Chapter 37
Planning
Over the months Zone had managed to become a part of their friendship group that all of them took for granted. Throughout the year he had spent a good deal of his time with them and ended up closer with them than he had expected. Everypony in the group had their cutie marks by then as well. Ink had gotten hers at the end of the school year after working with all of the foals in class in the form of a piece of paper with writing on it. Diplo received his for peacekeeping in the form of a rolled up scroll. For the older five of the group it was going to be their last year at the school.
They were all congregated at their table as was normal at lunch. “Right, so, the end of year sendoff dance thing, who here’s going?” Kara asked the table as soon as everypony was there.
“I can’t.” Astro said immediately in dejection.
“I’m not.” Spot answered.
“What? Why not?” she interrogated him in annoyance.
“I don’t see what’s so great about it. It’s crowded, hot, stuffy, you can barely move in the clothes, you can barely see because it’s so dark, and you have to shout at the top of your lungs just to talk to the pony next to you.” he explained.
“Fine. Be a spoil sport.” she retorted. He just rolled his eyes in response.
“I’m not particularly interested in going either honestly.” Diplo admitted.
“Well, I was planning on going.” Ink told her. Kara waited for the sixth pony at the table to answer, but he never responded.
“Hey! Idiot! What about you?” she questioned. He looked up as he was addressed.
“In case you hadn’t noticed I’m in the grade below you. I’m not allowed to be there.” he explained to her.
“Like anypony actually gives a crap.” she retorted as she rolled her eyes, “I really don’t think they’ll notice if you walk in with the rest of the crowd. If not there’s more than one entrance to the school. Open a window somewhere and we’re golden.”
“Kara, are you sure about that?” Astro asked nervously.
“Course I am.” she promised.
“So you’re saying I should sneak into the dance?” he asked for clarification.
“Do you really think that you’d get in trouble for it? They aren’t going to run around searching for ponies who might not be supposed to be there. You’ll blend into the crowd just fine too, dress is semi-formal. I mean I’d like for at least half of us to be there.” she said shooting accusatory glances at both Diplo and Spot.
“I never said I wouldn’t go.” Diplo defended himself. Spot however said nothing in reply.
“Well what’s the point of you showing up and being miserable the whole time?” she queried.
“I don’t know.” he answered.
“Exactly! There isn’t one! It’s a bummer that you don’t want to go, but you don’t need to show up and just mope the whole time. Anyways, you.” she said before returning her attention to Zone.
“I don’t know if this is such a good idea honestly.” Zone told her, still skeptical.
“Look if trying to walk through the front door is what you’re worried about then we can pick a door or a window to meet by. I could probably figure out how to unlock a door with magic. Plus, you get in trouble, I’ll take the fall. It was my idea anyways.” she said coaxing him to get on board with her plan.
“Fine. I mean you aren’t going to shut up about it until I agree anyways.” he replied in reluctant agreement.
“Look who’s learning.” she responded as she ruffled his mane. He rolled his eyes and straightened it after she finished.
-/|\-
“Hey, could I talk to you for a minute?” Spot asked Astro as they were leaving the school after dismissal.
“Sure, what is it?” she replied stepping off to the side with him.
“It’s just… I know that you really would like to be able to go to that dance.” he began.
“Yeah, but it’s too late for me to be able to.” she replied simply.
“I know, but I don’t want you to just have to sit alone wishing you were there.” he told her.
“Is that why you declined to attend?” she asked worried. She didn’t really want for him to not go just because he felt bad for her no matter how flattered she was by the gesture.
“No, I honestly don’t really want to go, but I also don’t see why we can’t just find some place to hang out. I know that you can’t be out after dark, but you managed it once right?” he responded hopefully.
“I,” she paused for a moment as she thought, “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Great.” he said with a grin, “Let me know when you figure it out.”
“I will. See you tomorrow.” she promised
“Yep.” he finished before the two went their separate ways.
She began walking towards the nearest teleportation safe location near her, but changed her mind halfway there. She opted for time to consider the previous conversation as she headed for one that was much farther instead. It would be considerably easier to get out at that point as she needed only to inform Sail that she would be leaving and then would simply need to do so. Sail would keep her secret and she would be fine. It wasn’t like before where she would need adult supervision. She was old enough to be out by herself. Of course the location that was chosen would have to be isolated and nearby. While she could teleport there he would have to walk and they wouldn’t want anypony walking in on them. As she considered these details one particular place came to mind.
-/|\-
Kara sat opposite Zone at lunch while they waited for their other friends to arrive. “Okay, so here’s the plan that I’ve got. Recently I’ve been working on this invisibility spell thing for a prank, but it could probably be used better here.” she began as soon as she arrived at the table with him.
“Why didn’t you mention that yesterday?” he questioned.
“Well, I hadn’t thought of it yesterday.” she answered simply.
“Smart.” he replied sarcastically.
“Shut up. Anyways, I can use that to get you inside. Just walk in with Ink and I invisible and I’ll drop the spell once we get somewhere inconspicuous.” she explained.
“Sounds like a plan.” he said glad that it was that simple.
“However,” she began before being cut off.
“Great, just my luck.” he huffed in annoyance.
“How about you listen to what I have to say first. While you’re invisible you are still going to be tangible and you’ll still be able to be heard. So you’d better keep your mouth shut and you’d better not trip. We’re gonna have to move fast too since I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep it up for. I’m not really a master magician.” she warned him.
“Got it.” he promised with a nod.
“Good.” she finished.
-/|\-
Once again Astro and Spot stood outside of school together just after dismissal. “I think I can make this work.” she told him while still feeling uncertain herself. She had decided that the location that she had decided upon was secure, but she hadn’t yet told Sail of what she was planning.
“Really? That’s great!” he replied happily after he heard the news.
“Yeah. It’s a lot easier to get out now that I can be out by myself. Anyways, I think I know a location that might work. I can show it to you tomorrow since you should probably get home now. It is a bit of a walk and I would hate to make your family worry about you not getting home on time.” she informed him.
“Alright. I’ll let them know that I might be back a little late tomorrow too.” he responded.
“Good.” she said back.
“See you tomorrow then?” he queried.
“Definitely.” she promised.
After the two had said their goodbyes she made her way back to the base like she usually did. She knew that she would have to tell Sail about it eventually and she figured sooner rather than later. If she was told that she couldn’t go it didn’t need to be the day before. While Sail would usually still be working in the sorting room when she returned she knew that she could just catch her later. There was homework that she had to complete anyways. She spent her time on that while she waited for her mentor to complete her tasks.
When she did approach Sail there was no denying the nerves that she felt coursing through her. “Hello.” she began doing her best to keep her voice even.
“Hello dear,” Sail replied warmly, “how was school?”
“Fine. I didn’t have that much homework so I’ve already got it all done.” she replied smiling forcibly.
“That is good.” she responded gladly.
“How did the sorting go?” she queried stalling.
“The same as it usually does. No problems arose.” she answered simply.
“Cool.” she said back.
“You seem tense, is everything alright?” she questioned sensing her nerves.
“Oh, um, yes, completely. I just… the whole dance thing, I mean I know that I can’t go and there’s absolutely no way that’s changing.” she said hurriedly.
“I am sorry. I know that you were excited for that.” she replied sympathetically.
“Yeah, but, I guess, I was kind of still hoping that I could maybe, um, still go out.” Her voice faded to a mumble towards the end of her sentence.
“What?” she queried taken aback by the proposal.
“Well, somepony suggested that maybe I could hang out somewhere private, but still on the surface. I thought that would be nice or something.” she answered feeling not at all confident.
“I don’t see much point if you plan on being alone. I assume that your friends would be attending.” she answered in confusion.
“Actually, um, the pony who suggested the idea, I was planning on having him there.” she told her as her anxiety continued to grow.
“Really?” she questioned growing more surprised.
“Yes.” she mumbled growing quite worried.
“That is an ambitious plan you have there. Are you sure that you have thought all of the elements of it through?” she inquired.
“Yes.” she answered, but it sounded more like a question.
“You will need to show me that it is safe for you and if I feel satisfied that it is then I see no problem.” she answered.
“Really!?” she questioned in shock.
“Of course. I see no reason to separate you from your friends without valid reason, but that does not mean you can abandon caution.” she explained.
“I understand.” she promised with a nod.
“Then show me to where you have this all planned out for.” she told her.
“Will do.” she responded gladly.
-/|\-
After school Spot stood waiting outside for Astro to join him. She had promised to take him to the place that she’d found that day and he was curious as to where she had deemed safe. She was nothing if not careful so if she was alright with it then it had to be safe. He hoped that he wasn’t pushing her outside of her comfort zone with his proposal, but he knew that events such as the dances were the one that she always missed attending and she would likely never be able to attend one publicly. He personally held no love for them, but he was well aware that she did. He did feel that as a private event it would be far more enjoyable.
He noticed her stepping out the door and walked over gladly. She smiled happily at him and he returned the gesture. “So, it is a little out of the way, but it isn’t a horrific walk.” she told him as they started off.
“Alright, I was expecting as much anyways. Lead the way.” he replied just glad that she had found somewhere.
“Okay.” She started off heading away from the school straight towards her destination. He followed behind her and noticed that she was indeed feeling nervous. He frowned hoping that it wasn’t his fault that she was. He picked up his pace to walk beside her so that they could talk.
He voiced his concerns from earlier to her saying, “I hope that you don’t feel like you have to do this, it was just an idea.”
“And it’s a good one.” she promised, “I’m just not used to flouting the rules so openly like this. It’s a little nerve-racking, but I’ll be fine. I talked to Sail about it and she thinks that I have taken the proper precautions.”
“Okay, that’s good.” he responded glad that she didn’t appear to be going far out of her way.
“Yeah. But I really am thankful that you offered this idea up. It will be nice to be out after dark for once in a while. I’ve only actually been out twice before. One time was the sleepover of course, and the other was just myself and Sail.” she informed him.
“Is that really it?” he questioned in surprise.
“Yes, they are quite strict about keeping secrecy. I’m fairly certain that I’ve been out more often than most a good deal older than myself. The only reason that I have is Sail.” she told him.
“Is she different?” he inquired curiously.
“Well, it would take a while to explain it completely, but there are two different kinds of us on the surface. One is far more common than the other. Sail and myself are of the type that is less abundant, and due to her different origin she doesn’t completely agree with the policies that the more common variant hold. That’s why she is so willing to let me bend rules if I feel a need.” she explained.
“Right. Um, the surface?” he questioned. The way that she had said as if it were just another place confused him.
“Well, by surface I mean the planet. I am not directly from here. The day that we met was the first day I had been here, and I chose to stay. I’ve been here ever since.” she answered.
“So then where were you before?” he inquired.
“A place called the Astral Plain. You see Astro isn’t my given name. When I was asked to provide one I was quite worried about secrecy and provided a false one. I derived it from the title of where I had come from. Of course when I chose to stay here it did become my name more than anything else and has been my name for much longer than I held my given one. If I remember correctly I had only had my given name for about six months before I left for the sur- for here.” she informed him.
“Six months, but, that doesn’t make sense.” he replied quickly realizing that those numbers didn’t add up properly.
“You aren’t born with a name, you earn one once you find your place in their society. I had mine for such a short time due to the fact that I found my place quite a bit after the rest.” she told him.
“But you were just old enough to start school.” he responded.
“Old enough to start work there. I know that from your perspective it sounds strange, but there it isn’t. It’s just a way of life.” she explained.
When they were younger he had always recognized her as more mature than their peers, but he had never thought much of it. That was just a part of her personality. When he had learned of why she never did come to evening events it had shocked him quite dramatically, but he had never questioned much why she was that way. It was just a simple irreversible fact. As she told him more about what her life was like while she wasn’t around them he felt a space growing between them, a space that he didn’t want there. He would be lying if he said that he wasn’t glad that the event would be just the two of them and none of the others.
“Sorry about all the questions, I’m not trying to be nosy.” he apologized feeling that he’d overstepped his bounds.
“It’s fine, you’ve got every right to be curious.” she reassured him.
“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable though.” he told her sincerely
“Don’t worry about it. It’s nice to have somepony to talk to about it who is normal.” she replied with equal honesty.
“You say it like you’re abnormal.” he replied jokingly.
“I glow in response to the moon’s magical resonance. I’m fairly certain that would define me as weird.” she answered in a less light hearted manner.
“Yeah well I bet that if I showed up they would think me pretty strange. Weird is relative.” he answered trying to put a positive spin on it.
“I suppose, but relative to around here I am not normal unfortunately. Otherwise I could go to that dance and I wouldn’t have to locate a private area to sneak out to in secrecy.” she said with a depressing finality. He looked away from her as they left the city. He couldn’t think of a rebuttal for that. As she realized what she had said she looked away in embarrassment and apologized, “I’m sorry, that was low. I shouldn’t be complaining like this, that was dumb. I’m just being immature and silly.”
“Not at all. You’re by far the most mature pony I know.” he promised reassuringly.
“Thank you, I appreciate it.” she mumbled still feeling dejected.
“No problem.” he replied.
Their walk fell into a companionable silence as she led him towards her set location. The conversation had lessened his good mood, but he tried his best to just take joy in that she had trusted him with the information. He kept his pace matched to hers and they walked side by side in quiet. Looking over at her he could see that she did feel bad about what she had said, but he didn’t know what to say to improve her mood. He figured that when they arrived it would be easier to make conversation. He let the silence hold as they walked along on a forest trail under the trees. She made no effort to break it either.
He did grow slightly concerned as she moved off of the trail entirely and walked into the trees. An uncertain frown fell on his face, but after a moment’s hesitation he walked after her. The fact that her location was off of the trail worried him, but he supposed that he knew that she would be cautious about discovery. He didn’t know where they were going to end up, but he trusted her judgment. She wouldn’t have confirmed with him if she wasn’t completely confident in her idea. She wasn’t somepony that he knew to make rash decisions.
When they entered the secluded forest clearing he was quite stunned. He wondered how she had even found this place so far out of the way. It was of a decent size surrounded by a close thick circle of trees. It was almost a perfect circle which surprised him doubly. He wondered how such a perfect little place was able to form out in the middle of nowhere. It was out of the way, but not so much that it was unreasonable, and it was large enough to fit their needs.
“How’d you find this place? It’s perfect.” he inquired stepping forward and looking around.
“This place is used for teleportation between the Astral Plain and here, but the center belongs to The Constellation Order which never uses them.” she explained.
“Oh, um, right.” he mumbled rather confused by the explanation, “Well, I can see why you thought of it.”
“Yeah, I figured it would work.” she replied looking around in satisfaction.
“So, same time frame as the school dance?” he questioned wanting to know when to arrive.
“Yep.” she confirmed.
“Sounds like a plan.” he told her gladly.
“Good.” she finished with an equally bright mood. Her hopes were high for the event.