Voyage

by Comrade Bagel Muffin

Évadez-vous à Slo

After their dinner Escutcheon was lead with to his room by several armed guards. His room was he assumed, deliberately separate from Red Wine's and Atlas' room which were on the other side of the castle. Maelstrom was getting completely out of hoof with his antics on keeping them at his castle. He felt uneasy about Dusk, and what kind of room that she was sent to, their host had had a very narrow view of ponies, and during the conversation at dinner it was apparent that not only was he fine with the bat colony being lost in a war, he viewed it as little more than pest control. His blood started boiling just thinking about what was said. Atlas had just barely calmed him down. Dusk, he was convinced that she would have had a conniption, and rightly so. The guards lead him to the highest part of the western tower. The room was nicely furnished with canopy bed, a wardrobe, a desk three inn tables, and what looked like a very plush and soft couch, and of course only one way in and out unless he wanted to hurl himself off of his balcony.

The guards were about to shut the door when Escutcheon had an idea. "Excuse me, could I have a book please?" he asked. "Really anything will work. I just need something to read before I go to bed."

"Of course." One of the unicorn guards nodded and left, leaving the other two behind to guard his room. He frowned as he realized that his room was just a gilded cage, and he shut the door to wait for the guard to get back. He walked out to his balcony It overlooked the mountains that formed the boarder between Tivi and Slo, the cold mountain wind chilled him to his bones, and the air was thin, but thankfully breathable, he had been colder, and higher than this, when he had gone on trips to Cloudsdale or the Crystal Empire with his mother and father. He sighed as his thoughts turned to home, but he smiled. Rainbow Dash would have shaken this aristocrat's world view by just being herself hard to say that unicorns are a higher breed when a pegasus just preformed a sonic rainboom. His smile broadened as he thought of her shacking him up in a more physical sense too, given her already uncouth way of dealing with the Canterlot aristocracy. He walked back into his glamorous cell and lay down on his bed. He wasn't able to do anything for the time being, but wait. He floated his combing stick out of his bag and started combing his mane waiting for the guard to get back so he could start working on his escape plan.

The guard returned a few minutes later with a few books floating next to him. "These should give you plenty to read and think on." He said laying them down on the desk. "Is that it?" Escutcheon nodded.

"That's all thank you." He smiled from his bed.

"There will be two guards outside your door if you need anything."

"I won't," he answered.

"You might." With that the guard left leaving the other two to guard him. He sighed and walked over to the selection of books that had been put down on the desk. They were all hard cover tomes with gold leaf pages. The titles were written in gold on decorated covers. Power and its Obtainment, The Horn and the Unicorn, and Cetus: Essay on the Proper Place of Commoners. He looked over the collection as his horn started to glow and the text of the three books stated to literally come off of the page. Mother's speed reading spell was useful, but he had added to it during his time working for Atlas, at the University. After "reading" them he sat them back down. Maelstrom had written hundreds of notes in the margins, and he now very well knew that negotiations with him were not going to go anywhere. He sighed and sat on his bed. His gold magic started to envelop his horn again. In a few seconds he saw himself sitting at the desk reading one of the books that were brought up to him. He cleared his throat and cast his second spell. Then he gulped if it worked it worked if not. He was going to be in a lot of trouble. "Hello!" he called as he made his way to the door to his room.

"What?" One of the guards answered opening the door. He gulped as he moved to the open door hoping the invisibility spell had worked.

"I need a glass of water please." the illusion answered. The guard nodded and began closing the door. Escutcheon seized the opportunity, and hurried out following after him just barely avoiding having the door close on his tail. He followed the guard until he got to the dinning hall. From there he went the direction that Atlas and Red Wine had been lead. He stopped when he came to a stop at a split one path went to the northern section of the palace and the other to the eastern part. He froze for a moment, before seeing a rather familiar guard. Or rather pony in guard armor. "Red Wine?" He asked. The older unicorn stopped.

"Escutcheon? Where are you?"

"Invisibility spell." he answered with a smile on his face.

"You're room wasn't guarded?"

"Illusion spell." He answered. "They won't know I'm gone unless they touch me, well the illusion me." Escutcheon looked behind him. "Was Atlas not with you?"

"Atlas was taken to the eastern tower. I'm assuming Dusk was taking to the southern part of the building. I doubt she's in a tower with her wings she would be able to fly away."

"I'm worried about her," Escutcheon confessed.

"Atlas should be safe at his location. We'll get dusk and get to Atlas, and then figure out what to do." Red Wine nodded. The two of them headed to the southern part of the palace. Escutcheon cast his locate spell on one of Dusk's earrings that he had gotten for her when they were living in Marine. With it they quickly found a stairway going down to the palace's basement. Escutcheon still hidden with Mother's invisibility spell guided Red Wine through the labyrinth of corridors to Dusk's cell. There weren't any guards outside of her door. None were needed there were four planks of wood across it making escape for her impossible. Inside Turkeylegs' soft chirping could be heard, between which he could hear her softly crying.

"Dusk? Are you okay?" Escutcheon asked as his magic threw the four planks of wood to the floor. He dropped his spell and rushed in. Turkeylegs let out a surprised chirp like sound as Dusk looked up. "Are you okay? If your hurt I'm going to kill him." Her tackle and hug were nearly enough for him to fall to the floor.

"I'm fine." She held him tightly. "But I'm taking it that getting him to see reason isn't going to happen?" her voice was a near hoarse and soft.

"No. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Dusk said as Turkeylegs came over to the two of them nuzzling each in turn.

"Damn it. I forgot about the bird." Red Wine looked between the three of them, then nodded. "Escutcheon how strong is your spell could you cast it over Dusk and yourself?"

"Yes, I think I can hold it for twenty minutes doing that." Escutcheon nodded.

"Good that should give us enough time." He looked between the two of them. "Get on it's back with her and cast your spell hopefully your bird will be calm enough to lead to Atlas' room, I'll try and convince them that Maelstrom wanted Atlas to study it." Escutcheon and Dusk got on Turkeylegs' back, it seemed more than happy to have both of them ridding it. The colt's horn began to glow golden before enveloping the two of them. In an instant they both vanished from sight. Turkeylegs gave an alarmed chirp.

"It's okay Turkeylegs we're both still here," Escutcheon said as both he and Dusk patted the large bird. "You just have to follow Red Wine, okay?" It gave a soft moan like chirp which Red Wine took for as much understanding as the bird was able to and began to lead the way back to the Eastern tower, to were Atlas was being held. After a few minutes they arrived to a room being guarded with three unicorn stallions.

"What's going on with the bird."

"I thought that thing was with the bat."

"It was," Red Wine answered as he approached. "The lord wanted to see what Atlas thought of it and told me to bring it to the professor. Now do you mind letting me in?" He asked. One of them opened the door as they were walking in one of the stallions spoke up.

"I don't recognize you."

"So close." Red Wine's horn lit up and the three stallions fell like bricks. He pulled them in and tied them up as Atlas looked up from a book that he was reading.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long to get me. Got Dusk and Escutcheon first."

"Escutcheon got himself. Actually."

"How'd you know I was here?" Escutcheon asked dropping his spell.

"Turkeylegs is acting to calm for you to be missing." Atlas closed the book that he had been reading. "So I take it that we're ready to leave?"

"I still haven't figured out how to do that but I'm working on it." Red Wine said after making sure the rope was nice and tight around the three stallion.

"Leave that to me. I have a plan." Escutcheon smiled. "Do you have a balcony, professor?" he asked.

"Yes I do, but we're a bit high up."

"And it has a view to the south correct?" His smile only broadened.

"Yes again." Atlas nodded.

"Then everypony, and Turkeylegs of course to the balcony." From the balcony Escutcheon could see the other side of the boarder. With his horn glowing he focused and in an instant and a flash of golden light they were in Slo.