For a while, Ferkó had been quietly munching on various sweets and sandwiches he had in his bag, guided only by the magic that allowed him to see in the dark. The guards often passed by them, but they never noticed that something was amiss, thanks to the concealment charm Starlight had cast before going to sleep. Ferkó couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. How did the letter end up with him? Where should they go now? He took out his phone from his bag, which still had about 10% battery left. Ferkó infused a little lightning into it, and suddenly, the phone was back to 100%. He resumed reading the book.
A few hours later, he heard a faint rustling and a gentle voice asking, "What happened, and where am I?" Ferkó turned around and saw that the little unicorn filly was awake, the one whose cell they were in.
"Pssshh, come here," Ferkó said soothingly to the filly.
The filly didn't hesitate and trotted over to Ferkó.
"Hi, I'm Sweetie Belle. What's your name?" Sweetie Belle asked curiously and a bit loudly.
"Hello, Sweetie Belle. I'm Ferkó, but please lower your voice because the others are very tired," Ferkó replied.
Sweetie Belle lay down on the cold stone next to Ferkó, and they began to chat. Slowly, the moon started to set, but Ferkó didn't notice it too much. He was just happy to have some company. Suddenly, as they reached the edge of the cell, a bright flash of light appeared, and two pieces of jewelry ended up in Ferkó's hooves: a small white coin that could be worn as a necklace and a beautiful pair of earrings. Sweetie Belle was amazed.
"What are these, and how did they come to you?" she asked puzzled.
"I don't know, but these earrings suit a handsome young mare like you," Ferkó said with a smile.
"Oh, thank you, I guess?" Sweetie Belle blushed at the compliment.
When she put on the two earrings, a small, cat-like creature with a red glow suddenly appeared. It quickly befriended Sweetie Belle, but by then, the sun had started to rise. Starlight was the first to wake up, followed by the others. When Sweetie Belle saw her pegacorn friend, she rushed over and hugged her.
"Phinix Eye, I thought I'd never see you again," Sweetie Belle said happily, squeezing the breath out of her friend.
"O-okay, Sweetie, I'm glad to see you too, but I can't breathe," Phinix said, gasping for air.
Soon, they all received their magical jewelry, and they discussed their next steps.
"Ferkó, you said there are two more ponies above us who haven't been broken yet, right?" Starlight asked skeptically.
"Yes, along with Sweetie Belle. Two ponies who still don't have that green aura, like the servants and guards," Ferkó confirmed, seeking Sweetie Belle's trust.
"Then let's head there immediately," Smolder said, trying to use her strength to break through the wall.
"Stop! Do you want to bring the entire castle down on us?" Ferkó asked angrily.
"Do you think I'm that foolish? I wanted to break the window, you know. Some of us can fly, unlike you with those flimsy wings," Smolder replied, pointing to Ferkó's damaged wings.
"All right, you don't have to be so reckless. But tell me, where do you want to leave the castle?" Ferkó asked confidently.
"Fine, I won't set the forest on fire for a little fancy flying," Smolder said with an embarrassed smile, holding her hand up.
Smolder soon shattered a window, and Phinix flew out to rescue the others. However, when he reached the outside, he realized that his power was one-time use only. With magical barriers and grates in the way, Phinix had some difficulty entering the cell. Smolder hurriedly flew back, but at that moment, four guards and King Sombra himself appeared, surrounding the small group.
"What do we do now? They've surrounded us," Sweetie Belle asked fearfully.
Ferkó sent a spell to his horn, grabbing Sweetie Belle and tossing her to Smolder.
"Smolder, catch her!" he shouted.
But she was hit by a dark magic beam from King Sombra. Smolder managed to catch Sweetie Belle just before she fell onto the sharp spires below the clouds.
"Take Sweetie Belle out of here. I know you can do it. Just go, Starlight, and Ocellus, you need to disappear as soon as possible," Ferkó said, looking at Starlight with determination.
"What about you?" Starlight asked worriedly.
"Don't tell me you want to leave me here!" Ferkó shouted insistently.
"But I can only take one with me," Starlight said, almost in tears, while their protective shields weakened, and Sombra broke through with a well-aimed kick. Ferkó suddenly understood everything.
"I said, disappear!" he shouted and threw his bag to Starlight.
Starlight and Ocellus disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Ferkó looked around and saw that Smolder's group had also vanished.
"Logic, please don't fail me," Ferkó pleaded, then threw himself out of the window and toward the continuous sea of clouds below. Ferkó knew that he had to stay on those clouds or else it would be the end for him.
Starlight and Sweetie Belle found themselves in a small, leafy forest with the others. Sweetie Belle anxiously scanned the area for Ferkó, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Ferkó?" she asked Starlight with teary eyes.
Starlight just closed her eyes and sighed heavily.
"That can't be... Sweetie Belle," she cried and collapsed.
"Without Ferkó, we wouldn't have gotten this far. As much as it hurts to admit it, this isn't the end of everything. It's a new day, and with it, the beginning of freedom," Starlight said, looking at the two fillies and pointing toward the sky.
And so, their journey continued.