//------------------------------// // Infiltration // Story: Bottom Of The Ladder // by GeodesicDragon //------------------------------// - ANON'S POV - Stealth never was one of your strong points. Hell, the number of times you were caught sneaking late into school or trying to make off with an ice cream or the biscuit tin can attest to that. But here you are, about to sneak into a heavily guarded Diamond Dog prison slash forced labour camp — and you've suddenly released your inner ninja. You and Vinyl both pick your way through the rocky outcroppings that make up Ghastly Gorge, a dim light from her horn being the only thing guiding your path. Huge columns of rock tower hundreds of feet above you, the air feels thick and heavy, and your mind is treating every little noise as a potential threat. At first you thought your over-active mind would prove useful, given the gravity of the situation, but it quickly proved to be more of a hindrance than a help — that poor mouse never realised what was coming until it was too late... I get it, Anon, I overreacted. Shut up, dammit, and stop making me think about it. You shake your head to clear the memories, focusing on the area in front of you. The two of you are approaching an open area, where the chances of being caught are higher, so you need to stay alert. Slowly, you peek out from behind a rock and survey your surroundings. The first thing you see appears to be... an animal of some kind. It's reddish in colour, with purple parts on its top and bottom, as well as pink parts along its side. It's also dead. You cautiously approach the corpse and look at it, Vinyl grimacing and stifling a gag as she joins you. "It's a quarray eel," she says, waving her hoof in front of her face to disperse the smell of rotting flesh. "They normally live in the many caves dotted along the Gorge, but I guess the Dogs killed them all in order to build their prison camp." You shake your head and tut. "What the hell could they need so many slaves for?" you ask. "What could they be up to?" Vinyl shrugs. "I dunno," she replies. "But you and I, we're gonna find out — and then we're going to put their plans on ice." She pauses. "It's either that or we blow shit up, I haven't decided yet." You grin at each other as you both walk away from the dead eel and resume your stealth mission, Vinyl lighting the way ahead while you do your best to spot guards before they spot you. After several minutes of walking, and some creative cursing from you when you stub a toe or two, you see a faint shimmer of light coming from near one of the caves. A Diamond Dog stands nearby, the light reflecting off his armour — and the sword he carries. "That's gotta be the way in, Nonny," Vinyl whispers. "But we're not getting in while that bozo is still guarding the place." You rub your chin while you ponder your next move. The Dog isn't patrolling, so watching him is a waste of time. In fact, he seems almost hell-bent on staying in the same place. An idea quickly forms in your mind, and you rub the back of your head. "I've got an idea..." you say hesitantly. "But you're not gonna like it." Vinyl raises an eyebrow, to which you sigh. "I was thinking that I could be a slaver, and you could be my 'latest catch.'" Vinyl narrows her eyes at you. "That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard," she snaps. "And you're talking to a DJ who tried doing remixes of Hoofton Bieber songs." She sighs. "But... I guess it's the only idea we've got." She points towards the entrance. "Let's go." You nod once, picking her up and putting her over your shoulders. She grumbles in protest, but you ignore her and start walking towards the guard. He quickly spots you and goes to unsheathe his sword, but then he notices the pony on your shoulders. "What do we got here, then?" he asks, his accent reminding you of old British gangster films. "A monkey caught a pony?" "I sure did," you reply. "Word is that you fine gentlemen are in need of more... how can I put it? Oh, yes... assets." The guard rubs his paws together eagerly. "We sure are," he says. "And I've gotta say that this one 'ere has got some fine assets." "Glad to hear it." you nod. "So, shall we do business?" "Yeah, yeah." the dog waves his paw dismissively. "Just give me a sec, will ya? I gotta let 'em know you're coming." He turns around and knocks on the stone wall behind him a few times. There's a moment of silence, and then some knocks come from behind the wall. The guard knocks back once, then the Dog on the other side knocks back twice — at which point he turns to you. "All right," he says. "They know to expect you now, so go on in and one of the boys will meet you." He narrows his eyes at you. "But don't try anythin' stupid, or you're dead. Got it?" "I get it," you reply. "Now let me in already, it's cold out here." The guard steps aside and you walk into the cave, both yours and Vinyl's hearts going at a thousand beats per minute. You're in the belly of the beast, and there's no going back now... - OCTAVIA'S POV - You suppress a cry of pain as the whip lashes across your back, having learned already that showing weakness only gets you more of the same crappy treatment. The guard holding the whip cackles maniacally, his cold eyes locking with yours. "Are you gonna work harder now?" he sneers. "I can do this all day long — it's just a question of how long you can put up with it." "I get it," you whimper. "No more, please." The dog laughs at you again and you stagger to your hooves, grabbing a nearby pickaxe between your teeth. You limp over to the rock face and start swinging, adding to a cacophony of clanging ringing out across the cave system. Every now and again, one of your fellow slaves drops with exhaustion — only to be set upon by a group of guards and beaten mercilessly before being dragged back to their cell for further punishment. Behind you, a cart full of gems glistens in what little light there is. It's a well-known fact that Dogs love gems — but you can't help but feel there is more to the constant digging. If the dogs went to all the effort of clearing out the quarray eels and taking over the Gorge, then that means something must be hidden here. A gruff voice on a walkway above you tears you away from your thoughts, a voice you've come to recognise as that of the overseer. He must be bringing the latest victim into this hell pit, so you risk a glance upwards to see which of your neighbours and friends has— It's Vinyl. - VINYL'S POV - As soon as you and Anon got inside this place, you were snatched by a couple of guards while he was given a sack of bits. The guards applied a magic dampener, then dragged you by the mane down a tunnel — Anon's apologetic eyes being the last thing you saw. The two guards are soon joined by another Dog, who is wearing a chiselled stone insignia depicting a paw. The guards salute him, so that tells you he must be someone important. "Overseer Rockpaw," one guard says. "We got a new one for ya, courtesy of that 'Anon' guy." "Anon?" Overseer Rockpaw looks perplexed. "But we've been watching that town for weeks, and we know that human lives with this mare. What's he doing making a slave out of her?" You decide to butt in and give them something. After all, this situation has already snowballed way out of anypony's control. "Anon betrayed me," you snap. "I thought he loved me, but it turns out he was only using me to try and get to you guys. When you took my friend, Octavia, he led me to believe that we could rescue her — and, like a fool, I believed him." Rockpaw blinks. "Well then." he shrugs. "I guess that answers that question." You feel a stinging sensation as he slaps you. "Next time, you only speak when spoken to, got it?!" You nod meekly. "Good. All right, you two, let's take her to her 'station.'" The four of you walk further down the tunnel. Several other tunnels are connected to it, leading to Celestia knows where. You can hear a lot of noises in the area: raised voices calling out orders, pleading voices begging for mercy, the cracking of whips... and the ever present sound of hundreds of pickaxes chipping away at stone. You soon exit the tunnel, finding yourself in a large open area. You can see several ponies chipping away at the rock face, while several Dogs stand guard nearby. If you had to guess, you'd say there were two guards for every slave. Towers provide the guards with even more vantage points from which to oversee their operations, and the only exit seems to be the tunnel you just came through. "Here's what's gonna happen," Rockpaw says sternly. "We're gonna give you a pickaxe, and you're gonna dig up whatever gems you can find. You get one break a day, and the amount of food and water you get depends on what you dig up. So that means if you slack off, then you starve. Got it?" "Yes," you reply. "I understand." Rockpaw pats you on the head. "Good pony." he hands you a pickaxe. "Here's your equipment, now get to work." The guards unceremoniously toss you off the walkway into the pit below. You land on your face, at which point you feel somepony trying to help you up. Getting back on all fours, you shake your head to stop the room from spinning and turn to look at the one who helped you up — only to find a familiar face smiling back. "Tavi?"