//------------------------------// // 20. True Bravery // Story: Never Alone // by JeSuisLaPorte //------------------------------// 14 days left before the storm Screams, shouts, laughter. Such a terrible symphony of pain, such a horrible atmosphere. The air was thick, oppressive and malicious. It was dark, save for the lanterns lighting up the only signs of life in here. No place in Equestria felt quite as evil as these caverns, and some ponies are in for a rude awakening.  Many ponies live their life foolishly thinking that they’ll never be in any real danger, that the atrocities they read in the journal will never come to them. Sadly, for some of them, life had other plans. The weak perish, and the strong live on. In these trying times, a pony reveals their true colors.  Blossomforth woke up to a strange sensation. She can’t remember when she even fell asleep, not that she thinks she even slept at all. Her legs wouldn’t move at all, no matter how hard she tried to pull. Her back hurt like Tartarus, mostly her wings. They were unresponsive too, but it felt different than her limbs. Dazed and confused, she slowly opened her eyes to reveal an unfamiliar location.  Cozy in its interior, but terribly dark anywhere the lantern on a nearby shelf couldn’t reach. As her blurry vision cleared up, she could make out two shapes near her, holding her down. “Wh... Wha-”  “Hey, look buddy, I think our sleeping beauty’s coming to!” A gruffy voice spoke out.  Finally wide awake, Blossomforth realised that the two shapes were in fact, stallions who were pinning her down on a bed.  “Get the ropes while I’ll hold her in place.” The other one ordered.  “Wh-What?” Blossomforth blurted out, her eyes widening. “Wh-What are you doing?”  The red stallion above her scoffed in a deep, whispery voice. “Figure it out yourself. You’re a grown mare, aren’t you?”  The pegasus turned pale. “N-No...” her lips quivered as she saw the beige stallion arrive with multiple set of ropes. “Y-Y-You can’t do this to me!” She tried to trash around, but her captor was much stronger than her.  “Hey! Keep it down, will ya?” The red stallion commanded, pushing down on her limbs. The pain it caused only got the mare to be louder. Her wings cracked in correspondence to the amount of pressure they were putting on her. Blossomforth couldn’t move them at all, they were broken. They broke her wings!  “Pl-Please, let m-me go! I won’t tell anypony!” Her plea was for nothing. No criminals ever listen to this kind of plea anyway.  A drop of sweat dripped down the red stallion’s face as he turned to his friend. “Shut her up! We can’t let him hear us!”  The beige stallion’s horn emitted an ominous glow. Blossomforth tried to scream, but her mouth slammed shut, unable to open. Nothing but muffled shrieks came out of her now as the red stallion breathed a sigh of relief.  “Good, now pass me the ropes. I’ll tie her down myself while you keep her in place.” he ordered, waving a hoof around.  His friend grinned. “Oh, we can thank the recruit for that. It’s been a while since we got to spend some quality time with a mare.”  The red earth pony shared the same grin. “Oh yes indeed.”  Blossomforth tried to plead further, but all that came out of her mouth were muffled and frightened whimpers. Her eyes were watering as he sniffled, desperately trying to refrain herself from crying.  The stallions switched place, and started tying her limbs down, starting with her left foreleg. “Don’t fret, lady, we’ll be gentle!” The beige stallion reassured in a sinister voice.  Tears streamed down Blossomforth’s freckled face as she started to give up any resistance, losing the last sliver of hope she had left. There was no escape, these two were stronger than her.  “Oy! Make sure to spread her leg when I tie them down. We want to have some space, don’t we?” The beige stallion suggested, taking pleasure in seeing the mare’s horrified reaction to each and every word he uttered.  “Hey, boys.”  Everypony in the room froze. The red stallion turned his head around slowly but surely, his eyes turning to pinpricks when he saw who the newcomer was.  “Correct me if I am wrong.” The third stallion said, bizarrely punctuating each wrong. “But I don’t believe it’s party time yet. Not to mention I haven't been invited!” He opened his eyes a bit further, leaning closer to the beige stallion. “Are you partying without me?”  Fumbling through his words, the beige stallion formulated a hasty response. “N-Not at all! Our deepest and m-most sincere apologies, boss!”  Anarchy’s clueless façade dropped immediately. “Spare me all your pleas. You two already know what you should be doing.”  The two stallions rushed out the room in fear, leaving the unfortunate Blossomforth with Anarchy alone.  The mare was frozen in place, her mouth shivering. Being alone in this cursed bedroom with this unicorn was dreadful. The whole room felt cold, icy. Despite its warm temperature, Blossomforth trembled, her teeth chattered, and her breathing was quick and shaky.   Anarchy leaned over her, his grin stretching across his entire face. “Look at the little sleeping beauty, waking up from her cute little nappy.” His face moved in closer to hers, almost touching their muzzles. “I’ve seen your type plenty of times before. All the same. Carefree, jolly, acting like you care about the tragedies on the newspaper but never really putting much thought into them. And in the face of danger, what do you do?” His jaw unhinged, revealing a gaping maw inside. A second and third row of teeth slowly made their presence known. “You freeze, and let death take you away.”   As Anarchy closed his jaw, he noticed that he had lost his audience. Blossomforth passed out from the overwhelming fear casted upon her. In this state, she looked much more peaceful than before, an adorable sight that got the unicorn thinking for a bit.  “Maybe our dreams are the best refuge for reality. The mind and soul are at peace, no questions to ask, no questions to answer.” He took a step back from the bed. “I know how to achieve my peace and oh boy, is it taking a long time to achieve.” He chuckled. “Why do I always find myself monologuing and talking to myself? Ha ha! I should really become a psychiatrist. Oh, I would if I didn’t have this special meeting so long ago... Oh, how much I miss these olden days!” He raised a hoof to the air. “Luna, you'll come to my side again, one way or another...”        Blossomforth slowly came back to her senses following the sound of a door slamming shut. The room she was now in was scarcely lit by a sole lantern on the ceiling. The wooden floorboard underneath her creaked with every move she made. The air was thick, hard to breathe, but it was just enough to let her live. On the upside, she was not tied down to anything, free to move around as she pleased.  The same couldn’t be said for her poor wings, covered in casts as they were sticking to her sides like glue. Moving them, even a little bit, was too painful. Without her wings, she was nothing more than a poor mare’s earth pony. There were iron bars in front of her just like those you’d see in a holding cell. The main difference was that most of the place was built using wood and stones. A true low budget prison. Blossomforth took a moment to reflect on the past few days, wondering what she did wrong to have ended up here, in a place potentially worse than Tartarus.  “H-Hey... Do I know you?” A weak voice called out. In the back of the room lied a black stallion, a pegasus to be precise, resting on the wooden floor. As Blossomforth turned around, she gasped.  “Thunderlane? What are you doing here?” The mare asked, rushing over to him.  “I could ask the same to you. I guess you weren’t so lucky too, huh?” He weakly sound, putting on a defeated smile.  Blossomforth sat next to him. “What is this horrible place? Wh-What are they going to do to us?”  “I wish I knew.” Thunderlane groaned. “Ugh, b-but there was no way of seeing where the carriages were taking us. From what I can tell, we should be somewhere underground.”  Blossomforth looked at a window on her right, it was dark outside, and there was no night sky in sight, confirming Thunderlane’s guess. “I-Is anypony coming to save us?” she asked, knowing the grim answer all too well.  “Afraid not. Nopony knows we’re here.” Thunderlane responded in a defeated tone. “But hey, it’s good to see a familiar face, though I sincerely wish you were anywhere but here.”  Blossomforth wanted to say “me too” but the truth was, she was too scared to be alone. Thunderlane’s company was the only thing keeping her from breaking down into tears. Even though they were only acquaintances, the simple fact that they knew each other warmed their hearts in this cold prison, buried underground. “H-How did you get here? I never though an athletic pony such as yourself would ever be captured.”  The black pegasus frowned. “I was out in Manehattan visiting a friend. Heh, we nearly knocked ourselves out with ciders until we got kicked out of the bar by the owner. In our drunken state, we thought it was a good idea to go our separate ways. Then, that coward Filthy Traffic hit me in the back of the head. It was entirely my fault; I should have been more cautious. What about you? Care to share your story? If you don’t mind.”  Blossomforth lowered her head. “I’d... rather not talk about it. It’s just... i-it's bringing back bad memories.”  “I understand.” Thunderlane nodded. “We need to get somepony out of here, so that they can alert the authorities about this.” He lifted his head, disappointment carved all over his face. “I tried to convince the others to break-out, but... they were all too scared to go.” He grunted, pulling his lower half closer. “I know how to leave this darn cell, so you can flee from this horrible place.”  Blossomforth blinked, still stuck at that one detail bugging her. “H-Huh? M-Me?” she blindly asked. “Y-You’re not leaving?”  Thunderlane lowered his head. “I can’t.”  “What do you mean you can’t? You’re much stronger and faster than me? Y-You’re also braver than I am!” Blossomforth desperately said. “I’m too scared to leave this cell! If anypony here can set us free, it’s you!”  The black pegasus looked utterly defeated to the point that it almost hurt to watch. “It can’t be me... not anymore.” He grunted as he struggled to pull his back legs closer to the mare. Blossomforth shrieked, Thunderlane’s legs were broken, unusable.  “Y-Y-Your legs!” She screamed in horror.  “Yeah, I tried to leave... and I messed up.”  He lifted his head, his eyes filled with a contagious determination. “The others are too scared to leave, it’s all up to you to save us. If you won’t go then, we’re all dead ponies.”  Blossomforth’s eyes started to water. “B-But you can’t make me do this! I’m not strong enough to leave! Th-They'll kill me if they see me out of my cell!”  “I know,” The black pegasus responded. “But they’ll kill us all anyway whether we stay put or not. It’s better to die knowing you’ve tried rather than to sit idly and wait for death to come. Please, Blossomforth, you have to go. I don’t want any of us to die so please, just go.”  The mare sniffled, unable to hold her tears back. “I-I-I can’t! I’m t-too much of a coward!” she cried out.  Thunderlane lifted a weak hoof to her shoulder, putting on a weak smile. “I don’t think you’re a coward. I know you have what it takes to do this. You’re smaller than me and nimbler. Bravery doesn’t mean absence of fear. True bravery is taking action despite your fears. You got this.”  Blossomforth wagered her options and came to the frightening conclusion that Thunderlane is right, she must leave alone. Her breaths were shaky, her eyes wide with fear. The idea of even attempting to sneak out was terrifying to her. A fear that was only amplified by the vision of Anarchy looming above her, the one pony she wished to never see again. She didn’t give a definitive answer, but the stallion could tell she was going to try, after a lot of time to prepare herself mentally.  He understood her fears, he too was scared to leave when he attempted his failed escape plan. Truth is, he wasn’t sure she would make it, but it was better to try than to give up and die. His life rested in the hooves of a mare that was hyperventilating. To think that in these trying times, he had nopony but an acquaintance to rely on was sad. He couldn’t imagine how his friends and family was feeling now that he mysteriously vanished for a couple of days without telling a single soul.      Somewhere outside the cold prison, still in the underground base of the Anarchists, a sleezy stallion ogled a mare in particular. Filthy Traffic was never known for being particularly good with mares, especially concerning his line of work doesn’t favor positive interactions with the opposite gender. The hardest thing for him would probably be to get an actual date, and no, kidnapping a mare doesn’t count as a date, it’s a crime.  Dreamcatcher, what a fancy looking mare. Exactly the type Filthy was looking for all these years. Problem is, she’s an Anarchist and is also around Strong Hoof, the second pony you do not want to mess with in this underground town. That wouldn’t normally be a problem, just ask her on a date and prepare yourself to get rejected. With Filthy Traffic, however, he was too fond of the art of kidnapping, an action that would undeniably get him killed if he even attempted it here.  As much as he hated it, for now, he had to ask... politely. Trotting over the mare and her gigantic companion, he perfumed himself to hopefully give her a better impression of him.  Strong Hoof noticed his unprompted arrival. “Ah, if it isn’t the sleezy tonto.” The big stallion looked at him with distrust, keeping his eyes locked on him.  Filthy Traffic scoffed. “Sleezy, ay? I wouldn’t call myself sleezy. How about, slick? Smooth like butter.”  Dreamcatcher seemed unimpressed. “A hormone filled beast of your size is anything but smooth. Le célibat vous hante tant que ça?” She responded, her harmonious voice shooting bullets into his heart, but he didn’t falter, not one bit.  “Oh, but I can be smooth for ya, baby.” Filthy persisted, soon distracted by the rumbling earth.  “What a splendid sense of humour. Perhaps you should be finding somepony who's beneath you, temerario. Although, that'll a tough endeavor.” Strong Hoof growled, looking down on the smaller pony. The sheer size of the white earth pony got Filthy to make his leave.  Once the sleezy stallion was gone, Dreamcatcher sighed. “You’re lucky to be this big and strong. Nopony ever wishes to seek quarrel with you. I am cursed with being a mare in a lawless group. I’m sure the other mares feel the same way.”  Strong Hoof frowned. “Your power is essential to our survival; I would consider it better than mine.”  “Wow, really big boy?” The pegasus mused. “With my power, I just figured I was a Luna knock-off, but hey, everypony’s entitled to their opinion.”  “I believe you’re underestimating yourself. Anarchy’s plans would never have come to fruition had it not been for your dream catching ability. Thanks to you, we can safely sleep at night without getting our secrets stolen by that harpy of an alicorn, Luna.” Strong Hoof protested. “It’s powerful if used intelligently, and I know you can push it to its fullest.”  “Gee, I didn’t know pep talk was part of your skillset, other than smashing things around.” Dreamcatcher responded, taking the time to observe the other ponies working. Many were doing their job exactly as they were asked, but the mare couldn’t help but notice some were missing, most of them being stallions. “I don’t like seeing kidnapped mares brought in here.”  “I share that sentiment.” Strong Hoof replied, looking at the prison far from their current position. It rested up on an elevated position in the caverns, overlooking the rest of the makeshift town. “It is distracting our members from accomplishing their work.”  “You said it big guy.” Dreamcatcher changed direction, heading straight for the prison. “I swear, if any of them are forcing themselves onto the prisoners; I’ll buck them back to work.”  The white earth pony chuckled. “Oh, I’m gonna beat the living Tartarus out of ‘em!”      “Alright, here’s the plan.” Thunderlane pointed to the window. “These bars might be solid, but the wall is wooden. With enough strength, you can buck the bars off the wall and climb out.”  Blossomforth peeked through the window. “How am I going to climb down without my wings? From this height, I’ll break my legs if I fall!”  Thunderlane pulled on something. Bedsheets, tied into a long rope. “In that case, you’ll just have to use the old reliable. I’ll hold onto the sheets while you climb down, but you’ll have to be quick ‘cause I sure won’t be able to hold it for long.” He explained, constantly checking behind him to make sure no guard was patrolling the area.  Once they were sure the coast was clear, Blossomforth got in position. Thunderlane, for his part, grasped the prison’s bars to keep a close eye on any potential danger. “Alright, you’re good to go.”  “O-Okay... here goes.” The mare lifted her hind legs and kicked the bars as hard as she could. The wood surrounding them cracked loudly but didn’t gave in to the buck. The sound echoed throughout the vast and empty prison. Some of the other prisoners trotted up to their bars, wondering what was going on. Instead of throwing another kick, Blossomforth gazed at the injured stallion.  Thunderlane looked left and right, repeating this gesture multiple times until he nodded. “The coast is clear, Blossom. Take another swing.”  The pegasus mare bucked the bars once more. Her legs were starting to hurt from the effort, but the results were clear; the wooden wall around them was slowly giving in to the strikes. One more kick would send the bars flying away. Blossomforth looked back at Thunderlane.  After he made sure the coast was clear, he motioned her to continue. The mare lifted her legs once more, ready to kick.   “Wait, not now!” Thunderlane yelled in a whispery tone. “Get away from the window!”  A gargantuan white earth pony arrived, accompanied by a light blue pegasus mare. “What’s with the noise?” Strong Hoof questioned, his brows furrowing. “It sounded, unusually loud.”  Terror grasped Blossomforth’s heart. She tried to scream, but terror took the sound before she made it. The two evil stallions shifted their eyes to Thunderlane. Dreamcatcher scoffed. “Tried to escape? Many have tried to escape just like you. I’ve yet to see one that was successful. Don’t believe this day will ever come.”  “Y-Y-You.” The mare stuttered, falling on her flank. Her eyes were focused entirely on Strong Hoof. Just like all those who first laid their eyes on him, his giant size struck fear in her heart, a paralysing fear.  “Were you two trying something funny?” Strong Hoof growled, daringly approaching Thunderlane. Each step he took shook the ground. “I’m not one to laugh.”  Frightened, Blossomforth backed away to the farthest corner of her cell, her eyes not leaving Strong Hoof.  The black pegasus smirked. “Come on, there’s no need to dampen the mood here. We’re just having fun between friends.”  Dreamcatcher looked at the rest of the prison. It was calm, with quiet chatting happening in most cells while others were quiet. “Did any of you happen to see a guard come in here?”  “Pff, talk about safety measures.” Thunderlane scoffed. “You seem awfully confident.”  The gargantuan earth pony grinned. “I believe nopony in here doubt our power. Take a good look at me and tell me you’re going to try to escape.” Noticing the pegasus’s broken legs, he laughed. “Oh! Looks like you were foolish enough to try. I suppose we can humor your next attempt by offering you a wheelchair.”  Dreamcatcher snickered. “How about we ask the boss for a wheelchair? Ça va nous offrir tout un spectacle!”  Thunderlane laughed alongside them. “I’m going to get out of here in a wheelchair, I swear to y’all!”  In their fit of laughter, the two criminals failed to notice the somewhat busted up window in the back of the cell. The darkness inside didn’t help either. Strong Hoof and Dreamcatcher turned to leave the prison when the big stallion suddenly stopped. “Hmm, I could have sworn that window wasn’t built that badly...”  “I know our underlings are incompetent, but they can’t be that bad.” Dreamcatcher added, approaching the bars again as she tried to get a better view of the window.  Sweat dripped down Thunderlane’s face. He crawled closer to the mare before him. “What are you implying?” he asked, knowing the answer all too well.  The earth rumbled; Strong Hoof lowered his head to match the defiant gaze of the black pegasus. “That you’re planning an escape, tipo duro.”  The wounded stallion mocked their suspicions. “As if, I'm not going anywhere with only two legs remaining. And look at her,” he pointed at Blossomforth, still cowering in the corner. “You really think a pony that afraid is going to try something funny?”  The cold, piercing gaze of Strong Hoof was now on Blossomforth. The mare froze completely, even her breathes stopped. An oppressive silence filled the room, even the other prisoners stopped chatting, their eyes now on their powerful captor. Blossomforth’s face was turning blue, she didn’t even realise she was holding her breath. After what felt like an eternity, the white earth pony growled. “We won’t be having any fun tonight, Dreamcatcher. Let’s get back to business before the boss scolds us.”  “What a waste of our precious time.” Dreamcatcher complained.  The two evil ponies left, easing the atmosphere of the prison. Blossomforth finally exhaled, gasping for air.   “Let’s wait a couple of minutes, just to be sure. Then, we’ll resume our escape.”      Outside the prison, Strong Hoof and Dreamcatcher descended the long slope leading back to town. The crystal walls of the caverns reflected the light of the town’s lantern back at them, coating the two ponies in an ominous amber light, save for Strong Hoof’s eyes who were always encompassed in dark shadows thanks to his cap.   The whole place felt dark, hopeless and dreadful. Any normal ponies would hate to be here for even a single hour, but not them.   The Anarchists live in darkness and indulge in their biggest vices. To them, this town is a paradise, one that enables them to do whatever they wish without the fear of facing retribution for their crimes.  Strong Hoof didn’t particularly care much, however. All he cared about was to see the alicorns on the chopping block.  “Well shoot, our plan for the evening is evidently not going to happen. How are we spending the rest of our day?” Dreamcatcher asked disappointedly. She kicked a few pebbles out of the way.  “I believe I will read a book until something of note happens.” Strong Hoof grunted. “I only hope I get to crush somepony soon.”  "Will I be this lucky pony?" Strong Hoof grumbled at this sleezy response. Dreamcatcher opened her mouth, but stopped immediately once she noticed something was off with her shadow. “H-Hey, that doesn’t look like my shadow.”  The big earth pony examined it closer. Dreamcatcher’s shadow was slightly bigger than her, her mane wasn’t a ponytail and lastly, it was grinning back at them. “B-Boss?”  The shadow cackled as it rose from the ground, dawning on the form of a unicorn stallion. “Surprise surprise! I’m only intruding in your lives for a brief moment, I hope you don’t mind that.” Anarchy’s words were painfully insincere, but his grin wasn’t. He sounded genuinely excited. “Everything’s going along just fine you see. I’m giving us about a week until we’re fully ready to make some noise!”  “Splendid.” Strong Hoof responded, returning a wide grin to the unicorn. “We will rock their world. Make them fear us even further. All thanks to your unparalleled intellect.”  “Hold on, I have question.” Dreamcatcher exclaimed, holding a hoof to Anarchy. “How long were you spying us with this spell?”  “Enough to tell you two to get a room!” Anarchy mused. “Our hotel is just about finished, and I swear, it isn’t a love hotel but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get comfortable in it.” In the corner of his eyes, he saw a lone mare descending from the prison with the uses of bedsheets. He was about to call it out, but something else came to mind. His mind began crafting various outcomes, some leading to favorable results while others lead to pretty much nothing. In the end, he made his decision.  “H-Hey! You’re just making assumptions, like all the rest!” Dreamcatcher shouted, a slight blush betraying her words.  Strong Hoof awkwardly frowned. “I have nothing but respect for you... but please, don’t try to barge in our lives.”  “What are you afraid of? Haven’t gotten to the confessions yet? Let me tell you; it’ll only bring pain to your hearts if you procrastinate. If you truly have something to say; well, say it now.” Anarchy secretly kept his gaze on the pegasus mare, now almost reaching the bottom. "I've also noticed you two were leaving the prison. What were you doing there?" Dreamcatcher's brows furrowed. "Making sure none of our stallions did some unsavory things to our captives." "Ah, that's good. We don't want any noticeable bruises on our prisoners for our fateful day. Now remember, we take good care of them not out of kindness, but out of necessity. To achieve our goals, we must be beasts." Strong Hoof scoffed. "Well, if that's all, we'll be on our way." Anarchy jumped in their way. “Oh, I believe I have just one teeny tiny little order for you two.” He took out a pen and paper from his saddlebag, writing something down on it before he handed the paper over to Strong Hoof. “Give it to Long Wrangler. Oh, and tell him to take the secret elevator too.”  “Tsk, I’m still going to read a book once I’m done being an errand boy.” Strong Hoof disgruntledly replied, snatching the paper with his mouth.  “And I’ll find a nice place to bathe... and no peeping, boss.” Dreamcatcher added, leaving the dark unicorn.  “Hmm, I wonder how far this one will go.” Anarchy wondered, looking back at Blossomforth in the distance. “Hopefully far. If she makes it out, I’ll be able to do something truly diabolical. A domino effect will occur, and all the cards will be shuffled. In the end, the only pony who will be dealt a winning hand... is me!” His grin contorted, growing wide to the point that it stretched his face further than what is possible. “Hyah ha ha ha!"     The bedsheet rope wasn’t long enough to hit the ground. There was still a small drop before she could touch the rocky ground of the caverns. Before she let go of the rope, Blossomforth checked her surroundings, hoping that there would be no guards nearby.  Surprisingly, none were posted to keep an eye on the prisoners. In fact, it would appear that all their ponypower were focused on building the town. Letting go of the rope, Blossomforth fell, landing straight on her legs but unfortunately, the impact made her wings flopped. Her bones crunched and she shrieked in pain. The sound echoed in the almost empty caverns, a harsh reminder to remain quiet or else they’ll find her.  “O-Okay... I c-can do this.” Blossomforth said out loud as a meager attempt at boosting her confidence. Whatever to stop her from losing it since she’s already made the first leap. It’s too late to go back on her decision. For Thunderlane’s sake, as well as the others, she’ll escape and call for help.  With her wings disabled, the mare can’t look at gaps the same way. The crevice surrounding the prison is deep, and right now, deadly for a disabled pegasus. The only path available is the one leading to town. Dangerous, but currently empty, and the town should contain plenty of cover to hide from the criminals.  Blossomforth thread lightly on the hard, rocky path, crouching to be as hard to see as possible. She was sweating a lot, her legs trembling with fear as she had no choice but to jump into danger to escape. Unable to take this stress any longer, she picked up the pace, moving and breathing faster until she finally reached the town, at which point she jumped behind a building to hide.  Falling on her flank, Blossomforth took a while to steady her breaths, wiping the sweat off her forehead. Looking back at the prison, the pegasus felt a wave of discouragement wash through her body and soul. She only trotted about fifty meters from her starting point. And now, who knew how much ground she had to cover?  “Why did I even agree to this?” She asked herself, putting her hooves to her face. “I c-c-can't... It’s too d-dangerous!”  As she continued to drag her moral down to the dirt, she heard a small group of ponies heading her way. Scrambling for a way out, she crawled to the side of the building, where she found a couple of barrels lying around. Without wasting a single second, she jumped in one of them.  Now hidden in a safe spot, Blossomforth had nothing else to do but to calm herself down. It wasn’t an easy feat for there were numerous factors hindering her state of mind. The lack of light, the constant chatting of the monsters outside, the pain her wings were inflicting upon her, all kept her fear at an all-time high.  The mare’s breaths were still rapid and shaky, her eyes tearing up. She grasped with her head in shame. “Oh, I’m so pathetic! I don’t even want to come out of this barrel. I feel like I can stay here forever.” The fear was powerful, taking control of her actions and thoughts. The barrel was comfy and safe. Outside was unpleasant and dangerous.   Then, she realised something bad. She was gasping for air. The pegasus forgot entirely about this problem. There are no holes in this barrel meaning, no outside air. If she stays too long in there, she’ll suffocate and die. Hesitant, Blossomforth lifted a hoof to slightly open the lid on the barrel, just enough to get some air in. Breathing heavily, she made sure every inhale counted. This was problematic, but at least that way she doesn’t have to worry about suffocating.  Just as she was starting to calm down, a powerful force pushed on the lid, cutting off her air supply. Wh-What?! What’s going on?! She panicked and was just about to push on the lid when she heard a familiar voice above.  “Damn, this Dreamcatcher chick ain’t into me at all. I guess I’ll have to find another way, when her precious friend is gone...” That voice, it could only belong to Filthy Traffic, the stallion responsible for getting her into this mess. How long is he going to stay here? She thought, lowering her head as much as possible. The mare cowered, praying that he won’t open that barrel. “What should I use... sedatives? Maybe not, these ones are expensive, I should only use them for my affairs.”  Seconds passed by and it didn’t look like he was going anywhere. Banging and trying to force her way out would only result in death at the hooves of a hundred angry ponies. Staying inside and waiting was not favorable. Either way looked like a slow and painful death.  Her hope dwindling, Blossomforth sunk even deeper in the barrel, slowly realising that she was going to die in here. There was no way out, and not a single course of action that wouldn’t result in certain death. “It’s... all over isn’t it?” Tears streamed down her face as defeat engulfed her hope, destroying it entirely.  “Thunderlane... I’m so sorry. I’m just a coward, I can’t do this.” Her voice was soft, quiet and sad. More time passed by, and the mare felt her strength waning. It was becoming hard to breath, hard to remain conscious. She croaked, trying to inhale every last drop of oxygen inside the barrel to further prolong what little remained of her life.  Her eyes started to close... before opening in a flash. The barrel swung around for a bit before stabilising, the pressure on the lid now gone. Outside her cage, a beautiful symphony played on a pipe organ could be heard accompanied by maniacal laughter.    Always at the front!  Inside my small cove!   Taking on the brunt!  I’ll reclaim my love!    Anarchy’s voice echoed in the caverns, alerting all of his subordinates to his musical shenanigan.  “Nice seeing ya tonight, fillies and gentlecolts!” the crazy unicorn announced. “We’re having a real, big party! So come on in! Grab your pints and get down for some fun!”    Oh, Luna... hit me baby one more time!    Saved by the gong! Blossomforth lifted the lid to take in a deep breath. Her head now poking outside, she was relieved to find Filthy Traffic leaving the area, approaching Anarchy while he was jamming out on a pipe organ.  Many other ponies came to the unicorn’s side, surprised by the sudden music. The way was clear for the mare, a happy coincidence that’ll allow her to move further into their base. Of course, as long as none of them pay any attention to the pegasus roaming around.      Up above, in the majestic city of Canterlot, a lone princess remained motionless before a stained glass. Its enormous size was imposing, depicting the defeat of Nightmare Moon at the hooves of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Princess Luna stared blankly, reminiscing the horrible years she’s spent as a monster in the dark. The sun was getting really low, shining through the glass in a beautiful, almost godly spectacle of golden light.  The Nightmare is not necessarily evil, it merely amplifies the evil in its host’s heart, hence why Nightmare Moon only wanted to make the nights eternal. If it ever were to come in possession of a more twisted pony, the results would be catastrophic. This theory was what Luna came up with just now, simply from looking at the stained glass.  Still, the only reason it came into existence to begin with was thanks to her. The Nightmare was her doing, and whatever damage it may cause is her fault, her responsibility to fix it. The guilt consumed her from the inside, a fact she hid from everypony.  “Is something wrong, Lulu?”  Luna found herself smiling briefly upon hearing this kind voice.  “Yes, sort of.” she responded, not taking her eyes off the stained glass. This glass had some sort of hypnotic powers, keeping the alicorn from even taking a brief glance at her beloved sister.  Concerned, Princess Celestia trotted to her sister’s side. “Please, tell me what’s wrong. I’ll be more than happy to lend a hoof.”  The lunar princess rubbed her bandaged hoof, cringing slightly at the pain. “It’s about that injury I got when I visited the filly’s dream.” She lifted her hoof up for Celestia to see. “I told you a stallion inflicted it upon me.”  Celestia nodded. “Yes, I’m still puzzled as to how this wound even manifested in reality.” her brows furrowed. “He must be extremely dangerous to hurt you in your own realm.”  “I believe I’ve found the reason why.” Luna continued. “He spoke to me as if we knew each other, always insisted on giving me cute nicknames, acting just a bit too friendly.”  Celestia’s eyes widened. “No, it can’t be the reason why...”  “Yes, sister.” Luna finally faced her older sister. “I believe that Anarchy somehow possesses the Nightmare in him.” Horror slowly dawned on her. “All... the horrors he’s committed happened because of my foolishness.” She lowered her head sadly. “If I had not turned into Nightmare Moon... then-”  “That’s enough.” Celestia interrupted, placing a gentle hoof on her younger sister’s shoulder. “This was a mistake you’ve made a thousand years ago; it can’t be undone. It serves no purpose to torture yourself over it.”  “So what should I do?!” Luna pleaded, tears welling in her eyes. “I’ve created a monster that’s killing our subjects!” Panting, the lunar princess took some time to calm herself down by taking slow breaths. “T-Tia... I need closure on this.” She looked back at the stained glass. “I can’t stop thinking about all the pain I've caused as Nightmare Moon.”  Princess Celestia gave her a warm smile. “You can’t take back all the pain you’ve caused, but you can always work on securing a better tomorrow for our subjects. I’ll help you find this monster and together, we’ll put an end to this.”  Princess Luna’s eyes widened, at a loss for words. Then, her eyes teared up as her lips trembled, scrambling to form a simple “thank you”, but she finally settled on a more telling sign of gratitude. Leaning forward, she embraced her caring older sister with a hug that spoke a million words.      Thunderlane sat in his cell by his lonesome, glad that somepony was at least trying to get some help. The pain his legs caused him was unbearable, he had to breathe through his teeth to not succumb to the agony. “Shhiiit! If only they had a doctor in here that would actually take care of my injuries, that’ll be awfully nice.”  As if his prayers were answered, somepony stepped inside the prison. Unfortunately, he didn’t look like a doctor, rather, he looked like a pony trafficker. “Oh great, just when I thought they were showing the slightest concern over their inmates.” Thunderlane groaned, making sure to show no signs of pain to his kidnapper. Right now, there was nopony he hated more than this Filthy Traffic guy.  “I’m more concerned over who I’ll get to enjoy tonight.” The filthy stallion responded, a sly smile plastered over his malicious face. He winced, leaning to get a better view of the dark cell. “Now that’s odd, I could have sworn they threw in that hottie in there with you.” Thunderlane grunted, refusing to say anything to him. Filthy practically shoved his face into the bars, impatience beaming through his eyes. “Did. They. Not?”  “Why are you assuming they were kind enough to give me any company?” The black pegasus pointed at his broken legs. “I’ve tried to escape, so apparently I don’t deserve any luxury.”  Filthy Traffic clenched his teeth. “You take me for a fool, huh? I know that bitch was supposed to be in here. I’ve asked the ones who threw you in this shithole.”  Thunderlane winced, sweat dripping down his face. “They relocated her somewhere else, why don’t you try asking around again?”  “Your sweat’s betraying you. I know she’s escaped the cell.” Filthy Traffic lifted his eyes. “I mean, come on, you didn’t even try to hide the broken window.”  The black pegasus panicked, their plan was jeopardised. Blossomforth was now in great danger. The whole town was going to come after her, it won’t be long until she’s found and then... who knew what they’ll do to her.  “Once we’d find her, I’ll do something I should have done a long time ago.” Filthy Traffic said, his smile widening. “I’ll be damn sure to make you watch every second of it, see how you feel to have your stallionhood damaged as you sit by helplessly.”  Thunderlane’s mouth dropped, horror creeping into his face as his skin turned pale. The earth pony before him was about to leave, but something stopped him dead in his tracks. He looked bizarrely puzzled, as if he just saw a ghost. Well, given what he as seeing, he might be looking at one.  On the ground next to him was his shadow, no doubts about it. So then, who was this second shadow hanging next to his? The one with the creepy smile. “Wha-”  “Sorry to pop in unannounced my dear Filthy.”  Taken aback, Filthy Traffic dropped on his flank, his eyes glued to the shadow as it lifted itself off the ground, turning the immaterial to physical, the illusion to reality. Before he could even wonder what was going on, Anarchy stood above him.  “My, it looks like Blossomforth’s escaped. What a shame.” The creepy voice of the unicorn echoed throughout the prison, sending a shiver down everypony’s spine.  “Oh, b-boss. I-It’s you.” Filthy Traffic stammered, stumbling on his tail as he got up. “We’ve got to find her before she escapes!”  “Yes, yes, I already know.” Anarchy responded, sounding oddly bored. “I’m more interested in what you were planning to do with her. I’m assuming, being a naughty boy perhaps?”  “Well, uh, in some ways... yes.” Filthy confirmed. “She broke the window and descended using the bedsheets that Thunderlane is trying to hide.”  “Oh dear,” Anarchy feigned distress. “This might be pretty bad, but I doubt it.” His horn shone with an ominous power. “I suggest you forget this even happened and go back to having fun with the others. Of course, that also mean we don’t get to tell a single soul about our escapee.”  The two other ponies blinked. “Uh, p-pardon me?” Filthy blurted out in complete incomprehension. “Are you really telling me we should let her go? Th-That'll put us in a lot of danger! She could escape and tell the royal guards that we’re down here!”  “I understand your concerns.” The evil unicorn giggled. “But atlas, an order’s an order. Just go back to partying. I’ll handle things from here.” Anarchy turned around and briefly made his way towards the exit, stopping as the light from his horn increased in intensity.  “Sure thing, boss.” Filthy Traffic responded, his eyes still glued to the cell.  Thunderlane, for his part, was still flabbergasted. “What?”   Echoey words suddenly flowed through Anarchy’s mind as he side eyed his subordinate. Let her go? Like Tartarus I am. I’ll find her, and make sure we’re nicely hidden from the party. Then, who would be there to stop me from having a little fun?   The unicorn quietly sighed. “Hey, brotha! I just remembered this cool spell! It’s supposed to increase your dopamine release so that you can have triple the fun when doing just about anything! Isn’t that just neat?” He exclaimed, almost taking on a condescending tone.  “Uh, that sorta came outta nowhere.” Filthy responded, periodically backing away from the unicorn.  “I know, I said I just remembered this spell. I mean, as your boss, isn’t it my goal to make sure my employees are having the best time ever working for me?” His words were sugar-coated, terrifyingly genuine even.  “O...kay. So, you really want to use this ‘dopamine’ spell on me just so that I can have a good time?” The earth pony questioned, raising a suspicious eyebrow.  “You’ve brought us many fair maidens and strong stallions to this secret base. It’s only natural I repay your efforts.” His smile was now awfully wide. “If you keep up the good work, I’ll promote you to be my right hoof, like Strong Hoof and Dreamcatcher! What more can a pony ask for?”  Filthy Traffic found himself smile and chuckling. “Alrighty then, I’m sold. So, are you gonna cast this spell now?”  Anarchy grinned. “For certain, my newest friend.” A powerful magic engulfed his horn, forcing him to pull his head back. Then, in a mighty blast, he shot a beam to the ground, surrounding Filthy in a dome-like shape. “So, did it work?”  The earth pony looked around, not sure what was supposed to happen. “I d-don't feel any different.”  “Maybe that’s because you’re not happy right now. Hey, why don’t you try moving your body around?” Anarchy suggested, taking a step back.  Filthy Traffic tried to move forward, but something felt terribly off. He lifted his front legs, but struggled to get his hind legs to follow along. The world spun around, and he now found himself upside down, facing his boss with wide eyes. “H-Hey! Wh-What the hay is going on?”  Anarchy’s grin quickly transformed into a fake expression of shock. “Oh dear! I’m terribly sorry. It would appear that I accidentally mixed up two different spells. What I ended up casting was zero-gravity.”  Thunderlane roused himself, taken out of his dark thoughts. “Z-Zero gravity? I never saw a single unicorn cast such a spell.”  “Indeed, most would affirm such a spell is impossible to cast.” Anarchy responded, side eyeing the broken pegasus in a mocking way. “Not for me...”  “Please, get me down!” Filthy begged, desperately shaking his hooves around to touch any solid object.  “Don’t fret, boyo. I’ll get you down!” Anarchy affirmed, scratching the top of his head in a clueless way.  A strange force began to pull Filthy Traffic away from his boss. Looking behind, he got his flank stuck in between the solid bars of the prison’s stone wall. The air around him also got sucked out of the dome. “What’s going on?!” He screamed, unable to pull himself out no matter how much strength he put in his pushes.  “You know, this reminds me of a book I once read about space. Few ponies ever got to reach this mythical height. Those who did spoke of the countless dangers one faces in zero gravity.” Anarchy giggled, placing a hoof upon his face to hide his sinister eyes. “You’re being sucked out of the zero-gravity zone like a vacuum sucking up dust, an effect similar to what these ponies described. I believe I’ll call this effect, the vacuum of space. What do you think of it?”  “I-It’s great, but, c-could you get me the hay out of here?! It’s, urgh! Crushing me!” Filthy croaked, the unbelievable pain making any semblance of speech difficult. His bones cracked under the enormous pressure put on his body.  “I am trying!” Anarchy exclaimed. “You see, the problem is that casting and undoing a spell requires a different procedure. You have to remember them both. Unfortunately, I have trouble remembering how to undo the zero-gravity spell.”   “Pl-Please! Hurry up! I can’t resist much... longer!” The earth pony spat out a chunk of blood. The crimson liquid was immediately sucked out the window, courtesy of the vacuum of space.  “Sweet Celestia...” Thunderlane muttered, horrified by the scene on display.  Anarchy tapped on his cranium a couple of times. “Sorry, I can’t get my thick skull to remember! My apologies, Filthy. I might have remembered if you gave me an honest response earlier. You don’t, and I repeat, don’t... disobey me.”  “No... No, no noooooo!”      A luxurious hotel, underground. An odd placement for sure, but it made these criminals feel like celebrities. Only the highest-ranking members of the Anarchists were offered a room, a nice reward for their loyalty. On the highest floor of this hotel lied the three most important ponies in this secret society, Strong Hoof, Dreamcatcher and Anarchy.  Inside one of these rooms, both the tall earth pony and the petite pegasus rested on a couch. Strong Hoof was knee deep in his book whilst Dreamcatcher was offering him a nice massage.  “So, do you prefer when I do it here? Or perhaps... over there?” Her small hooves rapidly struck his gargantuan back, relaxing his tense muscles.  The white earth pony placed his hat down. “Anywhere is fine, as long as you’re not going too far down.”  Dreamcatcher snickered. “Come on, I’m not a perverted degenerate. I’ve refrained from ever approaching this region, that is... unless you want me to.”  The gargantuan stallion laughed. “Ha ha ha! Fine then, I’ll humor you. Come on down and massage my flank.” he grinned, rustling his bottom around to taunt the mare.  She gulped, sweat slowly dripping down her face. “P-Pas de problème, I’ll do it.” Her hooves slid down his back, eventually reaching his flank. A burning sensation rose through her body, coming to a halt in her cheeks. Weaving her hooves around the white stallion’s flank, a world of pleasure opened its doors for Strong Hoof.  “Y-Yeah, keep at it. I love it.” His face turned red, earning a slight chuckle from Dreamcatcher.  “From the looks of it, that’s gotta be the first time you’ve ever been massaged by a mare.”  Strong Hoof briefly frowned, remembering the long ride that got him where he’s standing today. “It is. No mare ever wanted a stallion like me, but... that was before I met the boss, the one unicorn who sees value in everypony no matter how weak they are.”  “Aw, I’m sure you weren’t that bad when you were smaller.” Dreamcatcher reassured.  “I was exactly that bad, hence why Anarchy made me into the stallion I am today.”  His eyes rested upon the window before him. Strong Hoof raised an eyebrow in confusion. The pegasus soon caught on, staring at the window. “Something wrong?”  The white stallion shook his head. “Nah, just the boss doing more weird things.”  “Like?”  “Slurping a puddle of blood like a cat. How about that?” He pointed at the window, though from their distance it barely helped to pin down Anarchy’s current position. The purple unicorn was standing in front of the prison, leaning over a puddle of blood.  Dreamcatcher stuck her tongue out and cringe. “Ew, that’s just gross. He must be tasting pebbles and dust alongside the dirty blood.”  Grumbling, Strong Hoof lifted his upper body and pulled on the curtains, shutting them. Once done, he went back to his calming posture. “I wonder what he’s up to this time. He sounded really excited when he told us to give the letter to Long Wrangler.”  The pegasus mare rested her head on his flank. “Only time will tell, mon cher. Allons, let’s go back to our business. He he, I’ve got a flank to massage.”      Sneaking out the underground base was surprisingly easier than Blossomforth thought. All of the town’s evildoers were gathered around the town hall, partying like there was no tomorrow. The coast was clear, and the mare took full advantage of it. Her heart was beating fast, almost to the point of bursting. A relieved smile slowly formed on her face once she spotted the gates on the outskirts of the city. That was where they entered this living nightmare, and that would soon be her exit to salvation.  Rushing to the gates, she pushed as hard as she could to open them. They didn’t budge. The mare tried again, even harder this time. The gates didn’t budge, and they most likely never will... unless they are unlocked. Looking closer at the middle, Blossomforth saw a keyhole. “No...”  She banged on the gate, once more failing to accomplish anything. The way out was right there, but it won’t open. “This can’t be happening!” Her wings ached with every effort she put into breaking the gates open. “Please, just open!” she cried out, falling to the stone floor of the caverns, panting. Her legs hurt, her bones still rattling from the stress inflicted by the bucking. Blossomforth’s vision began to blur, courtesy of her tears. It’s not fair... I’m right there!  The mare sobbed, consumed by fear, by the knowledge that there were no options other than to go back to town. Back to the danger, back to his world. Blossomforth didn’t know if she even had the courage to do it again. Her heart nearly gave up on her countless times today, can it survive another trip? That, she had no idea.  Light, a different kind of light illuminated her dirtied face. Surprised, Blossomforth lifted her head. Her tears prevented her from clearly making out the shape before her. It had an angelic glow to it. It was small, and on all four. It was a pony, a young mare.  “You can’t stay here, it’s dangerous.” The young mare softly said. Her face was full of concern.  “Wh-Who are you? Y-You're not one of them, are you?” Blossomforth asked, backing towards the gate.  “I was just like you.” The mare admitted sadly. “An innocent pony who was at the wrong place, at the wrong time.” The small pegasus’s coat was a beautiful gold, her mane a warm blue like the sea and her eyes were orange like an... orange. Judging by her height, she must be a teenager.  One word she spoke bugged Blossomforth to no end. “W-Was? Wait, d-d-don't tell me...”  “Yes, I’ve perished a few days ago at the hooves of these monsters.” The older mare could tell these eyes have seen a lot of pain as well as having experienced it countless times. “I am Aurora.”  A ghost! She was looking at a ghost! Never did the mare ever thought she’d come into contact with a real honest to Celestia ghost!  Blossomforth got back on her trembling hooves, staring in awe at the ghostly teenager. “Blossomfort. I’m Blossomforth. It’s nice to see a friendly face in here.” She smiled weakly; her eyes still tainted red with tears.  “You need to leave, the ponies in here will kill you if they ever spot you outside your cell.” Aurora suggested strongly.  Blossomforth looked back at the gate, distress creeping into her eyes. “I can’t leave! The gates are locked, and I don’t know where the key is! I’m doomed!”  Worry spread throughout Aurora as she paced around. “I... I-I think I know where to find the key.”  “You do?” Blossomforth asked hopefully.  “It must be held by Anarchy, the leader of this secret society.” The strong reaction the mare made confirmed to the ghostly teenager that she already saw him. That’s just the effect he has on the innocents, fear, at its purest form.  “Y-Y-You can’t be serious...”  Aurora tried her best to put on a reassuring smile. “I know it sounds bad, but never lose hope. You always have a chance at winning. I had that chance too, but I offered it to somepony else instead. I won’t let another innocent pony die at his hooves.”      “A group of dangerous ponies lurking around Canterlot? Hold on, I’ll call our best agents on the spot.”  Inside Canterlot’s Bureau of Investigation, the day just got spicier. A stallion rushed in, full panic, demanding to get some help. Apparently, he spotted a group of potential criminals in carriages roaming around the outskirts of Canterlot. The contents of said carriages were deemed dangerous to the safety of the city and its inhabitants by the stallion.  Many ponies were trotting around, some even running. The place seemed as lively as ever, for there were probably about a hundred ponies working in this building alone. Defenders of the peace rarely rested, hence why everypony was giving it their all even for minor investigations.  The big one they were all nervous for was the return of the Anarchists, as cautioned by Looking Glass.  “Your best agents? D...Does that mean?”  “Yes, Looking Glass will be coming.”  Long Wrangler was the one who rushed in, talking with the secretary. The poor pony looked terribly nervous, constantly looking around, almost unable to remain still. He waited for what felt like an eternity until he was graced with the presence of stern looking agents, amongst them was the one and only Looking Glass, the cream of the crop, a national hero.  “We’ve heard your concerns, Mister Long Wrangler. We’ll need you to guide us to the place where you spotted these carriages.” He explained, his voice as strong and unbreakable as steel itself. No matter how much danger he went through, his composure always refused to yield. “We will offer you protection during our investigation, that goes without saying.”  At a loss for words, Long Wrangler turned his gaze away from the imposing unicorn. “My, uh, it’s an honor... to meet you in pony. Y-You see, I’ve been a big fan for a while now.”  The other agents rolled their eyes, while Looking Glass nodded emotionlessly. “I understand it can feel intimidating to meet your hero, but don’t get distracted by that fact. Our job is of upmost importance.”  Long Wrangler smiled sheepishly. “O-Of course! I’ll do my best to guide you to the exact location I found these carriages.”  Heading outside, the stallion, followed by the group of agents, trotted in direction of the location he was supposed to take them. The sun was getting low, a bad time for Looking Glass and his team to head out for an investigation, but waiting until tomorrow would give their targets enough time to erase any evidence of their travel. As such, they had no choice but to go now, in the creeping darkness of the incoming night.  “One, two, three, four, five. Don’t you think that’s a bit excessive just to investigate a small convoy that left the area hours ago?” One of the agents asked.  Looking Glass winced. “If this convoy belongs to the Anarchists, then no amount of ponypower can be considered excessive. Our enemy is smart, bloodthirsty and lacks any semblance of morality. We need to remain on our guard, avoid any potential ambush waiting for us ahead.”  “They’re that bad, huh?”  The unicorn clenched his teeth. “Not the organisation, no. It’s their leader I'm most cautious of. It’s him we should be careful to avoid.”  Slowly exiting the majestic city, the moon began to rose in the sky, slowly casting darkness upon the land of Equestria. Looking Glass turned around, examining each of his squad member, trying to hide his worried look. “Be careful fillies and gentlecolts. From this point on, none of us are safe...”      Sneaking around town was much harder now that the festivities had died down. Anarchy’s absence on the stage signaled the end of the party, so lots of ponies were walking in every direction. With Aurora’s help, Blossomforth barely reached the heart of the town itself, the vault where their most prized possessions were stored. Hanging at the back of the vault, Aurora flew up the window to peek inside.   “It’s empty, now is the best time to get in before they return.” The teenager informed, heading through the window.  Blossomforth, on her end, struggled to climb through the open window due to a lack of usable wings. Pegasi never had to climb anything since flying towards their destination was always easier. As such, the mare had to use all her strength to pull herself to the other side. A daunting task that the ghostly filly couldn’t do anything to help sadly.  Once she crossed the window, Blossomforth fell down face first, knocking a glass over. Panicking, she peeked through the open window, hoping that nopony heard the commotion.  “You have to be more careful; the slightest noise could jeopardise everything, and I won’t be able to lend a hoof to you if they ever see you.” Aurora softly cautioned, her considerate eyes radiated lots of concerns, a nice change of pace from the creepy looks of the criminals lurking in the dark.  “I’m sorry, i-it's just that it’s a lot harder to move around without my wings than I thought. Every move I make hurts.” Blossomforth apologised, sadly gazing over her broken wings resting at her side.  Hooves rustled outside, frightening the two mares inside. A small group of ponies passed by the open window, paying no mind to it. This almost felt like a warning shot for Blossomforth. Make more noise, and she’s a goner.  While she was busy observing the window like it would grow legs and lunge at her, Aurora scrambled around the building, searching a desk near the vault entrance. The teenager looked inside open drawers, gazed over scattered papers and searched under the desk in hopes of finding the key. “It should be in here somewhere.” she muttered.  Blossomforth snuck towards to the teenager’s side and helped her search. It’s not easy to look for a key item when your body is intangible. Aurora instinctively tried to open the drawers with her hooves, only to see them pass through the wooden furniture. Only the older pegasus could interact with this object, making her almost useless in this endeavor.  Fumbling through many worthless junk, Blossomforth’s heartbeat increased dramatically once she finally saw it; the key. Her only means of escape was right there, now in her mouth. All that was left, was to follow the teenager out of town, back to the gate where freedom awaited her. Tears of joy began to drip down her face. “I-I’ve f-found it...” she managed to say after some efforts to get her words out.  Aurora smiled too. “Now, follow me back to the gates. There should be less ponies outside now that it’s getting late.” She motioned Blossomforth to follow her.  Unbeknownst to them, just outside, close to the building, a purple unicorn remained hidden next to a couple of barrels. His horn was glowing with an ominous emerald shine, his eyes locked on the escaping mares. He smiled as he spotted Blossomforth with the key in mouth. “Follow me, I know the quickest route back to the gates. Oh, a-and don’t get too excited, we’re still in the middle of town so stay as quiet as possible.”  The dark unicorn grinned. Everything’s fine on my end. Let’s hope Long Wrangler didn’t somehow screw up my simple instructions.  "He he he... now that all of this is out of the way, let's make some noise!"