"State yer name and business," Applejack repeated.
"My name is Treble Clef, and this is Roseluck," Treble answered, "We're here to get medical treatment for this mare. We found her in the middle of the tracks."
Applejack looked between the two conscious ponies and the passed out mare. Taking a moment, she contemplated what to do with the strangers. She knew the protocol and procedure she had to take to ensure the peace and safety of the town placed under her command. Dealing with the injured mare took priority, but having two possibly unregistered ponies in her midst was urgent, as they had to be registered to be legally there. Choosing the best option she could, she made her decision.
"Alright," she said, "Stallions, take this mare to the sick bay fer magical treatment, STAT."
"Yes, Ma'am," the Guards in question answered.
"You two, Ah need ya to come with me."
With that, she turned around and began her march back to the relay station. Taking a glance behind her, she saw that the strangers were right there. Reaching the building that used to be Sheriff Silver Star's jailhouse, she motioned for the other two ponies to enter.
"Please wait a moment while we contact Ponyville. They will patch us through to the Registrar's office. There, we will either find yer names in the Registry, or we will process yer names. Until then, ya'll're required to stay in here."
Turning around, Applejack picked up the line, dialing in a number. The line rang for a minute or so before a voice could be heard on the other end.
"Ponyville Relay, please state the reason for your call."
"This is Commander Applejack. Ah request that ya patch me through to the Registrar's office."
"One moment please..."
The phone rang for a minute more. Finally, they could here a new voice.
"Census Paper here. Please state your business."
"Yes, this is Commander Applejack, Appleoosa Branch, Earth Forces. Ah have two unidentified ponies here. One Treble Clef, and one Roseluck."
"Please wait while we check our information..." The phone switched to static. A few minutes later, the line was picked back up again, "We have no information on any ponies by those names."
Applejack sighed. If there was one thing she hated, it was paperwork. Now she had to fill out registry forms and send them, by Dragon Mail, to the Registrar's office. The dragons supplied by the government always smelled bad and had tempers. Sometimes, she wished that she could have just one dragon smart enough to speak that would be happy to send messages back and forth.
"Thank ya fer yer time," she said dryly, and hung up, "Alrighty then, Ah'm gonna need ya both to sign this form. When yer done with that, yer free to go about town, but not the country. When the forms are all done, then ya may leave."
After filling out the forms, the travelers left Applejack alone with her thoughts. Sometimes she wished she could have an easy life. It always sounded like a nice idea to work on an apple farm in a small town. For the life of her, she could not tell why her cutie mark was three apples. She shook her head. Now was certainly not the time to be thinking such thoughts, there was work to be done. Paperwork. Ugh.
After leaving the Guard station, Treble and Rose decided it would be a good time to get some lunch. The excitement from earlier had made them forget just how hungry they were. By the time they realized it, it was already three o'clock. Finding a small restaurant nearby, the pair sat down. Soon, a waiter arrived to take their orders. Treble decided on a hay and daisy sandwich, while Rose wanted the rose and petunia salad. The waiter left them alone again.
"So," Treble began, awkwardly, "Uh...that incident on the train was interesting, wasn't it?"
"I guess you could say that," Rose concurred, "I just hope she'll be alright. That injury was pretty bad, after all. I wonder what could have done that?"
"I'm not sure. I am sure, though, that from what we've seen, the Guard would have killed her. Besides, they seemed to be willing to help her out. What bothers me is what Applejack is doing in Discord's Guard. I know they were defeated, but not that they were willing to work with him."
"Maybe they weren't. I don't know much about this world, but it sounds to me like this Discord is able to corrupt others. Am I right?"
"Yeah, but...but if you're Discorded, you turn grey, and your personality switches. That didn't look like it happened to her. Oh, here comes our lunch."
The waiter placed their meals in front of them. They started eating rather slowly, as they were still wondering what was going on in this Equestria. The food didn't taste bad. After they finished, they were handed their check. Lucky for them, Cherry had given Treble and Chase a bag of bits for their journey. Once they paid, the two of them left the restaurant. Between them, the twosome decided that they should see how the injured mare was getting along. They approached the building. Upon entering, they were stopped by a doctor.
"Hello," he said, "You must be the new ponies. I'm Doctor Big Needle, and I'm taking care of your friend. She is currently recovering from magically-accelerated healing. The rest of the process must be done naturally. Which one of you stitched her wound?"
"I did," Rose answered.
"Well, you did a good job. That's a little surprising considering your obviously gardening-related cutie mark. Where'd you learn to do that?"
"Um...well...I worked as a veterinarian back home for some time, but not long enough to actually get good at it."
"It shows. Well done. So, anyways, the rest of the healing process will take one night. The wound was deep, and some vital organs were damaged. If you two hadn't found her when you did, she certainly would be dead by now. Thank you for taking your time to see me."
With that, Dr. Needle left the two friends alone again. Deciding it was not worth worrying over, the pair left the building. Down the street was a motel with rooms open. The two ponies agreed that it was the best place to stay for a night. However, it was still bright day outside. Treble didn't know what to expect, but normal weather patterns and the sun and moon in a regular order certainly wasn't it. He expected the day-night cycle to be messed up, and bad storms ravaging random parts of the kingdom. It was almost as if this Discord wasn't interested in chaos so much as he was interested in world domination. The thought did nothing to soothe his troubled mind.
"Treble," Rose said, breaking him from his thoughts, "See that building over there?" she pointed straight down the street to a building with guards surrounding it.
"Yeah," Treble answered, "What about it?"
"Have you noticed something strange here?"
"No, not really...wait...none of the guards are holding weapons. What are they doing without weapons?"
"Exactly," Rose said with a smile that made Treble feel a little uneasy, "I think that that building is housing the Guard's weaponry, but not one of them seems to be trying to get inside. Maybe they're afraid of something."
"Alright, Rose, what are you up to?"
"Oh, nothing. I thought it was just interesting."
Treble didn't know what to make of Rose's strange behavior. He hoped it wasn't something too bad, something that would get the two of them arrested. Looking up from his thoughts, he noticed that she was not standing next to him, but rather, she was talking to one of the guards around the armory
"Excuse me, sir," she began, "I can't help but notice that you don't have weapons, and you're surrounding this shed."
"What of it?" the stallion retorted, "It's none of your business, girl."
"You're not even going to think about it?" she asked innocently, all the while trying her hardest to be cute, "Aww, come on, big boy, tell me!"
"Will you leave me alone if I tell you?" Rose nodded her head. The guard continued, "Somepony thought that it was a good idea to lock herself into the weapons storage vault. Now she's saying that she won't come out until she talks to the Commander."
"Ohhhh," Rose said, "Can I try talking to her? I just want to know what's up."
The guard sighed, "I'm going to get in big trouble for letting you do that," he grumbled, "Sure, go ahead."
Walking up to the door, Rose leaned her head on it.
"Hello," she called, "Is anypony in there?"
"You're not Applejack," came a female voice.
"No, I'm not. My name is Rose. I was just curious, why'd you lock yourself in there? You could have seen her anytime. It's not like she's super busy or anything."
"You don't understand. I want justice for what happened to my brother."
"What happened," Rose asked, genuinely curious.
"He was killed by that awful Commander. She just up and attacked him."
"Ah did not!" came an indignant response. Turning around, Rose found herself face to face with Applejack, "Ah don't kill ponies without rhyme or reason. Yer brother must have charged me when Ah came to get the payment. Now, come out of there, we can talk in private."
A few seconds of pregnant silence filled the air. Finally, the door to the armory opened, and out stepped a mint green mare with a lighter green and white mane and tail. Silently, she followed the Commander back into the relay center. The Guard dispersed, each member grabbing a spear. Rose made her way back to Treble. She knew that she was onto something with the conversation she had just had. Deciding not to worry about it too much, she met up with the stallion.
"Want to call it a night?" Treble asked.
"Yeah, sure," was Rose's reply. Silently, they went into the motel for the night.
"Okay, now, what were ya talkin' 'bout there?" Applejack asked, "Yer...Lyra Heartstrings, right?" The mare nodded her head, but remained silent. "Ya've got to tell me something. That's why you wanted to see me, isn't it?"
"You killed my brother," she began, "Neon didn't do anything to you."
"Alright, alright. Let's calm down here. When, exactly, did Ah do this alleged murder?"
"Three years ago, during one of the Guard raids. He stood there, watching the Guard move in and slaughter ponies. That's when you showed up."
"Now we're gettin' somewhere. Please, continue."
"He saw you standing there, and he turned around and ran. You chased after him. When he reached our house, he picked up a piece of wood from the next house over. He was going to use it to defend himself. You then bucked the board, and one of the pieces flew into his throat, killing him. I remember it like it was yesterday."
"Whoa, slow down there, missy," Applejack explained, "What happened that day was mere coincidence. If it weren't for that board, he'd still be alive."
"But, you're the one who broke the board," Lyra said sadly, "Therefore, it's your fault."
"Ah can't deny that Ah did break it, but after that, Ah had no control over that shard. Ah remember this incident well. Ya probably didn't see the whole thing, though. After that happened, Ah panicked. Something like that hadn't happened to me before. Ah remember being told not to remove something stabbed through the throat, or the victim will bleed out. Standard procedure is to bring him to the nearest hospital. He died on my back on the way over there. Lyra, Ah'm truly sorry for your loss. Ah wish Ah could've done more, but Ah couldn't. Please, forgive me. Ah can't bring him back, only mourn his loss and move on. And so should you."
The mare sniffled, clearly taken aback by the honesty of the Chaos Guard Commander in front of her. Soon enough, she broke down crying. Applejack's battle-hardened face softened, and she stood from her seat to comfort the poor girl.
The morning came swiftly enough, sending a bright ray of sunshine through the open window of the motel room and into Rose's eyes. Fluttering them open, she looked around herself. The small bedroom for two was a blur to the cream colored pony. Dust motes floated in the air, and the small bed felt like laying on a cloud. Rubbing her eyes, she noticed that Treble was not where he was the night before. Getting up, Rose slowly moved towards the door. Once outside, she made her way downwards into the breakfast room. There, in the corner seat near the window, sat her friend. He was busy eating oatmeal and staring at the beautiful clear sky with a smile on his face. It was apparent that he was definitely remembering something fondly. She sat down and ordered her own bowl of oatmeal, before turning in Treble's direction.
"Whatcha thinking about?" she asked, once more breaking his concentration.
"I was just thinking about a family outing I once had," he answered wistfully.
"Oh, and what happened?"
"Well, we were backpacking, that's my dad, Dusty and me, and it had become late. We were at the top, overlooking a large cliff. Thankfully, when we pitched our tent, the ground was loose enough for the stakes. So, anyways, when we woke up, we left to see that there was a beautiful sunrise. We were in awe. This morning, I woke up to see the same type of dawn. The hills surrounding the town gave off such a brilliant red color, which complemented the sky. It brought back a lot of good memories."
Rose looked away and quietly thought about what her own family was doing at that moment. Probably mourning her disappearance. She mentally chuckled morbidly at that. If they weren't doing that, then she didn't quite know what they would be doing. Both her parents were retired and living somewhere. Florida, maybe. She really never had the time to go down there to see them, though they took time to visit her every now and again. Her brother had a family and a wonderful job at Microsoft, working on their new computer systems. Lots of other thoughts filled her mind, until it was Treble's turn to wake her from memory lane.
"Let's go see how our friend is doing."
"Hey, I haven't eaten yet!" Rose protested, "At least wait until I finish first."
"Alright, but only if you like eating cold, congealed oatmeal."
Looking down, she noticed that her bowl of oatmeal had indeed become a gross, dry and cold mess. Grinning sheepishly, she pushed the food away from herself, her appetite now sufficiently ruined. Getting up, the pair made their way towards the hospital. Entering, they saw the mare they had saved checking herself out of the sickbay.
"Seems like your rescuers are here," said the receptionist, pointing to the entrance.
The mare turned around and stared at the newcomers. Rushing over to them, she smiled a large smile.
"You're the ones who saved me? Thank you!"
"You"re very welcome," Treble answered, "What happened?"
"Well, I was wandering around the tracks, seeing if I could find things to sell, when, suddenly a scythe weasel came and attacked me. It left in a hurry, though. I passed out shortly after it disappeared. Next thing I know, I'm lying in a hospital bed."
Rose thought she saw a look of unease on Treble's face, but it left as soon as it arrived.
"I'm just glad you're awake," Rose said, deciding that the look was just her imagination, "So, what's your name?"
"I'm Ocean Breeze. How about yours? I would like to know the names of my saviors."
"I'm Rose, and the stallion is Treble."
"Well, it's nice to meet you. Why don't we go out to eat? I'm starving."
The three ponies left the hospital, making a beeline for the closest place to eat, the Salt Lick. The building, looking just like an old western saloon, had begun serving food once Applejack's Guard detail had arrived. The watering hole was packed, even in the morning. The many off-duty Chaos Guard soldiers mingled with the sparse number of actual citizens. The owner, known to the town as Braeburn, was also one of the founding members of Appleoosa. Running the orchard was also his job, and he made sure that the hard apple cider the town was known for was always in stock.
"What can I get fer ya?" Braeburn, who also ran the bar in the mornings, asked.
"Could I get...some of your famous apple pie?" Ocean answered
"Apple pie? For breakfast?!?" Treble and Rose asked in unison.
"What, you've never eaten pie for breakfast?"
"No," Rose answered, "Apple pie is dessert. You only eat it after dinner, or lunch, if you're hungry. But for breakfast? Apple pie, are you crazy?"
"Hah, that'll be a story you'll tell your friends one day. Come on, since you've clearly never lived, you can try it now. That will be three pies, please."
A few minutes later, the pies arrived. Pausing to look at Ocean again, the two companions took tentative bites out of their pies. The flavor exploded in Rose's mouth, causing her to remember that she hadn't eaten anything that day. Soon, she was tearing through the pie at a speed that would make a professional speed-eater jealous. Treble gave her a look that told her that he thought she was just as crazy as their friend. His slow and steady chewing contrasted Rose's bestial fury. The whole watering hole had stopped what they were doing to watch the hungry mare rip her pie to shreds.
"I like it," she cried as she finished her food, "Another!"
The second pie came quick as you like, and she finished it off in the same fashion as her last one. Ocean gave her a look of pure amazement, clearly wondering just how much the pony next to her was going to eat. When she had finished, Rose sat back with a sigh, slowly taking a look around the room. Just as quickly as she ate her pies, her face turned a light shade of pink, revealing her embarrassment to the room.
"Uh...sorry," she finished meekly.
Suddenly, the room erupted in applause. Glancing about, Rose wondered what exactly she had done to receive praise. All she did was eat the food really quickly. Ocean and Treble had finished their own pies in due time, and the trio left the bar, having no real reason to remain standing there. As they neared the door to the motel to grab their things, Treble and Rose were about to say goodbye to Ocean and leave her to herself, when they were stopped by the Chaos Guard.
"Yer under arrest," came a voice they had both come to familiarize with Applejack, "Under special protocol, due to yer similar connection to two other unidentified ponies who infiltrated the Ponyville Library, and being suspected of collaborating with rebel forces, Ah hereby take you into my custody, and you will be dealt with until further notice. Should ya be found guilty, you will be sentenced to death by public execution."
Earlier that day
Applejack sighed. She had been enjoying a peaceful dream, in which she and the other commanders were having a picnic, when a loud noise woke her. As it turned out, the sound was caused by her night-time stand-in, Night Owl, trying to get her up for her shift. Sliding out of bed, she opened the door, making sure her look of unhappiness didn't go unnoticed by the moonlight silver mare on the other side. Owl smiled apologetically, making her intentions known.
"I'm sorry for waking you," she said, "It's just time to go to work. Six o'clock, every morning."
"Ah know," grumbled the orange mare, "Ah just wish that Ah could catch my eight hours sometimes. These beds aren't the most comfortable pieces of furniture, after all. You are dismissed, Sergeant Owl."
Owl smiled a wide smile. Saluting quickly, she ran out the door and into the town. Applejack let a smile play across her face at the sight of the happy young mare. The energy of the newer soldiers never ceased to make her jealous, for she never got the chance to simply enjoy life. Sighing once more, she put on her armor and headed for the station. She just knew it would be a dull day. After all, nothing ever happened on Saturday. Ever.
Moving quickly into the Command Center, Applejack sat down at her large wooden desk. The special escape- and magic-proof cells sat on the other side of the room. The unique structures looked somewhat like bird cages, and the locking mechanism was located at the very top. The only way to open the cells was from the outside, and it required wings to even unlock them. Due to being part of the Earth Forces branch of the Chaos Guard, they only had two pegasi on the team, and only because it was necessary to be able to open the cells when needed. In fact, the only real member of the Earth Forces was Fluttershy, and she was a special case. Being a weak flyer had prevented her from qualifying for the Air Forces, and she preferred to keep grounded most of the time.
Reading the clock at seven thirty, Applejack moved to the kitchen the station had been supplied with. She retrieved the apples that she had picked the night before and cut them into slices. Opening the cupboard, she picked up and opened the cinnamon sugar, pouring some into a bowl. She then proceeded to dip the slices into the sugar. Taking a bite of the apple slice with cinnamon, she moaned softly. Nothing tasted better in the morning than apples and cinnamon, because the apples were juicy enough to pick up the cinnamon, and the sweet and sour flavor combined with the crunchy texture was like taking a bite of heaven. After ten minutes of savoring the taste, she washed the bowl out into the sink.
Returning to the desk, Applejack pulled out the stack of papers she had been avoiding since arriving. Most of them were requests by citizens who were concerned with the bison population. They stated that the raids caused by the ones who shared the land were unsettling and needed to be dealt with accordingly. Frowning slightly, she picked up one of the other forms. This particular one was from a bison cow named Little Strongheart. It referred to a time when the ponies and bison got along, and stated a wish to meet with Applejack, asking for provisions and medical aid. It also said that the bison would be willing to negotiate a peace agreement between the two races that would allow for shared habitation and resources. Listed in the supplies the bison herd were willing to trade were such things as turquoise, a special bean and corn soup, and even requesting to help in picking apples. Following the document was a letter, specifically addressed to Applejack. She opened the envelope, and began to read.
"Greetings Commander Applejack," the letter began, "I am Little Strongheart, current chief of the Southern Bison tribe. It has come to my attention that we have been at odds with the ponies of Appleoosa for some time now. Unfortunately, this means that my people starve and get sick due to the lack of resources available to us. I have sent this letter to ask you directly, and reinforce the attached document, figuring it will help you help us in the future. It would be great if we could be friends again, especially considering what happened all those years ago. Please respond when you have the time. With great respect, Chief Little Strongheart."
Applejack stared at the piece of paper, reading the second to last line multiple times. It confused her to no end. She didn't know Strongheart personally, did she? She couldn't remember her life before five years ago. The accident that caused her to forget most of her life was a blur. When she came to, though, Lord Discord showed concern for her well-being. He was the one to remind her that she was a member of the Guard, and gave her all the necessary resources to relearn how to fight. She knew that he couldn't have been lying, and she knew because he gave her the evidence of her graduation of the Guard boot camp. Regardless of how she came to this point, she knew she had never met Strongheart, nor had anything to do with the bison.
She took out a piece of paper and wrote down her reply. She agreed to the terms and conditions, and set up a meeting for Monday in the station. Folding the letter, she sealed it with the official Chaos Guard seal. Placing it in the mail to deliver pile, she turned back to the stack of forms. She was about to shuffle through the next batch, when the phone rang. Picking it up, she began her response.
"This is the Appleoosa relay station, Commander Applejack speaking. State yer name and business."
"I am Commander Fluttershy, Ponyville branch, Earth Forces, requesting the arrest of the ponies known as Treble Clef and Roseluck."
"And what is the reason for the arrest?"
"They are in violation of Section 342a. They are suspected of working with the rebel forces, and are to be considered threats to national security."
"Please state the grounds for suspicion. You know the rules, Flutters," Applejack warned sternly.
"Oh, sorry," Fluttershy answered with a quiet squeak, "Ahem. We have reason to believe that they are affiliated with two previously unidentified ponies who have broken into the Ponyville Library's magical research lab. This is considered an attack on a government facility and is an act of rebellion."
"Understood," Applejack finished, "Over and out."
Hanging up, she moved towards the door. She grimaced, aware that her duty came before her emotions. Execution was never something anypony wanted, least of all Applejack. Seeing the two at the motel, she made her move.
Ocean watched in silence as the Chaos Guard Commander took the nice ponies away. Sometimes she felt that life never gave her a chance to enjoy such things as friends. While she thought about all the good the two were doing, she also thought there could be no way they were connected to the rebel forces. It didn't look like they were resisting, only like they were newcomers in Equestria who didn't know what was going on. As much as she wanted to, though, she knew she could not overcome the Guard by herself, and was forced to just look on. Her opponents would be trained soldiers, while she was just an ordinary pony from a remote village in Horseshoe Bay.
However, she couldn't sit and do nothing as innocent ponies were going to be put to death for crimes they didn't commit. Deciding to do whatever she could to save them from a horrible fate, she entered the motel. Walking to the counter, she rung the bell. Soon, the receptionist approached her.
"Hello," he said, "What can I do for you?"
"Yes, hi," Ocean responded, trying to sound as authoritative as possible, "I'm here to pick up the luggage of Treble and Rose."
"Ah, yes, of course. Right this way, please." The receptionist led her to the last door to the right, and opened it. "If you need anything, just call."
Entering the room, she walked around the beds, picking up the saddlebags holding the food boxes at the two end tables. It appeared that her rescuers were packing lightly, and she couldn't blame them. Especially considering she herself never carried more than saddlebags on one of her little escapades. There was more than one time when she hadn't counted on being out as long as she had been, and her supplies had run dangerously low. Sometimes, it was hard to be a wanderer, and sometimes she found herself facing dangerous creatures. She may not have been the strongest pony, but she certainly was good at thinking on her hooves. Unfortunately, even with all her experience, the last beast caught her off guard. Now that the ponies that saved her were in trouble, and she would be damned before she let them get killed. Even if it meant that she would be considered a threat to the Empire.
Taking a deep breath, and psyching herself up, Ocean removed herself from the building and across the town. Sneaking into a back alley, she quickly made her way towards the rear entrance to the relay station and prison. Flattening herself against the wall, she put her ear to the door, in order to listen in on any conversation that was taking place. Hearing nothing, she took a cautionary glance around to make sure nopony saw her. Now confident she was all alone, she opened the old, forgotten door.
Stealthily moving behind piles of boxes filled with paperwork, she peeped out from behind the mountain of forms. Once again, seeing nothing, Ocean left the safety of the storage space. Sitting in one corner was a large wooden desk, covered with papers that probably came in on the morning mail delivery. In the other corner sat very large, and very familiar cages, containing within them the magically sedated forms of Treble and Rose. Suddenly, Ocean was hit by a flashback.
The facility was dark, probably too dark for the young mare. Why had she been thrown in here? Why didn't her brother come find her? Where was she? These thoughts and more flashed through her mind. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she found herself stuck in a bird cage. Looking to her left, she noticed a pegasus who was in the same predicament as her. The winged pony lifted his head to watch her try to orient herself in the prison. Then, he spoke.
"Well well well, the filly awakens. What's your name, girl."
"I-I'm Ocean Breeze. Where am I? How did I get here? Where's my brother?"
"Slow down, please. First of all, you're in the Baltimare Federal Penitentiary, which is now the Horseshoe Bay Chaos Guard Relay Station. Second, you were thrown in here while a stallion screamed your name. I assume that answers the third question."
"Wh-what? I'm in jail? I didn't do anything wrong. We just wanted to make some money! The Guard can't do that! HEY, GET ME OUT OF HERE!!! I'M INNOCENT!!!"
"Hush!" the stallion warned, his voice filled with anger. It then turned gentle, "Don't worry, I'm going to get us out of here. I've been here for a while now, and I think I found a weak point in the so-called escape-proof cells. Observe."
"O-ocean, is that you?" said a voice, breaking her from her memories. Looking over, Ocean could see that it came from Treble.
"Yeah, it's me," she answered, "Hey, how are you feeling? Can you fly?"
"Ugh...yeah, I think I can do that. Why?"
"I want you to follow my directions to the letter. No questions, just do it. First, fly up to the top of the cage. Good. Now, I want you to find the locking mechanism. See it? It should look like a large bar in an unusual place. Found it yet? Alright, now turn around and give it a good, solid buck. One more time. Wonderful!"
The huge cage door swung open with a loud clang, and the locking bar broke off to fly through the air. Realizing they had to move quickly, Ocean told Treble he had to get Rose out of her cage. He complied, flying to the top of the other cell and pulling the large metal bar. The door swung open with ease.
"The noise came from the station!" yelled the voice of one of the guards.
"Hey," Ocean ordered, "Get Rose, and follow me. We're getting out of here, and fast."
Without waiting for a response, the ocean blue mare marched back to the rear entrance. Glancing behind her, she made sure the other two were following her. Once she confirmed it, she threw open the door. Ushering them out of the building, she urged them to move quickly to the waiting train. Once she stoked the engine, she set it to reverse, having prior knowledge of how to use it. It was already too late when the Chaos Guard realized that their quarry was escaping as the train disappeared into the distance.