The Hidden Cost

by Snap Shot

Chapter 1

I blinked in the light as the black bag was ripped off my head. A hoof roughly shoved me into my cell and I fell into a heap on the dirt floor as the door to my cage was slammed shut.

“You son of a mule!” I shouted at my captor.

I took a look around my sparse prison; I had a pile of hay, one bucket in the corner. The cell across from me was unoccupied; I pitied the poor wretched soldier who was going to be joining me. I couldn’t believe that I was now a prisoner of war.

Our mission was supposed to be simple, escort a food and weapons train to its destination. We were misinformed about the train’s cargo. It wasn’t arms like we were told, it was ponies and the PLR was willing to fight tooth and hoof for them. Even so, we seemed to have the upper hand until their flying unit arrived, and Remmy’s sister was among the flyers.

When the flyer’s opened fire on our ground troops, we had no choice. To spare Flitter from having to kill her own sibling Crimson ordered me to engage the azure flyer.

I had managed to get on her six and lined up my shot. I was trying to get her in the wing, if I was able to get a bolt in her scapula I could knock her out of the air but keep her alive. Then I felt something tugging on my tail; it was Remmy. Bless her heart, she was just trying to protect her sister. All her efforts got her was an arrow in the back.
She gave me a brief look of surprise before cringing in pain and falling from the sky. I dove after her and managed to get my arm under her foreleg and suddenly found myself face to face with her twin. Together we managed to get Remmy safely on the ground, I got the arrow out and was trying to stem the flow of blood from her back when I felt the prick of a spear point on the back of my neck. Remmy’s sister shouted something at the pony behind me but I didn’t hear it; I was too focused on the pink pegasus that was diving down towards us.

Crimson was coming to my rescue, that was until a dark shape collided with her and they both tumbled into the forest. My heart sank as I saw her disappear into the trees, but was quickly replaced with rage. I rounded on the pony behind me and received a blow to the side of the head that caused me to see stars. My vision clear just in time to see the butt of a spear rushing toward me.

The rocking of a cart jostled me awake, my wings and hooves were bound and I couldn’t see.

“Let me out of here!” I shouted, struggling against the ropes. “I’ll bucking kill you all with my bare hooves!”

All I managed to do aggravate the headache that was throbbing just behind my right eye. A pair of hooves gently stroked my wings and I felt myself relax slightly.

“Snap,” a mare whispered in my ear. “Let’s not dig ourselves any deeper than we already are.”

I breathed out a sigh of relief at the sound of Firefly’s voice; she was alive.

“Oh, thank Faust,” I said. “I saw you go down and I...I was worried…”

“I’m alright,” She cut me off. “Well as alright as anypony can be in this situation. That damn black pegasus blindsided me.”

“Where do you think they’re taking us?”

“I don’t know…” she said, a hint of fear in her voice. “Just remember; name, rank and serial number.”

We didn’t have to wait long for the cart to arrive at our destination with a jerk. We were pulled off the cart and the ropes around our legs were severed before being herded like blind cattle into a building.

Firefly was shepherded in behind me, she put up more of a fight and her guard came away with blood dripping from his muzzle. He slammed her cell shut, a hoof held to his nose. The major glared at his retreating back as he left.

“You okay?” I asked her as soon as the guard was out of earshot.

“Fine,” she grumbled. “Aside from that bastard trying to cop a feel.”

She let out a weary sigh as she mentally prepared herself for what was to come.

“Remember your training, whatever they do to you…or me. Do not say anything, don’t react, don’t even act like you know who I am.”

In a situation like this it was safer to act like you didn’t care, didn’t have any attachment to your comrades. Firefly knew this and stood as tall and as strong as she could muster, I knew it was an act for me. She was trying to boost my morale as best she could. Any other orders were cut short as three guards entered the jail; all three wore grim expressions that didn’t bode well for us. The soldier that the major had bloodied was among them and he flashed her a dangerous smile; his eyes filled with lust. Cold fear gripped me as I realize what was about to happen; they were going to ravish her, and I was powerless to stop it.

The door to Firefly’s cage was wrenched open and they marched in. The mare backed away as far as she could but the confines of her cell only allowed her to retreat into a corner. They grabbed her and began to drag her out. She wasn’t making it easy on them and fought as well as she could, but they quickly over powered her.

I closed my eyes, trying to hide my feelings. I could hear her shouts as she struggled and couldn’t help but look back at the mare I cared about. They had her outside but she had managed to free one of her legs. She kicked out, catching one of her captors in the midsection. He crumbled to the ground his hooves cradling his groin.

One of her other assailants released her foreleg, pulled back and slammed his hoof into the side of her face. She fell to her knees but glared up at him. The unicorn’s face filled with rage and his horn began to glow.

Firefly was enveloped by a green magical aura that lifted her off the ground. She was flung against the far wall with such force that the room shook. Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, mingling with her pink coat. She struggled to stand but her shaking legs couldn’t support her and she collapsed.

The earth pony that she had kicked managed to recompose himself enough to get back on his hooves. He glared at Firefly, seething in anger.

“You’re going to pay for that, bitch!” He shouted.

“Go to hell,” the major replied defiantly.

The big stallion leveled his crossbow at her.

“I’ll see you there,” he menaced.

The unicorn put a hoof on his comrade’s shoulder.

“Sir! That’s enough!” he shouted.

The earth pony shrugged him off.

“Fuck that!” He bellowed. “After what they’ve done, she should be grateful for a swift death!”

He raised the bow again and fired.

“No!” I shouted, reaching through the bars at Firefly.

One of the soldiers stared in wide-eyed shock at the shooter in disbelief. The unicorn had a pained expression on his face, his horn glowing brightly. The bolt hung in the air surrounded by a green aura almost scratching Firefly’s muzzle. She looked over at me, standing there with my hoof out towards her. A weary sigh escaped her, and only then did tears begin to well in her sapphire eyes and run down her cheeks.

The large earth pony glanced over at me as well, and an evil grin grew on his muzzle. My blood turned to ice as I realized that I had just condemned Firefly to hell. They knew how to get to me now, they had found my weakness; it was her. I had bucked up and gotten emotional. Now they were going to torture and rape her in front of me to get me to crack, and it would work.
I could endure any atrocities they inflicted on my body, but I couldn’t stand to see her in pain. I slammed my hoof against the iron bars in frustration at my mistake.

“You bastards!” I yelled. “I’ll kill you all!”

The pony with the crossbow began to chuckle, which then began to progress into maniacal laughter.

“What is going on here?!” a voice echoed around the jail.

All three rebels turned to the door, where a tall well dressed pony stood.

“Nothing, General!” The unicorn replied hastily.

The General, a dark green earth pony, strode in between them looking down at Firefly who was cowering on the ground. He addressed the two earth ponies.

“You! In my office now! Corporal, get her back in her cell!”

The unicorn lifted the mare and gently levitated her back to her cage, setting her on the straw mattress. Firefly had managed to dry her eyes, though her face was still tearstained. The green pony looked back at the unicorn as the cell door was closed.

“What happened here, Canopy?” He asked, his voice carrying authoritative anger.

The corporal couldn’t look at his commanding officer.

“Apple and I were just following the Lieutenant’s orders, sir. He came in, his nose bleeding and said he needed us. We were just going to scare her, try and convince her to give some information…at least that’s what the lieutenant told us…but. It just…happened so fast. He got behind her…but she kicked him before he could do anything to her…and then I…I…”

He looked in shock down at his own hoof quivering and then over to Firefly whose cheek was bleeding and beginning to swell.

“I am so sorry,” he told her.

He began shaking uncontrollably as realization to what he had almost done washed over him.

“Corporal, you are confined to quarters until further notice,” the general ordered. “Go tell Sergeant Rose that I need a medic in here now and I want a guard outside this room around the clock and make sure that the guards are mares. Do you understand me corporal?”

The unicorn nodded weakly.

“Yes sir…”

He left still in a state of shock.

The general walked up to bars of Firefly’s cage trying to evaluate her injuries.

“I apologize for my soldiers,” he finally told her. “I am General Quill Weave of her majesty’s Liberation Army.”

“Firefly, Major, 36257-36.”

“I can assure you it will not happen again.”

“Firefly. Major. 36257-26.”

Quill Weave didn’t seem to be deterred by Firefly’s responses.

“Is anything broken?”

“Firefly. Major. 36257-26.”

“Ma’am, I’m just trying to establish what kind of treatment needs to be administered. This is not an interrogation.”

For the first time, the major broke her pattern.

“I know what you are trying to do; they attack me, you show up and appear to be a friend. We won’t fall for that and I am not answering any of your questions.”

Quill’s tail flicked in annoyance, whether it was because she wasn’t getting his point or that he had been found out, I didn’t know.

“Major, I am not the one who will be asking you the questions. Please at least cooperate with the medic when she gets here.”

“Firefly. Major. 36257-26.”

The general sighed and turned to my cell.

“And I suppose I can expect to get your service number as well?”

“Snap Shot. Staff Sergeant. 40768-17.” I stated, following the major.

Any further one-sided conversation was cut short by the arrival of the medical staff. Firefly let the medical mare suture the cut on her face but refused to take any of the pills that she was offered. The cream coated medic looked pityingly down my wingman, but didn’t pressure her.

She then came over and checked me for injuries, giving me a shy smile as she did. Once she was gone, the general left as well. There was a spear wielding tan mare outside the entrance to the room, other than her, we were alone.
Firefly lay curled on the hay in her cell, her back to me; one of her wings extended gently waving back and forth. She was coping like we were instructed in basic training, pretending that she was somewhere else. Naturally she would be flying, but it seemed her escape was only temporary because a sob echoed from her bed. I had never seen her this vulnerable, it scared me.

“I’m sorry,” I told her. “I bucked up, I’m sorry.”

Her voice sounded sorrowful as she spoke.

“It’s not your fault,” she said. “They would have done it anyway…I just never wanted you to see it. Why couldn’t you just follow orders?”

“I don’t know…”

She rolled over; her face was a mix of anger and frustration.

“It would have been easier on both of us!”

“I just…”

Tears began to roll down her cheeks.

“If you had just acted like we didn’t know each other then it would have spared you…”

“Because I love you damn it!” I blurted out.

I clutched the dragon scale around my neck, pressing it against my chest.

“I thought he had killed you,” I said looking down at the floor. “I couldn’t bear to lose someone I love again. I know I messed up.”

Firefly stared at me, dumbstruck. We both had feelings for each other, but neither of us had voiced them. I don’t know why I decided to now, maybe it was because we were in a desperate situation, or maybe it was because of the brush with death but I felt I had to tell her.

“Snap…” she said, finally finding her voice.

She didn’t finish her sentence, but the softness in her eyes told me that she understood. I realized that what I had said was incredibly unfair, but I wouldn’t have taken it back even if I could. I walked over to my pile of straw and laid down; trying to put my mind somewhere else. At first I tried flying around in my head, which just brought up bad memories, photography didn’t work either. So I decided on a new sport; bowling. I had gone to the lanes in Trottingham before they defected to the moon, I wasn’t very good but it allowed me an escape. I focused on keeping the ball going straight on the hardwood alley, trying to mimic those ponies who were talented at the sport. I had played through a few frames in my mind, and with my ball halfway to the pins in the fifth frame a voice rattled through my head. I opened my eyes and rolled over to see the general standing at the door to Firefly’s cell.

“I’m sure you’ll be more inclined to answer questions for her,” he said nonchalantly.

My breath caught in my chest as another pony walked into our prison, her coat was pitch black, she had piercing yellow eyes with bat wings sprouting from her back and, most importantly, she looked like she really knew how to hurt. A second bat pony walked in to stand next to her; I figured he was for me, but behind them walked in a third pony. She was tall, with a coat of midnight blue that was mostly hidden under silver battle armor. Her mane seemed to be alive with stars, as though I were looking into the sky during a meteor shower. There was a regal air about her, yet she walked with a gentle disposition. Both Firefly and I found ourselves staring at Princess Luna.

General Weave saluted as she approached.

“Your highness,” he said.

“Thank you General Weave,” she replied as she approached Firefly’s cell. “You are dismissed.”

The general left without another word to either of us or the princess. He did, however, stop after passing the guard ponies to address someone in the hallway. Somepony else was listening into our conversation.

“What is thy name?” She asked the major.

“F-firefly. Major. 36257-26.” Firefly replied her voice shaky.

“And thy unit?”

The pink pegasus hesitated with her answer.

“…Firefly…Major…36257-26,” she mumbled at the floor.

“We understand,” the princess told her. “You do as you are trained.”

She turned to the two guards at the door.

“Leave us!” She ordered them.

The pair exchanged concerned looks but did as they were asked, closing the door behind them. As soon as the latch clicked shut, Luna’s demeanor changed. She slipped the silver helmet off her head, setting it gently on the floor. With her armor shed, she was different. I was surprised at how tired she looked, as though she hadn’t slept in months. She lay down next to Firefly’s cell, once again spoke with the major.

“Please,” the princess begged. “ We are…I am not asking you as a soldier. I’m not even asking as a Princess…I’m asking you as one pony to another...please. I just need to know any news of my sister, is she well?”
Neither of us expected this question, Firefly wasn’t sure what to do. Firefly looked up at her, sorrow in her eyes.

“Princess…I can’t…”

She looked back up at Luna, finally relenting.

“Princess Celestia is safe.”

It was the most amount of information she could disclose without giving away anything tactically vital but Luna wasn’t satisfied with her answer.

“When is the last time she addressed her troops in person?”

Firefly peered through her cell bars at me. I wasn’t sure when the last time I had actually heard from the princess, I couldn’t remember her making an appearance anytime after the war had broken out. Anypony who asked received the same answer; Princess Celestia was in Canterlot under protective custody. The major must have come to the same conclusion because she gave the princess a direct answer.

“I don’t know, your highness,” she said. “Not since the fighting started.”

Princess Luna expression became very grave at her answer.

“I fear that something has happened to my sister. Yes, I feel this country should be ruled differently but I never wanted this war. I have tried to contact my sister to discuss peace but I have received no response. My sister would not wish suffering on any pony and any progress to stopping this war she would accept…”

She lay her head down on the jail floor, she showed weakness that I would have never expected from a ruler.

“So much death…so many nightmares…”

Firefly stood, walking over to the bars getting as close to the princess as possible.

“I’m sorry we can’t tell you more…”

Luna stood and replaced her helmet, trying to compose herself before she called her guards back in. This time, the pair were accompanied by a third; a jet black pegasus. He was instantly recognizable among REA flyers and went by many names; dark ace, harbinger, the raven, but Firefly and I just called him “that son of a mule.”

He recognized me as soon as he saw me, and he proceeded to give me a menacing glare through my cage bars. I flared my wings at him in response. Our last encounter hadn’t really ended well for either of us; he ended up humiliated and I ended up wounded. He opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it as the princess approached. He settled for giving me a sideways look before accompanying Luna over the threshold.

The rest of the group followed the princess out, again leaving us alone. Silence filled the room as their hoof steps faded away. Firefly watched them go, a concerned expression on her face.

“What do you think?” She asked me.

There was a moment’s hesitation before I answered.

“I don’t know,” I replied considering. “She wouldn’t have motive to lie to us would she? If they were fishing for information she would have asked more questions…but it could just be a set up. Not that it matters anyway, we aren’t going anywhere for the time being. What do we do now?”

My question was answered by a somber expression from Firefly.

“We endure,” she said solemnly.

***

“Where is your unit located? What is their strength? And who is their commanding officer?”

Seven days…we had officially been prisoners of war for one whole week, and the questions hadn’t changed. They sat me at a table in an empty room each morning, and asked the same queries and I always gave them the same responses. My name was Snap Shot and my rank was Staff Sergeant; I had recited my serial number so many times that I was seeing the digits in my sleep.

I was getting fed up with my usual response so I decided to change.

“Are we really doing this again?” I asked General Quill who was conducting the interrogation.

His eyes rolled to the ceiling, he seemed as tired of my answers as I was.

“Sergeant…all I am asking is for your cooperation. It will make things easier on you.”

There was a brief pause in his conversation.

“And your companion.”

Metal scrapped against wood as I stood, with enough force to knock the table out of place, though my hooves remained shackled to the ring on the floor.

“I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t use her as a weapon.”

Quill smirked at my feeble attempt to be threatening.

“I’m merely stating a fact. If you answer our questions truthfully we might give you better accommodations; all it would take is the number of ponies in your unit. However, react like that again and it will give me a reason to send you to The Cooler.”

“The Cooler” was solitary confinement and they held it over our heads as a constant threat. For me the idea of being thrown into a box by myself wasn’t the deterrent; it was being separated from Firefly for an extended period of time. She was my support throughout this and I was hers. We did most of our talking at night, once our guard had fallen asleep.
Our conversations never really amounted to much, mostly unrealistic schemes about resisting our captors or escape. Though we saved our most interesting conversations for during daylight hours when the guards were present just to drive them nuts. After our first conversation on the topic of the most disgusting muffin combinations we could think of. Afterwards, we were both questioned in detail on what “sour potato chip and soda muffins” was code for. We had one colt so convinced that we were using the names of each of the Wonderbolts as aliases for different REA Flight Squadrons to the point he had taken to writing down every name and stunt we mentioned. It was all pointless but the conversations kept us sane.

The General, however, was not fooled. He took over our questioning after the second day, probably at the request of Luna. He was cold and calculating, unlike our other inquisitors. He preferred psychological attacks as opposed to physical threats. It didn’t seem like he had a lot of training in interrogation but, being from Trottingham, he had a natural affinity to psychological torture. I knew he was playing me, trying to wear me down. I decided that it was about time I fought back.

“Don’t you have better things to do than be asking me silly questions?”

There was little reaction from the General but he did exhale a little heavier than normal.

“I’m asking the questions here Sergeant, so either give me something useful or I’m sending you back to your cell.”

You want information, I thought. I’ll give you information.

“Fine, what if I told you I know a pony who wants to see you dead.”

This brought a grin to the general’s muzzle.

“There are plenty of ponies that want that, guard get him back to his cell.”

He turned to the door, seemingly anxious to get on with other tasks of the day.

“Are they all white unicorns with purple manes?”

Quill tensed at my words, apparently I struck a nerve. He quickly rounded on me, strutting up the table and getting nose to nose to me.

“What do you know of her?” He said menacingly.

“Snap Shot. Staff Sergeant. 40768-17.”

He slammed his hoof down on the table hard enough to make my ears ring. There was fury behind his brown eyes and he was having difficulty keeping his voice level.

“Sergeant…I swear, if you don’t tell me I’ll have your legs broken and then I’ll make you listen to Firefly’s screams as I do the same to her.”

I tried not to show emotion but I felt my anger begin to boil at his threat.

“This is how the PLR operates, huh? Threatening to mutilate fillies for information of no military significance? Trying to rape her wasn’t enough for you?”

Quill blinked, his anger had begun to subside and was slowly replaced by shame. He sat back down, his head hanging low. Two soldiers stood by the door, drawn to the room by the commotion.

“No,” the general said across from me. “We are soldiers, not sadists.”

He waved off the two guards and turned back to me as they exited.

“You’re right, this has no strategic value. So there’s no point in continuing this conversation, I’ll have the guards escort you back to your cell. Before you go, Sergeant at least consider what it would be like to not know what happened to the pony you care about.”

I glared at him.

“Another threat?” I asked incredulously.

He let out a heavy sigh, finally defeated.

“No,” he said sadly. “My reason for hating this damn war.”

Sincerity registered in his voice and on his features; he had stopped playing mind games, he was telling the truth. I hesitated a minute, feeling the dragon scale against my chest.

“She’s fine Quill…as fine as anypony can be while wrapped up in the war. Let’s just agree to leave mares out of our future conversations.”

I looked back to the door and shouted as loud as I could muster.

“Guards, I’m ready to go back to my cell now.”

One of the colts stuck his head in a confused expression on his face. Quill gave him a quick nod and they both came in and unhooked me, escorting me out of the interrogation room. I was feeling confident; I had managed to manipulate my captor, causing him to at least falter for a moment.

To my surprise, The Raven was outside in the hall waiting.

“I didn’t expect you here, did you come to gloat?”

There was a serious expression on his face as he slowly shook his head back and forth. He held up a hoof to one of the guards, asking them to stop.

“I’ll give it to you, you got guts,” he told me. “But let me give you some advice, one flyer to another. Next time you want to call someone’s bluff, don’t wager your wingman’s health to do so.”

There was a sharp intake of air into my lungs as his words registered. Had I really risked Firefly’s life because of what I said to Quill? I had been blind to that fact and had ended up being very lucky. I shivered at the thought of what would have happened if my luck had run out.

“Look,” The Raven said solemnly. “You two are some of the best flyers I’ve ever been up against. I didn’t want you brought in here like this. I wanted to take you out in a fair fight in the air, not while you both were trying to save a wounded soldier.”

There was a moments silence as I shook away the feeling of dread that had overtaken me.

“I’d rather not have to fight anypony,” I told him.

His eyes were intelligent and dangerous, but there was the same regret behind them that I saw when I looked in the mirror. He gave me a nod, an acknowledgement but also a sign of respect to another flyer. He waved the guards on and I was escorted back to my room.

Firefly didn’t open her eyes as the guard closed the door behind me. She was laying on the floor of her cell, her wings stretched out almost taking up the entire width of her cage. I could see her feathers moving as she played her maneuver out in her head.

It was a ritual we both had begun taking part in. As one of us was taken to chat with the brass, the other would focus our energies to escaping the solitude; even if the escape was only in our own imagination. My bowling game was certainly improving and I couldn’t wait to see Firefly break out whatever tricks she was trying to teach herself. Of course this was all theoretical but it made us feel like we were at least in control of one aspect of our captivity.

We hadn’t discussed my outburst on our first day. I knew that she felt the same way but for her to reciprocate would make things harder on both of us. The fact that she was at least close to me was a comfort, though I’m sure the same couldn’t be said about her. She was so much stronger than I was, after fending off her attackers she went into a room everyday without fear or worry. Or at least she didn’t show it.

She opened her eyes, and two shimmering emeralds looked at me.

“Hey,” she said, stretching before getting to her hooves. “What did the General have to say?”

“Same shit, different day…” I replied.

I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that I gambled with her life, even having done so unwittingly. She shrugged, walking around her small cage.

“Some vacation, huh?”

She was doing her best to keep our morale up, but we had only been here a week and I could already feel myself starting to unravel. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to keep this up, but I’d hold on as long as I could, for her.

“Five star resort,” I replied jokingly. “Two hours a day to exercise, and a very gracious host that speaks with us regularly. I’m not sure what else I could ask for.”

Firefly continued the joke, her eyes sparkling.

“We even get better food than we do in the mess hall.”

“Damn straight.”

She looked out the small window toward the setting sun, letting out a wistful sigh as it slowly drifted below the horizon.

“Another day done, Celestia preserve us through the night.”

This had become her nightly ritual before she lay down on her bed. She slowly curled up on her straw mattress, turning her back to me. I sat down by the bars watching her wings rise and fall as she breathed; I would have given anything to have been able to sleep next to her to protect her from our situation. For now, I could just sit and keep watch.

***

That night I was awoken by the sound of my cage door being thrown open. A hoof grabbed me roughly and I lashed out. Half asleep, I connected with flesh and my attacker released me. I was hauled up by another pony and was pressed against the bars. I could hear a scuffle break out across from me in the darkness; Firefly was putting up a fight too. They managed to pin her down as well, and a black bag was thrown over her head, my vision went completely black as the same was done to me. I tried to gain leverage against the two ponies holding me down but to no avail. Exhausted, I gave one more feeble kick and then lay still. I was helped up and guided out of the room before being loaded onto a cart.

“Firefly!” I called out, my fear taking control.

“I’m here,” her voice startled me.

I felt as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I rushed over to her, nuzzling her gently. To my surprise she returned my affection, she must have been worried too. We both stopped as the sound of four hooves landing on the wooden floorboards of the cart.

“Sit!” a female voice echoed in the small confines. “We have a long way to go, and if you cooperate you won’t need to be restrained.”

I heard Firefly sit down next to me, and I followed suit; making sure to stay in between her and our guard.

The cart started to move, leaving me with more worries; I was scared, I didn’t know what I could do. I wasn’t sure where they were taking us, or if they’d keep us together. I was on the verge of panic when I felt a hoof on my shoulder.

At first, I recoiled away from it, thinking that it was the rebel, but recognition slowly dawned on me; Firefly. I looped my arm around hers, and began to feel my anxiety subside.

We couldn’t talk with the other pony around. So for the time being we just had to endure, it was easier with her right next to me.

Rolling on, the cart bumped and rocked as we traversed the road. I lost track of how long we had traveled it could have been hours or it could have been days. They were taking us on a long winding path, probably cutting back and forth to keep us disoriented. It would have been bad for them if we were able to find our way back to their stronghold.

There was a lurch as the cart came to a stop, and the black bags had been removed. I blinked in the morning light filtering through the canvas of the cart. Two ponies were in front of us; a blond, grey mare and The Raven.

“Take it easy,” he told us. “We’re a little early.”

A tray of muffins was passed to us by the grey mare, they smelled delicious and we both took one but refrained from eating them. Raven took another from the grey mare’s tray and bit into it to prove that they were edible. It was the first real food we had since we were captured. I ate mine fairly quickly, wanting to get as much information as possible.

“What are we early for?” I asked.

Light flooded in as the canvas was pulled back revealing that we had arrived at a bridge. On the far side of the river I could see REA troops massed.

“Prisoner exchange,” Raven explained. “Now listen, take this nice and slow. Everypony here is on edge, and there’s no reason to give them an excuse to start shooting.”

He was right, both the rebels and the REA were poised with weapons at the ready, and a firefight in such a confined space wouldn’t end well for either side.

We stepped out onto the bridge flanked by The Raven and his wingman. Across the rickety wooden structure I could see another pony. Initially, I thought it was Cloudchaser, but as I looked harder I realized that it was her twin. The sky blue pegasus began to trot across the bridge at a slow and steady pace. Firefly and I did the same, each move was deliberate and non-threatening. The tension tingled in the air, like the calm before a thunderstorm. The three of us met at the midway point, and the rebel prisoner spoke; her voice hushed and barely audible over the flowing river beneath us.

“Take care of my sister.”

I nodded as we passed, accepting her request.

We made it to the other end of the bridge without incident but neither party lowered their weapons as we climbed up onto a cart. Then slowly, like rain dripping off a feather, both sides retreated.

***

Once again I found myself in an interrogation room, my hooves were free but I was no less a prisoner. A white unicorn with a frilly pink mane was questioning me about our captivity; she was clearly not military, though she did seem to know what questions to ask.

“I’ve told you before,” I said for the fourth time. “I don’t know where we were. We were allowed out in the compound to exercise, but everything was surrounded by forest. They blindfolded us whenever we were moved.”

“And their numbers?”

“Could have been ten, could have been fifty. We were there for seven days and the personnel seemed to change daily except for some of the commanding officers.”

“This General Quill you keep talking about?” She asked me.

“Yes.”

“How did you get captured again?”

I sighed, I was getting frustrated answering the same questions over and over again.

“Remmy got wounded, I flew down to help her and wound up behind their lines.”

“Yes, Corporal Cloudchaser. Her story matches yours.”

I had checked in on Remmy when we had gotten back and before this mare showed up. Apparently, her sister carried her over to our line as fast as she could, that was how she got captured. We had the better hospitals and more resources than the rebels so she was willing to sacrifice herself to get her sister better care. It seemed like she had made the right choice; the arrow had hit Remmy’s spine, causing damage. According to the doctors, given a couple years of physical therapy, she might be able to walk again. For Cloudchaser, this war was over.

“Who are you anyway?” I asked skeptical. “You’re not military intelligence, they’ve already talked to me…so I’m guessing CIA. What are you after?”

She tensed at the mention of the Canterlot Intelegence Agency, like she was a foal who had gotten caught with her hoof in the cookie jar.

“Well, I see you are pretty observant,” was her answer.

It was obvious that she wouldn’t give me a truthful answer so I changed the subject.

“If you’re CIA then you are high up enough to be able to answer this question, when’s the last time you saw Princess Celestia?”

She stared at me in silence, I could see the wheels in her head turning behind her eyes.

“I’m…I’m not sure,” she replied.

And that is how I became a spy.