//------------------------------// // Chapter eight: a daring idea // Story: Brothers 'N Antlers // by Elkia Deerling //------------------------------// ‘Syntax, I need to go through the bubble.’ Syntax coughed loudly, nearly choking on his coffee. ‘Shush, be quiet Syntax,’ said Elkia. ‘This is a bit of a, well, secret mission.’ Elkia and Syntax were sitting in the lunchroom of the creative hub. So far, the ambiance had been relaxed and laid-back, until Elkia’s remark. They had an opportunity to talk now, and with the cheerful hubbub going strong around them, as the lunchroom was full of other talking ponies, Elkia was not going to let this chance slip through his hooves. Syntax reached for a napkin, and wiped his muzzle. ‘Why in the wide, wide world of Equestria would you like to go there?’ ‘Because, well… I just want to see,’ Elkia said. ‘Just a quick peek would be enough. Remember I told you about my brother, and how I met him yesterday?’ Syntax nodded. ‘He said he worked underneath that magical bubble.’ ‘So?’ ‘He was quite distressed when I talked to him. He was even speaking with me about’—Elkia looked left and right, then whispered, ‘leaving.’ ‘Yes, but you told me yourself you just suspected him of being lazy. Whatever is going on underneath that bubble, it’s hard work. We all know that. But we work hard ourselves in the creative department, you know?’ ‘I know,’ said Elkia. ‘That’s what I said. But after tonight, something… happened. I don’t know, I just feel weird. I feel as if I can’t trust anyone anymore. The only way to truly find out stuff is by seeing it with my own eyes, and not rely on someone else who tells me what I want to know.’ Syntax made a funny face. ‘Wow, someone is being bitter here. “Can’t trust anyone.” Did something happen between you and Strawberry?’ Recoiling, Elkia stuttered. ‘Wh-what? Eh… well…’ ‘You’re an open book, Elkia,’ Syntax said, ‘and terribly naïve.’ Elkia shook his head, and brought the conversation back on topic. ‘Anyway, I need to go and see for myself what’s going on there. You know a lot about this place, Syntax, have you ever been underneath that thing?’ ‘Nope. But to be honest, I would actually like to check it out myself.’ Syntax paused to rub his hooves together. ‘I know of the wildest conspiracy theories about that place. Did you know that some ponies believe they are building a superweapon there? They think the workers there are building a cannon that can destroy the sun. Not sure why they’d do that, though. Why kill the sun in the summer? It doesn’t make sense.’ ‘Syntax, I’m being serious here,’ said Elkia. ‘Yes, yes, of course,’ said Syntax. ‘Not everything can be an interesting story, right? It’s probably just a farm or so. A big one, though.’ Once again Elkia looked over his shoulder. Nopony was paying attention to them. ‘I need to go there, and talk to my brother if I can. Do you know a way in?’ Syntax looked up at the grandfather clock in the corner. He estimated the time, and then spoke quickly. He decided to help his best friend out. ‘From what I’ve seen, the only ones going into that magical sphere are either unicorns, guards, or laborers with carts, hauling the fresh harvests away.’ ‘So I need a disguise,’ Elkia said. Syntax winked. ‘Righto. Of course, we can’t dress you up as a unicorn, with the antlers and all. And besides that, if you would look like a unicorn, and the guards and the other unicorns saw that you can’t use magical powers to help a hoof, you would be discovered in no time.’ ‘Then disguise me as a laborer.’ Taking the time to look Elkia over, Syntax narrowed his eyes, then shook his head. ‘No, that won’t do. The laborers are usually earth ponies, as they are strong and hardy, while you are tall and lanky and very awkward.’ ‘Hey!’ Syntax held up his hooves. ‘Just making some honest observations here.’ he cleared his throat. ‘Besides that, the laborers might also recognize you.’ ‘Recognize me?’ ‘Yes of course, silly elk. Your children stories are a hit! Al the proles and honest working folks in Scribblers’ City have copies of your books, and they are all reading them to their children. Those books you and Strawberry made are a slam success. Didn’t you know?’ ‘I… well… I didn’t,’ Elkia said. ‘I’m never really looking for fame or anything like that.’ Syntax facehoofed. ‘Oh my! If I’d drop you in a lake you would still have no idea where to find yourself a drink.’ ‘Hey, that’s not true! I used to live close to a lake—a magical lake, nonetheless.’ Sighing, Syntax said, ‘That’s not what I meant, Elkia. It’s a proverb, an expression.’ For a moment, Elkia was quiet. ‘It’s just a shame there won’t be any more children’s books…’ ‘Whatever,’ said Syntax. He threw one more glance at the clock. ‘Disguising yourself as a laborer is not a good idea. You’re not built for it, you might be recognized, and you have a job to do. When you’d deviate to search for your elk brother, you’d be forced back into the ranks and do whatever the guards think you should be doing: pulling wagons. No, Elkia. I think plan C will work best for you.’ Elkia’s eyes went wide, as he realized what Syntax meant. ‘You mean…’ ‘Uh-huh. You have to dress up like a guard.’ ‘But won’t they recognize me?’ Elkia said. ‘I don’t think so,’ said Syntax. ‘I mean, how many times have you interacted with one of the guards? Look at us, Elkia, we are two law-abiding citizens of Scribblers’ City. We have never been bad, and we have no record. We are invisible to the guards. No, Elkia. I’m pretty sure they don’t know you.’ Elkia didn’t really like the “pretty sure.” ‘But won’t it be strange for them to see an elk guard instead of a pony guard?’ Syntax narrowed his brows, then he seemed to remember something. ‘I think not. There are actually some deer guards, a couple of reindeer, and two pretty little caribou officers I know personally, very personally… An elk is practically the same. Isn’t it?’ ‘No, it’s not,’ Elkia objected. ‘We’re different animals.’ Syntax shrugged. ‘Just a minor detail.’ He saw that Elkia was going to say something, but he cut him off, continuing his explanation. ‘As a guard, you’ll have a lot more freedom of movement. You can walk everywhere, pretending to look around for trouble. Hay, you might even be able to speak to your brother real quick, if you’re strategic enough.’ ‘But I don’t look like a guard,’ said Elkia. ‘That’s where the disguise comes in,’ said Syntax. ‘I know a couple of very lovely seamstresses who can be trusted. They owe me a favor, so I can definitely get them into making a guard’s outfit for you.’ ‘Is that all?’ ‘No.’ Syntax reached out and tapped Elkia’s ear. ‘You need a red tag, not a yellow one, but that’s simple enough. Just borrow a bottle of red pain from the art department and you’re set.’ ‘Right, got it.’ Despite discussing their plans in so much detail, Elkia still felt a bit unsure. There were so many things that could go wrong. ‘Do you really think this will work?’ he said. Syntax bit his lip. ‘Eh… I hope so.’ Then he bent forwards, and looked Elkia straight into his eyes. ‘But if something goes wrong, remember that I had played no part in this façade.’ Elkia swallowed. Syntax’s voice sounded a bit too ominous for his liking. ‘Alright… But, Syntax. Just between me and you, what will they do if they discover that I’m a fake guard?’ ‘Eh… are you sure you want to hear that, Elkia?’ ‘I… think so?’ But before Syntax could explain further, the grandfather clock stroke three. Immediately, The old pony who was Elkia’s mentor stepped into the lunchroom. ‘Alright, everypony! It’s time to create and be amazing again!’ There was no more time. Elkia managed to throw one last, worried gaze at his friend, before they had to go their separate ways. Elkia sat down at his typewriter, but he didn’t manage to produce anything. His nerves didn’t allow him. The rest of the afternoon was the slowest afternoon Elkia had ever experienced. In his head, he was calculating thousands of things which could go wrong, if he went through with his plan. Yet, he saw no other way. He simply had to see what was going on inside that bubble himself. Syntax didn’t know, and he couldn’t trust Strawberry Blonde anymore. He had the feeling there was more going on beneath that bubble than he thought. At the end of the working day, he met up with Syntax. The pony jammed a package into Elkia’s hooves and then promptly walked away from him. Elkia understood why. Syntax too, had everything he wanted here in Scribblers’ City, and he didn’t want his name to be besmirched. Yet, what about Elkia himself? Elkia went home and tried on the guard’s costume. It was a blue shirt, a blue jacket with yellow stripes, and a tie. It fitted Elkia perfectly. Looking in the mirror, he tried his most serious guard-expression, while putting the hat on his head. Even the hat fitted perfectly over Elkia’s ears and between his antlers. He quickly dipped his tag in a can of red paint and then he was done. He wasn’t ready, but he was as ready as he’d ever be. With a trembling voice, he said to his reflection, ‘O-o-okay, let’s… let’s do this.’ When the sun was down and the moon shone in the sky, signaling the ripening of the evening, Elkia trotted through the streets. He tried not to look into anypony’s eyes. This was his first test, he knew. As soon as anypony discovered who he was, he would turn around, abandon the whole guard-disguise-idea, and think up something more clever and safe together with Syntax. He was afraid, very afraid. Even though Syntax hadn’t been able to tell him what happened to traitors, Elkia knew that it wouldn’t be nice. A burning feeling grew in his stomach, and his nerves turned to ice. But besides fear, there was also guilt mixed in. This whole plan told him that he didn’t trust Scribblers’ City anymore. The dream of the beautiful utopia was gone, and it was replaced by cold hard suspicion. It was a bit sad. Nopony recognized him. As he reached the end of the street, he saw the bubble of pink and purple, magical energy right in front of him. Looking at it, Elkia noticed there were pillars, which encircled the whole bubble. On every pillar he could see the contours of a unicorn, holding up the barrier with magic from his or her horn. There was a stone archway which served as an entrance. Elkia swallowed, and stepped towards it. There were a few other guards standing by. Elkia saluted them in what he hoped was a guard-salutation. ‘Hello, fellow guards. Any… eh… disturbances this evening?’ Elkia even made some effort to make his voice sound deeper and—what he hoped—more authoritative. ‘Not yet,’ one of the guards said back. ‘So far it has been a peaceful evening.’ Elkia nodded. ‘Very well. I’d like to proceed and… scan the perimeter.’ Elkia felt as if he were playing in a theater play, and kept repeating this in his head. It’s only a play, it’s only a play, it’s only a play. ‘Certainly,’ the guard said. He motioned with his hoof towards the magical sphere. ‘Go ahead.’ Swallowing again, Elkia stepped forwards. His hoof just touched the magical sphere, when a harsh, deep voice forced him to halt. ‘HEY! Wait a minute…’ Elkia flinched. He knew this was the end of the plan. He had failed. Slowly, he turned his head to the speaker, another guard, and forced his face to look normal. ‘Yes, you,’ said the guard. ‘I recognize you…’ ‘I’m afraid not,’ Elkia said, doing another step forward. ‘No, I do recognize you,’ said the guard. Elkia was forced to look at him, and his heart skipped a beat, as he saw the bushy beard on the guard’s face. ‘You were the elk who helped us capture that other elk,’ said the guard. The guard was right. He was the exact same, bearded guard whom Elkia had interacted with when Alces had been on the run. Elkia closed his eyes, expecting to be unmasked and arrested. Neither of that happened. “Well, I’m sorry I insulted you back there,’ the bearded guard said. He stepped towards Elkia and patted him on the head. ‘Insulted me…?’ Elkia said. ‘Yes of course. I called you “civilian,” but I didn’t know you were a guard yourself.’ Elkia had no idea where this was going. Could he still save the mission? ‘Eh.. me neither?’ ‘What do you mean?’ the guard said. He tilted his head and squinted his eyes. But then, suddenly, they opened wide. ‘Oh, I know what you mean. You’re in training, aren’t you?’ ‘Yes,’ Elkia said, forcing his long legs not to tremble. ‘Well that’s great! Good for you,’ said the guard. ‘Yes, I can see it now. You were obviously impressed by our heroic capture of that other elk, and wanted to become a member of the Scribblers’ City guard force yourself. It all makes sense.’ ‘It… it does?’ Elkia said. The bearded guard turned to the one at the archway. ‘Commander, let me guide this young elk here and show him the way we do things. Is that alright?’ ‘As long as you’re back before the debriefing, it’s fine,’ said the other guard. ‘Something really special is supposed to happen this evening.’ ‘Sure, sure. Tell me all about that when we return, ok?’ ‘Roger that.’ The two guards saluted each other, and then the bearded one motioned for Elkia to follow him. Together, they stepped through the magical bubble. Elkia closed his eyes, as he had never stepped through magical bubbles before and didn’t know if he was supposed to close his eyes or not. When the tingling sound receded, he opened them again, and looked at the gardens inside. It was hot, terribly hot. Elkia felt as if he walked into a bakery where a thousand furnaces were busy baking delicious bread. He instantly started to sweat. Yet, Elkia wasn’t paying attention to that much, as he looked at what was going on in here. There were many, many patches of farmland scattered through the bubble. Narrow paths separated the different patches from each other. Elkia saw many different kinds of crops, although he couldn’t identify them by himself. Ponies were busy working the fields. They were all covered in sweat, and panted hard. They looked utterly exhausted. ‘Are they still at work?’ Elkia asked the guard. ‘Of course they are,’ the guard replied. Elkia tried to look at the moon, but of course he could only see the purple roof of the magical bubble. ‘But it’s so late.’ ‘So what?’ said the guard. ‘They all make long days here, at least fifteen hours. And we do too, by the way. Get used to it.’ ‘So, this is all normal?’ ‘Sure is,’ said the guard. He walked towards a little wooden path that snaked past all of the plots of farmland. ‘Are you coming?’ Elkia swallowed, and followed. They walked past even more fields, and also large troughs filled with dirt, in which more plants grew. Elkia couldn’t tear his eyes away form the working ponies. They were sweaty, dirty, and looked dead-tired. One mare stood close to the path, and when Elkia looked into her eyes, he could see the torture and tiredness emanating from them. Now that he was so close, he noticed to his shock that he could see her ribs. She was so skinny! ‘Do you give them enough food?’ said Elkia. ‘Maybe,’ said the guard. ‘I don’t know. I’m not responsible for feeding them. I believe they get some bread at the end of the day. Hmm… now that you mention it, I haven’t even seen them eat anything else.’ Elkia’s eyes went wide. Just some bread!? That was definitely not enough to keep ponies healthy, especially if they had to work under such circumstances, doing this hard physical labor in this blistering heat. Elkia wanted to say something more, but kept his mouth shut, as he still had a cover not to blow. The bearded pony stopped. ‘This is where all our food comes from. It is our job as guards to make sure the ponies working here don’t flee or run off, and keep working at their maximum speed. Of course, we don’t want them to become lazy now, do we?’ Elkia shook his head, yet he didn’t agree. He understood that laziness was the biggest enemy of Scribblers’ City, but these ponies weren’t lazy—they were tired! After looking into that mare’s eyes, Elkia sincerely doubted whether the ponies were here of their own free will. They didn’t look happy at all. Suddenly, a pony, a mare, who was plowing the fields, fell to the ground. Her eyes were closed, and Elkia wondered if she’d fallen asleep right there and then. ‘Get up and work, you,’ said the guard. Reaching back, he grabbed something that looked like a rope. After slinging it through the air, he brought it down upon the pony. A loud crack sounded, rebounding from the walls of the magical bubble. Elkia flinched. When he looked again at the mare, he saw that she was still lying on the ground. The guard glanced at Elkia for a moment. ‘Come on, join me! This is the fun part.’ He let his whip crack another time, dangerously close to the mare’s back. Elkia couldn’t believe what he saw. Instead of helping the poor pony, he was scaring her?! He bit back the urge to rush over to her and help her. ‘Why aren’t you joining in?’ said the guard. Elkia said nothing. ‘Oh, now I see,’ the guard said, ‘you don’t have a whip yet. No matter. We’ll get you one at the barracks.’ The guard brandished his whip and cracked it once more. The mare, however, didn’t respond. Now Elkia had enough of this. He jumped over the fence and onto the farmland. He grabbed the hoof of the pony, and tried to talk to her. Together, they managed to stand up. The mare, noticing Elkia’s helping hooves, scowled, retreated her hoof, and resumed her work with gritted teeth. For a moment Elkia was confused, but then he realized he was still dressed up as a guard. ‘Hey, what are you doing?’ shouted the bearded pony. ‘Helping,’ said Elkia, as he jumped back over the fence. ‘Are you sure you want to be a guard, Mister Elk?’ The guard scrutinized Elkia’s face. Elkia hoped the guard couldn’t see the heartbreaking tears. ‘You seem to be a little on the soft side.’ ‘I… eh… I just…’ ‘We guards have to be tough, you know. We don’t want an uprising, right? The only way to make sure they keep themselves at the other side of the fence is if we are hard on them. You saw what happened with that other elk. He escaped because the guard watching over him went soft.’ Elkia blinked hard and swallowed. He couldn’t keep his voice deep anymore. ‘I’m… I’m sorry, Mister. I’ll be hard as rock next time.’ ‘Ha! That’s what I wanna see.’ The guard patted Elkia on the head. ‘Now, shall we continue our tour?’ Elkia wanted to say no, but he knew he had to. He wasn’t sure he could witness any more of this. The path went around some wooden buildings. They looked like cottages, but longer, much longer. ‘These are the barracks where all the workers sleep,’ said the guard. ‘You can look inside if you want, but there isn’t much to see.’ ‘I still want to look,’ Elkia said. If he was going to judge this place properly, nothing should be hidden from him. ‘Alrighty then,’ said the guard. He walked over to a set of double doors. There was a chain wrapped around them. The guard got the key, and removed the chain. When the doors opened and Elkia watched inside, he once more got shocked. There was nothing, absolutely nothing. No beds, no mattresses, no pillows, and no blankets. There weren’t even candles or any sort of light! ‘This is where they sleep?’ Elkia asked. ‘That’s what I told you, remember. Jeez, you’re a slow one,’ said the guard. ‘We just put them in here, and then they pick a spot, curl up and fall asleep. They don’t need any light, because they’re sleeping anyway.’ The guard chuckled. ‘There’s no sleepless nights here in the bubble, Mister Elk. The work will make sure everyone is nice and tired at the end of the day.’ ‘That’s… that’s…’ A stench was coming from the barracks. Elkia now realized why he hadn’t been able to find Alces’s house. Instead of owning a lovely little cottage for himself, he had to sleep crowded together with maybe three dozen other workers in these “barracks?” It looked more like a garden shed to Elkia. While Elkia silently thought, the bearded guard was busy closing the barracks again. When he was done he kept following the path, with Elkia behind him. They were climbing a low hill now, as the path went steadily upwards. Looking left and right, Elkia saw that the hill was divided into terraces, level plots of ground on which ponies toiled and worked the land. They went up, up, up, until they came upon another longhouse. This one looked in much better state than the workers’ barracks, and even had windows and a little garden. ‘This is the guardhouse,’ said the guard. ‘Here we can go, have lunch, and relax after a hard day’s work. There’s a particularly cozy coffee corner. Shall we get inside?’ Elkia was unsure how to answer. He turned around, and found to his surprise that he had a marvelous view of the terraces and the plots of land far below. He could see every little plant, every sweating pony, every arched back, and every guard. But that was not all he saw. There, on one terrace, his brother was busy working. Elkia’s heart made a little jump as he discovered him, despite seeing the state his brother was in. Instead of his muscular, stocky appearance, he looked thin and worn-out. The fire in his eyes had been reduced to smoldering coals. His antlers looked as thin as birch branches. Seeing his brother like that pained Elkia to the core of his heart. The once proud heir of Aeltha the seer had been reduced to a working slave. Realization slapped Elkia in the face. His brother had been right—right about everything! Guilt followed quickly, like the pain after a blow. Elkia hadn’t believed Alces, yet here he was, seeing everything with his own eyes, seeing the truth for what it was—and the truth wasn’t pretty. Both feelings manifested into a silent, ‘Why…?’ which slipped between his lips. ‘I beg your pardon?’ To Tartarus with his mission, to Tartarus with his disguise. Elkia threw it all away. ‘Why?’ he said again. ‘Because the temperature is much better inside,’ answered the guard. ‘There’s pegasi who make sure only cool winds flow through the guardhouse. Trust me, the only thing that’s hot is the coffee.’ ‘No, that’s not what I meant,’ said Elkia. ‘I mean why are you treating everyone so badly. They are ponies, just like you!’ The guard’s moustache twitched. Elkia knew he might just have revealed himself with his “why,” but he didn’t care. The only thing he cared about were the poor workers. The guard walked towards Elkia until they stood side by side, and watched over the farmlands in the magical bubble. ‘They deserve it, you know? Just look at them and tell me what you see. You know Scribblers’ City. You know why it is here, right?’ ‘I…’ Actually, Elkia had not the faintest idea. He had lived here for so long, and he knew almost nothing about the town’s purpose and history. ‘Wow, they did an awful job at your briefing, Mister Elk,’ said the guard. ‘Let me explain it to you nice and slowly, so you understand everything correctly.’ Elkia didn’t like the tone of the guard. Had he given himself away? ‘There’s certain ponies who are of use to us, and there are ponies who are of no use to us. You know about them creative folks, right? They get the best jobs, the best food, and the best houses because they are useful. They create all kinds of beautiful trinkets and baubles to spread the idea of equality in a cutie-mark-less society, blah, blah, blah. But what about the other folks? They end up here. These ponies are the scumbags that have no creative talent or challenge our laws and customs with their temper or their behavior. We can’t use them in our society to create propaganda, but we can’t just send them on their way, or else they will tell others about our beautiful Scribblers’ City.’ Elkia was silent and listened, but his eyes were not meeting the guard’s; they were looking at Alces. ‘And what then? Then our community will be threatened. Perhaps others would like to conquer it, burn it down and then build something they like on the ashes. Or perhaps the princesses will take a look themselves and track down the beautiful town of our great leader. Then not only Scribblers’ City will be threatened, but also Starlight’s village!’ Nodding, Elkia pretended to be interested. The guard didn’t seem to notice the lack of eye contact, and continued talking. ‘If we let these degenerates go, we might lose Scribblers’ City. So that’s why they’re here. Right here, they are of use to us, working in the fields and stuff, and they don’t run away to expose our delicate operation. It’s a win-win situation, you see?’ Elkia didn’t see, yet he was as smart as to keep his mouth shut. ‘And that’s why we’re here, to guard them, get them to work, and make sure they stay underneath the magical sphere. We don’t want them to mingle with our proper citizens, now do we? What in Equestria would our good citizens think of these half-starved ruffians? I don’t even want to know. Hay, I can hardly imagine, can you?’ ‘I can,’ Elkia said, soft enough so the guard wouldn’t hear it. ‘And that’s enough philosophizing for one evening,’ said the guard. ‘The rest you’ll have to figure out yourself. Shall we get that cup of coffee?’ ‘Yes, certainly,’ said Elkia, his voice faint and distant. ‘Go make some coffee. I will join you later.’ ‘I see,’ said the guard. ‘Spellbound by these terraces, eh? Yeah, so was I the first time on the top of the hill. No matter, coffee will clear your mind.’ The guard turned around. ‘Just make sure you’re inside before the sprinklers open up. You don’t want to get soaked to the bone, do you?’ And with that, the guard disappeared from sight. Elkia didn’t even cast one single glance at the guardhouse, but jumped right over the fence. A few more strides on his long legs brought him close to his brother. Alces didn’t even hear him, yet when finally Elkia came into view, some of the fire returned to his eyes. ‘Elkia! You’re here.’ ‘I am, brother, I am.’ Elkia hugged Alces tightly. ‘Now I know the horrible truth, Alces. Now I know what you meant, and that you didn’t exaggerate at all. This place is terrible. If I’d known this, I’d left much, much sooner. There’s nothing worse than slavery.’ Alces obviously wanted to end the embrace, but found himself too weak. Yet the fire in his eyes rekindled to a blaze. ‘I told you, Elkia. I told you.’ ‘Oh, can you ever forgive me?’ Elkia said, his eyes full of tears. Alces made a crooked smile, or was he grinding his teeth? Elkia wasn’t sure. ‘I’ll only forgive you if you get us out of here.’ ‘Ah, yes, of course.’ Elkia ended the embrace. ‘I don’t suppose you have another set of guard’s clothing?’ Alces said. Elkia shook his head. ‘Well, whatever,’ Alces said. ‘It’s not as if they’re going to believe the guard has two elks now. How were they even stupid enough to let you in?’ An awkward smile appeared on Elkia’s face. ‘Eh… let’s just say I had connections. And luck. Much, much luck.’ ‘Very well…’ Alces closed his eyes, and Elkia wasn’t sure whether he’d fallen asleep or whether he was thinking. ‘We need a plan, Elkia,’ Alces said after a while. ‘We need a plan fast, because I don’t know how long I’ll last in here.’ Alces sat down on his haunches, as his strength left him alone. ‘They’ve been mistreating me ever since I saw an opportunity to escape. Heh, I’ll be sure not to run into you during my next breakout.’ ‘No matter, Alces. We are together, and we have the truth. There’s nopony stopping us now.’ ‘I hope not,’ said Alces. He blinked. ‘There’s been rumors about tonight. Somepony very important is supposed to visit this cursed city. The guard patrols have been doubled, and they were very cruel to us today.’ ‘It seems my luck is running out then,’ said Elkia. ‘We don’t need luck, we need a plan,’ said Alces. ‘Whose plan was it to dress you up like that anyway?’ ‘Not my idea,’ said Elkia. ‘It was an idea from Syntax, a friend of mine. He’s the one who—' A strange sound reached Elkia’s ears, making him stop talking. It was the sound as if somepony opened a valve to let the water flow. ‘What is that?’ ‘Sprinklers to water the crops,’ Alces said. Indeed. Elkia noticed a metal tube with holes next to him. Seconds later, fine streams of water jumped out of the holes. In a matter of minutes the elks were totally wet. ‘Don’t focus on the water. Focus on the plan,’ Alces said. ‘Now, I myself am feeling very weak. Maybe, if you could come back and smuggle in some food, and you’ll do that every day, then maybe I’ll be up for some more action. When I have my strength back, we could—’ ‘I’d love to hear more, but I think the time to end this is now,’ the deep voice of the bearded guardpony said. Elkia’s heart froze over in the heat. His head snapped around. The guardpony was standing behind him, his horn charged with magical energy. Alces ignored the guard, sighed, and looked at his brother. ‘You did check your rear, didn’t you?’ ‘I was so enthusiastic…’ Elkia said. The guard cleared his throat. ‘I had the feeling you two were friends, and I knew the moment I saw you, Mister Elk, that you came for him. A good thing I stayed hidden in the bushes, otherwise I’d missed the warm friendship talk. And now I have proof of your spying.’ Proof? Proof? Elkia’s mind was in overdrive. Adrenaline rushed through his body. Then he got what the guard meant, swung his ear around, and looked at the tag. Yellow. The water had washed off the paint. ‘That’s right, elk. Now I know for sure that you were not supposed to be here,’ said the guard. ‘Now come with me very slowly, and this adventure might get a happy ending. Might.’ ‘Run,’ Alces whispered. ‘I’m too weak. Save yourself.’ Elkia tried to think, but the stress was killing him. He tried to find the best solution in the adrenaline-pumped tangle that was his mind. He couldn’t find any. Tears clouded his vision, as he whispered to his brother, ‘I’ll come back. I promise.’ Winking, Alces stroked his brother’s fur one last time. ‘No, of course not. I will come to you.’ With some hidden burst of strength, Alces got up on his hooves. He jumped once, twice, and slammed with his antlers into the guardpony. The guard released his magic, which flew away. When Elkia followed the bolt of lightning fast magic, he saw how it hit home against the wall of the bubble. ‘Run, you fool!’ Alces yelled. Elkia looked from the bubble to Alces. More tears ran over his cheeks. ‘I’m sorry, brother,’ he said, and then jumped over the fence. He galloped down the slope of the hill. There was a guard who had heard the shouts and was running uphill. He charged a magical bolt, but before he could fire, Elkia jumped. He sailed through the air, and landed right behind the guard. He gave a buck, and the guard flew away. More guards appeared at the bottom of the hill. A duo of them waited patiently for Elkia to run towards them. A glow spread over their horns, as they prepared to shoot magic at the fake elk guard. There was nothing Elkia could do. To the left and right of him were nothing but fields and poor workponies. Elkia didn’t want to take the fight to them. Instead, he lowered his antlers and closed his eyes, while the guards fired their spells. They hit their target. Elkia expected electricity flowing through his body, paralyzing him and making him curl up in pain. None of that happened. The bolts hit Elkia’s antlers. Antlers are made of solid bone, so none of the spell power managed to pierce through. The beams ricocheted off the antlers, straight back towards the guards. Elkia only had to jump over their spasming bodies to reach the hole. The charge of the bearded guard had made a hole in the membrane, but the membrane was restoring itself, and the hole grew smaller and smaller. Elkia galloped and estimated, he estimated and galloped. Was he going to fit through the gap or not? Elkia heard more shouts. A quick backwards glance revealed more and more guards. There were a dozen behind him now. If he wasn’t quickly enough, he’d have a bubble full or guards to fight through. He had only one chance, and he needed to take it. The hole came closer and closer. At last, Elkia reached the hole. And slammed into the barrier. The hole was too narrow! Elkia tried it again and again, awkwardly trying to fit his antlered head through the hole. It just didn’t work. A whole squadron of guards was now only a few yards away from him. Elkia had to come up with something. For the first time in many months, Elkia felt angry. His brother had sacrificed himself, throwing himself at the guard so he could run. And now it was all for nothing. Elkia felt like stomping his hooves on the ground or bashing something with his antlers… And then he got an idea. Elkia ignored the guards, and proceeded to bash against the magical bubble with his antlers. But he wasn’t trying to make the hole bigger; he was trying to make his head smaller. He felt the root of the antler crack and tear. One last bash, and his right antler fell to the ground. ‘Do something!’ one of the guards yelled. ‘Stun him!’ A barrage of flashing magical energy lances flew towards Elkia. He turned to face the guards, and lowered his remaining antler. If only he could catch some of that force… Yes! The impact of the bolts felt like another elk headbutting him. The magic pounded and pounded against his antlers. And then the other one broke. The guards had reached Elkia. They formed a circle around him, and kept their horns ready. ‘Now come with us, little elk, and we will find a way to settle this.’ Elkia knew this was the time to say something badass. This was the time to show some spunk and some bravery. His mind worked, but it was hard to get inspiration under these circumstances. Elkia narrowed his eyes and estimated the distances. Then he said, ‘I will be the one settling this.’ A bit long for a one-liner, but it had to do. The unicorn guards released their magic, but Elkia was quicker. He jumped aside on his long legs, right over a fence, and into the field behind it. The guards were unsure what to do, and, before they realized what was going on, Elkia appeared on the other side of the road, having cut off a corner. Elkia charged. ‘Shoot him now!’ But is was too late. Elkia jumped over the guard patrol, held his breath, and squeezed himself right through the hole in the magical bubble. Only when he felt the cobblestone street underneath his hooves did he dare to open his eyes and look back. A very angry-faced guard patrol was staring at him from the other side of the bubble. The hole had closed. ‘I did it,’ Elkia said. ‘I actually did it!’ Elkia couldn’t believe it himself. He was never an action hero, yet this daring escape had somehow worked out in his favor. ‘Iyiahoo!’ he shouted in Elkish, prancing around. But when he looked back at the bubble and saw that the guards had disappeared, he knew it was only a matter of time before they themselves reached the exit. Elkia glanced around, finding his bearings, and then galloped through main street. At first he set off towards his own home, but soon realized how stupid that was. As long as he was inside Scribblers’ City, he wasn’t safe. Instead, he headed down another street. He knew this one led to the marketplace, and then straight out of the western gate. He only hoped the guards there hadn’t heard about his great escape yet. Can unicorns use magical telepathy? Elkia hoped they couldn’t. Finally, the marketplace came into view. It looked very busy, as a wall of ponies stood before him. They weren’t guards, though, and their backs were turned to Elkia, so he was happy. The marketplace was always busy, and that was good. Now he had a crowd to blend into, and with his antlers gone, it would be much harder to spot him in the multicolored throng of ponies. He only had to bend down a little, as he was still much taller than a pony. He reached the crowd. Now it was time to blend in. Elkia elbowed his way through the crowd, and said many a ‘Sorry, oops, excuse me.’ The downside of the crowd was that he didn’t really see where he was going, but as long as he had a vague sense of direction, he knew which course to take. After all, the western gate was in the west. Elkia found it strange that all the ponies in the crowd had their backs turned towards him. Were they all staring at the same stall? Elkia tried to find out what it was they were all looking at. He looked back over his shoulder, watching the crowd. Suddenly, the crowd opened up before him. With the resistance gone, Elkia stumbled on his long legs, trying to regain his footing. He stumbled a bit more, looked in front of him, and then fell down to the ground. ‘I know I’m a rare and impressive sight, but I hadn’t realized ponies would actually drop down and bow before me.’ Upon hearing the voice, Elkia stood up and looked. A pink unicorn with a violet mane stood before him. There was a blue streak through her mane, which complemented her eyes. They were stern eyes, the eyes of someone who is used to giving orders. Her stare was so powerful, Elkia found himself unable to look away. ‘Oh my, look at that! It isn’t even a pony but a… deer?’ ‘An elk, to be exact,’ Elkia said awkwardly. He closed his eyes, and found this was the only way to avoid that pony’s striking gaze. When he opened them again and looked behind him, he saw there was nopony behind him at all. The crowd stood in a wide circle around him, and it took Elkia two seconds to realize whom the ponies were encircling. ‘You’re tall,’ said the pink pony with the violet mane. She slowly paced in a circle around Elkia, as if she were studying a new kind of animal. There was only silence. As Elkia looked at the crowd, he saw that everypony’s eyes were big, and their mouths were open in a silent gasp. Had he done something wrong? ‘I’m confused,’ pink pony said, stopping her pacing around. ‘You look like a guard, but I can see from the look in your eyes that you’re on the run yourself. You are so hasty. Are you a traitor, a spy, a double-crosser?’ Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded from the throng of silent ponies. An old earth pony with glasses wriggled himself through the crowd. It was Elkia’s writing mentor. Once he reached the outer ring, he stood before the pink pony and bowed. ‘Please excuse him, s-s-supreme leader. He is one of my students, and he is m-m-my responsibility.’ ‘Hm… I see,’ said the pink pony. She narrowed her eyes towards the mentor, and then watched Elkia again with undying interest. ‘So you’re a creative mind then? Don’t say anything. Let me guess, you look like a… writer.’ ‘That’s eh… right?’ said Elkia. He craned his neck and looked to the west. The circle of ponies was too broad to jump over, and besides that, Elkia had the feeling that fleeing now, from this pink and purple pony, was a decision he would regret very soon. Pink pony nodded. ‘Is he good?’ she asked the mentor, her voice as cold as ice. ‘H-h-he’s my most promising student,’ the mentor said. He had risen, but his knees were shaking. ‘H-h-he wrote a very popular children’s book. E-e-everyone has a copy. It’s… it’s very good.’ ‘Hmm… I see,’ the pink pony said again. She turned her eyes from the mentor to Elkia and back. So they stood for a while, in silence, trading only glares and thoughts. The silence seemed endless, until it was finally broken by another familiar voice, a low, heavy voice. ‘He must be here somewhere! Get through this crowd, everypony,’ said the guard with the beard. ‘He mustn’t disturb Starlight Glimmer’s visit to the city.’ Then he shouted, ‘Everyone, stand aside, by order of the guard!’ It took only a few silent seconds for the guard to reach the front of the crowd. He appeared with three comrades, and he spotted Elkia immediately. ‘There you are, you renegade!’ ‘Uh-oh,’ said the pink pony, whose name Elkia guessed to be Starlight Glimmer. She talked as if she were speaking to a child. ‘It seems our master writer is in trouble now. Have you done anything naughty, Mister Elk?’ Elkia couldn’t find words with which to speak, but luckily Starlight Glimmer wasn’t waiting for him to talk anyway. She had made up her mind. ‘I want this elk kept somewhere close to the zeppelin, and I want to have a private talk with this pony here.’ She pointed to the mentor. ‘B-b-but great leader,’ said the bearded guard, ‘this elk has spied on us, and he needs to be detained in the bubble and—’ ‘I gave you a command, guard captain,’ said the pink pony. Her voice indicated that any objection was a no-go. ‘Carry it out!’ The guard captain bowed. ‘Yes, great leader Glimmer.’ With wide steps he strode towards Elkia. As soon as he reached him, he put his horn to his forehead, and whispered in his ear, ‘I don’t know what our leader will do with you, but I hope it is slow and painful.’ Then he released his spell, and Elkia’s world flowed away in a slumber. * * SPLASH! Elkia’s eyes opened. Was it raining? It was dark, wherever he was, and he was soaking wet. But, thanks to the water, he didn’t feel too drowsy. He felt clear and fresh. He blinked once, twice, then stood up. ‘Ouch!’ The cage was apparently not made for elks. Elkia bumped his antlerless head. He fell to his haunches, and rubbed the sore spot between his ears. He took a few seconds to look around. Slowly, his eyes adjusted to the dark, and he could make out the contours of a pony. ‘Elkia! Are you okay?’ Elkia recognized the voice, and he was not sure to feel happy or sad or both at the same time. He was just as confused as during that strange evening. ‘Strawberry Blonde?’ ‘Yes, it’s me, Elkia. I’m sorry I used up all of your water, but I have to be fast. I have no idea when they are going to deal with you.’ ‘Deal with me? But… but…’ Elkia could now see that he was surrounded by iron bars. He was in a cage, and opposite of it, the familiar pony with the almost blond, almost red mane was whispering to him. ‘Shush! Be quiet,’ said Strawberry. ‘But where am I?’ ‘In a tent close to the zeppelin.’ ‘Wait, what’s a zeppelin?’ Strawberry Blonde sighed. She looked back, but no one was behind her. ‘Sometimes, on very rare occasions, our great leader Starlight Glimmer visits Scribblers’ City. There’s a Zeppelin which flies from Griffonstone, bearing supplies to here. In return, they take the art and books we make, and takes those to Starlight’s village, somewhere in the desert. Apparently, Starlight decided to hop along and do us the honor of paying us a visit.’ ‘Alright, too much information,’ said Elkia. ‘But what has this to do with me? Why am I here, in a cage? Did the guards capture me?’ ‘They did,’ said Strawberry. ‘I arrived later on, but I heard the news from somepony else.’ Scared though as Elkia was, more questions bubbled to the surface in his mind. ‘But… why are you here anyway?’ ‘Because…’ Strawberry Blonde paused. Elkia wished he could see her face more clearly. ‘Because I don’t know if this will be the last time I see you.’ Whoa, whoa, wait. Now she did love him? That answer only made Elkia more confused. He was confused, in the dark, in a cage, with a pony who loved him after all? ‘I… I don’t know if I should believe you,’ said Elkia. He wasn’t angry. His voice wasn’t even cold or harsh. Just as during that evening, he was only surprised and confused. ‘You should, Elkia. And I should have told you the truth. I do love you. I love you unlike any other stallion I ever had. There’s a reason there’s no picture with you and I on my bulletin board. I thought I had found the one.’ Elkia thought about that. ‘But if you really thought that, then what was up with that blue stallion?’ Strawberry stomped her hoof on the ground. ‘That was just a shallow relationship, a relationship only handy at some moments. Friends with benefits, do you understand?’ ‘No,’ said Elkia. ‘Then I’ll make you understand.’ Strawberry Blonde did one step towards the cage, reached through the bars, and grabbed Elkia’s cheeks. Before he realized what happened, Strawberry Blonde gave him a kiss. He felt the warmth of her lips upon his muzzle, and little puffs of a quickening breath. The kiss seemed to last forever. When at last their lips parted, Elkia stared at her in amazement. And so they stared at each other in silence. Strawberry was close enough so Elkia could see what her face looked like. She had tears, even though they had shared such a loving moment. Was it a hopeless kiss, signaling a hopeless love? Did Strawberry Blonde care about him or not? She seemed to have read his thoughts. ‘Listen, Elkia. You have no idea how much I risk coming here to see you. If the kiss wasn’t enough proof, then consider that. If somepony comes in here and sees us, I’ll be next to you in a cage soon.’ ‘At least you’ll be with me,’ said Elkia. Strawberry sighed. ‘Why are you making this so hard for me, you naïve little thing? Isn’t it plain to you that I don’t want to lose you? I…’ She searched for words to say, but the appropriate ones didn’t come to her. Instead, she repeated what she said, slowly, placing emphasis on every word. ‘I don’t want to lose you.’ Elkia saw how her shoulders shocked up and down. Was she crying? Elkia had never, ever seen her cry. She was such a strong and capable young mare, and now she was crying in the dark? Those tears were almost enough proof for Elkia. ‘You keep saying that you’ll lose me… Have you any idea what they will do to me?’ Strawberry wiped her eyes dry with her hoof, yet Elkia saw that new tears came. ‘I… I don’t know. Sometimes Starlight Glimmer takes other ponies away with her zeppelin, but they are never seen again. I… I can only guess what horrible things they will do to you.’ That was not an answer that satisfied Elkia the way the kiss had done. He swallowed, trying to push the fear away. He stopped thinking about his own fate, which was apparently balancing on the tip of a knife, and thought about his brother. ‘Alces,’ he said. ‘What?’ ‘My plan was to free Alces, that’s why I was dressed up as a guard and had to run. The mission failed, and he’s still underneath that magical bubble. But with me gone… I wish I could only imagine what horrible things they could do to him, but the truth is that I have seen enough horrid things during my visit to the bubble.’ Suddenly, Strawberry Blonde once again reached through the cage. She held Elkia’s hooves in her own. ‘Then I’ll try to save him.’ ‘You… but I still don’t know if—’ ‘Consider it a token of our trust, you strange little elk,’ Strawberry Blonde said. Her voice was now no longer cracked, but strong and confident, as if the mission was already accomplished. But then she dropped Elkia’s hooves again, and looked at the ground. ‘I mean… I would want to help him, if only I knew what to do.’ If this was a trap or a lie, Elkia was falling for it completely. But he didn’t care. They were talking about his brother now. For two seconds Elkia thought, and then explained his plan, which was far from a real plan—it was more of a suggestion. ‘He’s very weak through lack of food, so he can’t do anything on his own. Go and see Syntax. Green writing pony with an enormous set of glasses. He has connections. Surely he will know what to do.’ ‘Syntax, green pony, glasses, got it,’ said Strawberry. Her voice had gained some more strength. ‘Anything else I should know?’ ‘You should know,’ Elkia said, ‘that if you manage to get him out, I’ll be able to forgive you, and maybe even understand you better. And maybe, just maybe, if the Light Elk smiles upon us and we may somehow meet again, we might be able to share our love with each other, and live like we used to, happily ever after, with just the two of us. There’s only one more thing I want to know to seal our newfound trust.’ ‘What is it?’ Elkia’s voice was stern. ‘Did, or did you not, know that my brother was here?’ ‘I…’ She paused for a second, perhaps thinking whether she should tell the truth or a lie. In the end, she chose the truth. ‘He arrived before you, Elkia. A guard patrol captured him. He was roaming close to Scribblers’ City, and the guards didn’t think it was safe to let him walk free.’ ‘So they actually captured him, against his will?’ Strawberry nodded. ‘He didn’t want to come at all. He was really angry and violent. I knew from the very first minute I saw him where he would end up. I guess… I guess I have to say sorry to him, if I find an opportunity to do that.’ Elkia shook his head. ‘But why? Why keep it a secret to your beloved? To me?’ Strawberry started poking the dirt with her hoof. ‘I was scared that you would find out the truth. Of course you wouldn’t like me anymore, but that’s not all. If I had told you, and you would have shown any resistance, or come up with some kind of escape plan, you might end up… well…’ ‘Locked up in a cage in the dark?’ ‘Exactly.’ A last tear glistened on her cheek. ‘Even then, I was scared to lose you. When you told me about your brother I had to keep it a secret. For you and me both.’ ‘I understand,’ said Elkia. Strawberry lightened up. ‘You do?’ ‘I understand, but I’m still not sure I forgive you. Only when you—’ Another voice sounded. Both Elkia and Strawberry heard hoofsteps coming closer. ‘I promise to help your brother,’ said Strawberry, looking left and right. ‘I hope you can deliver,’ said Elkia back. He found it hard now to be angry at her. Perhaps this was the last moment they would see each other. He couldn’t control himself anymore. He grabbed Strawberry Blonde, and they kissed again, as long as time allowed them. The tent flap opened, casting a ray of light inside the tent. There was just enough time for Strawberry to jump behind some crates, as the two guards walked in, and stopped in front of Elkia’s cage. ‘Well, well. If it isn’t the deer.’ ‘Elk,’ said Elkia. ‘Whatever. You need to go back to sleep, buddy. We’re not done packing yet. How did you wake up anyway?’ ‘Eh…’ Elkia looked over the guard’s shoulders at Strawberry. He caught one last glimpse of her, before she snuck around and disappeared behind the tent flap. Elkia swore she winked at him before she vanished, but that could also have been a trick of the light. ‘Lost your tongue, elk?’ said guard number two. ‘Eh… I just… I’m a light sleeper,’ Elkia said. The guards didn’t seem to care. ‘Whatever. Just hold still while I perform the sleep spell.’ ‘Oh no! Not again!’ Elkia scooted back, until his back was against the other end of the cage. ‘Ow, come on, elk. Don’t make this so hard for us,’ said guard number two. ‘We have a job to do here too, you know, and you’re not making it any easier for us.’ Now that Elkia was some distance away, he couldn’t clearly see guard number one. Suddenly, he felt something sharp against the back of his head. The last thing he thought before he once more went to sleep was the advice his brother had given him. Always check your rear.