//------------------------------// // The Plan // Story: In a Far Away Land // by TheReaderAndWriter //------------------------------// "Alright," said Twilight, looking at Spike, Rarity, Big Macintosh and Rarity while holding onto a clock. "In less than a minute we will have 30 seconds to dig up eight blocks, close the path behind us and reconnect the connection we broke, otherwise an alarm will go off." Saying what they already knew was more for her own benefit. While the plan seemed simple, just a single mistake could essentially ruin their lives. She simply had to keep it in her head as clearly as possible. "Seems like a pretty complex redstone system," said Spike. "According to Applejack they got a Ponyville engineer who got creative. Are you ready? Three, two, one." Immediately Big Macintosh and Spike started to dig a quick tunnel straight up, putting ladders as they went. It didn't take long before Spike whispered "We're through." Being the last one up, Twilight closed the hole and put a single bit of redstone on it, completing the circuit. It had been just in time, as red blinking lights started to go off around them. The system was in full swing. It seemed they had remained undetected. "So far so good," said Twilight. It was difficult to move between the tightly placed wooden blocks, making up a vast and complex system. Twilight recognized a few simple or-circuits at places, and also that it was well thought out and organized. She had only dabbled in electric circuits when she had been younger back in Ponyville. Considering the education back in Haven, she probably knew less than Rarity's sister about this subject. "Timey is good at keeping schedules, at least," said Spike. "I wonder if that's something he learned from being Time Turner or if that's a changeling trait? I must ask him when this is over," said Twilight. "Don't do that," said Spike. "What?" "Say stuff like 'when this is over'. Are you trying to jinx it?" asked Spike. "Jinxing things is the least of our potential problems," said Twilight. Continuing the rest of the way up, in silence, the group traversed the different blocks until they finally managed to squeeze through an opening leading to the exit ladder. Big Macintosh almost had issues getting around due to his size. Twilight was aware that Big Macintosh's size could become a problem on a mission where stealth was key, but she needed someone who was strong and capable if things went wrong, or if someone needed to be intimidated by a pony bigger than them. They climbed up the ladder. The faint red light surrounding them quickly faded as they climbed up into darkness. Twilight hit her head on something hard above her, wooden. It was a trap door. She peeked through a few of its holes, not able to see anything dangerous inside a vaguely lit tunnel. She carefully opened it and climbed up onto a hard stone surface. The tunnel she was in was four blocks wide. Just above her it was two blocks high. It was oddly shaped, with a shallow canal in the middle two blocks wide, with the ceiling being one block higher above the flowing water. It looked almost like a sewer of some sort. It was a bit dark, barely holding up to keep monsters from appearing. "Whoa, this place is weird," said Spike, helping Rarity up. "These are service tunnels, they lead to different parts of the redstone system below us. Applejack told me so. It was also used as a primitive delivery system for supplies to the ponies guarding the walls and gate. Once they discovered hoppers this became pretty obsolete for delivery," said Twilight. The group quickly went to work, quickly pacing along the edge of the canal. "Do you think these tunnels have patrols?" asked Spike. "I don't think so," said Twilight. "Take a right here." They veered into another tunnel, walking up some stairs along the flowing water. "Alright, from here on out, we either whisper or we don't speak at all," whispered Twilight. This close to the surface it was quite possible somepony would hear them from, say, a basement. They couldn't take that risk. All three of her followers gave a quick, decisive nod. They walked for three whole minutes, at times one could almost hear the muffled voices and steps of those above. Just like she had been told, Twilight found another ladder going up, right where Applejack had said it was. They quickly climbed the ladder, got up from another trap door, and just like that, keep themselves hunched over and low, hidden in the shadows of another alley, they were inside. They were in the town. The numerous doors and windows, some with torches to light up the narrow pathway, were clearly visible. Each represented a possible threat. What if some crazy pony would step out and break curfew, spotting them, assuming the worst and panic, causing a ruckus? The group had a job to do. If they couldn't get the book in time, Applejack's ponies would be forced to retreat before they could overpower the criminals, making the whole plan fail. If it failed, Applejack's group would not in effect lose much but morale, but the ponies of Promise Peak would be forced to endure this for even longer, and so would Shining Armor. For all Twilight knew, today could be his last day alive if he would not get help. The group darted off into the night, making sure to avoid the windows and doors. Twilight noticed how little snow there actually was on the stone ground, most being on the rooftops. It was a nice change of pace, not having to see snow whenever she went. When they got out into the street, they didn't stop but kept going into another alleyway. A few more and they would split up, making it easier to move around the city. They turned to enter another alley before walking up several flights of stairs along a number of closely built houses. Just ahead was a wider street, where they would split into two groups. One would go to the right, another to the left. Spike was running slightly ahead of Twilight, then they got out into the alley. Grabbing hold of the collar on Spike's cloak, she pulled him back with great force as she also shoved the other two back, which they did without any fuss. Just there in the corner of Twilight's eye, there was a pair of ponies walking in their direction. The group had been fortunate, because the two stallions were clearly paying attention to each other as they strolled. "Hey, can I ask you a serious question?" asked the first stallion. His fur had a creamy color, and his mane was gray. He was still large, but smaller than the large blue pony walking next to him, able to basically dwarf Big Macintosh in size. "Okay?" the second stallion said. They slowly came closer, Twilight and the group hid behind an indentation in the nearest wall, making it easier to avoid being spotted. "Do you think all of these kids we've made are going to be, well, as messed up as we are?" asked the first stallion. "Um, maybe? I mean, I don't think some of the other guy's issues are he- heri-" "Hereditary?" "Yeah, that's it," said the second stallion. "No, I mean, growing up, some not knowing who their father is, or some knowing but their father just not caring?" "Listen, this is kind of weird for you, what's up?" "I'm going to be a dad," said the first stallion, seemingly with shame, or maybe fear, in his voice. "Alright! About time you became a proper stallion! I already have four, or maybe six," said the second stallion. "But, I don't, I don't feel 'proper'. I once killed a pony, and even though I didn't feel much I still knew it was wrong. I knew I deserved prison. I'm sick in the head, I know that, you know that. But... I'm still reasonable compared to these other psychos. And, it's scaring me. They don't have any real long-term plans, they just live in the moment, listen to Sharp Edge and do what they want." "And?" "I'm just afraid that the way these other guys are doing stuff, getting whatever mare they want, eating whatever they want, I think it might destroy this place in a few years. And what are we going to do then? I don't think any mare or stallion will survive if we keep this up. I... I want a place where my kid, once born, can be safe. And, these other guys are not doing anything to make that happen. They don't think like I do. They don't care. I've always understood that we had to be in jail in Equestria, but now when I see how little some of these other guys care about anything but themselves in the moment. I've finally understood just why," said the first stallion with a heavy heart. "Okay, I can see your point," said the second stallion, sounding like it was completely reasonable argument, as they came into view. That's when he pulled out a single arrow and thrust it into the first, right in his gut. He held the first close. Twilight saw in the first's eyes how he spotted the group over the shoulder of the second, and how betrayed he felt by all of this. "I hate it when one of our own gets weak. You're scum. I just hate you so much. When your kid gets born, you better hope it's a girl. What will I use a boy for when he gets older? I'll just get rid of him if that happens." The second stallion didn't even bother pulling out the arrow, instead just letting the first fall onto the ground. He then simply just walked away. "Douche, making me think you were cool. Go to hell," said the second as he left. Twilight just saw the first lie there on the ground, looking at them as he struggled to properly breathe. He looked like he was trying to silently plead with them, and Twilight had to make a decision. And she made it. Gathering all her courage, she hurried out into the street, followed by Spike, to drag the pony into the alleyway as quickly as she could. Once there, Spike reached for the arrow. "No, leave it in. It hasn't hit anything vital, but if you pull it out he can die from blood loss," said Twilight, surprised at how low and steady her voice was. There was a lot of blood flowing from the wound, but it was essentially plugged because of the arrow. The thing threatening his life was ironically keeping him alive. "He's almost skewered," said Rarity. "But not dead," said Twilight. "Why... why are... you doing this?" asked the stallion. "Because nopony should have to die tonight. I don't care who it is," said Twilight. "I did it mostly because Twilight made me. I'll follow her anywhere," said Spike, shrugging as he helped Twilight. "Don't... I've, done awful things," said the stallion, sounding weak, filled with regret. "Shut up and be still. Rarity, do you have an extra cloak for this wound?" asked Twilight. "Twilight, we're falling behind on the schedule and-" "Do you have it or not?" she asked, a little too loud to be safe. "Right, alright, yes," whispered Rarity sharply. "Hey, you," said another voice. Everyone but the stallion on the ground turned to look, very tense, at who had spoken. In the nearest building to their right, the door was open. Two mares and a stallion were visible in the doorway. Twilight looked at them, fearing what they would do. "Get him in here," said the mare closest to them. *** The first thing Twilight did when they got inside was to point towards a table in front of a couch. "Put him there". The room was large, able to hold at least ten ponies. There were eight there, most younger than herself. Some looked at the wounded pony with contempt, others with fear. Everyone was serious. "Why are you helping us help him?" asked Spike as the mare closed the door. "This guy is one of the few who's actually nice," said the mare. "In that he's the only one we know that has never struck us," said one of three stallions. "And, well, I know the mare who's having his kid. She has terrible taste in stallions, but there you go," said the mare. "Wouldn't you hate him, then?" asked Rarity. "It was consensual according to her. That's rare with these rulers," said the mare. "Don't get me wrong, I don't care that much about him, but I don't want to see him die either." "Twilight, what are we going to do?" asked Spike. "Well, I'm not a doctor, but I have a hunch. The arrow goes deep, but has likely missed anything vital. We need to seal the wound to stop the bleeding." "My cloak isn't enough," said Rarity. While it did keep the bleeding back a bit, it clearly wouldn't save him. "I know. Spike," said Twilight, turning to him. "Yes?" "We need to cauterize to wound, it's the only way to save him." "We need to what?" asked Spike. "Burn the wound shut," said Twilight. "But, I can't use my fire, it will become a fireball," said Spike. "Not if you do it right next to the wound." "Fine, I'll try." "Big Macintosh, I need you to keep him from screaming. This is not going to be pleasant. Keep him from screaming. I don't care if you have to break his jaw, keep him quiet." "Eeyup." "Rarity, you have a delicate touch. I need you to unwrap him and take out the arrow." "I- I- O-of course!" she said, swallowing nervously. "Alright, are you ready?" asked Twilight to them. "I'm not, but... what the hell," said the stallion on the table. "Speaking of which, that other guy told you to go there. Odds are that if you survive, it will feel like you did," said Twilight, giving him a regretful look. "Buckle up and try not to scream. Guys?" she said to her friends. "Here we go," said Rarity hesitantly as she removed the arrow. Big Macintosh put his cloak over the ponies mouth and pressed down hard. Just getting the arrow out made the pony scream, very muffled, in pain. "Don't forget to breathe," said Spike, himself taking a deep breath, and then it began. *** While the event hadn't lasted very long, or involved more than a single medical emergency procedure, just looking at it had been like a form of torture. The smell had been repugnant, taboo even. Everyone was forced to keep the stallion down and still on the table with all of their strength, as he would otherwise twist and turn in desperate attempts of just making it stop. It had been too much for many, especially him. He had passed out momentarily. Once finished, he slowly woke up. "Stay down. You need rest," said Twilight. "It hurts so bad," he said, panting. "It will pass. Just lie down and rest and it will feel fine by tomorrow. We stopped the bleeding. You'll live, probably" said Twilight. Suddenly everyone in the room jumped as somepony was knocking on the door. It was clear the inhabitants didn't expect any more visitors. It had to be a patrol, or some criminal. How? They had managed to keep the noise down. "Hey, are you guys cooking something? It smells delicious!" said a gruff voice from outside. Of course it does, Twilight thought, rolling her eyes. Psychopaths, seriously. If nothing else, most seemed predictably messed up. "Upstairs," whispered the stallion on the table. "Like we have a choice," said Rarity. The group hurried up a flight of stairs, leaving the rest of the ponies below. There was no back door, no way to escape without making noises. "It's just me, you ass. Come in," said the stallion on the table. Twilight, standing behind a corner at the top of the stairs, heard the door open. "What the hell happened here?!" asked the visitor, quite angrily. "Easy. I got stabbed by Brad Bone. The jerk left me for dead. I told these assholes to fix me. They had to close the wound by burning it," said the stallion. "With what?" "Flint and steel, obviously. How dumb are you?" "Shut up, Harry!" "I will if you leave me alone! I'm tired and I just want get some fucking rest here!" yelled the stallion, this 'Harry'. "Fine!" yelled the visitor. A door slammed shut. There was a slight pause, and Twilight walked back down the stairs. Waiting just outside of sight, Spike walked down the stairs. "And ponies tell me to watch my language," he said. "For us that's like saying 'hi'. He was pretty relieved I was okay, really," said Harry. "Thanks for not ratting us out. You're a good liar," said Spike. "Back in prison I learned from my shrink that lying that easily is not a good sign. Almost everyone of us are just as good or better than I am at lying," said Harry. "Well, you seem to be alright. We'll just be leaving, I guess," said Twilight. "Hang on, Twilight. This guy might tell us something," said Spike. "Oh no, no, this is our secret. If Sharp finds out I helped you, he'll probably lock us into this house and tell the rest to burn it to the ground. I'm already deep, but I might be able to weasel out of this if anyone finds out. 'Oh, no, I had to keep them hidden so they wouldn't kill me and the others', like that," said Harry. "Sir, you're already really deep," said Rarity. "But not as deep as I could be," said Harry. Twilight took a deep breath. This was a golden opportunity, but they were running out of time. "What's your name?" asked Twilight. "Harry O'Hooligan. And you're Princess Twilight Sparkle." "You know me?" "Yeah, I was one of the few at prison who read the papers. My memory is pretty good." "Harry, I heard you talk about wanting a place for your child to grow up safely. I know what you're talking about. My good friend has a child that's right now being raised in an environment of conflict. I don't want that little girl to have to live in a cave somewhere. I want her to have a roof over her head where she doesn't have to fear, every night, that her mom might not come home. Promise Peak was once a place like that. I want to make it into a place where your foal can grow up happy. Please, as a father-to-be, help me make that happen," said Twilight. Harry O'Hooligan looked at Twilight, hesitation filling his look. With worry he turned to the mare having invited them. Twilight noticed the mare's eyes glancing down between her own front legs. Seems it wasn't a coincidence Harry started talking about having children while passing this house, Twilight thought. "What... what do you want to know?" "Where does Sharp have the book of flight?" asked Twilight. "How did you know about that?" he asked, surprised. "It's pretty obvious to some. Do you know?" asked Twilight. "No. All I know is that he keeps it somewhere in his home. I'm not a pegasus, so I've only seen it once." "So it's not on him... Hm... Big Macintosh, I think you should go with Spike instead, and I'll take Rarity" said Twilight. "What?" asked Spike, just a tad too loud. "I wanted Big Macintosh with me so if I had to engage other ponies it would be easier to deal with it, and to intimidate Sharp if I had to, but, I trust Harry enough about this, and I realized that I'll need someone with a keen eye to find good spots for the book to be hidden in. And more importantly, the prisoners are probably weak and need to be protected, I think the only fighter more capable than you two is Rainbow Dash. There might be a lot of hostages, and so they might be discovered more easily and need protection. Also, it's shorter to the prison than to Sharp's castle, so you will need less stealth. Rarity and I are both smaller and nimbler, so we might last longer," said Twilight. "Are you sure, Twilight?" asked Rarity. "I'm sure. You both know enough to switch places," said Twilight. "Well, we better get going," said Spike. "Right. Let's hope that O'Hooligan is a pony of his words," said Rarity. "He is... Trust me," said the brave mare helping them. "You won't get to it, though. At night Sharp has at least 20 ponies keeping watch both over and under the higher parts. It's impossible for you to make it through," said Harry. Twilight looked at him. "Well, we're going to have to do the impossible, then. It wouldn't be the first time," she said, surprised at how sure she sounded. *** Having split up and going their separate ways, the two groups rushed throughout Promise Peak as best as they could. Twilight and Rarity going upwards to the castle. Spike and Big Macintosh rushing downwards to the prison. "Do you think Spike and Big Mac will be alright?" asked Rarity. "Rarity, focus on the moment," said Twilight. "I think they will find Shining Armor there, but I won't let that distract me," said Twilight. Suddenly Rarity grabbed hold of Twilight and dragged her in with her into another alleyway. Twilight didn't need to be told to be quiet and just listened. Around the corner, they could clearly hear steps on the street. There were at least ten of them. "So, anyway, apparently Harry got stabbed by Brad," said a voice. "And he survived? Wow, I didn't know that little shit had it in him," said a confident voice, clearly that of a mare, probably one of the few criminal ones. "Yeah, but apparently he didn't do it all by himself. Those stupid intruders shouldn't have saved him. At least he knows where his loyalties are. I hope we get them alive," said another pony, chuckling. Twilight could have cursed to herself. Not only was she angry and felt betrayed, she mostly felt disappointed. Having saved his life, she had expected at least a small bit of gratitude. She had hoped Harry O'Hooligan could have been a decent pony just this one time in his life, but that was apparently not the case. "So what are our orders?" asked a stallion. "We will go down to the redstone system, another twelve will go to the food storage and wait for them there. I think at least ten will go to the mineral deposit. We'll wait until they arrive," said the mare. It took a second for Twilight to realize the significance of what they had said. From what Applejack had told them, those buildings were all on the south-east side of the mountain town. The prison was to the west, and the castle to the north. Harry O'Hooligan was helping them, by decreasing the numbers around their targets even further... but there was one problem Harry wouldn't have been aware he caused. Once the criminals had passed, Twilight turned to Rarity. "This isn't good. Spike and Big Mac doesn't know that ponies will wait for them down in the redstone system. Rarity, you have to get to the prison and tell them about that before they leave. You'll have to try to leave through the main gate instead. The prison isn't that far from it anyway." "They should have gotten there right now, do you think I have the time?" asked Rarity. "You have to, otherwise they could all die," said Twilight. "Go, now." "Right. Good luck, Twilight," said Rarity, then she turned around and left. "Be safe, Rarity," she said, but Rarity was already gone. She was alone. Turning around to look upwards, she could just see the castle in the distance, between the roofs of two tall houses. It would be quite the climb. *** Things had not been going according to plan, but that was most apparent when Twilight once again had to dart into an alleyway. She wasn't even that far from the castle's little garden. It was just a few more turns. Out on the street a rather large battalion, of at least fifteen pegasi, were walking down from the castle grounds. From the glimpse she had gotten, they must have been the force Sharp directed towards the fake new cave. It was a smaller amount than Twilight had anticipated. Something else she hadn't anticipated was how quickly the alleyway had turned to a dead end. It was barely more than three blocks deep, with no other exit anywhere. She turned around, hearing the pegasi coming closer and closer. She was trapped, there odds of her not being spotted were basically non-existent. They were close, far too close, just around the corner. It had already been too late to start digging through the wall, something that would have been quite risky even without them being able to hear the cracking of the stone. She could see their shadows being cast by some distant torch. Far, far too close. A few steps, fewer still. They were there. And so was something else. It appeared in a silent puff of purple particles right in front of her. The Enderpony with the green eyes. Twilight had almost screamed in shock, but the Enderpony grabbed hold of her mouth. With movements uncannily fluid and precise, it leaned down to embrace Twilight, and then nothing. For less than two seconds, nothing, not a sound, not a light, just darkness. Then everything came back with a flash. The silence of night and flickering torches were back, but the Enderpony was gone. Down below Twilight heard someone talk. "What is it?" asked the leader of the pegasi battalion. "I just, I thought I saw... nah, it couldn't have been... I'm just tired, seeing things in the dark," said a single pegasi, looking into the alley. Twilight was standing on the roof right above them, looking down on the passing criminals. Wishing not to be spotted by someone getting a sudden urge to look up at the stars, Twilight backed away on top of the roof, feeling the soft snow under her hooves as she went. At least she was safe. Somehow, she was saved. Though, for whatever reason, it was now clear that particular Enderpony was stalking her. The thought scared her, but feeling like she was constantly watched was a small price for not being discovered this night. Considering how little Twilight knew about Enderponies, this was unsurprisingly terrifying. Who knows what this guy wants with me? He might be a friend, or he just wants to keep me for himself. For the moment it was not important, her mission was. She turned around, and faced the castle. It wasn't far, even less so if she hurried over the rooftops. She had to hurry, pegasi could fly by any second and easily spot her against the white snow. She ran, unable to afford being careful out in the open. She spotted the edge of the last house. So, from the roof of a building three stories tall, she jumped with all of her strength. Just barely avoiding hitting the top of the fence, she tumbled down into a deep little pond, wet and cold but perfectly unharmed. She was inside the garden. There was nopony there. The castle was right in front of her, standing tall and proud, filled with details that awed her. While the small garden was safe, the inside promised to be much more intimidating and dangerous just by having Sharp there. Time to find that book, she thought.