//------------------------------// // Chapter 12 // Story: The Collector // by gallagsp the corgi //------------------------------// The statue garden was in front of them. From their perch on top of a nearby hill, the four mares could see the layout of te garden perfectly. Twilight scanned the grounds, looking for that specific statue they were after. It took her a while to find it. It was farther back from the castle than she remembered it, and the darkness made it that much harder to see. She pointed out the location to the others. Lyra observed the guards. From what she saw, there were three pairs of guards patrolling the grounds. She could see that one pair passed by the statue every few minutes, that didn't give them much time once they got in there. She looked for a distraction, something, anything to buy them more time. All she could see were statues. The place had minimal plant life, just grass, a few bushes, nothing too useful. Her eyes scanned even harder. Then she saw it. In the back corner was a small apple tree. She could barely make it out, but it had fruit on it. She formulated a plan in her head to get them in. She gestured for the others to come over to her, when they got there she relayed the plan. "Alright. you see that apple tree over there?" "Barely" "That's our key to getting in. All we have to do is use it to cause a distraction. once the guards are distracted, we slip in quietly, get to the statue, and slip into the caves beneath it." "Alright, who is going to be the distraction?" Twilight asked. "Who would be best at it?" "Duh, me. I've had experience with this before." Lyra rolled her eyes and pointed a hoof to herself. The others looked at each other and shrugged. "Are you sure you're up to this? This isn't small-time police here, these are trained royal guards. They will personally rip you to pieces if they feel it's neccessary." Twilight said. "I got this, no worries." Lyra pulled her hat lower onto her head and grinned. it was almost comical. Twilight nodded and turned back to the garden. "Give me five minutes, than make a move. I don't care what you do, just do something." Lyra said. She ran down the hill to the sculpture garden below. Lyra got to the fence and peared inside. She snuck around the side until she was near the back of the garden, then she peared inside again. after making sure the coast was clear she climbed the fence, trying to make as much noise as possible to attract the guard's attention. The others could see from a distance that is was working, a pair of guards broke off their patrol and started running toward the area were Lyra was. Once she was over the fence, Lyra picked an apple and took a seat under the tree. "Halt!" one of the guards shouted. "Um, I am halted. What's up guys?" Lyra took a bit of the apple and looked the guards over. There were two of them, almost identical in appearance, the only difference was their eyes, one had green eyes and the other had blue. They watched her carefully, bracing themselves to react with any move she would make. "State your name and business." "We're going with the serious on duty routine eh? Name, Golden Lyre. Business, enjoying the sculpture garden on a beautiful night." "We're going to have to ask you to leave, the park is closed until morning." "What? A mare can't enjoy herself anymore? What am I doing that is so wrong? I'm sitting under a tree in a PUBLIC garden minding my own business, and quite frankly, I'm feeling threatened by your interrogation." The guards looked at each other, one nodded to the other, then stepped away. He took a step back and his horn glowed, a bolt of magic shot into the air and burst into a sparkling blue light. Lyra watched in amazement, then she put two and two together. It was a signal for backup. Lyra tried to hide her grin, if the rest of the guards were here then they wouldn't be on their patrols, making it easier for the others to sneak in. One of the guards caught her. "What's so funny?" "The fact that you need to call for backup for one mare. You guards aren't all you're cracked up to be." "Just a precaution ma'am. we need to make sure you are no threat to us or the garden." "I'm one mare. I don't even have anything on me except this half eaten apple." "Then why are you sneaking into a sculpture garden dressed in black in the middle of the night?" The other guards had arrived at this time. "Because I have rights! What kind of society are we living in were a pony can't go to a public garden to enjoy herself?" "Ma'am, just because you have rights does not mean you are above the rules. The rules clearly state that the park is closed after dusk." "That's a dumb rule. It basically states that the government has control over when and where I can enjoy art that they approve, this isn't a constitutional monarchy, is a downright dictatorship!" "Ma'am, please calm down." He turned to another guard. "We may need to take her into custody." "No, I will not calm down. I am being threatened and intimidated and my rights are being violated. I want your names and ranks, all of you, and I want to speak to your superiors." "I am their superior ma'am. Major Swift Sword." Lyra stumbled. She was not expecting an officer to be on patrol. It was always just the grunts. The others watched from a distance. "Alright, its been five minutes, let's go." Twilight said. They moved down the hill toward the gates. Once they got there they climbed over as quietly as they could and made their way to the statue. They could hear Lyra yelling at the guards for something. A quick search confirmed the hole was there, but was closed off by a wooden board. Octavia found the board was only loosely covering the hole, and when they moved it they saw that the opening had been used quite recently. They nodded and Twilight took a deep breath. She lowered herself down into the hole, it was plenty wide for her, and could probably fit two ponies side by side and still have room to move around. What she couldn't believe is that the cave system that Chrysalis used to sneak into Canterlot was so unprotected. Surely they could have afforded something better than a wooden board to cover it. She continue down into the darkness, the others following close behind. Lyra on the other hoof, was losing her battle to the guards. "Ma'am, you need to leave the property now or you will be prosecuted by military police." "But you can't, my freedoms-" "We've discussed this already, your freedoms are not being violated. Sargent, if you would please escort Miss Lyre from the property." "Fine, you guys win." She let the guard lead her away from the tree toward the main gates. Then she saw The statue they were looking for and formulated a plan. It was clear the others would have already gone down the hole by now. She waited until they had passed close to it, then she pretended to trip. When the guard tried to help her up she pulled him down and bucked his head. The guard grunted and fell unconscious, Lyra dragged him behind a statue and quickly disappeared down the hole.