bolt! Look out!” She cried.

I looked behind me at the raised dark grey and black tail, but it wasn’t the tail that hit me. The downed lamia smacked me in the face with a solid head butt then smacked me off her with her tail. I rolled over and I tried to get back up but felt a tail wrap around my waist pinning my wings to my sides.

Unlike Ruby’s scales which were soft and smooth, this seemed hard and rough, as if they’d been hit by many things and toughened up more than usual as a result. I began hitting my front hooves against the coil to no avail. A second loop was put over my head like a hula-hoop and forced my hooves to my side. The grey lamia began coiling me up from the bottom of my back hooves up to my neck. Ruby remained frozen in fear, staring at me as the grey lamia wrapped her tail around me.

“Nopony ever touches Midnight Blade!” Midnight hissed “Least of all a regular pony.” She whispered dangerously.

Remember when I described Ruby forcing the air out of my lungs. Let me go into detail so you know a bit better on how the next part felt. Ruby was gently pushing against my body making it uncomfortable to breathe in, but made it feel better to breathe out, whenever I did breathe in her tail loosened so it didn’t become uncomfortable causing a rippling effect against my body. When Midnight tightened her tail she did it to force the air out and make it impossible to get all the air back in, imagine being bucked in the windpipe then having that hit nonstop and gradually get worse, it was like that.

Midnight started out only lightly squeezing, but she tightened further and further. I tilted my head up, mouth open gasping for what little air I could get. It felt like my bones were bending like twigs, about to snap. My vision swam and what little movement I had been managing was beginning to become weaker and weaker. I let my head flop down onto Midnight’s coils and managed to look at Ruby.

“You owe her an apology,” my muddled brain said.

“Ruby... I’m... sorry.” I croaked with the last of my air.

I heard something crunch like frost being stepped on and pain shot through my whole body from my front left hoof. I groaned not having enough air to scream, sounding like a zombie. I let my head rest on Midnight’s tail and gave into the pain. My vision blurred over and my eyes fell shut as Midnight tightened her tail a little more, I couldn’t get a wisp of air down my throat anymore.

Then I suddenly fell to the floor, slamming on top of my bad leg causing me to wince before I began gulping down air and coughing uncontrollably. I looked up and froze, Ruby had tackled Midnight and the two were rolling around hissing and biting each other with fangs I hadn’t realised either even had. They had pointed canines, top and bottom, like a snake’s. It was terrifying to watch, two unnatural predators fighting each other. As much as I wanted Ruby to win it wasn’t going to happen, I could tell. Ruby was much smaller than Midnight in both bulk and length, not to mention her tails armour was weaker and Midnight seemed to have more combat experience, knowing just how to avoid Ruby’s attacks and cause more pain to her. The two fell down on the floor, Midnight on top, she bared her teeth and Ruby held her face away with her hooves while Midnight tried to knock them off with her own. Their tails were locked together attempting to crush each other and smacking the ground.

Midnight hit Ruby’s right hoof in the knee causing it to bend on reflex and Midnight pounced. She grabbed Ruby’s head forcing it down and tilted it upwards exposing Ruby’s neck. Midnight’s tail pinned Ruby’s hooves above her head and Midnight grinned victorious.

“You should have just fled like last time, you knew you couldn’t beat anypony, least of all me!” Midnight growled baring her fangs to bite Ruby.

“Unhoof that mare this instant Midnight Blade!” a voice boomed with royal power, like one of the princesses

I managed to look over towards the voice, three lamias, all mares, two of which were in what looked like armour made entirely of lamia scales around their pony bodies with matching helmets, they had been dyed the colour of tree leaves but I could see some of the original colours on some giving them a funny polka dot look if you looked carefully enough. I didn’t focus much on the guards more on the lamia between them. She was impressive in a royal way. Her tail was double the size of Ruby’s and dwarfed all the other lamias around her, she wore a completely white dress that fell down her tail quite a bit and her hair was skimming the top of her tail. She had sea blue fur, giving her a blue tail, with a bright golden mane, so a yellow belly. She also had a crown on that, at the front, had a rearing cobra that looked like it was caught mid-hiss made entirely of solid silver with little sapphires dotted below spikes that you might see on a cemetery fence.

The lamia had her gaze fixed on Midnight, who was cowering under it.

“Er, hello, ma’am.” Midnight bowed (It looked like that, though she could of been lying down with one hoof facing backwards).

“Don’t you act as if this was just a simple accident by a foal, you’ve outright attacked a lamia and almost murdered her as a result.” The lamia said her voice low and dangerous, like thin ice about to break.

“But she isn’t a lamia, she’s a hybrid.” Midnight whispered. the lamia bristled as if offended.

“Yet it takes four of you too attack her at once?” Midnight covered her head.

“Please my Queen I just...” The Queen held up her hoof.

“Silence... I will not have my sister’s daughter be harmed, I promised to find her and bring her back in once piece Unharmed it is lucky I arrived when I did, otherwise you’d have been serving punishment for attempting to rebel against the Queens orders... For now you are merely going to be charged with attempted assault on a high noble.” Midnight looked up, horrified, shaking.

“Please!” Her voice was so tiny the Queen simply scoffed.

“Consider yourself lucky you aren’t the stallion who helped lead us to you.” Oh shit.

The Queen advanced towards me and stared down, she pushed me onto my back with her tail and looked at my leg.

“You broke him?” The Queen asked looking at Midnight she nodded slightly still lying down

“Well that’s a shame might have been nice to have a new slave... and we don’t have a Pegasi at home.” The Queen stared at me for a few seconds “Tell me little cloud mover,” The Queen began to circle around me forming a wall while I lay spread eagle on my back, my leg in agony “Why did you help a lamia?” the Queen asked I looked at her.

“Because she needed help.” I whispered the Queen stopped and looked at me.

“And you, a normal pony, seeing a half pony half snake for the first time, decided to just help her on a whim?” the Queen shook her head then looked at Ruby “Where did you meet him?” she asked.

“A couple minutes ago, falling out the sky.” Ruby said.

Midnight must have sensed a way to get back at Ruby.

“But how do you know his name, Bolt she called him.” The Queen grimly nodded to Midnight who smiled.

“So… I’ll ask again...” the Queen lifted me off the ground with her tail and I remained limp like a dead fish (Griffins, that’s all I’ll say for now) “Why did you help a lamia?” I remained silent for a few seconds before whispering.

“They were pinning her down like a dying animal, I know what that’s like and if I hadn’t you really would be talking about a bloody and bruised Ruby.” The Queen stared at me for a minute, probably thinking over what I’d said.

“So how do you know her?” she asked.

“I don’t.” I said.

“You spoke her name and none present have yet to speak it, or has somepony spoken?” The Queen asked looking at Midnight, who shook her head.

I gulped glancing towards Ruby. How did I get into this situation?

“Look ma’am I just really want to go home, if you let me go I won’t be a bother and I won’t tell another soul, even if I did they wouldn’t believe me.” A poor attempt that I had little faith would work and sure enough the Queen flipped me around and wrapped her hooves around my neck and her tail around my body pushing against my broken leg, causing me to scream in agony.

“Tell me how you know her!” The Queen hissed into my ear.

“I-I don’t.” I said she squeezed my hoof again and I screamed tears blurring my vision.

What did I do to deserve this? Was this karma for butchering animals for griffins? if so well I’m sorry for trying something the natives did but I still enjoyed it (Yeah, I eat meat get over it).

The Queen groaned bored and flexed her tail about to crush my neck when Ruby cried out.

“Stop, please ma’am... I’ll talk just please don’t hurt him anymore,” The Queen loosened her hold around me and I sighed looking at Ruby.

“Well... Go on, all of it and I’ll know if you hold anything back. From your first meeting to how you got separated because I can tell, otherwise you’d have both been pinned to begin with.” The Queen said.

So Ruby told them, how she’d noticed me (as if I was miss-able rolling down a mountain in my wagon bringing a snow slide with me) and had snuck into my home while I was out. She told of how she tried to tackle me while I slept and I fled and the deal we made. She even put in the part where we ate together, she reached the fall out and I noticed one thing she’d missed .

“She didn’t say anything about the conversation we had on why she left.” I thought.

Ruby finished and stared at the Queen, I couldn’t see her expression but finally she asked.

“And what does he mean to you, now that he drove you away?” The Queen asked.

“He’s a good friend and I like travelling with him.” Ruby said simply.

“But he betrayed you, forced you away from him, doesn’t that make you mad or upset. Wouldn’t you like to teach him a lesson?” Ruby frowned looking at me and I gulped.

“He did betray me... and I was upset,” Then she smiled softly and looked at the Queen “But he came back and saved me so I think we’re even.” Ruby said the Queen chuckled softly.

“Well... I expect you’ll want your companion back then.” The Queen said pushing me towards Ruby, I fell down sharp pain from my hoof causing me to be unable to stand yet.

“A shame seems he can’t walk.” The Queen said I felt another tail wrap around me, but more gently and, if tails can be, more friendly towards me. Ruby helped me stand and the Queen raised an eyebrow at us then turned to Midnight.

“Bring the Pegasus’s cart.” She said to Midnight and left without looking back.

When Midnight returned, pulling my cart along, the Queen turned and led the way flanked once again by her guards. I limped alongside Ruby who helped me stay balanced

“I wouldn’t try to flee again by the way Ruby,” The Queen said glancing back “I know his scent.” She looked forward and Ruby looked at me sadly, I managed a pained smile.

“We’ll be fine... Still breathing aren’t we?” I asked managing to check Ruby’s mouth for her breath, she smiled a little bit and we continued on behind the other lamias.

Author's Notes:

So some people are going probably be like: Bolt has broken his leg he shouldn't be able to travel, or, Why doesn't he fly to keep of his damaged hoof .

Answer 1: Bolt is a pony meaning he can walk on three hooves, it's just more awkward
Answer 2: He doesn't want the Lamia's to think he is fleeing and be punished.

Okay I think that takes care of everything! Enjoy! :)