Story idea 2011

Morena Bartow looked at the little dark-gray unicorn mare in the even smaller cage. There was no room to move around. Also it looked like someone had slashed the poor creature's left fore hoof too. To add insult to injury, there was some sort of metal cone studded with strange green crystals on the unicorn's horn.

After frowning, Morena did quick passive scan, it's like listening for a certain tone. The cone felt disgusting like someone has smeared... She swallowed and briefly wondered why she was given such a task. On one hand it seemed kinda cool, cleaning up and maybe interrogating an unicorn. On the other, it was something left to a more junior position wizard, probably under the guidance of an more experienced wizard. She knew that being paranoid had saved her life several times. Then again, Morena did volunteer to do this. None of the other staffers knew anything about horses and ponies. That's what you get when all of your staffers are young and only from the city.

Not that Morena came from the country. Years of missions on magic-based worlds had given her enough time to learn about taking care of horses. One of the only ways to get around without using magical power.

She looked at the unicorn again. Unlike regular horses or ponies, it had a round head like a humans. Earlier scans showed vocal cords which suggested that the pony could talk. Morena hoped that was so, the idea of a strange creature using telepathy to get in her head wasn't reassuring. Some times, she didn't like being in her own head either. She sighed and took a quick look around the basement.

Unlike the basements in horror stories, this one was well lit. There were a few gray metal shelves but they were clean. Morena got some rubber gloves, and some other equipment.

The little unicorn just watched with its almost vacant eyes. Someone or somepony was home, but it seemed like they were just not reaching out.

After fussing with the hose with the spray attachment, Morena kneeled next to her guest. “I apologize for my roughness, I don't do this too often. Before I clean you up, I have to get you out of your cage. Almost forgot, gotta take pictures. Need a visual document in case things go south.”

The unicorn just watched her.

Morena glanced at the white table to make sure the translator device was on. She didn't want to miss anything the unicorn would say. That is if the translator could translate it.

She shrugged. “Let's get this show on the road.” Morena walked around the cage to see what could be done. The poor pony was jammed in tight. There was no room to use wire cutters but there was plenty of room for magic.

A moment later, the cage floated a foot off the floor. There was a brief blue flash, and half of the cage fell with a clank. Then the top half floated next to the bottom half and landed quietly.

The pony floated in the air. Morena cast a heat spell in front of the nozzle and sprayed the pony gently with warm water. After about a half hour while grey water swirled down the drain, her now white-coated guest looked more presentable. Too bad about her purple mane and tail, they did look beautiful, but after some time in a tight cage it was better that both were cut short.

Morena frowned, the metal cone felt gross. She looked among the shelves until she found a containment box. The cone and the cage would go to another facility with better testing equipment. First things first, the cone had to be removed. She could've done that first, but maybe the unicorn would be harder to deal with. It is a magic using creature.

Again Morena focused. It was another passive scan, active scans would give her more info, but they could set off security spells. Setting off unknown spells probably would ruin her day. Morena frowned, there were a bunch of security spells. One fused the cone to the poor unicorn's horn. Other spells monitored the horn's integrity. It felt like hours, but was really just minutes before she hacked all of the security spells so she could take off the cone, and place it in a containment box.

Then Morena took a few steps back and sat in front of the unicorn pony. She watched as the pony's mind came back. The pretty blue eyes looked around then focused on her.

Morena took a breath. “My name is Morena Bartow. What's your name?”

The unicorn pony's eyes widened just a little. Morena realized that she was dealing with someone or somepony that was a slick operator. Something that she wasn't. What did the dwarves in another world call her? Hammertongue. This was from beings that didn't like anything to be sugarcoated, and Morena was just too bitter even for them.

The pony said something. It sounded like a bunch of horse noises then the translator kicked in. “-arity Belle.”

“I'm sorry, I didn't get the first part of your name. Please say it again,” Morena said.

“Rarity Belle. Where am I? I have so many questions,” Rarity said. She glanced all over the place then focused on Morena.

“Hello Rarity. You're in a safe place. I'm sorry that you were mistreated at wherever you were,” Morena said. She wished that the folks that gave the assignment gave her more info.

Rarity looked down then up. “It was a horrid place. They put me in a tiny cage and slashed me. The horrible humans fed my blood to a disgusting black mirror. The thing was so foul it didn't even reflect its surroundings. I would've thought that humans just did terrible things to ponies, but then I saw a cage of frightened humans. I even saw one being thrown into the mirror.”

“Well, I'm going to send for lunch and we can discuss what happened to you later,” Morena said.

Rarity whispered.

Morena frowned, something wasn't quite right.

Rarity beckoned to Morena to come closer then slumped on the ground.

Morena against her better judgment ran up to Rarity.

Rarity wrapped her fore hooves around Morena's left leg and then a bright flash filled the basement. When the flash faded, Rarity and Morena were gone.

---

A bright white flash appeared in a meadow. In the distance, a small town was burning and the stink and smoke blew over the area.

The flash faded to reveal Rarity and an unconscious slightly larger beige-coated unicorn mare with a brown mane and tail.

“I'm sooo sorry, I had to do this but we really need your help. They told me that you would probably want to help, but your bosses would say no for now,” Rarity said. She looked across the meadow at the burning town. “Poor Ponyville.”

For a few moments, she looked at the town then she straightened up. “Well, a lady must do what's necessary to save her world.”