//------------------------------// // Escape // Story: Legends of Equestria: The Candy Kingdom // by Luna Sapphire //------------------------------// Vanilla wondered how much time had passed. It was hard to tell the time, but it was still night, so maybe it wasn't too much. She had studied a way out of there and come to the conclusion that her only chance was to use something Star Sapphire style. She just needed the right time. Wearily, she lay down and fell asleep in a corner, she need energy. She woke up in the morning with the birds singing in the nearby forest. Sleepy but feeling a little better, she let out a tired yawn and stood up. She found a tray with some sweets. Food! Just what she needed. She began to work on her plan until she heard footsteps in the hall, someone was coming. "Star Sapphire and the Dark Emerald." She murmured. "It's showtime." Dusky, still in his disguise, approached the door and unlocked it. Vanilla was lying on the edge of the wall just below the window. Had somehow managed to pull off a block of chocolate from there and was trying to remove another to open enough room to pass. Unfortunately there were small blocks, just to complicate that kind of action. Her necklace was broken by her side and she used one of the dismantled rings to work. It would take hours, if not days, to finish the job. "Trying to get away, isn't it?" Dusky laughed. "I should have guessed." He approached, stopping in the middle of the room. "I think it would have been smarter if I screamed for help." She said sarcastically. "You have enough courage, little filly. I don't like it. I should have finished with you when I had the chance. I'll not make the same mistake again." His horn began to glow with a greenish aura, but Vanilla was smart about the situation. In one swift motion she threw her medallion in the air, the spell hit the stone and bounced around. A moment of distraction, in which Vanilla got up and kicked the block against Dusky, knocking him down. The guards came running, pointed spears, but she also thought of that and had thrown the tray on the way, causing one of them slipped, and the other bumping into him, both falling. She took advantage of the confusion to pick up her collar, jump over them and win the corridor. She wasted no time before running away. Would be faster flying, but her wing was still somewhat sore. She ran, escaping the guards a second time, it was already becoming a very annoying habit. But the guards were the least of her problems when Candy cut her way. "Very clever of you to escape, little sister." Sister? Vanilla asked herself, confused. "Escape from the temple of hail, I imagine. Know all your books, no more surprises, there is no escape for you." Candy threatened. "Are you sure? Know Star Sapphire and the curse of the dragon?" Vanilla asked with a mischievous smile. Candy raised an eyebrow at her, uncomprehending. Instead of answering, Vanilla began to retreat, seemed to have changed her mind about whatever she was going to do or say. Candy Shine slipped toward her, the little wouldn't escape her, there was no chance. Vanilla then stopped again, near some ancient armor. Candy quickly studied anyway that the younger could escape, and prepared herself to prevent any attempt. Surely she didn't expect that question. "Hey, Candy! Why the Chocoatrice* crossed the road?" What a ridiculous joke was that? What was Vanilla talking about? Of course, that could be anything from Candy-Ponies, and she was no longer one for a long time. Or even something common to ponies, she also had not been one for a long time. "I don't know. But you know what happens to ponies who don't know when to stop joking?" "I know! They are voiceless." Vanilla laughed, which only served to irritate Candy, her horn starting to glow with a emerald aura, the same color as her eyes. "You know what they call an one-eyed mausemallow*?" What was that? A joke? Vanilla Lightning certainly wanted to distract her, it had worked in one of her books, although there they didn't use so bad jokes. She had no time for that. She finally launched her magic against Vanilla without thinking twice, her mistake, because the youngest just pulled the armor in front of herself, the part being immediately turned to stone, Vanilla jumped on it, managed to run for a short on the wall, enough to get past an atonished Candy Shine. What was an escape as quiet as possible, although King Candy screaming for the guards had made it impossible was now a real chase one-on-one. Candy used her magic whenever possible to try to stop Vanilla, who was quickly diverting, though with some difficulty. The Candy-Unicorn no mattering for who or what struck by the way. Vanilla saw the door of the castle and couldn't believe her luck to find that it was open. Not for long, Candy immediately tried to close it. Still Vanilla continued towards this, one side opened when the little pegasus crashed into it, so she ran down the steps, when one of Candy's spells hit her. Vanilla fell, couldn't feel any of her hooves. She forced herself to fly, without even thinking, but the extra weight under her still bruised wings wasn't helping. Another spell hit her wings this time, making her fall to the ground. Vanilla finally looked up, seeing his hooves and wings turned to stone and a menacing Dark Star coming her way. "End of line, princess." Dark Star laughed, eyes and horn glowing threatening. Vanilla could do no more than admit that she was right. She had said it, a crazy plan that required a dose of luck. But when she had been lucky the last two months? She had failed, not that she wasn't waiting for it. She was too young for this, she wasn't ready, and what she could do against magic? Before Candy could do something, Vanilla felt being lifted and thrown in the back of another pony. It was a big, strong orange stallion with dark brown tail, and apparently using a type of black armor, as the Dragon guards, covering almost his entire body. One of the warriors coming from Dragonia. Vanilla sighed in relief, then looked back to see that Candy was still following them. Then she looked forward and saw with horror what awaited them: Chocolate Rock Canyon. She hooked her medalion in his belt. "Stop it! Not this way!" She cried. Her rescuer didn't listen and kept running. "We're going to die!" But he jumped with skill, stone by stone, making a safe descent to the floor of the canyon. Vanilla sighed relieved and allowed to enjoy the rest of the race. Questions could wait until they stop, she was tired and soon fell asleep. Candy didn't follow them, she was long waiting at the top of the valley. She had bosses to report the events and plans to do. They had escaped this time, but this was just a battle, the war was still to come and she wanted to win. Vanilla woke up in a different place, a beach of white sand, she soon discovered to be white chocolate, on the edge of a soda lake, in a cave, lit by crystals such as the tree hall. Vanilla sighed. She felt she had been in too many caves in a very little time. She definitely didn't like caves. Pegasus didn't like enclosed spaces, further Candy-Pegasus, who were more hyperactive. Good thing she soon noticed her wings and hooves were free of stone. Probably courtesy of her mysterious savior. She could only think of a pony to do a job like that, but didn't believe he was there. She walked a bit and found the entrance of the cave, where she found a pony, the same who saved her, now without his helmet, revealing a pony Vanilla knew very well. "Shield, what are you doing here?" She asked, approaching. Shield Heart was the older brother of Golden Hammer. A big and strong Earth Pony, unlike his brother. "Saving you." He chuckled. "Looks like I got here just in time." "But who told you I needed help?" "Actually nopony. I was sent here on patrol. Two of my colleagues have been attacked twice, someone had to investigate it. But Moon told me of your problems also. I admit that at first I didn't believe her, but apparently she was right as always." He laughed. "You know who she was? The one who attacked me." Vanilla asked. "Shall I tell you the truth?" He asked unsure. Vanilla nodded. "All right, but you will not like the answers." Vanilla thought for a moment. Did she want to know? Was she ready for more bad things? "You can tell me. I can take it." She decided. "Then all right. Was you who asked. Once upon a time, in a small kingdom of sweets, a king, a queen and a princess. A happy family in a peaceful and prosperous kingdom. Until one day, a unicorn appeared in the kingdom, asking one of the magical candy that grew on the island. But these were not only powerful, but also dangerous sweeties, and couldn't be given to anyone." "This is looking like one of those Pony Tales." The little filly protested. "It may seem, but it isn't. And the unicorn was a dark sorceress and threatened the kingdom with a curse. She was banished from the kingdom, nothing seemed to have happened until two days later, the princess disappeared and was never found." "Okay. Now tell the truth." Vanilla asked, laughing. "The princess hasn't disappeared, I'm right here." "Well, it happens that this happened two years before you was born. And the princess was your sister, Candy Shine." This time Vanilla was speechless. Then Candy was her sister! Well, that explained why the two were so alike. If Candy knew that explained why she hadn't let Dusky kill her. But not explained what happened to her all that time, neither why she was working with Dusky and the mysterious pony and what was the purpose of them there. "Are you okay?" Shield finally asked, before the empty expression of his little friend. "I think so. Only with a lot of unanswered questions, but I'm fine. Has a plan?" "My first plan was to find out what is happening, but you seem to already have the information." He chuckled. It was amazing how calm she could keep on that situation, or how could pretend. Vanilla told all that had happened since that night two months ago, although she knew Shield Heart was aware that part of the story. "What do we do now?" She finally asked. "Don't worry, little one, I'll ask for help. This will be our base in the meantime." "You want to gather an army and invade the castle, capturing Dusky and force him to tell us who are his allies, then capture and lock up everyone in the deepest dungeon in Dragonia and convince Candy that we are friends and we'll all live happily ever after?" Shield couldn't help but laughed at the childishness of his little friend. She always had great imagination, but he heard the stories told by her seemed so much more mature and serious. That plan sounded good Pony Tales. Though, could work up until the part where Dusky's allies entered the history. They had no idea what they were dealing with. But with a group of Dragon-Warriors, with Platinum Blade in charge... It certainly think of something if he could convince her of the problems there. Shield can not help but laugh at the childishness of his little friend. She always had great imagination, but he heard the stories told by her seemed so much more mature and serious. That plan sounded good fairy ponies. Though, could work up until the part where the allies entered the Dusky history. They had no idea what they were dealing with. But with a group of Dragon-Warriors, with Platinum Blade in charge... She would certainly think of something if he could convince her of the problems there. The difficulty was that he had not yet achieved any proof, the word of a little filly wouldn't be of much use to convince Platinum. Vanilla suddenly stood up. "It's getting late, I think I'm going to bed." She murmured. "It's still early. Aren't you going, at least to have dinner?" "I'm not hungry. Thanks for saving me, Shield, but I really need anything other than a good night's sleep." "All right, little one. I'll be watching. See you in the morning. Sweet dreams." "Good night to you too, Shield." She forced a sweet smile at him before going back into the cave. But the truth was that she wasn't tired. She just couldn't pretend anymore. The arrest and escape didn't compare to the conversation in the cave and the news that she had received that day. She cowered in a corner, crying, until finally falling asleep. Hoped it would be better the next morning.