In the far corner of the fortress on Coltavo Island was a dungeon that housed 30 prison cells. In front of the door of one of those cells was a guard, whose assignment was to keep the cell’s occupants locked in. The occupants were none other than the Young Six, who were dangling on a chandelier-like device by their wrists. Their wrists were each bound in a pair of handcuffs that also had iron boxes to contain their hooves/hands. The large device – called the Body Rack – hung high over a deep pit with low water level. The floor served as an outcrop with the door at the end of the room. As expected, the children who had wings had them bound by the terrible slavers who were unfortunately their masters again.
Gallus hung his head in dejection and apologized in soft frustration, “I’m sorry, guys. I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”
Sandbar tried to comfort him, “It’s…no big deal. We actually stayed away from them for a while. It was sure nice.”
Silverstream wept, “Everything was perfect! Now it’s over.”
Smolder sighed, “Well, time to throw in the towel, I guess.”
Yona asked, “What that mean?”
A crestfallen Ocellus answered, “It means to give up. I don’t know about you, but I’m with Smolder on this.”
Yona cast her eyes downward in despair before she scowled and faced her friends. “Yona no give up! Yona and friends met very nice ponies, ponies who said we were free! They coming to rescue us! If not us, then their children. Parents do anything for children, even risk their lives by setting foot on island. If we adults, we’d do same for other slaves.”
Gallus said, “That’s nice, Yona, but look around. We’re dangling over a near-bottomless pit of water and the floor is over there. And in case you haven’t noticed, we’re latched onto the Body Rack, which drops if we touch a wall. If we do it three times, the Rack will drop into the water below and drown us all.”
Sandbar looked at his surroundings to understand Gallus’s point. Then, he got an idea. “But what if we’re swinging in the direction of the door at the same time the Rack drops?”
Smolder smiled, “Just like the night we escaped the ship!”
Ocellus lit up with revelation, “Of course! The first law of inertia!” When the others looked at her in confusion, she smiled sheepishly, “Mothball taught me that.” She then explained, “An object that isn’t moving won’t move until something moves it. For example, the Rack isn’t moving right now, but if we start kicking our legs in one uniform direction, we can get it moving.”
Silverstream squealed in delight, “Ooh! This is so exciting! Our new escape plan!”
Gallus shushed her, “Shh! Silverstream, quiet! We need a plan first.” He then smiled deviously, “And I got just the one.”
The guard stood there at the door, never flinching from his post.
Creak…Creak…Creak…Creak…Creak-creak-creak-creak-creak…
The guard grew agitated and he shouted, “You kids better not be thinking of escaping! You know what’ll happen if you do!” He then gave an evil grin, “And I’d love to see it happen.”
Meanwhile, inside the cell, the Young Six were kicking their legs to swing the Rack. Their objective: touch the wall to the right of the door from where they were.
Gallus spoke to the guard with a mischievous smile on his face, “Well, today’s your lucky day, ‘cause that’s exactly what we’re doing!” He then whispered to his friends, “Now!”
The ones closest to the wall gave a big kick backwards while those on the opposite side gave a big kick forward. Smolder stretched out her leg and laid a foot on the stone wall. Naturally, the Rack dropped a few inches, causing Smolder to lose her footing and the children to cry out in surprise.
They heard the guard chuckle, “Serves you right. Two more and you’ll be sleeping with the fishes.”
Once the Young Six recovered from the sudden drop, they started swinging towards the opposite wall.
Gallus continued to speak to the guard, “Actually, we aren’t escaping the old-fashioned way.”
The guard asked in confusion, “Say what?”
“We have a friend on the outside who’s helping us escape. Her name is Daring Do, and she’s gonna whip your hide.”
He scoffed, “You’re bluffing.”
“Are we?” He then whispered, “Ocellus, that’s your cue.”
She muttered, “I hope this works.” When she had tried to use her changeling powers minutes after they were bound to the Body Rack, her magic only worked partially. She hoped that the little magic that was working would be enough. She cleared her throat and spoke in the Daring Do actress’s voice, “Do not worry, children! I have come to rescue you!”
This alarmed the guard and he asked, “Who’s that in there with you?!”
On cue, Smolder loosened the pebble – gotten from when she touched the wall – wedged between her toes. She kicked it a little high up with her foot and then used her tail to bat it straight into the ceiling. At the same time, the Young Six swung towards the left wall and Silverstream touched it with her hoof. By the time the guard got a glimpse of what was happening, he only saw the Rack dropping a few more inches with dust and pebbles falling from the ceiling. That helped sell the illusion of Daring Do helping the children escape.
The guard growled, “Oh, no…You’re not cheating me out of a good drowning!” He then added, “My job’s on the line, too.”
While the guard fiddled with his key ring outside, Smolder whispered to her friends, “Okay, this is it! Rock like you’ve never rocked before!”
The Young Six kicked with all their might to reach the wall with the water lapping way down below.
Yona whimpered, “Yona not know if she can do it.”
Sandbar pleaded, “You gotta try, Yona! We’ve got one shot at this!”
Before Yona could touch the wall with her legs, they heard a clicking sound.
Silverstream fretted, “Oh, no! We’re too late!”
To their surprise, they heard the guard curse, “Blast! Wrong key!”
Gallus sighed, “Phew! We got a little bit more time. Let’s make it count!”
Ocellus encouraged, “It’s all you, Yona!”
When the Young Six gave a final hearty kick towards the wall, they heard another clicking sound. However, they did not let it distract them from the task. Just as Yona reached the wall with her back hooves, the door opened. The very second the Rack began to drop, Yona thrust herself, her friends, and the Rack towards the guard. Gallus stretched out his legs in a karate pose and kicked the guard unconscious just as the Rack landed on the floor.
Gallus breathed heavily as he gathered what just happened. It worked! The plan actually worked! They were getting out of the dungeon soon enough!
He panted as he asked his friends, who were still bound to the Rack, “Are…you guys okay?”
Silverstream answered in a dazed but happy tone, “Super duper, Gallus!”
Smolder chuckled, “I almost want to do that again.”
Just as Gallus used his tail to grab the key ring, they heard the voices of more guards coming.
When the guards entered from opposite ends of the hallway, they saw that their comrade had been knocked out.
One of the guards crept towards the open cell door and threatened, “All right, you troublemakers…”
Suddenly, pale blue tentacles shot out of the cell and grabbed the guards.
Ocellus, assuming the form of an octopus, asked her friends, “What should I do with them?”
Gallus snapped, “I don’t know! Just knock them out or something!”
She said hesitantly, “O-okay…”
She butted the heads of two guards together and did the same for the other two.
After the changeling morphed back to her regular self, Smolder sighed in relief, “Well, that takes care of them.”
Sandbar instructed his friend, “Ocellus, scout out the fortress while we free the others trapped here. See if you can find any slaves who aren’t in the dungeon. Oh! If you see a way we can escape the island, let us know. Oh! Don’t forget to find Zealot, too!”
Ocellus nodded, “Will do.”
She morphed herself into a hummingbird and sped out of the dungeon in less than a minute. She rose high up in the sky and saw the massive compound below her.
She thought in worry, How will I find the others when the fortress is so big? No, I’ve got to try.
Through her perseverance, she managed to locate more slaves in various buildings such as the metalworking area and the bar. She even managed to find the royal children in the stables of the Fresh Meat area. Seeing the hope on their faces when she told them an escape plan was underway filled Ocellus with much joy…and fear that something will go terribly wrong. Before she returned to the dungeon with her findings, she managed to catch a glimpse of a pony in a curtained stable. She hovered to a small window and gasped when she saw that the pony was in fact Zealot!
She flew in and whispered in Zealot’s ear, “Psst! Zealot!”
His eyes opened and he asked, “Huh? Who’s there?”
“It’s me!” She transformed in front of him.
He smiled, “Ocellus! Thank goodness you’re all right! But how did you manage to escape?”
“It’s kind of a long story, but we’re coming up with a plan to bust everyone out of here.” She added sheepishly, “Every slave, I mean.”
“Well, when you and your friends escaped Flog’s ship, that took ingenuity and guts. I only hope it’s enough to get every slave off this island.”
“I can get you out of these chains.”
“All right, but be discreet.”
Ocellus morphed into a fire lizard and breathed fire on the chains binding Zealot. Luckily, the chains were so old that they melted off within a few minutes.
He sighed in relief as he lifted his head again, “Thanks, Ocellus.”
Just then, Ocellus’s eyes caught something on the ground underneath the hay. “Hey, what’s that?”
She and Zealot brushed away the hay and discovered…
Zealot breathed, “A trapdoor!”
He opened it and peered down into the darkness. Suddenly, light overtook the darkness when several torches magically lit up all across the tunnel.
“I think it might be one of the many tunnels that run underneath the fortress. This could be our way out!”
Ocellus smiled widely, “That’s great! I’ll tell the others!”
He stopped her, “Wait a minute! Even if we do use the tunnels to get out of here, we can’t use the pirate ships. They’ve been enchanted to avoid unwanted takeovers.”
“Is there any way to let your family on Marendelle know?”
“It’s nigh-impossible. Flog said the island was protected by a strong magic that prevents anyone outside of the slave trade from finding it. Quill Scarlet once told me that magic that specific can’t enchant an island as a spell for very long. With a location that big, the magic needs to take the form of a tower in order to keep the spell going.”
“I think I saw a tower during my flyover of the fortress. It had a giant red crystal on top.”
“That must be it! We must find a way to knock down that tower so my family can come find us. Ocellus, tell your friends about what you’ve found. I’ll scope out the tunnels so we can find the exits.”
“Exits?”
“If the size of the compound is anything to go by, this may have once been an army outpost. They would’ve needed multiple exits in case one couldn’t be used.”
“Interesting. We’ll find you soon, okay?”
As Ocellus flew off as a hummingbird, Zealot said, “Be careful, Ocellus.”
When she returned to her friends in the dungeon, they had already freed all of the slaves in the cells and discovered a secret opening that had been blocked off before Yona smashed the stones away. Ocellus then reported all of her findings, including the locations of the other slaves and the tower. After much discussion and planning, it was decided that Ocellus would dispose of the tower while the others would use the tunnels to find and access the locations she mentioned. Once the slavers were distracted by the destruction of the tower, the rest of the Young Six would usher the other slaves into the tunnels so everyone could escape safely. The team then split up and set their plan into motion.
Ocellus once more took the form of a hummingbird and flew above the buildings and towards the tower. She flittered and hovered as she surveyed the tower’s structure, trying to find any weak spots she could exploit. At that moment, a portly Pegasus stallion came up to the tower and used a wrench to tighten the bolts of the tower’s steel legs. When the stallion finished his job, Ocellus followed him to a workshop. After the pony threw his wrench into the toolbox and left the workshop, Ocellus swooped in and assumed his form. She took the wrench and flew towards the tower again.
It took her a few seconds to figure out how to remove the bolts, but once she did, it took less than a minute for her to unfasten them from the smaller legs used to secure the crystal at the top. When she unfastened the bolts from the second leg and removed the leg, the crystal began to tip over. Ocellus flew to the back of the tower and morphed into a hummingbird just in time to see the crystal fall to the ground and shatter into a million pieces. When the pirates and slave drivers noticed the incident, they all flocked towards the site to survey the damage. As the slavers left their posts to gather around the tower, the slaves waiting underneath the trapdoors of certain locations took this as their cue to usher the other slaves into the tunnels. Ocellus herself flew to Flog’s private stable to use the trapdoor there. Unfortunately, Flog – who was going to check on Zealot to see if he hadn't lost his slave – heard the sound and immediately grew suspicious.
By now, the island of Marendelle was no longer the tropical island of paradise. It had become a winter wonderland with gray clouds that gave everyone a grim mood. The last of the navy’s search party returned to the palace and gave their disheartening news that neither the children nor Zealot could be found. Snow Pea couldn’t help but weep for the fate of her young son; Screwball, however, lashed out in anger in an empty room that she practically tore apart.
She panted as her temper died down, “I wish I wasn’t so useless! If I could use my powers, I could just bring them home in a…a snap of Dad’s fingers!”
As his wife sniffled, Mothball put his hoof on her shoulder and comforted her, “We’re doing everything we can, Screwball. Just remember that.”
Apple Butter then entered the disheveled room and said, “We’ll keep finding them until we do. We won’t give up.”
Screwball choked, “How can you be so optimistic about this?”
“I’m the Element of Laughter. Besides…” she touched her stomach, “something in my gut told me to keep having hope.”
Suddenly, Roller Blade rushed into the room and shouted, “We found something!!!”
Everyone ran to the foyer, where a crystal disk on the floor emitted a holographic map of Equestria and beyond. Over a particular area of the Celestial Sea was a familiar insignia…
“That’s the symbol on Flog’s flag!” Button Mash said.
“But if it’s showing up just now, then something must’ve happened to expose it!” Skater deduced.
Apple Bloom asked, “Do ya think it’s a hideout?”
Rock Salt spoke up, “If it is, then we may have found Zealot and the kids.” He pointed to Marendelle and then the spot of the insignia, “See? Here’s Marendelle and there’s the Florein Triangle, which means they probably didn’t get very far.”
Sweetie Belle said in confusion, “But that doesn’t make any sense. The navy’s already searched the Florein Triangle many times. I know it was foggy, but they told us that they combed the Triangle in every direction.”
Bubble Gum surmised, “Unless…it was the pirates’ protection magic making them go in a direction they had already taken!”
Quill Scarlet said, “That would explain those reports about the compasses being off when the navy exited the Triangle!”
Screwball shouted for joy, “YES!!! We got ‘em! We got ‘em this time! Woo-hoo! Oh, they slipped up big time! Ha-ha-ha! YES!”
Scootaloo asked, “But…what if the kids and Zealot aren’t there?”
Button Mash said, “Whether or not we find them, we need to thwart Flog and his pirates at any cost. If there are any slaves, we need to rescue them. I’ll go and send word to Captain Old Salt to man the biggest ship in the harbor.”
“The ones that weren’t blown to bits during the pirate attack, anyway,” Rumble corrected in annoyance of the current situation with the ships.
“We’ll make do with what we have. Which of you are going to the Florein Triangle?”
Screwball raised her hoof, “Oh, I’m definitely going. My chaos magic can get us there lickety-split. Plus, I have a vendetta with those pirates. Tartarus hath no fury like a mother with the powers of chaos!” Her voice echoed at the last bit and lightning flashed outside.
Pip asked in a stunned tone, “How…?”
Mothball said, “It’s Screwball. Don’t question it.”
Skater spoke up, “Well, I’m going.”
Roller Blade wrapped his arm around his sister, “Me, too. Us Guardians have gotta stick together.”
His wife then piped up, “Uh, one, it’s ‘We Guardians’. And two, just because you’re one doesn’t mean I have to sit out. My children are in danger, and I don’t intend to stand idly by while you go and rescue them.”
He chuckled, “There’s that Strapgardian confidence. It’s why I fell in love with you.” He gave her a kiss.
Apple Butter volunteered, “I’ll stay on the ship to keep watch. If we rescue any slaves, I’ll make sure everyone is aboard.”
Button Mash asked the rest, “What about you all? You coming, too?” When no one responded, he stated, “Maybe it’s a good thing. The less lives lost, the better. Now, we must hurry. There’s no time to waste.”
The king went off to deliver his message to the captain personally and the team got ready for their departure.
Snow Pea fretted to her husband, “Oh, I hope we’re not too late.”