Chapter 7: Now’s The Time

[...]

“...”

Silence. That's all that remained.

I moved in complete and utter silence for the rest of the day. Nocreature talked to me after I came back to the castle. I didn’t say anything after the hippogriff doctor fixed me up again.

I was dead. A day away from meeting the end of the road.

And as I sat in my room for what felt like the final time, the day’s events kept replaying in my mind. It was starting to become inevitable at this point.

Death was surely coming down the track, and it would not be late to its final destination.

My mind was buzzing with life as I continued to shake my head in frustration. How did it all come to this? it repeatedly asked itself. This…This whole thing…everything that happened was…was….

“Complete. Bullshit.”

“You and me both, Alex….”

This shook me from my thoughts as I looked up at the doorway. Commander Shifting Sands was leaning against the crudely repaired door, looking down at the floor with this disapproving frown.

“...” My head sunk down, eyes darting to the floor. I didn’t say a word as he took a deep breath in and exhaled.

sigh “Well, the good thing is at least you’re up,” Commander Shifting noted, his weight shifting to all four of his legs.

Heh, my mind chuckled as a crooked smile formed. ‘Shifting’ his weight…heh.

“You’re not out cold like I fou-”

chuckle

My mouth opened, and I let out a small chuckle, stopping the Commander mid-sentence. The stallion stood there as my shoulders bounced up and down, my eyes closing at the funny pun.

“Hmpf. And it seems like you’re back to your usual self,” Shifting commented. The unicorn Commander slowly trotted over to me, my face pointed up at the ceiling. I comfortably sighed as he approached, taking a deep breath before exhaling and letting my shoulders relax.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” I whispered, letting the Commander feel at ease knowing I was in a better mood than before. “I…was just…remembering a pun….”

“Really?” Commander Shifting Sands inquired. I opened my eyes and looked at him softly. My eyebrows raised as my head shook in delight.

“It’s…heh…nothing important,” I replied before dropping my head. “Nothing…Nothing I do is important anymore…nothing I say matters….”

Shifting tilted his head to the side, a face of contemplation donning his features. The stallion kept looking at me, my mind forcing me to speak for itself.

“I-I…” I stammered. “I…d-don’t know…whuh…what else I have to do….”

“What else do you have to do…what?” Commander Shifting asked, his voice growing quieter.

I looked up at him, my eyes brimming with tears. sniffle “Wh-What else do I-I have to proovuh?” I fumbled, my throat beginning to choke up with sadness. Shifting closed his eyes and took a silent breath in.

sigh “I…I can’t answer that, Alex….”

sniffle “Ye-Yes, you can,” I stuttered, wiping at my eyes with my shackled wrists. “Yo-Yo-You can an-answer that….” shudder

The Commander shook his head. “I’m sorry,” was the stallion’s only response. My body slowly fell backward, flopping unceremoniously onto the bed with a soft plop! My clothing moved upward as I brought my arms above my head, exposing part of my belly.

groan! “Owww…” I grumbled, my wrists remaining bound together. “Honestly, these shackles suck. They grind against my wrists, which are all bone, and stress marks keep appearing on them. And you know it’s annoying….”

The Commander said nothing as he trotted over to my desk. Shifting Sands looked at the chair briefly and then sat in it, swiveling himself over to look at me while I remained motionless.

“Sorry for borrowing your chair, Alex,” the Commander said before continuing. “Now, I don’t want to do this, but I have to give you a debriefing on how tomorrow will go. And, honestly, this is the kind of spiel I thought I would never have to give, especially to somecreature like you.”

My head nodded as I lay there in silence. Then, the Commander exhaled loudly and cleared his throat. I looked at him from my position and realized he wanted me to sit up and look at him directly.

As I forced myself to sit up, I silently wiped away the tears in my eyes and blinked a few times. Then, returning my gaze to the Commander, he nodded in approval before laying down the structure for tomorrow’s events.

========================================<>========================================

“Tomorrow, you will be woken up promptly at 6am and be given a special breakfast to your liking,” Shifting began saying. “From there, you will have one visitor of your choosing to wish you a final goodbye and hear anything you want to say. Unfortunately, not only will I be in attendance for that, but so will Emperor Nacreous. So don’t say anything stupid, got it?”

I shrugged, allowing the stallion to then close his eyes. The unicorn’s head shook as Shifting hesitated through the following sentence.

“Yo…You’ll b-be….” Commander Shifting Sands shuddered, a hoof coming to his mouth momentarily. “...I…I-I ca….”

“Shifting?” I asked softly. Shifting Sands looked up at me, his eyes widening. My eyebrows lowered, my eyelids half-opened, and a reassuring smile on my face. “Whatever happens will happen. I’d rather be surprised than told upfront….”

“You…” Commander started to say. “Yo-You don’t want to know…?” I shook my head before smirking.

“If you don’t feel comfortable telling me, don’t,” I replied nonchalantly, shrugging. “I’ve been hella surprised this past month, and there isn’t a thought in my mind nocreature knows what to expect tomorrow during the event…and yeah, treat it like a special event, will ya? With balloons and everything.” wink

Commander Shifting closed his eyes and shook his head. A smile dawned on his face as he looked at the wall nearest to us. sigh “Okay, Alex,” the unicorn replied, my head bowing in acknowledgment. “It’s…It’s hard to know a friend of mine…a ‘friend’ will be l-lost because….”

Shifting stopped his words, his mouth remaining open as he lost track of his sentence. I sat there, awaiting him to finish it, but nodded, knowing he wouldn’t be able to.

“Personally, there’s something I’ve been mulling over recently, Alex. I think it’s important to understand and know this too,” Shifting whispered, switching the topic quickly. My eyes locked onto him as he silently pondered whether or not he should continue.

“Commander Shifting?” I inquired silently. “What are you….”

sigh “You remember getting nine votes against you in the trial, correct?” Shifting inquired. I nodded my head glumly, causing him to shake his head. “But, did you ever stop to think…who voted ‘you’ innocent? Like…any of your thoughts say to you, ‘who were the six council members that went ahead and said I was innocent?’”

“Uh,” I stammered before giving in with a nod. “I-I was taken aback by how the votes were distributed. But, l-l-like, I know T-Twilight did give me an inno….”

“Yeah, I deduced that too,” Shifting Sands replied contemptuously. “Luna did as well. Sorry to, uh, say this, but…Luna and I split our votes. One of us served as an innocent vote, while the other voted guilty for you.”

I looked at him disapprovingly, his face molding into disgust. I sighed, bringing my shackled right hand to my face and pinching the bridge of my nose. “I can only assume it was you who voted ‘guilty?’” I asked deterministically.

“...” Commander Shifting’s silence was deafening. I exhaled loudly, shaking my head before motioning for him to continue.

“I…I don’t know exactly who could have called you innocent, Alex,” Shifting suspected, “but we have some good guesses as to who may have voted innocent. For one, there’s the mystery surrounding the SaddleArabian delegates. I have a feeling Prince Haakim voted you innocent based on his demeanor and attitude during our meeting earlier today.”

Shifting stopped, my eyes staring at his frame before he sighed. sigh “I’m sorry,” the unicorn Commander admitted, “but I don’t know who else could have done so. Well…at least, you know…you know you have three to trust in confidently…b-but, the other three?”

sigh “It’ll most likely remain a mystery,” I answered, causing his ears to perk upward. “Because tomorrow, it won’t matter. I’ll be dead…and nocreature will ever know. Who of the remaining council members would want to admit that they voted the ‘dangerous human’ innocent after the fact? Hmpf! Maybe….”

Shifting’s head tilted as a smile came to my face. My fingers prodded my goatee as I slyly looked at the Commander, eerily contemplating my next words.

“Maybe,” I muttered, “on their deathbed…they will admit it….”

Commander Shifting moved away from me, uncomfortably getting up as I shook my head. Then, closing my eyes, I placed my hands on my lap and sat silently, my mind churning the information together as the unicorn trotted for the door. Three down, I thought, and three to go.

Then, as if it were like clockwork, I heard Shifting’s hoofsteps stop approximately at the doorway. My turquoise eyes opened, and I stared at him while the unicorn’s head drooped.

Knowing that this would be the last time we would ever have to talk, Commander Shifting Sands only said one thing before that door closed for good.

“I wish you a good night’s rest, Alexander,” Shifting said softly. “Luna will make sure you are at peace tonight. However you decide to spend it.” I nodded toward the unicorn as he went through and used his magic to close the door.

“…Good luck, Alex….”

click!

========================================<>========================================

“...”

It had felt like hours since Commander Shifting had departed from the room. But my thoughts were still thinking back to that conversation. Sitting on the bed, my mind replayed my actions during the Commander’s visit and questioned whether or not I made the right choice in how I behaved.

That’s not…me, my brain thought. It isn’t…who I ‘really am.’ Shifting was right earlier….

I looked like a shell of myself. Once a proud individual that could turn the tides of battle with a fluid flick of the wrist…had evaporated into the air. That outer layer of sealing away how my past shaped me, keeping all my secrets hidden…totally shattered by the pressure.

The bridge of ‘trust’ I thought I had between everycreature and myself…gone….

Only a select few still deserved it, but…I wasn’t the same…the same human being anymore. That’s what made Alexander Walkerson so special….

The tenacious driving attitude, the ‘crazy good’ work ethic, the consistent ability to persevere, and the fighting will to never give in to anybody.

A ‘chip-on-my-shoulder’ mentality, always having something to prove….

It was what made me ME.

And as I sat on the bed facing the window, I looked at the floor before it. Where were the fun moments we ‘five’ had? my mind thought sadly. Where and how did the bonds sever….

Where were…the memories we shared…

…Memories?..

gasp! “...”

And that’s when it finally happened. First, my eyes shot wide open as my hands began to tremble in fear. Then, my legs started shivering from the cold air in the room, realizing what was coming tomorrow.

It was inevitable….

shudder “Th-Th-They’re really do-doing iiit….”

Why? I cried internally. All I wanted to do was help…I tried to ‘help!’

HELP!! YOU HEAR ME!? I imagined myself screaming at the top of my lungs.

It was no use in trying. My tears kept flowing down my cheeks and onto the floor. Whenever I wanted to help with something, I made myself available for others to…to p-put their….

“Their what?”

“Oh my God,” I silently whispered to myself. “Am I not…?”

Trustworthy? my right side finished.

Well, we did hide ‘that incident’ from them for far too long, my left side reminded me. We know it’s a painful reminder, but….

Suddenly, my eyes traced down my body and toward my left leg. As it extended forward, my mind flashed twice at the sight of the scar, my brain hurting from the painfu-

`SNAP!!

“AAUUGH!!”`

========================================<>========================================

`“Walkerson, fiiires…connects!”

“ALEXANDER WALKERSON!! For One! Two!”

“Three!” the crowd finished. I ran back up-court, getting back to playing a defensive zone. The first game of the season started off with a bang as I canned my first shot and triple of the night.

As the opponent’s offense attempted to do a pick-and-roll, like many times before, I shifted back to my right and drove on an angle toward the big man rolling to the paint. The point guard, unsurprisingly, realized it too late, already in the motion of passing the ball over through the air.

Mmmm, I thought quickly. Cookies….

swipe!

“Steal by Walkerson! Racing down the court!” the broadcast announcer said at the moment. As I crossed over the halfcourt line, our hoop got closer and closer, my long strides carrying me faster to it.

My mind thought, “Dunk it with two.” Prepping myself for the one-foot leap into the air, I took another deep breath and locked on. Stepping over the three-point line, the crowd cheered loudly as I took two dribbles and approached the painted area.

Aaaand…jump! Leaping off my left foot, I brought the ball up and soared through the air. The hoop was getting closer as my arms extended forward to dunk the ball with both hands.

Aaaand…i-

shove!

“YEEAA-Oh!”

slip!

My back was shifted forward violently due to the momentum, and my fingers lost their grip on the rim. My arms flailed instantly, everything slowing down as I fell backward toward the court.

This…this is where the decision occurred….

Brace our fall! my mind shouted to itself. Left leg back!

As my left leg kicked out behind me to brace my fall, the angle at which I was…was less than I had believed I had been at….

I was attempting to land on the heel of my left foot, giving me a fraction of a second to push backward and land hard on the basketball court with my back.

It…it didn’t play out…like that….

SNAP!!

A violent pain shot through my entire frame, forcing my lungs to scream out in pai-

“AAUUGH!!”`

========================================<>========================================

Gripping my pants, I silently cried for what felt like minutes. I hadn’t felt this pain in a while….

And it was a painful, PAINFUL reminder of what could have been. My life was never the same after it, and it would never be at that peak again. Every time I tried getting back to form….

sob! “K-K-K-Keep ca-calm,” I stammered, tears tracing down my cheeks. Then, trying to get up, I stood up and trembled in fear. Bringing my head up slightly, I took a shuddered breath and continued sobbing.

shiver “I…I-I-I…” my mouth sputtered, peering at the barred window across the room. Putting my head down, I slowly slunk my way over to it, remaining as quiet as possible.

“...Pl…Pleas…se,” I prayed weakly. “Please b-be the-uurh….”

A shuddered gasp escaped my mouth, looking up into the nightly sky.

Oh. My.

“Goodness….”

There, in all its majestic beauty, was a full moon. A ‘bright and full’ full moon. The vibrancy it gave off made me feel in the presence of…something extraordinary….

The way it loomed over Equestria, dousing the darkness in a beautifully toned light, it sat before my eyes. My eyes wandered up, noticing the craters that littered its majestic exterior. Yet, they were small and insignificant blemishes compared to the massive glory of the moon.

And as my eyes trailed off of it briefly, they noticed something else. All the stars around the moon were glimmering and gleaming with life. Shining brightly and twinkling ever so softly, the nighttime stars looked to be dancing in the atmosphere. The space between them continued to show off more and more of the hidden ones. Their presence accompanying their leader was unlike anything I had experienced back on Earth.

Stars twinkling here and there, some shooting stars, or maybe even the sight of a comet? Those were all lifetime occurrences. They could happen a couple times throughout my life, and everything would still go on like normal….

“But the moon?”

Oh heavens, Luna, I admired internally, my eyes taking in all of its beauty. You and your wonders….

“...”

“It is a beauty to behold.”

sniffle

It was so beautiful that tears were forming in my eyes. I wiped my eyes to try and stop it from continuing, finally turning my attention back to the night sky.

sigh This is what we needed, my mind thought peacefully. Comfort….

“L…L-Luna?” I asked hesitantly, hoping the alicorn would appear. “Pl-Please…I-I nee-need your…c-comfort….”

At the time, it was all I could do. I hoped the lunar princess would hear me somehow, appearing behind me to give me a much-needed hug.

The minutes dragged on as the moon stayed still. The stars continued their never-ending dance, twinkling and attempting to have me look at them too.

It was…exciting. My heart filled with emotion as my eyes tried not to falter in their gaze.

It’s…pretty, my mind continued, tears brimming across my eyelids. It’s…It’s….

“What?”

Perfect.

========================================<>========================================

Then, all of a sudden, something broke my attention away from it.

A large, looming cloud slowly enveloped the nighttime sky, beginning to crawl across the moon’s beautiful portrait. Then, it slowly crossed over it, silently dragging itself and blocking the moon from being visible in all its glory.

Are you shitting me? my brain angrily seethed. My mouth shut itself tight, and began grinding my teeth together, a snarl! emanating from my throat as the cloud became recognizable.

The cloud-like mobile city, better known as Cloudsdale, passed by without a care in the world. Its colorful rainbows spilled off its sides into the atmosphere, and the fluffy clouds it sat upon looked…huggable.

However, unlike the pegasi that flew through the streets and buildings of Cloudsdale, the thing was too darn slow. The cloud city mosied on by like a snail crossing a sidewalk, and I could do nothing about it.

“But at that moment?”

I wanted it to fall out of the sky. But, at that moment, nothing should be getting in the way of feeling relief at the sight of the full moon. Cloudsdale was showing me ‘its’ proverbial moon, the rainbow factory finally crossing the line of sight with the moon. Yet, the factories that adorned that side of the city sat as…a mystery to me.

What ‘do’ they do up there? I always thought to myself. Why am I always seeing crates and boxes of stuff go through their doors, yet nothing comes out except…rainbows and clouds….

“Recycling?”

And with that dumb thought out of the way, the city floated on by wherever it was heading. I disregarded those thoughts and stared back at the moon before me. The solace I once found in it a few minutes ago was lost, as now I felt angry and frustrated by the sight of it.

Fuck you, Cloudsdale, I thought angrily. Fall out of the sky, why don’t ya?

I rotated over my right shoulder, and my left shoulder swung around, resulting in my back hitting the wall hard. I let my head rest against the tower’s interior, my hand tracing the side of my head to my hair. As I ruffled my hair with my fingers, the comforting feeling of the action couldn’t force the issues away.

But, as the thought of me soon being gone from this world emerged again, my eyes closed in frustration. My chest shuddered as my lungs slowly began to hyperventilate.

Why wouldn’t they listen to me? I angrily thought. I told them everything, yet they refused to listen to me. They ‘chose’ not to listen.

My fists remained before me as my neck began to tense up. I wanted to break the shackles so badly, wanting nothing more than to bang my fists on the walls of this room.

Why must it be my fault? my brain emitted. Why do I think this?

My legs continued to tremble as a tremor shook my head. I clenched my eyes shut and….

It’s Not! MY! FAULT!!

“IT’S THEIRS!!” I cried out, bringing my head forward and throwing it backward.

slam!

My head smacked against the wall in frustration, the adrenaline continuing to flow through my veins. At this point, if somepony or somecreature had heard me, I couldn’t care less. I would gladly take any form of punishment for speaking my mind! my thoughts shouted.

“FUCK THIS PLACE!!”

slam!

crack!

“MAAAMOOO!!”

bam!

crack!

“HEEEELP MEEE!!”

smack! crack! bam!

SLAM!!

“...”

sob! My eyes began bawling out the tears as I slid toward the ground. As my butt hit the stone floor, I brought my knees to my face and covered them with my binded hands. I continued to cry out loud, rocking myself back and forth as the tears continuously pour-

crumble…

========================================<>========================================

sniffle

“…”

sss…

“...hhuh?” I raised my head, feeling something falling on my head and breaking my sobbing spree. As the silence enveloped the room, there was a…‘something’ atop my head.

“What the…” I raised my arms up and slowly ruffled my hair. When I brought them back down to look at my palms, I nearly had a heart attack.

My palms were slightly gray, almost like they had been sifting through…gravel.

Are my eyes deceiving me? my mind thought. Where did tha-

gasp! “The wall,” I deduced silently. Forcing myself to my feet hastily, I turned toward the wall and saw a peculiar sight. Not only was there a tiny hole right where my head had hit the wall, but there were several noticeable cracks in the structure now.

“H-H-How?” I commented under my breath. Bringing my finger to the hole, I slowly turned it and dug into the wall harder. The stone wall gave a bit this time, allowing more rubble to drop down to the ground below.

My eyes widened as my mind remained stunned at this revelation. How? I said in my head. Th-That shouldn’t be po-possible…I’ve been in this tower for years, and it’s been here for over a millennia. It should be sturdy in its found-

`poof!

“AAUGHH!!”

“Wha–”

BANG!!`

gasp!

“Oh. My. God,” I shuddered, taking a step back to take in the whole picture. I peered down at the rock crumbs scattered across the floor, an idea slowly forming within my mind. Finally, my eyes…started…crying.

“Crying? Again?”

I was…crying.

Crying tears…of joy.

No…fucking…way!

Walking back toward my bed, I contemplated the choice and looked at my left wrist. Then, carefully, I begrudgingly moved the shackle further up the arm to expose ‘the watch.’

Twisting it with my pinky finger, it took me a while to turn it a quarter of the way around my wrist. Then, after some careful maneuvering, I placed my index finger on the screen and tapped it twice.

The screen buzzed to life, sparking in a neon green-blue hue. Then, it went static for a bit before showing the ‘Sky-Walkerson dunk’ logo.

A grin formed on my face.

Now’s the time.

========================================<>========================================

“Okay, Alex,” I told myself quietly, taking a deep breath. “This is it. Go for broke.”

The time was 4:44am. The sun had not yet appeared over the horizon. Everycreature was either asleep or waking up to get ready for work. Everypony had no clue what was happening but would immediately find out if this one attempt failed.

Don’t think about it too much, I said internally. All excellent outcomes started due to an attempt being made. Might as well give it your best shot!

“Hey, now that’s facts!”

The plan? Escape, my mind answered, and at all costs. Of course, so many things would have to go right for this to work.

First, I have to slam my body side-first into the cracked wall by the window, allowing me to break free and out of this hellhole. Next, I would fall through the air toward the ground but backwards.

But how would I survive such a fall from a monumental distance? That thought made me grin from ear to ear. The watch on my left wrist buzzed, my arms raising to look at it.

“Access power-level readings,” I commanded the watch. A buffering screen appeared before the pictionary-like face replied.

“Accessing. Please stand-by….”

At this point, we need to go, I nervously thought. But, one final diagnostics check wouldn’t hurt anyone.

“Power meter levels are active. Energy meter equals 23. Maximum capacity for the energy meter equals 500,” the voice stated.

“Hmmm,” I stood there, contemplating the next decision. “Scroll through the ‘Power-Up’ library.”

“Accessing ‘Power-Up’ library. Please stand-by….”

I shook myself, trying to calm my nerves and muscles down. This may have been a bit tedious, but it gave me time to think of where I would have to go and how to get there safely...and undetected.

I had remembered that damn city in the sky, Cloudsdale, floated by a short while ago. If any creature were to look anywhere following an escape from this prison tower, they would most likely cover the ground first.

I smirked. Buys me some time, I thought confidently. Get as far away from Canterlot as possible using the mobile city as my vessel.

“‘Power-Up’ library booted. Password required.”

“No,” I flatly replied.

“Access granted. Welcome back, Alexander Walkerson,” the voice said.

“Okay, no need to be formal, Mikey,” I responded. “I have to make a command order.”

“Processing request…creating list,” the watch’s monotone voice replied. “Proceed when ready.”

“Let’s see,” I pondered. “Put the super strength power-up on, charge it to 8. Then, we do the web-slinging power-up, but this one needs to be at maximum charge. 10.”

“Please stand-by….”.

Come on, I thought. We’re running out of time.

“Power-Up list complete,” the watch cheerfully said. “Charge subtracted from the energy meter. Remaining power equals 3.”

Fuck, I remembered thinking. It takes 1 power level every time I use a menu option.

“Will there be anything else, Alexander?” the watch inquired. I rolled my eyes at the mention of my full first name.

“That’ll be all. Thanks, Mikey,” I said in return. “And…please. ‘Alex’ works.”

“Understood, Mr. Alex,” the watch said. “Good luck, sir.”

========================================<>========================================

The screen on the watch then faded back to the main menu, and that’s when I saw the time.

“4:49am,” I read aloud. I looked up at the window and still saw it was dark out. It’s time, Alex, I thought. No turning back.

I crept to the other side of the room, which was the opposite of the crack. And as I faced down the hole in the wall, my destiny flashed before my eyes.

Two possibilities made themselves known loud and clear to me. Either this escape would fail, and I would get caught, resulting in an immediate death. Or…I would succeed and be able to rid myself of these shackles and escape to freedom.

“God?” I prayed silently.

“Yes?”

“Please, be with me….”

“You’ll be fine, kid.”

As I exhaled, my feet shifted back and forth. Then, I began sprinting toward the broken wall. Tapping the screen twice, I flexed my right arm to activate the watch’s super strength power-up and braced myself for impact with the wall.

The watch responded, causing adrenaline to shoot through my veins. My body felt so much better and stronger by far, but it felt…heavier.

Then, something else occurred. The shackles that had kept my hands bound together suddenly broke away. I leaned in hard with my left elbow, freeing myself to move my arms how I wanted to.

I was free….

Free to let it all go. Free to be….

Me.

bam!

When I made contact with the wall, I ripped right through it and began falling through the world on the other side.

huff!

“One.”

huff!

“Two.”

I watched as the hole in the tower I had leaped out of crumbled under pressure. My back was towards the ground, my eyes closing slowly.

Come on.

“Three.”

I pressed my right palm over my watch and mimicked a web-shooter motion. Nothing happened.

Fuck. Come on, Alex, pull it together, I thought.

“Four.”

Come on! my brain yelled. COME ON!!

“Five!”

Opening my eyes, I released my right hand from the super watch and, in one motion, activated the web-slinging power-up in both of my hands. The sticky web-like substance shot out from my hands, up and away towards the top of the tower.

“Come on, stick!” I frustratingly seethed. The web felt like it was taking forever to reach the top. Finally, it gave me one last time to think before life flashed before my eyes.

This was it, I thought to myself. There’s no going back. I made my choice, and now I have to live with it. For however long I ha-

fwap!

“Hu-”

fwoosh!

========================================<>========================================

“Woah!” I shouted, opening my eyes in surprise. The web string latched onto the tower’s top and lifted me back into the air. The rush of displaced air made my arm hairs tingle, a sensation that felt…familiar.

It was a sensation I hadn’t felt in a while, flying high up into the night sky. Then, as I shot out another web, the excitement I got from the rush of adrenaline flowing in my bloodstream was terrific.

I had never felt so alive. Tears started to run down my cheek as I was overcome with joy.

“YEAA!!” I screamed, my pride bursting through my chest.

So much for being sneaky, the left side of my mind scoffed.

Oh, can it, will ya? the right side of my mind fired back. FREEDOM!!

My brain immediately told me to make my way over to Cloudsdale. The city was just overhead and to the left, appearing to be either heading toward Vanhoover or over the North Luna Ocean.

The thoughts, however, lingered on. This was my one shot, they said. So let’s make it count, Alex.

As I aimed my wrist at the cloud city, the webs kept shooting out of my hands, the strings trying to stick to the massive structure. Finally, one solid line caught onto the bottom, allowing me to reel myself in.

“Come on, don’t break. Don’t break!” I shouted nervously. I was almost at Cloudsdale’s lowest cloud, located right below the back of the factory walls.

“Bingo,” I commented. The line had finally gotten me close enough, to which I mimicked a whip crack and flipped up onto the cloud. As I landed on it, I immediately noticed how fluffy it felt. This gave me a second to catch my breath, allowing my feet to feel its silkiness and smoothness.

After a few minutes had passed, I shot a web up to the factory wall above and jumped upward. Then, grasping the structure, I clung onto it for dear life, knowing that if I were to drop now, it would surely mean game over for me.

“Okay, calm yourself, Alex,” I reassured myself. “Let’s just assess our current situation and environment, and we’ll go from there. Deep breaths….”

I took in a long, deep breath before exhaling loudly. As I looked around the factory’s exterior, I thought there should have been an exit door of some kind for me to get inside. And, sure enough, two body lengths away from me, a steel hatch was awaiting me.

I grinned to myself and slunk my way over slowly but surely. Finally, as I grasped onto the latch, I opened it with a grunt! Figuring that there must have been security somewhere and that any sudden movement could be caught on camera, I slyly snuck in between the door hatch without propping it open.

But it’s still nighttime, I remembered thinking, so I’m still good, right?

I entered the weather factory and felt safe for the first time in nearly a month. Safe from danger and not in harm’s way whatsoever.

“Safe and sound. Sounds…safe.”

Haha, my brain thought. As I turned to close the hatch, I took one last look at the world of Equestria, watching the moon slowly dip below the horizon’s line. I haven’t seen it from this angle…and never at this time of day….

It, truly, was breathtaking.

sigh “It’ll be alright, Alex,” I said under my breath. “Let’s get a move on be…b-be-for….”

shudder “Oh…noooo….”

A giant solar ball of flame appeared beyond the land’s horizon. The spherical titan rose slowly, making its way into the morning sky. I shuddered, knowing Princess Celestia had just awakened from her slumber, readying herself for today’s events.

But, little did she and ‘The Crown of Canterlot’ know, it would be much, MUCH different than anycreature would have expected it to go.

As I hurriedly closed the hatch, that thought crossed my mind again.

This was it, I thought deterministically. The adventure begins.

Author's Note

Hey guys, back at it again! So, Alex does it. He escapes. But for how long will he be free? The story, after all, is just getting started...

I appreciate everyone who has been keeping up to date and liking this story so far! It really means a lot to me. If you do have any questions, don't worry. I will be happy to provide as much info as I can without spoiling the future progress I have for this arc.

Next time I post, we will be meeting a reoccurring friend to Alex. One that has been there since the very beginning...

Okay. Buh bye! -Harpy

Edit: I revised this chapter on June 2nd, 2023. Hopefully, the attitude and tone of this new version will satisfy the story's perspective from now on. And these revisions do not affect the storyline past chapter 7. It only is focused on correcting the tone it first gave off when initially released.