//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: Knight-errant // Story: Roses are Red // by hell00001 //------------------------------// Roses are Red: Chapter 13 A single water droplet fell from the sky. Its origins would remain unknown—as well its final destination—but as for the present, the droplet fell through the air towards the city of Canterlot below. Nothing hindered its path, nothing pushed the droplet along; only the freefall acceleration of the physical, earthly forces acted upon the droplet to push it towards the ground. Sometimes it’s surprising how such a small sample of water could potentially be home to an entire ecosystem of life. If a droplet were to be taken from the murky waters of Froggy Bottom Bog and placed under an electron microscope, anypony could see the individual bacteria swimming through the little droplet at amazing speeds. If a droplet were to be taken from fresh glass of sparkling water from one of the higher end restaurants of Canterlot, anypony would see that the water remained devoid of life. But regardless of its origins, whether from Froggy Bottom Bog or a Canterlot restaurant, allowing for the droplet to fall from the clouds that hung over the city would yield the same results. The droplet would smash into the ground, extinguishing the ecosystem it may or may not be hosting. However, instead of smashing into the ground of Canterlot itself, the droplet smashed into the nose of somepony who lay in a heap in the middle of an alleyway. The force of the droplet stirred the pony awake. Then another droplet smashed onto the pony’s thigh, and another onto his left hoof. Carbon’s eyes flickered open, and he cringed as a rush of pain flooded his foreleg and his head. He groaned, rolling onto his side. The cobblestone ground beneath him felt sticky as his body rubbed slightly against it, and upon closer inspection, a small pool of partially dried blood lay beneath his foreleg and his head. There was also another pool of blood on the other side of the alley where Lilo had been. Where Lilo had been pinned by the false castle guard who had kicked her multiple times, and where her head had been kicked by the other pegasus to knock her out. She had been placed in a bag and hauled off by those pegasi thugs, who intended to bring her back to the pony whom she had signed some sort of contract with. Zumas. Carbon rolled over onto his belly, carefully dragging his broken leg across the ground. The mere motion of the leg sent jolts of searing pain through Carbon’s entire body, but ignored it as he used the alley wall to help raise himself back onto his hooves. The rain had begun to fall in earnest now, and Carbon took a moment to allow himself to rest up against the alley wall. His head pounded and his stomach felt unsettled, but they were both quelled once Carbon remembered Lilo’s screams echoing off of the alley walls. He clenched his teeth and took a step towards the exit of the alley. The sky was dark as Carbon gingerly hobbled down the street. No clocks were nearby to allow him to know what time it was, but by the illumination of one of the street lamps ahead, it was clear that it was sometime during the night. The time of day didn’t matter, however, only how many hours had passed, and so Carbon still looked around himself to locate a clock he could use. Finally, after rounding the corner that led straight to the market, one of Canterlot’s many clock towers came into view. The time read eleven o’clock, nearly seven hours since he and Lilo had been ambushed in the alley. Carbon cursed and trudged on towards the market. After another agonizing ten minutes of stumbling and groaning, Carbon finally arrived in front of a stall that was decorated with a bunch of masks of foreign trinkets. He lifted his broken leg to knock on the board that had been slid over the front of the stall, then hesitated and used his head instead. There was a gasp and shuffling that came from inside before the the board had been slid away from the front to reveal Naroke. “Carbon, what brings you to my stall at this time of night?” Naroke asked, raising an eyebrow. “Your knocks gave me quite the fright.” “Lilo is in trouble,” Carbon said. His voice was hoarse. “I need your help, Naroke.” Naroke looked down and noticed the unnatural bend in Carbon’s foreleg. She gasped again. “Your leg is very battered. Come into my stall to make sure it is not shattered.” Naroke quickly opened the door on the side of her stall to allow Carbon to enter, who gingerly limped through the door and collapsed onto a pillow the zebra had laid on the ground. A series of clangs soon arose from around the stall as Naroke searched through her many bottles of various liquids that were stacked on a multitude of shelves. She flicked her tail and turned back around for a moment to look at Carbon. “Lilo was the pony with you of similar age,” Naroke said, “and was the changeling who defended her queen on stage?” “Y-yes, that is her,” Carbon said uneasily. “She’s... been kidnapped by some ponies who said she has some sort of contract that she has to fulfill.” “Who are these ponies that you speak of?” Naroke asked, resuming her search through her rows of concoctions. “What could they possibly want with your love?” “They said they worked for Zumas,” Carbon stated, shaking his head. “I can only imagine that they took her back to the brothel that he owns over in the Red Light District.” Naroke trotted back to Carbon with a glass of a strange, yellow liquid. She sat down and twisted the lid off, then pulled a coconut cup from behind her and poured the liquid in. “The pegasi took her to Zumas, you say?” Naroke asked. “If I know him, he’s not keen to losing his prey. Have you not tried going to the castle guards? Only they would be able to execute a plan that is not a house of cards.” “No, I can’t trust the castle guards,” Carbon said bitterly. “When Lilo and I were heading back home, Prince Shining Armor instructed a guard to escort us back to the apartment. However, when we were almost home, the guard that was accompanying us was a member of the gang who cornered us in the alley. I don’t want to risk using the guards if Zumas has placed more of his stallions in their ranks.” Naroke finished pouring the liquid and held the cup up to Carbon’s mouth. He sniffed the liquid and immediately recoiled from the smell. It reminded him of rotten eggs and bananas. “Open your mouth and drink,” Naroke instructed. “It will clear the pain away in a blink.” Carbon opened his mouth, allowing for Naroke to tip the coconut cup forward and drain the liquid. In a few seconds the cup was completely empty, and Carbon gagged as he begrudgingly forced the liquid down his throat. The taste was worse than the smell. He coughed several times, but he began to feel a tingling sensation run through his entire body as the pain in his leg and his head subsided. “I think I have an idea for how you could gain entry to Zumas’s establishment,” Naroke said, setting the cocnut down and grabbing a splint from under a table. “Hopefully it will be enough to help Lilo from her torment.” ~~~ Sky Runner lay sprawled out on the large bed, staring up at the smooth, decorative ceiling above her. Pillows and blankets were laid out all around her with beautiful flowers placed on either nightstand that sat beside the bed. Scented candles had been lit around the room as well, allowing for light to reach the darkest corners of the room, as well as filling the room with the sweet and light scent of cinnamon. Sky was a small pegasus mare with a white coat and red mane and tail. Her right wing rested against her side bandaged up in a splint, barely covering up the two horseshoes that represented her cutiemark. She cast her blue eyes over the vines that had been etched in the ceiling. She knew their paths well as they snaked over and under each other, but her eyes still followed the vines regardless as a means of entertainment as she waited for her latest client. She flexed her left wing for a moment. My third client of the day, Sky thought to herself. Apparently he is a handsome stallion at that. Young and dashing, and also witty, according to that moron of a butler. Perhaps he’ll be a nice break from these old farts who visit me all the time. I’ve been looking for a stallion who can last more than just a couple of minutes. Sky lifted herself up so she was lying on her side with her flank facing the door. Perhaps I’m asking a bit much, Sky mused, touching a hoof to her chin, but then again, a mare does need to make a living. The type of skills I have are not cheap. There was a knock on the door, and Sky’s ears swiveled around towards the door as a smile crept onto her face. She lifted herself off of the bed, slowly making her way over towards the door and heavily stomping her hoofsteps on the wooden floor. The young ones are usually pretty naive as well, Sky thought. This stallion doesn’t stand a chance. Sky cracked the door open, peeking through and coming face to face with a white stallion with a blue mane. He wore a large, water logged coat with the hood pulled over his head. He was handsome, after all. ~~~ Carbon stared back at the mare and licked his lips. The residue from the liquid that Naroke still coated the inside of his mouth, leaving a disgusting aftertaste in his mouth. He ignored it as he forced himself to smile. “So you’re the stallion that I was told about?” the mare asked. Her name was Sky if the stallion Carbon had spoken to downstairs was correct. “You’re quite the cute one, aren’t you? Come on in.” Sky opened the door more and turned to trot back towards the bed, flicking the tip of her tail up against Carbon’s nose as she did so. Carbon felt a rush of blood flow into his wings, but he took a deep breath and followed after Sky slowly, shutting the door behind him. The room was warm, and the sweet scent of cinnamon wafted into Carbon’s nostrils. “Are you just going to stand in the door all day with that coat on?” Sky asked, cocking her head and biting her lower lip. “That doesn’t sound like too much fun. Why don’t you come over here, relax, and let me take care of you.” Carbon strode forward, dragging the end of his coat across the floor. Sky smiled and lowered her eyelids, and once Carbon was upon her, she fell back onto the bed with her legs in the air. Carbon pounced on top of her, and their lips locked together for a moment, until Carbon pulled away and looked down at Sky. “How about I remove that silly coat of yours?” Sky asked, using her hooves to slide the coat off of Carbon’s back. With Carbon’s hood removed from his face, his cold turquoise eyes were fully visible. He stared down at Sky without a hint of youthful lust twinkling around his pupils. The splint that Carbon wore on his broken leg was now fully visible, and with the coat fully shed, the dagger he had strapped around his waist was clearly visible. Sky’s eyes widened, and she pushed her hooves up against Carbon’s chest to shove him off her and onto his back on the wood floor. Carbon groaned, and he tried to raise himself off of his back, only to be forced back down as Sky pushed her hoof onto his chest. She had a mini crossbow strapped to her hoof with a small, oddly colored bolt loaded. Her eyes narrowed. “What do you think you’re doing?” Sky asked. “You may have a pretty face, but I don’t take kindly to ponies shoving their sharp pricks in places where they don’t belong.” Carbon eyed the crossbow for a moment warily, then directed his gaze back onto Sky who continued to glare down at him. He sighed and lay his head back. “I have no intention of harming you,” Carbon said. “In fact, I’m actually hoping you can assist me.” “I was going to ‘assist’ you until I found out that you had that thing strapped to your side,” Sky said, nodding at the dagger. “It might be a little late for that.” Carbon’s gaze drifted back to the crossbow again. He raised his eyebrow. “I’m guessing that is a tranquilizer dart,” Carbon stated. “Probably benzodiazepine if you know what kind of sedatives can be acquired easily. Fast acting, relaxes the muscles, and hypnotic. You can practically get this at any hospital or clinic scattered across Equestria.” Sky loosened the pressured she was applying on Carbon’s chest, but she remained on top of him with the crossbow trained on Carbon’s neck. “What do you want?” she asked. Carbon’s voice darkened as he said, “Somepony I love very dearly is trapped somewhere within this buiding. I would like your assistance locating her, as I assume you know your way around here.” Sky removed her hoof from Carbon’s chest and took a few steps back, allowing for him to lift himself back onto his hooves. He grunted as he stepped on his broken leg, and immediately took his weight off of his leg when he had finished righting himself. A dull pain reverberated through his body as he kept his eyes trained on Sky. “What’s in it for me?” Sky asked. Her eyes traced over Carbon’s body onto his flank. She grinned. “Please tell me you have a well rounded compromise.” Carbon’s cheeks flushed. “I, uh, what? No!” His wings felt warm again. “Just... Just check my coat. You’ll find your payment.” “You mean this payment?” Sky asked, pulling a bag of bits from underneath her left wing.“I couldn’t help but hear these things jingle when you walked in here. It was just a matter of pulling your coat off.” She tossed the bits in the air. “You’re going to have to think of something better than that.” Carbon stared at her dumbfounded. His hooves felt cold. “What else do you want?” Carbon asked. “I need your help, Sky. Please.” Sky crossed one leg in front of the other and leaned forward slightly. “How pretty is this mare you are trying to rescue?” “More beautiful than any mare I have seen before her,” Carbon replied, looking away. “Then it’s settled!” Sky said with a smile. “You’re going to promise me a kinky threesome with the mare of your dreams.” “I’m what now?” Carbon asked, eyes widening. “A-are you serious? You can’t be serious.” Sky frowned. “Do I look like I’m joking?” Carbon sat back on his haunches and brought his forehooves up to his temples. He could feel the blood seeping into his wings at the thought of Sky’s offer, but he tried to push those thoughts away as he remembered that Lilo still remained somewhere in the building. He sighed and looked back up at Sky. “Is there anyway I could negotiate my way out of this?” Carbon asked. “No.” “Why do ponies like you exist? Fine, you have your threesome and your money. Now, can you help me look for Lilo?” Sky rolled her eyes and walked towards the door, placing her ear up against the side of the knob with her cheek flat against the wood. No sound echoed from beyond the room, but before she made to push the door open, she looked back. “Say, how did you know my name?” she asked. “The pony down at the bar told me your name,” Carbon said, limping up next to her. “Told me you were the best mare here at the brothel.” “I’m also the reason why this place hasn’t been making much of a profit lately,” Sky said. She pushed the door open before Carbon had a chance to respond, and after looking up and down the hallway, she glanced back and waved a hoof to motion Carbon to follow her. Together, they slunk out of the room and made a beeline for a door that lay at the back of the hall. Once at the door, Sky pushed her hoof down on the door handle only to find that the door had been locked. “Looks like they still lock the doors after we get up here to our rooms,” Sky said. “Keep watch, I’ll get this stupid thing open.” Carbon turned back around, gazing down the hallway while Sky reached back into the feathers of her wings and pulled out a bobbing pin and a bit from the bag of coins. Using the bobbing pin, Sky pushed the cylinder down so that she could use the bit to twist the lock. There was a click, and she placed the bit and bobbing pin back into her feathers before nudging Carbon with her hind leg. “Okay, the door’s open,” she said. Carbon looked at the lock. “You know how to do that with only your mouth?” “That and more,” Sky replied with a wink. Carbon’s cheeks flushed once again as he followed after Sky down a set of stairs. There was another door at the bottom of the stairs, but it was unlocked, allowing for them to pass into another hallway that looked less lavish than the previous. Sky trotted over to another door that was not far from the staircase. “I’ve never been in here before,” she said. “I’ve been meaning to check it out, but these guards have us on watch twenty-four-seven. Since I didn’t see any new mares added to the dressing rooms that we lounge around in, the only other place she could be is in there.” Sky pushed the door open, and both she and Carbon made their descent on a small flight of stairs. The room was dark and felt damp, and there was the sharp smell of musk and mold hanging in the air. The drops from a leaky pipe echoed off of the walls of the room, methodically splashing onto the ground. Carbon shut the door behind him and followed after Sky as she had already reached the bottom of the stairs. Along either side of them were rows of boxes stacked on top of each other towards the ceiling, and a network of pipes ran above them, branching out in several directions to travel to different areas of the brothel. The floor beneath them was wet, muffling Sky and Carbon’s hoofsteps slightly as they made their way further into the room. Eventually they came upon a large, metal cage. Carbon nearly collapsed when he peered inside. Lilo lay in a heap in the corner of the cage. She had a collar fastened around her neck with a chain that connected to one of the metal bars, as well as a metal ball gag securely placed inside of her mouth. There were dried, dark green streaks covering her entire body. Carbon ran up to the cage and began to pound on the metal lock, but Sky quickly ran up alongside him and pushed him away from the cage, holding a hoof up to his mouth. “Stop that!” she whispered, dropping her hoof. “We’re going to be lucky if one of Zumas’s lackeys didn’t hear that.” She turned back around and studied Lilo. “The mare of your dreams is a... changeling?” Carbon walked back up to the metal bars again. “Yes, but she is more than just that.” Sky eyed Lilo for a moment, then walked up to the cage next to Carbon and took out her bobbing pin and bit. She began to place the bobbing pin into the keyhole of the padlock that was fastened to the door of the cage, but an electrical shock sent a jolt of pain searing through her body, tearing her from the lock. Sky immediately recoiled and dropped the bobbing pin and bit. “What the...” Sky rubbed one of her cheeks. “That damned unicorn must have enchanted the lock. We need to get the key.” “Mmf.” Sky and Carbon’s heads snapped towards Lilo, who had begun to stir from inside the cage. The chain attached to her collar rattled when she attempted to lift her head, but it crashed against the floor when Lilo failed to lift her head up. She raised one of her hooves, pointing towards a corner of the dark room. Carbon followed Lilo’s hoof and stepped into a puddle that had formed from one of the leaky pipes above it. He looked down, spotting something shimmering in the water that looked unnatural to the cobblestone around it. He fished it out of the water and walked back over to Sky, who leaned in to get a closer look at what Carbon had in his mouth. “It’s a key,” she said, looking back at Lilo. “What was a key doing over there?” Carbon stepped past Sky and placed the key into the padlock. It fit perfectly, and after giving it a twist, the lock fell and the cage door swung open. Carbon rushed into the cage and fell to his knees next to Lilo. He reached around the back of her head and pulled the ball gag from her mouth. “Lilo, we’re going to get you out of here,” Carbon said, holding Lilo’s head up by her cheeks. “C-Carbon, I...” Lilo’s head drooped, and she fell unconscious once again. Carbon turned back to Sky, who had already picked up the key in her mouth. She used the key to unlock the collar that was fastened around Lilo’s neck and stepped back, allowing for Carbon to slide Lilo onto his back and lift her up. “Do you know another way out of here that doesn’t involve using the front door?” Carbon asked. “There is a second exit door,” Sky said, turning around to walk out of the cage, “but it is on the other side of the building. The only way to get to it is if we cross through the lobby or head on over the back of the stage through the meeting room and hope that nopony spots us.” “Lead the way,” Carbon said, following after her. Sky and Carbon made their way towards the door at the top of the stairs. Carbon felt Lilo’s ragged breaths on the nape of his neck as he climb the stairs. He cursed under his breath, gritting his teeth and straining his back as sharp pains coursed through his entire body with every step he took on his broken leg. Sky placed her hoof on the door, but before she could pull the door open it swung towards her, revealing the pegasus who had knocked Lilo unconscious back in the alley. They all stared at each other for a moment, and then the pegasus took off down the hall towards the door that led into the lobby. “Oh no you don’t,” Sky muttered. She took off after the pegasus, skidding to a stop in the middle of the hallway and lifting her miniature crossbow to take aim. The pegasus had to land to push open the door to the lobby, giving Sky enough time to fire her crossbow dart into the pegasus’s neck. His whole body tensed before he could lay his hoof on the doorknob, and then he collapsed into a heap. Sky trotted over to the pegasus, giving him a solid kick in the ribs. “He’ll be out for a few hours,” Sky stated. “Come on, follow me before more of these guys show up.” Sky trotted back to a door that was placed opposite of the stairs that led up to the second floor of the brothel. She pushed the door open slowly, and after peaking through the crack to see if there were any ponies beyond, she swung the door opened wide and waved her hoof at Carbon. He followed after her, letting the door shut behind him. After allowing a moment for Carbon to recover from the pain throbbing in his leg, Sky led them through a narrow corridor that turned sharply into another door. She pushed the door open slowly, peeking into the room only to find that her vision was shrouded by darkness. She waved her hoof again, signalling for Carbon to follow her. When they passed into the room, the door swung shut behind them and the candles around the room flickered to life. Desks lined the walls of the room, while intricate and beautiful tapestries adorned the walls all around them. A fireplace was built up against the wall to the right, and a large skylight hung above the room. However, Carbon’s stared locked with the two ponies across the room. Zumas stood with Falchion at his side, a baseball bat gripped tightly between Falchion’s teeth. Sky jumped forward and readied her crossbow, but before she could get a shot off she was hoisted into the air by Zumas’s magic and tossed out of the two doors behind her and Carbon. Zumas shut the doors behind her, locking the doors with a click. A few bangs on the doors soon followed, but they quickly fell silent when several shouts sounded from beyond. “I thought I told ya not to come after that thing,” Falchion said. “Perhaps I should remind ya, seems like ya did some forgettin’ when ya were knocked out in that alley.” Zumas lay a hoof on Falchion's shoulder. “That will not be necessary. Please, calm yourself Falchion.” Falchion growled, but took a step back and rested the bat against his side. He glared at Carbon. “He does bring up a valuable point, though,” Zumas continued. “I specifically asked for him and his crew to explain to you not to come at get your precious Lilo. I had hoped you would hear his warning so that we could avoid such an awkward situation as this one.” Carbon glared at Zumas, flaring his wings out on either side of him. Zumas sighed and pulled out a scroll from underneath one of Falchion’s wings. “You know, Lilo was much like you when she first met me,” Zumas said, unraveling the scroll. “She didn’t like talking much and continued to give me that nasty glare like I was some monster. Well, it was a little hard to decipher what that stare was at first, but I think I discovered that rather quickly when she snapped at me.” Zumas levitated the scroll over to Carbon, letting him read over its contents. The scroll looked like a regular contract of some sorts that said somepony was to be put in the service of Zumas under the given conditions. However, Carbon’s heart sank when he read the name at the bottom. “She eventually saw reason, though,” Zumas added, pulling the scroll away from Carbon’s face a bit. “She signed this little contract here, coming to the realization that the options that I was giving her were far better than lying out somewhere near the Everfree Forest to die. She was given a place to work, sleep, eat; it was all she could have asked for when she was in her previous condition.” “From what I saw,” Carbon said coldly, “and from what I can understand, these things ‘she asked for’ looked to be little more than the same conditions a slave would live under. Even that contract implies that she is a slave.” “A slave?” Zumas scoffed. “I was merely protecting her from the ponies that would like to harm her. Do you have any idea what could happen to her in an environment like this? She would be torn apart.” “You tormented her,” Carbon growled. “You beat her, you starved her, and you nearly killed her. The amount of damage you have done to her still lingers within her mind. Why did you do it? What was it for? Just so you could turn a profit?” Zumas sighed again and rolled up the scroll, tucking it back away in Falchion’s wing. He strode over to Carbon, stopping once he stood a meter away from the pegasus. “There are some things that you do not understand, Carbon,” Zumas said. “You see, I run a business here that is meant to please the inhabitants of Canterlot when they are feeling tired or lonely. They come to my pleasure palace in hopes that they can escape from the unpleasantries that plague their lives, whether it be work, their bills, or perhaps even their own families. “However, in order to give these ponies what it is that they want, I need to have ponies available who can live up to their expectations. I have ponies from far up north, ponies from down south, and some more exotic employees who stem from nations like Zebrica and Equidoe. You can imagine my delight when Falchion here discovered Lilo, a changeling who could be any pony she wanted.” Zumas started to circle Carbon, slowly dragging his hooves across the carpeted floor. “I couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this,” Zumas continued, “to have a pony work for me who could change disguises on a whim. So, I did the only thing that is expected of a business pony such as myself: I employed her. I made sure she had all of the conditions she needed to work effectively under me, and for the week she stayed in my employment, profits at this establishment increased.” Zumas stopped in front of Carbon again, bringing a hoof up to his chin. “If only she stayed a bit longer,” Zumas mused, “perhaps she would have grown to enjoy life here.” “There is something that you forgot, Zumas,” Carbon said. “Lilo is a changeling, not some random pony from some corner of Equestria. Her dietary habits are different, her mentality is different. You were slowly murdering her by keeping her in that disgusting pen you would call ‘suitable accommodations.’ “ Carbon spat at Zumas’s hooves. “You call yourself a business pony, yet I see nothing more than another pony who likes to play the divine moralist.” The hairs on the back of Zumas’s neck bristled, and he quickly turned from Carbon and began to walk back towards Falchion. His horn lit up, levitating the baseball bat from Falchion’s side up to his mouth. He turned. “Perhaps I was wrong and Falchion was right,” Zumas said. “Perhaps he should remind you that you should have just gone home instead of coming back for her.” He paused, glancing at Falchion. “Would you do the honors?” “Gladly,” Falchion replied. Carbon gently slid Lilo from his back, resting her on the floor before he turned to face Falchion. He bared his teeth and lowered his head as he pawed at the ground. Pain from his broken leg coursed through his body as Carbon continued to put more pressure on it, but he ignored it while he glared at the pegasus that crept closer. “Oh, perhaps ya’ll put up more of a fight this time,” Falchion sneered. “I’d like that.” Carbon lunged at Falchion, but Falchion was quicker as he swung the bat and made contact with Carbon’s shoulder, sending Carbon flying into a pair of chairs. Carbon groaned, straining himself to rise back onto his hooves as his opponent approached. “Or perhaps not. Yur not really the fightin’ type, are ya?” Carbon flexed his wings and gave them a powerful flap, sending himself colliding with Falchion’s legs and smashing them both into a desk on the other side of the room. The bat flew from Falchion’s mouth and landed in the middle of the room. Falchion was quickly back on his hooves, galloping towards the bat, but before he could reach it, Carbon flew across the room and snatched it up in his hooves. He landed on top of another desk and turned to Zumas. “Stop this, Zumas!” Carbon said. “We can come to a-” Falchion slammed into Carbon hard enough to dent the wall. Carbon yelped as he felt another one of his bones crack. ~~~ Lilo’s eyes flickered open as the sound of cracking bones and Carbon’s yelp reverberated in her ears. She watched as Carbon slumped to the floor, dropping the bat and letting it roll across the floor, and then watched as Falchion began to make his way over to where the bat had come to rest. She grunted, sliding her hooves under her and flexing her thin wings. The crease along her wing sent small jolts of pain through her body, but they were practically drowned out by the other jolts of pain that coursed through her body from the various bruises and cracks along her chitin. Falchion picked up the bat in his mouth and strode back over to Carbon. His eyes burned with fury as he stared down at the reeling pegasus. He held the bat high above his head. Before Falchion could bring the bat down upon Carbon’s head, however, Lilo sped across the room and sunk her teeth into his shoulder. He screamed, dropping the bat as he was pushed back into desks that Carbon had been standing on. The desks broke from the impact, sending splinters flying in every direction. Falchion tried to swing one of his hooves into Lilo’s face, but she tore into his throat with her fangs, puncturing his larynx and causing him to reach for his neck. Lilo was about to rip into his throat again when she was hit in the side by the bat, sending her crashing into a heap next to Carbon. The bat dropped to the floor as it was released from Zumas’s telekinetic grip. His mouth had contorted into a grim frown as he stared hard at both Lilo and Carbon. “You two do not know when to give up, do you?” Zumas asked. His teeth were bared. The sound of Falchion’s gurgling faded. “A miserable pony and a broken changeling fighting for their very lives just that they could... what exactly? Be together? Love each other forever like some poetic foal’s book?” Carbon slowly rose to his hooves and took one uneasy step forward, putting himself between Zumas and Lilo, who was clutching her side and whimpering quietly. Carbon felt dizzy, and his legs were shaking violently as he glared at Zumas. “Oh, this is just precious,” Zumas said, charging his horn. “Why don’t you lay down so I only have to use a single beam of my magic to rip your two apart. It will make it easier on all of us, hm?” Zumas charged his horn, but just as he was about to let off a single volley of his magic, the skylight above them crashed inwards and Sky dove into his side. Zumas’s volley released upon Sky’s impact, shooting towards one of the paintings on the far wall and blasting a hole clear through the other side. Sky took the tranquilizer dart that was still loaded in her crossbow and thrust it into Zumas’s neck, instantly knocking him out. Sky looked down at the unicorn a few moments longer, watching as he failed to open his eyes again. She then lifted herself up and kicked him in the side. “That’s what you get for hurling me out the door,” she said. She turned to Carbon and Lilo. “Come on, we still need to get out of here.” “How did...” Carbon started before he collapsed onto the floor. “Lots of ponies, superior fighter, skylight,” Sky said quickly, rushing over to Carbon. “Not everypony gets to play the hero, you know, although it looks like you put up quite a decent fight.” She tried helping Carbon back to his hooves, but he slumped and collapsed to the floor again. “Come on, the royal guard are waiting outside for you and your waifu. Get up.” The world seemed to come to a crawl for Carbon. Sky’s words were elongated, her movements were slow and blurry, and her touch felt as if it was distant and spectral. He rose to his hooves once again and helped load Lilo onto Sky’s back, mechanically moving his legs as if the injuries he had taken earlier didn’t exist. His peripheral vision grew darker and darker as Sky was soon leading him through the door on the other side of the room. A blaring red sign hung over a door at the end of the hallway. Sky bolted in that direction, shouting incoherent encouragements back at Carbon as he struggled to keep up. His legs felt like jello, his head was swimming, his eyes were crossed. Sky blasted through the doorway and skidded to a halt in front of two burly ponies. Carbon soon followed, and collapsed to the ground before blacking out.