//------------------------------// // Chapter 16- ...Consequence... // Story: Castling Cozy Glow // by Silvermyr //------------------------------// "Tomtit, there is something wrong in my kitchen," Ramson said tiredly. Rumble swallowed. He already did not like where this was going. "I can sense it. I don't like something being wrong in my kitchen, because the slightest lapse in concentration is all it takes to turn a masterpiece worthy of the princess' palate into a disaster unfit for the rats." "Yes chef!" Rumble said. He did not ask what problem his master sensed, because talking back was not a good idea. "So find the issue and take care of it. I will go receive the shipment from Cherry Jubilee." "Yes chef!" So how do you find "something wrong" without knowing what that meant? When he went through the kitchen and pantries last night everything had looked like it was in place. But if Ramson said there was something wrong, then there was. The head chef had a sixth sense for that sort of thing. Rumble just had to start looking. He ruled out missing or misplaced ingredients and utensils; Ramson would have known that last night and forced him to stay until it was back in its place. But then what could have changed overnight? "Maybe something spoiled?" He said to himself and went into the cold storage and started going through the many vegetables, dairy products and jars. He found nothing wrong and proceeded to the spice storage, a warm, dry place with high ceiling. It would take forever to go through, as there were a lot of small jars of special, more-or-less unique spices here. Many of them were preserved relics from far back in time that had since gone extinct or disappeared from the civilized parts of Equestria. Grabbing a lantern, he flew up and started making his way downwards slowly after having closed the door. The draught preserved the spices and he did not want to let all the warmth out. It was not too long before he had to stop and rest. The hotness in this room made it hard to fly for too long. He touched down on the floor and went out for a quick drink. He brought a bucket of water with him inside the room to drink from, and sat down against a pile of boxes in the back while he caught his breath. "Back to the grind, I guess," he said and took off again. He worked in silence and with plenty of interruptions to drink. It was at one of those interruptions, when he was catching his breath by the pile of boxes, that his ears suddenly caught something. It was faint, but it was there: breaths. Could it be some sort of vermin had come into the storage? He lifted the closest box in the pile. A very familiar pony laid under the box, curled up around one of her forelegs and with her wings extended on the floor. Her coat was matted with sweat and her eyes glossy. He opened his mouth and closed it a few times before his brain managed to connect the right synapses to formulate one of the million questions he had. "Cozy? How in the hay did you get in here?" She coughed. "I'm… escaping." Her voice was dry. "You can't tell Twilight! Please don't, she'll kill me! I know she will." She stood up and glared at him. He hardly noticed. What had happened to her foreleg? "What…?" he asked lamely and pointed. "I don't know," Cozy said. "I think it's magic… s-so I can't fly right now, but I'm sure it will be better soon, right?" There was desperation in her voice. Desperation and terror. "Yeah…" Rumble said. While he had no clue what was going on, it was obvious she needed some reassurance. "Can't you fly? At all?" Cozy shook her head. "But… then you need a doctor!" Rumble exclaimed. "No!" Cozy recoiled. "They'll tell Twilight! I can't go back to her now!" "But your flying…!" Rumble objected. "My flying will do me no good if I'M DEAD!" Cozy shouted, even if her face seemed to crumble in on itself towards the end of the sentence. She all but shrieked the last few words in complete and utter hysteria. Then, in the silence that followed, she just sat down and shuddered. "C-can I tell you a secret?" she whispered. "I'm… really scared right now." Rumble felt stunned. How was he supposed to deal with this? What do you do when you have a crying filly just next to you? He couldn't just leave her there. Carefully, he went up to her and awkwardly sort of hugged her. At least for a moment he did, before she herself leaned into his embrace and cried against his shoulder. Rumble tensed up. Now what? He patted her back a little. "It'll be alright, okay?" he said, even though he had no clue how to deliver on that promise. "It'll be just fine… Twilight won't hurt you, and we'll get your flying back. It'll be just fine." He stroked her back slowly. It was the first time he hugged a filly. "How?" she peeped, still hugging him tightly. "Good question," he did not say. He had to do this smartly and concentrate on one problem at a time. "You can't stay here. It was just sheer luck that Ramson sent me here, rather than looking himself. We should get you to my room. Then we'll talk later, when I'm done in the kitchen for today. We'll figure something out then, 'cause you're a smart pony, okay?" "Y-yeah… that's good. I'll be fine. I'm smart. I'll be just fine…" she said, more to herself than to him. Next problem: how do you get a criminal filly through the castle of her archenemy without anypony noticing, armed with only the contents of a spice closet? Wait… spices! "I have an idea," Rumble said. "Just a moment." He made to take flight, but for some reason she did not let go. He coughed awkwardly and tried to peel her off of him. He could see she was saddened by it, but it could not be helped. He flew up and grabbed the right sack from a shelf. "Sorry about this," he said and opened the sack. Then he dumped a whole pile of turmeric powder over her. She coughed violently. Rumble tapped down in front of her. "Cover yourself; it will have to do for your disguise. My room is in the castle annex, just a few minutes away." Cozy nodded shakily and practically rolled about in the fine powder until her coat was bright orange. She sat down and undid the ribbons in her mane and tail. The hint of her normal, curled hair was still present, but without her ribbons it was a chaotic mess. Then she took the turmeric sack and put her glowing hoof in it. "It'll have to do," Rumble decided. "Come on, before Ramson comes back." He helped her stand and took her hoof, guiding her to the door. She followed closely. It was a testament to how rattled she was that she simply followed a pony like that without any second thoughts or protests. Though nerve-wracking, the way to his room was quick and uneventful. Most of the castle staff had not arrived yet, and those who had were to tried to care about two foals walking around. Still, he had never been so happy to see the door to his room. He all but ran inside. He also realized that postponing cleaning his room was now coming back to bite him. Wonderbolt posters and memorabilia laid haphazardly over the floor, as did a few cooking magazines. His bed was unmade, and he had not swept the floor in weeks. He flushed in embarrassment. "There… is a tub and hot water out in the corridor, so you can clean up. Nopony else should be here at this hour, so it should be fine." "Can I stay here, then?" Cozy asked. "Yeah…" Rumble said. He had no idea how that was going to work, but that would have to be Future Rumble's problem. "I've got to get back to the kitchen… and find an excuse for why all the turmeric is gone. I'll be back as soon as I can, okay? We'll figure something out, I promise." Cozy managed a tiny smile. "Come back soon." Rumble nodded and left. Next problem: he had to deal with Ramson… and then he had to prevent Twilight from finding Cozy. She had clearly shoved all restraint about escaping to the wayside. He had no idea why she suddenly turned to such measures, but she had, and all he could do was to roll with it. Twilight must not catch her this time. If Cozy was willing to give up her flight, the very thing that made her a pegasus, the thing that had made her laugh so happily yesterday… then how could he be sure she would not give her life in pursuit of freedom? Cozy clearly did not mean to kill herself, but desperate ponies do desperate things… and if forced in a situation where she thought she might die or go back to Twilight… then it seemed far, far too likely she would rather risk death. In her mind, they were the same somehow. For that matter, what the hay was Twilight doing? How could she have let Cozy come to this? If she wanted to reform Cozy, then how could she be so completely out of the loop she allowed Cozy to risk her flight! It seemed he would be helping Cozy's escape after all, despite turning her in last time she tried to enlist him. He almost chuckled at the irony, but there was nothing funny about his situation. While there was nopony to see it, Twilight thrashed in her sleep that night. Wings twitching, hooves kicking sporadically and her muzzle scrunched up in a restless scowl. Princess Luna must be busy, for nopony came to soothe her nightmares. Strange, twisted dreamscapes of winding labyrinths, folding back on themselves in impossible geometries. Every now and then she came to a door that she somehow knew was supposed to be locked, but the moment she touched the handle it would fly open with a scream. It was wrong… that door was supposed to be locked. She did not know why it should be locked, or even how she knew. When she woke up at last, it was with a slight panic as her hooves and wings had tangled up in the blanket, leaving her nearly immobilized. She resorted to magic to get out of the mess and tiredly rolled out of the bed, mumbling something to herself that she had already forgotten moments after. She knew she had to find a mane brush. Going into her bathroom, she glanced in the mirror only to confirm that she looked fifty years older than yesterday. She even contemplated using some makeup, but eventually decided against it. While she appreciated Rarity's gift, she had not told her generous friend that she practically never used makeup and did not know how to apply it without it only making her appearance worse. She sorted out her mane and went out in the corridor. Tiredness evaporated instantly as her body entered fight-or-flight mode. Her divine powers surged from her horn to her hooves as she bolted forward to touch the open door, just to confirm what she was seeing. It swung gently when she knocked it… and next to it, an all to familiar rook statuette. Twilight lifted it carefully. There was something wrong… there was magic in it now, just a tiny, tiny mote of power. But that was not all- she recognized the magic signature. It was her own! Her own magic was in the rook! Taking a deep breath, she sat the rook down. It was not going anywhere, while Cozy Glow most assuredly was. Luckily, she had an ace up her sleeve: her tracking spells. She actually had two of those. One was on the fragments for the Key of Unfettered Entrance. She was not stupid enough to leave a lock-picking artifact anywhere near a prisoner without some sort of backup. She had enchanted them the moment Neighsay had given them to her. The other tracking spell actually made her feel a little guilty. When Cozy had secluded herself last evening, she had been so quick Twilight never even got to remove the tracking spell from her ribbons. Twilight had wanted to remind her, but also did not want to intrude when Cozy clearly wanted to be left alone. She had figured she could just disenchant them today instead. Apparently not; instead the spell remained, and it should lead her to Cozy. But that was not a good thing. The moment Twilight found her, Cozy would make the connection and think that Twilight deliberately had tricked her. Even if she found Cozy, she was going to make the filly's hatred for her even stronger. But what choice did she have? Cozy was to dangerous to let free. She ignited both her spells. A pulling sensation appeared in the back of her mind, beckoning her back to her room. That would be the key fragments. Another feeling made her look down. At the rook. Lifting it, she touched it carefully with her horn. She could feel the spell pulse from inside, like a miniature magic heart. The rook was hollow! There was a key fragment inside it! But how? What did the rook do? How did one open it? She did not know. But two things were clear: First, this was how Cozy got the door open. Second, her own magic in the rook came from the tracking spell. But for as much as that explained, it did not answer perhaps the greatest question of all: why did she leave the rook? Did she learn that it was being tracked? But how could a pegasus be able to identify individual magical effects? Twilight did not think any pegasus would have such an understanding of magic, let alone a filly. So many question, so few answers. But she still felt the ribbons. They were close. Just downstairs. In the kitchen? Yep, in the kitchen. She quickly trotted down the stairs and into the kitchen, nodding to the two guards at the base of her stairs. They nodded back, but otherwise remained still. "Princess," Ramson greeted her without looking away from the pans and pots around him. "Something to eat?" "No, I'm just looking for something," Twilight said and went towards one of the doors. Opening it, she found a largely orange pegasus colt scrubbing away on the floor with a bucket of water next to him. "Oh, hi," Rumble said, only glancing up at her for the fraction of a moment before scrubbing again with renewed vigor. Activating her magic, two thin strips of fabric flew out from behind a jar. Twilight scowled. Now how would she find her? Why would Cozy even remove her ribbons for; she never did that! Looking back at the jar where the ribbons were hidden, it was clean… clean and dry. And yet, whatever this orange powder Rumble was cleaning up was, it was all over the ribbons. "You know whose these are?" Twilight asked sternly. "Rumble." "Uh… no?" he said, shifting on his hooves. "I think you do," Twilight said. She peeked over her shoulder. Ramson was concentrated on his cooking, but he most likely heard everything they said. She should not mention Cozy's name. "They belong to a certain foal I look after. She's escaped." "Didn't you remove the tracking spell?" Rumble asked. "That's a strange way for you to gain her trust." That comment stung, because it was true. "I was going to today, but that's not whats important right now. I don't know what this powder is or how it relates to her escape, but there was no chance that powder got on her ribbons by accident. Are you helping her escape, Rumble? She may be your friend, but she is still a danger." "And whose fault is that?" Rumble mumbled. It clearly wasn't meant for Twilight to hear, but becoming an alicorn had sharpened her senses. This comment stung more than the previous one. "Princess, I set him on cleaning up the moment I got here." Ramson interjected. "Whatever was wrong in there, it was there when I came. Whoever you are looking for probably came here, ruined my supply of turmeric, and then hightailed away." "I had guards outside all night," Twilight protested. "I have deep-fried things more intelligent than the Canterlot guard," Ramson said. Twilight felled her ears in displeasure, but she could not really say anything to that. "I know for a fact that Rumble is a friend of this escapee. I'm not saying he did help her, but it seems awfully convenient that he found the escapee's accessories covered in the dust that he is cleaning up." "Throw him in jail then," Ramson said crassly. She heard Rumble stop his work for a moment. "I'm not here to throw anypony in jail," Twilight said. "I just want to find the runaway, before she causes harm." "You are literally here to throw her back in jail," Rumble grumbled. That stung too. "Well, the Tomtit's clearly not gonna help you there," Ramson said. "Do you want breakfast?" "Not now," Twilight said shortly. He may only be a foal, but Rumble's well-aimed jabs felt all to justified. She had really tried to make Cozy like her. But how do you make friends with a pony so hellbent on hating you? Twilight knew Pinkie had done exactly that with Cranky Doodle that one time, but that took finding a long-lost love for him, and Twilight did not really know how that applied to Cozy. For that matter, both Rumble and Cozy seemed to be forgetting that she was not exactly well liked. Especially her own tribe had been harsh in their condemnation of her. Even Rumble had admitted to hating her before they got to know each other. In a way, Twilight was also trying to protect Cozy from Equestria's wrath. While most ponies were slow to anger and quick to forgive, she knew there were a few who would not hesitate to take the law in their own hooves if they learned she was at large again. They were few, and practically all were more bark than bite, but it was still a risk to consider. She had to find Cozy before she got into or caused any trouble. Luckily, there should be a way to do that, even if it would take a little while. A Traceback Spell was a notoriously finicky thing that required long preparation to successfully cast. But once she did, she would be able to trace an object with a strong connection to a pony back to its owner. And the rook definitely had a strong connection to Cozy. She returned to her own wing and began searching in her books. A normal unicorn would never successfully cast a Traceback spell. A skilled Academic, like Starswirl or Neighsay would need between a few days up to a week of physical and mental preparation. So how long did an Alicorn and element of magic need? Time to find out. After having taken the risk to wash herself, Cozy laid down on Rumble's floor. Her adventure had taken much out of her, both physically and mentally. But for the moment she was not in any immediate danger of being recaptured. So that gave her time to plot her next move. She had to do something about her hoof. The very thought of losing her flight forever still terrified her to the core, but at least now, saved by her friend and safe in his room, she could keep that terror in check well enough to think rationally about it. She had twisted and turned the problem in her mind for hours now, and she only had one idea. Her problem could probably only be explained and cured by a unicorn, since they knew how magic works. She did know a unicorn… but could she trust Rarity? She was Twilight's lifelong friend, and she had been part of stopping Cozy. But she was also the big sister of the pony who had set her free… and she was the only pony among Twilight's ilk who had apologized for what she had done to Cozy. At the end, Cozy knew that none of her debating truly mattered. Somewhere deep down her mind was made up. She could not lose her flight. She needed to see Rarity. But that also left her with only one realistic option for escaping Canterlot and get to Ponyville. She could not afford to wait before getting help with her hoof, so she had to take the train. And there was no chance she could disguise herself well enough to make that work. That, and she didn't have any money. That meant she had to seek out some ponies from her past to help her escape… but their help would not come cheap. But what choice did she have? If she did nothing, then she might stand to lose her flight, or Twilight might find and kill her. Her mind was made up, but her entire plan was riding on two highly unreliable cards, both of which were likely to backfire and trap her with Twilight or something else. This was not a good plan, so she continued to debate it, twisting and turning the problem in her head. She was getting nowhere, and it was stressing her out. She cast a glance towards the door and bit her lip, considering. She sort of wanted to lay down in the bed, but could she really do that? Wasn't it kind of… inappropriate? For a filly to sleep in a colt's bed? Blushing profusely, even if there was nopony around, she hopped up on the bed and cozied up. She rather liked that it smelled very much like Rumble… She blushed again and ruffled her wings. Her worries felt a little further away, and she actually found herself drowsy despite being so afraid. She must have fallen asleep, for when she woke up the sun was almost down. And Rumble sat on a stool, reading a Wonderbolt's magazine. He looked up at her stirring. "I didn't want to wake you up," he said. "Thought you could use some rest." "Yeah, thanks," Cozy said and stretched. "What time is it? Is Twilight looking for me?" "Its eight in the evening," Rumble said and put away his magazine. "Twilight was looking earlier today, but I don't know where she went after that." "You didn't say anything about me, right?" Cozy said. "Of course not, Cozy," Rumble said. "I've got your back, okay? We'll get you out of here together, but we can still be friends after that, right?" "It's a promise," Cozy said. It was the first time she made a promise like that and meant it. It settled in her heart like a tiny ember, warming her spirits. Rumble nodded. "Do you have any idea of about how to get out of Canterlot? I don't think we should wait for too long. Twilight's definitely up to something." "Do you know the way around the city?" Cozy asked. "Do you know the way to Lockturn Alley?" "What is Lockturn Alley?" Rumble asked. "It's a street, silly," Cozy said. "There is a shop there that sells… stuff, that we can use to get me to the train station, and to Ponyville." "Why do you want to get to Ponyville?" "A unicorn needs to look at this." She indicated her leg. "And Rarity is the only good unicorn I know. S-so I don't lose my flight." "Ponyville it is then. Hey, don't worry. We've got this," Rumble said confidently. "We'll fly again together." Cozy swallowed down her worry both for what Rarity would do, and for what awaited her at Lockturn Alley. "I've got a map here," Rumble said and pulled out an info-folder on Canterlot, probably from when he first got his job in the city. They huddled up and started looking. Cozy really did not know what to do; she was lousy at reading maps. It was all a mess of lines to her, aside from the cartoonish castle on one side of the map. Evidently this was made for tourists, rather than for plotting a criminal escape. "Lockturn Alley," Rumble pointed. It looked pretty close to the castle, a narrow street between two much larger ones. "It shouldn't be hard to get there… especially since we can pull an old favorite." Rumble stood up and pulled out a cardboard box from under the bed. Inside was a host of random Wonderbolt merchandise, including a wig and loose tail, just like she had worn when she went to the derby, only these were Soarin themed. "Put these on. We'll get you there easy as pie!" Cozy nodded and started putting the mane on. It was a little challenging with her curls now a tad messy from not having her ribbons. And she had forgotten the rook too when she came to after fainting. It was a testament to how harried she was that losing her rook did not bother her more than it did. "Okay, I'll check so the coast is clear." Rumble said. "Then we get out on the streets. We'll just look like two foals on a walk, okay. Let me do the talking if it comes to that." They left the castle annex through a side door and found themselves on a street. Rumble took the lead and Cozy followed, ears on high alert for any sound. There were only a few ponies out at this hour and none of them paid much attention to two foals, too tired from a long day of work. Nonetheless, Cozy stuck to Rumble's side. Whenever she was close to another pony she looked down in the ground and concentrated only on her breathing. It was only a few seconds each time, but it was a few agonizing seconds. It was nearly dark when they came to an inconspicuous opening between the houses. The firefly lanterns that still lit up the main streets of Equestria's capital began to come to life. Despite the promise of darkness hiding her, she still felt a twinge of reluctance to leave the brightly lit street and go into the narrow alley. Nopony would ever think to light up Lockturn Alley. "Here it is," Rumble said, unnecessarily. "It's… not really inviting, you know." "Chicken?" Cozy managed a challenging look. "Chicken? Me? You're joking," Rumble said and stepped into the gloom. Cozy followed. It felt a little better knowing she still had her friend. "So what do you want here?" Cozy didn't answer. Once out of the light she recognized a sign she had seen once before when she visited this place. It was a long time ago, before she got her cutie mark and before she left for the orphanage. A starlike flower, every petal black as a starless night. The Black Lotus was a legendary flower to most ponies, said to have healing properties beyond any other remedy and a popular motif in fairy tales. However, for those few initiated, a black lotos meant something else entirely: a store dealing with forbidden artifacts, potions and sorcery. She opened the door to the small shop underneath the sign. Rumble followed. The room was small and dark. There were no windows towards the street and not a single light. The place smelled of wood and faintly of metal, mixed with some other, less discernible scent that Cozy could not place. "Hmm? Who goes there?" A match was struck, and a pony's face could be seen faintly before they lit an oil-lamp, illuminating the whole room despite it only being a tiny flame. "Two foals. You should not be here, and especially not at this hour," the pony who held the lamp said irritably. He was pale gray with mustard-yellow eyes behind a pair of glasses. Despite being inside, he wore a leather coat with plenty of pockets. Around his neck he wore a maroon scarf and on his head was a funny hat. "You're Curio, right?" Cozy asked. The stallion narrowed his eyes. "Who's asking?" Cozy pulled off her wig. "Cozy Glow. Do you remember me?" "Well I'll be…” Curio said. "I remember. That is, I remember that you chose to get yourself into an orphanage and out of our good graces. I don't know how you got out of the statue, but don't think you've got anything to find here." "I'm here as a customer. Like any," Cozy said. A glint passed over Curio's glasses. "Oh? Well that's something else entirely. How can I be of service?" "I need a Gloom Potion," Cozy Glow said. If there was one thing here that could get her through Canterlot and on a train without putting her in debt for a lifetime, then it was that potion. "Gloom Potion, eh? Well, I suppose I have one in stock… but it'll cost you." "How much?" Cozy tried not to sound disheartened, because she knew that if a pony like Curio smelled an advantage, then he would push it mercilessly. "How much do you have, little filly?" "I've got plenty of bits at the Cloudsdale bank," she said. Twilight had said so. "So you don't have anything with you now, hmm?" Curio said. Cozy did not answer. "Well, I'm not a heartless pony… I'll give you the potion, and you owe me a favor." "What sort of favor?" Rumble suddenly asked. "I'm not sure yet," Curio said, stroking his chin with a smirk. "But I'm sure I can find some use for a demented maniac like you. Don't you agree, Cozy?" It was all she could do to not flinch at the remark. "Don't talk like that to my friend!" Rumble snapped, glaring at Curio, who did not look very impressed. "Alright, it's a deal," Cozy said silently. She had no other choice. "Would you like that gift wrapped?" Curio asked and fished out a small bottle with a silver cork from one of his pockets. The potion was deep purple, like liquid amethyst. "Ten drops. Take one and you can see in darkness just as well as in light, take two and you are cloaked in shadows, making you hard to see. Take three and you become lighter, so hoofsteps won't make a sound. Any more than that within twenty-four hours and your heart might stop." He put the bottle in a small chain and tossed it around Cozy's neck, so she wore it like a necklace. "Good luck in whatever trickery you're up to. Don't die before I've collected." Cozy glared at him before she left the shop, and Curio extinguished the flame, vanishing in darkness. "I don't like this, Cozy," Rumble said and looked at the bottle. "That's… not safe, is it?" "It's safer than going back to Twilight," Cozy said and uncorked the bottle. The cork was equipped with a small needle to extract the liquid drop by drop. Cozy wished she could feel certain that everything was going to be easy from now, but she had never drunk anything that might be just a few drops away from killing her before. And the idea of running around alone in the night in a foreign city without her flight made her anxious. Taking a calming breath, she dipped the needle into the liquid and extracted one drop. Swallowing her apprehension, she licked it off. It tasted extremely strong for being just one drop. Not at all unpleasant; rather like blueberry actually. Feeling a little better because of the taste, she repeated the process for the second drop. This time there was an acrid, stabbing aftertaste. "How… do you feel?" Rumble asked. "Uh… like normal," Cozy said. She did, but the world around her suddenly seemed to sharpen. Contrasts appeared in the darkness and million hues of gray colored her vision. It was like she was looking at an old-timed movie. No color, but every detail was perfectly clear, even in the pitch blackness. "You're… disappearing!" Rumble suddenly called. Cozy looked down, but could not really see anything unusual. Rumble however, visibly squinted. He carefully reached out a hoof to touch her. "Are you still here, or…?" She sidestepped his hoof and pushed him gently in the side, causing him to whirl around with a yelp. Cozy giggled at his reaction. "Stop that! That's freaky!" Rumble said while glaring at a spot somewhere above Cozy's left shoulder. "Thanks… for getting me here, I mean" Cozy said. "But I'll go on alone now. If you can't see me, then it should be fine, right? Nopony else can see me either?" "Yeah…" Rumble said. He got something cloven in his face. "Or, no! I'll come with you. Just in case, okay?" "You'd do that?" Cozy asked. It was a good thing she was invisible, because she could not hide a big, silly grin and blush at the thought of having somepony do something like that for her. "I've come this far… I don't wanna be left behind now," Rumble said. "And… my life have never been half as exciting before!" Cozy blushed even harder as she removed the vial from her neck and put it on the ground. There it was no longer affected by whatever enchantment the potion had put on her. "Just one drop. You don't need to hide, but you must be able to see me." "Gotcha," Rumble said and repeated Cozy's procedure to take a drop. The vial was almost a third of the way empty already. "Huh, tasty…" Rumble mumbled. "Oh, there you are!" "Yeah. Let's move! I don't know how long the effect remains." The two of them quickly trotted out of the darkened alley and into the larger street and started towards the other end of Canterlot, where the train station was located. Cozy noted with satisfaction that nopony looked at her, even if a few glanced at Rumble. It was working! Her escape was working after all, one of the two big risks of her plan had worked as well as she could have hoped! Now she just had to get to Rarity, and get her hoof looked at. Then she'd be free as a bird!