//------------------------------// // The Escape // Story: One's True Colors // by Vinal_Scratch //------------------------------// As the smoke cleared AJ and Ranbow dashed up out of their sleeping bags alert and ready to fight. Rainbow flared her wings to blow the smoke away and yelled “What in the hay is going on here?” Eight heavily armed guards with night black armor charged into the room holding spears, another followed shortly after, clad in gold trimmed armor clearly the Commander. He spoke with authority and strength and stated “Halt, in the name of Celestia you six are under arrest for stealing from the Royal Canterlot Library and the destruction of her highness's property!” The eight guards pointed there spears at the six very confused ponies. The ponies gasp in shock and confusion, some clearly not willing to go without a fight as shown by AJ, RD, and Twilight stepping forward to challenge them. “What are you talking about?” Twilight furiously screamed as she stood up. “We were never even near the library, not to mention Canterlot, not to mention that I'm Celestias pu....” Twilight gets cut off by the guards. "We are under strict orders to have you arrested, you can either go with or without bruises your choice." The Commander said as he stepped forward to meet their challenge. 30 seconds had passed and both groups were at a standstill until the guards charged forward breaking the silence with the stomping of their armor clad hooves. The ensuing fight was intense, hooves flying, magic cast, balloons popped. The ponies had seemingly won! Bewildered but not delaying on their victory Twilight moved towards the door yelling "Quickly everypony we need to move!" "What brutes!" Rarity said as she pranced over the knocked out guards. "Does anypony have anywhere we could hide?" Twilight asked, she thought about going to Applejack's barn or Fluttershy's tree, but both of those options couldn't be counted on, they showed up at the library and nearly burned the place down she couldn't see that happening to her friends homes. She need somewhere new to go where nopony had seen them their before. Then it hit her, she had seen an old cave system outside of Ponyvile in one of her books if they could find it they could hide there and figure out what to do next. "I have an idea, everypony follow me!" as she galloped towards the edge of town. "Are you going to fill us in on whats going on here?" Rainbow Dash interjected as she caught up to Twilight. "When we get somewhere safe." Twilight stated back. "Well where in tarnation is safe exactly!" Applejack yelled from the back as she made sure Fluttershy was keeping up. "There is a place outside of town, I read about it in a book, its an old cave system from back when Ponyville had just been founded, they tried to mine for rare minerals but ended up finding nothing but plain rock until they discovered the jewel veins under the hills outside of town, but unfortunately for them the veins already had people living in then. What we know as the diamond dogs had lived there for generations before ponies had even found them. Speaking of did you ponies know that Diamond dogs are actually...) Twilight was cut off by Rarity "Darling we love you but could you save the lectures till we are no longer running from the Law?" "Oh yeah." Twilight sighed, clearly embarrassed at the situation. Focusing back on the task at hand she lead the other ponies towards the hills outside of Ponyville. Around two hours had passed since the fight, they were by this time far away from Ponyville. They slowed their pace due to both exhaustion and their lack of sleep. To see the new festival they stayed up from the night before, it has been a whole day for them all without any sleep and it was really showing. "Are we their yet, Are we their yet, Are we their yet, Are we their yet, Are we their yet?" Pinkie asked. "For what must be the thousandth time Pinkie, we are NOT there yet." Twilight said. She was sure they were close by now but unsure if they would make it before their legs gave out. "Rainbow please, for the love of Celestia tell me you see something!" "Remind me again what I'm looking for, its hard to focus on flying, scouting, and staying awake." Rainbow asked "A mine entrance, giant hole in a rock, anything that's different that hills and trees we have been walking for hours!" Twilight snipped back "Oh why didn't you say so earlier, that exact thing you were talking about is right up ahead, like 300 hooves away over a hill." "WHAT!!!! We were that close and you didn't even bother to tell us?" "Don't blame me, you just told me to lookout, you didn't tell me what i was looking out for." Twilight turning to the rest of the exhausted ponies "Not too much further guys its just up ahead." With hope in all of their eyes they dashed forward with a renewed pace. Racing up the hill they came to the top where they finally saw what they had been searching for. It can only be described as run down and falling apart. There was just one large cabin, big enough to fit at max 10 ponies, and a large mine entrance that's been boarded up over the years. "Please tell me that isn't where we are staying" Rarity said as she got shivers down her spine, she could tell even from hill they were on that it wasn't going to be a pleasant stay. "Better than nothing I say" AJ says as she starts her way down the hill "Can't wait for some good old R and R. But I agree that this is at best a fixer uper." The cabin, abandoned for years and covered in overgrowth, upon closer inspection seemed sturdy enough though clearly unloved and un-lived for years. Twilight gulped as she approached the door, "Well, here goes nothing" she pushes in the door using her magic. CRREEEAAAAAK "Well the door still works at least." Twilight jokes to the group. SNAP CRACK THUuuuMP "That was the door falling off wasn't it?" Twilight sighed in defeat. "You just HAD to say something." Rainbow quipped. Upon entering the cabin and lighting some candles and lanterns left by the former occupants, the ponies could see that although old and dusty the place had some nice furnishings. "I wouldn't recommend checking upstairs just yet, judging by the door here its probably not safe to go up." AJ explained as she haphazardly placed the door back upright "Do we even have food out here" Rainbow asked. "I brought leftovers!" Pinkie said as she pulled out a trunk and opened it, revealing that it was full of food from the party. "Where did you even, you know what not gona ask." Twilight grabbed some food and picked some furs and laid down intending to get some rest. "Are you going to tell us now?" Fluttershy asked as she grabbed food. "Its best if we talk about it when we aren't about to collapse from sleep deprivation." Rarity input as she set up her sleeping arraignments on the floor. The ponies nodded in agreement, the would go over what had happened and all they knew after some well deserved rest. Twilight let out a long breath as she finally lay her head down to rest. But something still bugged her, but not enough to not loose any more sleep over. The girls went to sleep