"Uhhhh…huh? Wablebshg…"
Blanc Shimmer was slowly coming to, the effects from the sleep poison darts finally fading. He slowly got to his hooves as he held his head, there was an intense throbbing, much like that of a hangover.
"Ugh, I feel like I slept on a rock…oh." Blanc looked down to see the large stone slab he had been laying on, accompanied by a puddle of drool where his mouth had laid. Looking around, he noticed that he was in a small cavern, barely twice his height when standing; a round, uneven base only a few yards across made up the floor of his room, and several rocks were stacked in front of a niche in the hole—what was most likely the way out. Blanc pushed the rocks aside, and a thin slip of light shone in, burning his currently-sensitive retinas. Groaning in pain, he gave himself a minute to adjust to the light, and glanced outside.
He was near one of the mountain peaks on the east side of the valley road. The shadow of the mountain caused by the sun's morning light was looming over the valley forest below. He suddenly remembered what had happened last night—or at least he hoped only a night had passed. Anger swept over him, and then concern. What has happened to Dreamcatcher and the others, the young fillies especially? Glancing around again, Blanc saw a piece of paper that had been left next to his sleeping body. Looking at it, it read:
"Blanc Shimmer:
I have left you here while I go to search for the others. I can only hope you aren't found, as I've left you in a very obscure location covered by rocks. You can move those rocks out, by the way—it's not like you're trapped in there, so don't freak out." Blanc snorted. "I will continue to pursue the unicorn and his henchmen; hopefully I'll discover a hideout, along with whatever they're planning to do with our team. I do not know how long that sleep serum will last, or if it ever will fade at all…but when it does, and when you read this, I want you to continue down the same path I do. Look at the leaves of the trees, as I will turn a few purple on select trees every several meters or so. Follow this path, and you will most likely run into either me or the bandits. On that note, I cannot stress this last matter lightly: tread carefully. We do not know what to expect from those bandits, and I've never seen the magic that the unicorn leader had used before. If I were to guess, it appeared to be some form of 'anti-magic', which I can only hope is not the case. Nonetheless, I pray for your quick recovery and assistance in fighting back.
Your acquaintance:
Dreamcatcher"
"Acquaintance? Really? After ALL the years of knowing you and the friendship we've shared?" Blanc sarcastically thought aloud. Not that she would remember, but they had been best friends before. Not that she would remember, of course. But that was aside the point—right now, he had to follow that trail and catch up with her!
Blanc flew down the mountain, careful not to wipe out, as he was still a bit groggy. When he neared the base of the mountain, along with the start of the forest, he immediately noticed the purple leaves that were on one of the trees. Looking beyond them several yards out, he saw another clump of purple leaves on one of the trees, the two forming a line.
Without a second thought, Blanc followed.
'I just hope he actually gets here in time…' Dreamcatcher thought to herself, turning another couple of tree leaves purple.
It was still twilight, only the brightest of stars still shone in the sky. The moon had already passed the mountain range, the sun getting ready to rise in the east. She had lost sight of the cart a while ago, but she didn't need to have her eyes directly on it to know where it went; she didn't want to be so close to it anyway when she followed it into the thick brush, off the dirt path. During the beginning of her tagging-along, she had really fought to keep herself from attacking the whole lot of them. She was a Head Captain of the ERA, the Equestrian Royal Army, second only to the Princesses themselves, in rank at least. And not only that, but she was the Head Captain of the Unicorn Division; her title itself essentially claiming that she was not only the most powerful unicorn in Equestria, but also the most skilled. She would have obliterated that petty group of 'elite bandits' had it not been for the unicorn that had been heading them. She had never seen the acts he performed. There never was anything in the books about magic that destroyed magic. The best she could put it as was…'anti-magic'. The property of its reaction with her magic was surprisingly similar to when matter comes into contact with antimatter, so it made enough sense. It was a concept that existed, but never in a living pony. What didn't make sense was why this unicorn had such power; Dreamcatcher had no idea what to expect from him, so she kept her ground.
She wasn't following a path of ruin from the cart against the trees and bushes to know where she was going. She had enough magical power herself to sense the presence of another ponies magic for a short time after it's used on an object. The unicorn must have been clearing a path for the cart, immediately restoring the brush when the cart passed it. Dreamcatcher noted that the properties of this 'anti-magic' was the same as that of magic…it's just that it didn't react with regular magic all too well.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a sound in the bushes.
She immediately went invisible. Hopefully it was Blanc, but there had been several bandits scouring the area after she and him had escaped. What she had heard next she hadn't expected, though.
The voice of a young filly called out. "Hello? Is anypony here? I thought I heard something…"
Dreamcatcher looked to the sound of the voice, and saw the pony whose named she recalled as 'Scootaloo' walking to her location. Still invisible, Dreamcatcher whispered harshly to her.
"Shh! You don't want to give up your location, do you?" Dreamcatcher revealed herself, and crouched low as she walked to Scootaloo, who was mildly surprised.
"Oh thank goodness you're here! I'm so lost right now…"
"How in the world did you escape?" Dreamcatcher questioned the pegasus, not a single other thing on her mind.
"Oh! Well, I saw everypony else get hit with the sticks. I felt mine get stuck in my hair, and it didn't actually get into my skin. When everypony else fell to the ground, I just kinda flipped out and mimicked them… Like when you play dead when you see a bear, I guess." The small orange pony replied, not making eye contact with Dreamcatcher.
"That's genius! I commemorate you, Scootaloo, that's the kind of quick thinking that gets you forward in life." Dreamcatcher replied happily.
"Thanks, I guess…it doesn't change how the others are still gone…" Scootaloo was really sad.
"Don't worry," Dreamcatcher said comfortingly, "I'm on the trail right now, and the both of us are going to find and take down these sons-of-" She faltered mid-sentence.
"Sons of evil?" Scootaloo asked, trying to help with Dreamcatcher's sudden loss of words.
"Um, yes, that's exactly the word I was looking for! Onwards now, we have no time to spare for leisure!" Dreamcatcher began to walk again, now with Scootaloo at her side.
Applejack couldn't bring herself to open her eyes. She was so tired, and the waking-up process was taking forever. What really brought her to was the sound of rattling chains to her left.
Opening her eyes, she looked to her left to see Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Derpy each shackled up medieval-style against the stone wall. They all had apparently woken up before she did; Rarity, the one closest to Applejack, was squirming around in the chains wrapped around her wrists and ankles. It had taken Applejack this long to realize she too was hung up against the wall. Looking down, she saw Applebloom and Sweetie Belle unconscious in a small steel cage. Taking in the entire room, she could see that they were in an old-fashioned prison cell, with a rectangular floor of stone brick, the wide side being the one that she and her friends were chained upon. On the opposite wall a couple yards away was a large opening blocked by thick steel bars. The only lighting in the room was from the torches that were directly outside the cell.
"Good morning," Derpy said to Applejack sarcastically from the far end of the cell, noticing she was finally awake.
"What the hay happened?" Applejack questioned her three friends.
"Beats me," said Pinkie, the upbeat attitude surprisingly not gone from her voice. Pinkie herself seemed rather indifferent to their current predicament.
"…If these rusty old shackles grip around my soft, beautiful skin much longer, I'm going to chafe!" whined Rarity aloud, not talking to anyone in particular.
"Hello?" Applejack yelled out from the cell. "Hey! Anypony hear me? Jus' what the hay is going on here? Where are we?"
"Pipe down, you'll cause a ruckus."
A gray unicorn with black eyes and a white mane strolled into view, in front of the cell. He looked to the ponies against the wall in chains. His voice was slick and dark, and it gave Applejack the shivers. "Don't worry about the restraints; we'll have them off of you in no time. All we want is a little something in return." He grinned pleasantly towards his prisoners.
"Like hell you do," Derpy sneered at him. "Don't you dare go and attack us, chain us, and then smile at us like nothing is wrong." She glared at him with Death in her eyes.
The unicorn sighed. "It appears you all are just as bad as those other two. Pity. Anyways, please allow me to introduce myself." He bowed to them, "My name is Ricochet, and I am unicorn that founded this place."
"What, ya mean this big 'ol jail here?" Applejack lowered her head and looked up at him.
"Huh? Oh, no no no, not this. I suppose you wouldn't know, as you were asleep during your travel here. This is Jasmine, the underground city. Built deep under the mountain ranges with blood, sweat, and magic of course." He chuckled to himself.
"An underground city?" All the ponies were intrigued now. Ricochet smiled and continued.
"What had started as a vast, empty cavern beneath the mountains has been turned into a healthy, self-sufficient city. Everything anypony could need as far as sustenance can be found right down here. We have plenty of plants that give us food and oxygen, several natural wells, and a massive supply of ore planted inside the rock. It's a haven for ponies, and a protective wall from the outside world." He boasted to the group.
They were impressed by what he had said, but at the same time, they only cared about getting out right now. "So when can we leave 'Jasmine'?" Rarity could only hope they would be freed without question.
"Leave?" The unicorn looked surprised. "Why on earth would you want to leave? As I had just said—this place will provide a fresh new start, away from the rest of civilization-"
"We aren't looking for a 'fresh new start', okay? Just let us go and we'll forget this whole thing ever happened. We'll forget that you shot us with sleeping poison, dragged us into a secret city, and chained us up in a prison cell." Derpy bargained.
"Forget? Ha…that's simply not possible." Ricochet actually became serious, and it frightened the group. "Now that you are here, you're going to stay here. See, that is where my introduction earlier comes back into play. We only want a little something in return for your newfound freedom." The ponies looked at him intently as he paused before speaking again. "We want your permanent residence here in Jasmine."
"Sorry, no can do!" Pinkie said loudly. "There's no Sugar Cube Corner here. And where there's no Sugar Cube Corner, there's no superly-delicious treats!"
Ricochet looked to Pinkie unamused, "You are all going to stay here. Permanently. I cannot afford for somepony to leave and blabber about this place. If the Princesses found out about Jasmine, we'd be shut down for good."
Both Applejack and Derpy started, then paused to let the other talk. Looking to each other, Derpy motioned for Applejack to go first. "If that's the case, then why would'ya go and kidnap random ponies an' force 'em to live here? That certainly doesn't seem like a very efficient method ah doin' things."
The gray unicorn replied, "Word of Jasmine never gets out, so nopony outside knows of it. The only way to expand the population is to bring more here. Unfortunately, it is against their will, but I really have no other choice."
Derpy began to talk now. "You keep saying that you can't let anypony know about this. What is it about this city that the Princesses would condemn it for?"
"Well, we use slave labor, of course," Ricochet said without the slightest bit of irony.
"What! That's terrible!" Rarity interjected.
A sad smile crossed Ricochet's face, "Yes, that's what many say. It's not like we abuse them though! Slaves are necessary for a functioning community, and allowing it to reach its full potential." He spoke like a businessman pitching an idea for a company. The girls were at a loss of words. He was serious.
"So what is it you want from us again?" Applejack asked cautiously.
"All I want is for you to live here. Don't try to escape, don't try to 'overthrow the system'; just begin a new life here, in Jasmine!" He smiled at the ponies again. "Everypony else here began just like you, in a cell, probably pretty angry at me, but they all have grown quite attached to this place, and I'm positive you will too! I'll send for some guards to release you soon, I'm just going to give you a little time to think all this over. Farewell!" He vanished behind their view.
"Wah…what?" Derpy was at a loss for words. Only a few hours ago, they were on their way to revive a divine alicorn from a thousand-year entrapment; now, they themselves were trapped, and were expected to stay here for the rest of their lives!
"This is simply ridiculous!" Rarity outburst, "We must find a way out—I don't care what that unicorn says! Here—I'll just use my magic and…" She had only just noticed the black rubber cone that had been fit snugly onto her horn. "What is this? My magic isn't working! What is this confounded object!"
"Must be some kinda magic-suppression-device or somethin'," Applejack replied, giving the cone a good look-over.
Rarity whimpered and hung her head low. "What's going on…this shouldn't be happening, this shouldn't be happening…"
"Any news of the three escapees?" Ricochet walked into the office, asking the secretary before she had even looked up to see him.
"No," she replied, "no word from them. Are you sure it's a good idea to just wait for them to come on their own?" She appeared to doubt him.
"I saw the look in their eyes, and there's no way they are going to let me get away with taking their friends." He grinned a small half-smile again, "The rest of the world just doesn't seem to understand the fundamentals of a community's success anymore. I don't think a single pony taken here had ever agreed with the idea of slave labor when I first talked to them in that cell…but now look! We are a massive, thriving community, more successful than even Equestria itself! We really should bring this plan to Mairocco—I hear they are in a huge financial bind right now. It really would be the moral thing to do." He nodded to himself in confirmation at his own idea.
"Shall I start a letter sir?" the secretary asked.
"No, Wing Reader, I just thinking aloud is all. Besides, economy isn't the reason I built this place, remember?" Ricochet replied.
"Very well sir." The pony returned to the papers on her desk. She was a light brown pegasus with green eyes and a long dark brown mane. Small spectacles were hanging on the end of her snout, just about ready to fall of her nose if he tilted her head down any further. "Honestly, sir, I still feel that we should warn as many as we can, and perhaps offer ponies to come here, rather than kidnap them."
Ricochet sighed. "I've told you before, Wing Reader. Nopony would understand; nopony would believe me, what I know. Also, there is no way we can keep Jasmine self-sustainable without slaves, which is our biggest 'issue' with the rest of the world. Eventually, though, when what's prophesized shall come true, these ponies shall thank me deeply for saving their lives."
"This is it, Scootaloo." Dreamcatcher and Scootaloo were standing on the outskirts of the forest, right in front of the base of one of the west mountains. In front of them was an impression in the stone wall. You wouldn't have seen the door if you weren't looking for it. Dreamcatcher used her magic to see beyond the door, into what lie beyond.
"What's in there?" Scootaloo asked in awe.
A disappointed look came on Dreamcatcher's face. "…Nothing. There's just a long tunnel leading deeper down. That must be where they were taken, though."
"So what are we gonna do now?" the petite purple-haired pegasus pondered.
Dreamcatcher looked up at the mid-morning sky in thought. "Well, while I don't know the time it will take for the poison in Blanc to subside, I would still prefer to wait for him to catch up. I have absolutely no idea of what to expect past that door, and I certainly do not want you to get into any danger. If something happened to you on my watch…I wouldn't know what to tell your parents…"
"Uh…yeah…" Scootaloo became distressed on this issue.
Noticing something was wrong, Dreamcatcher decided to probe. "What is wrong? Do you not like your parents?" Scootaloo shook her head. "Wait—no you don't, or yes you do?"
Scootaloo shuffled her hooves against the dirt floor of the forest. "…I don't really have a mom or dad, actually."
Dreamcatcher shrunk down a bit, "I'm so sorry…I didn't realize-"
"No, it's okay, really. I'm used to it anyways," Scootaloo tried to say reassuringly, but failed.
Their conversation was interrupted by the loud sound of a crow's caw nearby. Remembering where they are, Dreamcatcher returned to the more important subject. "I suggest we hide nearby and wait for Blanc to catch up. Creating a makeshift pit in the ground shouldn't be too hard. Perhaps we can do some social bonding while we wait…?"
Honestly, the last thing Dreamcatcher was was a babysitter. She didn't converse well with other ponies, much less a little girl like Scootaloo. In fact, the only time she didn't feel uncomfortable talking was when it was a formal conversation with Luna or one of her peers…or when she was talking to that blockhead of a pegasus. Otherwise, informal conversation really did her in.
"Uh, what?" Scootaloo chuckled as she gave Dreamcatcher a questioning look. "'Social bonding'? What does that even mean?"
Using her magic, Dreamcatcher lifted a heap of earth out from the ground. Reinforcing it with a few branches and placing a bush on top for concealment, the two ponies held out about fifty feet from the entrance to the tunnel.
"Dangit, Blanc…you'd better be okay…" Dreamcatcher said underneath her breath.
*Author's Note: Sorry about the long time it took to update. Apparently, coming down with sickness plus getting Christmas presents doesn't really add up to getting chapters done. Also, I intend to look over every single chapter so far and add corrections, and perhaps extra content; it took me a review from an "epicdonut2344" to realize that I was going a bit too fast with the storyline, which is something I need to correct. I these next few chapters are actually the transition from the exposition to the first actual story arc, so I guess the actual exposition may be a bit long (not to mention I haven't even mentioned The Six since the first chapter). So yeah, I've been kinda slow on the uptake in the past week or so, and I haven't even finished the third chapter of "The Magic of Animosity" -_-; but I'll get back to it soon!*