“Past…”

The ponies entered the hall of the Orange Estate. They were led by a house servant. Most of the ponies were in shades of oranges with orange themed cutie marks.

One of the ponies was an orange colt not old enough to have a cutie mark. He clung to a light red mare with a strawberry colored mane. Her cutie mark a glob of pink yogurt.

“Tangerine and Strawberry Cream…”

Tangerine looks nervously at all the adult ponies and never felt more out of place.

“I don’t want to be here, Can’t you handled this like everything else?” He whispered to Strawberry Cream.

“No, you’re old enough to start handling your own state hood affairs,” Strawberry Cream told the colt. She then hugs him. “Don’t worry I’m still here to help you. Keep in mind I’ve been running things in your house ever since your mother die giving birth and your father never returned from the Wildlands.”

“Thank you,” Tangerine said.

After a few minutes all the lords of the Orange Family started to settle and talk to each other.

The servant mare that led the ponies into the room speaks up. “The master will be here in a minute N-now will you excuse me.” She was shaking heavily and had trouble speaking loudly. When she walked out of the room the mare had left a puddle of urine behind.

Some of the stallions laughed and smirked making comments about how she must be looking to be rutted.

“Wait, that doesn’t smell like sex urine?” A pony points out, “That’s fear!”

“Hello you bastards!” A voice shouts causing all the ponies to turn to the room’s entry way.

A large Earth Pony mare with a fox orange coat and fox red mane. Her muzzle and flintlocks were colored white. She held a bit with strings attached to her by her mouth.

“My name is Claymari of the House of Black Apples born in the Dore House of Kings!” The pony shouted, “You Oranges allowed the House of Black Apples to be killed by Zebra! All of you are responsible for the death of my family! I placed explosive mines under the boards at your feet! Now I will be responsible for your deaths as well as your own. You may be standing on a mine and if you move it might go off starting a chain reaction.”

Claymari bites down on the bit and turns away. The strings tighten and the doors slam shut. The pins pull out of many mines.

For a moment no pony moved. Even if they survive no one would know where it started first. The room explodes from everywhere.

When Tangerine awoke he couldn’t feel his back legs. Bodies of ponies were everywhere. Some were screaming in pain.

Tangerine was too focused to scream as he crawled to the body of Strawberry Cream. She wasn’t moving.

“Strawberry!” The colt yelled at the mare.

An explosion of a mine randomly going off caused Tangerine to turn. He quickly brings his attention back to the mare.

“Strawberry!” The colt cried shaking the body with his forehooves again, teared eye he speaks again from his heart. “Mom! Get up!”

A click came from under the body. Tangerine’s heart froze as the body explodes in front of him.

“Now…”

Zero slowly slides the balefire egg* from the pedestal and replaces it with a heavy bag of sand.

“*A small Equestrian radioactive bomb…”

Several feet behind Zero a group of ponies and a green Manticore gives him a nervous look. One pony was Philia. As for the other two ponies, one was a living scarecrow dressed like a clown. The other was a mare made of metal.

They appeared to be in some kind of dungeon with large dark gray bricks.

Zero waited to see what happens to the pedestal before putting the egg in his saddle bag and turns around. Before he completely turns away from it, the pedestal starts to shake. It takes a metallic color and turns into the upper half of a pony.

“Hey! Who put a bag on my head!” The pony remarks. She looks past Zero and sees the fellow metallic pony behind him. “Muto? Is that you? Who are these…” The metallic pony went wide eyed. “Intruders!”

“Run!” The Manticore screams turning and running down the steps.

“No you fool!” The Scarecrow shouted at him.

“Ugh,” Philia rolls her eyes.

“It’s not what you think,” Muto tries to tell the other metallic pony.

“Intruders!” The pony repeated.

“Okay it’s what you think,” Muto said before turning and running.

Blocks started raising up from the floor, walls and ceiling. They take the form of ponies who start moaning and pointing at the intruders. The Scarecrow, Philia and Zero all start running down the stairs.

“You said you knew what you were doing!” Philia snaps at Zero as the metallic ponies starts to chase after them.

“I do, I’ve done this with my mother lots of times” Zero replied.

“Then what now genius?” Philia snaps.

“At this point we usually have some kind of ride of neighdeath,” Zero answered.

“What’s that supposed to mean!” Philia shouted.

Suddenly the floor gives way below them turning the stairs into a slide. The Scarecrow and Philia slide away as Zero was already flying in the air fell behind. The Pegasus then shrugs and closes his wings dropping to the ground and slides down the slide.

They all crash into a pit of changing metallic ponies. The ponies quickly restrains them and dragged the intruders outside.

Zero felt his saddlebag get removed from his body as he and his companions except for Muto are tied to stakes. Muto being a shape shifter like the others had to be personally restrained by two metallic ponies.

“All of you are charged with trying to steal our sacred relic,” One of the metallic ponies told them, “What do you have to say for yourselves?”

“Jabberwocky,” Philia smiled as a storm cloud clattered behind them.

“What did you say?” The metallic pony raised an eyebrow.

“Jabberwocky!” Philia shouted as lightning struck behind her her horn a glow.

From out of the clouds came up both dragon like yet not dragon like beast of storm cloud and metal. His claws was like lightning is breath like a twister.

The sight of the thing made all the metallic ponies run back to their tower. In the commotion Muto wrestles the saddlebag from one of her fellow metallic ponies. Once the bag in her possession she quickly frees the prisoners.

The Jabberwocky lands next to Philia and she strokes it on the snout. “Good girl,”

“You do realize it is a hermaphrodite right?” Scarecrow points out.

“I prefer she,” Philia growls at him.

“Think you! Think you! Think you!” Manticore started kissing Muto’s feet as soon as she freed him.

Muto turns to Zero, “Here,” She says giving him back his saddlebag.

“I guess we go back to town now,” Zero replied.

“Elsewhere…”

Tangerine steps out of his front door. The young stallion was covered in scars. One of his hindlegs was missing. A jagged scar ran down his neck. His foreleg was functional but mangled with large scars and chunks of meat missing from it. The mangled leg was supported by a brace.

The stallion walks up to his mail box at the front of his house. As he takes out the mail and sorts through it, a sight of a pony makes him drop his letters.

A large orange mare with a white muzzle and red mane walks down the road. She had with her two Pegasus, a yellow Bat Pony, A dark pink Crystal Pony, A green Cat Pony and a Green Earth Pony with to foals. There was also a light blue of the pony that looked familiar.

“Welcome to Pink Alice the trading post of the Western border of East Apple Country,” Claymari announced smugly.

“I still feel bad about abandoning our boat,” Metalance points out.

“Yeah, We could have made a prophet selling that thing,” Catfish adds.

“That would have caused to much of a commotion,” Claymari points out.

“Keep in mind Claymari is still a wanted criminal in this country and East Apple Country is the place that wants her neck,” Winkz points out, “Until we find Smart Cookie and Pudding Head she is in danger.” The Crystal Pony points at Ponyville and La Dawn. “It’s bad enough that they are with us plus the other mixed travelers we got.”

“Not that I need to hide my self,” La Dawn stated putting his hooves on his chest. “I’ am La Dawn, I maybe a Pegasus but I’m still a part of the Earth Nation noble family and well known in these parts.” He gives a wink to Claymari. “But I am not one to leave a lady out to dry.”

“In more ways than one,” Vanilla said flatly.

“I guess you’re feeling up to your old tricks,” Metalance smiles.

“My dear,” La Dawn takes Metalance’s hooves, “This young stallion has some new tricks.

Metalance giggles and blushes.

“Perhaps with Pot Shell and La Dawn vouching for you they’d let you pass?” Metalance suggested.

Pot Shell makes a glance at Claymari turning his head away.

“You seem to be in a mood,” Catfish remarks to the young stallion.

“Sorry, I’m kind of worried about my sister still back in the city,” Pot Shell wipes a tear from his eye, “Why couldn’t we save her!”

Catfish pats Pot Shell on the back, “As we told you she sacrificed her freedom so that we could leave.”

Pot shell turns away from the green mare.

“Halt!”

“I didn’t do it!” Ponyville shouted as an armored ponies stopped them.

“Didn’t do what?” The pony asked demandingly.

“I don’t know you’re the one that stopped us?” Ponyville answered.

“What makes you think we stopped you for doing something?” The guard points his spear at the brown Pegasus.

Ponyville nibbles on her lip in thought. “Well you stopped us for one, Second people always go up to me and goes Fag your doing something queer again.”

“Wait your name is Fag?” Catfish quickly points out.

“No, my name sounds like Fag so they call me that because of my queer disposition,” Ponyville answers, “In retrospect I think I like the name Ponyville better? Maybe I’m not sure?”

“I do too,” Pot Shell whispers to Ponyville.

Claymari steps in to defused the situation. “I’m miss Rounds a mercenary escorting refugees my Pegasus friends are also mercenaries.

“Yes,” La Dawn nods his head, “I’m Le Dusk and this is my wife Ponyville.” The Pegasus stallion wraps his forehoof around Ponyville and pulls the mare up to his body.

“Your touching me, I don’t like to be touched,” Ponyville replied in an indifferent tone.

The guard stallion raised an eyebrow at this. “You’re married?”

“She has issues but I love her,” La Dawn shook his head as if speaking from the heart. “We didn’t want to live under the rule of our Queen. So we decided to leave our country in the sky. Being Pegasus we thought we could fake being mercenaries and make some easy money escorting ponies from one place to another and swiftly retire. But it was for not as we soon found ourselves over our heads and had to be saved by the large and brutish lady over there.”

“So your refugees,” The guard pony points out.

“We are,” Metalance motions to herself, Catfish and the foals.

“Arrest them!”

They turn to see Tangerine running or briskly limping up.

“Lord Tangerine,” The guard said in shock.

“That’s Claymari!” Tangerine points at the orange mare.

As the town guard reacted, Claymari had drawn her sword sliced a guard in the shoulder and put her blade up against the throat of the other.

“None of you move!” Claymari shouted, “If you do, I’ll slice his head off and kill the one closest to me.”

“Ahh! I’m bleeding!” The cut guard screamed.

“Err, blood and I don’t like blood and screams I don’t like screams,” Ponyville starts fidgeting with the bandages on her forelegs.

“Cousin Tangerine it’s me Pot you don’t have to do this!” Pot Shell cried.

“Pot yes it’s been a while,” Tangerine nodded his head.

La Dawn steps forward, “I am La Dawn brother to Smart Cookie under my sister’s orders Claymari has a momentary pardon for her crimes.”

“I thought you said you are Le Dusk?” The guard pony points out then pauses and speaks, “Never mind I see it now.”

“Well your sister isn’t here is she?” Tangerine points out snarling his nose at the Pegasus, “And these soldiers are under my control, my word is law.”

“That’s it this stallion’s life is forfeit,” Claymari readies to swing.

“Please don’t kill me!” The stallion cried.

“Claymari don’t do this!” Metalance demands reaching for the sword at her side.

Claymari sighs and lowers her blade. “I am not one to senselessly turn on my own party.”

The guards quickly shackled the mare.

“But be warned what happens next to me is on you,” Claymari told Metalance as she was tied up. Claymari then turns to Tangerine. “I regret saving your worthless life.”

“Saved my life! You should of let me died!” Tangerine shouted.

“Past…”

Tangerine was flung back into the field by the explosion. The small body flying through the air catches Claymari’s attention.

“What the? Was that a foal?” Claymari said to herself noting the object landing nearby.

“Mommy what was that noise?” Claymari hears the young Phillia’s voice as she turns to look at the bloody body of the young colt.

Claymari found herself locked into a memory.

“Mommy! Mommy!” Her daughter Eponi cried as the Zebra held her down. Claymari watched in horror as her own flesh and blood let loose a horrible shriek as her hindleg was pulled from her body. The Zebra let the filly go along enough to stumble and fall to the ground. When she hit the ground they swiftly ripped one of her forelegs off.

“No stop!” Claymari remembers herself shouting is the Zebra laughed and licked up her daughter’s blood. Next they did the tail, then finished off all the legs. The whole time the filly cried for her mother to her last breath.

“Sorry ma’am,” The maid mare spoke waking Claymari out of her stupor. “The filly just got away from me.”

“It’s okay Poly,” Claymari told her

“What happened to that colt?” Philia points at the ripped apart and bloody body laying in the told grass.

Without notice Claymari found herself emptying the contents of her stomach onto the ground. “Why did there have to be children?” She mutters, “I wasn’t expecting children to be in there.”

“Ma’am?” The maid called Poly spoke up again hoping to get a command.

“Take him with us,” Claymari wiped the bile from her lips.

“Now…”

“What about the others?” The guard pony asked Tangerine.

“I suppose that depends on who they are?” Tangerine notes, “La Dawn and Pot Shell should be safe to go ahead if they does not cause us any trouble.”

“What about the female Pegasus?” A guard pony asked.

“I’m a spy from Pegalopolis so I’m not really a threat,” Ponyville said expressing herself with her hoof. She stops to think for a moment. “I don’t think I should of told you that?”

“I suspect that she suffers from delusions caused by war trauma,” La Dawn said nervously.

“I’m part of the army,” Metalance told him, “I left the Capital City with part of my family.”

“Sir, I remember hearing stories that Claymari entered the country with a Crystal Pony and a Bat Pony,” The guard pony points out.

“And that’s our cue to leave,” Winkz says as she scoots up next to Vanilla and teleports away with the pony.

“See how your friends abandon you?” Tangerine laughs.

“Sorry Claymari,” Metalance said to the orange mare.

“I don’t blame you this isn’t your fight,” Claymari sighed.

“I’m keeping the female Pegasus as well,” Tangerine stated as the guard ponies instantly grab Ponyville.

Ponyville instantly shrieks, “Oh! No! Don’t touch me! You’re invading my personal space! Please stop!” Tears rolled down the pony’s face as she screamed.

“Stop that there is no need to bind her! Can’t you see your being cruel!” La Dawn shouted.

“She could just as easily be putting on an act,” Tangerine points out.

“Trust me she’s damaged it’s not an act,” La Dawn told them.

Once the guard ponies finished shackling the Pegasus mare, they backed off from her. The Pegasus tips her head down low and flaps to the ground sobbing fetally.

“Okay take them away,” Tangerine ordered.

One of the guard ponies leads Claymari away, As the injured guard goes over to Ponyville. He touches her on the shoulder and she lets loose a piercing scream that caused him the close the flaps of his ears.

“Perhaps we should get some more guards, I don’t think I can handle her?” The pony suggested to Tangerine.

“Bring some more ponies!” Tangerine shouted to the pony taking Claymari away as they walked down the road.

“Come on Pony go with the stallion,” Catfish says as gently as she could to the curled up pony.

Ponyville replied with a noise that may have been “No,” or just a whine.

The injured guard pony reaches out for Ponyville. Suddenly the mare lashes out biting him on the leg. He yelps in pain and pulls away as blood runs down the bite marks on his foot.

“The bitch bit me!” He stated looking at the bleeding wound.

Other ponies of the town guard came running up.

“What’s the matter?” One of the ponies asked.

“This one’s being unruly,” The injured pony points at Ponyville, “We’re going to have to drag her to the jail.”

“She’s just having a panic attack, please give her a minute!” Catfish shouted.

Two town guards walked around to each side of Ponyville and reach to lift her up. She instantly bucks away and tries to bolt. Her legs being bound she falls over on her side. But as she hit the ground the mare let loose a shriek, spins around and bucks one of the ponies in the chest with her hindlegs. He was flung back and knocked unconscious.

“Holy crap! How did you even get the shackles on her?” One of the town guards remarks to the injured pony.

“She became this aggressive after rebound her,” He answered.

“Get some rope we are going to have to hogtie this one!” The guard shouted.

Ponyville tries to flap her wings to take off to the air. A lasso wrapped around her hindlegs binding them even tighter. Ponyville found herself falling to ground. She pounds at the ground with her forehoof and charges headfirst into the nearest enemy pony. She hits her target as a lasso wraps around her neck.

“Shit she’s strong!” The pony holding the rope around Ponyville’s neck shouts as he has trouble staying up on his feet.

The bunch of ponies finally managed to successfully wrestle Ponyville to the ground and bind her to securely with all four legs together and a rope over her muzzle. Unable to move the mare went catatonic again.

Metalance glares at the town guard ponies, “To have you know that was unnecessary.” She told them.

“At least two of our men are going to the infirmary because of her,” The guard leader snaps as they drug Ponyville away.

“Now that that’s over, I suggest you to leave this town as quickly as possible,” Tangerine told them, “If you want to stay there is an inn not too far from here.” Tangerine walks away.

Metalance sighs “So what are we going to do?”

“Well Winkz and umm… Vanilla? Bailed on us,” Pot Shell points out, “Perhaps La Dawn should fly ahead and inform my aunt on what happened.”

La Dawn shakes his head, “No, at this point Smart Cookie is most likely going to leave Claymari to hang. This part of the country is our strongest support. Interfering would be like shooting yourself in the foot.”

“So even if Claymari had made it to Smart Cookie’s base of operations she would had her arrested anyway,” Pot Shell points out.

“Yes very likely,” La Dawn answered.

“Okay but should we help her?” Metalance asked.

“Concerning Claymari, you guys can do what you want,” La Dawn told them, “On the other hoof it would be smart for Pot Shell and I to directly stay out of the Claymari affair. I will focus my efforts on freeing mademoiselle Ponyville though.”

“Yes, helping Claymari could only cause trouble for us at the moment,” Metalance said thoughtfully, “But my conscious says I should.”

“But keep in mind the fact of Winkz and that other pony,” La Dawn points out, “Perhaps they have their own plans and ideas to help Claymari.”

“Knowing them they most likely to have a breakout plan for Claymari,” Pot Shell notes.

“Yeah, because of that my suggested course of action is to stand back and wait to see where this goes,” La Dawn says.

“Pink Alice jail…”

Claymari sat in a pile of hay laid about on the cell floor. They tossed Ponyville in the room with her and was in the middle of cutting the ropes that bound her legs.

As soon as she was cut free, Ponyville jumps up making a sound that’s unlike a cross between a squeal and a whine. She then starts pacing around the cell frantically.

“Let me out! Let me out!” Ponyville shouts clawing at the walls.

“It’s no use digging at the wall,” The guard pony laughed that Ponyville’s efforts, “You’ll ware your hooves down before you’d even make a dent.”

Ponyville replies with an inaudible comment that seemed to be about her hooves.

“The Inn…”

“Okay, once we are done eating we can figure out what we’re going to do for lodging, Pot Shell and I will head down to the jail and try to straighten out as much as we can,” La Dawn tells the others.

“Well I think we have enough money for two rooms,” Catfish told them as she counts through their pooled money. “I wish we packed enough bits for a trip.”

“Catfish?” A voice gets their attention. Everyone turns to see a small Cat Pony with a lock being picked by a claw cutie mark.

“Petty Kitty?” Catfish reacted from the chance meeting.

“Petty Kitty? She is one of Claymari’s companions?” Metalance points out.

“Yes, she was with Philia and Zero,” Catfish answers.

“Wait does that mean Philia and Zero are here?” Metalance replied.

Petty Kitty gets a nervous look on her face. “I’m not with Philia or Zero right now.”

“But you know where they are at?” Metalance asked.

“It’s of grave importance,” Pot Shell adds.

“Claymari has been arrested,” La Dawn adds as well.

“Well I suppose they should be back sooner or later,” Petty Kitty blushed, “Me and Zero are in a phase that we are not speaking. He and Philia took off on some adventure and I decided to remain here and be a barmaid for a while.”

“Typical,” Metalance complains.

“At least we are closer to our task then previously thought,” La Dawn points out.

“So why are you working as a barmaid again? Don’t you have a magic space suit or something?” Catfish asked.

“Yes, but we left so quickly that that got left behind,” Petty Kitty answered, “Then Applejack decided that it was best to self destructive it just in case some unsavory force got a hold of it and somehow figures how to use the thing to enter her world and attack it. Ironically without the suit this thing can’t talk to her anymore.” Petty Kitty pointed at the pipbuck on her wrist. “It still works though.”

Then everyone hears a murmuring from outside and a gathering crowd. Suddenly a pony steps into the inn and calls out. “They have arrested Claymari and they are bringing her out to the square!”

“That’s not good,” La Dawn says as everybody gets up to head out the door.

They caught up to the ponies at the town square. They could see a platform with a set of punishment racks in the middle of it. It didn’t take long for Claymari to come into view with two guards escorting her. They hook her up to the racks. Her head and forehooves was bound by one rack as her hindlegs and tail was bound by the other.

“I guess they are not executing her yet,” Metalance points out, “That’s a relief.”

Tangerine hobbles onto the stage, the excited crowd grows quiet as he takes his place. “Ladies and gentlemen I hold before you the criminal Claymari. Some of you may remember the crime she did to us, to me in our weakest hour. In one fell swoop she killed most of this region’s leaders leaving us weak. A weakness that allowed the Zebra and the Pegasus to swoop in and attack us killing hundreds if not thousands of ponies. How many of our brothers, sisters, fathers and children died because of her actions!”

The crowd was getting more excited and riled up at the speech Tangerine was giving them.

“Perhaps we shouldn’t stay in this town,” Catfish whispers to Metalance, “Who knows what these ponies may do to us if they find out we traveled with Claymari.”

Metalance nods her head, “Take the children out of here, if you ride all day you could easily make it there.”

Catfish quickly leaves the crowd to go back to the inn.

“This isn’t good,” Petty Kitty mutters to herself, “Zero, Philia comeback soon.”

“Since I know how much this mare has wronged we the people I have put her out on public display for punishment,” Tangerine told the crowd before turning to Claymari. “How are you feeling my dear?”

“You’re a vindictive bastard,” Claymari gritted through her teeth.

“You made me this way mare,” Tangerine says turning away from Claymari, “In a way you could call me your son, your begotten son.”

“Past…”

Claymari chews on the end of a piece of dried wheat as she watches the bandage colt walk out into the field with crutches. Philia pounced around him laughing as she chased down late summer dragonflies and other insects.

“Come on Tangerine play!” Philia cooed.

Tangerine replied with a weak smile as he kicked loose a rabbit from a bushel of grass. Philia sees the rabbit and chases after it.

A grayish blue mare with a quill drawing a spiral on her flank gives Claymari an unhappy look as she watched the two foals.

“Poly Tale…”

“So how long are you going to keep this up?” The mare asked.

“Keep what up?” Claymari replied.

“This game you’re playing with yourself,” Poly Tale answered, “I know you want to play mother, it’s bad enough that you keep the filly with yah. But keeping that colt around cannot lead to anything good.”

“Yaop!”

The mares heard Philia yelp. They rushed out to the field to see what it was. The sight they came upon made them gasp.

Philia’s leg had fell into a rabbit hole causing the young pony to hit the ground and sprain her ankle. But as soon as the filly hit the ground Tangerine picked up a rock and smashed it over her head causing blood to gush out.

Claymari’s first instinct was to knock the offending colt aside and rush over to her badly bleeding daughter. She held the filly up to her chest her blood staining into her coat and weep as Tangerine laughed.

“I hope she’s dead! You hear me! I hope she’s dead!” The colt shouted.

“Now…”

Tangerine walks off the stage.

One of the town guard ponies steps forward, “You know the rules stay behind the markers to ensure your safety.”

As soon as the pony walked away a rock was flung at Claymari. After that came an apple and a cabbage.

The voices of two ponies could be heard over the crowd.

“Apples! Apples! Nice half rotten apples! Good for throwing!” A gray pony with a satin black mane and a couple of gold bits for his cutie mark calls out.

“Honest Dollar…”

“Razor blades! Razor blades! For when throwing apples just aren’t enough!” A green pony with an olive black mane and a bottle of tonic for his cutie mark shouts as well.

“Apple Tonic…”

“Don’t you think the razor blades are a little too much friend?” Honest Dollar remarks.

“It’s never too much to take an advantage of an opportunity?” Apple Tonic replied then calls out to the crowd, “Buy two packs and get a coupon for oranges.”

“But I’m selling the oranges?” Honest Dollar points out.

“And you’re going to honor all the coupons right Honest old boy? Apple Tonic smiles.

An apple hits Claymari in the face and blood starts running down her forehead. La Dawn sees this and starts rushing over to her.

“Get away from me you fool!” Claymari snaps at him.

“I cannot allow this travesty to happen to a mare?” La Dawn says to her.

“I’ll be fi-neigh!” Claymari lets loose a whinny.

“Mommy I hit her in the butt hole!” A little filly shouted from behind Claymari.

“Be a stallion, save Ponyville and get the others out of here!” Claymari snapped.

La Dawn nods his head and backs away.

“What did she say?” Petty Kitty asked as La Dawn approached.

“We need to leave her alone, I can’t watch this,” La Dawn says as he walks past Petty Kitty. “If I didn’t have to worry about Ponyville being locked away I would stop this right now.”

“Perhaps I should come with you to the jail,” Metalance suggests to the Pegasus.

“That case I will go leave with the Cat Pony and the foals,” Pot Shell turns to Petty Kitty, “Perhaps you should make your leave with us as well?”

Petty Kitty nods her head in agreement.

La Dawn and Metalance heads down to the jail. When they got there the guard was giving them an uneasy and nervous look.

“Please tell me you have some release papers,” He begged the ponies.

“Why what’s the matter?” Metalance asked.

“The mare, she’s being very creepy,” The guard answered.

From inside the cell Ponyville was pawing at the seams of the back wall. She scratched the wall so feverishly that she wore way her forehooves and the wall was covered in her blood.

At the sight La Dawn fell into a rage and hooks the guard’s tunic with his hoof and yanked the stallion forward. “You’ve been letting her do that to herself!” He snapped.

“Sorry, I’m the only pony here right now,” The guard said in reply, “I would restrain her but she won’t turn her flank away from the cell door. Any pony can put another pony out of commission or kill them with a good strong kick with their back legs. She already bucked two of my friends to the infirmary.”

“Then let me in to talk to her,” La Dawn shouted.

The guard thought over it for a moment then decides to do what he was told. As soon as he opened the cell door, La Dawn rushed in. The guard locks the door behind him.

“Ponyville!” He shouted to the mare.

“Leave me alone, I want to be left alone,” Ponyville snaps as she mutters.

“Stop!” La Dawn lunges forward and pulls back Ponyville’s hooves. He looks at the mare’s worn and bloody hooves. To his shock the wounds had an odd glow about them like burning paper only instead of disappearing the flesh was regenerating.

“Get away from me!” Ponyville shouted pushing La Dawn away and retreating to the opposite wall. She crouches hiding her hooves as she sobbed.

“What are you? Your wounds?” La Dawn said in shock.

“The blood is only an illusion,” Ponyville muttered as the blood stains on the wall disappeared in orange glitters of light.

“Back at the Town Square…”

Claymari lay lumply in the racks. By now her body was covered in bruises and small cuts. She stared down at the ground a wet sticky mane hanging off her face. A sliced open orange splatters her in the head and she winces in pain as the juice hits her wounds.

A bright violet light makes Claymari’s eyes wince. She looks up to see Winkz smiling at her.

“It’s nice to have this plan finally work for once,” Winkz remarks as she puts her hoof on Claymari and they both disappeared.

“Back at the jail…”

“Voices could be heard from outside…”

“I heard they captured one of Claymari’s companions and puts her in the jail!”

“She injured several guards too!”

“Let’s hang her up!”

“Hey wasn’t there others with Claymari?”

“Hang them too I say!”

“I am not paid enough to deal with this shit!” The guard turns to run.

“But you have the key!” Metalance shouts as a guard left the room.

“Metalance! Go back! Go back to that inn now! Make sure the others make it out all right!” La Dawn shouted through the bars.

“Maybe I can get you out!” Metalance shouted.

“Come here,” La Dawn orders Metalance.

Metalance steps forward and La Dawn grabs her through the bars and kisses her on the lips.

“Now go,” He whispers.

“Always the romantic,” Metalance smiles and runs out of the room.

“Elsewhere…”

Claymari found herself staring at an old cabin. “This place? Why did it have to be this place?”

“Claymari?” Philia steps toward her face look like her heart was breaking from the sight of the mare before her.

“Philia?” Claymari mutters before passing out.