//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Exo's Journey // by Someguy987 //------------------------------// The air around Canterlot was brisk and suffocating; Luna's moon shone brightly, if only a quarter full. It was the perfect night for a walk about town for a lone unicorn mare, despite the warnings of abductions given out by the guard. Half of her white coat nearly glowed under the kerosene street lamps. A dark stripe ran from beneath her chin down her chest, past her belly, and went from the tip of her rump to the crook of her hind-legs. Atop her head sat one black ear and one white, the latter of which held two diamond studs and an earring. A messy orange and green mane had been done up in a pony tail as a pair of bangs ended in green tips around her knees. Her tail, same coloration as her mane, swept along the street behind her. On her flank rested a twisted stem with twin leaves at the top. Her hooves pounded the cobblestone street she frequented during her walks. This trail wound through the fancier parts of the city. A few large houses with elegant shrubbery lined the street. Candles and fireplaces glowed from within as they radiated enough heat to warm the mare's chilly coat. Across the street, a pair of patrolling guards gave her a stern look before nodding her away. She smiled warmly at them as she picked up her pace. The mare rounded a corner, and saw a few stallions loading some possessions into a cart in the darkness. Merrily she trotted over to them. "Good evening gentlecolts." One of the stallions, a dark blue pegasus with a black mane and a whirlpool cutie-mark, winced at her arrival. "Good evening miss," the navy stallion said with a strained smile. "Exo," the mare said as she extended a hoof. "What are you guys doing at this time of night?" "Well miss Exo," the dark blue pony said as he shook her overstretched hoof, "we are, uh... moving. All of the stuffy rich ponies do not want to see us with all of this stuff out here during the day, and that is why we are out here at night." "Oh, that's too bad. This seems like a nice neighborhood, why are you moving?" "Oh, we have heard that a lot of ponies have been abducted from this area, and we just do not feel safe anymore." "Where are you guys moving to? If you don't mind my asking." "Vanhoover," the pegasus said quickly. "I've heard good things, is it nice over there?" "It is uh, nice." "And cold," said one of the ponies moving. "And forest-y," said another. "Yes, it is nice, and cold, and forest-y. Now miss Exo if you will excuse me, I have to go help my friends move some stuff." The stallion began to trot towards the others. "Would you like some help?" Exo asked as she made her way to the stallion. "That'd be great," said one of the movers. With a skip in her step, the mare approached the cart, and was appalled at what she saw. Paintings and trophies were strewn about haphazardly; heirlooms and boxes had been tossed in with nary a care. "Yeesh, what idiot set all of this stuff up?" "That would be me, I'm the idiot," the navy pegasus behind her said. "Oops, sorry, I didn't mean it like that." "It's okay," he said with a sigh, "organization isn't my strong suite. And as you can see, we have everything under control miss Exo." "At least let me organize this." Before the stallion could consent, the alabaster unicorn had already flared her horn, and had begun levitating, moving, and rearranging the items in the cart. Before what had occupied a full cart now took up less than half of the space. "You've got to teach me that trick," the stallion said with a touch of awe in his voice. "Only if you give me a ride first." "If you insist," the stallion replied cheekily. "Th-that's not what I meant," the mare stammered hotly. "I-Imeantflymearound," Exo amended quickly. "Trust me, it's not so great," the stallion said with a ruffle of his wings, "once you've been hit in the face with a few dozen bugs you'll change your tune." "Oh, but it must be so amazing to be able to just take off, and leave without a second thought." "Seeing the world at the drop of a hat." "Yeah, some days you just feel like taking off and never looking back. Oh that would be so fun." "Trust me, I'd much prefer to just lay down roots someplace." "But it has to be amazing, looking down and seeing everypony looking like ants." "I will admit, that is fun." "So mister..." "Name's Riptide, and drop the mister, I'm only twenty." "Alright, Riptide, I'll trade you my horn if you trade me your wings." Exo extended a hoof. "You got yourself a deal," Riptide replied, bumping his hoof against hers. The rest of the night passed quickly, Riptide and Exo chatted as she arranged the items, and he oversaw the move. Finally the cart was filled to capacity. The unicorn smiled at her handiwork as she wiped sweat from her brow. "Finally done," Exo said with a smile across her features. Riptide, meanwhile was rummaging through a box on on the back of the cart. A few minutes later, he approached the mare with a small silver necklace with an inlaid black opal. "Take it, as thanks," the stallion said as a blush crept into his cheeks despite the cold. "I couldn't possibly accept this," Exo said as she returned the piece of silver to Riptide. "Please," the stallion began gently, "it would make me much happier knowing that the necklace is being used by a pretty mare, as opposed to gathering dust in a box." "Thank you." "No problem." With that, the stallion flew into the night. The mare sighed, exhausted, as she returned home that night. ----- A trio of loud, stern knocks at the door awoke the alabaster mare. Glancing at her wall clock, Exo saw the smaller hand resting on the seven as the larger one sat on the two. It was far too early to wake up in the mare's opinion. Another set of knocks filled the air. "I'm coming," she shouted at the obtrusive pony at the door. Shaking the sleep from her eyes, and giving a yawn, the alabaster unicorn got out of bed and headed for the door. The pony on the opposite side of the door was cut off mid knock, as Exo flared her horn, and telekinetically pulled the door open a few feet away. Beyond the threshold to her home, the two-tone pony gasped as a pair of unicorn guards stared her down with their oppressive gaze. "G-good morning," she said quickly, "would you like to come in?" The marble mare winced as one of the guards flared his horn, pulled out a tightly wound scroll bound by a red ribbon, and an official seal. "You are to appear in court promptly at eight AM on the fifteenth," one of the guards said. "What? Why?" Exo blurted out more loudly than she meant to. "The details are in the letter," replied the other guard. "Don't make us come back to take you there in chains." "There's got to be some sort of mistake, I'm not a criminal." "You are, Exo, a white unicorn with a twin leaf corkscrew shaped stem cutie-mark who lives at 8623 apple-wood lane, correct?" "Yes," the mare said just above a whisper. "Then there is no mistake." The unicorn gulped as she saw both guards walk away in tandem. Ripping off the seal, the alabaster pony read and reread the passage in front of her. Dear miss Exo, This letter is to inform you that charges have been brought up against you concerning an incident which occurred on the twenty-fifth of November in this, the eighth year of rule under the princesses Celestia and Luna. The charges are as follows: one count of organizing criminal activities, one count of aiding and abetting criminal activities, and one count of knowingly accepting stolen property. Please report to the Cantelot city court on the date of December fifteenth, or else further measures will be enacted to ensure that justice is met. ----- The court date had arrived, she had acquired an attorney of some renown; even her parents had attended in a show of support. Walking up the marble staircase, flanked on either side by statues of Luna and Celestia, Exo could feel her hooves shaking as her shoes clacked against the stone floor. A knot formed in her stomach and bile rose in her throat as she reached the plate glass double doors of the court house. Pulling on the heavy brass handle, a wave of warm air and the smell of disinfectant washed over her. The knot on her stomach grew. In the main room of the court sat a lone desk, a beige earth pony mare with a brilliant blue mane sat indifferently behind a magazine. "I-I have an a-appointment here-" "Second floor, room 207. Stairs are on your right," the mare stated without lifting her gaze from her reading material." "B-but-" "Look lady, we don't get many cases. You're Exo right?" "Yeah." "Then go, the judge doesn't like to be kept waiting." Turning to her right, the alabaster mare trotted up the stairs as the knot in her stomach grew ever tighter. Upon arriving at the room, Exo's lawyer quickly escorted her inside and sat her down. Looking around, the two-tone mare noticed several upper class ponies whispering amongst themselves. Without a word, an old gray stallion strode up to the podium, and began to read off a list of crimes that the unicorn had been accused of. His deep monotone voice lulled her into a trance as the trial proceeded. Several of the attendants gave testimony of her at the home in question levitating items into a cart. The owner of the home had managed to keep several photographs of several of the missing articles, including a silver necklace inlaid with a black opal. When she was called to the stand, Exo had given a description of the stallion she had unknowingly aided in the robbery, but the judge dismissed it a farce. When questioned, none of the witnesses had seen him, he had blended into the shadows too well. The alabaster unicorn saw the look in the old stallion's eyes, she was guilty. After that, the mare felt her mind go numb as the world raced around her. The trial ran its course as her lawyer fought for her freedom, and her parents plead for an appeal. In the end, the gray stallion's decision was clear. "Guilty. Twenty years at the Crystal Empire's Umbra prison." His old and powerful voice echoed through the chamber as the oaken gavel cracked against its base. A pair of gray-brown unicorns clad in golden armor stepped out from behind the podium. Exo was lost, her eyes downcast, her face blank as hoof-cuffs were clamped around her ankles, and an iron clasp was placed around her horn, preventing magic use. The mare's parents wept as she was escorted away. Upon exiting the court, a pair of guards led her to a waiting carriage. Hopping in, the unicorn felt an emptiness inside of her as the vehicle lurched forward. The ride lasted hours, stopping several time to pick up other criminals from various holding cells along the way. Upon arriving, the brakes of the carriage gave a screech and jostled the ponies within. "Everypony off," barked one of the guards. Stepping off of the vehicle, Exo saw that they had been taken to a large guard outpost on the outskirts of the city. The building was a simple wooden structure, adjacent to a railway. Progress was slow, as steel chains clattered below them in a strange and steady rhythm. The cold skies were overcast, blocking out the sun as a bone-chilling wind swept through the group. The hairs in her coat stood up as she made her way inside the building. The interior of the outpost was a stark contrast to the frigid weather outside. Warm pipes ran the length of the ceiling, heating the interior of the building. "Line up," called one of the guards. The group stood flank to flank as a unicorn flared her horn, removed their hoof-cuffs, and began to magically search all of the prisoners of contraband. A purple stallion on the end was found to be carrying a needle of some sort, but nothing more. After the search, Exo was taken into a separate room where her hoof prints and mugshots were taken. Another guard escorted the unicorn to a holding cell where the rest of the inmates had been corralled. The unicorn had tried to strike up a conversation, but none of her other cellmates had felt particularly chatty. Eventually the mare had succumbed to the fatigue from the long day, and fell asleep. The alabaster pony was awoken by a fellow prisoner nudging her in the ribs. "Get up," the green pegasus mare whispered, "the guards are about to load us onto the train." Lining up, Exo saw a gray-brown unicorn at the entrance to the holding cell with a set of keys floating nearby. Unlocking the door, the inmates shuffled out of the cell, and into a wing on the side of building. In this section of the outpost, the outer wall had been replaced with reinforced glass which allowed freezing tendrils of cold to nip a the mare's legs. Just outside, a nondescript, gray locomotive screeched to a halt. "Alright everypony," the guard escorting them said flatly, "you are going to board the train single file, and any resistance will be met with force. You are to find a seat, and stay there until the end of the trip. This train will be taking you directly to the Umbra prison located in the perpetually frozen wastes of the Crystal Empire in a land of eternal night. The trip, barring delays, is scheduled to take just less than twenty-four hours. Meaning that you'll arrive at around this time tomorrow." The engine gave a hiss as the doors opened. "Any questions... good. Hope you all have a safe trip." When the glass doors opened, the full force of the chilling wind made itself apparent as the frozen air filled her lungs and chilled her from the inside. Another line of prisoners had formed next to Exo's own. This fresh throng of prisoners ranged from red to green to purple to navy blue. With feathers, and a whirlpool on its flank. Riptide. Despite the guard's protests, Exo marched across the hall, righteous indignation in her heart as she strode over to the pegasus. In one swift motion, the mare put her hoof under the stallion's chin, and made him lock eyes with her. For a second nothing happened, until the pegasus' eyes widened. "Oh sh-" Exo drew back her foreleg, and cracked her hoof against the stallion's head, knocking the dark blue pony to the floor. After her spectacle, the mare had been bound, a bit had been placed in her mouth, and a muzzle had been affixed firmly around her snout. A guard had levitated her into a seat. All of the other prisoners had given her a wide berth, save for one. "I'm sorry, for what happened," Riptide whispered into her ear from the seat behind her. Exo growled in response. "I really am, and I admit that I deserve what you did back there. I meant for the necklace to be a gift, I didn't think that things would turn out like this." The stallion went from his seat to hers, and looked straight into her eyes. "I swear to you, that I will get you out of this." The alabaster unicorn stared daggers at the navy pony. "Or I'll die trying." The train whistled as the wheels began to turn, and the locomotive steadily carried the prisoners to their destination.