The entire chamber filled with shrieking, screaming ponies—all galloping about at random and wailing for the guards.
While Rainbow Dash and Gustave winced, Epcot smiled and tilted her chin up. "Huh! And here I thought they'd react negatively to our arrival!"
Rainbow grumble-sighed. "Epcot, I—"
"Don't look now!" Gustave pointed a talon.
A pair of doors far across the way burst open, and several uniformed ponies came charging in from a distant part of Shindig Tower. They immediately saw Rainbow, Gustave, and Epcot and made a bee-line for the stairwell.
"That's a lot of guards," Rainbow moaned "I'm not sure my skull can handle quite so many head butts."
"Then we should about-beak, no?" Gustave remarked.
"For once, we're birds of a feather." Rainbow shoved herself and Epcot back towards the stairwell. "Move it or lose it, girl—"
However, just then, they stumbled into Stu, Mulia, and Donut Joe rushing up from below.
"Rainbow!" Stu Leaves wheezed, leaning on Donut as the six figures nearly collapsed into one another. "We have a problem!"
"Tell me about it!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "We have a big problem up here!"
"Guess what?" Donut Joe grunted through clenched teeth. "We have an even bigger problem down there..."
Rainbow's ears tickled to the sound of echoing hoofsteps. A massive line of guards was charging up from the lower levels, making the entire stairwell shake.
"They came out of nowhere!" Mulia exclaimed, staring at the emptying room ahead of them. "They must have found evidence of our escape in the prison cell!"
"What now?!" Gustave exclaimed.
Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, then said, "We pick a wave to buck our way through."
"You gotta be kidding..." Donut exhaled.
"Not one bit." Rainbow spun about. "Epcot?"
"I sense more ponies galloping up from the lower levels," the chaperone said. "The group charging us on this floor is smaller."
"Right. And Applejack is in the direction beyond them." Taking a deep breath, Rainbow spun about and faced the incoming charge. "Alright, everypony, let's awesome the ever-living-snot out of these punks."
"Oh dear..." Mulia gulped, trembling. "Oh my goodness..."
"I-I'm not sure I can even fight, Rainbow!" Stu shuddered. "My legs..."
"Then just toss the goods! Epcot?"
"Righto!" FLASH! She morphed into a hard ball and perched herself in Stu's trembling grasp.
"Let's make this quick!" Rainbow's nostrils snorted as she faced the incoming guards. "Concussion time!" She ran forward.
"Buck it. Raaaaaaaaugh!" Donut Joe charged alongside her.
"Viva la Equestria!" Gustave spread his wings and prepared to dive—
"ENOUGH!" A wave of red light penetrated the room, followed by a concusssive blast of air.
Rainbow Dash and Gustave instantly fell back, collapsing on their sides. Donut Joe skidded to a stop, clutching his skull. Stu winced, dropping Epcot besides a shuddering Mulia.
At the very same time, the guards rushing the stairwell came to a sudden halt. They swiveled around, staring at the far end of the chamber.
Rainbow looked up in time to blink at the source of the red light. A graceful alicorn came shuffling with her wings outstretched. Glaring, Shindig took a rigid survey of the room, her hard eyes finally falling on the "Blue Jay" and her compatriots.
"No more," Shindig said. "Everypony, cease fighting this instant."
Right at that moment, the group of guards rushing up the stairwell entered the room. They immediately pounced at Rainbow's group—
"You too!" Shindig snarled, her horn flickering. "Do not move!"
The guards instantly rattled to a stop. The bowed lowed, their frames a'trembling.
Stu blinked, then turned to gawk at the Queen.
"Shindig..." Rainbow seethed while Epcot re-materialized beside her.
"This..." Shindig took a deep breath. "All of this... No more. It ends now."