Axle woke up in the morning and stretched. He was now in the heart of Dream Valley, and only about a day's journey to Dream Castle, perhaps less. He could see the brightly colored flags adorning the walls in the distance.
He had arisen late, and it was mid-morning when a small cluster of trees came into view. As he approached, he realized it must be a cultivated orchard. The trees were in perfect line with each other and spaced the same distance apart. Each tree was roughly the same height.
Axle looked around for the farmhouse, but saw none. There was no fence, so he wandered straight through the orchard looking for a house on the other side. It was an apple orchard, being summer, the apples were perfectly red and ripe. His stomach rumbled.
The journey across the valley had taken him longer than he'd expected, and he had run out of food the previous day. He knew he would be in town by supper, but then he would have to find an inn to get a full meal. Since he'd had no breakfast, an apple would tide him over nicely.
As he approached the other side of the orchard, he was disappointed to find there still wasn't a house. How could the orchard be so well tended if no one lived nearby? His stomach rumbled again and he glanced at a nearby tree with apples hanging low.
He didn't like the idea of taking them without asking, but no one was around. He could find out in town whose the orchard was and pay later. His stomach rumbled a third time and he began involuntarily salivating. His mind was made up.
He took two apples from the lowest branch and leaned against the tree. They were juicy and delicious; some of the best apples he'd ever had. Whoever owned the orchard must have taken pride in it. He finished his two apples and felt much better. They'd taken the edge of his hunger until he had a meal in town. He looked back at the low branch on the tree and couldn't resist taking a third for the trip.
As he reached up high for a particularly red apple, he heard a shout, "Thief!" and before he could turn, someone grabbed him from behind.
Axle struggled and tried to apologize. Two ropes were thrown around his neck, coinciding with a shout of "I got him!"
A third guard walked up and put shackles on his front legs, and then his back. The guard holding him from behind let go and walked around in front of him, as the other two held the two ropes in different directions. He was a red pony with dark blue hair, and he was much bigger than him. They all wore a plate of armor over their chest and around their back.
The red pony squinted at him. "Thief," he said with disgust.
"Please, I apologize. I have money to pay..." he nodded his head toward his knapsack on the ground near the tree.
A fourth guard he hadn't yet seen walked up to his sack. He was smaller and appeared somewhat younger, probably still in training. He found the coinpurse in the sack and held it up, "What, this money?"
Axle nodded. "Bring it here!" The red pony barked the order. The small green pony quickly did as he was bid. The red guard open the coin purse and poured some out into his hoof, gaging how much was there. He poured the coins bag in the bag and stuck the bag inside his armor. "We appreciate the bonus to our regular pay," he said flatly. Axle glared at him; that was half his father's life savings, and everything he had.
He assisted the two guards holding the ropes to tie them to loops in the back of their armor. The two of them stood to the sides while he took up the front and the small green guard ran around to the rear. "Move out!"
The walked him in the direction of the castle. It was difficult for Axle because they marched rather quickly, and with the shackles on, he had to take very small steps. If he slowed down even a little, one of the side guards would pull on the rope, throwing him off balance and causing him to fall.
The first time it happened, they all laughed and waited for him to stand up, which took awhile with the shackles. The second time it happened, the red guard sneered at him and called him a clumsy oaf. When he again struggled to get up, the red guard got impatient and walked up to him. While he was still on the ground, the guard kicked him in the face with his front hoof. "Hurry up!" he barked. Axle felt like his head was going to explode, but did his best to stand up quickly.
The two side guards continued to yank on one of the ropes periodically, but Axle made sure not to fall again. When they realized this, they began yanking on the ropes simultaneously, effectively choking him. The first time he coughed and wheezed for a few seconds, and got an irritated glare from the red pony.
After that, Axle realized they were doing in on purpose and watched them look at each other and signal when they were about to yank. He anticipated the move and lowered his head, tightening his neck muscles to prevent himself choking.
They approached the town and walked straight through the main street. Ponies in the street stared at him. Others came out of the houses to see the prisoner. It was almost sunset when they approached the castle.
Axle was taken across the moat, and down stone steps into the dungeon. It was dark and dank; the air smelled stale and thick. He could hear the sound of water dripping onto the floor somewhere, and it echoed through the place. He could tell from the echo it was a large dungeon, and eyes confirmed it when they adjusted to the dark. However, it seemed he was the only prisoner being held at the time.
He was led into a solitary cell and the creaking metal slammed shut. The red guard removed the shackles and ropes while the other three watched from the entrance. Axle's legs were red and raw from the shackles and his neck had burns from the ropes. The guard gave him another sneer and left without saying a word.