How to Escape from Tartarusby The Engineer PonyChaptersChapter 1 - The IdeaChapter 2 - The InterrogationChapter 3 - The DecisionChapter 4 - The IntrusionChapter 1 - The Idea“Hey, I have an idea!” Rainbow Dash turned to gaze wearily at the excited pony sitting next to her. Pinkie Pie jittered with barely-controlled energy, her eyes bright with the joy of whatever strange, new thought had wormed its way into her mind. Her mane quivered even more than her body; it twitched delightedly almost as if it were alive. A broad smile completed the typical cheerful image of Equestria’s happiest pony. Even though she was chained to the floor of a dungeon in Tartarus. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash sat atop a jagged spire of stone amid the massive cavern of the prison. On two sides, the rock formation rose to sharp pinnacles high above the round plateau on which the ponies rested. In the other two directions they could see the steep drop down to the unforgiving floor of Tartarus far below. Only a narrow pathway of crumbling steps provided access to the secluded tower. Dash sighed. “Pinkie, I told you already: I’m not going to listen to any more of your ideas.” “But this one is super-duper amazing!” Pinkie started jumping up and down in her excitement, seemingly oblivious to the weight of the chains clamped to her hooves. “That’s what you said about your last idea.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes in exasperation. “And look how well it turned out.” She raised a hoof and rattled her shackles loudly. “But this one’s even better! And it makes up for the unfortunate—and completely unforeseeable—consequences of my last idea.” “Seriously?” Dash asked. “Let’s see. You convinced me to help you kidnap Twilight, which led to us being chased down not only by our friends, but also by royal guards and two very angry alicorn princesses. Yeah, there was no way I could have seen that coming. I don’t know why I ever let you talk me into something so stupid.” “You forgot to mention,” Pinkie added eagerly, “the fact that when we were captured, Twilight suddenly vanished right under our noses, even though the poison joke should have kept her from using magic, causing everypony to worry that something really bad had happened to her and making Celestia mad enough to lock us up in Tartarus!” “Right, I forgot,” replied Dash. “That makes your idea sound so much better.” “Really?” Pinkie Pie tilted her head in confusion. “I thought it showed a curious lack of foresight on my part for the legal ramifications of our actions.” Pinkie paused for a moment, lost in thought. Then she shrugged and continued, “which is why I’ve come up with a new plan! One that will get us out of our current mess and has zero chance of causing us any new problems.” “You’re not going be quiet until I ask you what your idea is, are you?” Dash asked irritably. “Nope!” came the happy reply. There was an awkward pause as neither pony spoke. Then, as Pinkie opened her mouth and took in a huge breath, Dash finally gave in. “Okay, Pinkie,” she said with exasperated deliberateness, “what’s your idea?” “We’re going to break out of Tartarus!” Rainbow Dash smacked her hoof into her forehead. Few creatures could match the power of the immortal alicorns that ruled Equestria. Of those that could, even fewer would ever dare to set themselves against such strength and seek to wrest control of the kingdom for themselves. And only a handful of beings could boast that they had, however briefly, triumphed over the fearsome might of the princesses and become the sole power in Equestria. Lord Tirek was one of those select few. For a short time, he had taken the magic not only of the princesses and of Discord, but also that of every pony in all the land. There had been one shining moment when Tirek had reigned supreme, without equal, without opposition. And even if his time as Equestria’s conqueror had been short, still the memory of his victory haunted the nightmares of his enemies. And yet here he was in Tartarus, forced to listen to the incessant babbling of an over-excited, silly, and altogether insane pony. “So you’re the only pony I know who’s ever escaped from Tartarus,” the pink pony rambled. “Well, I guess technically you’re not a pony, you’re more of a centaur. I could say you’re the only centaur I know who’s broken out of Tartarus, but I guess that doesn’t have the same impact if you’re the only centaur I know. Ooh! Are there other centaurs besides you? Are they also really good at breaking out of prisons? Is that like something all centaurs are good at?” Tirek gave a low snarl. The bubbly pony staring at him through the bars of his cage fell momentarily silent in response. “Are you trying to be humorous?” Tirek growled. “No, I’m trying to be Pinkie Pie,” she cheerfully responded. “And does being Pinkie Pie involve making the most despicable location in Equestria an even less tolerable place to be?” Tirek took two deliberate steps forward. He leaned toward Pinkie Pie until only the bars on his cage separated the two. His eyes bored into hers with all the malice that a millennium in prison could foster. Pinkie Pie did not even blink. She merely reached a hoof behind her and grinned. Then she abruptly stuffed a cupcake in Tirek’s mouth. “Mmph!” The centaur jerked back in shock. He swallowed and then continued, “What is this?” “It’s a cupcake,” said Pinkie Pie. “I keep them stored all over Equestria. In case of baked-good emergency.” “How did you do that?” Tirek demanded. “No pony can use magic inside of Tartarus. Princess Celestia herself placed a disabling spell on this cave.” “Really?” Pinkie Pie tilted her head in curiosity. “I didn’t know that. Ooh, maybe that’s why it didn’t affect me. What else can you tell me about this place’s security?” “The chains used here are made of the strongest metal in Equestria and are enchanted to be nigh unbreakable,” Tirek said. “I doubt even dragon fire could melt through them.” “Interesting. So how come you were able to escape?” “It took all of the strength and cunning of—hold on.” Tirek frowned. “Why should I reveal to you the secret methods I discovered throughout centuries of concentrated effort? Why should I disclose to you the subtle arts of the greatest being in Equestria?” “Because then I’ll be quiet and stop bothering you?” came the reply. Tirek paused for a moment. The offer was tempting. “As insufferable as you are,” he said carefully, “I refuse to aid one of the ponies who returned me to this prison. Be gone, you worthless creature!” “Okie-dokie,” Pinkie said, without a trace of insincerity. “Thanks for all of your not helping me.” With that, she turned away from Tirek, skipped forward, and jumped off of the stone precipice before her. Tirek gaped in astonishment. He squeezed his torso through the bars of his cage and tried to peer down into the depths beneath him. All he could see was the lifeless gray floor of Tartarus barely perceptible through the darkness. There was no sign of the suicidal pony. With a scowl, Tirek pulled his head and upper body back into his cage. His absentminded gaze happened to fall on the next stone tower over, the home of Tartarus’ newest inmates. There sat a lonely blue pegasus, who no doubt was still trying to comprehend the sudden demise of her fellow prisoner. Tirek listened for the inevitable anguished scream that would come when the pony saw her friend had tragically fallen—no, had jumped unashamedly—to her inevitable doom on the ground below. But next to the pegasus stood a happy pink earth pony. Despite the shackles binding her hooves to her stony prison, she laughed without a care in the world. There was no indication she had ever come over to bother Lord Tirek. Chapter 2 - The InterrogationApplejack strode carefully but purposefully up the crumbling stairs. One wrong step could send her plummeting down into the dark abyss, and the stone path she climbed had clearly seen better days. The slow wear of time, along with damage sustained in whatever escape attempts the inhabitants of Tartarus had enacted, had left the staircase in ruin. At any moment, a rock could dislodge beneath Applejack’s hoof and cause her to topple over the edge. But Applejack was used to walking over unstable ground. Of course, she was far less nervous of falling than the pegasus shuffling timidly behind her. And as for the unicorn at the back of the group—well, she seemed more concerned about getting dirt on her hooves than about possibly falling to her death. Typical. Eventually Applejack reached the top of the steps and walked out onto the plateau where Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were chained. As Rarity and Fluttershy came up behind her, Applejack considered the appearances of Tartarus’ two most recent prisoners. One vibrated with contagious excitement, while the other lay sprawled in a pose of pure boredom. Neither looked at all remorseful about causing the disappearance of their friend and princess, Twilight Sparkle. “Well, what do you have to say for yourselves?” Applejack snapped without preamble. “Y’all have kidnapped a princess and lied about where you’re keeping her. If you want to ever see the light of day again, you’d best be tellin’ us exactly what you did with her.” Dash lifted her head from the ground, as if she had just woken from a long nap. “Seriously, AJ? We told you already, Twilight was right there with us in the castle. We don’t know what happened to her.” “Uh, huh,” Applejack replied, not at all convinced. “And you expect me to believe that she just got up and walked away while we were standing right outside the door?” “Well,” said Rainbow Dash defensively, “maybe she used magic to escape.” “No, that couldn’t have been it,” Pinkie Pie interjected, “because of the poison joke we put in there with her. Wow, you just keep forgetting about that, don’t you?” Dash glared at Pinkie. “Yeah, thanks for reminding me again.” “You’re welcome.” Pinkie grinned. “I’m always glad to help.” Rarity daintily cleared her throat. “She does bring up a good point. If Twilight was unable to use her magic, then it is doubtful she could have left the room without any of us noticing her. Besides, it would be quite unlike her to slip away discreetly when it was quite plain her friends had come to rescue her.” “Exactly,” Applejack said. “It’s much more likely she wasn’t there to begin with.” “But she was!” Rainbow Dash pleaded. “I’m telling you, I checked that Twilight was in the room a few seconds before you guys got there.” “Really?” Applejack burst out in frustration. “You know what, I think you may be lyin’ to us. There ain’t no good reason why Twilight would be there one moment and gone the next.” “Hey, who are you calling a liar?” Rainbow Dash leapt to her hooves. Applejack lowered her neck and snorted angrily. “All I’m sayin’ is I have a hard time trustin’ the word of a kidnapper.” Before Dash could snap back a retort, Fluttershy quietly spoke up from behind Applejack. “For what it’s worth, I believe you, Rainbow Dash.” Applejack whipped around to face her friend. “Whose side are you on?” “Please, Applejack,” Rarity interjected, “there is no need to be cross with Fluttershy. I, too, am of the opinion that our friends are telling the truth. They have nothing to gain with falsehood, so I see no reason to doubt their sincerity.” “So the only pony who thinks they may be lyin’,” said Applejack, “is the element of honesty? I’m pretty sure I can recognize the truth when I hear it.” “Yes, darling, but have you considered the possibility your emotions are clouding your better judgment? You do seem a bit…distraught, if I may say so.” “I’m what now?” Applejack practically shouted. “Um, how do I put this?” said Rarity. She hummed for a moment as she sought for the right words. “It appears you are taking out on Rainbow Dash your anxiety over the disappearance of our friend Twilight.” “And why not? She’s the one who kidnapped her, wasn’t she?” “Don’t forget me!” Pinkie Pie added. “I helped!” “Hey,” Rainbow Dash complained, “it was your idea.” She pointed an accusing hoof at Pinkie. “You make it sound like this was mainly my fault. I mean, there was no way you could have succeeded without me, but you were the evil mastermind.” “You take that back!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed indignantly. “I’m more of a malevolent architect than an evil mastermind.” “I’ve good reason to be anxious,” Applejack barked at Rarity. “A princess has disappeared!” “Which is certainly the first time that has ever happened,” Rarity replied acidly. “But we must consider the matter carefully if we hope to find her.” “Well, excuse me for caring about Twilight’s safety!” shouted Applejack. “And excuse me for wanting to be sensible about this!” Rarity retorted. “Excuse me for using the wrong term for your stupid plan!” Rainbow yelled at Pinkie. “Well, excuse me for trying to replace you with a talking bag of flour!” Pinkie screamed back irritably. “Even if she was better company than you.” A brief silence fell as all of the side arguments ceased and everypony turned to stare at Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy hesitantly spoke up. “What if…what if something else came and took Twilight away?” “What in tarnation?” Applejack exclaimed in surprise. “We are,” piped up Pinkie Pie. “We’re what?” Applejack asked in confusion. “Never mind.” Applejack gave Pinkie a quizzical look before turning back toward Fluttershy. “You were sayin’?” “I mean,” Fluttershy continued, “What if it wasn’t Twilight’s magic that made her disappear? What if somepony else took her before we were able to rescue her?” “Perhaps you are correct, dear,” Rarity said. “After all, we weren’t the only ponies present at the time.” “Yeah, but I think Celestia would have mentioned it if any of the royal guards had found Twilight,” Rainbow Dash countered. “Well, maybe it wasn’t her,” Applejack mused. “Maybe somepony else snuck in a stole Twilight out from under us while we were busy arguing. But I suppose they would have to have been either real sneaky or real powerful to get past Princess Celestia’s shield.” “Ooh, yeah,” Pinkie Pie said excitedly. “I bet it was some powerful new threat to Equestria with magic far stronger than the princesses. And without Twilight to help us, we won’t be able to use our friendship magic to stop it, so all of Equestria will soon be obliterated in a blazing inferno of destruction and despair!” She smiled serenely. Her friends gaped at her in horror. “Or something like that.” Chapter 3 - The DecisionSpike found himself floating upside down in the throne room of Canterlot Castle, garbed in the attire of Star Swirl the Bearded. Below him, Princess Luna vainly struggled to escape from a giant hamster ball. A pair of royal guards faced off against one another in a game of chess to Spike’s right, while another watered some daffodils on his left. Spike sighed. He supposed such things were to be expected when Discord was present. “As I already told your sister, I could find no trace of Princess Twilight at the castle.” Discord dribbled Luna’s hamster ball against the ceiling a couple of times before tossing it into a breadbasket. “Asking me again isn’t going to magically change my answer.” Luna’s horn flared with power. She teleported right in front of Discord, her determined visage mere inches from his amused grin. “Celestia and I merely wondered if you had noticed anything else beyond what you told us before. The severity of this situation increases with each passing minute of Twilight’s absence, and any clue to help us find her would be welcome.” Discord rolled his eyes, causing the room to rotate. Spike bounced off of a tumbling throne before falling onto a window. Luna, though, remained perfectly balanced as she stared down Discord. “Oh, please,” Discord said. “Twilight is a big princess, and I have complete confidence that she can take care of herself—which is more than I can say for you and Celestia. I seem to recall a certain incident where Twilight had to rescue both of you from rampaging vines.” “Something that was your fault, Discord,” Luna spat. “I begin think you are deliberately trying to antagonize me.” She briefly conjured a shield to deflect a stray chess piece that fell from the game floating above her. “Now, Luna,” Discord replied, “I’m reformed, remember? Just like you. It hurts my heart to hear you of all ponies accuse me of being disloyal.” An arrow appeared embedded in his chest. “I do not doubt your loyalties, Discord,” said Luna evenly, “merely your habit of treating your jokes as more important than urgent matters. Would you kindly return this room to its normal form and actually do something helpful?” With an exaggerated frown, Discord snapped his claw. The room immediately righted itself, the furniture returned to its usual configuration, and the excess floating daffodils disappeared. Gravity also reasserted itself, causing Spike to plummet to the floor. Picking himself slowly up off the slightly indented marble, Spike glared at Discord. “Gee, thanks. Can’t you go annoy someone else?” Discord vanished in a puff of cloud, though his voice still lingered. “Of course. I think I will go be helpful and once again futilely try to locate Princess Twilight. After all, I can detect almost any magic…with the possible exception of Harmony itself.” With a disgruntled snort, Luna flew back to the throne and plopped down upon it. “Hmph. I do not understand why my sister puts so much trust in him. He is being deliberately unhelpful.” “Yeah, he does that,” Spike muttered. “So what’s next, Princess?” “With my sister, Discord, and half the royal guard already out searching for Twilight, there is little else we can do but wait for more information,” said Luna. “So far we have yet to hear anything that could help us find her.” “Oh,” Spike said with disappointment. “Well, then—“ The door to the throne room slammed open. In rushed three very distraught ponies. “Rarity!” Spike exclaimed. “Did you talk to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie? What did they say?” Rarity quickly ran a brush through her slightly disheveled mane to return it to its usual pristine condition. Then she spoke. “Princess Luna, we have come across a rather…disturbing possibility.” “Yes, Rarity?” asked Luna. “What is this you have learned?” “Well, you see,” Rarity replied with just the slightest hesitation, “we discussed with our imprisoned friends what they had done with Twilight, and they were adamant she had been in the castle with them. We asked why, then, we could not find her, and Pinkie Pie suggested—well, she said that perhaps…” “She went and said some powerful new enemy just came and took Twilight right out from under our hooves,” Applejack interrupted. “Yes,” Rarity added, shooting Applejack an irritated glance. “We were wondering, Princess, if we are quite sure that Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie are in fact the true danger here? Should we not be more concerned about some other threat to Equestria?” Luna pondered this news for a moment. “I have not yet seen any evidence for the involvement of some dangerous foe. Perhaps your friends were merely trying to throw suspicion off of themselves.” “Really?” Spike asked in surprise. “What about what Discord said, how his magic couldn’t find Twilight?” “Discord is hiding something, I am sure,” declared Luna. “His word cannot be completely trusted. I remain convinced that Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash are responsible for Twilight’s disappearance.” “So, you’re not going to let them go?” Fluttershy asked. “I see no reason to,” Luna stated firmly. “They have broken Equestrian law and deserve to be punished.” “Yes, well, we thought we might need their help to face the new threat,” Fluttershy replied. “There is no new threat to Equestria. All I see are two ponies stubbornly refusing to tell us where they have hidden Twilight, and one draconequus trying to agitate us for his own amusement. Perhaps if Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were to show some remorse and return Twilight to us, I would consider releasing them. But until then, I will not be swayed by tales of terrifying foes.” Silence fell as Spike and the others took in Princess Luna’s proclamation. After a few moments, Applejack tipped her hat at Luna. “Well, thank you kindly, Princess. We best get back to lookin’ for our friend. And would it be alright if we took Spike along with us?” “Certainly,” said Luna with a nod. “I wish you the best of luck in your search. Keep me informed of your progress.” “Will do, Princess.” Applejack turned and trotted out of the throne room, Rarity right behind her. Fluttershy opened her mouth for a second, but then closed it and crept after Rarity. With one last glance back at Luna’s impassive form, Spike followed her out the door. The three ponies were already heading toward the castle’s exit. Spike jogged up next to Rarity as they walked. “So you really think some new enemy took Twilight?” “It certainly seems so,” Rarity said. “We had hoped to convince Luna release Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, so they could help us fight this threat.” She looked inquisitively over at Applejack. “Yeah, well, it didn’t look like she could be persuaded to let them go,” Applejack replied. “If we want to get our friends’ help, we’re gonna have to do it ourselves.” “What do you mean?” asked Fluttershy, a hint of worry in her voice. “I mean,” Applejack said fiercely, “if the Princess isn’t gonna release our friends, we’re gonna break ‘em out of Tartarus on our own.” Chapter 4 - The IntrusionRainbow Dash was bored. As it turned out, there were very few things to occupy a pony’s time in Tartarus. Once one had taken in the sweeping vista of the vast cavern, discovered that the small plateau on which she sat was rather featureless, and realized that her shackles prevented her from exploring any further, one had effectively exhausted all her entertainment options. Dash had been so desperate for something to do that she had even played a few dozen games of tic-tac-toe with Pinkie Pie. Dash’s competitive nature had been briefly irritated by Pinkie’s strange knack for winning games that should have ended as draws, but even that had faded after her fiftieth loss or so to the pink champion. So Rainbow Dash was left to fidget restlessly and try to ignore the never-ending ruckus that came from the pony next to her. “So the main problem with trying to escape is that we’re chained to the floor—well, I guess it can’t really be called a floor, since were so high up off the ground, but really, what else would we call it? The floor-that’s-not-really-a-floor-because-it’s-at-the-top-of-a-tower-that-juts-up-from-the-ground-but-isn’t-floating-because-it’s-still-attached-to-the-real-floor? Ooh, we could abbreviate it as the FTNRAFBIATTOATTJUFTGBIFBISATTRF! Oh wait, I already used that name for one of my recipes. I know! We could call it—“ “Pinkie!” Dash screamed. “Yes, Dashie?” Pinkie asked innocently. “Be quiet!” “But how else are we going to plan our daring escape from prison? Unless you can communicate telepathically and never told me.” Pinkie Pie shoved her face right up in front of Dash’s, her eyes peering searchingly into those of her friend. “Are you hiding your telepathic abilities from me?” Dash reached out a hoof and roughly pushed Pinkie away. “No, Pinkie, I am not hiding telepathic abilities from you. I’m just hiding how I’m strong enough to snap of these chains with my bare hooves.” “Really?” Pinkie Pie inquired. “Because that would make everything a lot easier.” With an exasperated sigh, Dash responded, “I was being sarcastic, Pinkie. Besides, why are you worrying about the chains so much? Weren’t you able to, like, ignore them completely when you went over to visit Tirek?” Pinkie Pie slowly shook her head, a gently condescending smile upon her face. “Silly, that only works if nopony notices. Now that you’ve brought it up, I won’t be able to do it.” Dash pondered this bizarre claim for a moment. She immediately regretted doing so, and decided to never ask Pinkie Pie about it again. “Anyway,” Pinkie Pie continued, oblivious to the headache she had just given her friend, “we still need to find a way to get out of these chains.” “I’ve got an idea!” Pinkie replied enthusiastically. “Uh, Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash turned to her with an inquisitive look. “You do know you’re talking to yourself, right?” Pinkie responded with a perplexed shrug. “Don’t look at me. I didn’t say anything.” “Then how come I heard—“ An excited voice spoke up from behind Dash, cutting her off mid-sentence. “But I am talking to myself!” A second Pinkie Pie walked up to the two prisoners. No, the pony did not so much walk as bounce animatedly without a concern in the world. Every fiber of the pony’s being vibrated with undiluted delight, her pink mane and coat shimmering with radiant joy. The colorful balloons on her flank completed the picture of cheerfulness. In every conceivable way, this new pony was identical to the one who remained shackled to the ground. Dash just stared blankly in shock. Wasn’t one Pinkie Pie enough for Equestria? Did they really need a second one? And who knew what havoc two Pinkies could wreak? Pinkie Pie, though, seemed completely unfazed by the spontaneous appearance of a doppelgänger. She quickly got to her hooves and saluted. “Reporting for duty, Future Pinkie!” The other Pinkie Pie returned the gesture. “Good to see you again, Past Pinkie!” “So, what’s new?” the imprisoned Pinkie Pie asked. “Or should I say, what will be new?” Both Pinkies giggled. “Well, you know that super-top-secret wing of the Canterlot Archives you visited with Twilight when she was trying to find out what her birthday present was?” said Future Pinkie. “It turns out, there’s another copy of the time-travel spell you found there.” “Ooh!” exclaimed Past Pinkie. “So you were able to use the spell to come back here and perform a daring rescue?” “Yeah! It turns out that since the spell wasn’t actually cast in Tartarus, it isn’t affected by the magic-disabling field.” “And how’d you find that out?” Rainbow Dash interjected. “Did you break into the Canterlot Archives just hoping the spell would work?” “Of course not.” Future Pinkie dismissed the ridiculous claim with a wave of her hoof. “I already knew it would work because I told myself so when I was visited by my future self.” Dash blinked a couple of times. This was making less and less sense by the minute. She really hated time travel. A thought occurred to her. “So where’s the future version me? ‘Cause it would be totally awesome if there were two of me here.” “She’s coming,” said Future Pinkie. A bright rainbow flashed in front of her, and the disturbing crunch of a pony impacting stone at high velocity reverberated throughout the cavern. A rather disoriented blue pegasus picked herself up from an indentation in the ground. “Oh, there she is.” Future Dash vigorously shook her head for a moment, causing a metal ring clamped in her mouth to jingle. Spitting the ring out onto a rock in front of her, she turned to address Future Pinkie. “Getting the keys from the guards was a cinch. It looked like they were distracted by something, so I just swooped in and grabbed them without being seen.” Then Future Dash noticed her duplicate standing next to her. “Hey, look! It’s me!” “Finally, somepony who’s as awesome as I am,” Rainbow Dash replied. “I mean, as fun as you are, Pinkie, it’s nice to have someone here who understands coolness.” “Hey!” retorted both Pinkie Pies simultaneously. After glaring angrily at Dash, the two of them returned to blowing up balloon puppets. “Anyway, we probably don’t have much time left,” Future Dash said, “so I should probably let you know that—“ A brilliant flash of light interrupted her. Once it had faded, the two ponies from the future had vanished. “Huh,” commented Pinkie Pie. She picked up the keys and unlocked her chains. “I wonder if the spell purposely cuts ponies off mid-sentence.” She reached over and opened Rainbow Dash’s chains. As Pinkie was working, a faint noise caught Dash’s attention. Hoofsteps were approaching in the distance. “Quick! Somepony’s coming!” Rainbow Dash lunged forward. She grabbed Pinkie and took flight, soaring downward into the shadows below their tower. “We can’t let them see we’ve escaped!” “Uh, Dashie?” asked Pinkie Pie, completely unfazed by abruptly being carried off a cliff. “Are you sure this will keep ponies from figuring out we’re gone?” Rainbow Dash came to rest, hovering well out of sight from anypony standing above them. It would be impossible for somepony to catch a glimpse of them and realize they had broken out of their chains. Then Dash realized something important. Something that could jeopardize their whole escape attempt. “Wait, I left the keys up there.”
Chapter 1 - The Idea“Hey, I have an idea!” Rainbow Dash turned to gaze wearily at the excited pony sitting next to her. Pinkie Pie jittered with barely-controlled energy, her eyes bright with the joy of whatever strange, new thought had wormed its way into her mind. Her mane quivered even more than her body; it twitched delightedly almost as if it were alive. A broad smile completed the typical cheerful image of Equestria’s happiest pony. Even though she was chained to the floor of a dungeon in Tartarus. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash sat atop a jagged spire of stone amid the massive cavern of the prison. On two sides, the rock formation rose to sharp pinnacles high above the round plateau on which the ponies rested. In the other two directions they could see the steep drop down to the unforgiving floor of Tartarus far below. Only a narrow pathway of crumbling steps provided access to the secluded tower. Dash sighed. “Pinkie, I told you already: I’m not going to listen to any more of your ideas.” “But this one is super-duper amazing!” Pinkie started jumping up and down in her excitement, seemingly oblivious to the weight of the chains clamped to her hooves. “That’s what you said about your last idea.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes in exasperation. “And look how well it turned out.” She raised a hoof and rattled her shackles loudly. “But this one’s even better! And it makes up for the unfortunate—and completely unforeseeable—consequences of my last idea.” “Seriously?” Dash asked. “Let’s see. You convinced me to help you kidnap Twilight, which led to us being chased down not only by our friends, but also by royal guards and two very angry alicorn princesses. Yeah, there was no way I could have seen that coming. I don’t know why I ever let you talk me into something so stupid.” “You forgot to mention,” Pinkie added eagerly, “the fact that when we were captured, Twilight suddenly vanished right under our noses, even though the poison joke should have kept her from using magic, causing everypony to worry that something really bad had happened to her and making Celestia mad enough to lock us up in Tartarus!” “Right, I forgot,” replied Dash. “That makes your idea sound so much better.” “Really?” Pinkie Pie tilted her head in confusion. “I thought it showed a curious lack of foresight on my part for the legal ramifications of our actions.” Pinkie paused for a moment, lost in thought. Then she shrugged and continued, “which is why I’ve come up with a new plan! One that will get us out of our current mess and has zero chance of causing us any new problems.” “You’re not going be quiet until I ask you what your idea is, are you?” Dash asked irritably. “Nope!” came the happy reply. There was an awkward pause as neither pony spoke. Then, as Pinkie opened her mouth and took in a huge breath, Dash finally gave in. “Okay, Pinkie,” she said with exasperated deliberateness, “what’s your idea?” “We’re going to break out of Tartarus!” Rainbow Dash smacked her hoof into her forehead. Few creatures could match the power of the immortal alicorns that ruled Equestria. Of those that could, even fewer would ever dare to set themselves against such strength and seek to wrest control of the kingdom for themselves. And only a handful of beings could boast that they had, however briefly, triumphed over the fearsome might of the princesses and become the sole power in Equestria. Lord Tirek was one of those select few. For a short time, he had taken the magic not only of the princesses and of Discord, but also that of every pony in all the land. There had been one shining moment when Tirek had reigned supreme, without equal, without opposition. And even if his time as Equestria’s conqueror had been short, still the memory of his victory haunted the nightmares of his enemies. And yet here he was in Tartarus, forced to listen to the incessant babbling of an over-excited, silly, and altogether insane pony. “So you’re the only pony I know who’s ever escaped from Tartarus,” the pink pony rambled. “Well, I guess technically you’re not a pony, you’re more of a centaur. I could say you’re the only centaur I know who’s broken out of Tartarus, but I guess that doesn’t have the same impact if you’re the only centaur I know. Ooh! Are there other centaurs besides you? Are they also really good at breaking out of prisons? Is that like something all centaurs are good at?” Tirek gave a low snarl. The bubbly pony staring at him through the bars of his cage fell momentarily silent in response. “Are you trying to be humorous?” Tirek growled. “No, I’m trying to be Pinkie Pie,” she cheerfully responded. “And does being Pinkie Pie involve making the most despicable location in Equestria an even less tolerable place to be?” Tirek took two deliberate steps forward. He leaned toward Pinkie Pie until only the bars on his cage separated the two. His eyes bored into hers with all the malice that a millennium in prison could foster. Pinkie Pie did not even blink. She merely reached a hoof behind her and grinned. Then she abruptly stuffed a cupcake in Tirek’s mouth. “Mmph!” The centaur jerked back in shock. He swallowed and then continued, “What is this?” “It’s a cupcake,” said Pinkie Pie. “I keep them stored all over Equestria. In case of baked-good emergency.” “How did you do that?” Tirek demanded. “No pony can use magic inside of Tartarus. Princess Celestia herself placed a disabling spell on this cave.” “Really?” Pinkie Pie tilted her head in curiosity. “I didn’t know that. Ooh, maybe that’s why it didn’t affect me. What else can you tell me about this place’s security?” “The chains used here are made of the strongest metal in Equestria and are enchanted to be nigh unbreakable,” Tirek said. “I doubt even dragon fire could melt through them.” “Interesting. So how come you were able to escape?” “It took all of the strength and cunning of—hold on.” Tirek frowned. “Why should I reveal to you the secret methods I discovered throughout centuries of concentrated effort? Why should I disclose to you the subtle arts of the greatest being in Equestria?” “Because then I’ll be quiet and stop bothering you?” came the reply. Tirek paused for a moment. The offer was tempting. “As insufferable as you are,” he said carefully, “I refuse to aid one of the ponies who returned me to this prison. Be gone, you worthless creature!” “Okie-dokie,” Pinkie said, without a trace of insincerity. “Thanks for all of your not helping me.” With that, she turned away from Tirek, skipped forward, and jumped off of the stone precipice before her. Tirek gaped in astonishment. He squeezed his torso through the bars of his cage and tried to peer down into the depths beneath him. All he could see was the lifeless gray floor of Tartarus barely perceptible through the darkness. There was no sign of the suicidal pony. With a scowl, Tirek pulled his head and upper body back into his cage. His absentminded gaze happened to fall on the next stone tower over, the home of Tartarus’ newest inmates. There sat a lonely blue pegasus, who no doubt was still trying to comprehend the sudden demise of her fellow prisoner. Tirek listened for the inevitable anguished scream that would come when the pony saw her friend had tragically fallen—no, had jumped unashamedly—to her inevitable doom on the ground below. But next to the pegasus stood a happy pink earth pony. Despite the shackles binding her hooves to her stony prison, she laughed without a care in the world. There was no indication she had ever come over to bother Lord Tirek.
Chapter 2 - The InterrogationApplejack strode carefully but purposefully up the crumbling stairs. One wrong step could send her plummeting down into the dark abyss, and the stone path she climbed had clearly seen better days. The slow wear of time, along with damage sustained in whatever escape attempts the inhabitants of Tartarus had enacted, had left the staircase in ruin. At any moment, a rock could dislodge beneath Applejack’s hoof and cause her to topple over the edge. But Applejack was used to walking over unstable ground. Of course, she was far less nervous of falling than the pegasus shuffling timidly behind her. And as for the unicorn at the back of the group—well, she seemed more concerned about getting dirt on her hooves than about possibly falling to her death. Typical. Eventually Applejack reached the top of the steps and walked out onto the plateau where Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were chained. As Rarity and Fluttershy came up behind her, Applejack considered the appearances of Tartarus’ two most recent prisoners. One vibrated with contagious excitement, while the other lay sprawled in a pose of pure boredom. Neither looked at all remorseful about causing the disappearance of their friend and princess, Twilight Sparkle. “Well, what do you have to say for yourselves?” Applejack snapped without preamble. “Y’all have kidnapped a princess and lied about where you’re keeping her. If you want to ever see the light of day again, you’d best be tellin’ us exactly what you did with her.” Dash lifted her head from the ground, as if she had just woken from a long nap. “Seriously, AJ? We told you already, Twilight was right there with us in the castle. We don’t know what happened to her.” “Uh, huh,” Applejack replied, not at all convinced. “And you expect me to believe that she just got up and walked away while we were standing right outside the door?” “Well,” said Rainbow Dash defensively, “maybe she used magic to escape.” “No, that couldn’t have been it,” Pinkie Pie interjected, “because of the poison joke we put in there with her. Wow, you just keep forgetting about that, don’t you?” Dash glared at Pinkie. “Yeah, thanks for reminding me again.” “You’re welcome.” Pinkie grinned. “I’m always glad to help.” Rarity daintily cleared her throat. “She does bring up a good point. If Twilight was unable to use her magic, then it is doubtful she could have left the room without any of us noticing her. Besides, it would be quite unlike her to slip away discreetly when it was quite plain her friends had come to rescue her.” “Exactly,” Applejack said. “It’s much more likely she wasn’t there to begin with.” “But she was!” Rainbow Dash pleaded. “I’m telling you, I checked that Twilight was in the room a few seconds before you guys got there.” “Really?” Applejack burst out in frustration. “You know what, I think you may be lyin’ to us. There ain’t no good reason why Twilight would be there one moment and gone the next.” “Hey, who are you calling a liar?” Rainbow Dash leapt to her hooves. Applejack lowered her neck and snorted angrily. “All I’m sayin’ is I have a hard time trustin’ the word of a kidnapper.” Before Dash could snap back a retort, Fluttershy quietly spoke up from behind Applejack. “For what it’s worth, I believe you, Rainbow Dash.” Applejack whipped around to face her friend. “Whose side are you on?” “Please, Applejack,” Rarity interjected, “there is no need to be cross with Fluttershy. I, too, am of the opinion that our friends are telling the truth. They have nothing to gain with falsehood, so I see no reason to doubt their sincerity.” “So the only pony who thinks they may be lyin’,” said Applejack, “is the element of honesty? I’m pretty sure I can recognize the truth when I hear it.” “Yes, darling, but have you considered the possibility your emotions are clouding your better judgment? You do seem a bit…distraught, if I may say so.” “I’m what now?” Applejack practically shouted. “Um, how do I put this?” said Rarity. She hummed for a moment as she sought for the right words. “It appears you are taking out on Rainbow Dash your anxiety over the disappearance of our friend Twilight.” “And why not? She’s the one who kidnapped her, wasn’t she?” “Don’t forget me!” Pinkie Pie added. “I helped!” “Hey,” Rainbow Dash complained, “it was your idea.” She pointed an accusing hoof at Pinkie. “You make it sound like this was mainly my fault. I mean, there was no way you could have succeeded without me, but you were the evil mastermind.” “You take that back!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed indignantly. “I’m more of a malevolent architect than an evil mastermind.” “I’ve good reason to be anxious,” Applejack barked at Rarity. “A princess has disappeared!” “Which is certainly the first time that has ever happened,” Rarity replied acidly. “But we must consider the matter carefully if we hope to find her.” “Well, excuse me for caring about Twilight’s safety!” shouted Applejack. “And excuse me for wanting to be sensible about this!” Rarity retorted. “Excuse me for using the wrong term for your stupid plan!” Rainbow yelled at Pinkie. “Well, excuse me for trying to replace you with a talking bag of flour!” Pinkie screamed back irritably. “Even if she was better company than you.” A brief silence fell as all of the side arguments ceased and everypony turned to stare at Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy hesitantly spoke up. “What if…what if something else came and took Twilight away?” “What in tarnation?” Applejack exclaimed in surprise. “We are,” piped up Pinkie Pie. “We’re what?” Applejack asked in confusion. “Never mind.” Applejack gave Pinkie a quizzical look before turning back toward Fluttershy. “You were sayin’?” “I mean,” Fluttershy continued, “What if it wasn’t Twilight’s magic that made her disappear? What if somepony else took her before we were able to rescue her?” “Perhaps you are correct, dear,” Rarity said. “After all, we weren’t the only ponies present at the time.” “Yeah, but I think Celestia would have mentioned it if any of the royal guards had found Twilight,” Rainbow Dash countered. “Well, maybe it wasn’t her,” Applejack mused. “Maybe somepony else snuck in a stole Twilight out from under us while we were busy arguing. But I suppose they would have to have been either real sneaky or real powerful to get past Princess Celestia’s shield.” “Ooh, yeah,” Pinkie Pie said excitedly. “I bet it was some powerful new threat to Equestria with magic far stronger than the princesses. And without Twilight to help us, we won’t be able to use our friendship magic to stop it, so all of Equestria will soon be obliterated in a blazing inferno of destruction and despair!” She smiled serenely. Her friends gaped at her in horror. “Or something like that.”
Chapter 3 - The DecisionSpike found himself floating upside down in the throne room of Canterlot Castle, garbed in the attire of Star Swirl the Bearded. Below him, Princess Luna vainly struggled to escape from a giant hamster ball. A pair of royal guards faced off against one another in a game of chess to Spike’s right, while another watered some daffodils on his left. Spike sighed. He supposed such things were to be expected when Discord was present. “As I already told your sister, I could find no trace of Princess Twilight at the castle.” Discord dribbled Luna’s hamster ball against the ceiling a couple of times before tossing it into a breadbasket. “Asking me again isn’t going to magically change my answer.” Luna’s horn flared with power. She teleported right in front of Discord, her determined visage mere inches from his amused grin. “Celestia and I merely wondered if you had noticed anything else beyond what you told us before. The severity of this situation increases with each passing minute of Twilight’s absence, and any clue to help us find her would be welcome.” Discord rolled his eyes, causing the room to rotate. Spike bounced off of a tumbling throne before falling onto a window. Luna, though, remained perfectly balanced as she stared down Discord. “Oh, please,” Discord said. “Twilight is a big princess, and I have complete confidence that she can take care of herself—which is more than I can say for you and Celestia. I seem to recall a certain incident where Twilight had to rescue both of you from rampaging vines.” “Something that was your fault, Discord,” Luna spat. “I begin think you are deliberately trying to antagonize me.” She briefly conjured a shield to deflect a stray chess piece that fell from the game floating above her. “Now, Luna,” Discord replied, “I’m reformed, remember? Just like you. It hurts my heart to hear you of all ponies accuse me of being disloyal.” An arrow appeared embedded in his chest. “I do not doubt your loyalties, Discord,” said Luna evenly, “merely your habit of treating your jokes as more important than urgent matters. Would you kindly return this room to its normal form and actually do something helpful?” With an exaggerated frown, Discord snapped his claw. The room immediately righted itself, the furniture returned to its usual configuration, and the excess floating daffodils disappeared. Gravity also reasserted itself, causing Spike to plummet to the floor. Picking himself slowly up off the slightly indented marble, Spike glared at Discord. “Gee, thanks. Can’t you go annoy someone else?” Discord vanished in a puff of cloud, though his voice still lingered. “Of course. I think I will go be helpful and once again futilely try to locate Princess Twilight. After all, I can detect almost any magic…with the possible exception of Harmony itself.” With a disgruntled snort, Luna flew back to the throne and plopped down upon it. “Hmph. I do not understand why my sister puts so much trust in him. He is being deliberately unhelpful.” “Yeah, he does that,” Spike muttered. “So what’s next, Princess?” “With my sister, Discord, and half the royal guard already out searching for Twilight, there is little else we can do but wait for more information,” said Luna. “So far we have yet to hear anything that could help us find her.” “Oh,” Spike said with disappointment. “Well, then—“ The door to the throne room slammed open. In rushed three very distraught ponies. “Rarity!” Spike exclaimed. “Did you talk to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie? What did they say?” Rarity quickly ran a brush through her slightly disheveled mane to return it to its usual pristine condition. Then she spoke. “Princess Luna, we have come across a rather…disturbing possibility.” “Yes, Rarity?” asked Luna. “What is this you have learned?” “Well, you see,” Rarity replied with just the slightest hesitation, “we discussed with our imprisoned friends what they had done with Twilight, and they were adamant she had been in the castle with them. We asked why, then, we could not find her, and Pinkie Pie suggested—well, she said that perhaps…” “She went and said some powerful new enemy just came and took Twilight right out from under our hooves,” Applejack interrupted. “Yes,” Rarity added, shooting Applejack an irritated glance. “We were wondering, Princess, if we are quite sure that Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie are in fact the true danger here? Should we not be more concerned about some other threat to Equestria?” Luna pondered this news for a moment. “I have not yet seen any evidence for the involvement of some dangerous foe. Perhaps your friends were merely trying to throw suspicion off of themselves.” “Really?” Spike asked in surprise. “What about what Discord said, how his magic couldn’t find Twilight?” “Discord is hiding something, I am sure,” declared Luna. “His word cannot be completely trusted. I remain convinced that Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash are responsible for Twilight’s disappearance.” “So, you’re not going to let them go?” Fluttershy asked. “I see no reason to,” Luna stated firmly. “They have broken Equestrian law and deserve to be punished.” “Yes, well, we thought we might need their help to face the new threat,” Fluttershy replied. “There is no new threat to Equestria. All I see are two ponies stubbornly refusing to tell us where they have hidden Twilight, and one draconequus trying to agitate us for his own amusement. Perhaps if Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were to show some remorse and return Twilight to us, I would consider releasing them. But until then, I will not be swayed by tales of terrifying foes.” Silence fell as Spike and the others took in Princess Luna’s proclamation. After a few moments, Applejack tipped her hat at Luna. “Well, thank you kindly, Princess. We best get back to lookin’ for our friend. And would it be alright if we took Spike along with us?” “Certainly,” said Luna with a nod. “I wish you the best of luck in your search. Keep me informed of your progress.” “Will do, Princess.” Applejack turned and trotted out of the throne room, Rarity right behind her. Fluttershy opened her mouth for a second, but then closed it and crept after Rarity. With one last glance back at Luna’s impassive form, Spike followed her out the door. The three ponies were already heading toward the castle’s exit. Spike jogged up next to Rarity as they walked. “So you really think some new enemy took Twilight?” “It certainly seems so,” Rarity said. “We had hoped to convince Luna release Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, so they could help us fight this threat.” She looked inquisitively over at Applejack. “Yeah, well, it didn’t look like she could be persuaded to let them go,” Applejack replied. “If we want to get our friends’ help, we’re gonna have to do it ourselves.” “What do you mean?” asked Fluttershy, a hint of worry in her voice. “I mean,” Applejack said fiercely, “if the Princess isn’t gonna release our friends, we’re gonna break ‘em out of Tartarus on our own.”
Chapter 4 - The IntrusionRainbow Dash was bored. As it turned out, there were very few things to occupy a pony’s time in Tartarus. Once one had taken in the sweeping vista of the vast cavern, discovered that the small plateau on which she sat was rather featureless, and realized that her shackles prevented her from exploring any further, one had effectively exhausted all her entertainment options. Dash had been so desperate for something to do that she had even played a few dozen games of tic-tac-toe with Pinkie Pie. Dash’s competitive nature had been briefly irritated by Pinkie’s strange knack for winning games that should have ended as draws, but even that had faded after her fiftieth loss or so to the pink champion. So Rainbow Dash was left to fidget restlessly and try to ignore the never-ending ruckus that came from the pony next to her. “So the main problem with trying to escape is that we’re chained to the floor—well, I guess it can’t really be called a floor, since were so high up off the ground, but really, what else would we call it? The floor-that’s-not-really-a-floor-because-it’s-at-the-top-of-a-tower-that-juts-up-from-the-ground-but-isn’t-floating-because-it’s-still-attached-to-the-real-floor? Ooh, we could abbreviate it as the FTNRAFBIATTOATTJUFTGBIFBISATTRF! Oh wait, I already used that name for one of my recipes. I know! We could call it—“ “Pinkie!” Dash screamed. “Yes, Dashie?” Pinkie asked innocently. “Be quiet!” “But how else are we going to plan our daring escape from prison? Unless you can communicate telepathically and never told me.” Pinkie Pie shoved her face right up in front of Dash’s, her eyes peering searchingly into those of her friend. “Are you hiding your telepathic abilities from me?” Dash reached out a hoof and roughly pushed Pinkie away. “No, Pinkie, I am not hiding telepathic abilities from you. I’m just hiding how I’m strong enough to snap of these chains with my bare hooves.” “Really?” Pinkie Pie inquired. “Because that would make everything a lot easier.” With an exasperated sigh, Dash responded, “I was being sarcastic, Pinkie. Besides, why are you worrying about the chains so much? Weren’t you able to, like, ignore them completely when you went over to visit Tirek?” Pinkie Pie slowly shook her head, a gently condescending smile upon her face. “Silly, that only works if nopony notices. Now that you’ve brought it up, I won’t be able to do it.” Dash pondered this bizarre claim for a moment. She immediately regretted doing so, and decided to never ask Pinkie Pie about it again. “Anyway,” Pinkie Pie continued, oblivious to the headache she had just given her friend, “we still need to find a way to get out of these chains.” “I’ve got an idea!” Pinkie replied enthusiastically. “Uh, Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash turned to her with an inquisitive look. “You do know you’re talking to yourself, right?” Pinkie responded with a perplexed shrug. “Don’t look at me. I didn’t say anything.” “Then how come I heard—“ An excited voice spoke up from behind Dash, cutting her off mid-sentence. “But I am talking to myself!” A second Pinkie Pie walked up to the two prisoners. No, the pony did not so much walk as bounce animatedly without a concern in the world. Every fiber of the pony’s being vibrated with undiluted delight, her pink mane and coat shimmering with radiant joy. The colorful balloons on her flank completed the picture of cheerfulness. In every conceivable way, this new pony was identical to the one who remained shackled to the ground. Dash just stared blankly in shock. Wasn’t one Pinkie Pie enough for Equestria? Did they really need a second one? And who knew what havoc two Pinkies could wreak? Pinkie Pie, though, seemed completely unfazed by the spontaneous appearance of a doppelgänger. She quickly got to her hooves and saluted. “Reporting for duty, Future Pinkie!” The other Pinkie Pie returned the gesture. “Good to see you again, Past Pinkie!” “So, what’s new?” the imprisoned Pinkie Pie asked. “Or should I say, what will be new?” Both Pinkies giggled. “Well, you know that super-top-secret wing of the Canterlot Archives you visited with Twilight when she was trying to find out what her birthday present was?” said Future Pinkie. “It turns out, there’s another copy of the time-travel spell you found there.” “Ooh!” exclaimed Past Pinkie. “So you were able to use the spell to come back here and perform a daring rescue?” “Yeah! It turns out that since the spell wasn’t actually cast in Tartarus, it isn’t affected by the magic-disabling field.” “And how’d you find that out?” Rainbow Dash interjected. “Did you break into the Canterlot Archives just hoping the spell would work?” “Of course not.” Future Pinkie dismissed the ridiculous claim with a wave of her hoof. “I already knew it would work because I told myself so when I was visited by my future self.” Dash blinked a couple of times. This was making less and less sense by the minute. She really hated time travel. A thought occurred to her. “So where’s the future version me? ‘Cause it would be totally awesome if there were two of me here.” “She’s coming,” said Future Pinkie. A bright rainbow flashed in front of her, and the disturbing crunch of a pony impacting stone at high velocity reverberated throughout the cavern. A rather disoriented blue pegasus picked herself up from an indentation in the ground. “Oh, there she is.” Future Dash vigorously shook her head for a moment, causing a metal ring clamped in her mouth to jingle. Spitting the ring out onto a rock in front of her, she turned to address Future Pinkie. “Getting the keys from the guards was a cinch. It looked like they were distracted by something, so I just swooped in and grabbed them without being seen.” Then Future Dash noticed her duplicate standing next to her. “Hey, look! It’s me!” “Finally, somepony who’s as awesome as I am,” Rainbow Dash replied. “I mean, as fun as you are, Pinkie, it’s nice to have someone here who understands coolness.” “Hey!” retorted both Pinkie Pies simultaneously. After glaring angrily at Dash, the two of them returned to blowing up balloon puppets. “Anyway, we probably don’t have much time left,” Future Dash said, “so I should probably let you know that—“ A brilliant flash of light interrupted her. Once it had faded, the two ponies from the future had vanished. “Huh,” commented Pinkie Pie. She picked up the keys and unlocked her chains. “I wonder if the spell purposely cuts ponies off mid-sentence.” She reached over and opened Rainbow Dash’s chains. As Pinkie was working, a faint noise caught Dash’s attention. Hoofsteps were approaching in the distance. “Quick! Somepony’s coming!” Rainbow Dash lunged forward. She grabbed Pinkie and took flight, soaring downward into the shadows below their tower. “We can’t let them see we’ve escaped!” “Uh, Dashie?” asked Pinkie Pie, completely unfazed by abruptly being carried off a cliff. “Are you sure this will keep ponies from figuring out we’re gone?” Rainbow Dash came to rest, hovering well out of sight from anypony standing above them. It would be impossible for somepony to catch a glimpse of them and realize they had broken out of their chains. Then Dash realized something important. Something that could jeopardize their whole escape attempt. “Wait, I left the keys up there.”
