//------------------------------//
// 08: Trying Your Luck 
// Story: The Rejects 
// by Argonaut44 
//------------------------------//

The princess’ voice was choked with anger. “I was wrong about you.”
Sunburst opened his eyes. His spine was ablaze, he could not feel anything from the neck down. Where was he, he wondered. Why could he hardly see?
He was bound in chains, drawn up in a tower, the iron rings clanging and crying with the slightest shudder. 
There was smoke, or at least the scent told him so. Cold stone rested beneath his hooves. His cape had been torn to shreds, his beard beaded with sweat and ice. The hairs over his lip had frozen over, and his eyelids were too heavy to keep open for long.
Sunburst knew that voice. Twilight.
	“You were expecting a reward. Your reward is me not having you drawn and quartered and made a display on the white tower ramparts.”
Sunburst, fragilely, sputtered while writhing in his chains. 
“You promised me sanctuary,” Sunburst wailed, “I did what you wanted.”
“You tried. And you failed.”
Sunburst, again, wrestled against the rusty chains. He noticed shimmering plates of armor waiting idly by in the shadows. There was no escape. 
“Starlight Glimmer is still alive. Which means I cannot know for sure whether you'll have a change of heart once again. Perhaps you’ll run back to her, tell her how to evade us.”
“No, no, I wouldn’t. Please, I wouldn’t. Twilight! She’s dead! She’s dead. I saw her. The blizzard took her.”
Twilight scoffed.
“I can't trust a pony who switches allegiances with the smallest hint of threat. Rot here. Starve, if you must. And pray that I finish this once and for all. For my sake, and yours.”
Twilight stormed back into the shadows, leaving Sunburst hanging in a puddle of sweat and anguish. His chest was in agony, burdened by his own weight. He hung there, and watched as Twilight Sparkle vanished in the dark.





Neon-flooded glass snaked around each rain-ruined street, each sharp edge and nook, around crevices of packed dirt and pipes that leaked black grease. 
Home sweet home.
Had it been so long, that she had forgotten which faded crosswalk led where? Which street signs were spun wrong, which alleys to avoid? 
The last time Suri Polomare was breathing that rotten rancid air and dodging clouds of wispy cigarette smoke, she had been making a fruitless attempt to escape Manehattan as a free pony. 
Embezzlement. Laundering. Fraud. It all seemed so trivial, now that she was wanted alongside alleged murderers and treasonous miscreants.
She belonged here, she thought. Pairs of eyes glowed in the dark, the buzzing bulbs and golden static of storefront signs tucking the darkness away in the shadowy places, places where few ponies dared to tread. 
Canterlot may have been a pit of liars. But at least they had the courtesy of feigning a pristine cordiality, an artful gracefulness. Manehattan did not pretend. Here the liars worked in the filth, and the grime, and the smog, in the waste and ruin that they craved. 
Strutting along in the crowd of pedestrians, Suri wondered if her companions would even be alive if she was to return to them. 
They don’t need me.
And she did not need them. She had all she needed to race back to her hooves.
Suri found the bank she was looking for, open at later hours, with limited staff struggling to stay awake beneath the dim fluorescent.
“I’d like to make a withdrawal,” Suri said, as politely as possible. 
That impudent brat Rarity may have humiliated her all those years ago, though Suri did manage to take something of value out of the whole debacle. She would need to be better prepared, if she was to survive her inevitable consequences.
Shortly prior to her arrest, she had created an account under a pseudonym, an old colleague of hers who moved away years ago.
“Haute Couture,” Suri told the teller. She had a pair of sunglasses on and a shawl to hide herself. She was on Equestria’s Most Wanted, whether she liked it or not. 
She would mutter the PIN code to herself every night before she could fall asleep while at Hellhatch to remember. Counting down the days to her return. 
All of her funds had been kept safe and sound in the account, and she had little trouble walking out of the bank with a handsome few thousand bits stuffed in a suitcase. 
She still had debts to pay off, first and foremost. before she could bother sparing anything for Starlight’s crusade against the Princess. However, as much as she wanted to believe her former cellmate’s honorable intentions, that fight was ever much beyond her. 
Midnight fog glowed high up in the air, hiding the starlit sky.
Suri made for her old studio, the site of her career-defining achievements, both genuine and fraudulent. 
She entered the building, and was relieved to not recognize the lobby secretary. Her old coworkers would turn her in without a second chance, she thought. This would have to be quick.
Third floor. Sixth door on the left. 
The door was locked, though Suri knew the keypad passcode. 
Or she thought she did, until the keypad blinked red.
Coco.
That sneering assistant of hers had changed the locks. 
She knew a way inside still, given the right pressure and the careful fidgeting of the handle. This wasn’t the first time she had been locked out.
The door gave out eventually. Suri stumbled inside, and for a moment she thought she had entered the wrong room. 
The studio was all out of sorts; her old keepsakes had vanished, the furniture and machinery reorganized or replaced. No memory of her had survived. 
Her shoulders were slumped, and she had nowhere to go. She was in mourning, it felt. She was dead. Dead to the world she had once been on top of. 
“I thought you’d show up.”
Suri blinked back to reality, and turned her head to the pony leaning in the doorway. The white light of the hallway flooded the pitch-dark studio, and she could not make out who it was who had called out to her.
“Boss,” Coco Pommel said, trotting towards her in the darkness.
Suri glanced around for something to defend herself with, but it was far too dark to see. 
She could hardly make her out, though she recognized the voice. Thin and frail, she had wished never to hear that voice again. 
“It’s late to be lurking around, don’t you think?” Suri said.
“Not when it’s my office. I’m surprised you came back. No telling how long it will be until they catch you.”
“They?” Suri repeated.
Coco shrugged. 
“Police. Royals. The Underground,” she said.
Suri shuddered. She raised the suitcase up for her to see.
“My next stop.”
“Your last stop. They’ve been waiting for you to come back. You and your friends seem to have caught their eye.”
Suri raised an eyebrow. Coco was less timid than she had once known. Authority had that effect, she supposed. 
“The Underground will be in for disappointment, then. I’m not sticking around,” Suri announced, “I’m giving them what I owe. And leaving. 'kay?”
“They don’t play as fair as they used to,” Coco said.
“New bunch?”
“New management,” Coco corrected, "And he doesn't take kindly to swindlers."
“I’ve gone on long enough leaving them empty-hoofed. If all they want is to use me, they should get used to waiting.”
Suri shoved past her and made for the door.
“You’re washed out,” she said. 
She stopped right in the doorway, half a hoof on the hallway carpet.
“You ran our business into the ground. You’re a hack, and everypony knows it. Nopony will hire you again. You’ll never get a chance to restart clean.”
Suri turned her head back towards him, red hot.
“Not unless you accept some help,” Coco said.
“Help from ponies who’ll use me and cast me aside the second it’s convenient? If they want the bits so bad, they can come and take it. 'kay? My friends would love to zap whatever halfwit thugs the Underground’s got.”
“They may not love it as much as you think.”
Suri scowled and stormed off into the blinding white light. 





Snowfall had spilled her tea after slipping into her armor. The visit was unexpected.
“Your highness,” Snowfall said, crashing to her knees at once. 
Twilight found her strolling along through the soldiers’ camp within the city walls. The air was as dry as it was freezing. Only the Northern soldiers, Snowfall among them, could bare stick their noses outside without catching frostbite. 
Twilight motioned with her hoof for Snowfall to rise.
“We hadn’t been expecting you, your highness, forgive me.”
“And I hadn’t expected I would need to be here. Looks as though we’re all in for surprises,” Twilight muttered, leading Snowfall down the snow-drowned path through the camp.
“Your brother is in the palace, I think.”
“There’s more pressing matters at the moment,” Twilight said, “You’ve made no progress?” 
“...Our scouts couldn't find any bodies lost to the frozen wastes. None besides our own. We believe the six of them have split up,” Snowfall said, struggling to keep up with Twilight’s quick pace.
“Split up? Where?”
“Hawkbit flew in last night. He found the pegasus, wandering the streets of Cloudsdale.”
“Cloudsdale? What was he doing there?”
“I’d sent him there. I thought Lightning Dust might have fled there if they were to separate.”
Twilight’s scowl hardened.
“My order was for the three of you to pursue them in the North. Not Cloudsdale.”
“I was only-”
“Nevermind it. You’ve found the truth. Next time consult me first.”
“Yes, princess, sorry.”
“What of the others?” 
“We’re not sure. I sent Redshift with a platoon of fifty, to Manehattan. Suri Polomare might have gone there.”
“I could care less about Lightning Dust or Suri Polomare. Where is Starlight?”
“My assumption is that she’s either hiding somewhere here in the North, or fled south to Canterlot.”
“Canterlot? Has she gone mad already?”
“When Starlight came here, to the Crystal Empire, her strategy was to hide in plain sight. She likely made the same choice with Canterlot. It’s you she must want, your highness. And as far as she knows, you’re still in Canterlot.”
Twilight wondered if there had been a moment the both of them were in Canterlot. Their paths had to cross, she knew it to be true.
“Starlight can be unpredictable. Don’t presume to know her every move after two failed encounters.”
Snowfall bit her tongue, discouraged by Twilight’s rebuke. 
"We might want to reach out to Princess Celestia, or Luna, or-" Snowfall attemtped.
"That is not an option," Twilight interjected. Snowfall narrowed her eyes, wondering whether it was jealousy that shone in Twilight's eyes, or spitefulness, or grief. Nobody had heard from Celestia or Luna in months, as it were, and Snowfall was not alone in wondering whether Twilight had anything to do with it. Rumors had swelled in regard to Equestria's former rulers, not long before the murders. She remembered the voices, the murmurs in the corridor, the burnt letters. 
Celestia's secrets. 
They say she's gone mad.
Equestria won't forgive her. Not this time
Something needs to be done.
All madness, Snowfall had supposed. Still, the very name seemed to set Twilight into a frenzy, a desperate confusion that made Snowfall reconsider her suspicions. 
“I entrusted you to handle this," Twilight continued, regaining her composure, "But perhaps somepony better qualified is needed. Perhaps you’re working against me."
Snowfall, abruptly, came to a halt in the snow and crashed to her knees. 
“On my honor as your servant, I would never. I obey your every command, princess," Snowfall said, terrified, "I'm yours, Princess. I will always be yours." 
Twilight seemed to be amused. 
“Your loyalty is appreciated. But it's the results I want, Lieutenant. Between you and Starlight, one is running out of time.”
Twilight left Snowfall on her knees in the snow. And, to Snowfall’s shock, she could feel the cold of the snow on her coat, stinging.





 On the evening that she left Canterlot, Alias had made one last attempt to compel her to stay. 
“The fate of Equestria lies with you,” he said, “Do not rush into the fray so carelessly.”
“I need to see her,” Cadance insisted, “Let’s try it my way, before we try it yours.”
Alias’s wrinkled scowl hardened. There were certain entitlements that came with royalty, as he expected.
“No harm will come to you. My eyes are everywhere,” Alias growled, spitefully, “We’ll be guarding you, hiding in plain sight.”
“Of course. You have a reputation to uphold,” Cadance replied.
She set out with six companions on the road north. Smaller company travels more swiftly, but the Princess of the Crystal Empire does not travel alone. Alongside her were Oz and Delia, her two guards that had been abducted alongside Cadance by the Erased. There were four Blackcoats with her also, under the guises of Crystal Guards. Eight Ball was one, the acting second to Alias during Bandolier’s absence. From the Badlands came Tango, whose accent was always thick and whose steel was always sharp. From Sunstone came Jet Stream, a pegasus Wonderbolt. And since Alias found it suitable to have a mare travel alongside the princess too, there was Pink Mist, a wild young thing, an orphan picked up off the street and recruited into the royal army.   
Cadance marveled at how far-reaching the Erased’s roots were stuck. Ponies from all across Equestria owed their loyalty to Alias. How many of her own back at the Crystal Empire were deceiving her? How many were passing letters right beneath her nose?
They took off north, across the fields of dew and through red woods and rivers.  
“Send word when you reach the city,” Alias told her, “There is a fog about us. Rumors, lies, and tall tales. I would not dare risk anything until I know the truth of what’s happened.”
They will have a war on their hooves, sooner or later, Cadance figured. The Crystal Empire was no stranger to war. Whispers of the Dark King Sombra lingered every now and then. But far worse monsters were now clawing at the gates.
Cadance was not of the north. She would always be a stranger to its ponies, to their superstitions and frigid demeanors. Yet they were hers to protect. “The cold winds rise,” Shining Armor had warned her. 
She had missed him these past weeks. There were few ponies left that she could trust. He was one of them. How much longer would he, or any of the ponies she cared about, be safe? The air grew colder with each step along the road. They could not outrun the storm. 





Starlight Glimmer had left the Canterlot Boutique, along with the captive Rarity, under Trixie's supervision, the morning she slipped off into the city's darkened dawn. She had was not fond of the idea of separating, though she knew she would move faster alone, and they could not bring Rarity with them wherever they went. 

The following night had been spent carefully assessing the best place to continue. Rarity had some information to offer, though she served better as a hostage than as an informant. 

There were few ponies in the city who could truly help her, and even less who would be willing to do so. 

She came to the white-marble estate of one Stegwig, formerly a general in the royal army and Celestia's very own defense secretary. Rarity had been able to recall that he had resigned as secretary shortly after the Ponyville murders. Now Starlight needed to know why. 

The mansion rivaled the grandeur of the royal palace itself, though it loomed many stories lower in the shadow of the mountain. Starlight ignored the great spires of the palace that seemed to watch her as she trotted past. If Twilight knew she was there in Canterlot, she would be dead by now, she reminded herself. 

For hours, she took a spot in the bushes across the street, spending some time watching the house, its comings and goings. Stegwig had a wife much younger than himself, three small foals, and at least three servants. She had never seen the general himself enter or leave the house, however. 

He wants to stay where it's safe.

Once she was certain the three foals had left for good with their mother, Starlight's patience ran out. Igniting her horn, she teleported herself to the only place in the house she could - the living room she had been able to make out from the window outside. 

The house was just as magnificent inside as out, she found.

She trotted up the stairs, carefully, and listened closely to any servants that might have been lurking nearby.

On the upper floor, she suspected the solar as Stegwig's hideaway, since his bedroom appeared to be empty.

She trotted closer to the door, and creaked it open.

She stopped short, however, when she found Stegwig inside, with one of the servants wrapped in his arms, slobbering over his lips. 

The servant noticed first, jumping up and screaming. Starlight flinched. Her horn came to life again, blasting the girl right in the face. The servant collapsed to her knees, falling into a deep sleep. She fell to the ground in a heap.

Stegwig was silent for a while, mouth agape, as he began to register who exactly this home invader happened to be.

"Starlight Glimmer?" he croaked.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said, stepping over the sleeping servant. Starlight shut the door in an aura of magic, "Your wife, when does she get home?"

"N-Not till 5 p.m, at least. How did you get in my home?"

"Relax, I don't plan on staying long," Starlight said, approaching him. Stegwig tensed up in his chair. "You're going to answer my questions."

"What cause do I have to help a wanted fugitive?" Stegwig laughed, "You don't frighten me as much as you do the rest of them, Glimmer. Do your worst."

Starlight smiled.

"I know a terrific spell for you, general," Starlight said, "That compels ponies to tell the truth. I wonder what would happen if I cast that on you and your little friend here, and then told your wife what I've found."

Stegwig's smirk withered away.  

"I think we have an understanding now, hm?" Starlight teased, "Twilight Sparkle wants me dead. Correct?"

"You need me to tell you that? Dead or alive, she wants you off the streets, before more ponies die," Stegwig said.

"You had no plans to resign until the murders took place. Why?" Starlight demanded.

"...I had failed in my duties to protect them. I disgraced my office. Princess Twilight accepted my decision," he said.

"But how could you have known that they needed to be protected? Were they in danger before?" Starlight asked.

Stegwig laughed.

"Grave danger, though they thought otherwise. They should never have met all together like that in the open. The damned fools walked right into their own slaughter, confirmed their treachery just by being there."

"Treachery? Against whom?" Starlight asked.

"Against Twilight. Against Celestia. Against Equestria," Stegwig said, firmly.

Starlight took notice of Celestia more than the others. 

"Nopony's heard from Celestia in months," Starlight said, recalling what Sunset had told her, "You served under her for many years, right until her abdication. What was she like, towards the end?"

Stegwig eyed her. He knew what she was getting at, but was reluctant to respond.

"I could always just call your wife right now, I suppose that'd be quicker," Starlight said, levitating the nearby landline toward her.

"Stop, stop, for Luna's sake," Stegwig growled, "Princess Celestia was...Not well. Her sister knew it. All of the council knew it. And Princess Twilight knew it. She was anxious and sullen all the time. She'd look right through you, like you weren't even there. It started around the time she first decided to step down from the throne. She spent a great deal of time alone, or else with Princess Twilight, staring into her seeing stone, drinking strange potions and wasting away. Then shortly before Twilight's coronation, she disappeared entirely. Some say she had taken up a great voyage somewhere. Some say she was killed."

"And what do you think?"

"Who can say? By that time, she'd gone completely mad."

"Mad?"

"The sickness, that's what Dr. Marrow called it. Alicorn sickness. They all succumb to it, eventually," Stegwig said.

Starlight shook her head, struggling to make sense of it. Twilight having gone mad may have been the kindest rationale, but it seemed unlikely. 

"You said the creatures who were murdered were traitors. Why was nothing done sooner, if you knew it already?"

"Because what one pony calls treason, they called justice," Stegwig said, "The council was split on how to proceed, knowing that Twilight Sparkle would eventually become mad, too. Rumors rose about Celestia, as well. Investigations began, and vicious lies spread about her."

"What kind of lies?"

"That she was a tyrant," Stegwig said, softly, "A usurper with no true claim to the throne. That her reign began with the bloodshed of babes and the innocent. All nonsense, of course. Posh and Filibuster and Bronze Beam, they had decided the monarchy had to fall, that Celestia's alleged crimes and the possibility of Twilight falling to the sickness were grounds to start anew. They thought of themselves as revolutionaries, as heroes. But I knew them better. What they wanted was power for themselves. They created those lies about Celestia to justify the coup they were planning. Ember, Thorax, Novo, they all wanted the same thing. Power and riches for their kingdoms, free from Equestria's dominance. Fools love fools."

"If all that is true, how could they have ever hoped to fight against Twilight?" Starlight asked.

Stegwig shrugged.

"They had plans. You were one of them, I'd been told."

"Me?" Starlight stammered. She recalled what Thorax had told her, all those months ago, the words that brought her to all this horror.

We've been putting a lot of plans together. We'd love to fill you in about everything.

"You're one of a handful of unicorns who could challenge Twilight Sparkle," Stegwig said, "At some point they planned to turn you against her. But I guess you did that yourself."

"No, I didn't! I didn't mean to, I..." Starlight stuttered, disgusted with herself, "I have to go."

Stegwig laughed.

"Safe travels, Starlight Glimmer. Twilight will be so glad to see you again."





	Sunlight dwindled, as did her hope for a speedy success. 
“I told you what the consequences would be.”
Bon Bon was keeled over in the snow. There was a guard on either side of her, eyeing the shivering mess of a mare as tears turned to frost. 
“Twilight,” Bon Bon whimpered, struggling to push herself off her knees, “Give me a second chance, please.” 
“Sunset Shimmer could be halfway into the Mossy Marsh by now.”
“I’ll find them. I did it once, when none of your own troops could. You need me.”
Snowfall had arrived, having just caught wind of Bon Bon’s withered cries. 
“Maybe you let them escape? Maybe you mean to deceive me?”
“I didn’t!”
“Your highness,” Snowfall interrupted, as Twilight’s horn began to glow.
Twilight glared at Snowfall.
“She's likely a spy," Twilight said.
“Or just unlucky,” Snowfall posited, “It was my failures that convinced you to bring her here. I beg you, don't punish her for what's my doing.”
Twilight scoffed, as if Snowfall had made a crude joke. 
“You have a soft heart, Lieutenant. Someday it will get you killed.”
Twilight took a step back, and Bon Bon gave a great sigh of relief.
“See her free then, if you wish. You’re mistaken if you believe I enjoy bloodshed. But these are dark times. And there are less and less ponies to trust.”
Snowfall nodded, understandingly.  
“And Lyra?” Bon Bon demanded, while Twilight turned to sulk off into the snow. 
Twilight did not answer.
Bon Bon’s legs gave out once again, and she collapsed into the snow, struggling to restrain herself from bursting into tears.
Snowfall glanced back at Twilight, whose muddled silhouette disappeared in the snows.





“This is a bad idea.”
Lightning Dust held the point of the trio, sticking her head out from an alleyway corner. 
Kickstart had his hoof firmly stuck in front of Scootaloo, preventing her from running off. 
After a night's flight, they had slipped into Rhinefrost early in the morning, touching down in an empty alley, where Kickstart half-expected they would remain indefinitely. The city was blanketed in snow, its frostfed grey stones trembling in their stays. 
“They're gonna see us,” Scootaloo reminded.  
“This city is crawling with soldiers,” Kickstart muttered, “And you said your friends were in the Icehearth, not here.”
“They are,” Lightning said, shrugging, “It’s not far from here. We can’t fly there, the winds are too strong. We’ll need a sled, or an engine, or something.”
Scootaloo grimaced, tucked beneath Kickstart’s front leg.
Lightning glanced back. 
“My friends need me," Lightning said, excited over the prospect of returning to them, "I have to find them.”
“So you can go on murdering more ponies?” Scootaloo demanded.
“I told you already, I never murdered anypony!” Lighting exclaimed.
Kickstart meant to interject, until he noticed a caravan of soldiers parading past the alleyway.
Kickstart reached and pushed them all back against the edge of the wall. His hoof was right on Lightning’s chest; her face flushed red.
He drew his hoof back once the patrol had passed.
“This place isn't too far from the Crystal City, why don’t we go there to meet them?” Scootaloo suggested, recalling Cheerilee's geography lessons.
“We wouldn’t make it five steps into the city without being spotted and questioned," Lightning rebuked. 
Scootaloo had not thought of that.
“Come on. Soon enough somepony will notice us here,” Lightning said, leading them out from the trio. She adjusted her hot pink leather jacket, her black cap and her sunglasses, hoping to keep her face hidden. 
The streets of Rhinefrost were buried in snow. Its battlements were dark grey stone, its houses gentle wood, cut from the surrounding forests. 
The snow concealed them, as they struggled through the bitter-bite winds that whistled and screeched in the paper-thin air. 
Lightning turned back once or twice, and at some point noticed Scootaloo’s trembling pale face. 
She stripped off her jacket and stuck it in Scootaloo’s hooves. 
“It’s not meant for warmth, but it’s better than nothing.”
Scootaloo made no reply, though she appreciated the gesture. The jacket was gratuitously oversized, though helped against the cold. 
The streets were mostly empty that morning, with many of the frost ponies still asleep in their beds. They kept on, Kickstart now in the front. 
But it was Scootaloo who first noticed the commotion. 
Down one street there were three ponies, mere silhouettes in the thick snows. Their voices carried, though, and it sounded like trouble. 
“Hey,” Scootaloo said, tugging on Lightning’s tail.
All of them turned to see. Lightning’s eyes lit up.
She spread her wings and took off towards the scene. 
The snows had blinded her, however, and, flying at full speed, Lightning ran into straight into a stout earth pony with a brown mane and a grey coat, colliding head-on, both of them barreling into a streetbound mound of snow.
Kickstart and Scootaloo arrived, catching sight of a mare with a bright green curly mane, and a golden unicorn half-awake on a nearby sled. There was a frost army soldier there too, his dug-in brow heavy over his bright blue eyes. 
“Hey! None of you move,” he said, reaching for the hilt of his sword tucked away in his scabbard. He had stopped the ponies initially as a formality, though the more he pried, the more suspicious he found them. 
Kickstart had assumed the guard was going to arrest them, and chose to act first. His hoof swung right into the guard’s face, knocking him off his hooves. The guard lost his grip on his sword, and fell over a heap of snow onto his head. Kickstart moved in to finish the job, that was, until Scootaloo grabbed a hold of him.
“Don’t,” she begged. 
His eyes passed over her, and reluctantly he gave in. 
“Th-thank you,” the curly-haired mare said, brushing a lock of her mane from her eye. She was shivering from head to hoof. 
Lightning had the stallion by the throat, angrily jostling him back and forth.
“Lightning!” the green mare cried. 
Lightning did not release her grip on the stallion, turning her head half-around at Wallflower Blush behind her.
“He’s with us! Lightning, he’s with us!” Wallflower exclaimed.
Lightning turned back to the stallion. She let go of his throat and jumped back in fright. The pony had morphed into an insect-like creature, with tall antlers and glowing eyes.
“A changeling!” Lightning screeched, falling backwards into the snow. She had never laid eyes on one before.
Callidus morphed back into his disguise, relieved to be breathing.
“I would say it’s nice to meet you, but I think you broke my nose,” Callidus said. 
“Er, sorry about that,” Lightning said, sheepishly. 
Wallflower ran to embrace Lightning, wrapping her forelegs around the pegasus' neck. Lightning awkwardly held Wallflower, begrudgingly allowing herself the comfort of a friend. 
"You came back," Wallflower said, smiling.
"Yeah, yeah, don't get all blubbery about it," Lightning grinned, "...We were gonna head north to find you."
“We made it easier for you. Here, let's get out of the open,” Wallflower said, rushing over to pull Sunset's sled, "We just got back from the Icehearth."
Lightning noticed the gash on Sunset’s head, which had only barely healed.
“There was trouble,” Wallflower elaborated.
Lightning glanced at Scootaloo and Kickstart to follow her, as she joined Wallflower, Callidus, and Sunset, marching towards one of the houses on the street block. 
“I rented this place before I found you,” Callidus muttered to Wallflower, “Figured we would need a roof to stay under for a little while.”
Callidus opened the door to the house, revealing a small living room, just large enough for one pony to live in comfortably. 
“Go on,” Callidus said, ushering them all inside.
Lightning was the last to enter. She took one last glance back at the snowstorm laying waste to the city. She liked being in the thick of it, she realized. This was what was deserved.





The dirt from his tracks washed over the edge with each sweeping swill of the downpour. 
Rainbow Dash peeked her head out from the window, checking the street outside for any lurking pairs of eyes.
She turned back to Blondie, who was resting beside a the heat of a candle, the only source of light in the ruinous, abandoned building they had taken refuge in, two stories high.
Rainbow avoided staring too long. While she may have found him handsome once, he had begun to frighten her more than anything else.
Brandy tossed over on the ground, grunting in pain before she could open her eyes.
"What the hell..." she muttered, catching sight of Blondie and Rainbow, and the candle, and the downpour outside. And, more importantly, no Underground ponies in sight. 
"...Blondie?" she managed, crawling up to her hooves. She was too weak to stand for long, staggering over towards the others by the candle, with help from Rainbow. They sat down together, while Blondie kept his distance, fixated from afar on those eyes of hers.
"I'm Rainbow Dash," Rainbow introduced, "You're safe now."
Brandy felt like crying, and instead broke into a giddy fit of laughter, amazed to have survived at all.
"We're taking you to Crozer," Blondie elaborated. He paid attention to her, every shift in her gaze, every word that grazed her lips. 
Brandy's smile fell off her lips.
"No...No, you can't. Blondie, I told you, I told you, I need to get out of this city. They're going to kill me!"
"He gave us his word he wouldn't, if you give him what he wants," Blondie said.
"You shouldn't be trusting him, he's just using you. Whatever he promised you, he's lying."
Rainbow sat up, uneasily, considering whether Crozer was serious about his plans for her friends, or if she was right, and it was all some bluff. Or maybe he would kill them nonetheless, and her along with them, for that matter. 
"We'll make sure you're safe. But we have to do this," Rainbow said, attempting a lighter approach while Blondie ran out of words.
Brandy shook her head in dismay.
"Fine. But I'm warning you, you're making a mistake."
Blondie stuck a cigarette in his mouth and reached for his lighter.
Brandy stormed off away from them, planting herself down by a window sill several yards away.
"Don't stray too far," Blondie called out.
Brandy scoffed and turned away from them, facing the waterfall of rainwater pouring off a hanging pavilion.
"What happens to you when this is over?" Rainbow whispered, glaring at Blondie, "When she's safe?"
Blondie took a breath, before taking the cigarette out of his mouth, loosely hanging it in the air while looking on past the candle into the darkness. He huffed air out his nose. and glanced up at her, briefly, before returning to the candle flame. He recalled those eyes of deep blue, faded paintings in his head. 
"She's never going to be safe," Blondie said.
Rainbow backed down.
"We'll make it out of this," Rainbow said, "I promise."
Blondie had trembling breath, his eyes darting wildly between Rainbow and the flame. He was afraid to let her in, he told himself, or anypony for that matter. He couldn't let himself lose. Not again. 




 
“You look worse than I do.”
Lightning grinned while helping Sunset down onto the red leather couch sitting by the fire. The heat was all Sunset needed. 
“You’ve made friends,” Sunset said, glancing at the two strangers taking their post by the other couch. Kickstart kept himself at Scootaloo’s side, and his eyes never left the shivering trio. The fireplace roared, while Callidus bolted the door shut and closed the blinds. 
“You too,” Lightning said, “A changeling?”
Callidus ignored her snide remark.
“A changeling has more to offer than a child and Frankenstein over here,” Sunset dismissed. 
“I’d be dead if not for them,” Lightning said, defensively. 
“Go figure. What did I say would happen if you flew off? You got lucky, is what it seems.”
“And we didn’t?” Wallflower interjected, catching both of them by surprise, “That earth pony would have had both our heads already if we didn’t have help.”
Lightning was speechless. She had come back, against her better judgment, and this was how Sunset receives her?
Sunset scoffed.
“Saved by a changeling. Of all the rotten jokes.”
“We should head south, to the capital,” Callidus proposed. 
“As if there’s not enough death and misery here already?” Sunset countered.
“You said Starlight Glimmer’s there right now. Splitting up didn’t work. We should regroup,” Callidus said.
“Is it we already?” Sunset said.
“What about Suri? She’ll be looking for us in the North, not the capital,” Lightning said. 
“She’ll head south too, if she’s got any wits.”
“Wherever we go, we should leave quickly,” Kickstart said.
“Has my hospitality gone so far past your head? This is my home,” Callidus said.
“Your home is some filthy hole in the changeling hive,” Sunset said, “Scarface is right. We need to leave.”
“And the Princess? She’s bound to have a trap waiting for us in the capital, isn’t she?” Wallflower asked.
“We’ll need to get there quickly,” Sunset said, “Whatever trap she’s got, Starlight will walk into it first.” 
 




She dreamt she was home, tucked away by the red embers of her hearth, a childhood novel resting in her lap. Nothing stirred beyond the odd crack and cough of the fire. What did she see in the light, but the dream she wished she could be living?
“Twilight!” 
Shining Armor was clad in his shimmering silver armor, his tufts of cerulean hair spilling out from his helm, sprawled like waves of the sea.
He embraced her before she could take a second step through the door. She recognized the two crystal guards standing idly by. The raw-jawed Hardball, and the short-statured Windchill. She paid them no notice.
“Next time you visit, warn me first. We could have had a feast ready by now,” Shining Armor grinned.
“...Could we speak in private?” Twilight asked. 
Shining Armor’s smile faded. His little sister’s eyes were cold, and he could not read her as well as he used to. 
He glanced at Hardball and Windchill. They filed out from the palace foyer in even step. 
“Twilight, there you are.”
Twilight had opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Princess Cadance, arriving at the top of the staircase. Her eyes fell down on Twilight, who tried to hide her irritation with being caught by surprise.
“Sister, I heard you were on holiday,” Twilight said, mortified to be misinformed. She would have her scroll colt flogged for this.
“With the world upside down? Better to keep our enemies confused, don’t you think?”
Twilight watched as Cadance began her descent down the stairs. Shining Armor made way for her to join them.
“If only our enemies were as brash as they are misguided,” Twilight said.
“Yes. Walking the wire must tire the hoof at some point,” Cadance said.
Twilight’s smirk dropped for a moment. Shining Armor did not notice that the princesses’ eyes were locked on one another, coiled and taut. 
“Your Lieutenant, er, Snowfall Glitter - she’s delightful, y'know,” Shining Armor said.
“A rare sort of loyalty,” Twilight agreed, her eyes passing from Cadance to her brother, right as the Princess of Love arrived before them.
“It was her belief that Starlight and her friends had fled south,” Shining Armor said, “I won’t be relaxing our defenses until the threat is dealt with, though.”
“Of course,” Twilight said, approvingly.
“...I didn’t believe it at first. That Starlight could do it,” Shining Armor said. 
“Yes, it was…troubling news,” Twilight said.
“Troubling, yes. How a pony we trusted could betray us, betray herself? I dared never give ground to such a frightful thing,” Cadance said, glaring at Twilight.
“It’s easy to make careless mistakes, when we’re frightened,” Twilight said, her words spilling out slow, “Better to wait until we understand what we’re up against.”
“Perhaps we could reason with her. Perhaps she’s not too far gone,” Cadance proposed, “Then we could show her mercy.”
Twilight’s eyes flashed red. 
“Something tells me our enemy will not be so merciful in return.”
Cadance had trouble keeping a steady set of breaths. Twilight blinked several times in erratic succession, and turned her head back to Shining Armor. 
“You’ve done well protecting the North. This will all be over soon,” Twilight assured.
She turned for the door, though Shining Armor had expected her to stay for dinner. 
“I’ll be returning to Canterlot. Keep the course.”
“Goodbye, Twilight,” Shining Armor said. 
Cadance was silent as the grave.  





Bon Bon rubbed at her eyes, ignoring the drink left for her by Snowfall.

The ice-eyed unicorn had just returned with a duffel bag, packed full of Bon Bon's own equipment and supplies. She dropped the bag at the foot of the tent flap, which she promptly sealed up with a spell. 

"There's a train tomorrow, early, for Ponyville. I bought you a ticket," Snowfall said, before she could sit down. Snowfall's tent was not much bigger than the ordinary troops', though it made up for that in its warmth. 

"I'm sorry about...." Snowfall said, unsure what else she could offer, while Bon Bon sat with red eyes and a pale face, hollowed by grief. "Princess Twilight can...sometimes lose her temper...But there's no excuse for what she did to your wife. If there's anything you need, please let me know, I want to help."

Bon Bon glared at her, before sighing and backing down. She supposed she could not levy her anger towards this pony, who had admittedly come to her aid against Twilight's wrath already.

"Before we were married," Bon Bon said, "Lyra made me promise never to do this kind of stuff again. She didn't want to live in fear, for her life or mine. And as far as I could tell, I'd done it. I'd gotten out. Then Twilight, she....What do I have left now? I did what she wanted. She can't get away with this, it's not right. Even her loyal little dog knows it's not right."

Snowfall glanced at the ground. That moniker had gained traction as of late, Twilight's dog, and though she hated it, now was not the time to challenge a pony shattered by grief. 

"You should take some extra bit of food," Snowfall decided, rising and turning around to dig through her trunk, "Here, it's not much, but-"

But, after turning around, Snowfall was grieved to find that Bon Bon had disappeared, along with her bag. 

Snowfall rushed out of the tent, frantically scanning the area for prints in the snow. But the rows of passing troops had muddled the tracks all together, and Bon Bon had been long lost to the blinding white of the snows. 

Snowfall hung her head in regret, and climbed back into her tent, hoping that the pony wouldn't be too eager to jump back into the fray.





“Do you think it’s smart, trusting a changeling?” Lightning had reclaimed her pink jacket, brushing snow off of her mane. Sunset was on her hooves once more, her forehead soiled in blood. She was filling a bag with canned foods from Callidus’ pantry. She had not had a good meal in months - baked beans and mealy corn made for a feast. They were alone together in the kitchen. 
“Smart ponies don’t find themselves in situations like ours.”
“He’ll sell us out as soon as we're out of the North," Lightning warned. 
“You’re welcome to stay, if you’d like. Though it doesn’t seem like you fared well the last time you tried running away,” Sunset said.
Lightning, who stood behind Sunset with a certain eagerness about her, waved over her words. 
"I didn't run away. I went to find help, and I brought help. I came back, just like I said I would."
Sunset zipped up the bag, and rose to meet Lightning at eye level.
“You did. Not for us, I suspect. Going got tough?”
Lightning stared at her, blankly.  
“You’re a hotshot coward with delusions of grandeur. About time you had a wake-up call.” Sunset walked around her, slinging the bag around her shoulder.
"I'm just trying to help," Lightning said, weakly.
But Sunset was already gone, rounding the corner of the house to find Wallflower by the front door. Scootaloo had overheard, though said nothing. Kickstart remained at her side. He did not trust these ponies. Especially that unicorn.
Sunset arrived by Wallflower, adjusting the straps of her bag. 
"You shouldn't talk to her like that," Wallflower said, "She's one of us. Start treating her like it."
Sunset glared at her.
"I like her," Sunset admitted, "But she's reckless and arrogant, and if we don't set her straight, she'll get us all killed. That's the hard truth."
Wallflower sighed, and considered Sunset's point. 
“How will we find her?” Wallflower asked.
“Starlight?” Sunset asked, “Depends on when we get there. Canterlot may be a pile of rubble if we’re not quick enough.”
“Just to get at Twilight? Starlight would never do something like that,” Wallflower insisted.
“Don’t fool yourself into thinking she’ll be as kind and merciful as she says, when Twilight finds her," Sunset laughed.
“She said it herself, she needs our help to get the upper hoof," Wallflower reminded.
“She may change her mind when she's face-to-face of the pony who ruined her life.”
Wallflower glanced at the floor, hoping Sunset was wrong.
“Don’t trouble yourself. If things don’t work out for her,” Sunset said, with a wonderful wide grin, “They’ll work out for me.”





Twilight stood before the window, rocking nervously while the dying sheer-shaded light of the sun dwindled beneath the black clouds that brought the night. She was not certain what she was searching for out there, over the spires and stones of Canterlot. But her eyes were drawn to whatever they could catch.
She had arrived back at the capital that afternoon. Wedge Ward, her captain of the guard, had done a sufficient job ruling in her stead; the city was still standing, at least. Spike had helped himself to a banquet of gems first thing upon returning; he was famished after the journey.
Twilight had waved off attempts by the thin-faced Featherglass and the effeminate, starry-eyed Marius Moonshine. Their counsel was of value to her, but not to the extent that required her to spare herself her fair due of solitude. 
She had hoped as much at least, until the great stone doors came swinging open, screeching as they went. 
“Twilight! Thank Celestia you’re back!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Fluttershy was shuffling in after her. Twilight could not stop herself from smiling - some friendly faces may have been just what she needed.
“You’re back!” Twilight said.
“Rode in this morning. We looked for you, but the guards said you were gone.”
“Where’s Rainbow?” Twilight asked. She recalled sending three ponies to Manehattan, to satisfy some ill-thought-out heroic quest, but here were only two. 
Fluttershy’s face soured.
“She stayed. She’s not hurt,” Fluttershy said.
“What? Why? What happened?” Twilight asked.
“Oh, forget about all that!” Pinkie interjected, “Where’s Rarity? Isn’t she with you?” 
Twilight choked on her own breath.
“What?”
Pinkie’s smile died like a switch had been turned off. She glanced at Fluttershy.
“Nopony’s seen her anywhere…We thought she was with you.”
Twilight’s eyes shut, and she had to laugh for a moment. She had left herself vulnerable, she realized. Starlight had been busy. 





That night the bells rang from the great palace tower. Torches were lit about every streetpath and cobblestone way, everywhere that the fugitives might be found. 
“Your absence seems to have been noticed.” Starlight Glimmer kept at the edge of the alley, crouched behind some barrels of grain left unattended during the chaos in the streets. Rarity grunted into the cloth gag wrapped around her mouth, lying at Starlight's side. 
Starlight was still bitter over having to abandon the boutique, though she supposed she should have known Rarity's disappearance would have eventually caused a stir. 
Ponies ran to their homes, to safety. Royal guards patrolled the city in droves. They would not be going anywhere anytime soon.
Behind her, Trixie lay in the sludge with Rarity, who squealed and fought restlessly, though not enough to draw attention.
“We should never have come here,” Trixie muttered.
“The welcome won’t be any warmer anywhere else,” Starlight said. 
“How will they do it, once they catch us?" Trixie wondered, "Beheading? Hanging? Burning at the stake?”
“I don’t know. I suppose it’s Twilight's decision," Starlight said.
“Ah. All three, probably.”
Water splashed from behind them. Starlight spun around, her horn already ablaze.
There was a stallion, approaching them from deeper in the alley. He had a thinning head of pale grey hair, and was draped in a black coat, with a tie to match.
He did not fit the bill for a royal guard, nor even an acolyte of Twilight’s.
“That’s far enough.” Starlight called out.
The earth pony kept on approaching them, prompting Starlight’s horn to glow brighter. 
“I thought you'd have had a better strategy, the day you arrived at the capital,” the stallion said, “I’m Alias. We’re glad to see you’re in one piece. Our meeting is long overdue.”
“We?”
There were more ponies slithering out from the darkness behind him, all draped in black coats.
“We’re the Erased. And we have a common enemy, Starlight Glimmer. We know what you saw.”
Starlight was relieved, glancing at Trixie.
“Come with us,” Alias said, extending his hoof towards them.
Trixie took to Starlight’s side.
“They could be trying to trick us.”
“...We’re not going to get any closer to Twilight scrounging for scraps in the dark,” Starlight said, "They might know more about what she's been up to..."
Trixie glared at her. Red malice. She knew that look. She had seen it on Sunset the day she laid waste to the guards during the massacre at Sunburst’s home. 
“I know you want to get back at her more than anything. Trust me, so do I," Trixie said, "But don’t lose sight of why we’re doing this. This isn’t about you or me.”
“I know that,” Starlight shot back. She was not sure she was convinced of that, however, as the mere mention of her former teacher made her blood boil. She had turned every one of her friends against her, with the exception of Trixie, whose life would be in permanent jeopardy. All for what? 
Starlight followed after Alias, disappearing into the dark with the other blackcoats. Trixie, bitterly, hoisted Rarity up to drag her along with them. 





 “Princess Cadance was here?” Starlight asked, amazed.
Starlight, Trixie, Rarity, Alias, and the host of blackcoats were filing into the lowest level of the Erased’s Canterlot headquarters. They passed by control pads and blinking screens, ponies erratically carrying paperwork to and fro. The Control Room was utter chaos. 
“She left not long ago. Wanted to speak with Twilight again. What good would come out of that, I’ve no idea,” Alias said.
“To gauge if she can be reasoned with?” Trixie guessed.
“Reason is wasted on a princess.”
Starlight took in the scale of the underground lair, and its bustling staff of agents. 
"Any word on Celestia and Luna?" Starlight asked, "One's disappeared and the other's in self-isolation. I've got a hunch they're involved somehow."
"Celestia's gone," Alias said, gravely "We haven't been able to locate her in months."
"You don't seem too concerned," Starlight said.
"Celestia was the focus of our last investigation. Then she disappears off the earth, and the murders happen a week later. We left the case behind us," Alias said.
"So she is the cause of this," Starlight figured, "You're sure there's no way to locate her?"
Alias shook his head.
"We tried everything already. Probably flew off somewhere far away to escape this mess. And as for Luna...We're keeping a close eye on her."
Starlight nodded, somewhat suspicious of his meaning.
“You have all these resources, so why sit here and do nothing?” Starlight said. 
Rarity was in perpetual amazement. As with every other citizen of Equestria, the Erased and the grey world they fought for were a hidden part of the world. A part she was not certain she was supposed to be seeing. 
“Information is my trade. And until I have all of the information I need, an open war is best avoided,” Alias scoffed.
"So, what have you found out?" Starlight demanded. 
"Only that Twilight may not have worked alone. Our goal now is to hunt down any and all accomplices. They'll be more willing to talk than Twilight ever would. And we might finally get a grasp on what's behind all of this."
"Forget the accomplices," Starlight said, "I watched her tear them all to pieces. Right in front of me. You're giving her all the time she needs to keep Equestria fooled. She needs to be stopped, before she hurts anypony else."
Alias stopped in his tracks, and glared back at her. The other blackcoats all moved out of his way, as he approached Starlight with blood in his eyes.
“If you would prefer to run carelessly to your death, go right ahead. But my responsibility is to Equestria, not my own pride. I thought you alone might have the sense to understand that. Perhaps I was wrong.”
Starlight’s eyes passed over him, when another blackcoat arrived up the stairs, gasping for breath after a lengthy sprint.
“Chief!” the pony cried.
Alias turned around, hardly phased.
“Stiletto, Flamberge! They’re in Seaward, they’ve just sent word to us. They left Lady Lavender’s palace with the assassin, as you requested.”
“Well done,” Alias said.
“...But they were intercepted,” the blackcoat said, “By a platoon of royal guards. Flamberge recognized two. Styles and Venger, both in the Nine.”
“Styles.  Sent by Sparkle, then. They’ve escaped?” Alias asked.
“Both of them did," the blackcoat replied, "But Bandolier was lost. The assassin too.”
Alias did not speak for what felt like an eternity. His face was harder than normal, his eyes stung red.
“No matter,” he said beneath his breath, “Twilight has sent her pets to pick us off. If that's the game she wants, she will have it.”
Alias marched down the steps, the others following close behind him.
“Send word to Sergeant Genever in Canterlot. I want ten more ponies helping him keep surveillance on Twilight. And as for you,” Alias said, glancing at Starlight, “You may get your chance sooner than you thought.”
Starlight would have smiled, if she wasn’t terrified. 





Bandolier waded through the stream of blood she left in her wake, staggering and stumbling like a newborn deer. 
“Let’s stop here,” Bandolier offered. Clover was only a few steps ahead of him, just as lost. 
“We can’t stop,” Clover muttered.
“You’ll spare the guards their hunt, dying before they find us. Here will be good.”
“What for? So you can tie me in chains again? Or cut my throat? Don’t start thinking me saving your life makes us friends.”
“Saving my life?” Bandolier snickered, taking a seat on one mossy rock by a log crawling in ants, “Is that what you call it?”
“Get up. They’ll be on top of us any moment.”
“What a fool I was, leaving the flagon with that boorish brute Flamberge. I’ll die of thirst, if not from your nagging. If I die without a belly of wine, I lose a bet.”
“Please get up. I’d like to live.”
“Take a rest. You'll thank me later," he replied.
Clover sighed, and sat down herself, resting her aching legs. She picked at the torn, dirt-stained fabric of her canary yellow dress. 
“This was my favorite,” she muttered, glumly. 
“I’d say it was once beautiful, if anypony else was wearing it,” Bandolier said.
“Jibe all you want. You’re a kite in a hurricane, and the best part is you’ve no idea.”
“You’re right. And it’s killing me, whatever it is you insist on keeping to yourself. It will kill you too, when those soldiers catch up to us. I wonder if you’ll still be smirking, when they’re flaying you or burning you or pulling your teeth out.”
“At least I’ll be of value to them. You’ll just be another corpse.”
“A pretty face doesn’t last forever," Bandolier rebutted.
Clover glared at him, resenting his implications.
“You’d be smart not to resist,” he said, speaking more softly.
“Would I?” Clover sneered.
“They’ll break your nose, knock your teeth out.”
“You think I care about my nose or my teeth?”
“No, but I think you care about your life,” Bandolier said, glaring at her, “If you fight back, they’ll kill you.”
Clover’s eyes narrowed.
“And you would just stand there, while they-”
“Nopony’s going to lay a hoof on you,” he said, “I said I was bringing you to Canterlot, and that's what I intend on doing.”
“My hero,” she snarled, rolling her eyes, “You’re no more honorable than those royal pigs hunting us down. I’m only alive so you can win favor with your princesses and princes and lords and ladies.”
Bandolier laughed.
“I don’t serve Twilight Sparkle, or Lady Lavender, or any lords or ladies."
He rose to his hooves and helped her do the same.
Clover glared at him, warily. 
“It’s glory you want,” she said, with certainty. 
“If I wanted glory I wouldn’t have put on a black coat.”
“To protect the realm, then? You’re either a clever liar or a brainwashed fool. The Erased serve the realm as much as the sun shines in the Icehearth. You’re a low-rate bunch of cowards, who watch on while thousands suffer and never lift a hoof, unless there’s something to profit from.”
They were walking beside each other now, over roots and patches of moss that crawled along the forest. Clover stood half-a-head shorter than him, her dress ripped at the bottom, snagging on twigs and sticks as she went. 
“That’s all rich, coming from a cutthroat.”
“I’m not a cutthroat.”
Bandolier shook his head, unconvinced. 
Clover narrowed her eyes, and suddenly appeared distressed. She brushed her raven-dark mane from her left eye.
“If they do find us,” she said, “Be smart for once and don’t wait for me. I’m all they want.”
Bandolier glanced down at her. His beard itched, and there were scratches all along his cheeks. 
“They’re going to kill me. And first they’ll…” she said, her voice trailing away and her eyes losing themselves into nothing.
“Kill you. For what?” Bandolier asked. 
Clover bit her lip.
“Loose ends.”
Bandolier glared at her, and he recalled the bronze-helmeted lieutenant from last night, and the words that had come oozing from his mouth, those words that he could not understand at first. 
Her highness sends her regards.





Ponyville had become something of a dreary place.
Few even dared to leave their homes anymore, except for a quick run for food and supplies. And where supplies began to dwindle, hope suffered even worse. 
“I’ve told you not to speak of it again.”
The Deputy had his blue-brimmed cover sitting on the oak, his steely blue eyes half-open, his stubbly face darkened by restless shadow. 
Marjorine had flour stains on her apron and her tattered blue dress, her curly locks of red bouncing behind her neck. She was leaning by the sink, her legs were weak.
“The Twinkles move out tomorrow,” she said. Her voice was strained, as if a sickness had her by the throat, “The Cakes may leave too. They haven’t had more than two customers a day now, I’m told.”
Holster glared at her. His eyes were dark like a midnight sea, and when his anger showed, so did the hard lines on his face. 
“This is our home. We’re not going anywhere.”
Marjorine rose to her hooves, approaching him with tears in her eyes.
“You’re not safe here. We’re not safe here. Starlight Glimmer knows this town. She’ll be back. She’ll burn everything to the ground.”
“I don’t believe those stories.”
“No? She was always in another world. We doomed ourselves when we first took her in. Have you forgotten?”
“I don’t believe it,” he said again, “And it hardly matters. Starlight Glimmer. That red pegasus with the scars on his face. Whichever wretch is behind all of this, they’ll be a fool to come back here. This time we’ll be ready for them.”	
“You’ve lost your mind. Put aside your pride, for once, and think about her,” Marjorine said, glancing up at the stairs. 
“The schools have been closed for months. She hasn’t seen her friends since before this all started. She’s been cooped up in that room all this time. It isn’t right.”
“And still she’ll be less happy anywhere else.”
“Don’t pretend that you care for her happiness,” Marjorine spat, “...Let’s leave. All of us. While we can.”
Holster shook his head.
From the stairs, another pair of ears was listening in. A girl hardly old enough for middle school, with a pale tan coat and a head of bouncy brown curls, that touched her shoulders. She had grey eyes, that welled with tears each time she heard her mother and father argue with one another.
Marjorine had left the room, storming off to wipe away tears by her lonesome.
“Father,” came Juno, trotting down the stairs with soft steps. 
Holster rose from his chair, rubbing at the crows feet by his eyes. 
“You should be in bed,” he said, though he was relieved to see her. She rushed in to embrace him, and his hoof slowly found its way to her head of cinnamon curls.  
“Father, why do we have to stay?” she asked. 
“You’ve been eavesdropping. What have I told you about-”
“Why do we have to stay?” she said again.
Holster gave a great sigh, and forced her from him. He bent down beside her. 
“We’re needed here. Our friends need our help.”
“But the bad pony is going to come back,” she said, her lips quivering. 
“Yes. And who will stop her, if we flee?”
Juno was not sure.
“But you can’t stop her. Nopony can stop her. Except the princess!” Juno exclaimed. 
Holster’s smile was warm, and it put her at ease.
“Maybe so. But the princess isn’t here, is she?” 
“But…Father, she’s going to kill us. She’s going to kill mother. And me. And you,” Juno said, and she had long stopped trying to hide her tears. 
“Don’t even think it,” he said, and he reached to hold her beside him. She fell apart in her grasp, and her whimpering cries were enough to soften his bitter blue glare. 
“I want you to pack your things,” Holster said.
Juno wiped her eyes.
“But you said-”
“Go. Quickly now.”
Juno’s smile burst on her face, elated. She scurried off back up the stairs. Holster rose to his hooves, and his smile faded until she was back upstairs. 





The city lights died before the first corner, as did the rain, and there was where the whisperings and distant cries or shots or cracks screeched the loudest. The streets were nearly empty in the dead of night. Blondie thought it wiser to travel by under cover of darkness. Crozer's hideaway was not too far, though at every passing alleyway, there remained a chance of ambush. 
They trotted along the edge of soot-shodden buildings, red rust and grey grime seeping from the old bricks like sand in the wind. 
Rainbow’s hairs stood tall, and her flesh was cold. Blondie was her guide to this void, that stunk of rot and smoke. Brandy was stuck between them, struggling to keep up with her mangled limp.
"What has Crozer got on you two, anyway? Some bit of blackmail? Bits?"
"Both," Blondie said, bluntly.
"I hope it's worth it, then," Brandy retorted.
"From what I've been told, you put yourself in this situation," Blondie said.
"Put myself-....You're off. Way off. I finally had my chance to get out of there, to cut myself loose. So I ran. You'd have done the same, if you could've. He's a monster.
"About that case," Rainbow said, glancing up at Blondie, "Did you hear what Trench had said back there? Something about what happened in Ponyville."
Blondie was not sure what she had, while Brandy scoffed under her breath.
"You must know what he meant, right?" Rainbow asked, hopeful that her trip to Manehattan hadn't been in vain, after all.
Brandy sighed.
"The case came out of Canterlot first. Then some high-profile creatures take an interest in it. Posh Paramount, the dragon empress, the changeling, the lot of them, they were cutting deals under the table. They were the original buyers. Talked a lotta talk about draining the swamp, and razing it all and starting over. Bunch of freaks. Now they've lost their heads, along with their bid, and now who knows where the case will end up."
"....What the hell is in that case?" Rainbow demanded.
"Hell if I know," Brandy laughed, "I meant to ask the scientist that, before he croaked."
Rainbow glanced up at Blondie.
"Whoever killed Ember and the others, they must have wanted the case for themself?" Rainbow wondered.
"It's never that simple," Blondie dismissed.
"...Whatever happened, we can't let that case fall into the wrong hooves."
Blondie scoffed.
"Death follows that case wherever it goes, Dash."
Rainbow ignored him, as a fire returned to her. She had her lead, her very first lead since Twilight's goose chase began. 
"Stop right there!" barked a voice from behind them, shattering Rainbow's brief moment of triumph. 
Blondie froze and spun around, as did Rainbow. while Brandy cowered behind them. 
There were four ponies facing them on the sidewalk. 
Three wore royal guard armor. Two were stallions, both with tired eyes and spears resting nearby. The other, the one who had yelled, was a mare, between deep velvet and blood red in color, with a spiky mane of hot magenta. She had eyes like a serpent, and a horn that glowed red. 
The other pony Blondie recognized - a thug in a grey coat he had seen in the Underground’s lair.
"That's them?" muttered Redshift. 
The pony meekly nodded his head, at the prodding of one guard's spear.
"Scram," Redshift barked, and the pony did not need to be told twice.
"You never said the royal guard was a part of this," Rainbow said, glaring at Brandy. 
"I didn't know!" Brandy replied, terrified. 
They were caught against a red brick building and a large patch of dirt that covered most of the sidewalk, where dead rats lay strewn about.
“That’s Rainbow Dash,” said one of the guards, his eyes lighting up in alarm, reaching for his spear. 
“Yes. I too have eyes,” Redshift said, snidely, “You’re a long way from home, Wonderbolt.”
“You will be too, when you’re rotting in Tartarus. Just wait until I tell Twilight what her little minions are really up to," Rainbow replied.
Redshift snickered.
“I came here for Suri Polomare. Seems the city didn’t agree with her. But I guess I won't be going home empty-hooved, after all. You're the girl,” Redshift said, centering in on Brandy, "The girl with the secret. Princess Twilight's been meaning to speak with you."
From across the street, more royal guards had begun to emerge, crawling out from the dark like ants from their pit.
“The Wonderbolts will be needing to fill a new vacancy,” Redshift grinned. 
Rainbow grabbed a hold of Blondie, right before he could lunge for Redshift’s throat.
Redshift's horn's glowed red, and before any of them could prepare, a fiery beam of energy came surging out, hitting its intended target dead-center.
Brandy soon found herself encased in a magical fluid, strung along to Redshift's horn like a fishing pole. 
Brandy shrieked once she flew off her hooves, as she was dragged down the sidewalk towards Redshift.
"Brandy!" Rainbow yelled, dodging another blast of magic. She tackled Rainbow to the ground in the process, sparing him from taking a spear to the chest. 
Blondie growled as he staggered back to his hooves, meaning to run back for Brandy, who had disappeared behind the wall of royal guards. 
The mass of guards began their march towards the two. Rainbow lifted Blondie off behind her, away back into the street. 
"We've got to go, Blondie, we can't take them," Rainbow yelled. Blondie fought against her, pulling himself free from her grasp.
Rainbow meant to reach for him, before another group of royal guards began to swarm her.
Blondie shoved one guard out of his face and broke off towards where Redshift had been, only to find she and Brandy had disappeared.
Distraught, Blondie blind-sided by a royal guard's gauntlet, sending him teetering backwards towards the edge of a short bridge. 
"Blondie!" was the last thing he heard, before he slipped off the edge, spinning over upside down and toppling off into the air. He let out a short cry of surprise, before his world turned black.  	
 




The snows were more forgiving, the morning they left the icy gates of Rhinefrost, returning to the white void where nothing grew and nothing stirred. 
“We can find passage to the capital in Duskdale. Ten miles,” Callidus said, marching at the front of the pack. 
“And once we get there? Everypony in Canterlot will know what we look like,” Lightning Dust said. 
“My parents had a home in Canterlot,” Wallflower said, “If it’s still abandoned, we could try hiding out there.”
“Better than rotting in some alleyway,” Sunset said. 
Kickstart stayed with Scootaloo in the back, making sure she wouldn’t trip and crash into the snow. She had a habit of clumsiness.
“Are you sure about those two?” Sunset muttered to Lightning at the front.
“...I don’t know. They helped me, and if they were going to turn us in, they could’ve done it by now,” Lightning pointed out.
Sunset was not convinced, even less so of their changeling companion.
"Hey, I'm...sorry if I was too hard on you earlier," Sunset said, glancing at Lightning. Lightning seemed ready to cry, but chose instead to smile.
"Don't worry about it. You were right anyway. I was gonna run off," Lightning confessed, "But I...I think I want to give friends a try."
Sunset smiled back, before her eyes drifted over to Callidus ahead of them.
"Just be careful about who you call friends," Sunset advised.
“Your misgivings are in vain, Sunset Shimmer,” Callidus laughed, sensing her staring at him from behind.
“You left your own kind to help us. Why?” Sunset asked, raising her voice.
“My own kind? We may be a hive, but most of the changelings can’t stand each other. The Clypeans hate the Calypters. The Calypters hate the Sterna. Everyone hates the Spiracles,” Callidus said. 
“What’s in this for you?” Sunset asked.
Callidus flinched, as if he was grieved to speak.
“We never had a king like Thorax, in my lifetime at least. Chrysalis would send us all to our deaths if it meant her winning the war against ponykind. Thorax was different. He was someone we could believe in, someone who we chose to lead us. Your princess murdered him. For what, I don’t know. I don’t care either. She’ll pay for what she did,” Callidus said, gritting his spiky teeth.
“You’re talking about Twilight?” came Scootaloo. None of the others had noticed the filly climb her way to the front to listen in.
“Scootaloo...” Lightning began.
“That’s who you think did it?” Scootaloo said, horrified. 
“I know it’s hard to hear,” Lightning said, although she had no idea herself. But she trusted Starlight, for what it was worth. 
“You’re all insane!” Scootaloo wailed, “You’re horrible! And there’s no point in trying anyway, nopony alive could defeat Twilight! She’s Princess of Equestria!”
“She hasn’t impressed me so far,” Sunset said.
“Neither have you.”
The six of them snapped to attention. There was a pony standing in their way, dressed in a warm raspberry coat, with a large pair of black goggles stuck over her eyes. She seemed to have materialized right out of thin air; no one had noticed her blocking the path until now.
“Oh, great,” Wallflower muttered. Trouble couldn’t wait. 
Sunset’s horn was set ablaze. She shoved Callidus out of her way, aiming straight for Bon Bon’s head. That gash in her head still stung - she had a score to settle.
“Wait,” Bon Bon said, removing her goggles. Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying, “Don’t.”
Bon Bon raised her hooves in the air, briefly. 
“I didn’t come to fight.”
“No? Better to die quickly, then?” Sunset said.
Bon Bon shook her head. Kickstart had joined Sunset’s side, as had Callidus and Lightning, readying themselves to take on the pony waiting in their way.
“Twilight Sparkle found me a week ago. She ordered me to bring her Starlight Glimmer. And her friends.”
“Pity you’ve found them,” Sunset said.
“She took the pony closest to me,” Bon Bon said, “She was going to murder her if I didn’t do as she said.”
Sunset lowered her horn, subtly. 
“That sounds about right,” Lightning muttered.
“She thinks I let you escape," Bon Bon said, "She thinks I was helping you.”
“So now you’re here to prove her right?” Sunset asked.
Bon Bon narrowed her eyes.
“Twilight Sparkle murdered the pony I loved. She took everything I had away from me,” Bon Bon said, with a grim severity, “You want her dead, don’t you?” 
Sunset glanced at Lightning. 
Bon Bon’s eyes were hollow, and her flesh was as pale as the snow. 
“So do I.”