//------------------------------//
// Is This a Worthy Sacrifice? 
// Story: Rebirth of Magic: In the Mists 
// by JimmyHook19 
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I knew that I had to create a distraction in order to ensure they didn't follow me up the chamber. I also knew that there was a good chance that the guards would be distracted. It wasn't hard to figure that out as the performance began and the area was flooded in music and light. No, I had to find another way around and out of here as soon as I could.

It was then I spotted the obvious route for my escape. There were two routes put into place in case the cables failed (and these weren't an option to me because the cables were currently in use by the Queen and the Princesses). These two routes consisted of a small crawling chamber which, as the name suggests the occupant crawls up, or an elevator.

I decided against the elevator almost immediately. The elevator would make far too much noise and would reveal my position, and this would blow the heist before it could even begin. I knew behind the curtain the other two were probably flopping about with the fake crown to swap with the other crown.

But hadn't Opaline said something about another fake? I had the one she had teleported to me, but if the real one was in the safe, then weren't they swapping fakes around?

I didn't have time to think about that, but noticed something interesting. The music was a lot louder than it had been before, and so it gave me an idea for a possible distraction.

I headed over to the cargo elevator control panel and immediately punched the up button. With a whirr, the elevator started to move upwards and into the upper chamber, producing a fair bit of noise as it did so. This, so far, was working perfectly. I dived out of the way and stopped beside the access panel that would take me into the crawling chamber. I hid there, watching, waiting, seeing if anypony took the bait. There were two guards nearby who would almost certainly here the noise of my crawling normally. But with the elevator moving upwards, it would mask any sound that I made. I grinned. This was working better than I'd hoped! Maybe the professional heist job was for me after all.

I watched as the guards trotted over to the elevator, and I then dived into the chamber and closed the doors behind me.

"Time to put those years of climbing to work," I said to myself, and began to shimmy my way up the crawlspace. It was tight, only wide enough for a fairly slim pony. Good thing I was a fairly slim pony. For a pony with such a thin body, Misty had remarkable agility and climbing skill.

It was quite dark in there, but luckily I had decided to wear a head torch, and switched it on to illuminate the space ahead. It was seriously dark, but the light at last seemed to be approaching.

I emerged at the top, and pushed the door open partway down a corridor. I knew this corridor pretty well. It was one that I had roamed down during the crown stealing attempt number one. I pushed onwards into the corridor and made my way along, the torches continuing to glow bright and the lights giving the corridor plenty of light as I made my way along it.

I then stopped and turned a corner to access the Royal Chambers. It was a lot easier doing this when there was light, and nopony around. No need to worry about waking the Queen up this time, or her referencing Pinkie Pie for whatever reason. What had that been all about? Was the Queen a former human?

I dismissed that thought. That many human turned ponies in close proximity? That sounds like a piece of bad fanfiction!

I pushed onwards into the room, and opened the door to access the interior. There was lots to see inside, and it was pretty nice to look at. I had to focus, though, as I had a mission to complete. I removed the picture over the top of the safe, and then got to work on the combination. My goggles were filtering through the positions and numbers to try and eliminate the variables, and the display was also amplifying the 'clunks' which indicated I had found the correct position.

At last, I was through! I swung the door open, and pulled the crown in there out, setting it onto the bed behind me before swapping the other one in. I was about to close the door when suddenly-

"The game's up, Misty!"

I looked over my shoulder. It was Zipp! How had she found me?

"Back away from the safe and put your hooves where I can see them."

I collapsed onto the floor and tried to make myself as small as possible. It always works when Opaline is mad. "Take what you want! Just don't hurt me!"

Zipp, however, only seemed to be interested in the contents of the bag I had for moving the crown. She pulled it open. You might be asking why I wasn't fighting back. I was only a scrawny mare against a pegasus in the peak of her physical strength. If I had tried to fight, I'd have had my flank handed to me pretty quickly.

Zipp looked at the crown in confusion, then glanced to the safe, then to the crown again. "So, you were planning on swapping this crown for the real one and then sneaking off before anypony noticed, huh?"

"Opaline made me do it!" I cried, again making myself as small as I possibly could.

Zipp studied the crown in the safe, and put it alongside the other one. Her eyes widened when she saw they were precisely the same. "Fake crowns, plots upon plots on top of each other, farce galore. When did this turn into an 'Allo, 'Allo episode?"

I looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Zipp was about to answer, but our conversation was interrupted by the TV coming on. Pipp was suspended upside down from wires, and there was what seemed to be fighting. There was also a lot of shouting from nearby.

Zipp looked at me. "What happened in the past doesn't matter now. All that matters is we find that crown and get the buck out of here."

I didn't want to be captured again. I only survived because the Queen showed mercy. If they caught me again, it'd probably end with my head on a spike. "OK. Let's get out of here."

Zipp charged out into the corridor and along the path. I followed as best I could, but I wasn't as quick as she was. Alarming broadcasts were being played over the speakers inside the palace, indicating that we weren't exactly wanted inside this place.

I ran down as quickly as I could, before I noticed Zipp had stopped and was looking at something. I tried to get to her, but two guards suddenly stepped in the way and blocked me. Seconds later, one had slammed me into a wall and was pinning a lot of pressure on my neck.

"More than what you deserve, brain zapper," he said, with a sadistic smile. "Any last words!"

"Get off me!" I yelled, partly to get Zipp's attention. This seemed to work as she sped towards me.

"A unicorn, all alone. Fancy some fun?" My other captor was in on this as well. This wasn't going well.

"Hey! Get away from her, you monsters!"

Zipp was near them, and they dropped me down, having found something else to look at. I snuck round them to try and get to Zipp.

"It's the princess!" said one of the guards. "Remember, the General didn't say she had to be conscious."

Before anypony knew what was happening, guards charged in from doors and corridors and began dogpiling Zipp! I tried to get through, but the mass of bodies was still moving with force. Blows and impacts rained down on the pegasus.

Suddenly, something slid underneath the crowd and to me. I picked it up. My eyes widened in surprise. It was the crown!

"Misty... run... save yourself..."

I barely heard Zipp's words over all the shouting, but the violence continued as they were clearly trying to beat her into unconsciousness. And eventually, they did, as the figure underneath stopped moving.

I did what anypony would have done in this particular case. I simply ran for it. I covered the ground as quickly as I could and tried to leave the pandemonium quickly consuming the area. Guards were pouring out of the woodwork and filling the corridors. I had to use garbage chutes and other escape routes in order to get out of there.

When I landed outside the palace, I saw soldiers moving about the perimeter, who were sweeping for anypony else. Probably ponies like me.

I ran off into the night, towards the rally point, the crown still in my possession.