Chapter 25 - Tartarus, 2nd Movement
Lancer should have known better than to give in to the wrathfully cute eyes of Little Miss. Whatever answer he gave to Winter Tulip wasn't going to matter, and he would receive Posey’s wrath regardless.
He sent Aries and Taurus ahead to make sure that the monorail system was cleared of any possible sabotage or maintenance issue, and then ordered the doubling of police presence in the Ponyville Slums. As an extra measure, he along with Winter Tulip and Governess Cheerilee would be traveling under different identifies as a family from Gaeaopolis. It made Cheerilee happy for some reason when she should be worried for Winter's safety. When he asked her, she mumbled an answer he didn't quite get, but that was just like her to act shy in front of him.
They travelled at the dead of night in the hopes of Winter being too tired to look out the window to view the ugly sprawl of Gaeaopolis and the Ponyville Slums zooming by. Lancer tried to stay up to make sure her innocent view of her country would not be tarnished by obvious degradation and corruption of the Government. He fell asleep in the very late hours, but the little filly woke up ahead of him and bounced impatiently for her "mother" and "father" to get up.
So far, so good. The arrival into the Ponyville train station was uneventful. The second-hoof clothes made Lancer's "family" appear ordinary, though hats, bundled manes, and sunglasses aided in their disguise. The were more police here than even Gaeaopolis, and their guard dogs sneered at anypony who even thought about getting a look at the recent arrivals. The mandatory porters were given a pass to move Lancer and her group's luggage. Of course, these porters were actually plainclothes agents, armed and willing to throw their lives away for the Chancellor's. Lancer wanted to use them as shields as they made their way to their waiting vehicle, but Winter had already galloped ahead.
"She is sure excited to Ponyville," said Cheerilee.
The time for small talk fell flat between them. Lancer was more worried about the Little Miss, but he had already planned ahead for this. Winter had already ran into her other "big brothers", Taurus and Aries, who were already waiting for the family with the window-tinted limousine running. Everything should be going according to plan, but it did not pass Winter's inspection.
"Hey, I can't see out these windows!" cried Winter.
"It's for your protection," said Lancer. "These windows are bulletproof, and nopony from the outside can see you."
"But I can't see out. I'm already in disguise. Why would I need all this? Isn't that why you're here Big Brother Lancer? Isn't that why Taurus and Aries are here as well?"
"We are your protection, Little Miss."
"I know, but didn't you say that Ponyville Slums is a safe place like Gaeaopolis?
"Yes, I did."
"Then I want to ride in an open carriage."
"I do not believe your mother would approve of you riding in one."
"If you won't let me, I'll tell her that you and Cheerilee are getting married."
"That's not a thing a lady should say lightly!" Cheerilee blushed. "Surely Lancer has another in mare in mind, right Lancer?"
"Taxi!" Lancer cried.
Two pony-drawn taxi carriages were hailed, with Aries and Taurus taking the rear and Lancer, Cheerilee, and Winter Tulip taking the forward. The seating arrangement was small for the latter group, with Lancer sandwiched between a beat-red Cheerilee and an infinitely curious Winter. Despite Lancer's warning, Winter leaned out with a perfectly stiff posture as she watched the appalling conditions of her country where empty shops and long lines were the norm. Everypony she had seen were unhappy, and the constant presence of police and Clone Soldiers, protectors of the citizenry, did nothing to uplift them. This was supposed to be the scheduled fall season, but small piles of snow on the sidewalks and gutter made the Ponyville Slums appear cold and miserable.
The carriages took them to the old Apple Highway 95 that led to what was known as Traitor's Land: Sweet Apple Acres. Winter Tulip was warned not to run too far ahead or stray off the marked path, for fear of landmines, but all she could see were holes and holes everywhere. Her hooves took her to an area where the charred corpse of a barn house once stood, and she stubbed her sole toe on one stubby plank. The plank, charred like the rest of the wood, had splinters clamping onto the stems of three withered daisies. When Winter tried to get a closer look, a sudden wind shattered the daisies into pieces.
Then something else drew Winter towards a small forest of charred trees. Ignoring Lancer and Cheerilee's second warning about landmines, Winter trotted over to a particular tree that had burned wooden structure nestled between its branches and trunks. It looked to be some foals' clubhouse, the kind of thing she had seen in books and magazines. Even at its faded and charred shape, she got a hint of what the clubhouse would have looked like in its prime. She imagined it having a yellow-painted railings and a vibrant and buffered finish. There would be a retractable step ramp to let members in and keep out enemies. There would also be a flowerbed at the top window, and a telescope at the top observation floor. It was disheartening to see such a place of fun and adventure in a terrible state.
"Who lived here?" Winter asked as Lancer and Cheerilee arrived behind her.
"A family of terrorists and traitors," replied Lancer. "All descended from Smart Cookie."
"Who? Who were their names?"
The stallion remained silent.
"Answer me Lancer! Don't lie to me!"
The rumble of a descending airship drew everypony's focus to the sky, but this wasn't any ordinary airship. This was Posey's sleek aerial flagship, and just as it appeared, it had immediately touched down to the ground along with two smaller escort airships. Clone Soldiers funneled out in formation and lining up along the sides of a carpeted ramp. They stood at immediate attention as Chancellor Posey marched out of the shadow of the interior of her aerial flagship in her fascist military regalia. Cheerilee and Lancer bowed out of the way as mother approached the daughter with a stern stare.
Then without provocation, Posey slapped Winter.
"We are going home," said the Chancellor.
Obediently, the little filly marched behind Posey back into her airship. She knew not of the fates of Lancer and Cheerilee, but could only assume harsh punishment would be dealt to them for not preventing Winter from leaving the Palace.
Despite all her harshness, Posey immediately procured an ice-cold cloth to apply to her daughter's reddened cheek, something the little filly did not want to receive during the ride home. Stubbornly, Winter tried to sit farthest from everypony, especially from her own mother. She made the Chancellor sadder by pushing away a mother's loving hooves.
"There is a very good reason why you can't venture outside the Palace," said Posey.
"So you can hide all the poverty in front of me?" Winter retorted.
"That wasn't my intent, but it is true that there are ponies out there who are less fortunate than us. This is what the war between us and the pegasii has caused. Food, clothing, and shelter have been spread too thin throughout our country, and, to my great regret, we literally do not have enough to distribute around."
"Why not give all the food we have to them?"
"Our country needs to have us well-fed so we can function properly and better serve their needs. Yet even the food allotted to us pale in comparison to the amount we to give to everypony every year. For now, little Winter, everypony including ourselves will have to suffer until we defeat our winged enemies in the west."
"Okay, but can you at least tell me one thing."
"What do you wish to know, my daughter?"
"Am I an Apple?"
Posey sighed, and she suddenly hugged her daughter tightly.
"Whether you are an Apple or not, you will always be my daughter."
The sniffle from her mother made Winter feel guilty for upsetting her, and for the remainder of the ride, they all remained silent. When they returned home, Posey cancelled all of her appointments just to spend an entire day with her daughter. She took over Cheerilee's lesson plans and made it more exciting by her inserting anecdotal stories about her time in the air force. Posey also personally cooked her lunch and dinner, and then read her stories during bedtime. For that one night, Winter was allowed to sleep with her mother in the grand bedroom.
Then in the next morning, Posey was gone. The normal ritual and routine had resumed as if nothing happened, and again Winter Tulip was alone. On her way to breakfast, she spotted Cheerilee and Lancer separately from the down the halls. They must have made it back, though she could not tell whether they were punished or not.
As she sat by herself at the breakfast nook, Winter tapped the spoon on her bowl of oatmeal as she resumed contemplating her true identity. Her mother neither confirmed nor denied of her daughter being an Apple, but at least it wouldn't matter in the end. However, the dreams and visions of fire continued to haunt the filly, and she still could not forget the grieving visage of Rebel Applejack. Winter didn't want to break her mother's heart by forcing her to tell her truth, and she did not want to, in any way, strain their relationship. She did not want to disobey her any further, but she had no choice. There was one other pony who could tell her what she needed to know, and she needed to hear it directly from her. Winter would find her, no matter what.
It took some schmoozing and a bit of bribery, but Applejack managed to land the janitorial duties for the kitchen over by the mare's ward. That, and Mrs. Cake happen to let slip that one of her usual custodial workers caught the flu and was sent home.
Applejack mopped her way to the storeroom where she entered discreetly and quickly. She repeated the patterned knock Mrs. Cake gave her onto the manhole cover. Five seconds later, it popped open, and out came a purple head with green spines running across his back.
"I am so glad to see you again little fella," said Applejack as she hugged the little dragon. "How's Twi?"
"She's okay," Spike replied, "but she can't move or cast any spells. Are you ready to break out, AJ?"
"Not yet. There's a couple of things I gotta do first: first is to break two of my friends and my big brother out."
"Your brother is alive?"
"Half. Second, they got my Element, and if Twi's not feelin' all right, then I gotta get it back so she can move again. Thing is, I have no idea where it’s at. Sure wish Pinkie was still here."
"Who's Pinkie?"
"Me!" cried a pink pony dressed in a black sneak suit and night vision goggles. The startled dragon hid behind Applejack as a pink head topped with a baby alligator popped out of the manhole.
"Wha--how is it--what the hay are you doin' here?" Applejack stuttered.
"I told you I would come back," smiled Pinkie.
"So what is it then? Sellin' fake unicorn horns?"
"I was gonna suggest that I was selling a suit made out of ponies' Nature's Call and pegasii wings, but then I realized that would look silly! Instead, I snuck through an old pipe and found myself here. Wow, so he's a baby dragon. Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie, and this is my home."
"The sewers or the prison?" asked Spike. "AJ, I'm getting a weird vibe from her. Is she some kind of mass murderer?"
"She's just Pinkie,” said Applejack, "and let's leave it at that."
"So what's the mission Captain Jack?" the pink pony saluted.
"Um, okay. Listen, there's this thing called the Element of Truth, and I think they still have it in this here prison."
"The Element of Truth, huh? If I know my secret prisons, then they must be holding it in the Secret Prison."
"There's a Secret Prison?"
"They call it Tartarus 02, and that's where they experiment on ponies. Creepy stuff happens down there, and it's up to Pinkie to find out what's going on!"
"Pinkie, you do realize you don't have to do this. You're a free mare. I can find the Secret Prison on my own."
"I insist AJ, because making my friends happy is what makes Pinkie Pie happy, and I won't accept no for an answer."
"I didn't even ask."
"And you don't have to. Bye!"
"Wait!"
Hyper-active, ninja Pinkie,
Party-active, ninja Pinkie,
Awesome-active, ninja Pinkie,
Sneakin' through the sewers--Pinkie Power!
Agent Pinkie D. Pie: A.K.A. Miss Pink; A.K.A. The Pinkster; A.K.A. Princess Angelina Contesa Louisa Francesca Banana-Fanna Bo Besca the Third; A.K.A. Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivruski the Fourth. Dressed in her pony-patented tactical espionage action gear, Pinkie bounced, dodge-rolled, and double-jumped through the hardly-dangerous perils of Rock Prison's sewers battling darkness, stinky sewer water, and boredom. Aiding her was Gummy, A.K.A. Gator Gaga, a baby alligator with a not-so-dark mysterious past of being fished out of the toilet as an egg by Dripping Pink Madness.
"Applejack can't escape without the Element of Truth," Pinkie said. "Wouldn't she be so excited when we return back with it?
"What's that? Class 5 Felony? Gummy, I know we are breaking the law, but AJ and her brother can't remain in this prison. She needs to get back to Twilight the Book-Smarty Unicorn and Sunny Delight. I'll make sure that after they escape, I'll get caught so that I can stay here forever.
"Whaddya mean I should go on an adventure with them? I can't leave all these ponies here. I do know that it is only AJ that can make her brother happy, but there are many other ponies who are just as sad as him. Sure, I was born here, and mom died here... But where else can I go? The most unhappiest ponies live here.
"Well, Pinkie can't dwell on these things right now. Here's the A/C pipe to the Secret Prison. Take cover Gummy!"
From underneath her black suit, Pinkie pulled out a plastic explosive bomb that she stuck on a thick pipe. She grabbed Gummy and dove to the farthest corner to take cover. The bomb's klaxons buzzed, and no sewer-shattering kaboom occurred. Pinkie returned to the back and sniffed at the misbehaving explosive.
“Silly me,” she said. “This is just some wires and some clay.”
Turning around, Pinkie bucked a large hole into the pipe that turned out to be weak from rust and age in the first place. A gust of air briefly escaped, and Pinkie took a quick look in to see that the drop appeared awfully deep and dark. She tested it by dropping a set of jacks and listened carefully for about a minute. No sound was heard, but the pink pony shrugged her shoulders and jumped in. With a resounding “whee!”, the pony and the baby alligator fell and tumbled through pipes, vents, and chutes that eventually spat them out onto the floor of a medieval catacomb prison where the walls were tall as were some of the doors.
"Secret, prison mare!" Pinkie whisper-sang as she ducked from corner to corner, avoiding the Clone Guards patrolling the high security area.
"Secret, prison--" Pinkie covered her mouth as she hid behind a stack of boxes filled with various scientific equipment and computer gear. This bites. There were too many guards for her to sing her sneaking theme song, and all she could do now is tip-hoof to any place where the Element of Truth might be. That sounded like an exciting treasure, and she heard stories that, aside being part of a series of powerful magical artifacts, the Element of Truth could reveal whatever any pony wanted to know. It would be useful for her to find out where her sisters were in the world.
Then again, the pink pony had no reason to know these things. She knew that her sisters were out there somewhere alive and hopefully happy. That was all that mattered. What mattered was that she needed to make Applejack smile, and getting back her Element was the best way for Pinkie to fulfill her destiny, or else her name was Punching Judy. Which it wasn't. But she did manage to elicit a laugh from a prisonmare named Punching Judy before she was released about a year or so ago.
Pinkie did not let the groans and screams echoing across the Secret Prison get to her, and she resisted peering through the barred viewing port to see who had been imprisoned here. Nonetheless, she succumbed to curious temptations anyway, and stood on her hind legs to view the first one. There, she found a drooling stallion wrapped in a straitjacket. Sensing neither happiness nor sadness from him, Pinkie zipped from cell to cell to make sure that wasn't the case for the other ponies. The prisoners either cackled madly, foamed at the mouth, drooled, or exhibited combinations thereof.
In the third last cell, she saw a chic and a surprisingly mellow blue pony with a white mane who greeted a "guten tag" to her. In the second to last cell, Pinkie gasped in horror. She saw her friend and fellow team member Quirky Screw fluttering her lips with her hoof. Then at the last cell, she found Lucy Screw barking like a dog.
Not too far, a large mechanical door opened, and a green pony scientist trotted into view. Pinkie immediately tackled her, and together they rolled back through the doors and into a lab area filled with long tables of containing magical artifacts. Pinkie grabbed one of them to use as a potential weapon and aimed it at the scientist's muzzle.
"Lyra!" she cried. "What's going on with everypony? Why are they acting crazier than me? Answer me or I'll use this... thing!"
"That's the power of the Second Element," replied the scientist. "All it does so far is drive ponies mad."
"But how could you do this to my friends?"
"Please Pinkie, it wasn't my call! It's all Posey's idea!"
"Posey, huh? The biggest meanie of all meanies. Doesn't she know that she can't force ponies to be happy? How do we break the spell?"
"I don't know. We haven't researched the Second Element enough to know how to reverse it. I swear Pinkie, I never wanted all this happen!"
The doors behind them opened, and in poured in the Clone Guards for the pink pony's tackle. Pinkie, still carrying the potentially dangerous artifact in her mouth, narrowly avoided their warning shots by leaping over one of the artifact tables and going through another door that led into a short and narrow hallway. She immediately jumped into the area behind the largest double-doors and ran as fast she could.
Where she ended up was a dead end, and she slammed right into an innocuous block of stone with an omega symbol glowing an ominous blue. The Clone Guards immediately surrounded Pinkie right as she recovered her senses, and about a dozen or so rifle barrels pointed at her.
“Warden Bon Bon,” said Covalent Bond as he emerged into the chamber. “Who on earth’s name is this mare?”
“Her name is Pinkamena Diane Pie,” replied Bon Bon who appeared alongside him. “She used to be a prisoner here.”
"All right everypony!" Pinkie cried. "I have this... thing... in my hoof! Don't come any closer or I'll use it!"
"You idiot!" cried Covalent Bond. "That's a human hand exerciser! You can't do anything with it!"
"Aha! Trying to bluff me, aren't you? You wanted me to think that this is a useless bauble just so you can make me surrender!"
"I was the one who researched it you fool! Guards, shoot her down!"
Unfortunately the Clone Guards, in all their rigorous incubation programming and rigid military education, were not just puzzled, but also frightened to shoot due to the presence of the unfamiliar artifact. Their mental vocabulary was specific, and unfortunately the word 'human' was not part of their repertoire. Even Bon Bon shared their sentiment towards the mysterious artifact Pinkie waved menacingly in the air.
Angrily, Bond reached into one of the Clone Guard's holsters to grab a mouth-operated pistol and took two shots at his target. Neither bullet struck the pink pony, but in her panic she spun around and threw the artifact over the innocuous block of stone, which then bounced off one of the wall-mounted mechanical drill probes before tumbling over to the back wall.
"Ha!" Pinkie cried. "I damaged your precious block!"
"You damaged nothing!" Bond retorted.
Suddenly the robotic drill-probe fell apart. Several overhead lights shattered, and the ground cracked. The innocuous block lurched forward and sank partway into widening crack towards a corner. Everypony then heard something catching on fire behind the one-way mirror in the next room. All Professor Bond could do was bite his lip in utter fury at the pink intruder.
"Um, my bad?" smiled Pinkie.