//------------------------------// // Buggy's Escape Plan – Riot on Level Two // Story: My Little Pirates: Set Adrift - Sanji in Equestria // by River Road //------------------------------// Clutterstep slowly opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. He had fallen asleep near the fire, which was now little more than a small pile of ember. It was enough to keep the area around it warm, but the cold had already started to seep through to him. Looking around he noticed that no more firewood was left. Trixie and Buggy still seemed to be fast asleep. “Ah, you’re awake,” Mr. 3 said as Clutterstep slowly got to his hooves. “I’ve kept the fire going with my wax for a while, but I think it will be best if we start our escape soon.” He trotted over to the sleeping Buggy and poked his head. “Hey, Buggy. Wake up!” “…the cat’s guided with the salad…” Buggy mumbled in his sleep. Mr. 3 poked him a little harder. “…the French Toast… What?” Buggy opened an eye to stare at the pony that had woken him. “Who are you?” he mumbled, rising to his hooves as the last day came back to his memory. “Oh, Mr. 3… How long was I asleep?” “It’s hard to tell down here.” Mr. 3 looked at the frozen plains around them. “The fire burned down, though, and we’re out of firewood, so I thought now would be the best time to make our move.” “Alright!” Buggy stepped over to Trixie, who was slowly waking up as well. “Get up, unicorn! It’s time to go.” “Trixie only hopes that we will not be pulled back down again when we’ve almost reached the exit.” The four ponies stretched themselves and began walking towards the entrance to Level Four, leaving the fireplace behind. …iwara! Clutterstep paused and turned around to let his gaze wander over the white hell around him. “Did you guys hear anything?” Mr. 3 looked over his shoulder at him. “It was probably just the wind, or maybe one of those wolves.” “All the more reason to leave this place as soon as possible,” Trixie added. “Keep walking!” Clutterstep watched them walk ahead and turned around one last time. Whatever it was, the sound was now drowned out by the icy wind that was picking up around them. He shrugged and fell into a canter to catch up with the rest of the group. Clutterstep led the other three ponies through the desert sand of Level Three. They had made it here in record time, thanks to a streak of good luck – which was rather unfamiliar to him – and the fact that the three other ponies seemed to know surprisingly much about the layout of Level Four. After they had made it to Level Three Clutterstep had taken the lead. He knew his way around the Level quite well, better than Buggy and his companions. He had spent quite some time here with Sanji, looking for the way to Level Four. “This seems familiar. It can’t be much further to the next level.” Mr. 3 craned his neck to examine the desert around him. In the distance to his right a small cluster of cell blocks stuck out of the sand. And right ahead of them… “Treasure!” Buggy flew past them, his hooves galloping after him. The other ponies followed him until they reached the spot where large stones lay scattered across the desert sand. Pieces of Buggy were already flying between the rocks and collecting gold, gemstones and jewelry that were strewn all over the place. “That must be the parts of the Dragon’s hoard that came down from Level Two with us!” Mr. 3 exclaimed. “We can sell those for a fortune when we’re back on the Grand Line!” He started picking up treasure, forming a bag out of his wax. “Just look at those two,” Trixie said turning towards Clutterstep, “losing their heads over a few simple gemstones.” She watched Buggy’s laughing head, sitting on top of the biggest rock in the center while his body parts collected more treasure. “…Literally. Though Trixie supposes there is no reason not to take a few souvenirs back to Equestria.” She levitated a few pieces of jewelry in front of her to examine them.” Clutterstep trotted forward and began to scan the rocks. “Well, if we’re already pilfering I might as well join in.” He noticed that a few of the rocks had a different color than the rest. “Hmm. Not much left in this part.” Clac. Clutterstep felt something on his right front hoof and raised his leg to inspect it. A pair of hoofcuffs had been hidden by the sand and he had right stepped into it, causing it to snap shut around his leg. The second metal ring was still stuck below the sand. Clutterstep tried to pull it out, but was met with resistance. Slowly a long metal bar emerged from the sand, caught in the second ring of the hoofcuffs. Short remnants of another metal bar crossed it on both ends, trapping it inside the locked hoofcuff. Clutterstep sighed. “Well, that lasted longer than expected, at least.” He took a few steps forward, dragging the metal bar along… and promptly tripped over it. Lying on the heated sand he opened his eyes to watch the three other ponies continuing their way towards Level Two without him. “…Just great,” he muttered. A few of the prisoners watched Clutterstep with interest as he carried the metal bar past them in his mouth. From what he’d gathered Buggy had freed them, probably to divert attention from themselves as they escaped. Most of the prisoners were crowded together in this part of the level now, staring ahead at a turn of the corridor. Clutterstep rounded the corner to find the other three members of this group standing in front of a violet wall. He dropped the metal bar in his mouth and collapsed on the floor. “Finally! What were you thinking, just leaving me there?” “Oh hush,” Trixie replied. “We didn’t see you anywhere and thought you had already gone ahead. Besides, you made it here just fine, didn’t you?” Clutterstep decided to ignore her, instead getting back to his hooves and staring up at the violet wall in front of him. “What is that thing?” “The Warden sealed off the whole level with his Devil Fruit powers,” Mr. 3 explained. “That wall is made from poison. We have no way to break through.” “Maybe there’s another exit. We have to keep the moral up while all those prisoners are still loyal to me.” Buggy turned around to trot back through the corridor. “With all of those strong pirates under my command I can–“ He tripped over the metal bar lying next to Clutterstep and stumbled. A small red ball fell out of his hoof and rolled over the floor. “The Muggy Ball!” Buggy, Trixie and Mr. 3 all screamed at the same time. They raced back through the hallway away from the marble. “The what?” Clutterstep turned around to look after them in confusion, forgetting about the metal cuff around his hoof for just a moment. The metal bar swung around, scraping over the stone floor. It hit the red ball at an angle that made it bounce off the floor and fly towards the poison seal. “They broke through the seal!” “They really did it!” “Three cheers for Captain Buggy!” Clutterstep found himself in a pile of pony bodies laid against the wall opposite of the poison that sealed off the level… Or rather, the spot where the poison had previously been. The explosion had annihilated the whole poison and parts of the stone wall around him, while the four ponies had been blown in the opposite direction. Mr. 3 lay below him, Trixie was sprawled out on top of him, and parts of Buggy were spread all around them. “I guess that worked, too,” Buggy’s head groaned. “You’re welcome?” Clutterstep couldn’t help but chuckle at the situation. “Trixie has the feeling that none of you are fans of the subtle approach,” Trixie muttered. “Could you maybe get off me first?” Mr. 3’s voice came out of the pile. The ponies untangled themselves and got back to their hooves. “Alright, men! The way is clear, we’re going to Level One!” Buggy announced, earning a round of cheers from the prisoners. Clutterstep held Trixie back as the prisoners herded into the stairway to Level One. “Wait! You’re good with magic, can you open those hoofcuffs for me?” He held out his right leg. “How did you–? Nevermind. A simple lock is no challenge for the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Trixie concentrated and lit her horn to channel her magic towards the lock. For a moment nothing happened, until Trixie let the glow die down again. “…Unless the lock is made of seastone, of course,” she huffed. She poked the metal bar and shivered. “That thing is pure seastone, too. I’m afraid Trixie’s powers don’t work on that confounded metal. You really are one unlucky pony.” “Seastone?” Clutterstep asked. “Another trick of this prison?” “Indeed,” Trixie replied. “They put some of that stuff around my horn when we got here. It completely blocks a unicorn’s magic. But apparently the real reason they use it is that it completely negates the powers of those Devil Fruit users when they touch it.” “So I’m stuck with this thing on my leg until I find the key?” Clutterstep rubbed his temple with a hoof. “Not to worry, as always Trixie knows a solution,” the unicorn boasted. “That wax guy can craft a key for you if you ask him. They freed the prisoners that way.” She pointed at the stairway. Clutterstep watched the last of the prisoners disappear up the stairs. “And the scavenger hunt goes on,” he muttered. “Wonderful.” Buggy and Mr. 3 had already begun to hand out keys to the other pirates to free the prisoners on Level One. They were standing further down the corridor, watching the cell doors being opened and hoofcuffs being taken off. “Gyahahaha. That’s right, everyone. The great Captain Buggy is here to save you!” Buggy was floating in front of a growing crowd of prisoners, boasting about their great escape. Clutterstep approached the white pony next to Buggy and held out his right hoof. “Hey, Mr. 3, can you make me a key for these?” “No problem. I’m already warmed up, anyway.” A small clump of wax floated between Mr. 3’s front hooves and quickly formed a small white key. He held it out to Clutterstep. “Here you go.” Clutterstep took the key with his mouth and worked it into the lock of his hoofcuffs. “Finally,” he mumbled around the key in his mouth. “I can’t wait to get this key of.” The sound of the metal ring falling to the floor and Buggy’s boasting was drowned out by the grating sound of the large metal door beside the stairs slowly sliding open. Every prisoner turned their head to watch the inside of an elevator come into view. Two guards lay unconscious on the ground. A large violet pegasus with a black mane and leathery black wings towered over a small orange earth pony with hoofcuffs around his forelegs. A purple hydra head emerged from his back, staring down at the earth pony. Both ponies turned their heads to stare at the crowd of prisoners. Then the earth pony dashed forward. Prisoners screamed and started to turn tail as the Warden began to follow the earth pony, the poisonous hydra head swaying above him. The earth pony kept galloping towards them, away from the Warden. “A key!” he yelled. “Do you have a key?” Clutterstep had unconsciously fallen in step with the others. Everypony was galloping away from the large pegasus. “Who is that guy?” he shouted over at Mr. 3. “Are you serious? He’s the Warden of this prison! He ate a Devil Fruit that lets him generate poison. Like my wax powers, but if it hits you, you’re done for!” “I need a key– Oof!“ Clutterstep turned his head and stopped when he saw that the hoofcuffs around his legs had caused the orange earth pony to trip. He was lying on the floor, front legs stretched out in front of him. Clutterstep realized that he still had the wax key for his own hoofcuffs in his mouth. Down the hallway the Warden was coming closer. He dashed back to the earth pony and bent down to fumble his key inside the lock of the hoofcuffs. If he thought about his decision he would probably regret it, but he didn’t have time to do that, anyway. The hoofcuffs opened and fell to the ground. Clutterstep looked up to see the Warden towering above them, just two or three ponylengths away. The last thing he saw was a purple hydra shooting towards him, baring its fangs. . . . . . . . . . . . . Then the world turned to fire.