Sitting in this cage, I remembered all my acquaintances: relatives, friends... Luna... Now they are all under the control of Sombra. And despite the fact that my mind is free, I still can not help them... So, stop! Why is my mind free? How am I different from the others, especially since the Sombra has captured the minds of even the alicorns? I began to think. So, what can be a factor in my freedom? I'm a Sombrero, a regular unicorn. I love to play the banjo, I love Luna. I am the first person of myself, and Sombra is the second…»
As much as I have not reasoned on this score, nothing practical has come out. And what's the point? I'm in a cage.
"I see you didn't take 'hurry, we don't have much time' very seriously!" a familiar voice protested.
"Discord, is that you again?"
"Who else? I said, are you even going to get out of the cage?"
"I wonder how I'll do it. You can see that Sombra has summoned a bunch of crystals around the cage. Even if I break it, I'll still be locked up."
"So what? You know, you'd be good if you even tried…"
"I've tried! Do you see what this has led to? It just got worse."
"That's not an argument. No, just think: you have a small chance to save all those who are dear to you, but instead you sit on croup, hope for a miracle. And what are your plans for the future, Sombrero? Sit on until you're old. If so, I have nothing to talk to you about."
The voice faded, and I began to consider his words. Little chance. I wonder why he thought I had that chance. He's right, though. I have to get out. Perhaps Discord and I are the only ones who can stop Sombra. And the pony needs my help now! No, I will not sit idle hooves, and I will act! I began to pound the bars again with my hind hooves. I soon succeeded in gouging one crystal out of the cage. But the most difficult thing remained – a wall of crystals. I went over to her and started hammering, but she didn't even flinch. I struck again – not a scratch. So, clearly, I need to come up with something else. I'll play the banjo, which usually helps me think.
I took out my banjo and began to play my favorite tune. And suddenly I noticed that the wall began to tremble slightly, and the cage trembled more. I was surprised by this and continued to play. With every note the cage behind me was covered with cracks until they completely crumbled to dust. But the wall still stood before me intact. Then I decided to play a different tune, in higher tones. And it worked! The crystals began to tremble noticeably more, and after a while a crack appeared on one of them. I began to play harder, making the music even louder. If only no one heard. - flashed through my head. The crack began to grow larger along the crystal. Finally, she reached the peak of the crystal, and it split in half, opening a passage for me. I climbed over it and looked around: the throne room was empty. Now it was necessary to leave the city unnoticed. One thing remained a mystery: how? Okay, I will be able to get out of the Palace, but the city is standing on the mountain. Was it to be hoped that there was a cave in the mountain leading down? Okay, it's worth a shot.
I wasted no time in running out of the throne room. But there was another problem: this corridor leads only to the exit. And if I meet the guards, I'll either have to fight my way forward or run back. Neither the one nor the other option does not suit me, so I turned back. There I opened the window and looked out – just below the wall was a small patch of earth. I turned my head to the right and saw that the narrow strip ended at the normal surface of the earth. However, there was a risk that I might fall.
Ah, well, the risk, as they say, is a noble thing, I said, and cautiously descended the wall to the ground.
It remains only to go a hundred meters. I walked with my back to the wall, holding it with my hind hooves, and slowly moved my hind hooves, moving toward the ground. Fifty meters to go. The main thing is not to look down, otherwise my head will spin, and I will definitely fall. Twenty-five meters. Here the strip began to narrow, so I began to move more slowly. Ten meters. As luck would have it, here the ground became exactly under the wall. What the hell was to be done? Although, there is only one way out: to jump. However, the chances of jumping when you stand on your hind hooves on a very narrow strip are very small. But I have to do it. I bent my knees, jumped, spun in the air, and closed my eyes, hoping for a better outcome…
A moment later I felt the grass beneath me, but I was afraid to open my eyes, thinking it was a phantom sensation. Soon, as I continued to feel the ground beneath me, I opened my eyes. It turned out, the abyss was behind.
I got up and walked toward the mountain.
There I must find a cave that will lead me down. I hope I can do it. I figured it was about half a kilometer from here to the mountain, which meant I'd be there in about five minutes. If, of course, no one gets in my way. But I was lucky: there was no one on the streets at all. I wonder what Sombra is going to do with all this.
I reached the mountain and saw the entrance to the cave. I immediately went there. Torches hung and still burned on the walls of the cave. I took one with me. The cave began to go down a little, and I thought I was on the right track. Soon the cave divided into two roads. Now we need to decide where to go. Left or right? Without thinking twice, I decided to go left. If there's a dead end, I'll go back to the right aisle. After walking a little along the corridor of the cave, I noticed that the air here smells damp. After a while the passage went sharply down. I went to the edge and saw the lake below. And to go further, I have to swim. The main thing is not to wet the torch, otherwise I will remain in the dark. I stepped carefully into the water, which was not just cold but icy, and swam forward, holding the torch above the water. Soon the shore came in sight, and I came out of the water all wet and cold.
"Who said it would be easy?" I said aloud, and walked on.
After a while, the corridor began to descend steeper. I seem to have chosen the right path. A little later I saw a light ahead. Did I get out? I quickened my pace and drew nearer to the light. Finally, I stepped out of the corridor and into the fresh air. Looking up, I saw a huge stone ledge in the mountain. So that's what it looks like from below. Okay, no time to admire. Discord arranged to meet me in the Everfree Forest. But it was still half a day's walk, and my stomach was clamoring for food. Ah, that do about it, will have go.
Strange, I always thought that the Everfree Forest is closer to the mountain, and here is how it turns out. In General, in the evening I was already on the outskirts of the forest. I began to walk around it, looking for a path. Soon I found her. It led from Ponyville to the Everfree Forest. I entered the depths of the forest. It was dark here because of the dense trees that blocked the sky. Soon the path led me to a strange hut. It was a tree, but someone had made a house out of it. I thought Discord might be there and went inside.
"Wow, I didn't think you'd be back so soon." Discord appeared at the door. There was a Zebra in the house besides him. "Her name is Zecora. She had protected her hut from the influence of the Sombra, and I thought she might help us, too."
"Ok. Hello, Zecora."
"Greetings, solitary traveller. I see you're tired from the road. Do not be shy, come into the house, I will be glad to you in it."
"Wow, you speak in verse?!" I was surprised.
"Yes, she does," said Discord for her. "Now to the point: Sombra has captured Equestria, and we must stop him."
"We know that. And how are you going to do that?"
"You'd better tell our tabby girlfriend how you got out of the cage."
"Tell me what?" I decided to play my banjo, but it turned out that they can destroy black Sombra crystals.
"Give me your instrument!" I handed her the banjo. She examined him and continued:
"I see a strange element in him. It seems, he not only for music created, and also magic he is full…"
"I don't think the last line rhymed," Discord said.
"What difference does it make? Zecora, you say, my banjo has a magic?"
"That's right, I'm talking about it. To find out more, I'll take a look at him."
"How long will it take?"
"About an hour, at least."
"Did you-did you hear that?" Discord asked. "She rhymed your question! Does she have a rhyme dictionary in her head?"
"Is there a dictionary?"
"Believe me, Twilight has every dictionary in the library."
While Zecora was inspecting my banjo, I decided to inspect her hut. On the walls were many shelves, on which stood prevents potions and grass, and in the center of the room stood enormous cauldron with simmering within green liquid. A little way off was another room, which was a bedroom. That, in fact, is the whole hut. Then Discord called me out of the hut. We went out and he started:
"Look, I wanted to tell you something, but not in front of her. She can't be distracted right now. In short, Sombra wants to conquer something more than all of Equestria."
I caught his thought.
"You mean he's going to declare war on other nations?"
- No, it's much worse. He wants to use the alicorns to increase the influence of his hypnosis.
"Use the alicorns? How?!" I surprised.
"I don't know, I'm only saying what I know. And he wants to start his global plan tomorrow."
"That's why you asked me to hurry. Understood. Anyway, we need to wait to see what Zecora has to say about my banjo."
"You're right about that. All right, let's go inside. It's getting dark."
We entered the hut. Zecora was still examining my instrument. My hooves were aching from the long ride, and I was exhausted from the day, so I decided to take a nap.
Soon someone began to push me in the side. I opened my eyes and saw that Discord was pushing me.
"How long did I sleep?" I asked him.
"Two hours. I wanted to Wake you up earlier, but Zecora ... well, we have news. It turns out that your banjo has magic, who sharply contrasted with the magic Sombra. You understand? I mean, you can change what Sombra did. For example, to lift hypnosis or, as you already did, destroy his black crystals."
"Wow! I didn't know my instrument had such abilities!"
"Good, with banjo figured out!" Discord exclaimed. "And now I've come up with a plan to save Equestria. It's simple: I will send you to the foot of the mountain, so you do not stomp for a long time, and I will watch, so that if anything, warn you of the danger. And you must return to Canterlot and free the princesses from Sombra's spell. Then do the same with Twilight's friends. Then, when you're done, I'll give you the Elements of Harmony. Oh, and then it remains for the guardians of the Elements."
"I see, I understand... Almost. Why can't you send me straight to Canterlot? Like you're going to do with the Elements?"
He slapped his face with his paw.
"Because you're a living thing. And it's not gonna work with you. Besides, God forbid you get caught in the eyes of someone immediately after teleportation. So we'd better not take any chances."
"Okay, I get it. And when do we start?"
"In the morning, of course. Where are you going tonight? All, all sleep."
He conjured a bed under him and the lights went out in the hut. Tomorrow we have a hard day... Very hard.