Chapter Eleven: Try not to act suspicious.
No One's POV
Zane sneaks his way to the back door of Fluttery's home, he knocks on the door and the door is immediately opened by Fluttershy. "May I come in?" Zane asks, "Of course," said Fluttershy. They both enter the living room where Zane places a bag on the coffee table. "Where's Guidance?" she asked. "Guidance is watching over the Monastery while I'm gone."
"Okay this is what we will need on this mission, a pair of binoculars for recon, one potion of absolute silence for stealth, a Falcon call and the bag itself to carry the artifact," Zane informed.
"Were did you get the potion from?" asked Fluttershy since she didn't recall seeing any brewing stands in his room.
"I have many more rooms in the monastery than I have shown you. Now shall we be- wait, I sense something is coming." Sounds of footsteps were coming closer.
"Let me see" Fluttershy peaks her head to the window and spots Starlight and AppleJack walking to her cottage. "MY FRIENDS ARE COMING, QUICK HIDE!" Zane zooms out of the living room with great haste just before there was knocking on the front door. Fluttershy answers the door and welcomes them as unsuspectingly as she could. "Good morning girls what brings you here so early?" Said Fluttershy nervously.
"We came to check up on you to see if you were ready to go. We promised Rarity that we would help her with her new dressed to Manehattan and visit Times Square remember?" Said Starlight.
"Oh yes I remember," Fluttershy said trying not to be suspicious. "I just need to um… make sure Angel eats his breakfast. I'll be there in a minute."
"Al'righty then, see ya at the train station," Said AppleJack walking back into the direction of the train station along with Twilight.
Fluttershy quickly became worried about the chance of her friends finding out about Zane and looked around the house to find where he had hidden himself. She walked into the kitchen where the fridge door spring open. Zane fell out of the fridge and landed on his face. "Why did you hide inside the fridge," she asked. "It was the first thing I could think of," he replied. "Oh okay, but Zane we have a bit of a problem," Fluttershy began, while helping Zane get up. "I forgot that my friends were also coming to Manehattan to help Rarity with her new dresses. She wanted to put them in her other boutique because thought it was more well suited over there." Zane put his hoof to his chain, "Hum…No, this will not change a thing, So long as they do not know what we are doing at the museum. How long will you be staying there?"
"Two days," she replied.
"Good, we can begin our task at night when they are asleep. For now you should go with your friends to Manehattan. Don't worry about me; I'm going to be right behind you all the way."
With that Fluttershy gave Zane a smile and ran to the train station while Zane would sneak on board the same train. At the train station Fluttershy see that everypony is placing Rarity's dresses onto the cargo portion of the train. She then rushes over to Rarity and speaks heavily breathing, "Rarity*I'm *So*Sorry* For* Being*Late." Rarity quickly creates a glass of water and gives it to Fluttershy who takes a large zip from the cup.
"Do you feel better now, you seemed awfully exhausted." said Rarity
"Well it's just that I lost track of time so I ran as fast as I could to be here on time-."
"Relax darling, it's nothing to worry about all that matters is that you here now. Come, let's put these last few things on the train and take our seats."
With the last dress to be properly stored inside the train everypony is on board and the train leaves the station. Riding along the tracks, Twilight stares out the window nearly falling asleep before waking herself up again and couldn't help but groan, "Ugh I feel sooo tired. I was awake all night with preparations for the drought coming soon. Who knew that skipping an ENTIRE season could be this overwhelming." "You're telling me. I know that I'm a WonderBolt now but that doesn't mean I still don't have important things to do back in Cloudsdale," added RainbowDash.
"Hey Twilight, have you found anything new about what exactly is Metal Frost?" asked Starlight. "Nope, I didn't find a single thing about a Metal Windigo. Not to mention one that had cutie-marks. But rumor say that he was last spotted in Griffinstone."
"Speaking of Metal Frost," spoke Rainbow, "SpitFire didn't take being frozen in ice too well. She was SO Mad, I think she broke her window in her office."
"Wow sounds like she needs to chill out," Pinkie giggled.
While the others were having their conversation, AppleJack had a question of her own. "Um Fluttershy I've been wonderin, where exactly do ya go ev'ry day after six-o'clock?"
Fluttershy panicked internally and quickly tried to make something up "I-." "WHAT LET ME GUESS!" Pinkie interuped, "YOU have been, MAKING A SUPER DUPER SECRET PARTY FOR ALL OF US! Or, YOU' VE BEEN EATING A MAGIC CAKE THAT GIVES YOU LASER VISION! No, THEN YOU BEEN CALL BY ALIENS TO BRING THEM CHEESE IN THE FOREST SO THAT THEY CAN GIVE US INFINITE ICECREAM!"
"Um… no… I've been having picnics with the other animals deep in the forest."
"Huh… Okay then." AppleJack didn't really believe that Fluttershy would go into a dangerous place without someone coming along and why wouldn't she tell anypony if it wasn't such a big deal. 'I might have ta keep a close eye on er, cause she's hiding something. What exactly could she be hide'n that's so important not to tell us.'
The rest of the ride to Manehattan only consisted of Pinkie Pie's shenanigans ending in an explosion of cake batter inside the cart. Luckily the cargo was in a separate train car.
The Mane seven (depending on how you count) and spike were staying in a hotel close to 'Rarity For You.' After stocking the boutique with Rarity's new clothing line, they all went about their day either walking through Equestria's version of Chinatown or boat racing around the city.
When the time came that everypony was asleep, Fluttershy tiptoed her way to the window and slowly cracked it open. Stepping onto the fire escape she noticed small letters made of ice standing straight up reading "I'm on the roof." Fluttershy flow to the top of the building and found Zane sitting on the edge with the bag at his side. He sees Fluttershy and walks towards her and says, "Are you sure you want to come," she gives him firm nod to reply. "Okay, then lets head to the museum." "Wait before we go, back on the train AppleJack asked me what I was doing every day after six. I told her I was having picnics with the other animals but I don't that she believes it." "I was afraid of that. We'll have to deal with this later, For now we shall focus on the task at hand or hoof."
The two of them jump from roof top to roof top flying across central park where their destination would lie. They stop on top of a building south of the museum.
"What are you going to take from there?" asked Fluttershy who wasn't well informed about what was going to be stolen or what the plan was. "I'am going to obtain a small artifact known as, The Totem of Ancient Shadows. Legend has it that if one could activate the totem; they would have full control over shadows. As far as I know, no one has been able to use it."
"You don't plan on-."
"I wouldn't think of it, I'am only going to use it to make the eclipse." Zane takes out a pair of binoculars and gives it to Fluttershy. "I 'am going sneak my way into the museum using this potion of absolute silence, while you stay out here to watch out for anypony coming inside. If somepony does come inside use the Falcon call. Do you understand?" "I completely understand," she responded, "Good, I'll see you in a few minutes."
With that Zane jumps down to the ground and splashes the potion on himself upon landing. He then slightly opens the door so that if anypony inside wouldn't notice. He slowly walks in and closes the door. When the door was shut he dashes through the hall way before stopping by the map stand of the museum. Using the light in his eyes to see he quickly finds the totem on the second floor, where the ancient objects exhibit is supposed to be. In the hallways, echoes of footsteps could be heard coming closer to him. Zane turns his lights off, puts his mask on and hides behind the map away from the steps. A mare unicorn with a light red mane and brown security jacket walked past the hall and entered the other exhibit. Zane thinks to himself, 'That must be the night guard. I better watch out for her,' then runs upstairs to the second floor. He walks down the hallway passing by wax sculptures that were molded to represent past events like the defeat of nightmare moon, the first founding of the Elements of Harmony, and the banishment of the Sirens by Starswirl the Bearded until he reach the ancient objects portion of the museum.
The totem was near a window by the corner of the exhibit surrounded by other ambulates and old items that were all incased on glass. He takes a step forward and a stomp could be heard within the room. He sighed then thought to himself, 'I was hoping that the potion would last longer. Now I'll have to take it nice and slowly.' Zane approached the incased totem pulls out his saw from his hoof and puts its blade against the glass drawing a circle. As soon as the small pieces of glass fell the alarm was set off. He snatched the totem and tried to break the window but it was protected by a magic spell.
Meanwhile at the roof top Fluttershy could see several pony guards coming into the museum as well as the lights turning on around the area. She put down the binoculars and used the Falcon call.
Back at in the museum Zane is trapped within the exhibit protected by a shielding spell. He hears the Falcons squawking loudly. 'Their coming, I was hoping I'd get out quietly.' The security officers came in standing outside the shield. One spoke in a surprised manner, "Whoa Metal Frost? I didn't think we'd catch him here." Zane stood silent. "Alright cuff him up, BUT be careful he's a windigo." After the shield made an opining Zane summoned his dragon and escaped from the museum.
On the roof top Fluttershy saw the dragon break out of the doors with it heading north being chased by the guards. Zane grabbed the bag and told Fluttershy "RUN!"
"Did you get the totem!?" asked Fluttershy jumping from roof to roof.
"I have it with me."
"You never told me you could you could make a dragon!"
"I haven't told you that story yet! I made him to lead the others in another direction. Keep going I can see your room from here!"
When the two made it to their destination, it was significantly quieter than it was back from where they came from. "You need to get back to bed. If what you're saying is true and they wake up now they will ask questions," Whispered Zane. "I'm going to go back to the Monastery and attach this to the machine."
"Okay, say hi to Guidance for me."
"I will, have a Good night."
"You too."
Zane closes the window and flies back home. Now with the totem in his possession he is one step closer to getting home, but the question remains, how long will it before they find out the truth.
