The Day My Life Ended (Editing)

Chapter Twenty-Two (Revised)

''They didn't let me go alone, obviously. The moment I tried leaving home they all followed behind me.

The others kept looking over my shoulders. They didn't even have to do that. The plan was completely open and exposed on my map. All of their looks blocked the sight of the quickly moving pencil. Worse yet, they argued and yelled about shoulders in the eyes or taking their spot.

"Hey!" I shouted. The ponies all shut up. Finally, they could hear my voice as I spoke. "Anyway, like I was saying, then of course there's this entrance, and that one. If he's smart, he'll have filled the balcony with three of his guys. The stairs are beside the main entrance, so it's a mixed bag for safety along with an advantage." I scribbled another stickman by the door outline.

Caroline glanced back at me, then to her sister. "Do you know that much about Angelwood?"

Anna shook her head. "But Morgan's been at it longer than us. She'd know more."

"She knows the code for the roof access. I don't think Mrs Spencer knows that." Caroline pointed out.

"I learned the schedules for police officers in a building I planned on seeing in a worst case scenario." I pointed out, drawing more lines. "And you think I don't know every inch of a building I visit every day?"

Anna and Caroline blinked. "Good point."

Twilight leaned over my arm. She pointed at the page, at two stick figures. "What's that?"

I held back a sigh. She'd asked that earlier. "The stage."

"Oh. It's still that? I thought you-"

"No, that's the balcony." I pointed to it on the page. "The stage hasn't fucking moved."

"How do you know he'll stand there, though?" Dash asked.

"He kidnapped my daughter and brought her to my high school, just after school let out for the day. He's a dramatic bastard that wants to make a show of beating me. Obviously he'd pick the biggest room in our school." I reasoned.

Pinkie hopped up on my other side. The side by the door. I chose not to question it. "Where are we?"

Then I drew more figures, mostly outlines of their cutie marks. "There. Now-"

"We're almost there." Anna told us.

I nodded. "Okay, going over the plan again-"

"Yah haven't gone over it at all." Applejack pointed out.

"You're lucky I included you at all." I snapped. My jaw clenched, and the words came out as a harsh growl. The ponies tensed up. "Chamberlain wants to make this a dig at me, to punish me for breaking some rules I never learned. He doesn't expect me to bring you all along, because it's so unbelievably dangerous that it's insulting to bring people that only ever fixed problems by befriending them."

"We've punched ponies too!" Dash argued.

"I don't want to punch anyone." Fluttershy mumbled, brushing her hands through her hair. "Even if they're meanies, I don't like hurting anyone."

"Yep, that. Right there. See? It's be stupid to bring you so I'm bringing you because it'll give us a chance." I held up the paper. "Anna, Caroline, you make sure my parents are kept far away from that area. This time of day? Mom's waiting for parents to get their kids, and Dad is lesson planning."

"What about your brothers?" Anna asked. "They would still be there."

"My brothers are going home with classmates to work on a project." I answered, confident in that.