Chapter 30
Infiltration
Everything around seemed blurry. She couldn´t make out any features of her surroundings. Nimble blinked several times, trying hard to focus on something, but it didn´t changed. Everything remained blurry. She tried standing up, but her legs wouldn´t work. After a while of trying she gave up and focused on steading her breathing.
In, out, in, out…
She heard a loud bang as one of those guns was fired nearby. Then, a sound of a shout and the metallic sound of a metal door opening. He then heard a very familiar voice.
“Stand up, Nimble,” Shadow said with a hint of venom in his voice. “I don´t want you to miss these.” He took her and helped her to her feet. He didn´t allowed her to say anything before she felt herself being pushed out of wherever she was. When she was out of the room, her eyes suddenly cleared out. She immediately tried to turn to Shadow, but a firm hoof maintained her head in a specific direction.
Right towards the ponyhood… Silent Mane, Sunny, Hightip, Deepsqueak and Grey Stone… all of them were there against a wall. She didn´t say High Mane, but she was too sonfused to think about it.
“What… what is going on?” she asked, fear in her voice.
“What is happening? This is what happens when somepony tries to get in the way,” Shadow said. Nimble had still not seen Shadow, but she could still feel his strong grip and his breathing behind her. She then felt her head being lowered. She noticed a pony on the floor… she squealed the second she noticed that the pony seemed to be not breathing. She tried to look away, but Shadow forced her to keep looking. “Remember him? That traitor deserved it.”
It was High Mane.
"No!" Nimble cried out. That's when she noticed something strange... Her surroundings seemed blurry. This was wrong... It was...
She gasped as she woke up. She was sweating cold.
She looked around and saw the same room she had been locked in. She was on the bed, covered by the bed sheets. She sighed and began to try to calm herself down. Her heart was beating at incredible speed.
She breathed in and out slowly, trying to not think about her current situation. She finally managed to breath normally and the sweat was all but gone. She looked around again at the darkness around. The room seemed exactly the same as before and it appears nopony had entered. She laid down again and looked at the ceiling, wondering how she had ended up like that and how she could have stop it...
*** *** ***
The main room seemed to stand still as Serena walked in. Everypony around looked at her as she walked on the cavernous front hall of the new shadow headquarters. Her hooves made a resonating sound as she walked forward, ignoring the glances around. She had a goal in mind, and she wasn't going to fail in it. She stopped in front if a pony that was seated on a table, checking some papers.
The pony was a deep black, though obviously he had painted himself. He had a peculiar horn, all black as well and had been sharpened to the point that it was even more dangerous than a knife. The pony turned towards Serena.
"I need to see Shadow."
The pony stopped what he was doing and stood up, never leaving his gaze on Serena. "He is not available."
She shook her head "He needs to be for Time Keeper." At that name, some ponies looked at her, since most of the ones of the room had returned to their duties. The ones still looking and that had gotten attention by Keeper's name were obviously those sent there by the watch-maker himself.
The pony walked towards her and stopped dangerously close to Serena. "Your Time keeper has no poet here, so you better wait." That made Serena angry.
"You don't know what you are saying."
The pony shook his head. "On the contrary, I know..." He couldn't finish as a blast of magic sent him backwards against the wall, cracking it. The pony cried as he fell against the floor, but soon he was up again and was looking at Serena with murder intentions on his eyes.
"You'll repent of that."
Serena chuckled. "On the contrary, you will."
Serena knew she had the Ponyhood's attention for now, she just needed to give the others time to rescue their friends and then she'd simply need to leave.
Something she doubted was possible now...
*** *** ***
Hightip walked through the long and dark corridors, closely followed by the rest of the members of the ponyhood.
He had changed plans as soon as they had entered. The reason was because they had immediately encountered guards and had needed to shut them before they rose the alarm, which thankfully they didn't.
He had decided that they should all stay together and reach the cells as soon as possible. High Mane was beside him, guiding them since he knew part of the complex. Right after them was Grey Stone and Sunny. Hightip had wanted her to be in the middle, since it was the safest position.
He had argued with her right before the mission. He had wanted her to remain at the headquarters, but Sunny had been insistent that she needed to go. He had accepted but by her promise that she wouldn't enter into combat and that at any sign if danger she'd hide or take cover.
She was now technically protected by Grey Stone.
They walked fast and quietly, every step leading them closer to their capture friends. Hightip was pretty sure Serena had managed to get the shadow ponies' attentin, since most if the halls where empty.
They were turning. Corner when they finally let their first obstacle: three ponies armed with guns. They rose their weapons as soon as they saw them, firing. Hightip rose a shield just as High Mane shot a magic blast. The shield immediately fell down, but the magic blast got two of the ponies, knocking the out cold. The other attempted to reload, but Grey Stone was already on him.
They kept on walking, making sure they were not followed. Apparently there had been no other ponies around, because those blasts would have warned them.
They finally reached the cell's doors. High Mane wondered out loud where were the guards, but they opened the doors nevertheless.
Expecting an ambush on the other side of the door, they entered cautiously. Apparently there was nothing waiting for them. They walked slowly this time, checking every cell individually.
Hightip separated from the group, going though another dark tunnel with cells on the sides. That's when he saw some kind of crack in the wall, only that it wasn't a crack...
It was an opening.
*** *** ***
Silent Mane looked towards Metal Mane. The two looked at each other, unblinking. It seemed like a contest, though no pony wanted to loose. Finally Silent spoke.
"You know we are both prisoners here."
The earth pony Metal Mane looked the other way. He seemed angry at that mention Silent had done, but not at Silent, but at being trapped.
"We can escape, maybe not alone, but with my help you and I could get out."
Metal Mane looked at him. "I doubt that. You'd get trapped immediately or you would simply leave me."
Silent shook his head. "No, I never fail my word, you know a pony's word is the most important thing, to us ponies of Lower Canterlot, to us that follow a code."
"You above all other should know that nopony follows the code anymore."
Silent shook his head. "But there are atill some that do. The question is, do you?"
Metal Mane chuckled, but stopped as pain began on his neck. "I try to, but it's not the same since the shadow ponies. They broke the way of Lower Canterlot."
Both remained quiet for some seconds.
"Then help me restore it," Silent finally said. "Help me bring back Lower Canterlot's old times."
Metal Mane looked doubtfully at the brown pony. "I don't think you'd he able to."
"Alone no, but with help we may. We can try to take down this ponyhood. We just need to get Shadow, and the entire structure of this ponyhood collapses."
Metal Mane shook his head. "Shadow is not the one behind this all."
Silent nodded. "No, Time Keeper from Watcher co. is partnered with the rascal, but I don't think that Canterlot white butt could do his plans without his partner."
Metal Mane nodded. Hope could now be seen on his eyes. "Yes..."
Both smiled and looked at the door. They had the exact same idea of how to get out, they just needed their jailer...
There was a rattle on the door as the pony they were expecting entered. They immediately his their expressions a to one if despair and list hope. The pony jailer walked to them with a glass of water. He drank most if it and then passed it to Metal Mane. The pony was beginning to sip when he kicked hard, managing to brake the magic holding his hoofcufs for a second. The jailer jumped in surprise, just to he kicked in the back by Silent. The jailer screamed help just as the two prisoners did one last effort and knocked the jailer out. Silent looked at Metal Mane, who smiled and showed him the keys he was holding with one hand.
Soon the two where free and finally on their four legs. They were beginning to walk to te door when it opened and five ponies entered armed with knives and guns. Immediately the two ponies jumped at them and kicked the guns off their hooves. Silent knocked one out almost instantly and entered a fight with two others, each of them holding a knife. Metal Mane was dealing with the other two, only one of them with a weapon. The guns laid down on the floor.
Silent moved out of the way just in time as a knife whistled by, missing him by inches. He kicked and sent the pony back. The other pony attacked and managed to stab him on the back, though nothing painful nor dangerous. Silent attacked and brought down his front hooves on the pony's back. He heard the pony whimper as he fell down, still. The other picked up a gun an pointed at him.
Metal Mane was having more thouble, as his two foes managed to push him back. The big pony charged at the two and pushed them against a wall. They tried to stab him, but Metal Mane kicked the knife off the pony's hooves. He punched one in the head and made the other one fall by hitting his legs.
Silent sidestepped as he heard the click of the gun. He felt the air whistle as the bullet went off against the wall. He smiled and punched the pony, taking the gun from his hooves. He took him and used the gun's butt to hit his head. The pony fell down, still. He turned to help Metal Mane only to find the two ponies' on the floor as well. The two looked at each other as they heard several hoofsteps approaching. They nodded and turned to the door, ready to fight off the next wave if foes.
"Here..." He heard a familiar voice. Just as he prepared to attack, the door opened and revealed a dark blue unicorn.
"Stop!" He told Metal Mane. The pony stopped and looked at Hightip, surprised.
"Hightip!"
The old unicorn looked at Silent. "Silent! You're alright!" As he said this, Sunny got out from behind and hugged Silent. Silent smiled.
"Wait..." Sunny finally said after ending the hug. "And Nimble?"
Silent turned serious. "I know where she is." He looked at Hightip. "We must rescue her before that pony Shadiw does something to her." Hightip nodded in agreement. The blue unicorn then turned to Metal Mane.
"Metal Mane, I didn't expected to see you here."
Metal Mane nodded. "Neither did I, old friend." Hightip nodded.
"He's going to help us take down the shadow Ponyhood." Silent said.
Hightip nodded. "We already have that covered, we only need to get Nimble as soon as possible before the royal guard arrives."
Both Silent and Metal Mane looked confused.
"The royal guard?" Silent asked.
"Or the Canterlot police. I'm not sure who'll come, but we must be gone by the time they arrive." Hightip answered. The two recently rescued ponies nodded.
"Okay. Follow me, let's go rescue Nimble and kick some shadow butt on the way." Silent said.
He thought of Shadow... That pony was going to pay...
A lot...