Good Day, Lema! As has been announced, We have gotten hold of a runaway rebel and have promptly imprisoned him. He had been captured alone, and We don’t expect him to be chased after. The phony had set up his own base, and they didn’t even care. Imagine living in that scenario. In Lema, everypony cares after you, and We look after you all.
Any of you wannabe rebels out there, just remember that you’re better off staying in Lema. In Lema, We have fun. We paint the town on Saturdays, and have a ton of fun otherwise. We’ve been active for so long, just think about how much more technically superior We are. Luna formed us hereself.
Enjoy the next song, which is exactly about that. It’s about how much fun We have here.
“Pebble, I’m telling you, there’s no way we can put up a fight against those armed Lema soldiers with as little training as we have given them.”
I paced the floor quickly left and right. It had only been a couple days, but I couldn’t wait any longer. As much as I hated to admit it, Solarius had a point, too. Ugh! Is this what being Prancey felt like? Did he have to grapple between what to do and what not to do? I was only leading Trench right now because Prancey wasn’t here. I’d volunteered because I wanted to help him so bad! Solarius seemed content with letting me do that, for whatever reason. Maybe he just liked being second in command?
“But Solarius. Who knows what could’ve been done to him?” I ask.
“Pebble. Keep your wings flat on your sides for 2 minutes,” Solarius scolded.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, feeling my face heat up.
Solarius looked at me with the type of look that conveyed, you have got to be kidding me. “You know what I mean, lover mare. Back to things that actually matter, we might be able to actually stand a chance if we found a shotgun to attack them with, or something of that ilk.”
“Solarius, you genius!” I announced. “That’s a fantastic idea!”
“How will we even get a shotgun?” he asked.
“I guess we could find some downed ship to scrap for parts and create a semi-operational gun for everypony! Then we can go get Prancey sooner! Solarius, Prancey was right to choose you as his second-in-command!” I shouted. In my excitement, I flew a lap or two around Trench.
Solarius once again looked at me with that same you have go to be kidding me look when I landed, but I didn’t care. We had a plan!
“Who’ll put together the shotguns, Pebble?” Solarius asked.
“Oh... well, Cold Fire could do it! I could help!” I responded. “Cold Fire’s really smart.”
“I know he is,” Solarius replied, ”but does he know how to make one?”
“He’d easily be able to figure it out. I trust him on that.”
“Will you be finding this downed ship on your own?” Solarius asked.
“No, I’d take Iron Hide with me. In case of monsters,” I told him.
Solarius sighed. “Well, I can tell I’m never changing your mind, so have at it.”
“Nope, you’ll never change my mind!” I said. “Hey, Iron Hide, come here!”
When the stallion in question approached me, I turned straight toward him.
“What’d you want me for?” he asked.
“Well, I just wanted to go hunting for a downed ship with you. Do you think you could carry a lot of scrap? We need it to save Prancey.”
“I could carry you with one hoof, Pebble,” Iron Hide said. “I don’t know how you ended up being our stand-in leader. Just to get Prancey, I will help you.”
“Great!” I said. “Hey, Solarius, we’ll be back! When we get that metal, we’re going to paint Lema in so many shades of red and yellow!”
I flew outside, excited for a new adventure.
Here I was, the council room. They’d managed to get me in a cell and now I was getting an audience with the nine bishops and Ocin themselves. As always, Ocin sat in the middle of all of them, and the nine bishops surrounded him on chairs of various heights.
“Well, Prancey, we finally caught you,” Ocin said.
“It looks like you did,” I said.
“Listen, what we’re going to put you through is going to make you wish you were dead. In fact, you might as well do it yourself. We are Lema, We are vialists, and We are Luna’s. You aren’t. We need to get rid of you for good,” Ocin said.
“Trust me Ocin, you won’t get away with this plan. I’ll get the ponies of Trench looking for me,” I responded.
“Bold words for somepony who didn’t even get away with his own plans of escape. I do have to applaud you on avoiding us for 2 years, but we always catch up,” Ocin said.
I merely growled in response.
“Hoho,” Ocin laughed. “Take him away. Throw him in his cell again, and lock him up for good this time.”
I kicked and screamed all the way down, which didn’t help my predicament at all. Soon, they throw me in a murky dungeon with no light or food anywhere around.
Once they got me under lock and key, I could only wait until Trench came to save me. Who know how ling that’d take. In the cell is a computer, likely loaded with Lema propaganda, and a wooden plank of a bed.
I sighed.
“Hey.”
That voice was so familiar. I stood up and looked across the aisle, where I found a batpony with a scarlet red mane.
“Well, it sure took you long enough, Prancey.”