TWO YEARS AGO
Sunset was in a meeting with the foremen to decide the next step in the plan.
"We must seize this opportunity and try to escape now."
"We can't do that, we could be discovered immediately."
"We must act now or we won't get another chance."
“Currently the mines house more than fifteen thousand slaves. How will we escape without the guards noticing?”
"Even if we escape now, they could still capture us again."
The foremen did not stop arguing, although the first tunnel was finished, it was too dangerous to escape outside without being prepared. For Sunset, his plan was to get as many slaves out as possible, but he couldn't do it if they kept arguing like this.
“Silence!” Sunset yelled and everyone fell silent. There was a certain authority in Sunset's voice that made everyone obey. "First things first, I want to thank you for your efforts with the first finished tunnel, we are also lucky that the tunnel is on the other side of the mountain in the middle of the forest so no one could easily find it..." Everyone was listening to Sunset carefully. "Maud, how long could we have other tunnels ready?"
"If we continue at this rate and without mishap... a year, less if we can make the diamonds dogs work harder."
"We can't force the diamond dogs to work so hard, plus the guards will notice how tired they are during the day." Said one of the foremen.
"Can we get them to work in rotation?" Said another foreman.
"It might work, but we'll have to do some extra work ourselves to make up for it." Said another foreman.
“Although we are making progress with the tunnels, how will we move afterwards?” Flash asked
"What do you mean?"
Flash clears his throat. "Even if we go out... we are still in the middle of the forest, we have stored food for when we escape, but the trip will be difficult if we leave without being prepared."
"We can use caribus." Limestone said. "The forests of these areas have caribus that can be tamed to use for riding or for carts, and since hardly anyone goes to that part of the mountain, we can assume that the population of these animals is full."
“But we will need people who are out for a long time. How are we going to get so many people out without the guards noticing?”
“I think I can offer a solution?” A foreman said, she was tall, middle-aged, with fair skin, short pale pink hair.
"What do you suggest Redheart?" Sunset asked.
How far has this epidemic spread? Filthy Rich asked.
“We are not sure sir, there are hundreds of infected and we have quarantined them all.” Sunset replied. “We assume that many are already dead... sir, I suggest we burn the bodies in the ovens to prevent this from spreading. I also ask you to keep the guards away while we dispose of the contaminated bodies.”
“Why do you want the guards to go away?”
“Because the guards are responsible for bringing food and blankets, if one of them unknowingly gets infected and contaminates the food, the situation could get worse.”
Filthy thinks about it for a while. “Well I will take your advice and rally the guards while you burn the bodies. Mineral collecting went very well this month so I can allow work to be suspended for a couple of weeks. But after that the mine has to start working again”.
“As you order sir”
"The guards have already left, we can start." Sunset said to a large group of slaves. "Twilight, is that all of them?"
"Yes. Each and every one of them has the skills of blacksmithing, carpentry, hunters, beast tamers and farmers. They will be the first to leave, the forest area has enough wood to build carts, a small planting area and we can build warehouses to better accumulate supplies. There are approximately more than five hundred people who will come out of the mines... although they will not be enough, and we cannot do without many workers”.
“There are actually others that we can do without.” Redheart interrupted.
"I think I know who you mean." Sunset said with a slight smile.
"The sick slaves". Redheart said.
"But many of them can barely work." Twilight said. "And sorry to say this but I don't think some will last more than a few weeks."
Redheart sighed and said to Twilight. “Actually they are not as sick as you think, most of them have respiratory problems and lack of sunlight, they are simply not used to a closed environment, as soon as they go out and breathe fresh air they will begin to recover. I was a doctor's assistant before the fall of Equestria, I learned a lot about medicine and the condition of the body".
Twilight was doing the math until Pinkie interrupted her. "There are one thousand five hundred and thirty three sick slaves!"
"Aaaaay!!" Twilight got scared. "Where did you come from?!"
"When my mom and dad were..." Pinkie began to explain until she was interrupted.
"Forget the question. What were you saying about the number of sick people?” Twilight said trying to calm down.
"That there are one thousand five hundred and thirty-three sick slaves." Pinkie repeated.
"And how do you know that?"
"I like to make them smile before they go to a better place." Pinkie says with the cutest and creepiest smile.
"It could work... Redheart, Twilight, let's go check on those slaves and see if we can get them out to help outside."
Sunset, Twilight, Pinkie and Redheart observe the vast number of sick slaves. "So... you just need sunlight and fresh air?" Sunset asked.
"Yes... at least the majority... the rest are really sick and don't have much hope of surviving and others are too old." Redheart replied.
"Twilight, how many of them worked or know about the tunnel?"
"Very few. We didn't bring in or involve any of them. The few who know it is because they got sick after working”.
Sunset watched as the slaves were lying in various caves waiting to die. And she thought how to tell them that they would have to go back to work despite their condition... "Are you sure that some will recover as soon as they get out of the mines?" Sunset asked.
"Most yes, but I can't guarantee anything for the weakest or oldest." Redheart snorted.
"Twilight, is there a guard nearby?"
“No, they all went out hoping they wouldn't catch 'the plague'”.
"Perfect". Sunset stood in the center of the place where the sick slaves were. “Wake up everyone!!” Scream Sunset. When she noticed that all the sick slaves were paying attention she screamed again. "A few may know but we recently finished the first tunnel to escape!" Then the slaves paid more attention to Sunset. “That tunnel was dug with the blood and sweat of many comrades! In a few days five hundred handpicked slaves will go outside and begin the next phase of a carefully crafted escape plan! But they won't be enough! Most of the slaves are needed here to dig other tunnels!” More of the sick slaves began to come out of their caves to listen to Sunset. “That's why we need all of you to help those who are going out! You guys don't deserve it! You guys haven't earned it! But they're all we have!" Sunset sighed again thinking what else to say. “You will be given the privilege of being one of the first groups out! They will obey the ones I put in charge! They will work hard and earn the right to be outside to assist in the escape effort!” Sunset gasped at how loud he yelled for everyone to hear.
"Don't you think you were a bit harsh?" Twilight asked.
"I had to be severe... there are many other slaves who wanted out first but we had to be very selective."
"But...".
As Twilight continued talking, one of the slaves approached crying. Seeing Sunset the slave fell on his knees and said something that Sunset never expected to hear. "Thanks".
Sunset hoped some would complain because she would put them to work. Then another slave also approached. "Thank you".
"Thank you!" Another was heard shouting in the distance.
"Thank you!!" Many other slaves kept screaming.
"That's not fair!" says Pinkie Pie. “I come to see them every day trying to cheer them up and you give them a speech about how they have to keep working harder and everyone is happier!” She says her with a pout.
Redheart places a hand on Sunset's shoulder. "You gave them something they lost a long time ago, you gave them a purpose, you gave them a goal and more than anything you gave them hope"
Sunset didn't know what to think, she believed that she would be hated for the fact that by telling her that when they went outside they couldn't escape and that's why the slaves would immediately hate her but now they were thanking her for the opportunity she had given them.
"Twilight, I leave you in charge to organize everything so they can go out, I need to rest a bit."
“Don't worry, I'll take care of it from here”.
ONE YEAR LATER
"We already have five tunnels ready... don't you think this is enough?" one of the foremen said.
“No, if we escape now the guards will notice and they could stop us... when we escape it has to be simultaneous and fast. And even if they find out instantly, it would take weeks to get around the mountain so they can catch up with us. And there is still not enough food stored for the trip. Not counting the fact that at a certain point we are all going to split up and follow our own paths”. Another foreman answered.
"We could collapse the mines." Limestone suggested leaving everyone in the meeting silent. Then he decided to explain it better. “My father worked in the mines of Equestria and his mines were better prepared for cave-ins. That's why they had tunnels to shelter in case there was a landslide, I suggest we dig some safe tunnels to shelter the slaves and then while all the guards are outside, we all take advantage of escaping. It will be weeks before they can clear the entrance to the mines and realize that we are not here”.
PRESENT
"Are you sure we should start?" asked a foreman.
"Yes. Although the flash's plan to scare the guards has been working, the arrival of the princess and the goddess jeopardizes everything we have done so far." Sunset told them. "How many safe caves do we have ready?"
"We have two hundred and fifty-three caves that definitely won't collapse, but we need about fifty more caves so that all the slaves can take refuge."
“How did this happen?! When we started the plan we only needed half of it!” Limestone complained.
"Technically it was our fault..." Twilight replied. "By improving production, Filthy Rich decided to bring in more slaves."
"How many are we now?"
"We are more than thirty thousand slaves."
Before Limestone could say anything, Sunset interrupted her. "We will have to improvise... Twilight, we needed you to calculate how many people we can shelter in the caves, those who do not reach will have to leave first, tomorrow there will be such a scandal that the guards will not notice their absence... listen everyone, we will no longer work in the tunnels tonight, we will settle for the tunnels that are already finished, I want the Diamong Dogs to sleep well tonight, I want you to sleep well tonight, I want everyone to eat well when they wake up, we are no longer going to rationalize the food they give us. We will need you all fit and well rested...tomorrow is going to be a long day.”