Flam stood on one side of the windigo's cage, with Flim standing on the other. The brothers glared at the ponies before them.
"It seems," Flam stated, "that these ponies are trying to steal our creatures, oh brother of mine."
"Indeed it does," Flim agreed. "What should we do with them?"
"Perhaps it would be best if you went and called the town guard," Rarity suggest. "You go ahead. We'll wait."
"Considering that you have somehow managed to release one of our newest acquisitons," Flam stated, "the town guard would probably not be the best idea."
"A valid point, oh brother of mine," Flim agreed. "Still, we can't let these ponies get away with all our exhibits."
"Okay," Rainbow Dash shouted. "That's enough. Where are the keys?"
"Keys?" Flim asked. "What keys?" He turned to his brother. "Do you know what she is talking about?"
"I believe they are looking for this." Flam pulled out a chain from beneath his shirt, revealing a key hanging from the end of it. "After all, it would be much easier than trying to pick all the locks." His eyes narrowed. "Of course, they aren't going to-"
The sentence was cut off as Rainbow Dash flew right at him. Flam dropped to his stomach, ducking right under the pegasus.
"You're going to have to do better than-hey!" Flam shouted as a long tongue grabbed the key, yanking it from his grip. Catching the chain in her teeth, Fluttershy took off.
"Get back here!" Flam yelled as he got up to chase after her. "That's cheating."
Fluttershy let out a squeak around the key as she saw that the unicorn was chasing her, his horn beginning to glow. With a hard flap of her wings, she shot up toward the ceiling before dropping hard. She had no idea what was happening, but she hoped that she was avoiding anything that was being shot at her. She dropped further, landing on top of one of the cage, and dropped the key.
"Here you go."
Gilda smirked as she picked up the key, spinning it around one of her talons.
"Give me that," Flim shouted.
"You want it, twerp?" Gilda growled, narrowing her eyes at the stallion. "Then come in here and try to take it."
Flim moved closer to the cage, his horn beginning to glow as he got his magic ready. Before he could cast anything, Gilda grabbed him by the horn and yanked hard, slamming him face first into the bars. The stallion's eyes went cross as his skull slammed into the steel before falling limply to the ground.
"Wimp," Gilda huffed as she stuck the key into the lock. She kept one eye on the prone pony as she worked the key, not really able to see it from the other side. The feline tail gave a flick of irritation as she focused on the lock, working to get free. After seconds that seemed painfully long, there was an audible click as the door came open.
"Hey, Willy! Catch!" She gave the key a firm throw, aiming for the cage of the minotaur. It stopped in mid-air as it was caught in an aura of magic.
"Nice try," Flam called out, "but you're going to have to do better than that."
"How about this?"
Flam turned to look toward the source of the statement just in time to see a pale blue hoof. Rainbow Dash punched the stallion in the jaw, sending him spinning and causing him to lose his concentration. As the key fell, Rainbow Dash reached out with a wing to grab it. She shoved it into the lock of the minotaur's cage and unlocked the door.
"Rarity!" she called out. "Here! For Pinkie!" She pulled the key from the lock and tossed it. Rainbow Dash then flew over to Gilda, getting between him and Flim.
"Gilda," Rainbow Dash growled, "don't."
"Out of my way, Dash," Gilda growled back. She pointed a claw at the prone pony. "It's what he deserves for what he did to me."
"I can't let you do that. Just step back and let us deal with him our way. He will be punished for what he did."
Gilda's eyes narrowed as she glared down at Rainbow Dash and Flim, her tail giving a flick. The pegasus adjusted her stance as she kept between the the prone unicorn and griffon. She glared back, her ears pinned back against her head. The tension grew thicker between the friends as they locked eyes with each other.
"Fine," Gilda huffed as she looked off to the side. "I'll let your stupid little pony laws deal with him." Her gaze shifted back as she pointed a claw at the stallion. "But if I ever catch him again, he is griffon chow. Got it?"
"I got it," Rainbow Dash replied.
Meanwhile, Rarity had caught the key in her magic and carried it with her to the cage with Pinkie Pie and the changeling. She stopped as she felt something cold against her hooves, and looked down.
There was a thin layer of frost developing on the floor. The pale brown wood was white as ice formed over it. Rarity's eyes followed the frost, seeing it get thicker as it got closer to...
The windigo's cage.
The fighting!
"Come on, Darling," Rarity said as she hurried to unlock the changeling cage. "We best hurry and evacuate before w-"
The rest of her statement was cut off as a blast of magic struck her, sending her flying. The air was knocked from her lungs as she slammed against the side of the windigo cage, the burst of air turning into a cloud of fog. Her head snapped backwards as she hit, her horn tapping the glass and causing it to crack.
"I think you have created enough trouble for my brother and I," Flam stated. His magic wrapped around the white unicorn and lifted her up, bringing her close.
"You arrogant fool," Zecora shouted out. "You know not what it is you do."
"I know exactly what I'm doing," Flam retorted. "It's simple. You let my brother and me go. Once we are out of here, I'll let this one go free."
"No, That is not what I mean, I will have you know. The arrogance of your attack has created a crack. When Rarity struck the cage from your deceitful blow, you created a way to escape for-"
The sound of glass shattering filled the room. It was followed by the ear-splitting howl of the wind.
"-the windingo!"