Madame Nightshade let loose a groggy breath, her aching head teetering back and forth against the wall. Bellesmith squatted in front of her, using the last shredded length of sequencing manawire to tie the bruised mare's hooves to the metal crossbeams running along the sides of that room. Once she was fairly secured, along with the unconscious stallions on either side of her, Belle stood up and exhaled heavily.
“Alright. She's out of the picture. Now, we just have to get out of here.”
“We can't just waltz out of here like it's nopony's business!” Kera exclaimed, waving a hoof about dramatically for emphasis. “The place is crawling with goons! Smelly goons! And those are the worse kind of goons!”
“Kera, between you and me, we have what it takes to make our way out of here.”
“Pffft! No duh!” Kera bit her lip, flashed the foals a look, and leaned in towards Belle. “But do you really expect us to kick butt, make an escape, and somehow haul these dirtbags out of here?”
Belle frowned. “They're not dirtbags! They're young foals, displaced from their way of life. Just like you!”
“They're weirdoes, Belle! They don't even have their horns intact!”
“Am I a weirdo then too?” Belle smirked wryly. “Am I not worth rescuing out of this place?”
Kera squirmed where she stood, avoiding the mare's gaze. “No, but...”
“If circumstances were different, even by the slightest, you'd be in the same condition as us. Would that make you any less special?”
Kera frowned. “Heck, no! Cuz I wouldn't have been stupid enough to let anypony chop off my horn!”
“Kera...”
“I only got carried out of Lerris cuz my foster parents were too cowardly to raise a hoof!”
“Kera, look at me.” Belle knelt down before the foal until they were at eye level. “I know you've had to be tough to survive on the streets. But that's not all there is to you.”
“Sure it is—”
“You're a smart pony. A gifted pony. And I believe, under all of that rough exterior, you are also a kind pony. Why else would you have taken the time and energy to help me when I most needed it?”
“Mmmm...” Kera kicked her hooves against the ground, staring off into a distant shadow of the place.
Belle cocked her head to the side. “Well?”
“Cuz you're too weak to make it on your own!” Kera barked at Belle. “You need me, you dainty piece of hayseed!”
Belle giggled, She placed a gentle hoof on Kera's shoulder. “That's good enough, Kera. I'm sure I can read between the lines.”
Kera glared at her. “You're not going to hug me again, are you?”
“Nope. Not right now.” Belle stood back up. “There's no time. We have to get out of here.”
“And how do you expect to do that—?”
“I'm getting you and the foals out, and then I'm going to save Phoenix.”
Kera did a double-take, her green eyes widening to the bursting point. “What?!”
“They still have him in Nightshade's tower,” Belle said, marching across the room and entering the brightly-lid alcove where the foals had been sequenced. She placed her hoof on the door's valve handle and prepared to twist it. “I need to get him out.”
“But Belle!” Kera waddled frantically after her, making all the foals shift nervously. “Why?!”
“Because if he stays there too much longer, he might die.”
“No, what I mean is... is...” Kera squeezed her way in and stood between Belle and the door. “What do you owe the guy?! Didn't he, like, do something really bad to you and stuff?”
Belle took a deep breath. “It doesn't matter—”
“Of course it does, you melon fudge!” Kera squawked. “You don't owe the stallion anything!” She pointed into the other sequencing room. “You don't owe these kids anything! They're pretty must strangers to us!”
“You and I were strangers to each other too.”
“You know what I mean...”
“Kera, you're still young—”
“Ugh!” Kera rolled her green eyes. “I friggin' hate the 'I'm older than you' routine!”
“Kera...”
“My parents used it all the time.”
“Please...” Belle leaned down. “I can't even begin to explain to you the power of loyalty. Even still, I think a part of you understands it. You just don't know it quite yet.”
“Pffft. Yeah, whatever.”
“Now, would you kindly mind stepping out of the way? I need to get a good look of what's outside.”
“You may wish to put on something warm,” said one of the foals innocently.
Belle glanced behind her shoulder. “Uhm... what for?”
“The wind has that effect on some ponies,” another said.
Belle blinked. She exchanged glances with Kera. Then, with silent resolve, she twisted and twisted the valve until the door open with a creak. Instantly, a burst of air was sucked out of the room. Then, everything settled as Belle squinted against the bright light and pushed the door panel opened. She was immediately greated with rolling mountains and wispy white clouds stretching before her. A blue sky bent and buckled beyond the metal railing of a iron-wrought deck.
“Her zeppelin...” Belle gulped. “We're on Nightshade Industries' airship.”
“Now, do you wanna go all suicidal?”
Belle was silent, then smiled down at Kera. “It will be alright, Kera.”
“But we're flank-knows-where and there're guards all around and there's no guessing where Blue Nova's—”
“Kera...” Belle smiled. “It will be alright.”
The foal trembled, though her fear was very brief, very subtle, very real. It passed between the words that Belle had to give her.
“Just trust me...” Belle said, her face warm and tranquil. “Everything is going to work out.”
Kera's eyes thinned. “You're either stupidly insane or stupidly fearless.”
“Let's settle for 'awesome,' shall we?” Belle stuck her head out again, took a deep breath, and bolted forward. “Okay! Stay behind me! Come on!”
In a swift train, all fourteen bodies galloped out and into the windy world outside.