The Rise Of A Square World

As I gaze upward to the place the denied me my freedom so long ago I felt a certain sense of despair.  Of course this is the usual feeling for when confronting an element of your past and it affected me very little to see the old place once again.  The thing that had a slightly larger effect on me was the notion; I have to explain to the ponies as to why I’d spent three years of my life locked away beneath the surface of hell itself.

I couldn’t look back towards them so I merely continue forward along the cobblestone path.  Normally there should be at least six and guards stationed in small guard towers on the perimeter of the wall.  However looking up I saw there were none.  Without guards to sound the alarm no one would hear our request to enter.  ‘hello?’ I said banging on the door.  The door itself was iron.  Though iron doors do a great job of slowing things down they do not do so good a job at stopping them completely.  However the prison head of this rather than one set of iron doors there were fourteen.  Only by pulling a red stone lever deep inside the prison can you release all the doors.

I looked high above hopefully there should be an easier way in from above it is not often you see creatures that can fly invading the prison especially with the prison’s location deep beneath the lava.  Biting my lip I was forced to come with terms by that I would have two of turnaround eventually.  Talking was last thing I wanted to do this aspect of myself I’ve managed very so deep in the ground even I’d forgotten about it by wool but now he’s back in my shame drives me to run away from it.

But it would seem more powerful forces are insisting I confronted with a deep breath I turnaround sure enough the ponies were now steering at me with many different glances some of confusion some of denial even more I think just maybe anger and it hurt.  With a shaky breath ask Rainbowdash she could find a way in from above.  What I asked are she finally from Brea from are frozen stare at me and became more animated finally regaining the ability to fly but not choosing a destination overhead rather she flew up straight words me.

‘Hang on troll she said what do you mean you’ve been in this place for three years?  Were you a prisoner here?  And what did you do?’  The assortment of questions she asked could have easily been answered in one simple story but it is not one I wish to tell.  Finding myself not being able to speak I turned my head slightly away from all. ‘look I said it’s not important please just go up and find us away in.’

Rainbowdash was not convinced and almost as if and protesting manner she sat down winner hunches creating a large bump against the glass surface.  "No," she protested "I want to know why you are acting so strange and what is this place?"

This is Hell Stone Prison I said please just help me get inside so we can go.  I guess the others can see how this plays unsettled me besides the princess.

(rarity)  darling if you just tell us why this place makes you feel this way we can trust you to…  At the word trust she sharply covered her own mouth.

(apple jack)  will rarities trying to say is that if this place makes you remember sup that you did why don’t you just tell us.  I’m certain you’ve done your time but you can’t change the past so go on?  What did you do?

I looked around all their faces even the princess seemed poised to know right then and there what I’d done to get me locked up and this place, but as hard as I tried I just didn’t want them to know.  I’m well aware that no matter what I do they will find out eventually however I would rather it be later than sooner.

(chrysalis)  ‘I knew there was a reason I liked you.  Go on bad boy let’s hear what you’ve done.’  As chrysalis walked up beside me I decided I could bear it no longer doing something slightly risking I use my powers and transported straight to the other side of the 14 iron doors blocking our path.

Once inside I was alone this place filled me with no real memories as I actually did not get to walk around the various courtyards and facilities like the other prisoners.  My entrance into the prison was soon met with a flash of purple light I recognize it as Twilight’s own magical abilities.  Looking back the small purple unicorn was now standing right in front of me.  Twilight I said just go back outside I get this guy and we can go.

(twilight)  and exactly what do you think you’re going to do once we have the guy with us.  Do you expect him not to tell us anything?  I couldn’t answer questions I just looked away.  ‘I won’t ask you to tell me what happened troll but I will stay here and listen’

And seeing as there’s nothing I could do to get twilight back outside and stay there I continued on word down the hallways.  It been such a long time I did not know remember the layout of the prison and there’s no way out can memorize it with a brief number of times I walk through the halls that number being only two.  Signs near the hallways told me as to which wings were need to go through.

(twilight)  here she said right here’s the control room for the entire prison and if we go here we should be able to find this person his jail cell.  Agreeing with twilight I looked up at the sign it was not far away.

The quiet walked down the holes was most uneventful and twilight seemed silent but always watching my movements and always very close beside me but the look on her face seem to being only of quiet study not of judgment.  Once inside the control center two the entire prison were greeted with large walls with lit up names on signs.  This system was very similar to that my safety room.  The system was very simple when a prisoner was in his cell and locked up tightly the light was on and win a prisoner was not in his cell delight was off.  This system of course was not foolproof as someone would have to change the light to match the prisoners location.

This system was separated on many walls and the classification vary based on length of time spent in prison.  The largest wall was for prisoners spending only 1 to 2 years of in prison and ex was three for years.  After that was 6 to 10 followed by 15 to 30 roughly and so on increasing to scale.

Twilight walked over to the 3 to 4 year wall.  Now forgive me for saying so troll but I did quite a bit of research on your world mainly for fun you honestly can expect me to stay away from that many books for so long especially with a one block in the middle giving me such quick and easy access to all of them.  Now if I’m right the nature of your people said that once a prisoner has a cell that sell remains his forever though put you back in it if you come back to prison so your name should still be on this wall.

As twilight began scanning the names I felt then a small way I could tell her at least something.  No I said I was released after three years that was not my original sentence.  As I began walking twilight quickly followed.  And as we walked the size of the red stone charge boards showing the names of all the prisoners began to shrank smaller as it is more uncommon for heroes to get longer sentence.  We passed the largest board with all the names not lit up then we passed a slightly smaller board with all the names not lit up.  Continuously we do this until we arrived aboard very small indeed.  It was so small their only 6 to 7 names on it one of those names was against a glowing block of light the from the red stone.  The sign next to it however was the one twilight was a fixated on.

In big bold letters that said mine named troll bridge cell number five.  She looked up to see a sign proclaiming on the board as to how long the prisoners would stay at within their cells.  It was not as sophisticated and I’m sure of years but nearly one word.  The word spelled out in all capital letters.

“FOREVER”

It was the one thing that was able to shake twilight she no longer was able to look at me with the same distinguished understanding as for now she was equally curious and afraid as everyone else was.  I couldn’t look at her but I can still talk.  I told you I said I only staying here for three years but it was intended for me never to leave.  I quickly located the whereabouts of my old cell there’s no doubt man we are looking for would be held nearby it.  Pulling several levers I assure but would not have to have deal with any checkpoints.

As we walked twilight was not so silent.  ‘Where did all the prisoners go she asked?’  To her question I explained that if there was truly no hope of leaving the nether and were fighting a horrible enemy as the zombie pig man described are they probably allowed all the people to leave.  Grefer being the one exception.

We now stood in the wing of the building that held prisoners with the forever label.  Though I could see grefer a cell somewhat often the distance my cell was much closer and though I did not want to I felt compelled to revisit.  In the control booth I am locked the first level of security for it the second was a simple matter of a few switches which in turn triggered some alarms back of the control booth but worry relevant with no guards to respond to them.

Is this your cell twilight asked.  ‘Yes I said’

As we walked past the first level security I flips and switches and I could hear the grinding of pistons onward ahead soon the wall opened up and there’s now a sand bridge that had just arisen a small pond of lava.  In the center and was an island made of simple smooth stone.  The door on it was iron and has small lever above it or the occupant could not reach.

I felt the need to walk into my old cell twilight sharply following the inside was a long vertical shaft above me that once a day would dispense food and was a trapdoor which…  I believe you know it’s functions.  For those two objected to their sentence it would be possible for them to simply jump through that trap door and ended all why falling into lava.

The owner other furnishings of the room was a bed of put in the corner I sat down and stared at the dark boring room.  This I told twilight is the place I was supposed to spend all eternity in.  Whilst it is true of my people have very short lives. That is due to the danger of the world in which we live.  But for those select few it is possible to live forever in this place all alone.  It is part of the punishment at once the cell is sealed no one is to never disturb it again unless absolutely necessary.

This is why the nether bothers me so bad the smell of it brings back the memories of me sitting here all alone thinking I had an eternity of nothing but myself to keep me company.  Twilight seems shocked by my explanation but she was still very obviously more concerned with what I’d done in the first place to get me locked up in here.  As she hopped up onto the bed she can tell I was beginning to lose my composure.  In a flash of purple light she was now sitting right next to me on each hoof I noticed she was wearing a familiar pair of socks.  As she climbed into my lap I noted that the nether had obviously worked its temperature on the pour pony making her sweat profusely however when you need a shoulder to cry on you don’t exactly stop to smell the roses.

I could take the pressure no longer picking up twilight I swiftly curled up with her beneath the blanket and began telling my story softly in her ear.

*flash back*

Deep in the middle of the desert was the village where I lived.  As of currently bore no name and was very small.  Other than the villagers small and modest accommodations the only real building around was my home it was made completely of cobblestone and sandstone.  It was modest and square with not much in the way it looks.  But the place where I lived would one day be renamed as troll bridge city but for now it was a simple never travel through villager village.  I walked along the gravel roads.  There not yet been enough villagers for iron golem to spawn in fact I didn’t even know what an iron golem was.  I was still very young and my friend Pone had grew bored of the dry and hot landscape.

He then went off to build his own home.  Luckily despite the deserts well lit nature mobs still did spawn and though I had not much food to give him on his travel I was able to stock him up with plenty of bone meal it promised that on the day he builds his home here and bible to it.  I thought about setting off from this place and risking it all to find my fortune but the knowledge that no heroes seem to want to climb this land drill and even hard are to find something worthwhile within its boundaries.

Overtime the villagers became disgruntled though they’re glad he I killed off the mobs which threatened their lives were they now have a population far too high he to fit inside the six or seven structures made for them.  Because heroes were the only ones the save that of Enderman, who could move blocks it was asked of me that I make some new homes for the villagers who live here.  Quickly I sent to work and bill several modest homes that were very space efficient and close together and well protected.

It was later on that night that a villager and explain to me that with a new population and mighty iron golem may spawn.  I asked the man as to why this concerned me?  Explain to the village was grateful.  My services allow them to increase their population and grow their village significantly faster than normal.  He told me that the bodies of iron golem could be scrapped for iron bars these iron bars are needed for railways armor and weapons and he said I found by fortune.  And the more villagers them or iron golem would spawn.

I agreed with him and with the addition of several new homes children were soon born and with them some of iron golem.  But of it was then I finally found my fortune.  I put many advertisements out to commonly traveled hero visited businesses.  It was simple advertise that I had an unlimited source of iron and that I would be happy to bargain for the bars.  Because I got the bars for free I decided it would be best to not make most of my profit off of them.  I was very fair and gave when my customers a great deal and this of drove the popularity of my little village far up.  Many heroes visited and making true my namesake I had fun pulling pranks on some of them.  Using iron doors and push plates I would trap some of an inconvenience others.  My jokes were met was some iron compensation and a few laughs shared over a drink.

No one at the time thought my jokes were harmful in fact they quite enjoyed them.  And one of the attractions to my city was how to get to it without falling into one of my well laid trolls.  At the end of each day I would count the currency my village had earned me and it was not long before I was forced to connect my little village with the rails allowing visitors to come and buy large quantities of iron.  It was not long after that that Pone had grew his own tree house a large and magnificent structure which stretched higher than any man troll growing tree.  Though my villager population was high in the village was nowhere near that of a hero population which visited each day to try and get their own share of iron.

However one day I met someone who would change the reputation of my fair little village.  His name was Grefer.  Actually Grefer was his nickname a name he earned an all the places he left behind him to anyone who did not yet know him his name was greed fingers 666.  The man was similar to me and he played jokes and taunted other people.  However his jokes seemed more insulting then playful.  As he pushed several heroes into one of my booby traps he turned about 180°you show them a rather unique trait about his skin.

His skin at first glance seemed rather normal he was not a mob or any form of unsavory creature he wore plain black shirt with a small square design on the front however his pants which were red and green and a small flap in the back of them and with the and buckling of two small buttons he could clearly show any victims to his jokes his most prized full Moon.  As this man walked first into my shop I thought nothing much of him.  I merely asked blocks or bars.  You can really tell a lot about a hero by their choice of blocks or bars.

Iron block consists of nine of iron bars Milton together into a block it take some work to free the bars and use them for crafting however you can use blocks to build with and they’re much more efficient for storage.  Bars and a more convenient for crafting however they do take up a lot of inventory space and it would be best if they were smelted into blocks.  I find that those that ask for blocks rather than bars are very serious.  They normally buy large loads at a time and are using them for some industrial use such as a large piston based factory or something.  Those the purges bars of or normally more lighthearted and by smaller loads sporadically throughout their visits.  The bars are quickly shielded down into armor swords are other useful items.

Grefer as I come to know him now did not tell me his name or the number of iron bars or blocks needed rather he only asked if I wanted to pull a very interesting prank on a far off city.  Thinking back then that crimes can only be done and joking and playful manner I agreed wholeheartedly.  He did not tell me much about the prank he only said he needed iron to make pistons and me to help them with them.

We met many days later at a large hero logging town.  The owner of the town went out every single day to plant large numbers of trees and heroes from all around but come and to chop them down and get one or apples.  The town in which she lived was very called in vertical and sat on top of a small mountain surrounding it was flat grassland that constantly changed as he planted new trees.

In my youth I thought nothing of the suspicious nature of Grefer.  He never allowed anyone to see him and told me to do all the talking.  The owner of the establishment knew me and was happy to trade iron for wood a disguised used for my excuse in being there.  Light during the night as all the heroes slept Grefer and I sent to work.  We planted pistons and dispensers and I filled the dispenser the buckets of water.  I also put pistons beneath the exits so the push a button they would close.  Of my plan or the plan I was told by Grefer was to turn the entire town into one giant cool.  I cannot work to the entire night so Grefer always told me I set everything up during the first half of the night and he would come back in disguise it during the second wall I slept.

The work too many days and I was forced to stop by my village now and again to drop off the large amounts of wood and pick up more iron.  But eventually the work was finished and red stone layed deep beneath the street level of all the buildings and all the walls.

On the day we were to set off the trap Grefer told me there was a complication and we would have to be in two different places to do it properly he outside the city to set off something involving the walls me inside the city to flood the place.  I knew cleanup efforts would take a long time so I packed my inventory full of sand I had no intention of flooding the town without assisting in fixing it.  After all the owner knew me very well and he knew I would never pull pranks such as this without helping to clean up.

As I jumped onto a small platform we had built earlier that night I announced everyone that it was time for a party.  With a flip of a lever I intended to flood the town making the world’s biggest POOL however I made the world’s biggest FOOL.  When I slammed the lever down and pulled it not a single drop of water was outwardly dispensed.  And I became worried as the only thing that seemed to happen was the openings and the walls where people entered and exited the town closed up the clatter of pistons.  As soon realized he as a glowing red light began to fill the streets that Grefer ahead tricked me.  Rather than filling up the dispensers with water buckets he in full them up with fireballs and lava.

Everything happened so fast people were screaming and trying to escape.  Those that ride to go for the exits were blocked off by lava and those that hidden inside the buildings were reminded that Billings are flammable.  I escape by remembering the tunnels filled with red stone we’re laying down the nights before.  Digging them up with my bare hands I broke into one and quickly made my way outside the town.  As I punch my way through the dour side of the mountain I was forced to jump as behind me was a river of lava poised to escape.

As I looked back I saw someone brining to death…

*End of flashback*

I told twilight that the authorities picked me up in the borough remains of the forest crying in a small dirt home I quickly built to save me from the fire.  Grefer was well known for doing these kinds of stunts and I was tried as his accomplice before I knew what was happening I was locked away behind bars.  It took three years for them to discover they Grefer had used several accomplices in such a manner before and I was released and exonerated of my crimes.

As I open my eyes I found their full of tears.  I was crying and I could finally let go of twilight who stared at me was sympathy and sadness.

(twilight)  but troll wasn’t your fault how old were you at the time?  She asked padding me on the back.

I told her I spent my one year birthday inside this place and two that notion she gave me a tight hug.  Twilight wiped my face with a rag she magically made appear and asked.  “are you certain you want to let this man out of prison?”  I nodded my head yes and explained that though Grefer was a terrible fighter has lying of traps and knowledge of red stone made him ideal to go into the mod lands.  The notch was no doubt saving his identity so that I didn’t protest coming to this place in saving him.

At but you’re just a baby back then?  Besides they said one of your fault.

I only shook my head.  It was by the pulled the lever twilight.  Grefer’s never been one to activate his own traps.

Well twilight said helping me out of bed when you’re ready he’s right down the hall.

With twilight’s support I drew strong again and I felt confident in my ability to confront Grefer.  Several levers and doors quickly passed by and soon I’ve finally opened Grefer stage.  Out of the small dark room walked a man in a black shirt with his red and green pants I recognize them all too well.  I had told twilight it down and out of sight as I didn’t want Grefer freaking out from the site of a little round pony.

(Grefer)  has it been forever already he asked.  As he walked out of his cell he spoke in a manner of delightful insanity no doubt driven mad by the loneliness.  When he looked at me he was surprised.  Why it’s troll my old friend he said.  What brings you from all the way next door.

Because it is one of the rules that a person not be talk to after they’d been sealed inside their cell it is very unlikely he knows anything about what happened after he’d been put inside the prison.  Here’s the deal I said to grefer were going a little adventure if you help me I won’t kill you.  If you try to run away I’ll do something a whole lot worse.

(Grefer)  really?  Grefer asked and what exactly can you do to me?  He questioned.

Besides this I said giving him a sharp blow to the face, I can show you my little pony.  Grefer at first looked confused as he wiped his nose of the small amount of blood I drown.  “And exactly what is that supposed to mean?  He asked”.

This I declared picking up twilight like a weapon with her back legs in my right hand and her front legs in my left hand.  I then squeeze her slightly and out popped burst of magic from her horn affectedly making a sleep spell knocking Grefer out cold.

(twilight)  I really wish ponies would stop using me as a weapon.  She said jumping down from my arms.

yeah I agreed but I was hand it to you I said picking up one of Grefer’s legs and began walking down the hallway.  I’d rather have you then a soared any day.  She smiled brightly through the sweat and heat of the nether and as we walked back outside to greet the other ponies I turn to them all and said.  Come on every pony I’ve got a story to tell you.

End of chapter 14