Exo's Journey

by Someguy987

Chapter 3

A few weeks had passed since Riptide's late night arrival, and Exo had seen neither hide nor hair of the navy pegasus. The mare had even gone to ask Red, their mutual acquaintance, but to no avail. He had been instructed to keep quiet on the matter, and the price for his treachery was too steep.

One day, during her usual exercise routine in the yard, Exo spotted a familiar shaggy black tail amongst the rabble. Slowing to a walk, the mare moved incrementally closer to the dark blue pegasus. As she neared Riptide, the alabaster unicorn noticed somepony beside him, an emerald pegasus mare with a brilliant crimson mane.

Skirting the crowd, Exo regarded the ponies from afar. Looking at the pair more closely, the two tone mare saw that Riptide had one of his wings draped over the emerald pegasus' back. The two chuckled at a few jokes made by the crowd before locking lips and kissing passionately.

Exo felt surprisingly sad about the affair, not because she had feelings for Riptide, nor did she feel a stab of jealousy. No, she felt sad for the other mare having to suffer that idiot's tongue squirming around inside of her mouth.

Shuddering, the unicorn turned away, and continued with her usual routine.

-----

The rest of the day had passed surprisingly quickly. Now Exo laid in her cot pondering what she would do if, when, she got back home.

"Psst Exo," an unfamiliar voice whispered in the darkness.

The alabaster mare jumped, slamming her forehead against the metal supports of the bed above her before falling to the floor with a thud. A painful ache throbbed in her head as she clutched her head on the floor.

"Geez, wake up the whole block why don't 'cha."

"Riptide?" the mare asked as she got up off of the floor.

"Nope, my name's Slipstream. Riptide slipped me a note, told me to give It to you." The emerald mare jumped down from her cot, opened her mouth, and stuck out her tongue, upon which sat a soggy ball of paper.

With a trembling hoof, Exo took the note from Slipstream's tongue unfolded it, and began to read.

Dearest Exo,

How are you. I am fine. Sorry for not writing more, but after you punched me in the face, I didn't want to take that risk again. The bearer of this note is Slipstream (green pegasus with red mane). I have come to understand that she is your cellmate. Over the past few weeks I have come to build a fake relationship with her to avert suspicion and to more efficiently pass notes. Slipstream knows of the escape, and is critical to its success.

This evening I shall once again be behind the wall, please stay up so that we may discuss the plan.

P.S. We will have another member apart from Slipstream joining us, Red.

P.P.S. Flush the damned note.

P.P.P.S. If you pulled the note off of her tongue then that means that you are the rightful king of Griffland. Actually it means that I lost a bet, and owe Slipstream an apple.

"What's it say?" the emerald pegasus asked eagerly.

"Riptide wants us to stay up so that when he gets here," Exo gestured at the back wall, "we can all talk about the escape plan. Also he says that he owes you an apple."

"Aw yeah."

The alabaster mare shifted uneasily and shot Slipstream an awkward smile as both of them failed to start any meaningful conversation. The cycle continued for several minutes until a knocking at the wall drew their attention.

After tapping out her half of the code, the brick fell away, caught by Slipstream's deft hooves as a navy muzzle poked out of the hole.

"Red... had beans," Riptide said between labored pants.

After a few minutes the alabaster mare pushed the dark blue stallion's muzzle back into the darkness.

"Oh please god no," he plead as his nose went back behind the masonry.

Several choking coughs came from behind the wall as a cloud of stink poured from the hole. Exo recoiled in disgust; Slipstream's face contorted into a pained grimace as she flapped her wings in an attempt to clear the odoriferous fog.

"Suffer as I have suffered," Riptide hissed as a deep baritone laugh echoed in the walls.

A few minutes later, and the stink had faded away, leaving all present with a horrible taste in their mouths.

"Alright, here's the plan," Riptide began, "the tunnel is already finished, so all we have to do is carefully take the wall apart, get you two into the tunnel, and put all of the bricks back into place. Once inside we'll split into two teams Exo and I will go to the records office and firebomb the place with a bag of pruno I've been fermenting for a month now. It should be nice and flammable. Meanwhile, Red and Slipstream will keep going to the top floor, and take out the shield crystal. From what I've gathered, the guard's observation room is relatively close to the records office. Exo and I will then sneak into the observation room, and hit the cell release button. I've convinced a few gangs to riot when it happens. This will hopefully provide a decent distraction for the guards to deal with."

"Riot? You mean that these ponies are going to try and kill each other?" the alabaster mare asked, trepidation in her voice.

"Actually they're going to be fighting the guards and each other."

"That's still pretty bad, the guards, heck everypony in here has friends and family on the outside. What are you going to tell them if somepony gets hurt during this."

Riptide grit his teeth and sighed.

"I don't know. But we can't back out now. Those two groups are ready to kill each other, and if we can escape during the ruckus, that's better for us."

"I don't know if I can do this. Knowing that we're going to be putting 'innocent' ponies at risk just so that we can run away."

"This is going to happen eventually," Slipstream offered, "either in the yard, or someplace else. If it can help us get away then so be it."

"I've known many of these ponies for years," Red began. "Some of them have become institutionalized, and are just stayin' here because they don't have anywhere else to go; this is all they know. How are you just going to let them be swept up in the fightin' like that."

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know," Riptide muttered as his head thumped against the wall.

"You're the leader, think of something," Exo demanded.

"Since when the hell am I the leader?" the navy stallion asked incredulously.

"Since you started making decisions, planning, and organizing this little group," the Slipstream retorted.

"Gotta say," the sanguine earth pony started, "I ain't seen no pony try a crazy stunt like this before. Knowin' that its you almost make me think that maybe we can actually pull this off. You's the leader."

"Come on idiot, think of something," said the alabaster mare.

"Fine, I'll come up with something when we get there, but for now let's finish with the plan."

For another hour, Riptide explained the ins and outs of the plan, detailing each of their individual parts. When all was said and done, the group returned to their respective cells with their new knowledge in mind.

-----

The promised day had arrived, a flurry of butterflies raged in Exo's stomach as she waited for Riptide to arrive.

"You don't think that he forgot about us, did he?" Slipstream asked the alabaster mare as she paced around the small room.

"I doubt it, he's kept his word all these months so I doubt that he'd lie to us now. Besides, you heard the plan, everypony is necessary."

Slipstream seemed to calm herself with Exo's reassurance, sitting still and taking a deep breath.

One final time a series of taps came from behind the wall

"Just push the stupid brick already," the alabaster mare snapped.

The scratched red brick loosed itself before Exo pulled it free.

"You've no sense of drama, do you know that?" Riptide replied coyly.

"I've had enough drama to last a lifetime," the two tone unicorn retorted indignantly.

"Would you two love birds quit yacking and let us get on with this," snapped Slipstream. Red chuckled in the background.

Before Exo could reply, another brick fell out of the wall, landing on her hoof. Wincing, the alabaster mare felt her foreleg throb and tears well in the corners of her eyes.

"Pick up the bricks, and keep quiet. We've got to do this quick."

One by one the bricks were removed, allowing for a hole just big enough for the mares to pass through. Carefully, Exo replaced the bricks.

The tunnel was long and dark, a pair of glowing green sticks held by Riptide and Red were the only source of illumination. The former of which had a pair of plastic bags strapped to his flanks. Motes of dust swirled in the low light as the navy stallion took the lead down the hall.

Riptide soon came to a stop, gesturing Exo to his side, and allowing the other two to continue on their mission. Placing an ear to the wall, the navy pegasus listened intently for a few minutes before pulling several of the bricks free.

Stepping out of the tunnel, Exo saw the wan glow of opaque crystals lighting a room in front of them. Quietly the pair pushed the door open, and stepped inside. Within sat row upon row of cabinets, each contained numerous papers detailing the names, crimes, and description of each prisoner.

Exo took her place at the door as lookout, as per the plan. Unstrapping one of the bags from his flank, Riptide opened it, and the pungent stink of alcohol filled the air. The stallion spread the mixture all around, making sure to coat the cabinets especially well. When that phase of the plan was completed, the two left for the guard's observation room.

Inside of the room sat a couch, a few screens, and a bank of consoles which held the mechanism for opening the doors en mass. The alabaster mare made her way to the consoles first. As Exo gazed upon the colorful lights and switches, the sounds of struggle came from behind her. Riptide had his forelegs wrapped around the neck of a crystal guard.

The purple pony thrashed and gasped against the navy stallion's grip. Slowly, the dark blue pegasus' forelegs began to shift, and with it the guard's head. Flecks of spit flew from the onyx clad stallion's mouth, landing on Exo's coat. Riptide gave one final swift jerk upwards.

A loud crack echoed throughout the room.

The alabaster mare looked on, horrified, as the guard fell limp, and the pegasus released his hold.

"W-what was that?" the two tone pony asked in disbelief.

"That was me not getting us caught, and having this entire operation with months of planning and hard work being flushed down the toilet," the navy stallion snapped as he stepped up to the console.

The pegasus' normal wide-eyed gaze had been replaced with a stern glare, and his usual smirk had turned into a scowl. Exo backed away as the stallion's gaze turned onto her.

"N-no, if t-this is h-how you're g-going to do things, then I'll go back to my cell." The mare's rump pressed against the wall as Riptide took a step forward.

Eventually the dark blue pony turned back, and flipped a large red switch at the edge of the console. A siren screamed outside as orange warning lights flashed around the cells below.

Riptide turned his attention to a small button in the center of the instrument panel and spoke. "Attention prisoners, all those that do not wish to be caught up in the ensuing riot please stay in your cell, they will be closed momentarily." After a few minutes, the crowd below stopped moving, and the klaxon sounded once more, closing all of the cells. Soon after, the mob descended into chaos, fights broke out as several guards charged into the situation.

"Come on," the stallion commanded.

"Why!?" the mare demanded. "Why did you do it?"

"Specify, kill him, or warn them."

"Both, he had a family and friends, hopes and dreams, now he's got nothing. Do you know how many lives you just affected."

"DO YOU THINK THAT I DON'T KNOW THAT!?" Riptide shouted as he took a step towards Exo. "DO YOU THINK THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A FAMILY OUT THERE WITHOUT A FATHER, A MARE WITHOUT A HUSBAND, PARENTS WITHOUT A SON, AND FRIENDS WHO ARE NOW GOING TO HAVE TO ATTEND HIS FUNERAL. I'M GOING TO BE HEARING THE CRACK OF THAT GUY'S NECK UNTIL I'M DEAD." The stallion had backed the alabaster unicorn into a corner.

"Why did you warn them then?" she asked coldly.

"I'm not a monster," he mumbled to himself as he looked towards the floor,

"Now we have to go, we can't let his sacrifice have been in vain."

Exo and Riptide ran out the door, sprinting down the hallway, and back to the record's office. Removing the bag strapped to his flank, the navy stallion pulled out a pack of spark rocks.

"When I toss them in, run."

Th unicorn nodded. Taking a peek inside, the dark blue pegasus made sure that the coast was clear before tossing the bag inside. The bag landed, the stones inside cracked against one another creating a spark. The room went up in a mighty gout of flame. Once the smoke had cleared, fire alarms sounded, and water began to pour from sprinklers in the ceiling.

"RUN!" Riptide shouted as he made his way toward a stairwell. "We've got to get outside and to the top of the wall quickly."

"Why," Exo asked.

"Gotta generate enough lift to get us both far enough over that ice field so that we, hopefully, won't have to walk far. Let's just hope that Slipstream and Red have already taken out the crystal."

"Why, what's going to happen if they don't take out the crystal?"

"You ever seen a bug zapper?" Riptide asked as they raced up the stairs.

"Why not just flap your wings and carry us over the wall?"

"No offense, but those walls are at least fifty feet high, and with all of the added mass, I doubt that I'd be able to get that high."

Exo scoffed as she chased the navy stallion.

-----

All around, the sounds of fighting grew louder and louder, rhythmic chanting had come from the prisoners demanding the guard's deaths. The guards likewise had donned riot gear in order to quell the uprising. Occasionally the pair crossed paths with one group or the other, careful to sidestep anymore violence.

Soon enough, the duo reached a door that led to one of the few bridges that connected the prison to the outer wall. Exo jiggled the handle, but to no avail, it was locked.

"Get out the way," Riptide said. Just as the mare got out of the way, the navy pegasus turned and bucked the door into splinters.

"Hurry up," Exo cried as she kept a lookout for any ponies in the vicinity.

Pushing the wooden fragments aside, the dark blue pony held a plank open as the mare passed through. Soon after, the pegasus followed.

"Shit," Riptide commented as his eyes fell on the shimmering purple barrier in the distance. "Go, we still have time. Hopefully." Both ponies galloped across the frozen bridge, and onto the wall.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" commanded a cruel and callous voice.

Looking back, Riptide and Exo saw a pony dressed in full riot gear. Gleaming black ceramic plates were held together by Kevlar, and reinforced by hardened rubber at the seams. A carbon fiber helmet with an air filter and thick, impact resistant glass adorned the pony's head. Around his hooves, sat a pair silver cuffs which crackled with an electric pop.

"Did you two miserable pieces of chicken shit honestly believe that you'd be able to get away with this?" the pony asked as he took a step forward, charring the floor beneath his hooves.

Riptide stepped in front of Exo.

"Ain't that sweet?" the pony asked rhetorically. "Trying to protect your marefriend from the big, bad guard I see . Well, what you don't understand," the guard said as he stomped towards the pair, "is that I'm the hero in this story, and you two prisoners are going to be hanged along with your little friends in the control tower. Don't worry about them though, my boys are already on their way to deal with the problem."

Both Riptide and Exo gasped as the riot gear clad pony took a step forward.

"I told you, this is my prison, and you're stupid to think otherwise. I knew about your plan from the start. Don't worry," Crystal Shard chuckled, "none of your little friends said anything, honor among thieves and all that. Then again, they didn't have to. I have this place so damn full of bugs, that I even heard that sappy story you told the girl there about your momma."

"Leave my mother out of this," the navy pegasus growled.

"What, leave some stupid, filthy dirt-pony alone, that is where you left her isn't it, buried beneath an old fruit tree." Shard chuckled. "Who knows, maybe when this is all over, I'll go pay her a visit. Piss on her grave and tell her what happened to her worthless, blue, chicken-shit of a son."

Riptide roared as he charged the armored stallion. Crystal Shard dodged every blow the navy stallion threw at him. The warden laughed as the dark blue pony landed a hit on his helmet, Riptide's hoof throbbed as it recoiled against the material.

"Maybe you don't get it, stupid," Crystal Shard said as he punched the navy pegasus in the stomach. "I'm the law here. There are no gods, no demons, only me." The warden charged his bracelets with electricity before striking Riptide in the jaw. The navy stallion fell backwards in spastic convulsions. "I am the absolute ruler of this prison. My word is law."

"Back off!" shouted Exo as she neared the wheezing dark blue pony.

"Haven't you heard a word I've said, girlie? I decide who lives and who dies within these walls. I am the judge, jury, and executioner." Crystal Shard stepped next to Riptide, lifted his hoof with a crackle of blue sparks, and planted it in the prone stallion's side. The navy pegasus howled in pain as electricity racked his body.

In a flash, a black and white blur slammed into Crystal Shard, causing him to fall backwards.

"Maybe you don't get it jackass, Riptide's my bitch, that means that I own him. And until the day that he completes what I have ordered him to do, then he won't so much as pick his nose without my say so, and you can bet your ass that I'm not letting him die here."

The warden chuckled as he dusted himself off.

"Gotta admit, you got balls girl. Too bad I'm gonna have to rip 'em out of you." Crystal Shard stomped his hooves, and a set of three inch blades slid out of the armor.

"Bring it," Riptide said from behind.

"Stay back, you're still hurt," Exo commanded.

"It'll take more than that to kill me."

"That's nice, easier to write off killing two attackers than one mare."

"Exo," Riptide said slowly, "I'll hit him high, and you hit him low."

"You got it," the mare responded.

The navy stallion galloped from behind the alabaster unicorn, spread his wings, and jumped over both of the earth bound ponies.

"I'm fighting one of you on either side, at least make this a challenge," Crystal Shard taunted.

"I guess you could call this a gang bang," Riptide said with a smirk.

Exo groaned.

"And why would that be?" the warden snapped.

"Because we're going to fuck you right up."

Crystal Shard laughed heartily. "I'm almost going to regret killing you."

Riptide launched himself forward, taking the armored pony from behind. The warden turned, drawing his clawed hoof back to strike, when he lost his balance. Exo had knocked the stallion on his flank, and one navy hoof slammed into the visor of his helmet, knocking his head to the ground.

"That was easier than expected," Riptide said as he walked over to Exo.

"You think that Red and Slipstream failed?" Exo asked the navy stallion.

High above, the tip of the central tower exploded in shower of debris. A red and green blur fell down the side of the tower before pulling up, and gliding into the distance.

"Nope."

"What the hell!?" Shard screeched as he stood up.

"Looks like your guards aren't as tough as you give them credit for," the alabaster mare taunted.

Now it was the guard's turn to roar as he charged the two. Crystal Shard's strikes were wild and erratic, more than once ,his claws had dug into the floor.

"Exo," Riptide shouted as he dodged swiping claws, "see if you can remove his helmet."

A cloud of green magic surrounded Crystal Shard's head as the alabaster mare pulled furiously at the clasps in the neck.

"You've got to hold him still, I can't concentrate on such a small target," the unicorn shouted.

"You got it."

Pulling free of the emerald aura, Crystal Shard charged the mare. Claws extended, he slashed at the unicorn's face. Three shallow gashes bled across Exo's face. The mare grit her teeth before backing away.

From behind, the navy stallion tackled the warden, wrapping his legs around the other's torso. Riptide held the thrashing guard in his grip. Again and and again the back of Crystal Shard's head met the front of the dark blue pegasus' snout.

With a flare of her horn, Exo concentrated on the metal claps, and with a flick and a jerk, pulled the warden's helmet off.

Crystal Shard's normally glittering lavender coat had now become dull and listless. Acid green splotches grew in the corners of his eyes.

With one last heave, the armored guard tossed Riptide away, and began to advance on Exo, claws clinking menacingly against the floor.

"Hey!" the navy stallion shouted as he pushed himself off of the floor. "What was the name of that guard in the observation room? Doesn't really matter now though does it."

"And why would that be?" the warden growled as he stopped to face the dark blue pony.

"I killed him."

"LIAR!" Crystal snarled. "He was one of my best."

"I snapped his fucking neck. Went down like a rock."

The armored guard charged the stallion, driving both sets of steel claws into Riptide's side. The two locked eyes before Crystal Shard gave a sadistic smile, and the bracelets around his hooves glowed blue.

"Die."

Riptide screamed, as the wounds cauterized around the glowing weapons.

"You first," the navy stallion hissed as he slammed both hooves into either side of the warden's head. All of the electricity that had been passing through the dark blue pony was now charging through the guard's head.

Crystal Shard fell with a thud as the metallic claws slid out of the gashes in Riptide's side.

"Can you stand?" Exo asked as she approached the navy stallion.

"Yeah, come on let's go."

"Go where? You're injured, and the prisoners are still rioting."

"We're gonna fly."

The mare's eyes widened as the weight of his words sank in.

"You can't be serious, that drop is fifty feet at least, we'll die if you fail."

"It's a good thing I don't fail then isn't it."

Crystal Shard groaned as he slowly started to rise from the floor.

"Run!" Riptide yelped as he galloped towards the edge of the wall.

The alabaster mare skid to a stop at the edge.

"Jump!"

The armored guard roared as his claws tore into the floor.

"Are you retarded!?"

"Only a little bit."

With a scream, Exo jumped off of the wall. The frigid air cut through her coat like razors as she plummeted to the frozen ground below.

With a jerk, the mare felt somepony grasping at her abdomen. Above her, the navy pegasus' wings flared outward, catching the wind. Riptide grunted as he struggled to pull up. Exo looked down and nearly screamed again, the ground was nearly at them. Flapping furiously, the dark blue stallion pulled the two-tone pony out of the dive, skirting a snowbank with the mare's hind leg.

The alabaster mare looked around, millions of opalescent dots rested on an indigo blanket. One great silvery orb sat in the sky, their guide in the darkness.

"This is amazing," Exo remarked as she gazed into the distance.

"Just try not to poke me with that thing," Riptide replied as her horn nudged him.

-----

The pair had been flying for about twenty minutes, and the prison had become a speck on the horizon. The navy stallion wheezed as he dropped lower.

"What's wrong?" the mare asked, her voice thick with worry.

"Get ready for a rough landing," Riptide huffed as the ground raced beneath them.

The alabaster mare fell with a thud onto her rump as the dark-blue stallion continued to fall forward. Riptide slammed into a hill of snow before Exo rushed over to him.

"Get up," the mare plead softly as she pulled him out of the snow.

"I... I think, that I'll just-just t-take a nap," the stallion said between labored pants. Slowly the navy pony's eyes began to close.

"No, don't you dare close your eyes," the mare said frantically.

"So... tired. Hard to..."

"Wake up!" the unicorn shouted as she slapped a hoof across the stallion's face. Nothing. Taking the pegasus' shoulders, Exo violently shook the stallion. His head fell forward.

"Tired," Riptide groaned as his head slumped back.

"Come on," the mare said quickly, "keep talking to me, just keep talking."

"Talk... what?"

"Tell me about your mother, what did she look like?" Exo asked as she poured magic into her horn, praying for a spark, or any semblance of warmth.

Riptide chuckled, catching the mare off guard. "I can't even remember her face anymore." A small teardrop fell to the frozen ground. "Pretty sad, isn't it?" There was a weariness in the stallion's voice that the unicorn hadn't heard before. "I mean the only reason that I still remember her cutie-mark is because I had to carve the damned thing out myself." The pegasus' head slumped forward into the snow.

"Come on, don't fall asleep, tell me that story. Please," the mare begged as she felt a warm glow envelop her horn.

Riptide chuckled, darkly, as he picked his head out of the ice. "You remember, how I said that my mother died a few weeks after I got her the medicine?" Exo didn't respond, she focused on keeping the warmth from her horn alive.

"We were still broke, and no undertaker was going to bury her for free." The stallion laughed again, but these touches of mirth quickly dissolved into wet sobs and crying. "I had to dig her grave myself." The mare gasped as she looked at the navy pegasus. "It was cold and rainy, I was crying, and I had to dig a shallow grave for my mother on a hilltop." Riptide gave cold, hollow laughter. "I remember that I could feel my hooves bleeding as I raced against the storm so that I didn't drown in that shallow ditch. She looked so peaceful as I placed her into the grave. The worst was having to scoop the mud back into the hole, and onto her face."

Riptide shuddered from the floor. "It's not all bad, there's a nice little pear tree next to her. God I love pears. Her cutie-mark, it was a fruit-bowl. I remember that she always liked to have fresh fruit around the house."

"Then what did you do?" Exo asked hesitantly as sweat poured down her face from the exertion.

"What do you think, I stole a piece of slate, or marble, I don't even know anymore. Thankfully at the time I still had a quilt with her cutie-mark on it, so it was easy to carve it into the stone."

A dull thud sounded in front of the mare.

"Riptide? Riptide!" The stallion had collapsed into the snow.

The alabaster unicorn could feel her strength giving out as the glow covering her horn began to die down.

"No, please," she plead, "don't go out yet."

The mare's blood raced as her she tried vainly to pour more power into her horn, but it was too much strain on her body. With a sizzling pop, Exo collapsed into the snow beside Riptide.

Author's Note:

Originally I wanted chapters 2&3 combined, but size issues and all that.

Any mistakes?

I could just end it now, but I'm not.