//------------------------------// // Busted // Story: Hope's Elements // by NeonVibeBrony //------------------------------// The guard had began to doze, but Rainbowdash was determined to wait a few more seconds, to completely conclude that he would stay asleep. She sat there, finishing the meal. She had thought this through, beginning with the meal. Gain energy, sneak through the castle, find the meeting, listen in. When they finish, find a window. And fly. As she began to move her wing, the great amount of pain shooting through it reminded her of her condition. Change in the plan. Find a door, and run. Her incapability of flying, did not stop the capability of her mind taking flight. She was thinking through everything that might happen. A guard finding her, the guard at the door waking up when she was out of the cage. She even thought through if she had a sneeze, what to do to not get caught. She was ready to take the key, and put it into the door when she stopped, key in hand, but a foot away from the bars. What if she found the guard that said she would help her? did this mysterious mare want her to find her before leaving? did this mare expect her to just make a run for it? the questions where the highest flying thing in her mind. Her thoughts reminded her of her flight test in Cloudsdale, soaring through the sky, falling, and taking flight again in a different way. those tasks where the least of her worries on her test, but here, they where everything. She decided that she would do what she did in that test, and take what comes her way, as it comes her way. She slowly nudged the key into the lock, the clinking of the two metals reverberating around the room in her ears, as she was focused on that and nothing else. Quickly she twisted the brass key, and with a final "click" the lock fell to the ground, making a highly audible click. The guard turned his head for a second, as if his dreams where disrupted by the noise, and he slowly drifted back into whatever dream he was having.Rainbowdash sighed in relief, that he had not waken up. the disasters that would of taken place if he had would be unimaginably bad for her. slowly, she pushed the door open. she did so at such a slow speed to avoid any creaking of the door, as the scream of the metal would surly wake, or alert someone. the door was open now. she was free to roam about the room. she still did not know if Fluttershy was here or not, but she has saw her get away down the temple corridors, and she assumed that she was in the only dungeon there was. every cell, clean and well kept despite her own, her bodily functions and the cares of the guard ponies laid waste to the cage of iron she had once called her home. but not anymore. she was out of there. and knew that Fluttershy was not there, and she could finally make her move. she slowly crept over to where the guard had stood, hoof after hoof, slowly. until she reached the door. she put her hoof onto the knob, and the cold, soggy, grimy sensation put shivers down her spine. she was shaking in anticipation to what she would find outside the door. a patrol of guards ready to slam her back into her grime smeared room, or more likely kill her on sight. an arrow, a blade. a swift smack that would render her brain useless. a single kick that could drop her. the thoughts broke her inside, the full seriousness of the situation hit her. this was not a test. this was not a game. this was life or death. imprisonment and freedom. and by the way they where acting, world chaos or harmony. She trotted outside, sure not to make a noise as her hoof hit the cold stone floor- or so she thought. instead of a cold floor like a usual dungeon, she stood upon a red velvet rug in a hallway. all around where gold painted light fixtures holding a sickly greenish, blackish, purple flame. the flame, even though it was sickly in color, strewn light across the hall. the light brought to her eyes more decorations upon the wall, paintings, royal symbols. The roof hung high above here, with chandeliers, candles of the same sickly glow to match the torches. it was a beautiful sight if it didn't signal how hard it would be to navigate this place. it was huge, much bigger than she imagined. but at the end of the hallway, where she saw it broke off into two ways, was a window. large, with a gold painted separation piece for the glass panes, and a knob that looked to be of crystal. now that she looked deeper, the floors under the carpet where crystal, the walls behind the decorations... it was not simply a light stone. it was a dark crystal. as much as these things brought thoughts to her mind, she now had her escape to think of. she quickly trotted over to the window, looking out. the view was not what she had wanted, nor expected. it was cold. snow shot beams of white through her vision, the sky did the same. it looked as if she was looking blatantly at a white sheet that was hung up to dry, with a few wrinkles to signify mounds of snow, and hills. it was snowing vigorously, but she did see a town in the distance. it did not show to her eye at first, but she saw a faint light shone through a window. the buildings, she would never of spotted, as they where white and the fact that there was nothing but moonlight to make out shapes. the window was all she could see, light shunning over the cold snow, banishing the vile night's darkness as its path continues forever outward. Stupid! she thought to herself. she was sitting at the vertices, the connection point of three hallways where anypony could see her, and for what did she let down her guard? she let it down to think about light. she was angry in herself, but also found herself lucky that nopony had seen her. she had become a very deep thinker, all the time she has alone when practicing her flying tricks and spins. the relaxation of speed and clouds soothed her mind, and she used that to think often. but now she had to run, or she would never fly again. as she opened the window, another thought came to her mind. the meeting. she could hear voices down a hallway, many voices. hundreds. thousands. as if it where an assembly at the Cloudsdale school of flight. She walked down the hallway to her left, and the sounds became more clear. she could tell how every pony was talking at once behind the large oak door that now stood in front of her, that the meeting had not started. then a thought came to her mind. how was she going to get in? "Hey!" screamed a pony to her left. her heart stopped. she knew what this meant, if they had found her. "Hey Dabka! Hurry up. we are late for the meeting!' a pony was seeming from down the hall. Rainbowdash's heart stopped for a momment, and her mind kicked in. they hadn't seen her yet. she quickly turned and looked for something to hide behind, a door to go through, something. the voice became closer. "Comon, Dabka, your slower that an Ox!" spoke the armored pony. quickly, Rainbowdash found a small door, and dashed forward, running for it. quickly, the guard pony turned the corner. "who's there!" he yelled. but there was not a person. he sighed in disappointment and entered the oak door, along with the pony Dabka. "what where you yelling at, boy?" Rainbowdash heard the one she assumed was dabka. "i thought i heard hoof steps. sorry." said the guard pony. the door closed. Rainbowdash looked around the room she was now in, dark and with the slight smell of musky old cloth. it was dark, but she could see slightly well. she made out what looked to be a helmet, and some iron arm pads. the cloth was a little worn, and the iron slightly dented. but upon seeing the Armour, her mind grew an idea. She took the helmet, and placed it on her head. it fit, oddly. as if it was made for her. she then proceeded to put on the other garments, the fabric slightly wet stuck to her skin like the shiny fabric rarity used for one of her couches back in Ponyville. She was now fully dressed, clad in armor, and wobbled to the door. How can these ponies wear this stuff? she thought. she left the closet like room, and walked up to the wooden door. she gulped. "this is it... Rainbowdash. this is the place..." she spoke to herself, in a whisper. she gulped once more, before going inside. People where talking, bashing around, the place was bustling with active pony's trying to find there place to listen to this odd announcement. Suddenly, Rainbowdash herself was bumped into, as she was standing there not moving, lost in thought. her wing was what was hit, and the shooting pain made Rainbowdash want to fall to her knees, screaming in agony. but she didn't. "hey! watch it kid!" said the large pony. "we are trying to find our places, maggot of a mare. get your arse in your chair!" screamed the man. a tear ran down Rainbowdash's cheek caused by the pain in her wing, though it was covered by her helmet. she quickly trotted and sat in the next available seat, and waited. eventually, everyone settled down, stallions in there seats, mares staring aimlessly at the podium in front of the large room. a door opened, from behind a curtain, and everyone's head turned. it was a dark as night black pony, sporting a royal red cloak, and an iron necklace. a horn tinted red at the top, and a sickly grin smeared his face. although her first thought was that this was Sombre, the king of the black crystals, she could tell this pony was much younger, and a lot less decorative. but in some way, this stallion must be related to Sombre in one way or another. this made her mind, once again, burst with questions. she had to suppress them, so that she could hear what the stallion had to say. the entire reason she was not out of here, by now. The dark pony stood up to the podium. "Welcome, welcome!" he spoke, in an enthusiastic hum. "Lets skip any introduction or chit chat. you know who i am, i'm sure." he spoke again. "We have captured but one, of the Heroes in our way. the other still roams free." this made Rainbowdash sigh in relief, her friend was undeniably not here. "Now, We have yet to execute this mare for the soul purpose of using her as bait. we are to have her, and the pegasus pony will surly follow." He finished. "Now, to the podium, is Head Engineer Stuck Plug." Suddenly, an odd creature leapt out from behind the curtain. a life form Rainbowdash never expected to see. a Boar. the left tusk shaved and pointing out, bowed up. but one, oddly curved to the side, like the horns of a mountain goat, his left eye also slightly bashed. like he had been in one heck of a war. "Gwahaha! God dag, pen ponnier!" The Boar spoke with much laughter. everyone looked at him like he was a monster. they had no idea what he was saying, and neither did Rainbowdash. "ugh, uvitende idioter .. Oversetter!" The boar screamed to the side. and a pony, with a tag labeled "translator" on his cloak, walked up beside the boar. as the boar would say another odd comment, the translator would translate it. "We have almost finished the construction of the Ingenhåp. And shortly, the creation process can take course. as the hero's are separated, there will be no Hope to stop it. literally." everyone in the room began to chuckle. before the translator had started up again. " We just need now, To undergo creation operation one. Collection." Rainbowdash was clueless to all of this, but the word collection brought every other pony joy, and happiness. The boar finished with something, that the translator would not translate. due to it most likely being irrelevant, and the way he said it sounding angry and insulting. the boar then spoke, as he was leaving the podium. "nå, få ræva er i linje, og ta makten pyntegjenstander!" everyone else then stood, and screamed. a word. "Makten pyntegjenstander!" each and every pony said. she then followed. Everyone stood, as the dark pony came back out from behind the curtain, and stood at the podium as the boar hobbled off. "All Stand. Remove helmets. and salute!" he said, in a deep voice, as loud as can be. Rainbowdash fell into panic. remove her helmet? but then.. Everypony would see her. what was she going to do? she began to sweat, her armor becoming slick, it already being hot inside the suit from its layers of protection did not help the case. Everyone was standing with there helmet off, there right forhoove to there forehead, saluting the dark stallion upon the podium. "You there. Remove your helmet, and salute to the lord." Spoke a guard near the podium. Rainbowdash stood still, and the guard became angry. "I said remove your helmet!" the guard spoke. Rainbowdash had no choice but to remove her helmet. maybe they would not recognize her. she removed her helmet slowly, and as she did so, the ponies viewed her cyan coat, dirty and caked with grime. her once vibrant mane done in knots of all sizes, caked with more of the disgusting, musky substance that was in the dungeon cells. she looked like a prisoner. everyone in the room was silent, but one mare looked worried.... the mare that had given her the key to escape in the first place. the silence was broken. "Its her! the pony i had captured! quickly! take her!" Screamed the captain. instantly, ponies put on there helmets, and got into fierce positions. Rainbowdash was surrounded in the room of ponies. Rainbowdash viewed that the pony who had first helped her, left behind a door way. Rainbowdash now had a tear running down her cheek. she was not suppose to be captured, that was not the plan... but it happened. one of the guard ponies bucked there hooves back, and hit Rainbowdash in the wing. the pain that was caused was deep. it was pain she had never felt before, deathning. this pain was unusual, but strong. it was the pain of a near fatal blow. she then fell unconscious, to the ground.