• Published 22nd May 2020
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The Origins (#1) - LightningStar626



After dusting out a few pieces of equipment in an old closet at Canterlot High school, Pinkie and Fluttershy discover a mysterious book that unlocked another portal by the statue to a THIRD world!

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Chapter 9: Breaking Out!

Chapter 9: Breaking Out!

~Lightning and Karly moved through the darkening pathway, taking care to keep to one side, out of sight. The atmosphere was still, yet not silent. The air was cool the further they went and the tunnel, which had been dry underfoot at the start, now turned to mud. Soon they were walking on solid rock. They came out on what Sunset noticed was a shelf of rock. Before them stretched the large rock cavern. To their relief, it appeared empty. The ledge wasn't high and it was possible to descend to the floor quite easily by the means of a path to the right. Lightning Star, who seemed to fear nothing, skipped lithely down first.~

"This place is already giving me the willies." Karly whispered.

Lightning put her finger to her lips and slowed the pace to a crawl. "This is the only way to get to the castle undetected though, I'm afraid. But we have to keep quiet…"

"Hey, y'all look, I think there's somethin' up ahead." Applejack said, and pointed over to a spot on the right.

~An amethyst light bathed in that area, and Rarity found herself hastening over there at once. She was blocked off by yellow and black barriers, but they could easily be jumped over. And once over them, she and the other girls spotted a strange conveyor belt system pulling along a family of the world's most gorgeous gemstones they had ever seen, big or small. Smiling joyfully, Rarity hastened towards it, her eyes coated with the same colour as the precious rocks, but slowed down thoughtful and wondering as she drew near. All of a sudden, the air around her glowed pink and the watchers felt the chill of bleak and empty feeling. That was when they noticed the pink air was just glitter shavings, being rubbed off from the stones and revealed to only be ordinary rocks inside. When Rarity realised this, she was gutted. But suddenly then wondered, where were these fake gems coming from? Then, just at that very moment, alone and unaccompanied, two boys wearing blue blazers and carrying pickaxes entered the cavern from the far end. They looked shattered, and torn apart as they galumphed into the cave hall to work even more. The girls hid from them by ducking behind a few wedged rocks, but Karly felt pain, feeling bad that they were being put into bad labour like this. The eight girls watched them slave away for a good few minutes before finally, they spoke with prostration.~

"...just…one more left to move! Oof…! We can do this. Okay, ready...set...toss!"

~The boy and his companion lifted the final rock onto the conveyor belt and it moved at once upwards to an unknown location. Through a hole where the conveyor belt continued, it disappeared into the darkness.~

"Man, I feel awful for those two," Karly confessed. "Aclaw and Harrison are not the strongest boys in our school. Music is more their passion."

"I know," said Lightning. "I wonder who else that Devil has gotten and is forcing to work in his favour around here."

"What could those villains possibly want with a bunch of fake jewels though?" Rarity asked, still disappointed that they are fake.

"Why don't we find out?" Lightning replied, and stepped out from her spot. "Hey, Aclaw, Harrison!"

Aclaw turned and spotted Lightning at once. "Oh, great. Don't tell me you were captured too. Mining this ore is terribly hard work!"

"Yeah! Every part of me is sore. My back, my feet, my arms… Oh, it's just awful!" Harrison said, looking like he was about to faint.

"W-we haven't been captured by anybody," Sunset said, she and the other girls joining Lightning. "But what exactly is going on here?"

"We've been working nonstop, gathering and hauling ore, wood, and stone…" Aclaw began to explain. "...from here it's taken to Devil's Castle. We don't know what the Devils are planning to do with it, but if history is any indication, It's probably something horrible!"

"If that's the case, why doesn't anyone try to escape?" Rainbow suggested. "There's nobody here watching you!"

"That's because they are all patrolling the exits." Aclaw sighed. "Nobody's getting in, nobody's getting out."

"Really? Where we came from, nobody was there." Karly said.

"Yes, but it wouldn't be best to lead the rescued students down there anyway. They'd still be trapped." Applejack tested.

"In that case, we'll just go and unpatrol the blocked exits!" Rainbow declared.

"Yeah! We can go and take care of the guards for you." Lightning said.

"Really? You guys will take care of them? Well, if anyone can do it, It's you, Lightning. You're the boss- !" Aclaw said, or at least, began to say. Because before he finished the word 'boss', they heard heavy footsteps along the pathway.

"Oh no! Someone is coming! You guys better hide!" whispered Harrison.

~In a flash, Lightning, Karly and Rainbow Dash were out of their sight and crouching behind the rocks again. They ducked both Fluttershy and Pinkie down too since they stayed behind it. Only Sunset Shimmer, Applejack and Rarity took the longest since the fashionista was hypnotised by the rocks' beauty. Despite being worthless, their sparkly coats still captured her eyes. Sunset and Applejack were forced to try and drag her back so she wouldn't be seen. Thankfully, they managed to do so before the Triplets; Frank, Mertin and Benjamin, showed up. The leading triplet, Frank Devil, smashed down his clenched fist on the heavy conveyor belt. The hair in his hat bristled with anger as he half rose over the two boys.~

"Hey! Slackers! Who told you to stop toiling? We need more gems and resources!" he shouted at them.

"Hmm… Looks-a like zis area iz all drieda up though, frère." Mertin spoke up.

"So it seems. By the way, were you two chatting?! WE'RE NOT PAYING YOU TO CHAT! Course, we're not paying you at all, but you get what I mean! I want less chatting and more toiling!"

"W-we weren't chatting, sir!" Harrison stuttered, "What you heard were our, um, anguished…moans."

"Is that so? They didn't sound very anguished. Just stop your bellyaching, and get back to work!"

~At that, they stomped away right before pocketing a few gem speckles, seemingly unaware that they were actually fake. Karly peeked out to watch them leave, then scowled with disgust. She hated them, and will always hate them for the rest of her life.~

"Okay. It's all clear. You can come out now." Aclaw suddenly whispered. The group came out of their hiding spot.

"The dungeons are just up ahead, past those will be the exit. Good luck, girls. We're counting on you to free us!" Harrison said.

"We'll be keeping a low profile down here, but cheering you on. Cheering very, very quietly, that is." Aclaw whispered.

Lightning smiled. "Thanks, boys."

"We'll do our best…" Karly added sheepishly.

"Let's go then!" Pinkie smiled, and she skipped on the only pathway ahead. The others followed.


~The cavern hallways became darker but felt less emptier. At the end, two minions were guarding the doorway to the dungeons. One of them was picking out a few bits of plaque from his teeth with his finger, and straightening out tufts of his hair. He turned to his watching partner.~

"Do I have something in my teeth?"

"Why? Got a hot date?" his companion replied.

"I might. I haven't asked her yet."

The second minion sighed. "Is this about Wendy again? Don't bother. I asked her out this morning and she said I wasn't her type."

"Hmmm, perhaps she's after a more muscular build?" The first minion stated, and he began to flex his small muscles.

"Like yourself?" the second spat. "Please! You look like a walking black circus tent!"

"Well, at least I don't dress like an upside down umbrella!" the first replied hastily.

"Your cord is banal and trite!"

"Your cord is banal and trite!"

"Well, you look like a rubbish bin bag that swallowed a clown!"

"I'd say you should be guarding a forest, but that's offensive to the other dirty animals."

"I can hear every word, you know?" Wendy Devil called out from across the hall. "I'm like, six feet away!"

"Oh, I thought she was Agent Star. The two do look very similar, face-wise." The second whispered to the first.

"Still heard that!" Wendy yelled. "And even if it was Agent Star, why are you two still standing there?! Ugh, you clones give me a headache."

~She went off quickly just as two more minions joined the party.~

"They do know they're both dressed up in the exact same getup, right? Last year's model?" one whispered.

"Not everyone can keep up with the latest fashion trends like us, Mannis."

"Up top!"

~He raised his hand up high and was not left hanging. The two minions high fived happily and laughed over it. Suddenly, they heard a noise like the splintering of ice.~

"Did you hear that?" said the first minion.

His mate shook his head. "Hear what?"

~They reached for their weapons that were astride their backs, when a bolt of ice struck one of them full in the head, knocking him out cold. The minion still standing watched it with wide eyes before cowardly screaming and fleeing off his life.~

"Dissstreeeeeessssss!"

The third and fourth minions drew their daggers. "Halt immediately! In the name of Dr. Devil!"

"Put your hands on your head! Make no sudden movements!"

~There was no answer. They crept along the hallways in a stance suspiciously, and supposedly waited for the intruder to show themselves. Suddenly, seemingly coming from nowhere, as Mannis took the next step, a large rock crushed onto his foot. He cried a curse, but didn't hold back, even when he drew blood. Finally, Penguin Lightning revealed herself. She dramatically pushed back her hood, before sending out two final icicle spears from her hands, striking the minions in their heads, and knocking them out. However, they would wake up totally fine later on, she said accordingly.~

Nonetheless, she continued on. "Right, we should be coming up to the dungeons now."

"It's just through this door, innit?" Applejack queried.

~They ran to the threshold, but it brought them to a halt when a hi-tech control panel with a sensor closed the dungeon door. Only a minion, or Devil himself could access it now. That was the problem. Sunset grumbled.~

"Ahh, shoot. We need a sample."

"Yeah, don't worry, I got it." Lightning said, and stalked over to one of the minions lying on the floor.

~She seized him by the arm and started dragging his unconscious body over to the control panel. Then, lifting him up by the scruff of the neck, she smacked his forehead against the sensor for a reading. It blinked bright red.~

"Access denied." The panel boomed through the speaker. Lightning tried again. "Access denied." and again. "Access denied."

~She dropped him angrily. Furious with the panel, Lightning began to question why it wasn't working. Maybe he was a rookie. Her eyes darted from the minion, to the girls and then to the other unconscious minions.~

"Okayyy...let's try another one."

"How is another one gonna make a difference, they all look the same," Rainbow replied curtly.

~Lightning ignored her. Picking up another heavy body of a minion and going to the panel, she tried again.~

It came out with the same reading. "Access denied."

Lightning dropped him. "Next!"

"Access denied. Access denied. Access denied." was all the panel kept saying with every different reading and every different minion.

At this point, Lightning was pretty miffed. "Ugh, I hate technology!" she jabbed the sensor with her finger. "We're on the clock here, you know, you stupid thing!"

~The Rainbooms shook their heads dumbly, trying hard not to laugh at Lightning arguing with the control panel. As one last final burst, she picked up the nearest minion lying on the ground and head smashed him right on the sensor. Suddenly, a green button flashed.~

"Access granted."

Everyone sighed in relief. As did Lightning. "Geez, how many minions does it take to open a door?" she asked. Pinkie Pie opened her mouth to speak, but the spy girl raised her finger quickly. "Don't answer that, Pinkie!"

Pinkie groaned. "Awww…"

~They all gave a needless laugh. Then, without wasting any more time, they entered the room. Fluttershy covered her mouth with her hand. There was a hiss of air, and they looked on ahead of them at the dungeon chamber, with dazzling grey tiles and stainless steel as the walls. Along them were large cells of pale silver mesh. The panels of the ceilings were slightly translucent, so some light came from below, and in the faint gleam, the girls could see the students locked up.~

Rarity gasped. "My goodness!"

"So, this is where the other students ended up," said Karly.

"Do you think Twilight and Mr. Secret could be down here?" Fluttershy asked, turning to Sunset.

"It's a possibility." her fiery friend replied.

"We need to look then! Let's divide!" Rainbow suggested.

"No, we stick together," Lightning insisted. "We'll only divide if we have to."

"Lightning, Karly, is that you?" a female student called out from inside the cells.

Lightning turned to her and rushed to the bars. "Lucky! Are you okay?"

"I think so…" she replied.

"Is she a friend of yours?" asked Applejack.

"A friendly acquaintance, yes."

"What happened to you?" Sunset asked.

"We're being held here against our will," Lucky answered. "I can't figure out what the Devils are doing though. But, I doubt it's anything good. Pondering this really helps pass the time."

"Okay, well, don't worry, Lucky, we will find a way to get you out very soon." Karly reassured.

"Thank you. Please hurry!"

~Yet, after several minutes of walking the twisting, branching undergrounds paths and calling Twilight's name every few steps, they began to grow discouraged.~

"This is hopeless," said Rainbow. "We've walked everywhere and still not a sign of her."

"Maybe she's not here after all." Fluttershy sighed sadly.

Suddenly, there was a whisper. "Psst! Hey! Over here!"

"Huh?"

~They were halfway down one of these hallways when Lightning heard a voice. Just then, to their utter surprise, they walked right to a cell, with one of Devil's minions inside. He was the one calling for their attention.~

"What do you want?" Lightning demanded.

"It's me! The minion you battled twice back outside the school!"

The girls were blank. "Wait…Lars?" Lightning said at last.

Rainbow darted around his face and squinted. She saw the scar beside his left eye. "Oh, you." she sighed.

"What are you doing in that prison cell?" asked Karly.

"Well, after you girls crushed me and Leos that second time, management said we were unfit to be minions." he explained to them. "So, they demoted Leos to cafeteria monitor, and me to caretaker, which is why I'm here cleaning up the cells. It's humiliating, and it's your fault!"

"Well, if y'all hadn't picked on Fluttershy, ya wouldn't be in this mess!" Applejack argued.

"Exactly!" Both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie chroused.

"Grrr. Well, also, to add insult to injury, I bumped the cell door shut when I was mopping, so now I'm stuck!"

Lightning held back a snicker. "Oh no, very sad… Anyway! Thanks for wasting our time, we're gonna truck along now."

~With that, she began to walk off. Lars called out again quickly however, stuttering and stopping her from moving any further.~

"W-WAIT! You can't leave me here! Listen, I'm through working with Devil! Okay?! I wanna escape this place and go live my own life someplace else! So, If you would just kindly let me out, I'll be on my merry way!"

"Yeah, a likely story." Karly sassed. "We don't trust you, so we're just gonna go, if it's alright with you."

~The shy spy joined Lightning. They motioned the other Mane 6 to also come, but they didn't budge. Fluttershy did hate the fact that this man was unkind to her, but she was willing to give him a second chance if he was truly asking for forgiveness. It was dependent on what the others thought. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity didn't honestly know what to think. Hence, why, they all turned towards Sunset Shimmer. The red girl however, just looked at the minion. She gave him a confounded face that seemingly lasted for a few moments. Finally, she stopped to the two spies and raised her hand.~

"Wait, you two. Maybe he knows something." she whispered.

"You kidding me, Shimmer?" said Lightning, surprised. "I do not relish talking to anybody associated with Devil! Especially his minions! They are always nothing but trouble! Do not fall for their flattery or weak attempt at a sob story, it'll lower your guard down."

"I don't relish talking to him either, but it's always worth a try. You never know. We could ask him about Twilight and Secert's whereabouts." Sunset said.

"No way! It's too risky."

"At least accompany me then. In case he tries to do anything slippery, you'll keep your guard up. I just know you will."

Lightning felt honesty in Sunset's voice. She sighed. "... Alright."

~Walking back towards the cell, they found the minion sitting down, scraping a substance off his shoes. Lightning called out to him and he returned to bars standing between them.~

"Heh. I knew you would come back. You have good hearts, a reputation to keep, and fears that Devil will find you and shrink you down and feed you to his iguanas or sharks and…"

Lightning clutched on the bars firmly, making a loud, heavy rattle. "We're not here for monologuing," she interrupted. "We're wondering if you know anything about the location of Twilight Sparkle and Steven Secret."

"Hmmph! Maybe I do, but maybe I don't. Regardless, I refuse to answer!" Lars grumbled.

"We can always have Applejack muscle an answer out of you." Rainbow threatened.

"Alright-alright! I'll tell you!" Lars replied, frightened. "Ahem. I have a map to the whole caves and the castle. What you wanna do from here, is go to the right by the water fountain, then left by the fire extinguisher, then to the right again. That's where you will find the dungeons where we keep the important kind of people. My bets are saying they are in there."

~He revealed a folded piece of paper and, opening the lid of a red highlighter with his mouth and spitting it out again, began scribbling something down. Once he was done, he folded it back up again and tossed it through the bars to the girls like a broken frisbee. Sunset caught it, and she opened it right away to see it was a map to the whole area, from the caves to the castle grounds. They darted to where some points when highlighted and discussed matters.~

"You're not lying about this, are you?" Sunset asked.

"Nope, nope! The red circle is where your friends are! Okay, now it's your turn. Help me outta here!" Lars said, jumping up and down.

The Rainbooms and Karly eyed Lightning and she gave an irritated sigh. "Okay…"

~Reluctantly whipping out her geode and shifting into her half raccoon form, the spy girl swung her tail strongly against the lock. Metal bursted and the barred door swung open, setting the minion free.~

"HUH? Agent Star, you have superpowers?! Like them?!" he exclaimed.

"Yes. It's a long story, but I do not wish to share it with a low-life like you!"

"Ehh. Suit yourself. I didn't even want to stay and be told a bedtime story. Now, I gotta hop it before I'm seen talking and sharing stuff with you. Sooo… BYE!" With that, he ran off in the darkness of the door, never to be seen again.

"Yeah, whatever, thanks for the map."

Karly looked over Sunset's shoulder. "I wonder if this actually is a map, and if it's actually going to lead us to the right place." she said with a curious frown.

"Then we'd better get there fast and find out!" Rainbow answered, before bolting it off with her super speed.