Escape from Arora Ridge Quarry

The following morning, Zipp and Hitch sat in the hide watching intently as the Griffons were escorted from their hut. However, both quickly realised this was no normal morning.

“Wait, they’re not splitting them up,” Hitch blinked. “They’re escorting them somewhere in one big group.”

“Something has to be up,” Zipp agreed as she stared through her binoculars. “Where are they taking them?”

They continued to observe as the Griffons were all escorted down towards Level Zero.

Hitch frowned in confusion. “Maybe they’re being taken to the wash?”

“I dunno,” Zipp grumbled. “I’m sure they went the other day.”

Their confusion grew when the Hippogriffs and the Ponies emerged from their huts and were escorted down towards Level Zero.

Zipp scowled into her binoculars as she watched, “Yeah, this isn’t normal at all.”

Hitch gasped as he lowered his binoculars and looked worriedly at Zipp. “You don’t think Allura could be onto us?”

Zipp frowned as she lowered hers and looked back at Hitch. “I’m not sure,” she admitted. “I’m sure Twitch didn’t find anything in the watchtower. But this can’t be good.”

Sprout felt the same way as he followed the others down the trails towards Level Zero. The burned-out watchtower and the fact they hadn’t seen Misty the previous night filled him with a sense of dread.

Eventually, he and the other Ponies were ushered into a pen. As he looked around, he quickly realised it was the one where they’d first met Allura.

Sure enough, he spotted Allura standing on the pedestal that overlooked all the pens. Her eyes were narrowed as she surveyed the scene before her, watching intently as all the creatures arrived.

Then as his eyes followed the pedestal down to the ground, Sprout did a double take. Stood at the base of the pedestal were Sunny and a very tired and dishevelled-looking Sugar. However, they weren’t alone, they were both escorted by two Nirik which held chains connected to their bridles.

As the creatures all waited, a low murmuring sound started rising from the pens. Sprout gasped as Minty suddenly whispered in his ear. “What’s going on?”

“Quiet,” Sprout hissed. “You’ll get us in trouble.”

Minty scowled as she looked around before her eyes widened with excitement. “Is that Sunny Starscout over there?”

“Yes,” Sprout whispered crossly. “Now stop. Allura’s looking agitated enough as it is.”

For once Sprout was correct, Allura’s scowl deepened as she looked around, her ear twitching in annoyance.

“SILENCE!” she roared. “The next creature I hear whispering will feel my wrath!”

A hushed silence fell, and a feeling of foreboding emanated from the creatures as they all anxiously waited with bated breath. Whatever was going on, it was clear Allura was serious.

As the last gate was locked, Allura scowled as she looked over and addressed all the creatures.

“It seems some of you take me for a fool!” she bellowed, her voice echoing around the entire Quarry. “I’m aware that things have been happening outside of the routine and I know there are at least a Hippogriff and a Griffon that are working against me. I’m going to give you a chance to come forward. Let yourselves be known and nothing will happen.”

She paused as she eyed up the Hippogriffs and Griffons. Slowly, the muffled sounds of whispers once again filled the air.

“SILENCE!” she thundered, baring her teeth in anger. “Well, now you’ll all find out what happens when you cross me! From this point onwards, your food rations will be halved! No more water will be provided at the digging or unloading sites. Anycreature found slacking will be dealt with.”

Cries of dismay rippled throughout the crowds of creatures. Allura growled and was about to get the Nirik to silence them when a voice shouted out. “Nocreature knows what you’re talking about! You’re paranoid!”

Allura’s eyes bulged as she let out a snarling roar of anger, whirring around towards the Griffons. “Nirik! Situation Fifty, bring the one who said that to me!”

She snarled as she watched two Nirik pull Giselle from the crowd of Griffons before preparing to jump from her pedestal.

However, as she looked down to do so, she spotted how Sunny and Sugar reacted. A look of surprise crossed their features before they both worriedly looked at each other.

“Interesting,” Allura smirked before finally jumping.

She plummeted towards the ground, waiting until the last moment to flair her wings and land gracefully. Her eyes narrowed as she glanced towards Sunny and Sugar, interested to see their reactions if she did so.

She wasn’t disappointed, as soon as she looked in their direction, they both gasped and stood bolt-upright in surprise before trying to look as innocent as possible.

Satisfied, Allura looked towards where Giselle was being extracted from the pen, her lips curling into a sly smirk. “Very interesting, time to set an example.”

Giselle grunted as the two Nirik held her aloft in their levitation. She struggled in vain, flailing her legs and wings as she was brought towards Allura. Then, she was deposited on the ground at Allura’s paws, grunting as the Nirik pushed down on her back, forcing her to kneel.

“You’re chasing shadows,” Giselle grunted boldly. “No creature would dare oppose you.”

“Really, yet here you are talking back to me,” Allura sneered as she leaned in towards Giselle’s ear. “Let’s see what you know.”

Giselle’s eyes widened as Allura began purring. She grunted, narrowing her eyes and grimacing as she resisted.

Feeling the resistance, Allura’s eyes widened in surprise. She leaned in closer, intensifying her purring as she fought against Giselle’s defences. Probing and pushing as she tried to force her powers into her mind.

Giselle gritted her teeth as her body trembled and convulsed with effort. Then, she closed her eyes as she let out a cry of exertion.

Eventually, Allura gasped as she gave in. Panting, she took a step back in surprise before snarling in annoyance. “How?! How dare you resist! You MUST be hiding something!”

Giselle gasped as she fell to the floor in a heap and lay panting as she recovered. However, it wasn’t long before her eyes narrowed, and she looked up at Allura with defiance. “I’m not hiding anything, no Griff would ever let anycreature into their mind like that!”

Allura growled and snarled in rage, lifting one of her paws towards Giselle’s forehead as it began glowing blue. “Very well, this is what happens to creatures who resist!”

Giselle blinked with confusion as she looked at the paw. Suddenly, a blast of icy wind erupted from it, making her shriek in surprise. She tried to escape, jumping up as the icy wind bombarded her but she was far too slow.

A layer of blue-tinted ice formed around her entire body in seconds. Completely encasing her from head to tail and freezing her in place like a statue.

Inside, Giselle couldn’t breathe, see or hear. She grunted as she desperately tried to free herself, the layer of ice groaning and even began to crack from her efforts.

However, Allura was ready for this. She continued her icy bombardment, walking around and blasting the icy wind from multiple angles. It didn’t take long for her to create a huge cube of blue-tinted ice with Giselle trapped inside.

Still smirking, she lowered her paw and walked around, admiring her work and revelling in the reaction of shock from all the creatures.

However, it wasn't a feeling that Sunny shared, she scowled at Allura crossly before shouting boldly, “How is she supposed to breathe in there?!”

Suddenly, her anger was replaced with confusion as her Nirik escorts both snarled as they turned towards her. Their horns glowed as they both fired beams of magic at her.

Sunny gasped, she had no way of preventing the beams from hitting her. She cried out as sparks of magical energy rippled through her coat from the impacts, and grunted as she fell to one knee. She grimaced as she panted, slowly recovering from the onslaught.

“Thank you, Starscout, but I haven’t finished yet,” Allura sneered before smiling sweetly. “Although I knew I could rely on you to demonstrate what will happen if anycreature speaks from now on.”

The sound of whispers rippled through the creatures again as Allura leaned in towards the block of ice. She took a deep breath before blowing into it and melting a small amount to form a tube.

She kept blowing until the tube finally reached Giselle’s nostrils. She put her ear to the tube and a vile smirk crept onto her lips as she heard Giselle's desperate shallow gasps for breath.

Grinning, she turned towards the pens again. “Let this be a lesson not to cross me! This blue ice is special. It won’t melt, no matter how hot it gets. So, she will not hear, see, speak or move a muscle. Not until I want her to!”

Allura couldn’t help smirking wickedly as she surveyed the faces of the shocked and worried creatures. Seemingly revelling in the reaction before turning and looking pointedly at Sugar. “However, if those planning to escape come forward or are identified I may reconsider!”

Sugar met Allura’s gaze, ignoring the chill running down her spine. Despite her tired and bloodshot eyes, she looked back with silent defiance.

Beside her, Sunny silently rose to her hoofs. Scowling at Allura as she backed Sugar's decision to remain silent and defiant.

Slowly, Allura’s face contorted into a snarling scowl before she let out a howl of rage. “FINE! Nirik, Situation Fifty, bring Sugar Moonlight to me!”

Sugar gasped as her two Nirik escorts roughly pulled her forward. They brought her alongside Giselle’s ice block before attaching her escort chains to the ground. Unable to get away, she eyed up the ice expectantly. “Do your worst, Allura,” she muttered. “I can’t help you.”

Allura sneered crossly as she scowled at Sugar, “Oh no, you’ve helped plenty!”

She raised an accusing paw towards her before readdressing the creatures. “Know this, everything that is happening is Sugar Moonlight’s fault. She knows those I seek. However, her continual silence is the cause of your upcoming suffering.” She snarled as she strode towards Sugar. “But it is nothing compared to the suffering you’re going to endure.”

Sugar said nothing and closed her eyes. Fully aware she was powerless to stop whatever Allura was about to do.

This time, Allura raised both paws and slammed them together. There was a flash of white and blue as they collided before they began glowing an intense light blue. Then, she pointed both of them at Sugar before unleashing two blasts of icy wind at her.

Sugar took a deep breath as the icy winds hit her. Whereas Giselle was covered in a thin layer of ice that Allura then filled out into a block. This time, the winds instantly formed a large block of blue-tinted ice, completely trapping Sugar inside.

When she’d finished, Allura growled with annoyance as she glanced towards a dismayed-looking Sunny. “I only do this part for you, Starscout.”

Sunny couldn’t help sighing with relief as Allura began blowing into the ice. As she did with Giselle, she created a tube that ran to Sugar’s nose, allowing her a passage within which to breathe.

Stepping away, Allura scowled towards Sunny before she flared her wings and flew back up to her pedestal. After landing, she turned to address all the creatures one final time.

“If the Hippogriff and Griffon that are working against me come forward, everything will return to normal!” she shouted. “Let what has happened to the two creatures below be a warning. Step out of line and the same fate will befall you! I told you all before, you belong to the Quarry. The only way to leave is to quarry enough Arora Ore so that I can! Nirik! SITUATION FIFTY-SIX!”

With that, the Nirik opened the pens and began escorting the creatures back to work, ensuring they walked past where Sugar and Giselle had both been frozen.

Up in the hide, Zipp and Hitch had been watching with bated breath through their binoculars. They’d seen and heard everything and turned to each other in dismay.

“We need to step it up,” Hitch gasped. “We need to put an end to this.”

Zipp sighed. “Yeah, but I need to get back to Equestria to make the devices to overload the collars and stop the purr.”

“And Misty’s in no condition to move,” Hitch remembered. “She’s stuck in the cockpit whilst Feather Breeze treats her.”

Zipp groaned. “Exactly.”

Misty beamed as she looked around the Brighthouse kitchen. She was with all her friends, crowded around the table as they made pizzas together.

The middle of the table was covered in bowls of ingredients, tomatoes, olives, onion, and at least three kinds of grated cheese, to name only a few.

Positioned around the edge of the table were seven Pizza bases, all well in the process of being filled with various ingredients by the pony standing behind them.

Sparky was overjoyed, he whooped and hollered as he jumped from bowl to bowl, eagerly tasting each of the ingredients.

“Sparky, No!” Hitch said sternly. “You need to save room for your pizza!”

Sparky looked at Hitch with a mischievous expression. Sticking out his tongue and blowing a raspberry before picking up one of the bowls and running off with it.

“Sparky! Come back,” Hitch cried in dismay as he ran after the little dragon.

After watching Sparky leading Hitch on a merry chase around the room. Sunny and Izzy looked at each other in amusement before they both started laughing.

Meanwhile, Zipp gasped as Pipp leaned over the top of her pizza to grab one of the bowls. “Oh no you don’t!” she cried as she pushed her sister away.

Pipp laughed as she overbalanced, her flank landing with a ‘flump’ on the floor. “What am I supposed to do when you keep hogging all the clover!”

Misty giggled at her friends’ antics as she happily sprinkled chopped mushrooms on her pizza. That done, she set the bowl down before surveying the other ingredients, unsure what she wanted to add next.

“Aww, no anchovies,” a disappointed-sounding voice said. “You know they were my favourite.”

Misty gasped and looked around desperately for the source of the voice. She looked back at her friends, but they suddenly seemed to be moving in slow motion. Then the whole room started turning grey as though the colour was draining out of it. Her eyes widened in horror as everything started feeling oddly distant, “W...What’s happening?!”

“Aww, poor little Misty is all alone. Just like when we met!”

Misty gasped in horror as she finally recognised the voice. “O...Opaline!”

“You’ve only just remembered me? I’m shocked! How could you forget me so quickly after all I did for you.”

“You did nothing for me!” Misty shouted crossly. “You’re not really here.”

“What do you mean?” Opaline’s voice said sweetly. “I rescued you. I took care of you. I raised you.”

Misty’s eyes narrowed. “NO!" she yelled as she stamped a hoof on the floor. "You didn’t rescue me. You abducted me! You never cared for me. You used me!”

“I never used you, Misty. You never let me, you never got anything right! You’re a failure!”

Misty's eyes widened in horror. “W...What. N....No....I...”

“You’re useless, Misty. You can’t get anything right. Even the simplest thing! You're USELESS!”

Misty cowered as she desperately gasped for air, her eyes wide in horror.

“You can’t get anything right, Misty. You’re a failure. A screw-up!”

“No! No, I’m not!” Misty gasped as she desperately looked towards her friends for support.

However, they continued to move in slow motion as they laughed and joked happily together. Seemingly completely unaware of Misty’s plight.

“You don’t belong with them.”

Misty gasped again before anger slowly started building inside her and she narrowed her eyes with determination. “Yes. I. DO!” She shouted. “They’re my friends! They believe in me!”

“I believe in you too, Misty,” another voice said softly.

Misty gasped as she recognised the voice and looked around desperately. “Feather Breeze?”

“No! She doesn’t believe in you. Nopony does!” Opaline’s voice yelled desperately.

“Yes, I do,” Feather Breeze said as she suddenly within a halo of light.

“Feather Breeze,” Misty gasped. “I...Is that really you?”

“NO! NO, IT’S NOT!” Opaline’s voice roared.

“It is and it isn’t, but that isn’t important,” Feather Breeze smiled. “You saved me, Misty. Now, I’ll save you. Take my hoof, come back to us.”

Misty blinked with confusion; she didn’t understand. However, she walked towards Feather Breeze’s outstretched hoof.

“NO!” Opaline’s voice yelled desperately. “You’re a screw-up, Misty! You’re useless! You can’t get anything right!”

“You’re not real,” Misty said calmly. “And neither is any of this.”

Feather Breeze smiled and nodded as Misty took her hoof.

A blinding light suddenly emitted from their hoofs, engulfing them both. Then, Misty’s world went black.