Chapter 1: Return
Violets are Blue: Return
“You all know the drill,” a large griffon said to a handful of zebra and pony soldiers in front of him. “Our target lies beneath the castle and our mission is to extract him. Stay clear of as many of the guards as you can and use any means necessary to avoid detection.”
“Yes sir!” the other soldiers said with a salute.
The griffon stared hard at each one of the soldiers before issuing the command, “Move out.”
The troupe swiftly climbed over the short walls surrounding Canterlot Castle and landed gracefully among the fruit orchards. The moon slowly rose above the mountains that the city of Canterlot had been built against, casting its dim light over the buildings and illuminating its reflection in the many ponds and lakes of the parks. The lights from the city itself shone like a beacon for miles in every direction, and the fireworks even more so, exploding in multitudes of color and sound to mark the second year that Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence repelled the changeling threat. It was clear that the party still raged in the streets from the music and the cheering that persisted, drowning out the noise of any ponies who might be trotting through the grass.
A clear night allowed for the soldiers to find their way more easily than they otherwise would have, even if the coming winter air cut through their cloaks and fur. Moonlight shone through the branches of the fruit trees to light a distinct pathway for the soldiers to follow, twisting its way this way and that to avoid obvious guard trails and clearings from which they could be spotted. The head of the column, a dark grey pegasus, carefully marked out tracks of hoofsteps that were unmistakably left by patrols and expertly led everypony in a different direction. As they neared the castle, the griffon leader brought all of the soldiers to a halt. Ahead of them were a pair of pegasus guards keeping watch over an entrance to the castle.
“Swifthoof,” the griffon said, putting his hoof on the shoulder of the earth pony in question, “remove those two guards from their posts. Fletcher will cover you if something goes wrong. Go.”
The earth pony nodded and drew his serrated dagger, then broke off from the main group and stayed low against one of the walls that led up to the castle doors. He disappeared from view once the low wall snaked around the corner, and the rest of the party was left to stare at the two guards at the entrance. The pegasus who led the head of the column, Fletcher, drew his crossbow and trained it on one of the guards, waiting for his signal. Everypony held their breath.
A minute went by. And then another minute. Fletcher shifted his weight, but he left his crossbow trained on the guard, patiently waiting for the signal. Everypony else remained as still and as quiet as they could possibly be, hidden underneath a large peach tree with all of their hoods drawn over their heads.
Then there was some commotion, and a dark hoof wrapped around one of the guard’s necks, shortly followed by a flash and some red fluid shooting into the air from the guard’s neck. Fletcher saw his chance and fired his crossbow, releasing his breath when he saw his bolt cleanly pierce through the other guard’s neck. Both of the guards collapsed into heaps where they were standing, then they were quickly removed from their posts by Swifthoof. Once the guards were clear, Swifthoof waved at the group, signaling for the party to follow him.
The griffon leader nodded, confirming for the group to leave their spot underneath the tree and enter the castle. Swifthoof was already inside, remaining hidden behind a wall as he made sure that the coast remained clear for the other soldiers. Once everypony was through, he looked back and nodded his head.
“Phase one of the plan is complete,” the griffon confirmed. “Initiate phase two. Everyone follow me.”
~~~
Zumas sat on the cold cobblestone floor of his cell beneath Canterlot Castle, his long, unkempt tail wrapped around his hooves. He kept his eyes trained forward, staring out of the cell with a blank look etched into his face that made his thoughts entirely unreadable to any of the guards that may pass him. Focus and thought had long since escaped his mind, all of his time left to simple commentary and deductive reasoning.
I wonder, how many times a day does this guard walk past my cell and shoot me that angry glare? Zumas thought as a unicorn guard walked past his cell, glancing at him with a hint of irritation in his eyes. He looks at me like I stole something that he held dear to him, like a family heirloom or a cheating wife. It’s almost as if I still pose some sort of threat to him while I am locked away in this cage and have this ring stuck around my horn. So much for holy matrimony.
The guard stopped, pausing to start a quiet conversation with another pegasus guard who happened to also be in front of Zumas’ cell. The unicorn guard occasionally looked over at his cell, still throwing looks of contempt towards Zumas.
These ponies are curious actually, Zumas continued, staring back at the guard. For all of their princesses’ pride for being loving and accepting, trying to live up to the good name of the Elements of Harmony, the concept behind tolerating others seems to be at a loss for them. Opinions and traditions mark differences between each other, requiring for us to play the diversity game. It’s terrifying to some, unacceptable for others, leaving us at an impasse between what we think to be good and what we think to be right.
The two guards finished talking, and the unicorn guard noticed Zumas’ eyes trained on him. He scrunched up his nose and approached the cage. Zumas remained entirely unfazed, continuing to stare at the guard even as he sauntered up to the iron bars.
And so the game begins, Zumas thought, a small smile creeping up along his lips. Oh how I have been longing for this moment, a little witty battle between you and I. What could you know about me that I don’t already know, I wonder? What can you hope to see in me?
The guard slammed his hooves against the cage, sending a loud ringing sound to echo throughout the entire prison. Zumas didn’t so much as even flinch, keeping his eyes fixed on the guard.
“Hey, what do you think you’re staring at?” the guard asked in a cold tone. He slammed the bars again when Zumas didn’t answer. “I asked you a question, scum. You had best answer it.”
Zumas tilted his head. “The witty, comedic thing to say would be ‘nothing much,’ but I’m sure you wouldn’t take such an answer too well, would you?”
The guard scowled. “Took you long enough to think of such an answer. Out of practice now that you don’t have to weasel your way out of justifying your pony trafficking hobbies, or are you just not as smart as so many of your associates claim?”
“Could be either,” Zumas said with a shrug, “or perhaps the company I keep nowadays isn’t quite up to the intellectual par that it used to be. It’s quite interesting what my employees said for their defense. You ‘good guys’ are far more predictable with your white knight tendencies.”
“How can you be so nonchalant about enslaving other ponies?” the guard asked, glaring at Zumas. “These are ponies who have lives, families, lovers, rights. Why is it up to you to take those things away so that you can satisfy your disgusting love for money? Don’t these ponies have a say in the matter? Or are their voices irrelevant?”
“It’s interesting that you ask me that,” Zumas said, finally lifting himself up to his hooves and walking towards the guard. “You see, I’m a bit of a business pony. I run a business, make a living, contribute to this capitalistic society just like any other business pony. However, I guess you could say that my business… assets might be a little bit controversial, if I may say. They aren’t something that a pony would usually buy or sell: other ponies. I mean, it just sounds horrible, doesn’t it?”
The guard grunted, but he remained silent, allowing for Zumas to continue.
Interesting. “How about you look at it from a different perspective?” Zumas asked, stopping at the iron bars. “Think of these ponies more of social assets to those that buy them. Instead of being enslaved to these ponies, they are merely employees who are serving their bosses for some sort of pay. In return for their services, they are able to have a roof over their heads and being fed exceptionally well. What more could they ask for?”
“But these ponies are not choosing this life for themselves,” the guard replied, narrowing his eyes. “Even if they get these so called payments of yours, they are still subjected to the whims and lifestyles of others. They have no say in matters that can concern them. How can you call that employment when it sounds an awful lot like slavery?”
“What makes you think they don’t have a choice?” Zumas asked. “Everypony has a choice, what would life be without having choices? I’m sure you know about the ponies who chose to no longer wish to be employed under my jurisdiction, and I’m also sure you have heard of the consequences that they had to suffer because of it. Everypony has a choice, my dear guard, they just need to remember that there are consequences that come along with it.”
The guard scrunched his nose in disgust. “You’re a sick pony, you know that? Your kind deserves to be locked up for the suffering and pain that inflict upon other ponies. For the crimes you have committed, I don’t see you getting out any time soon.”
A shout rang out through the prison, followed by several loud crashes and bangs. Two guards ran past the jail cell, their spears drawn. The unicorn watched them pass by, then turned back to glare at Zumas.
“Don’t be too sure of that, my friend,” Zumas said, sitting down in front of the cell with a smile on his face. “You see, a business pony always has a backup plan when their business goes under. I’m no exception.”
The guard growled at Zumas one last time, then ran off behind the other two guards, pulling his spear off of his back. Several more shouts rang through the prison, followed by another loud bang, then another. Zumas sat in utter silence, staring out of the jail cell with that same blank expression he wore before he had started talking to the guard. The loud bangs and the shouts continued to echo through the prison for several more moments before they all fell silent.
It wasn’t long before a large griffon stood in front of Zumas’ cell, a ring of keys twirling around his talon. Behind him was a pegasus with a crossbow slung over his back, a toothy grin stretched across his face. Zumas couldn’t help but smile.
“So these are the ones who decided to take it upon themselves to rescue Zumas from the clutches of the Equestrian Law,” Zumas said in a sing-song voice. “I’ll admit, I’m impressed you risked so much getting so far. Perhaps the company I keep will no longer be so predictably dull anymore.”
“You don’t recognize Nero? Your quoted ‘best customer’?” the griffon asked, putting one of the keys into the keyhole. A dark blue unicorn walked up behind him.
“If you didn’t know already,” Zumas replied dryly, “I don’t keep tabs on who my customers are, let alone meet them face to face. Keeps my business safe that way.”
Nero unlocked the jail cell door and slid it open, allowing for the dark blue unicorn to enter. The unicorn charged his horn and encased the ring around Zumas’ horn in his magic, dispelling the enchantment and allowing for Zumas to push the ring off. He then stepped out of the cage and stretched his legs.
“It’s good to finally be out of that cell,” Zumas added in between his strentches. “I hope you have a plan of escape, elsewise I’m afraid I might have been getting my hopes up with the intelligence factor of your supposed rescue.”
“The way out of the castle is secure,” Nero said. “Unless the guards at the post in front of the fruit orchards have been discovered, our entrance into the castle has gone unnoticed.”
“By the amount of noise made coming down here, I would have thought otherwise,” Zumas said.
“Moonlit Skies here enchanted the door with a sound dampening spell,” Nero replied, nodding his head towards the dark blue unicorn. “The noise remained confined to these prison rooms. There is no need to worry about the rest of the guard being alerted to our presence.”
Zumas nodded his head and fell in behind Fletcher and a zebra as they made their way towards the exit of the prisons. His heart was pounding in his chest, giddy in the knowledge that he was once again free from the confines of the Canterlot Castle prisons. The odds of this happening were in his favor, of course, but the anticipation behind the escape was enough to put butterflies in his stomach. Imagine what the newspapers will say.
“Even so, let us be cautious,” Zumas said as they made their way up the stairs.
Fletcher opened the door to the prisons carefully, and when he noticed that nopony was in sight, he looked back at the rest of the party and nodded his head. Everypony crept out of the stairway into the castle hallway and picked up their pace straight towards the entrance to the fruit orchards. They passed by beautiful stained glass windows illuminated by the moonlight, causing the images to have an eerie glow about them, but still radiate off enough light for them to pick their way along the hall. The light only partially helped, however, as the hallway they slunk through was easy enough to traverse due to its sheer size alone.
In no time the group reached the entrance to the orchards, and after Fletcher checked the path ahead of them to make sure it was clear, they passed right through. Zumas caught sight of the two guards who had been slain by Nero’s lackeys, and he didn’t so much as give a second glance at them before they dropped down the stairs and slipped into the fruit orchard. So far so good, no detection just as Nero had said. Zumas was impressed.
However, upon approaching the short wall at the edge of the castle grounds, a bell rang through the night air. The group all looked back towards the castle.
“Looks like the guards have stumbled upon our hoofwork,” Nero said. “Pick up the pace and head straight for the sewers.”
Everypony easily leapt over the castle wall and dropped down on the other side, then broke into a full gallop into the rich district of the city. All festivities from the party raging through the streets stopped once the bells from the castle were heard over the roar of the fireworks, and everypony stopped their dancing and laughing to perk their ears towards the sound. However, even with everypony paused to listen to the bells, Zumas, Nero, and the rest of the group tore through the city streets, pushing ponies aside who blocked their way and eliciting angry shouts and suggestive hoof gestures.
Guards in the city streets quickly mobilized and made their way towards the castle, but those who lay in the path between the group and the sewers caught on to the alarm and gave chase to the group. Fletcher was quick to react, looking behind him and firing his crossbow at the nearest pegasus guard, the bolt piercing through his wing and sending the guard careening into a group of pony bystanders. The other unicorn guard in pursuit was too slow to keep up the chase with the party, allowing for them to escape into the sewers located down a wide alleyway.
Everypony ran a bit further down the sewers, then all took cover behind a corner. Fletcher poked his head out from behind the corner and remained still, watching the entrance to the sewer intently for any guards or ponies who may make their way in. Upon seeing nopony after several minutes, he looked back.
“We’re in the clear, sir,” Fletcher confirmed.
“Now that you’re free and back in Canterlot,” Nero started as the group breathed a sigh of relief and made their trek into the sewers, “what do you plan on doing first?”
Zumas’ lips twisted into an evil grin, and a short chuckle escaped his throat. “Why, business as usual, of course. And I know just the two ponies to start with.”
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So, he gets arrested in Canterlot. His crimes are known in Canterlot. His face is known in Canterlot.
And he goes back into business in Canterlot immediately after escaping from the dungeon in Canterlot?
Zumas, Zumas, Zumas. When are you going to learn that crime doesn't pay.
Well, except for theft and fraud. They pay pretty well.
Violets are fucking purple. WHY DOES NOBODY UNDERSTAND THIS?!
3132572
no they are blue
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_%28plant%29
i had to say that :P
You're both right actually. It's technically indigo which is a bluish purple color.
Seems like an interesting enough continuation so far. Fave'd.
Okay, why did they free Zumas? There are plenty of other whorehouses in Canterlot surely.
3134051
Thank you so much!
3134663
That's for me to know and for you to find out.
Now for the dreaded waiting, love the story. Can't wait to see my favorite changeling again. And I'm happy I have an account to keep track of my favorite stories now. Thank you for another excellent chapter. I now pray for Lilo and Carbon. Zumas
.
HOLY KIMCHI THERE'S A SEQUEL?!?!?!?!? SQUEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!
3156900 And the evil dude is out for revenge?!?!?!?!
I will admit, I'm unbelievably tempted to follow this like no other, but...
Tragedy.
That one tag, ten thousand times scarier than all of the darks, humans and crossovers combined is my deepest, darkest fear.
I'll keep tabs on this for the time being, but I think that if this story starts to love up to the tag, the love I have for your characters will scare me away
3165586
It's what I've had planned from the beginning. I'm hoping that through these stories that I'm writing, I can also express morals and words of wisdom that I find to be important to any person. Perhaps my stories are a bit tragic because of that, and quite a few of my readers have come to call me the "Harbinger of Death," (I feel oddly in tune with G. R. R. Martin) but I feel proud that my readers love my stories and my characters so much. Thank you for that! I really appreciate it knowing that I've left an impression, even if that means you don't want to read this story because of it.
So, Zumas is an idiot. I mean, staying in Canterlot, after just escaping from jail, in order to get back at the two ponies, who are now probably on terms with the princesses, and Queen Chrysalis. (Zumas has no idea how viscous a changeling queen can be. I hope he likes being torn to shreds.)
Am I the only one who see's Zumas as a equivalent to hannibal lecter.
Beginning of the story, griffons have claws not hooves. Unless he lifted his back leg to put a hoof on his shoulder.
4141096
I see him as pony Skull Face. Then again, my view at the moment is skewed because I have been marathoning Metal Gear Solid 5 as of late.
So far Zumas hasn't monologued how he came from a small village that was attacked by foreign soldiers and he had to learn different languages throughout his life....
At least not yet.
4235224
Your thinking of hippogriffs. Griffins have lion-like paws on their back legs.
Man. Zumas must of had some really great sex slaves, to warrant an armed break in to a castle, to free him.
3165586 3167162
How big are the piles of corpses are we talking about?
Are we talking "Game of Thrones" levels of significant likeable characters and randoms dying, or "Star Trek" unnamed red shirts levels of dying?
Too easy.