Part 1: The In-Between

Sometimes, it's the most ordinary of days that wind up being the most extraordinary.

“C'mon, Scoots!” Rainbow Dash laughed as she propelled herself through the sky, maintaining a pace that allowed her to keep a close eye on the filly racing several meters below her. She twirled as she flapped her wings, reveling in the feel of the wind on her face.

“I'm totally gonna win!” Scootaloo called out, weaving around ponies and dodging obstacles as she rode her scooter through the city street. Despite her thrumming wings and resolute determination, she struggled to match the older pegasus's speed as she soared in the air.

Rainbow subtly slowed her pace, letting herself drift on the breeze for a moment before zooming forward once more. “Just TRY and beat me!” She challenged, knowing full well that she intended to let her have this win. As much as she hated defeat and prided herself on her competitive nature, she had a soft spot for the young filly that had grown to become the equivalent of a little sister to her. And so it was with much horror that she cast her gaze downward to find Scootaloo headed right towards a cart moving at a dangerously fast speed.

She shot down like a bolt of lightning, yelling out a warning and urging her to stop as the runaway wagon came barreling down the street. Ponies shouted in alarm and hugged the edges of the road, giving Scootaloo no option to roll to the side or evade the cart entirely. All she could do was attempt to brake as it flew at her head-on. In a flash, Rainbow Dash was in front of her, grabbing onto her scooter and planting her hooves on the ground in order to skid to a stop before shoving her out of harm's way.

The cart, which, upon further inspection, was full of an assortment of books and other novelties, showed no sign of stopping. Rainbow flew into action once again, placing herself in front of the cart and pushing her full weight against it in the hopes that she could slowly bring it to a halt by applying as much friction as possible. She squeezed her eyes shut as she strained to keep upright against the sheer momentum of the object and wondered if she truly had the power to stop it.

“Watch out!” An onlooker cried, prompting her to open her eyes in alarm and glance up just as she slammed into the concrete ledge that made up the outer part of the fountain in the center of town. Her breath was knocked out of her on impact; her body squished like a bug between a literal rock and a hard place. She let out a groan as she pushed the cart away from her and made an attempt to sit up. She was bruised, surely, and her vision was a little spotty, but she was alive.

Just as a few nearby ponies rushed to help her, a large crack rang out through the town square. Dazed and disoriented, she could only sit and watch with delayed horror as the fountain's stone statue splintered in half and came crashing down on top of her.

Rainbow Dash woke to a prickling feeling against her backside. She groaned as she sat up groggily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and taking in her surroundings. She definitely wasn't in her own bed, that was for sure. The unfamiliarity of her location hit her like a ton of bricks. She shot up, glaring down at the dense shrubbery that had caused her discomfort, tingling her back as she slept.

Her eyes scanned the barren land around her, miles and miles of nothing but cracked, dry chunks of solid dirt ground sprinkled with the occasional patch of green—sparse bushes and ugly, naked trees. The sight was foreboding.

She racked her brain for the memories that had led up to that moment, trying to piece together how she had wound up in such a strange place and where exactly that strange place was, to begin with. She recalled racing with Scootaloo, one of her favorite weekly activities, and it was then that it dawned on her. She'd been in an accident. As panic bubbled up within her, she attempted to calm herself down by assuring herself that Scootaloo was fine, she'd prevented a worse outcome, and she didn't seem to be hurt herself.

She stretched her wings and rose to her legs, skipping a few steps to test out her limbs. She didn't have a single injury. Although that fact lingered in her mind as peculiar, she brushed it off and mentally patted herself on the back for not only pulling off such a risky maneuver but managing to do so without getting hurt.

Focus, Dash. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She didn't know where she was, and as far as she could tell, there was nopony around that could provide her with an answer. Considering her dilemma, she slowly rose into the air, applying caution with the use of her wings in case of a sprain or pulled muscle she had yet to be made aware of. As she lifted herself higher and higher, scanning the land she had come to inhabit, her eyes landed on something she was surprised she'd failed to notice thus far.

Outlined on the distant horizon was a mass of tall buildings stretching several miles wide. They gleamed under the bright light of the sun, which seemed to be hovering just over the city. From her position in the sky, Rainbow Dash couldn't get a good enough view to recognize any landmarks accompanying the town, but she assumed it was one she had yet to visit based on the landscape surrounding it. With no other options but to find out for herself, she began flying towards that faraway city with a newfound determination.

The desert she journeyed through was unfamiliar, but she held onto the hope that she was in some obscure corner of Equestria that she had yet to visit and could simply ask for directions from the locals and be on her merry way. Still, it didn't explain her sudden appearance in the middle of nowhere. She chose not to linger on that thought, instead focusing on the path ahead as she swiftly approached the entrance to the city.

As she neared it, she marveled at the unique design of the buildings spiraling upwards and into the sky, their sleek metal exteriors reflecting the glare of the sun and allowing in light through large, open-paned windows. It wasn't like anything she had seen before, and it was with great anticipation that she finally reached the entrance to this mysterious city.

A vast expanse of wall went on for as far as the eye could see, stretching for miles around the city’s exterior. At its front stood a grand gate, barring her entry down the path that led inwards. She descended from the air, coming to rest on the cobblestone road that led up to those gigantic doors. She got the feeling that ponies weren't supposed to just fly over such an impressive-looking gate. She took a step back and glanced around, looking for some sort of lever or doorknob she could use to make her way inside. Nothing was noticeable on the metal door, except for a strange assortment of cogs that ran up and down its sides.

“Hello?” She called out, peering up at the top of the gate in the hopes that somepony would hear her and grant her access to the city. After a moment, she rose a hoof and knocked on the gate, emitting a hollow thud that reverberated through the air. Movement above her caught her eye, and she looked upwards once more to see a bizarre creature staring back at her. It had remarkably pony-like features, yet was entirely alien. Its dark green eyes bore into her with a strange intensity, and the navy blue fur of its face and neck were laden with an array of white markings. The most striking feature of the foreign individual, besides its lack of a mane, were its ears. Unlike her own, they ended in jagged, crooked points, as if chunks had been carved out from their outer edges.

Rainbow tried not to shudder as she greeted the creature meekly, giving it a small wave and trying to muster up a polite mask of friendliness as they took one another in. It simply stared, squinting down at her with a calculating look before its head shot back out of sight and a mechanical groan emanated from the gate in front of her. She retreated a few steps and watched in fascination as the gears surrounding the wall whirred to life, pulling the doors open and allowing her entrance.

She cautiously made her way through the gates and inside, but her wariness was soon forgotten as she beheld what waited for her just past the threshold. The path of cobblestone continued forward, lined by a mismatched selection of vendors selling their wares. Several booths of simple design and muted colors served as the home base for a variety of different businesses, marketing everything from clothing to food to hoof-made trinkets. What awed her the most, however, were the ponies—or, rather, not-ponies—milling about the road, hopping from vendor to vendor and striking up trades with one another in order to exchange their bits for whichever item they'd set their sights on. If she squinted a little, the open-air market reminded her of the one she frequented in Ponyville. She found this rather comforting.

The creatures bore a similar appearance to the one she had seen previously, but now she could look upon them in their entirety. Although their body shape was similar to that of a pony's, it had become increasingly evident that they were anything but. Unlike her and every other pony she'd met, they did not possess cutie marks on their flanks. Instead, the strange markings she had spotted on the sentry were present on every creature's face, ranging from simple dots to ornate squiggles, each in hues of black and white. The symbols continued down the creatures' tails, which, instead of being made of a skirt of hair, were almost reptilian in their shape; an extension of their body that trailed down onto the floor and ended in a point lined with a few web-like spikes. She could almost compare it to Spike's tail, yet unlike his, it was made up of the same fur that covered the creatures' bodies rather than the scales of a dragon. She was relieved to note some similarities to her own makeup, as they, too, walked on four legs that ended in hooves—albeit, hooves with those same spikes protruding from the backs of them.

The dread that had been coiling in her gut up until that moment began to unravel at the idea of exploring this new city that seemed to hold so much promise. Before she could make her way into the crowd and approach some of the locals, the guard that had been stationed atop the gate appeared before her. He wore a silver jumpsuit with black stitching that shone against his dark blue coat, and Rainbow noted a small badge pinned to its front that read “Council Guard.”

She opened her mouth to say something, to thank him for his help and ask exactly where she was, but the stern, cold expression on his face stopped her in her tracks. She took a step back as another creature clad in a similar uniform approached them. Then another. And another.

Okay. Something weird was definitely going on. She retreated backwards only to collide with something soft, but immovable. She turned around to see yet another guard with a similarly hostile appearance. Suddenly, they were upon her.

A hoof shot out from behind to put pressure on her shoulder, forcing her down as the others surrounded and immobilized her. Whatever motive they might have had for attacking her, Rainbow Dash knew one thing: she wasn't about to go down without a fight.

“Let me go!” She bucked against them, landing several clean blows to their sides and eliciting a few grunts and growls as her hits connected. Still, there were too many of them. She attempted to fly up and out of their grasp, but they grabbed her by the hindlegs, managing to pin her to the ground and, with much effort, clamped some sort of circular device around her midsection.

With that, they relinquished their hold on her, allowing her to shoot to her feet and take a defensive stance, snorting through her nose furiously like a caged animal as she eyed them with disdain. They kept a tight ring around her, allowing not even the slightest chance of escaping their ranks. She glanced back to her flank, ogling the strange contraption that had been forced onto her. It was made of a thick metal, and next to the chrome strap that had clicked shut upon its placement shone a small blinking red light. She struggled against it, straining to lift her wings and fly far, far away from this unfamiliar place. It was no use. Whatever they had done to her, she had no means of escaping.

“You will come with us.” One of the creatures suddenly spoke, prompting Rainbow to look up from where she had been engaged in her own whirlwind of panicked thoughts.

Her eyes bore into them with disbelief, unable to discern their true intentions from their blank stares. It was then that she noticed the crowd that had gathered behind them. She turned in place to notice that a large number of those creatures had amassed around them; vendors, customers, and random bystanders alike watched as the scene unfolded before them. A shove from behind ushered her forward, and with an indignant stomp of her hooves, she obliged. Without the option to flee or fight back, she had no choice but to march forwards as the troop of guards escorted her further into the city.

A chorus of hollers rang out from the crowd of onlookers, jeers and whistles accompanied by contemptuous scowls. Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth and held her head high, matching their intensity with a glare of her own. She attempted to salvage a morsel of her dignity in her refusal to show fear, but the thoughts racing through her mind at that moment were anything but calm. Where in Equestria was she? What were these creatures? Why would they treat her with such hostility? She had no choice but to swallow her pride and see what awaited her in the inner city.

Bang!

A deafening noise erupted to her right, accompanied by a barrage of crackles and snaps and an array of sparks shooting up and above the throng of spectators. Her head swiveled towards the sound, watching as the garish flickers of fire went out as quickly as they had come to life. A harsh voice rang out over the noise, and she could just make out their words over the din of the crowd: “Council pigs!”

A string of colorful words followed as several others joined in with this neighsayer, spitting onto the pavement as they boldly criticized the officials and demanded her release. Rainbow Dash was astonished at the sudden change in demeanor, wondering what had caused such a shift in the reception of her presence. A glimmer of optimism was lit inside her at their protest. She harbored, for the first time since she'd arrived, a sliver of hope that she might not be alone in whatever trouble she'd managed to find herself in the middle of.

The crowd thinned as they ventured further into the city, and Rainbow marveled at the architecture she had yet to see up close. The large steel buildings were impressive in their monumental size yet entirely dull in their monochrome coloring. They were the tallest structures she'd ever seen, and even the skyscrapers of Manehattan paled in comparison. Some of the designs were entirely foreign as well, performing impressive twists and curves she hadn't known were physically possible as they spiraled upwards.

The cobblestone road developed into an organized collection of paved streets that served as the main use for travel, as several creatures trotted up and down the sides of them. Their fur colors ranged from faded blues and blacks to vibrant yellows and pinks, but the clothing they wore was extremely similar, if not identical. Their drab attire was decorated in muted shades of color and minimal accessories—simple jumpsuits and dresses or nothing at all.

What really caught her eye, however, were the vehicles crossing through town at an impressive speed—they were nothing like the horse-drawn carriages that were common practice back home. No, these were sleek, motorized carts that moved of their own accord with the exception of the creature navigating them from within. They were brown and gold in color, and she could see those same gears that had been present on the front gate adorn their sides as they powered onwards.

She peered through one of the expansive windows of a restaurant facing the street, taking in the interior’s simple yet modern decoration and the creatures that sat at low-lying tables and feasted upon something that definitely wasn't hay. She grimaced and kept walking.

Dash observed several signs plastered on the sides of the buildings and on the benches lining the streets, feeling a pinch of relief that the messages upon them were written in a language she recognized. She scrutinized the sentences, noticing that a recurring factor of many of the bulletins was the use of the word “Pon.” Her eyes fixed on a large billboard that displayed one of those creatures in a modest pink dress waving cheerfully, a big smile plastered on her face. It read: “Welcome to Pontropolis!” Well, that was helpful. If only her friends could have seen her then, being so observant and alert. Not that she had much of a choice, anyway.

“Where are we going?” she huffed, attempting to converse with the guards around her. “What is this place?” No response. “Why are your ears so pointy?” They kept their heads facing forward, refusing to spare even a glance in her direction or humor her incessant line of questioning. Great.

The guards escorted her through the roads, clinging to the side of the pavement as they made their way towards what was perhaps the grandest building Rainbow Dash had seen thus far. It must have stretched dozens of stories high, and her neck ached with the effort it took to crane it upwards, tracing the expanse of gray with her eyes as it rose into the sky and ended in several jagged points. She squinted at the bright light that shone above the topmost steel point. To her shock, it was almost as if the sun was hovering directly above the building, drawn in by some sort of magnetism to the wretched gray spikes jutting into the sky. She gulped, frozen in place. Was this some sort of magic?

A sharp nudge to her hindquarters prompted her forward, and she took a tentative few steps before ascending the concrete stairs that led up to the entrance with a mounting sense of trepidation. Revolving glass doors stood tall, the only means of access to whatever awaited her inside. She raised her head high and narrowed her eyes determinedly as she made her way through the spinning doorway with her captors flanking her on either side.

She stepped into a grandiose lobby fit with sleek marble floors and lined with a deep red wallpaper that boasted intricate floral designs. Several creatures meandered through the lobby and sat on plush benches that lined the walls, most engaged in their own business, reading a book or shuffling through documents held in their hooves. They seemed to be a classier sort than the others she'd encountered, clad in lavish suits and elegant dresses, not dissimilar to the types of fashion popular in Equestria. After all, at this point in her journey, she could only assume she was, in fact, no longer in Equestria.

Her hooves clacked against the polished floor, and she left a trail of dirt and dust as she entered, the fur of her coat covered in a layer of filth after her tussle with the guards. Not to mention the fact that she had initially woken up in a bush. If she were more like Rarity, she would be concerned about the state of her mane and rush for the nearest mirror. She felt a pang in her chest at the thought, her friends slipping into her mind again with a somber ache. She wished they were by her side on this strange adventure she'd been thrown into. Rainbow was sure that if Twilight were there, she'd know exactly what to do.

The guards guided her toward the center of the room, where a receptionist sat behind an ornate wooden desk. She had salmon-colored fur and wore a pair of glasses on a chain around her neck. As the lot of them approached, she looked up with a fearful expression and hurriedly pushed the glasses atop her nose. She forced a smile and addressed them cheerfully, “H-How can I help you?”

Rainbow Dash felt the eyes of everypony in the room land on her. Silence fell upon the lobby as they watched with bated breath, gawking at Rainbow as if she were some sort of fugitive. Considering how things were going, though, she didn't put the idea entirely out of her mind.

The guard from the gate walked up to the counter and spoke with a deep, gruff voice. “We're here to see the Council.”

Shocked murmurs broke out amongst the group of individuals gathered in the lobby, the earlier tense silence forgotten as they speculated on Rainbow and the guards that surrounded her. The creature that had spoken finally lost his composure as a disapproving scowl worked its way onto his face. He stomped his hoof onto the granite floor, emitting a ringing strike that echoed throughout the establishment. The previous quiet atmosphere returned.

“Of course, sir.” The receptionist flipped through a few documents on her desk before pressing her hoof to a button on the backside of the counter that let out a high-pitched buzzing noise. “It'll be just a few minutes, but you can wait in the chamber until then.”

He snorted and fixed his gaze on Rainbow Dash, motioning for her and the others to follow the receptionist as she rose from her seat and led them past the counter and through another set of glass double doors to a hallway beyond. The pegasus sulked as they trotted down the narrow, carpeted halls, muttering to herself about how easily she could crash through those flimsy glass doors and make a grand escape befitting Daring Do if only she had the use of her wings.

They climbed at least a dozen flights of stairs before stopping outside a pair of impressive oak doors, and the receptionist bowed politely before scurrying away down the hall. Two of the guards pushed the doors open simultaneously, and Rainbow Dash blinked in awe as she entered what could only be described as a gaping cavern of a room. The same marble covered the floor, and the room was shrouded in mahogany panels, save for the gaping window that swallowed the entire back wall and provided a view into the sky beyond. It was even grander than the lobby had been, its yawning chasmal feel a result of its imposing vaulted ceilings, from which hung a collection of dangling light fixtures that glowed from within. Huge crystal obelisks were stationed in each of the chamber's corners, and towards the back were five large rectangular desks that faced the entrance. The same plush benches as before lined the edges of the room, and stationed before those massive desks in the center was a comparably small podium and a few seats.

She was ushered into one of the seats beside the podium, and once again, her questions and protests were completely ignored. They sat in miserable silence, the guards stationed around her like she was visiting royalty. Rainbow wiggled in her seat, rocking her stool from side to side as she tried to squirm her wings under the brace locked around her middle. Just as expected, it was stuck tight.

They waited for what felt like hours, and Rainbow Dash might have died from boredom if she hadn't been so anxious about what was to come. Finally, the doors opened once more. Rainbow turned in her seat and watched as three important-looking individuals sauntered in, not sparing so much as a glance in her direction as they made their way past her and to the desks beyond. The creature that sat at one of the side tables wore an expensive fur coat, her veridian face partially obscured by the brim of the floppy, feathered hat atop her head. The other two wore similarly styled pinstripe suits of varying shades of brown that accented their coal-colored coats, and those beady eyes of theirs left a bad taste in Dash's mouth.

The taller of the two cleared his throat and tapped his stack of documents on his desk, aligning the edges. “Head Councilpon Mardeen will not be joining us today, nor will Councilpon Lughis. Thus, I will be leading this procession. Please state your business.”

“Councilpon Damon,” The guard who had been nothing but a thorn in Rainbow's side since she'd arrived bowed his head slightly as he spoke. “My name is Bernid. I am but a lowly Council Guard member, and I have been stationed atop the gate since this morning on the day shift.” His words were clear, but there was a sort of anxiousness to him that made the pegasus hold her tongue, her piqued curiosity winning over her growing frustration as she listened to him continue.

“When this... pony... showed up at our door,” He spat the word like acid on his tongue, gesturing to her as he said it. “I followed standard procedure, sir. I let her in and gathered a few guard members to help me detain her and place a deficiency ring on her.”

Her ears perked up at this last part. A deficiency ring? She glared down at the metal biting into her back.

“Very well,” Damon replied apathetically. “A good job to yourself, then. We thank you for showing what it means to be an upstanding citizen of Pontropolis.” The guard straightened up at this, his nervousness washing away as a look of pride appeared on his face. “I'll see to it that you are rewarded for your dedication to your duties and your display of loyalty to our city.”

“Whoa, what?” The words were out of her mouth before she could consider them. “They jumped me for no reason and get a raise for it? That can't be right. This has to be some sort of misunderstanding. If you just let me explain—”

“ENOUGH.” The thundering boom of a horseshoe banging onto the wood of the table reverberated throughout the chamber, and the furious voice of the Councilpon served as a total 180 from his previous demeanor. His eyebrows knitted together as he stared at her with derision. “You will not speak unless spoken to, pony.”

Rainbow Dash blinked a few times as his hateful words washed over her. She felt a mixture of confusion and anger as she processed what had happened, recoiling as the venom dripping from his words seeped into her like poison. She still hadn't recovered by the time he continued speaking, sitting in stunned silence as the creatures carried on indifferently. After a moment, the familiar sharp strike of metal on wood snapped her to attention, eyeing the horseshoe with annoyance.

“Ponies are a foreign, dangerous species that pose a serious threat to our society. Nay, to all of Ponkind. In order to keep the peace, we must be vigilant. That being said, we are not cruel. The subject will be incarcerated until tomorrow, when she will receive a fair trial with all Council members present.” The head of authority turned to his peers, murmuring a few unintelligible words and nodding in agreement before turning back towards Rainbow Dash and declaring: “You are dismissed.”

Everypony present stood in one fluid motion, and Rainbow shifted her head back and forth frantically as the guards shuffled her back and out of the room. “No, wait!” She cried, attempting to press against them and capture the attention of the Council. “You've gotta listen to me! I shouldn't be here! My friends—”

She was cut off as she was shoved forward by one of them, followed by a grunted, “Move it.”

“Move your face,” She snorted, the tension and irritation that had been building up inside her threatening to spill over. She dug her hooves into the floor, trying to hold her ground against the slippery marble tiles. “I've had enough of you boneheads treating me like some kind of prisoner. I haven't done a thing to you or anypony else, so what's the big deal?” The guards stared at her as if taken aback. She couldn't tell if they were offended by what she'd said or surprised she had said anything at all. “What? Do I need to buy my way out of this or something? It wouldn't be the first time.” One of the younger-looking creatures—Pons, she reminded herself—glanced over his shoulder nervously to where the head guard had lingered behind, discussing something with Councilpon Damon.

“I thought ponies were supposed to be—” A hoof cuffed him over the back of his head, roughly quieting him. The older guard beside him gave him a disapproving frown.

“Look, she's already gotten in your head, bits-for-brains,” he scolded, turning to the three other guards. “Let this be a warning. No matter what they say, you can't believe them. Ponies can't be trusted.”

“Ponies can't be trusted,” They repeated in unison, each giving a matter-of-fact nod as if reciting something they'd been taught their entire lives.

“What kind of—” Rainbow received a similar blow to the back of her head. She winced at the impact, staggering forward slightly as the unexpected but not entirely painful hit threw her off balance.

“And that's enough out of you. If you know what's good for you, you'll keep quiet.” The older guard ushered them forward once more, leading the squadron out of the chamber and back into the stuffy hallway, where they retreated back down the plush, carpeted floors and descended the stairs back to the main floor. She was led out of the lobby and down a corridor that extended into a much more deserted wing of the building. Several doors lined the halls, and after a few minutes of walking, they stopped in front of one.

Two of the guards were sent in first to ensure it was secure before they came back out and directed her inside, only to slam the door shut in her face when she turned to see if they were following. A click sounded, followed by the shuffling of hooves as they presumably locked her in, then left, leaving her to fend for herself inside.

The room wasn't entirely what she expected, considering she was technically being held captive. The cold, smelly dungeon she'd envisioned in her head could not have been further from the truth. The bedroom was far from the gaudy luxuries of the other areas she'd seen in the building, sure, but it had a freshly-made bed, a few cozy-looking armchairs, and... iron bars covering the windows. Right. She'd almost forgotten.

Okay, Dash, think. She trotted over to the nightstand beside the bed, rummaging through it in the hopes of finding something she could use to pry the “deficiency ring” off her back.

The day's events rushed through her head over and over, creating a chaotic tornado of thoughts that did more to rile her up than help her situation. She paced around the room, panic threatening to overtake her as she weighed her options. She didn't have many. Although she could take her chances and see how her “trial” would go tomorrow, it didn't seem like the odds were in her favor.

Something about that assembly gave Rainbow a bad feeling, and the pit of anxiety that had been lying dormant in her gut reared its head once again. She chewed the tip of her hoof, mulling over what had taken place in that chamber, the way they had spoken to her like she was nothing but a nuisance.

She came to a decision: she couldn't show up to that meeting tomorrow. Whatever those pretentious Councilpons' true intentions were, she refused to take a gamble on her own well-being when they had made it increasingly evident that they did not have her best interests in mind.

And so, she got to work.

As evening approached, the strange lamps that lined the walls of her room shimmered to life, emitting a soft red glow that became brighter as the shadows lengthened. A tray slid under the door and into her room containing an unfamiliar assortment of foods. A strange, rectangular block of... something... was served as the meal's main entrée, and its ambiguous brown color worked wonders in quelling her appetite. The oozing blob of red plopped onto the plate beside it was somehow even more unpalatable.

After the food was delivered, she pressed her ear up to the door to listen to the guards outside. Two of them had been posted just outside her room, presumably to keep her from trying anything funny. She listened to their conversations, glancing up at the clock above the door frequently to ensure that she timed things right. She slid the tray away from the front of the door as she heard the two guards step away. She had 30 seconds.

She backed up as far as she could before propelling herself off the wall with her hindlegs, breaking into a gallop and aiming herself towards the center of the door. She collided with its wooden panels hard, ricocheting backward and onto the floor with a crash. She groaned as she rubbed the shoulder that had made contact with what felt like a brick wall; there was no way that thing was made out of wood. Before she could gear up to give it another go, she heard the sound of hoofsteps approaching from the hallway and stationing themselves in front of the entry.

Great. The only plan she could come up with to escape, and she'd gotten nothing but a banged-up shoulder and a bruised ego. Considering how her day was going, this was just the icing on top. No idea where she was or how she got there, no friends by her side, no wings, and now? No way of escaping.

She plopped onto the bed with a self-pitying laugh, hating herself for how badly she wanted to give in to the comfort of its plush pillows and soft sheets. Before she could throw herself under the covers and wallow in her misery, she heard a tapping at her window.

What in the hay? She glanced over at the barred panels, squinting to make out the shadow peering in at her through the window. She shot to her hooves, trotting over to investigate the strange appearance.

The mysterious figure was clad in a dark, heavy cloak with a hood that hung low over their face, shrouding their features in darkness. They gestured to the window, and Rainbow reached her hoof through a small gap in the iron rails to unlatch its hook and push it open.

The pony stepped forward, reaching into their cloak to pull out a small rectangular object and holding it up in the light before pressing a small button on its side. From its top, a small blade emerged, producing a low whirring noise as it began to glow faintly in the darkness. They pressed it into the bars slowly, the thin, heated edge cutting through the iron like butter.

Rainbow's eyes widened as she realized what the figure was doing, helping to take the bars in her hooves and set them gently onto the ground after they had been cut. Once a big enough hole had been formed, the pegasus stood on her hindlegs, hoisting herself onto the windowsill and out into the night.

That cryptic pony extended a hoof to help her out, giving her a matching robe to conceal herself and whispering two words: “Follow me.”

Rainbow did as she was told, throwing on the cloak and allowing them to guide her around the building and into an alleyway where they would be less conspicuous as they put as much distance as possible between them and the makeshift prison.

When they'd covered a few blocks, they broke into a gallop, navigating through the city streets and maneuvering around passersby with stealth and precision. It wouldn't be long until the guards noticed her absence, after all. They had to make every second count.

A myriad of questions swam around in her head as she trailed after her savior, wishing for what must have been the hundredth time that day that she could unfurl her wings and zoom into the sky with a speed she had taken for granted until now. She hadn't truly understood how essential her wings were to her sense of self until the ability to use them was unwillingly wrenched away from her.

The two of them finally came to a stop outside of a small run-down shop on the outskirts of the city. Rainbow was so focused on keeping up with her guide that she hadn't noticed how far they'd come—she could make out the outline of the great wall that wound for miles around the exterior of the city, acting as a barrier to any outsiders. Except for her, she supposed. Why build a wall to keep out unwanted visitors if they're going to be let in and locked up anyways?

She shook her head to clear her mind and turned to who she hoped was a new ally. “Who—”

“Not here.” The stranger's voice was clear as a bell, but her words were sharp and chastising. She glanced around at the empty street of ramshackle buildings, then gestured for Dash to follow, slipping to the side of the building and leading her down a set of dusty stairs that descended down a pitch-black stairwell and into what she could only assume was the basement of the shop.

She opened her mouth to protest, then thought better of it. She hesitantly made her way down the steps and through the doorway, where a light had been cast in the interior of the cellar. The mare shut the door behind them with a groaning creak, followed by the click of a lock latching shut. Rainbow scanned the unfamiliar space, taking in the shelves of equipment that lined the exposed brick walls. They were stocked full of all kinds of things: piles of gears and tools, mostly, but there was also an array of different metal contraptions. She couldn't tell what some of them were at first glance, but she recognized a few common household items that had been modified to fit a new purpose, such as a broom that seemed to operate of its own accord. There was entirely too much to look at.

Rainbow turned to face the cloaked stranger and lowered her hood. Finally, she could get some answers. “Who are you?”

The figure trotted past her and made her way over to a workbench set up against the left side of the room. She tapped a sconce hanging on the wall, and it produced a soft, dim glow that illuminated the table before her. She reached a hoof up and pushed the hood of her cloak backward before turning to Rainbow.

The fur of her coat was akin to that of the leaves in autumn, a faded maroon that only deepened the intensity of her piercing green eyes as met the blue mare's own magenta ones. Her pointed, ribbed ears confirmed for Rainbow Dash what she had secretly been wondering: her savior was definitely not a pony. A pattern of wavy white lines ran from the top of her head down to her muzzle, and as she completely removed her cloak, she noticed the same symbols on her tail.

The Pon gave her a calculating look as their eyes met, and after a moment, she turned back towards the tools on the work table, pulling out the blade she'd used earlier and turning it over in her hoof under the light. “I'm Avina,” was all she offered.

Rainbow sidled up next to her, peering down at the contraption she used a small cylindrical tool to tinker with. “Avina,” She tested out the name, relieved to finally have somepony to talk to; even if she wasn't a pony at all. “Nice to meet you.” She bit her lip in an attempt to keep the torrent of questions from spilling out of her like an avalanche, but Avina's silence immediately following her words was too much to bear. She took in a deep breath before her words came tumbling out. “Why'd you help me? And why am I basically a wanted criminal? What is a 'Pon?' I kinda get it, but also, I don't. Do you know how I ended up here? Also, where is here, anyway? It can't be in Equestria. Right? Then how do I get home if—” A webbed hoof shot up to her mouth, putting a dam in the stream of questions that had come pouring out of her as Avina looked at her with a mixture of annoyance and surprise.

“Hold on, wow, that's a lot of questions. Calm down. I didn't want to overwhelm you with a ton of information all at once, but clearly, you want answers.” She gestured to a wooden bench beside the worktable, and Rainbow hesitantly took a seat.

“Well, for starters, you sort of are a wanted criminal,” Avina returned to her work, occasionally glancing over at the pony as she spoke. “As for why I helped you... let's just say that most of the ponies that are judged before the Council don't come back out. We save as many of them as we can."

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened at this, biting her tongue as Avina continued down the line of questions she'd asked.

"A Pon is what I am. Scientific name: Pon'neza, commonly shortened to Pon. Not a pony. Pon. Got it?” She lifted a brow in Rainbow's direction, and the pony nodded vehemently. “I don't know how you ended up here. We haven't been able to figure out where your kind comes from or how they get here. Every pony I've met has been just as clueless as you.”

“You've met a lot, then?” Rainbow Dash straightened in her seat.

“A few, yes. Most of them end up here by accident.” Avina hummed in thought before swiping a scroll of paper off a nearby shelf and unfurling it, revealing a map. She pointed down at a marker representing a large city. “And... your last question. Here. Here is Pontropolis, in the land of Reptarus. I don't know where Equestria is or how to get there,” Her matter-of-fact tone softened a bit at this, and she spared what might have been a sympathetic glance in Rainbow's direction. She rolled up the map and returned it to its home before turning to face her fully. “Now, who are you?”

“I'm Rainbow Dash,” She puffed up a bit as if, for a moment, she expected Avina to recognize her by name. “They call me the Element of Loyalty back home, so, y'know... kind of a big shot.” She blew on a hoof and rubbed it against the fur of her chest with a cheeky grin.

“Glad to see you're taking all this in stride,” she scoffed. “It doesn't really matter what Froo-Froo Element nonsense you were back in Equestria, hot stuff. I hate to break it to you, but here in Pontropolis, you're either one of us or you aren't.” The Pon gave her a warning look. “I think you might have learned that the hard way already.”

“Psh, yeah, I'd say so.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “What's up with that, anyway? All the 'ponies can't be trusted' brainwashing nonsense? Gave me the heebie-jeebies.” She shuddered, recalling the strange interaction she'd had with the Council Guard after her hearing.

“That's a... long story, really,” Just as she was about to ask her to elaborate, the thud of large hoofsteps sounded from the stairs leading down to the basement. Rainbow was immediately on her guard, shooting out of her seat and jumping into a defensive position facing the door as it unlatched and creaked open.

A hefty Pon strode into the room before shutting the door behind him with a click. His fur was a dark brown, and an array of black spots lined his face and tail. He set his blue-eyed stare on the two of them as he entered, his neutral look dissolving into a mirthful smile as his gaze settled on Rainbow's exaggeratedly defensive stance. He let out a hearty laugh and held up his hooves in surrender. “Whoa, whoa, calm down. I mean you no harm.”

Rainbow spared a glance over at Avina, who simply nodded in agreement. “Rainbow Dash, this is Orwin. He owns the shop upstairs.”

“It's a pleasure,” He greeted her, offering his hoof out to shake. She took it with some reluctance, but he earned her trust with his next few words. “Well, Miss Dash, if you'll allow me, I can get that contraption off of you.”

“You can?!” Her eyes shone with excitement, and he laughed again.

The older Pon shooed Avina away from the workbench, where he collected a few tools and got to work. “I'm a tinkerer,” He explained as he chipped away at the metal constraining her wings. “I build gadgets and fix things that are brought to me, or even make them better.”

Rainbow looked over at the inventions lining the walls. “So, you build... these?” She gestured to the ring around her back.

“No.” His voice was suddenly stern, and his jovial expression had vanished. “These... 'deficiency rings' are the work of the Council.”

Rainbow gulped, taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor. “...Why do they make them?”

Orwin sighed and looked up at her somberly. “These devices... they're magic deficiency rings," he explained. "They're a product of fear. And fear comes from ignorance. They seek to control what they do not understand—like your magic.”

His answer only sprouted more questions in her mind, but a sharp click and a sudden shift in the weight on her back prompted her to jump off the stool and spring into the air as the metal ring fell to the ground with a clang.

“Woo hoo!” She looped and flipped and zig-zagged in the air, trying to control her tricks as best as possible within the small space. The two Pons didn't attempt to stop her, simply watching in amusement as she shot across the room.

She finally came to a halt and landed back on the wooden panels beneath her, stretching her wings with a satisfied smile. “Sure feels good to have these babies out again,” She grinned, finally feeling like herself. She looked over at Orwin, who gave her an amused nod of his head. “Thanks, dude!”

“Anytime.” He waved a hoof at her nonchalantly as he cleaned up his tools.

“Well, now that that's done,” Avina cut in, trotting over to Rainbow. “Let's get you settled.”

“Wait a sec,” Rainbow frowned, glancing up at the two of them apologetically. “I can't stay here. I appreciate all that you've done for me, but... I've gotta get home. My friends will be wondering where I am.”

The Pons exchanged worried looks.

“Didn't you tell her?” Orwin's whispered words weren't as discreet as he wished them to be.

“Of course I did,” Avina rolled her eyes. “Typical pony. She probably didn't listen to a word I said.”

“You know I can hear you guys, right?” Rainbow stomped her hoof into the ground, irritated.

“You. Can't. Go. Home.” She huffed, losing her patience. The kind expression that had flickered across her features earlier was nowhere to be seen, replaced instead with a storm blazing behind her eyes. “Okay? You're stuck here, whether you like it or not.”

Orwin nudged her in the shoulder harshly, giving her a stern look. “Seriously, Avina.” His gruff voice was exasperated, but he took on a softer tone as he addressed the pegasus. “For now. You're stuck here for now. Nopon can leave Pontropolis without permission from the Council,” he explained begrudgingly. “The Orb's forcefield keeps us in and intruders out. But you're welcome to stay here until we get things figured out.”

Rainbow felt her chest tighten up and her breathing quicken. Her ears had begun to ring upon hearing Avina's blunt words, and she'd barely caught what Orwin had said. She plopped onto the floor, her wings splaying out behind her as she sat on the cold basement floor. She should have seen this coming, of course, but the information still hit her like a ton of bricks. She was going to be stuck in this strange, unfamiliar city full of creatures that hated every facet of her being simply because she was a pony. She wasn't sure if things could get any worse.

“Are you alright?” Orwin laid a steady hoof on her shoulder in an attempt to soothe her. “I know it's a lot to take in, but-”

“I'm fine,” she snapped, getting to her hooves. She pushed down the fear rising up inside her and took a deep breath before mustering a ghost of a smile. “Sorry, it's just... well, like you said. A lot.”

Orwin gave her a sympathetic look, and Avina frowned before tilting her head towards a door at the back of the basement and motioning for her to follow. Rainbow trotted after her with a roll of her eyes and a quick goodbye to the brown Pon, who assured her that he would be back with dinner as he retreated up the stairs and out into the night.

The door opened into a modest, sparsely decorated room. A cot sat against the back wall, along with a small table and a bench on the opposite side of it. The walls were blank, and the blankets stacked atop the rickety bed were the only splash of color, except for a small lamp in the corner that served as the room's only source of light.

“Here you are,” Avina swung her hoof out extravagantly, as if she had just shown Rainbow to the finest hotel room in Canterlot.

“Gee, thanks,” the blue mare hesitantly entered what could only be described as a prison room, silently wishing she had something like her Wonderbolts posters to hang on the dreary walls and liven up the space. “Do you-” She trailed off as she turned to find that the Pon was nowhere to be seen. What a wonderful host.

Rainbow shut the door and plopped onto her bed with a sigh, ruminating on everything she'd experienced. What had only been a day felt like it had stretched on for weeks, and she buried her face in her pillow before letting out a scream, the sound muffled against the down. She fought the tears threatening to spill as they welled up in her eyes, wiping a hoof across her face with a sniff before flopping onto her back and staring up at the ceiling. Her mind drifted to her friends, wondering what they were doing back in Ponyville at the same time that she was stuck in this bizarre world that seemed to have it out for her. She thought of Scootaloo, of that morning they'd shared together, and pondered the events that had occurred immediately after.

Regardless of how it had happened, she was in Pontropolis now. And if she had any hope of finding a way to make it back to her friends, she would need to stay focused. Whatever came her way next, she would be prepared. She would make it out of this.

She just hoped she didn't lose herself along the way.

“Is she gonna be alright?” Applejack's words were laced with concern, and her face pinched with worry as she stared down at her friend.

“Well, she suffered some non-life-threatening injuries from her collision with the fountain. However, the rubble that made contact with her head caused some serious damage; she likely has a severe concussion and a few broken ribs. Still, she should be able to pull through.” The doctor said, reading off the clipboard he had been scribbling notes on since they had all arrived.

Rainbow Dash's friends were gathered in the hospital room, circling the bed she lay unconscious upon and asking a multitude of questions to the stallion that had been looking after her since she'd first arrived.

“She SHOULD be able to?! Oh, I feel faint...” Rarity's hoof shot up to her face in distress at the news, her eyes fluttering shut as she fell backward onto a chaise lounge that had been conveniently placed behind her.

“Oh, dear...” Fluttershy murmured, attempting to comfort Rarity as she fanned herself dramatically on the couch.

“Pardon me. She will pull through. It should only be a matter of time before she regains consciousness, and from there, we'll keep a close eye on her to determine when she will be ready to return home.” He nodded at the patient, noting the faint rise and fall of her chest under her hospital gown. “She was knocked out cold, so she'll probably be asleep a while longer. I would suggest heading home to rest before returning or preparing to stay here for the long haul.”

“We're not just gonna leave her!” Pinkie Pie replied, aghast. “Who's gonna be here to cheer her up when she finishes her nap?”

“We'll stay,” Twilight said firmly, her eyes not leaving the sleeping form of her friend. “The least we can do is be here for her.”

“Suit yourself,” The doctor told them simply but not unkindly. “She will be monitored, of course, and one of the nurses will be in to check on her frequently. Feel free to call for one of us if something out of the ordinary occurs. Have a good night.” With that, he left them to their privacy, shutting the door behind him as he exited the room.

The five of them exchanged uneasy looks as they made themselves comfortable on the spare chairs and pillows provided in the coldly clinical hospital room. Twilight let out a sigh before pulling out one of the medical books she had thought to bring with her, hoping to find something, anything she could do to help, even if it was minuscule. She hated feeling helpless in the face of her friend's suffering.

They whispered amongst themselves to pass the time, sharing stories to comfort one another and speculating on what kind of reaction Rainbow Dash would have when she woke up to see all of them staking out in her room. This did wonders in lifting their spirits, the lot of them sharing a laugh as they imagined their friend rousing and wondering why they were all sitting around her bed like a bunch of weirdos. She would call Twilight an egghead for reading a book on medicine just for the sake of it, roll her eyes at Rarity's dramatics, and poke fun at Pinkie Pie for the tears she would inevitably shed upon her awakening.

As the night stretched on, the hope that Rainbow would wake by the end of the day dwindled, and Pinkie and Fluttershy were sent out of the hospital to gather drinks, snacks, and other supplies they would need for their overnighter. When they returned, they brought a new addition to their party—Scootaloo. The young filly rushed into the room, approaching the hospital bed and propping her hooves up on the edge to get a better view of the pony lying within it. She sniffled as she took in the sight of her sister, still unconscious, eyeing the bandages that adorned her head.

“Why isn't she awake?” She had the sense to whisper, turning back to look at the older ponies with watery eyes. A few scratches were visible on the filly's legs from where she'd skidded off her scooter during the incident, but she'd otherwise managed to escape relatively unscathed.

“Oh, you poor dear,” Rarity choked out, tears springing to her own eyes as she took in the foal's heartbroken expression. She pulled her into a hug, and the rest of them joined in comforting her.

“It really is gettin' late, sugar cube,” Applejack said to her gently after about an hour or so had passed of her sitting beside the bed, unwilling to leave Rainbow Dash's side. “I really think you should go on home and get some shut-eye before comin' back in the morning.”

“But—”

“No buts.” Applejack stood her ground, looking down at the filly with a firm but kind expression. “We're just as worried as you are, hon. We'll stay and watch over her for the night so you can be here bright n' early tomorrow. You'll want to be well-rested for when she wakes up, right?”

“...Right...” Scootaloo spared one more glance at Rainbow Dash before sighing and getting up to stretch her legs. “I guess I can't argue with that,” She mumbled, tail drooping as she made to leave. The others gave her words of comfort and agreed with Applejack, telling her to get some sleep and to come back in the morning with the other crusaders by her side. This last part seemed to be the final push to get her to leave, as she perked up at the thought of having her friends by her side to support Rainbow tomorrow.

As she left, the older ponies allowed their worried expressions to return to their faces, concern growing with every minute that passed. “Shouldn't she be awake by now?” Fluttershy queried, laying her head down on her front hooves.

“I honestly thought she would be,” Twilight frowned, still deeply engrossed with her book. “I think the doctors did, too.”

The nurse assigned to Rainbow had made frequent stops by the room at first, checking in on the patient every half-hour or so. As the night had progressed, however, those check-ups had become increasingly sporadic, and it had been at least a few hours since they'd last seen her.

Fluttershy was the first to fall asleep, followed shortly by Pinkie Pie, then Rarity, until finally, it was just Twilight and Applejack remaining awake. The farm pony silently trotted over to sit next to Twilight, peering over her shoulder at the pages she'd been studying by the faint light of her horn. “Find anything useful?”

“No,” The alicorn sighed, shutting the book and turning to face her friend. “I'm surprised you're not asleep yet.”

Applejack took off her hat and set it beside her with a downtrodden look before replying, “Too darn worried to sleep, to be honest. My stomach's a mess.”

“I get it,” Twilight whispered back, putting a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “I'm worried, too. But you know Rainbow Dash. She's been in worse incidents than this and lived to tell the tale. I think if we just give her a bit of time, she'll wake up and be back to causing trouble before we know it.”

“I sure hope you're right, Twilight.”

“Yeah,” Twilight responded, resting her head on a pillow as she looked up at the unconscious figure of her friend. “Me too.”

Part 2: The Resistance

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The next few days passed in a blur.

Rainbow Dash's first morning waking up in Pontropolis was arguably the worst. When the haze of sleep had worn off and she'd been able to adjust to the darkness of that cramped room, she'd remembered where she was.

It wasn't just some bad dream, some bizarre nightmare she could pass off as an illusion and go on with her day. No, she had indeed woken up in the basement of a shop in Pontropolis, the city in which she'd been met with nothing but animosity. That sobering fact bit into her like the terrible sting of a bugbear, sapping her desire to get out of bed and leaving her curled in a miserable ball under the thin sheets of her cot.

If it weren't for Orwin's encouraging words and Avina's tough love, coaxing and prodding her out of bed, she wasn't sure she would have found the motivation to do so herself. They gave her the space she needed to process her situation, of course, but Avina didn't let her wallow for too long. After half the day had gone by, she'd ripped the blankets from Rainbow's cot and practically dragged her out of it. The pegasus displayed no limits to her questionable vocabulary and grumbled at the Pon as she forced her to clean herself up and eat something.

From then on, things had been a bit easier. She'd taken that first step and ripped the bandage off, so to speak. That ambitious attitude that she was known for came back to her as she familiarized herself with her new surroundings and became better acquainted with her new allies.

Orwin was a real gem, and Dash found herself looking forward to the time she spent with him. He would come down during his breaks from work, bringing her different foods to try (that were not brick-shaped or jelly ooze) and answering her questions while he kept her company. He spoke to her kindly, lifting her spirits and keeping her entertained while she was temporarily stuck in the basement. Avina had been tasked with patrolling the neighborhood and ensuring that their location hadn't been compromised, which meant that Rainbow didn't see much of her at all.

The male Pon showed her his collection of gadgets, introducing her to the inner workings of their designs and demonstrating their daily usage. She was fascinated by his creations, utterly enthralled with the way he could bring things to life without the use of magic. The details of his inventions were complex, and while she appreciated seeing them in action, her mind went blank each time he attempted to explain how they worked.

Out of all of the wonders he had shown her, one device in particular had grabbed her attention.

“Whoaaa!” Rainbow Dash's eyes shone with excitement. “You guys couldn't fly, so you MADE wings?! That's awesome!”

She held an especially impressive instrument in her hooves—a leather saddle with mechanical wings sprouting from either side, the membranes fashioned of a sheen, cloth-like material that she couldn't place. It was held together by several thin poles attached at the seam, and a strap hung loosely around the saddle, where it could be strapped to a Pon and presumably give them the power of flight.

"Yup!" Orwin puffed out his chest with pride at her words, trotting over to show her how the device could be used. "We weren't born with anything fancy like you ponies," he said, gesturing to her own feathered wings, "so we got crafty and figured it out for ourselves. Say what you will about us Pons, but we're quite resourceful." He added with a wink.

"Can't argue with that," Rainbow chuckled as his words washed over her. She supposed he was right. Although she'd already been in Pontropolis for a couple of days, she had only been exposed to the unfavorable side of the city thus far. She ran a hoof over those intricately constructed wings as she considered this, wondering if most of its citizens were like Orwin and Avina—inherently good ponies in a bad situation. Her conflicting thoughts on the matter ate at her as the day went on, mulling over her predicament and growing restless with her confined living conditions.

By the time her third day in Pontropolis had arrived, she simply couldn't take it anymore. She threw on the cloak that had been left for her in the basement and snuck up the staircase and out onto the sidewalk, blending in with the small crowd of Pons that were minding their own business as they traveled down the street.

She trotted the few yards to the entrance of the hardware store and confidently made her way inside, the jingle of a bell announcing her presence as she pushed the front door open and entered.

The shop was small but cluttered, and there were a few customers milling about its aisles and browsing the selection of wares categorized on an array of shelves. She scanned her eyes around the store, ambling further in and avoiding eye contact with the patrons as she searched for familiar brown fur.

She followed a grating, scraping sound towards the back of the shop, where a wooden counter laden with scraps of metal stood, and behind it, a tall velvet curtain. She made sure nopony was looking in her direction as she stuck her head through the red folds of fabric and peeked into the small room sectioned off from the rest of the building.

"Psst, hello?" She whispered, peering inside.

Orwin sat with his back towards her; his head ducked down in concentration at whatever piece he was hard at work on.

Rainbow stepped past the drapes and pulled them closed behind her before tapping him on the shoulder. He flinched, dropping the metal fragment he'd been melding and turning towards her with a startled expression that quickly turned to shock as she pulled her hood down and flashed him a cheeky grin.

"Rainbow, what are you doing up here?" he hissed, setting down his tools and pinning her with a disapproving scowl. "You know it's dangerous for you to be outside. You could get caught."

"Ugh, I know," she grumbled with a roll of her eyes. "I've just been sooo cooped up down there." She flipped her colorful mane out of her face with a pout, pointing a hoof up to her chin inquisitively. "Y'know, it sure would be nice if I could get out for a little while..."

"Ohhh, no," he drawled, realizing exactly what game she was playing at. "Don't pull that. You know it's for your own safety."

"Yeah," she sighed, her ears flattening as she looked up at him with wide eyes. "I guess you're right. I shouldn't have asked." She hung her head before turning back towards the curtain and dragging her hooves on the ground as she took a few steps in its direction.

"Wait," he slapped a hoof up to his face in exasperation. "I can't believe I'm doing this. Maybe... I could convince Avina to let you tag along with her tomorrow."

Rainbow jumped up into the air with a squeal before realizing where she was and quickly landing back on the floor with a thud. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She swung her hooves around the older Pon, crushing him in a tight hug.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he griped, unlatching himself from the death grip she held around his neck and prying her off of him. "Avina will probably be against the idea," he warned her with a stern look before letting out a sigh at her eager expression. "But what can I say? You're your own Pon. You can make your own decisions."

She nodded in agreement with an enthusiastic smile before glancing over her shoulder at the shop that lay beyond, a mischievous sparkle in her eye. "So... since I'm here, can I help out in the shop?"

His deep, rich laugh echoed throughout that tiny space they shared, and he wiped away the beginnings of a tear in his eye before his sight fell upon her once more, and he deadpanned, "No."

It had taken much convincing, but Avina finally acquiesced. Rainbow Dash was to join her on her morning journey to run errands, thanks to the case Orwin had made in favor of the jaunt and through his impressive means of vouching for the pony's character. His assurance that Dash could be discreet—accurate or not—sealed the deal, and she had to promise to keep her cloak on at all times and stay by Avina's side.

Their destination was only a few blocks away, but the swift canter the Pon maintained left even Rainbow struggling to keep up without the use of her wings. Despite their quick pace, the pegasus used the opportunity to observe her new surroundings, taking in the rundown residential buildings and tarnished sidewalks that lined the cracked roads with a grimace. The closer they traveled to the edge of the wall, the worse the neighborhood's conditions seemed to become.

Dash attempted to strike up a conversation with Avina, but she was met with curt replies and impatient glances as the Pon gradually hastened toward the first stop on their list.

At last, they arrived at an open-air market held in a small clearing that might have been a park at one point but had since deteriorated into nothing more than a lifeless plot of dirt on which several entrepreneurs had set up shop for the day. Compared to the hustle and bustle of the booming businesses right outside the front gate, this stretch of booths was completely devoid of traffic.

A few scrappy-looking Pons perused the stands and bartered over goods, but it was nothing like the commerce in the bigger market had been. A sense of despair clung to the air as if everypony in that clearing had lost hope of achieving anything more than buying or selling junk in a decrepit old plaza.

Rainbow frowned as she took the sight in. How could an area like this be so dilapidated and poverty-ridden when naught but a gallop away, Pons lived in style and luxury? It didn't make any sense.

She reluctantly trotted after Avina, remembering her promise to stay by the Pon's side despite her urge to offer assistance to those around her. She watched as she tussled with a grubby shopkeeper about the price of his supplies, complaining that they had risen since she'd last visited, and Dash found herself tuning out of the conversation, her eyes wandering around the park and capturing the image within her mind. Whatever hardships she'd faced during her time in Pontropolis, she was sure these folks had experienced far worse.

Her gaze caught on the scrawny figure of a young Pon, huddled up against the side of a building facing the market. She traced the slight tremor that racked his features with her eyes, concern lighting them as she took in the melancholy look on his face.

She frowned and glanced around, spotting a stand selling strange fried food that came on sticks. Rainbow sent a silent thank you to Orwin, who had slipped her a few bits to spend as she pleased, before using them to purchase a couple sticks of that steaming dough. Their delectable aroma wafted up her nose as she clenched them between her teeth, suppressing the rumbling in her stomach that threatened to emerge as she slipped between the scattering of patrons and exited the market.

The foal looked up at her with wary eyes as she approached, but upon seeing the food, his expression shifted to that of longing. He had no belongings except for a ragged blanket clutched between his hooves, and the look of shock that spread across his face as she laid the food next to him sent a pang through her chest.

As she lowered her head to offer him the snack, her hood fell slightly, revealing a lock of her rainbow mane. His eyes widened as she quickly pulled the covering back up, eyes darting around to see if anypony had noticed her slip-up.

She gave him a hard stare, then motioned to the food. "It's all yours, little guy," she offered him a small smile before holding a hoof up to her mouth and whispering, "So long as you keep this between you and me. Got it?"

He blinked, dumbstruck, before offering an enthusiastic nod of his head and devouring the meal she'd provided him with. She watched with a heavy heart as he ate, slipping a couple more bits out of her pocket and sliding them toward him before turning to leave.

What awaited her back in the market sent a chill down her spine. Avina glared daggers at her from across the street where she stood waiting on the outskirts of the park, pinning her with a furious look as she watched her interaction with the beggar and waited for her return.

What's got her tail in a twist? Rainbow thought to herself with a flicker of annoyance as she made her way toward the stern-looking Pon. She was met with a disapproving sneer and a hissed, "What were you thinking?"

The blue mare reared her head back, meeting Avina's eyes with an equal level of hostility as she stood her ground. "Are you serious?" She huffed, disbelief lilting her voice upwards. "I was offering a hoof. He was starving."

"I can't see how that's any of your concern," she shot back, wild green eyes blazing from underneath her hood. "These aren't your people."

Rainbow couldn't believe her ears. She scrunched her nose up in abhorrence at her crude words. "Pon or not, he's just a foal," She set her steely gaze upon Avina and said resolutely, "Nopony deserves to live like this."

The heat seemed to drain from her eyes at this, and she gave the pegasus a considering look before her signature frown returned, and she turned to leave. "Let's go."

Maybe tagging along with Avina wasn't such a great idea, after all. She didn't know how Orwin could be friends with such an insufferable Pon, and while she had been standoffish from the start, she hadn't expected this kind of cruelty from her. Rainbow furrowed her brows and trotted after the mare bitterly, head hanging low as she trailed behind her.

When she realized they weren't headed back in the direction of the tinkerer's shop, she broke into a gallop before falling in step with the Pon and getting a glimpse of the red muzzle that poked out from beneath her cowl.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see," she replied vaguely, not even sparing so much as a glance in Dash's direction.

After a moment of tense silence, Rainbow blurted, "I'm starting to feel like you didn't really want to help me escape the Council. Woulda been so much easier to not have to deal with me, huh?"

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Whatever," she scoffed. "You should have just left me to rot in that building."

Avina stopped in her tracks, causing Rainbow to do a double take as she skidded to a halt and turned around to face her. She took her by the hoof and hauled her to the edge of the sidewalk and against the side of the building, where they weren't in the direct path of passersby.

Avina slid the hood off her head, and her piercing gaze bore into the pony's magenta eyes as she said gravely, "Rainbow Dash. I don't have any personal vendetta against you, and I'm sorry if I've made you think differently," she shifted in place, kicking a pebble with her foreleg as if she weren't used to being so forward with her feelings. "But you have to understand; this is bigger than the both of us. There's—" She sighed, struggling to find the words as she placed her hoof over her chest. "I... I think it's better if you just see for yourself."

Rainbow gave her a dubious look as her words sunk in, but the vulnerable expression on the Pon's face worked to soften her ire. "Fine," she relented. "But you don't get to treat me like some filly with her head in the clouds. I know I don't live here, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid. If I want to risk getting discovered because I helped somepony get something to eat, that's my mistake to make."

"Okay," Avina affirmed, testing the waters. "But at the same time, hopefully, you can realize that I have lived here my whole life, and I know how things work around here better than you do," she countered. "And... I do have your best interests in mind. Can you trust me on that front?"

"I guess so," Rainbow responded, albeit with some trepidation.

"Then it's settled," Avina nervously raised her hoof out to her. "Let's start over?"

Rainbow accepted, shaking it and giving her a slight nod. "Sure."

Although Avina had tested her patience numerous times already, she knew that everypony deserved a second chance. Perhaps they'd just gotten off on the wrong hoof. She had saved her, after all—she owed her a fresh start.

"Great," Avina led her back onto the sidewalk, and they continued their jaunt down the crooked pavement. "Because I've got something to show you.

It wasn't until Rainbow was following Avina down yet another set of cracked wooden steps leading to an unknown location shrouded in darkness that she began to question her decision to place her trust in the mare. She had led her even further away from Orwin's and deeper into the desolate slums, veering towards one of the many abandoned structures.

A din of voices trickled out from behind the closed door at the bottom of the stairs, and Dash wondered what she had gotten herself into as her new friend rapped her hoof against the wood in a halting, methodical pattern.

Avina gave her a reassuring nod of her head, then turned back towards the door as it slowly creaked open and an eye peered out at them through the crack. She leaned in and whispered, "Orb be with you." And they were allowed entry by a wary charcoal-colored Pon.

Rainbow gave her an unimpressed raise of an eyebrow as she motioned for her to follow her inside. The muffled voices became a strong current of murmurs that washed over them as they merged into the crowd of Pons gathered in the dark cellar.

There were dozens of them, young and old alike, chatting amongst themselves quietly as they mingled throughout the room. Upon closer inspection, the Pons were fidgety, eyes shifting from side to side as if worried something would appear at any moment for them. Some wore thin coats similar to Dash and Avina's own attire, while others wore nothing at all.

Avina pressed up against her side as they strolled into the convention, assuring that they would not be separated amongst the mass of bodies packed into the wide, open room. There didn't seem to be any other exits besides the one they had come from, and Rainbow was hesitant to progress further into the potentially obstructive congregation of Pons.

A nudge to her flank steered her to the right, and they crossed through the crowd and to the outskirts of the room, where there was a modicum of standing room that allowed the both of them to take a breather. Pushed up against the wall towards the front of the room was a raised platform, and a hush fell over the visitors as a Pon glided up the steps and stationed himself atop it.

The young male was broad-shouldered, and his sapphire fur seemed to glow in the dim light of the cellar, highlighting the deep reds of his irises. He cast a searching gaze over the crowd, and Rainbow could have sworn his eyes landed on her with a pause before continuing on. She shifted in place, lifting her hooves up one by one as an itching began at the base of her neck. She was just being paranoid; nopony knew she was there.

She peered over at Avina, whose stoic expression proved to Rainbow that she was overreacting. She looked back up at the stallion onstage, and as the crowd quieted, he began to speak.

"Welcome, friends," a warm smile appeared on his face as he addressed his neighbors. "Thank you for coming. We have a lot to discuss."

He raised a hoof in the air as he spoke, articulating his words with a smooth, rich voice and punctuating his points with expressive gestures. "Everypon here knows what it's like to barely get by. We face challenges every day here in the slums that inner city Pons wouldn't know a thing about," he shook his head sorrowfully.

"And the Council,"—he paused as a chorus of boos rang out around the room—"They spend their days up there in that tower, enjoying the luxuries of power while we sit and wither away under their watchful gaze."

"They control the Orb, and they control Pontropolis," he stomped his hoof onto the wooden panels of the stage. "But they can not control us."

Cheers erupted in the audience, hooves pelting against concrete as the Pons displayed their enthusiasm for his words. He nodded slowly, showing his appreciation for their support before continuing, "I could stand up here and preach forever, but fancy words and false promises will get us nowhere. We've all seen that firsthoof, haven't we?"

Laughter filtered through the air, and Rainbow Dash looked around in confusion, clearly not in on the joke. She wondered what kind of meeting this was as the speaker carried on, going into greater detail on the hardships they had faced as a community. The gathering listened with bated breath, enraptured by the silky words of the Pon onstage. Dash tried to catch Avina's eye, but she was just as transfixed with him as everypony else.

When she tuned back into the speech, the speaker was wrapping up what seemed to be a rundown on whatever issues had plagued them as of late. "Now, I see a few new faces in the crowd," he said kindly. "So, for those of you who are unfamiliar with our group, stick around and hear our tale." He turned towards the wall Avina and Rainbow were pressed up against and said, "But not from me."

Suddenly, Avina detached herself from her spot beside the pegasus and made her way up to the stage. Rainbow watched in confusion, then shock, as she climbed the two steps up the platform and stood beside the charismatic Pon.

As the crowd settled, she began her story.

"Some of you may know me. I've been a part of the resistance for a little over two years now, and I've devoted myself to the cause," she said, pushing her hood back over her shoulders and revealing her face.

Rainbow observed several affirmative nods from the Pons in the crowd, as many of them seemed to recognize her. This left her even more at a loss for words, and she could do nothing but watch and listen in silence as Avina continued.

"Our group is dedicated to helping everypon the Council has turned their backs on," she said sympathetically. "We were formed when Mardeen became Head Councilpon"—more boos—"and we strive to bring an end to their corrupt rule. They spin webs of lies, turning us against a common enemy: ponies. But we all know who the true enemy is."

"The Council must pay for their injustices." Avina raised a hoof into the air, the set of her jaw rigid and her eyes narrowed resolutely. "Pontropolis does not belong to the Council. The Orb does not belong to the Council. The power belongs to the Pons!"

A deafening roar exploded throughout the room, the enthusiastic shouts and clop of hooves creating a cacophony of noise that threatened to bring the roof down upon them.

Dash lost her balance as she was jostled from side to side, flanks bumping into flanks as the crowd's fervent cheering spread to their moving limbs. She pulled her cloak snugly against her body to prevent anypony from stepping on it as she watched Avina retreat from the stage and allow her friend back into the spotlight.

"You heard her, folks," he chuckled, giving her an approving nod of his head before turning back to the crowd with a sobering look. "Change is possible. It may not seem like it now, but it's coming. It starts with you, with me, with us. If we work together to achieve our goals, we can make them a reality."

"Nopon will be able to stop us from ridding Pontropolis of tyrants and placing our lives back in our own hooves," a melancholy smile flashed across his face. "Thank you all for coming."

The Pons applauded once more, and the speaker went on to list several different ways they could help the resistance, from distributing supplies to volunteering to scout happenings in the inner city.

Rainbow was having a hard time processing all of the information she'd gathered. There was much more to this city than she had given it credit for. A resistance? An oppressive government? An ORB? What in Equestria is going on here?

The gears in her mind began turning. Could it be possible that this was the reason she was here? Had the Cutie Map used some sort of unorthodox method to send her to Pontropolis in order to solve a friendship problem? If that were the case, why wasn't her cutie mark glowing? And why did it send her alone? She knew she was awesome, but surely an issue on this scale needed more than just her alone in order to be resolved.

She blinked incredulously as Avina appeared out of thin air beside her, clearly too deep in her thoughts to realize her swift approach. Before she could ask one of the many questions swimming around in her head, the Pon tilted her head back, motioning for her to follow. "Come on. There's somepon you need to meet."

"Fine," she replied, stepping sideways as the other attendees trickled past and towards the exit. "But you've got a lotta questions to answer after this."

A slight turn of her head back in Rainbow's direction was the only indication that she'd heard her. She led her over to the side of the stage, where the Pon that had captivated the audience with his speech stood waiting. He looked up and smiled as they joined him, and Dash couldn't help but frown as she took him in up close.

He would probably be considered handsome for a Pon, and the bright white star above his eyes that contrasted with his blue coat was his most noticeable feature. His teeth were that same ivory color, inviting her in with a hospitable grin.

His tail flicked across the concrete floor as he took a step forward and reached out to shake her hoof. "I'm Xavir. It's a pleasure."

"Dash," she offered. "Rainbow Dash."

"Avina's told me all about you."

"Oh, yeah?" Dash narrowed her eyes in the mare's direction, and she cast her gaze downwards. "Interesting."

"Please," He gestured towards a door behind the platform that she had yet to notice. "Let us talk in private."

Rainbow reared her head back in alarm and retreated a step. "Umm, no offense, but this seems kinda sketchy. Like, yeah, sure! Let me follow you into a dark room in the back of the soon-to-be-empty basement." She squinted her eyes shut and tilted her nose up smugly. "Well, I'm not falling for it! Stranger danger 'n all."

They looked at her as if she had sprouted a second rainbow-maned head. "Uh, Rainbow?"

"Mhm?" She opened one eye to look at Avina.

"I'm basically a stranger, but you followed me down here."

"Well-"

"In fact, this isn't the first time you've followed me down an alley and into a dark basement." She let out a dry chuckle. "I think it's a little too late for 'stranger danger,' don't you?"

Rainbow bit the inside of her cheek, trying to come up with some sort of retort, but she had nothing. Begrudgingly, she followed the two of them out of the assembly and through a doorway into a side room. There was a couch and a few pillows laid out across the floor, but it was otherwise bare.

The two of them settled on the sofa while Dash took a seat on a cushion that was coincidentally the closest to the exit, sneaking a few glances back at the door that had been shut behind them as they entered.

"I must say, it's actually my first time meeting a pony," Xavir gave her an inquisitive look, placing his hoof to his chin in thought. "Usually, Avina handles those matters."

"Yeah, I know, I'm pretty cool," Rainbow flashed him a toothy grin, removing the hood of her cloak and allowing him to bask in the glory of her visage. "You can have my autograph if you want."

He chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Rainbow Dash, why don't you tell him your story?" Avina cut in with a tight smile.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded.

"Alright," Rainbow settled back onto her pillow. "Long ago, back when I was just a filly, I-"

Avina let out an exasperated scoff, and the pegasus laughed in that raspy voice of hers. "Okay, okay, sorry, I had to."

Dash recounted the events of the past few days to Xavir, who listened raptly, his attention focused solely on the pony as she described what she'd experienced. She explained how she had no idea how she'd arrived in Pontropolis, and how she'd been taken into custody upon entering and brought before the Council. She included the details of how they'd spoken to her, how they'd preached about the evils of ponykind.

Xavir's eyes widened as she went on, telling him of Avina's appearance and their grand escape, the time she'd spent hidden in Orwin's basement, and up until the moment she'd arrived there. He stayed quiet until she'd finished speaking.

"Sounds like you've been through quite the ordeal," he shook his head sadly. "Unfortunately, this is common for ponies that arrive here unwillingly. The Council's indifference towards those in need of assistance, regardless of their status, is despicable. I hope our meeting today has helped you to see that we aren't all like that."

She nodded her head in agreement and replied, "For sure. You kind of lost me with the whole 'Orb' thing, and I might have missed a few details when you were talking about the state of the city, but I think I got the gist of it."

Avina smacked her face with her hoof, running it down the side of her cheek in a display of annoyance at the pony's careless response. "Wonderful," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm so glad we risked everything for you to see this. It really paid off."

"Always such a sourpuss," Dash uttered, reclining back on her cushion lazily. "I said I got it, right? The Council has gone mad with power and everypony's suffering because of it. On top of that, they've targeted us ponies as the cause of all their issues, which is why they were such jerks to me." She propelled herself off of the pillow and stood, stretching her legs. "Well, I won't be anypony's scapegoat. Scapepony. Whatever. The question is, what's being done about it?"

Avina and Xavir turned towards each other simultaneously, identical looks of surprise lighting their faces.

"What?" Rainbow raised a hoof up to her mouth, failing to suppress a yawn. "I told you I was listening. Honestly, I think I've dealt with worse back home."

Xavir cleared his throat, leaning forward. "Yes, well, there's plenty to do. The resistance has been running operations for almost three years now, and we've made a lot of progress in bringing life back to the slums. Through our charities and volunteer work, we've seen homes restored, food supplies replenished, and employment rates increased. It's been a slow process, but we've taken great strides for such a small organization, and we are still growing."

"Well, that's lame." The blue mare snorted.

"Dash!" Avina hissed, scowling in her direction.

"What? It is!" She jabbed her hooves into the air enthusiastically. "I say we beat 'em up!"

"Alright, that's enough," She shot off the couch and bowed her head to the resistance leader. "I'm sorry, Xavir. We should be heading back. I appreciate you sparing the time for us."

"Of course," he smiled, getting up as well. "I'll speak to you soon."

Rainbow drew her attention away from the imaginary enemy she'd been fighting and turned to look at her friend. "Oh, are we leaving already?"

Avina rolled her eyes and strode out of the room, barely allowing time for the pegasus to say her goodbyes and chase after her. They departed the basement that had since been deserted and found themselves back on the city streets, making their way down the sidewalk and back toward Orwin's shop.

"So..." Rainbow Dash whistled as they cantered down the rundown streets of outer Pontropolis, careful to step over the cracks in the cement budding with sprouts of weeds.

"So..." Avina repeated. She'd stormed out of the meeting with Xavir in a tizzy, but the stroll outside into the fresh air seemed to calm her down.

"That was... fun," Rainbow offered, grasping for words. "I guess I could sense there was something weird going on here, what with everything I've seen so far. But I didn't expect you to be such a big part of it."

"Why not?" She could have sworn she'd seen the beginnings of a smile tugging at the corner of the Pon's lips, so she chose her next words carefully.

"Oh, um... no reason." A bit of awkward laughter tumbled from her lips. "Guess I just don't know you that well."

A beat of silence followed, the air between them quiet, yet calm for once. The tension that had hung around the two of them had finally gone dormant, and Rainbow turned to meet her gaze as she asked, "Can I ask how you joined the, uh... revolution?"

"The resistance," Avina corrected. Her words didn't contain as much bite as usual, and Rainbow took it as a small victory. "And, well..."

"It's a long story." The pegasus raised an eyebrow dubiously.

"Ha ha, very funny. It is, though," she said with a sigh.

"Uh-huh."

"Shut up." Avina shot her a glare, but within her eyes was just the tiniest ounce of mirth. "Ahem. A long time ago, when I was a filly,"—Rainbow bit her lip, trying to hold back the guffaw that threatened to burst forth—"Ugh, that wasn't intentional. Quit looking at me like that."

Rainbow pursed her lips but stayed quiet, urging her to carry on.

"As I was saying... a long time ago, things didn't use to be this bad. We've always had a Council, but our Councilpons back in the day were nothing like the ones now. I won't bore you with a history lesson, but let's just say Pontropolis was not founded on the ideals of the current oligarchy." Dash blinked, trying her best to absorb her big words. "Anyway, things didn't change all at once. Just like Xavir said, it's slow. Sometimes unnoticeable. Until all of a sudden, it slaps you in the face, and you don't even recognize the Pons around you.

"My father worked for the Council. He was never elected as a member, though, as much as he wanted to be. He was an advisor, back when they still had those. There were a few obstinate Pons on the board that had some pretty backward views, but it was nothing they couldn't manage. When Mardeen became Head Councilpon, things turned sour." Avina's ears went flat against her head, her eyes swimming as the memories came flooding back to her. "She was fine at first. She'd started with the littlest things—small adjustments to the court system that slipped right under the advisors' noses. Until one day, there weren't any more advisors. She'd abolished them, along with the help of the two new Pons she'd managed to get onto the Council to help carry out her will—Damon and Lughis."

Rainbow Dash recognized those names. She wouldn't forget the face of Damon, the Councilpon that had talked down to her as if she were nothing but a weed beneath his hoof and had gone the extra mile to step on it, crushing it into the ground. Lughis hadn't been present at her hearing, but she could easily guess he was just as vile as his colleague.

"After that, it was the ponies. We'd seen several of them over the years, and we always showed them hospitality, as they were nothing but friendly to us. However, she twisted their stories, turning their words against them as they found themselves trapped here with no means to escape. They became a target. With Pontropolis focused on the threat of the ponies, the Council could get away with so much more. I don't even know if there's anypon that's kept track of all the laws they've enacted," Avina said dryly, shaking her head. "Of course, I was young when all of this started. I was only a few moons old when my father..."

Her hoof went up to her mouth as she coughed, blinking furiously. "He was an avid supporter of ponies' rights, and he was very vocal in his opposition to the council. So... they banished him."

"They WHAT?!" Rainbow turned to her friend with wide eyes, her heart clenching at the unfamiliar look of anguish on her face.

"He became an outcast. Shunned and sent outside of the walls to wander Reptarus with no hopes of returning home. They made an example out of him. After that, his followers became quiet, and the ways of the past were forgotten. Pons became blind to the suffering of those around them, and their tunnel vision led us to where we are now." She gestured to the battered, dilapidated buildings that were hardly suitable to look at, let alone live in, and the cracked, unusable roads and lonely sidewalks.

'The slums', Xavir had called it; this neighborhood that Rainbow couldn't believe inhabited the same city as the lavish communities that existed just a few blocks away. Her mind wandered to the young foal she had handed food to; the Pons squabbling over junk in the park; the same individuals that stood in that basement, cramped and sweating, as they listened to the words of somepony who could bring about the change they so desperately longed for. Despite their seemingly hopeless present, they found comfort in the belief of a brighter future.

Dash glanced over at her friend, her brow set as a new determination filled her, welling up in her heart and extending all the way to the tips of her wings. She nodded to Avina, willing her to go on.

"And, well... the rest is history. My mom and I barely survived out here without the support of my dad, and she would always tell me his stories when I missed him. It was lonely, but we had each other. When she—" she swiped a hoof at her cheek so fast even Rainbow almost failed to notice. "When she passed a few years ago, I had to take care of myself for a while, and... it was rough. Eventually, I met Orwin, and he took me under his wing."

"His mechanical wing?"

"Are you always this desperate to get a cheap joke in?" She chastised her, but her heart clearly wasn't in it.

"Yup. It's how I roll." Rainbow stuck her tongue out at the mare.

"Well, roll somewhere else. I'm not done," she bumped her flank into the pony's teasingly as they walked. "From then, it's simple. Orwin introduced me to Xavir, and I joined the resistance."

"Hm," Rainbow tapped a hoof to her chin philosophically. "So, how'd you end up on jailbreak duty?"

Avina shot her a challenging smirk. "I wouldn't trust anypon else with the job. You know what they call me?"

"What?"

"Silenthooves."

"BAHAHAHA!!" Rainbow pressed a hoof to her chest, howling with laughter at the ridiculous nickname. Even Avina let out a faint giggle, bolstered by the pony's asinine reaction. "You can't be serious!"

"Oh, I am," she said with a smirk before her expression soured into panic.

Rainbow's eyes shot to where the Pon had been looking. On the surface, she didn't see anything amiss. They'd already arrived back at Orwin's shop without any incident. However, as they inched closer, she noticed the trampled bushes lining the sidewalk, bits of scrap sprinkling the pavement as if they'd been thrown out of a window haphazardly. Something was off.

Their eyes met for a moment before they bolted, simultaneously breaking into a gallop and speeding towards the workshop. Rainbow cursed under her breath as she fought back the urge to spread her wings and zoom through the air faster than she ever would by hoof.

Avina took the lead, swinging the front door open and freezing in place as Rainbow slowed to a stop right behind her. "What is it?" she asked, alarmed.

She stepped aside so the pegasus could get a look at the inside of Orwin's shop, which was by no means in the same state they'd left it in. The neatly organized shelves of baubles had been smashed, and the merchandise was scattered across the wooden floor carelessly. They cautiously entered together, surveying the damage that had been wreaked and keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of life. There didn't seem to be anypony in the store, which was both a relief and a cause for concern. Whoever had done this was clearly gone, but where was Orwin?

Their questions were answered as the faint sound of a voice floated up from the back of the shop. They slowly made their way over to it, careful not to make any noise themselves, and peered into the backroom.

Orwin was frantic, running through a list in his hoof and analyzing the goods that had remained safe in the storage room. He looked up with wide eyes as they shuffled in, considering him with concern.

"You two," he exclaimed, shooting to his hooves. "You can't be here. It's not safe."

Avina rested a hoof against his shoulder gently. "Wha-"

"The guards came," Orwin cut in, rambling. "They said they were doing maintenance inspections and routine checks. I tried to turn them away, but they weren't having it. It was like they knew."

The maroon mare's eyes narrowed, her emerald irises flashing as a cold, calculating look adorned her features. "We have a rat."

Rainbow unfurled her wings in an attempt to fly upwards but was quickly met with the resistance of the cloth cloak. Instead, she leaped onto a nearby stool. "What?! Where?"

The expressions on their faces were enough for Rainbow to realize her mistake, and she rubbed a hoof against her cheek bashfully as they became tinted with pink. "Oh," she rasped. "That kind of rat."

Avina shook her head, pinning her focus back on the older stallion. "I'll take her to my place."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Orwin's bushy brows ruffled as he looked down at the Pon that had grown to be like a daughter to him. "If they knew she was here, they probably-"

"Well, we don't have a lot of options, do we?" Avina snapped, taking in a deep breath of air and letting it out slowly. "Sorry. It's just—it'll be temporary. Until we figure something else out."

His gaze wavered, shifting from worry to something more composed. Trust. "If you're sure that's the best thing to do, then I won't doubt you. Just... promise me you'll be careful. After all this," he prodded a hoof into a nearby pillow that had been ripped, the cotton fluff spilling out in a clumped mess of white. "I don't think I'll be able to help without raising any suspicion."

"We were lucky Dash wasn't here when they came," he added with a grave look in the pony's direction.

Rainbow gulped, considering his words. If the Council Guards had searched the place while she was still holed up in the basement, things could have ended very badly. She would have been captured again, forced into that stuffy room in that even stuffier corporate building with nothing but nasty ooze to eat. Oh, and she would've been put on trial before the Council, which, as she'd recently learned, was something she did NOT want to mess with. Even worse, Orwin and Avina would have been taken into custody alongside her, and all that they'd done for her—for the resistance—would've been flushed down the drain.

Avina gave an affirmative nod before turning to Rainbow Dash. "Go get whatever you have in the basement. We need to leave. Now."

Although Dash wasn't particularly fond of taking orders, she knew that at that moment, their safety was the first priority. And they were anything but safe there.

When she'd finished gathering her minuscule collection of belongings, she met the two of them back upstairs, where the handypon had begun cleaning up and repairing his shop. They said their goodbyes, and Rainbow promised him that she would see him again before she left. Although her words had not been a lie, he didn't have to know that her promise was not one of Pinkie proportions. After all, how could she make such a promise when she had no clue what the imminent future had in store for her?

Avina's home was a quaint shack that, although not entirely in awful shape, had an exterior that matched that of its neighbors. Rainbow spotted a hole in the wooden roofing and a bit of rusted siding as they crossed the rocky path up to the front door, but she kept her observations to herself.

To her relief, the house's interior was in much better shape. They walked into a large, open space that contained both the living room and the kitchen, and towards the back was a hallway that stretched several feet, containing a few doors that presumably led to bedrooms. Although her assortment of furniture was meager, the items she did own were neat and matched one another, creating a modest living space where they would be able to cohabit.

Rainbow Dash made herself comfortable on the sofa, setting her things down next to it and resting her legs on a low-hanging coffee table. "Nice pad," she grinned.

"Honestly," Avina grumbled, trotting over to pick up the things she'd abandoned on the floor. "You're going to leave this place a pigsty."

"Hey!" Dash exclaimed, not budging from the indent that had begun to form in the cushion beneath her. "That's mean to pigs." Her hostess paid her no mind, leaving Rainbow to her own devices in the living room as she disappeared down the hall.

They spent the next few hours getting Rainbow Dash situated, and Avina's first action upon allowing her into her home was to lay down some ground rules. She'd made it clear that she had little patience for the pony's antics, and she wouldn't have her flying recklessly around the house and disturbing the one place that served as her sanctuary.

Dash agreed to abide by her wishes so long as she could claim the cushy sofa in the living room as her own; it had grown on her after all. She'd been relaxing on said couch when Avina emerged from her room and made her way to the kitchen.

Rainbow popped an eye open, sitting up and stretching her legs out with a yawn. Nothing like a good nap to clear her head. Since she'd arrived at Pontropolis, it had been one thing after the other, and even for a pony used to going on all sorts of adventures, it got tiring.

She waved a hoof in greeting to Avina and, finally devoid of a constrictive hooded garment, launched herself up with her wings and over the backside of the couch. The Pon gave her a disapproving frown as she flew over to join her in the kitchen.

"Thanks for letting me crash here," Rainbow started, propping her hooves up on the counter. "Orwin's basement was sooo stuffy. I thought I was gonna die until I snuck-" She put her hoof in her mouth—literally—as she nearly blew her cover. Orwin had allowed her to get away with it, but she blanched at the thought of how the mare would react to that little scheme she'd pulled the other day.

Avina raised an eyebrow at her as she poured herself a glass of water. "What was that?"

"Nothing!" The pegasus blurted with a nervous chuckle. "I just... how long am I gonna have to keep sneaking around?"

"Uhm..." For the first time since she'd met her, Avina seemed to be at a loss for words. After a moment, she offered, "Indefinitely?"

Rainbow rested her chin on the flat of her hoof, eyeing her with confusion. "What do you mean, 'indefinitely'? Aren't you supposed to have some sort of plan for this whole thing?"

Avina knit her brows together. "Look, I know this is all new to you, but I've worked really hard to get to where I'm at now. I think I know what I'm doing," she said, evading the question.

"Right," the pony snorted. "So you're telling me you broke me out of there with the assumption that I'd live in Orwin's basement for the rest of my life?"

"No, Rainbow, that's not what I-"

"How long did you expect me to just sit around and do nothing? I mean, seriously, your little resistance group has been around for how long now, and you still haven't made any big moves? Maybe it is a good thing I ended up here after all. Somepony can finally step up and MAKE change happen instead of sitting around and waiting for it to fall into your lap."

A red hoof slammed onto the countertop, sending the two glasses of water shuddering and shaking, falling onto their sides with a clink and spilling liquid across the surface. Neither of them paid the mess any mind.

"You best hold your tongue, pony," Avina seethed. "Remember who got you out of that sticky situation you were in. I've been in this game a lot longer than you have, and this is my city. I know this may seem like some fun little adventure to you, but this is my home—and my war. Don't tell me how to fight it."

"Oh, yeah, sure," Dash had begun to rise into the air, the intense energy of their dispute causing her to unconsciously flap her wings as a rage built up within her. "You're such an angel for helping me in my time of need. How dare I try to repay the favor by liberating your kind from the iron hoof of a bunch of DICTATORS?!"

Avina reared her head back as the pegasus's voice rose into a shout, her ears flattening and her teeth showing in a grimace. "I don't know who you think you are, acting like you're some hero that can show up and magically fix everything. This isn't an issue that can be settled over a hug and a friendship lesson, featherbrain. You say you'll fight, but you don't seem to understand that we're just a small group of average Pons against an assembly that has had years to prepare for an uprising. Not to mention the Council Guard. They would squash us."

"Before you say anything else," Avina snarled, cutting Rainbow off as she prepared a retort. "Just save it. I need to cool off." With that, she removed herself from the kitchen and stomped out the front door without so much as a glance over her shoulder.

"Fine!" Rainbow called after her. "Run away. See if I care." She descended from where she'd been hovering over the counter, landing on the tiled floor with a squelch. She looked down to see the puddle of water that had accumulated as a result of their spilled glasses. She bucked a hind leg into the sturdy frame of the nearby wall in frustration, letting out an irritated "Urgh!" and blowing steam out her nose.

She paused for a moment before running a hoof through her rainbow mane and heaving a deep sigh. She grabbed a nearby towel and started cleaning up the mess, her head spinning as she mopped up the water and put the glasses away. She channeled her frustration into the task, scrubbing furiously at the floor until she'd calmed down enough to pick herself up and shake it off.

Rainbow Dash was hotheaded. She knew that. Still, it was hard for her to take a step back and realize when she'd made a mistake. Had she pushed Avina too hard? The two of them hadn't known each other for long, and their friendship was tentative at best, but still...

She paced around the room, angry and confused and... worried. Worried that she'd gone too far, that she'd taken advantage of Avina's hospitality and let her ego get the better of her in her false display of bravado. She put on a good show, sure, but the truth was, deep down, she was scared. And when she was scared, she lashed out.

Was it truly up to her to help the resistance with their mission to overthrow the Council? To establish peace and equity for the citizens of Pontropolis?

It was possible.

However, it was also entirely possible that she'd ended up here by mistake; some cruel joke by the universe that ripped her away from everything she knew in a matter of minutes and threw her at the gates of a city that practically had a bounty on her name. And yet, despite these trials, she'd managed to find allies. Pons that had reached a hoof out to help her in her time of need simply because nopony else would.

Swallowing her pride and taming her ego, she made a decision.

Rainbow had lashed out at Avina in a regrettable moment of anger, and she didn't deserve that—not after everything she'd done for her. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed to apologize. If they were going to work together, they needed to trust one another. For the first time ever, Dash had to be the bigger pony and own up to her own feelings.

It was with this in mind that the pegasus trotted over to the front door after hearing the sound of hoofsteps outside. Avina had returned, and she was determined to earn her forgiveness.

However, when she swung the door open, the Pon that stood waiting on the other side was not Avina.

Rainbow Dash's hooves twitched in her sleep.

It was something Applejack had gotten used to seeing during their visits to the hospital, stationed alone in that room with nopony but Dash and her obnoxious unconscious movements.

It was agonizing, watching her fuss and roll about in bed as if she were actually awake when she knew darn well that she was anything but. The better part of a week had already passed since that fateful accident, and as the days dragged on, Rainbow's friends only grew more and more concerned.

Twilight had devoted herself to searching for a spell that could wake her up, locking herself up inside her castle and throwing herself into her studies. The others had agreed to take turns staying with Dash, coming in shifts to sit by her bed in the hopes that she would wake up with somepony familiar by her side. However, as the clock continued to tick, their spirits began to dwindle, and for the first time, they wondered whether or not she would even wake at all.

A gentle hoof on Applejack's shoulder snapped her out of her thoughts, and she turned to see Rarity giving her a comforting smile. She tried to mirror her expression, but the result was more of a grimace. Words weren't necessary to convey the worry they both felt for their friend.

The two of them had brought the Cutie Mark Crusaders in to visit that evening, and it was with heavy hearts that they watched the three of them huddled around the bed, murmuring to each other and trying to soothe the orange pegasus.

Scootaloo had just finished relaying the events of her day and reached into the satchel strapped around her back, pulling out a copy of Rainbow Dash's favorite Daring Do novel. She flipped it open and began from the beginning, reading the book aloud to the patient. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom settled in beside their friend and rested their heads against the side of the mattress as they listened to her narration.

Applejack couldn't help but wonder what the blue mare was dreaming about, twitching and rolling and contorting her face like that. She hoped she wasn't in the throes of a nightmare and silently sent a prayer to Princess Luna that she would look over her if that were the case.

Dash, wherever you are, you need to hurry back soon, she thought as her gaze flicked from her friend to the filly beside her. Ya hear me? Don't keep Scoot waitin'.

Rainbow, of course, couldn't hear her.

"Wait-"

Rainbow Dash slammed the door in the guard's face, stumbling backward in a panic as the Pon in a silver uniform attempted to enter the house. She spun around wildly, searching for anything she could use to defend herself. If they got another one of those deficiency rings on her, it was game over.

She rushed down the hall and into Avina's room, hoping the breach of privacy would be forgiven, considering the circumstances. She scanned her eyes over her bed, a dresser, the far wall—bingo.

Resting on a table opposite the foot of the bed was that same device Rainbow had seen Avina use on the night she rescued her. She flew towards it and clutched it between her teeth, trying to figure out how the Pon had prompted it to produce a blade. As she whirled back into the hall, she gasped, fluttering her wings in a backdraft and coming to a halt.

The Council Guard stood in the living room, a breeze blowing in through the open window beside the front door. Shoot.

His eyes landed on her, and he raised a hoof placatingly. "Wait," he pleaded, taking a step back when he noticed the weapon in her grasp. "Please. I have a message for you." He pulled a piece of paper out of the pocket of his uniform and offered it to her. "Your location has been compromised. Go to this address."

When she made no move to take it, he placed it on the table without letting her out of sight. She maintained her position, watching him cautiously with the metal tool still clutched between her teeth. Slowly, the Pon began backing up towards the door. "I can't be seen here," he told her with a sympathetic nod of his head. And with that, he was gone.

The blade tumbled out of Rainbow's grip and clattered onto the ground. She hurried to the window and shut it, securing the locks on both it and the door. She trotted over to the table and laid her eyes on the note, which did, in fact, contain an address. Before she could study it any closer, another knock sounded from the front door.

Seriously? The mare dropped to the floor, crawling over to the front window to peek out at the front of the building. A red Pon with familiar emerald eyes stood on the doorstep. She let out a sigh of relief upon recognizing Avina, but the look on her face told her she was still angry.

She hurried over to the entrance, unlocked the door, and swung it open, ushering her in. Before Avina could greet her, the events of just then came tumbling out of her mouth. "A guard was here. He had a message for us. I think he was a good guy? I dunno, it was kind of weird-"

Avina cut her a sharp look. "What message?" She asked, suddenly alert.

Rainbow guided her to the table beside the couch, where the message lay open. She peered over it, squinting at the words scribbled onto the parchment. "This address... it's in center city." She gave the pony a questioning look.

She met her gaze with a determined set of her brow. "We need to leave. Now."

Rainbow Dash reiterated their unwanted visitor's words as the two of them gathered their things, preparing for the second time that day to drop everything and move locations. Through the chaos, neither of them had the chance to discuss their earlier discourse, though it hung over them like a storm cloud, the mounting pressure casting a shadow over the both of them. Dash wished she could fly up and dispel those clouds like she so often did back in Ponyville, clearing the skies and, by extension, the tension between them. However, they had much more pressing matters at hoof.

Dash employed her cloak as usual, disguising herself as they traveled through the streets of Pontropolis and further into the city. Their journey was quick and silent, trying to stay under the radar as much as possible. The address they arrived at was an abandoned storefront, the doors and window boarded up and a sign that once displayed its name splintered and dusty.

Avina led her around the side of the building, where they searched for some sort of alternative entrance. Breaking into private property in broad daylight was a surefire way of getting them caught. Luckily, they discovered a side door that opened into the back of the shop, which turned out to be an old boutique.

There were several boxes and old mannequins scattered around the warehouse, as well as a few visible garments left on the floor. A thin layer of dust coated just about every surface of the room, causing them to sneeze almost immediately upon entering.

It was dark and stuffy in the shop, but it was safe. Hopefully.

They set their things down and investigated the building, lighting the dim lanterns they'd brought and searching every corner to ensure that it was truly a safe house. Although Avina had initially pushed back against the idea of blindly following the strange message and going to this mysterious address, it had become clear that they were running out of options. Where else could they go? If one guard knew where they were, regardless of his affiliation, who else did?

They just needed to be cautious.

While scouting the front of the shop, Rainbow happened upon an area devoid of dirt. Upon a dust-free counter was a piece of paper similar to the one she had received only an hour earlier. She furrowed her brows inquisitively as she picked up the letter and read it aloud for Avina to hear:

Rainbow Dash,

I'm putting a lot on the line by doing this, but I couldn't stand to see another pony hurt while I stood by and did nothing. I assume by now you've made contact with the resistance. Know that everything they tell you is the truth.

However, there is more to the Council than even they know of. The atrocities Head Councilpon Mardeen has committed and enabled in the others... I cannot speak of it. You must see it for yourself. I have been silent for too long, and I write to you now because I believe that change is possible, and I saw a fire within you that could be just the spark we need to ignite a revolution.

The approaching Blood Moon Celebration will be our one opportunity to take a stand and end their tyranny once and for all. When the Orb is in its fullest state of power, the others cannot harness its energy and are vulnerable for a time. This is why they hold a festival and turn everypon's eyes upward, so they will not see the fragility of their rulers. It is then that you must strike.

It will not be easy to gain access to the Council building, so I will see to it that you are assisted. You must venture to the top floors of the tower. Within, you will find all that is needed to win over the Pons and turn them against the Council once and for all. On this matter, I ask that you trust me.

I wish you the best of luck.

—Councilpon Dahlia

"Whoa, how'd she know my name?"

"That's what you gleaned from this?" Avina eyed her incredulously before rereading the words herself. "I can't believe this." She glared at the letter so intensely that Rainbow thought it might burst into flames right then and there.

"What does it mean? Who's Dahlia? What's the Blood Moon Celebration?" The questions spilled from her one by one as she frowned down at the note.

"She's one of the Councilpons," Avina explained, looking around the boutique with new clarity. "She's well known for her hats, so I suppose this location adds up."

Dash's eyes widened at this, recalling the fashionable yet quiet mare that had been present for her Council meeting, her face hidden under a gaudy sunhat.

"As for the celebration... the true power of the Orb is displayed during the blood moon." Upon seeing her confused expression, she added, "I'm sure you saw it hovering above the Council building? It is the sun, the moon, and the pinnacle of our society. A symbol, if you will. The Blood Moon Celebration originally honored the Orb for everything it's given us, but the Council is now part of the festivities as well.

"When the Council was formed, they were able to harness the power of the Orb and use it to maintain a stable environment for the city to flourish in, as well as to establish themselves as the leaders of Pontropolis. Of course, that was back when they actually cared about their citizens," she scoffed, "Now they just enjoy being put on a pedestal and showered in adoration."

"Wow," Dash breathed. "That's a lot to take in." She turned her head to survey their surroundings once more. "Do you think it's safe to stay here?"

Avina set a hoof to her muzzle, her brows pinching together in thought. "I... don't know. Dahlia has been on the council for a while, so I find it hard to believe that she wouldn't be under the influence of Mardeen. But if we take her words at face value, then this isn't something we can choose to ignore."

"So... you really think she's on our side?" Dash wondered aloud, realizing it was the first time she'd referred to the resistance and herself collectively.

"At this point," Avina said with a sigh, "It's our best hope. The celebration is next week. If we don't believe her and take this opportunity, who knows when we'll get another chance?"

She nodded her head in agreement, stepping away from the table to peek out the cracks of the boarded-up windows. Pons cantered up and down the neatly paved sidewalks dressed in sleek jumpsuits and colorful metal carts zoomed up and down the roads. She cast her gaze upwards to see a select few soaring through the skies with mechanical wings strapped to their backs, not unlike those she had seen in Orwin's workshop.

It made her sick.

She turned back towards Avina, the disparities between the inner city and the slums fresh on her mind as she set her jaw and asked, "What's the plan?"

Part 3: The Blood Moon

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It took a while for Rainbow Dash and Avina to acclimate to their new environment, but once they got past the initial uneasiness of their foreign surroundings, they grew fond of the boutique's many assets. For one, the shop was situated in the midst of the busiest strip in downtown Pontropolis, meaning they had a prime view of anything that might be of note. This also meant they could slip out of the building and onto the consistently populated sidewalks with ease, blending in with the dense crowd of Pons while running little to no risk of discovery.

That being said, Dash would have been lying if she said hunkering down in an old clothing store was anything other than dull. She, of course, had to stay hidden within the confines of its walls while Avina snuck out to gather whatever supplies they may need over the next few days, leaving the pegasus to find some way to stave off her boredom for the time being.

She scoured every corner of the shop, passing the time by searching through dusty boxes of apparel and laughing at ridiculous fashions that clearly belonged in storage. There were fluffy wool coats of every color in her mane, tight boots that stretched all the way up the length of her legs, and her personal favorite: an ostentatious bejeweled satin dress that fanned out over the hindquarters, yards of fabric dragging along the ground in a train from behind. Pontropolis had clearly gone through a number of questionable fashion trends, and sifting through the hodgepodge of absurd materials left Rainbow with something to do besides twiddling her hooves.

When she wasn't goofing off or napping, she and Avina discussed their plans for the upcoming Blood Moon Celebration. The Pon described in detail the layouts of the celebration, explaining the parades and festivities that would occur, as well as when they would have the best chances of slipping into the Council building.

The message they had received from Dahlia was cryptic at best, so several variables of their mission were left up in the air, and they could only speculate on what they would find that was worth staking their freedom on. Still, they could only hope that whoever the Councilpon sent to aid their coup would be able to fill in the blanks.

The two of them still harbored some doubts about Dahlia and her messenger, but this event could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to uncover the Council's secrets and expose their true nature. Thankfully, they wouldn't be going alone.

Avina was able to get a message to Xavir, who in turn filled Orwin in on the situation and agreed to join their quest. They would meet them at the boutique on the day of the celebration, and from there, they would carry out their strike on the Council.

That is, if everything went according to plan. Avina seemed to think it wouldn't. She paced around the shop at all hours of the night, restless with worry and anticipation. Rainbow woke occasionally to the tapping of her hooves against the wooden floorboards, and the Pon's anxiety was contagious, cursing the pegasus with many fitful nights of sleep.

On the day before the blood moon, the tension was stronger than ever. The air in the boutique was thick enough to cut with a knife, and Dash could tell that Avina was a bundle of nerves. In an attempt to help her unwind, she struck up a conversation with her. "So... big day tomorrow, huh?"

Avina ignored her, continuing the routine she had established of checking through their list of supplies and rereading Dahlia's letter, searching for some sort of hidden message she had yet to uncover.

Rainbow blew a puff of air out, rustling her mane and moving it out of her eyes. When she got no response, she flew over to the mare and tapped her lightly on her side so as not to startle her. "Hey, you know it's not the end of the world, right?"

Avina froze, the list dropping from her hoof as she slowly turned to face the pony. Her eye twitched slightly as she whispered, "Not the end of the world?"

Uh oh.

If she were a bundle of nerves before, she was now an explosion of panic, burying her face in her hooves and plopping onto the ground. She took deep breaths, attempting to calm herself as she uncovered her muzzle and reached behind to hold her tail in her lap. She squeezed it tightly as if the motion brought her comfort, saying, "You don't get it."

Rainbow Dash kept quiet as she sat beside her, attempting to read the Pon's body language and understand what she needed. She wouldn't consider herself an expert at consoling others, but she could tell when a friend was in distress.

"Everything in my life has led up to this moment," Avina explained, casting her eyes downward. "If tomorrow doesn't... if something happens..." She exhaled, fidgeting with the tail in her grip. "It'll be over. All will be lost."

Dash pondered her words for a moment before reaching a hoof over and placing it on her webbed one soothingly. "I know this probably isn't what you want to hear, but you're right. I'm not one to mince words," she confessed. "But that doesn't mean things will go badly. If we can hold onto the belief that everything will work out, then it probably will."

Her friend gave her a skeptical look. "I'm serious," she insisted, pulling her hoof back to rest her chin on it. "Y'know, back home, my friends and I went on a lot of crazy adventures. Like, I-almost-died-a-bunch-of-times adventures."

Avina cocked an eyebrow at her but stayed silent, permitting her to continue.

"Heh. Yeah, we did all kinds of stuff." Dash's excitement began to drain away as she recalled the memories. A glance at the Pon beside her reminded her where she was. She needed to stay in the moment.

"'Course, I was never scared," she boasted, leaning backward smugly. "Because I knew I had my friends by my side. We were together, so we got through it. Just like now."

She caught Avina's eye and told her, "You aren't alone in this—you have friends you can rely on." Her tone turned serious. "They can't be there for you if you don't let them. Trust me."

The red mare frowned at this, but the emotion swirling in her eyes signified that Dash's words had gotten through to her. "I suppose you're right," she relented, letting out a sigh and freeing her tail from her grasp.

They sat for a moment in comfortable silence before Avina spoke up once more. "Your friends," she murmured, "what are they like?"

Although the question sent a pang through her chest, Rainbow Dash answered her, describing each of the ponies that had grown to be more of a family to her than anything. She shared anecdotes from her time in Equestria, narrating their exploits and embellishing her own heroic actions. Avina chastised her for this last bit, catching onto her quickly as she listened to her tales.

As the night wore on, the two of them gathered their cushions together and huddled around the light of the lamp as Dash continued her stories, allowing them to wind down and, for the first time in days, enjoy a full night of rest.

Rainbow Dash woke to an eruption of sound accompanied by a shockwave that shuddered through the floor she slept on, tingling up through her legs and jolting her out of bed. She shot up and looked around wildly, trying to gather her bearings and pinpoint the source of the noise.

Flashes of light filtered in through the cracks in the windows; reds and greens and blues, one after the other, as shouts rang out from the streets. Rainbow dashed over to the entrance, peeking through the slits of wood to get a view of whatever was going on outside.

Dozens of Pons lined the streets, marching in unison toward the center of town in a grand parade. They wore extravagant costumes of red and orange; the mares in long, flowy gowns and the stallions clad in jumpsuits with puffy sleeves, all paired with ornate matching headdresses. A few floats made up the centerpiece of the procession, huge decorated carts that boasted moon-themed designs and banners supporting the Council.

As Dash stepped back from the window, she noticed that Avina was just beginning to rouse. She slept through all of that? She thought incredulously, unsure whether to be concerned or impressed.

The Pon sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she glanced over at Rainbow. "Sounds like the festivities have started."

"You could say that," she snorted. "Thought somepony had pulled off a sonic rainboom or something. Woke me right up."

Avina let out a yawn. "That's the blood moon for you. Brings out the crazy in everypon," she said, getting up and organizing the pillows and blankets scattered across the floor. "Which is why it's the perfect cover for our mission."

"Ohh," Rainbow drawled, "I get it. There'll be way too much going on out there for anypony to notice us sneaking into the building."

She nodded in response, shuffling through their packs to find something for breakfast and inviting the pony to eat with her.

The two of them laid low in the boutique for a few hours, listening to the parade outside and sneaking occasional glances at the festival while they waited for the others.

Orwin arrived as the afternoon turned into evening, gathering both of them up in a tight hug and filling them in on everything that they'd missed back in the slums. Xavir appeared shortly after, slightly out of breath but with several packs of extra supplies strewn over his back.

The group of rebels discussed the plans for their heist, Avina taking charge of explaining the details while Rainbow Dash reenacted her strategies, flying into the air and kicking at invisible enemies in a showy display of strength. Mostly, she was just doing it for fun, but she liked to think that her visual examples were helpful for everypony involved.

Eventually, the time for action came when a knock sounded on the side door of the boutique. They braced themselves as Avina opened it, revealing the figure of a guard in uniform—and a familiar one at that.

Dash gawked at the Pon as he made his way inside, giving each of them a curt nod as he took in the boutique in its entirety. His fur was a soft violet, and she could just make out the faint lines of white across his face in the muted glow of the lantern.

She immediately recognized him by his demure stature, pinning him as the young guard that had been chastised for questioning her guilt in court. She blinked a few times as he greeted them, introducing himself as Leor and explaining that he was Dahlia's subordinate and had been tasked with providing them safe passage into the Council headquarters.

Avina stepped forward, placing herself fiercely between him and the others and asking, "How do we know we can trust you?"

Leor gulped, failing to hide the tremor in his voice as he replied, "Dahlia thought you might be hesitant. She asked me to give you this." He turned and reached into the pocket on his jumpsuit, pulling out a piece of paper not unlike the one the first guard had given Rainbow only days ago. He stepped forward slowly as if approaching a startled foal, proffering the parchment on his open hoof for Avina to inspect.

As her gaze settled on the item, Dash thought it must have been the first time she'd seen the Pon so rattled. Not when they'd snuck out of the Council building, been discovered at Orwin's, nor when the guard had appeared on their doorstep. This was different.

A flicker of recognition blazed in her emerald eyes, her nostrils flaring and her ears flattening as she stared at the note before looking back up at Leor questioningly. "How did you...?"

He only frowned as she trailed off, either unable or unwilling to answer the question that hung in the air.

After a moment, she sighed, "Alright. We're with you."

The streets of Pontropolis were packed—more so than Rainbow Dash had initially expected. Hundreds of citizens lined the streets, cheering and shouting as the celebration reached its peak. Darkness had begun to creep in, and the Orb slowly shifted from a blazing sun to the beginnings of a crimson moon, tendrils of red curling outwards and into the sky as the Pons below looked on in awe at its splendor.

Avina insisted that everypony disguise themselves in festival attire—elaborate costumes of reds, oranges, and golds that would allow them to seamlessly blend into the crowds of bystanders. Leor kept his uniform on while Orwin and Xavir wore matching red tunics with glittery gold bow ties, and Avina forced herself into an elegant dress that matched the color of their accessories, its sheer sleeves patterned with intricate, swirling designs of gold.

She noticed Rainbow biting her lip out of the corner of her eye and shot her a warning look. "Don't say a thing."

"I-I didn't," she replied, struggling to hold back the snort of laughter threatening to break loose. The fancy clothes did not suit the rough-and-tumble Pon she'd come to know.

Dash considered herself lucky that the traditional Blood Moon Celebration clothing was too revealing for her to wear, and so she was resigned to donning the hooded cloak that had become her signature look over the course of her stay in the city.

They scurried through the congested city streets, trailing behind Leor at a comfortable distance as they neared the Council building. Nothing could be heard over the cacophony of noise and Rainbow considered it ironic that the public had no knowledge of what was about to occur in the building of a government they held in such high regard. She wondered what they would discover that could prove the Council's guilt without a doubt and allow the city to fall back into the hooves of the Pons.

It won't be long until I find out, I guess, she mused as they climbed the steps to that awful structure, its jagged spikes and foreboding blood-red Orb looming over them from above.

The lobby that was previously brimming with fancily-dressed Pons was now completely devoid of them save for the receptionist stationed at the front desk. She simply nodded at them upon seeing Leor, allowing them passage to the hallways beyond without so much as a questioning glance, returning her attention to the colorful magazine held in her hooves.

Rainbow dreaded what came next, imagining the flights of stairs she had been forced to traverse during her last visit there, but she was pleasantly surprised when Leor veered away from the staircase and led them to a caged metal box.

"Wh-" Before she could utter a word, Avina shook her head, motioning for her to stay silent and follow Leor aboard the contraption.

It creaked under their combined weight and Dash shifted on her hooves nervously as it snapped shut around them before whirring to life and propelling them upwards.

The interior was cramped and stuffy, their flanks pressed up against each other as they gained altitude. Their progress was marked by a glowing number above the door that flickered and increased as they gained floors.

The lot of them held their breath as if the slightest movement could send the whole thing crashing down. After a few minutes, the elevator finally shuttered to a stop on the fiftieth floor and they gave a collective sigh of relief as the doors began to slide open.

However, what waited for them on the other side shot each of them to high alert, attempting to back up into the box before realizing that they had nowhere to run.

An entire squadron of Council guards awaited them in the lobby, scrutinizing their movements as they calculated their next move. A few of them brandished menacing pikes, making a ring around the exit. The others were empty-hoofed, but Dash knew they were nothing to be trifled with.

The two groups simply stared at one another until, as if in sync, the rebels jumped into action. Avina launched a hoof at the nearest guard, connecting with his jaw, while Rainbow Dash shed her cloak and shot into the air, using her advantage of flight to disorient the guards while the others joined in.

They fought back against the army, exchanging blows and evading capture, but they could only hold their ground for so long. They were outnumbered.

A hoof wrapped around Rainbow's hind leg, dragging her down as she beat her wings in an attempt to stay afloat, but one of the guard's staffs slammed into her side, knocking her off balance and sending her tumbling to the ground. She bucked and squirmed, but the combined weight of the guards restraining her was unyielding.

They pressed down on her wings and a click rang out from behind her, that sickeningly familiar bite of cold metal stinging her back and sending a shiver down her spine. She squinted her eyes shut and subconsciously stopped struggling upon recognizing the deficiency ring that had been secured around her middle. It wasn't until the sounds of fighting had diminished that she tore her gaze upward. The others were in a similar position as her, restrained by the squadron of guards and panting heavily from their efforts.

The thump of approaching hooves drew their attention toward the end of the hall, where a lavishly-dressed gray Pon sauntered towards them. As she came into the light, Avina let out a gasp. Her red dress hung over her like flames spilling from a raging fire, licking up her side and flowing past her smoke-colored haunches in an array of chiffon layers. A bright, extravagant headdress adorned her head, fit with cardinal columns that shot upwards in a similar manner to the pillars that topped the building they stood in.

Her sharp teeth flashed in a sneer as her cerulean eyes roved over them, stopping near one of the guards and whispering to him before her attention turned back toward them.

"Well, well, well," she drawled condescendingly. "Looks like somepon decided to stop in for a visit."

Her gaze flashed to Rainbow. "Or should I say... somepony?" A few guards chortled at this.

The imposing mare approached Xavir, motioning for her henchpons to release him. He stood shakily, refusing to make eye contact with anypony in the room as she dropped a small pouch at his hooves. "Thanks for your help, dearest," she told him with a cruel smile. "You can go now."

Xavir had the gall to look ashamed as he bent to pick up the bag of coins, weakly muttering, "I'm sorry."

Dash didn't even have time to process the betrayal as it slapped her across the face. She exchanged horrified glances with Avina and the others, who looked equally shocked by the turn of events.

The extent of his actions began to sink in: the first time she'd met him, when he'd claimed to have heard about her already, followed shortly by the discovery of their location. He must have been informing the Council of their plans from the very beginning.

"You rat!" Rainbow spat, struggling against the grip of the guards as the elevator doors began to close. "How could you?"

The elevator shut and, with one final shudder, carried him down to the stories below without allowing him so much as a chance to respond. Dash's mane fell in her eyes as she writhed, turning to glare at the haughty Pon.

"Send him away for questioning," the stranger said indifferently as Leor was stripped of his badge and detained.

"Wait, please!" The guard's begging faded away as his former peers dragged him down the hallway. "Mardeen!"

She simply huffed, "What a nuisance."

Mardeen... the blue pegasus paled as she connected the dots, finally comprehending the gravity of the situation they'd stumbled into. Xavir must have reported the entirety of their plans to the Head Councilpon herself. In that case, they were royally screwed.

Mardeen looked down at the remaining three intruders with a considering expression.

"Shall I request backup, ma'am?" A guard asked, banging his pike against the carpeted floor.

"No, that won't be necessary," she gave them a wicked, catlike smile and flipped the satin of her festival attire extravagantly. "What can a powerless pony and two street rats hope to accomplish, anyhow?"

Avina growled at this but made no move to contest her restraints.

The victorious Pon's lip curled as she sneered, "Come," before trotting back down the hallway she'd appeared from.

The three of them were hauled to their hooves and prodded down the foyer as they trailed after her, each of them flanked by two guards that allowed no room for escape.

"You know, I'm quite surprised you made it this far," Mardeen said thoughtfully. "You ponies are usually pretty thick in the skull, and those that do escape don't last very long."

"What did you do to them?" Rainbow grit her teeth, nearly trembling at the force of the anger welling up inside her.

The Pon ignored her, turning towards Avina. "And you... did you really think your little 'resistance' would get very far? I mean, seriously, what could a bunch of worthless beggars accomplish?"

Avina seemed to be having a hard time controlling herself as well, the fury in her emerald eyes roiling like a raging storm. Orwin, for his part, seemed to be maintaining his composure, but she could tell by the tight set of his jaw that he was similarly disturbed.

The group was led up another set of stairs, but instead of another hallway, they were met with a set of heavy steel doors. Mardeen let out a content "hmph," shaking her head slightly and loosening a necklace from under her garment: a thick line of string with a golden key attached to the end. She took it in her teeth and plunged it into the keyhole, turning the mechanism with a click and unlocking the door.

What they witnessed inside shook them to their core.

Almost the entire upper floor of the building had been opened up, merging into one enormous room with a gaping ceiling and unfinished flooring and walls. They were escorted in and the metal doors slammed shut behind them with a boom, but Dash hardly even registered the sound as she gazed in horror at the sight before her.

The vast, factory-like space was sectioned off into three zones.

To the right, a large wheel was mounted to the floor. Its wooden spokes extended outwards, acting as handles to the earth ponies that labored in pushing them in an arc. They sweated at the manual labor, and the effort seemed to sap them of their energy.

To the left sat a massive chunk of ore that must have weighed the same as a dozen ponies combined. An array of unicorns were gathered in an arc around the rock, attempting to lift it together with their magic. They strained under the task, drops of magic sparkling from their horns as they struggled with the rock's size.

Towards the back of the room were large metal ducts producing a steady current of air. Several pegasi flew in place against the torrent of wind, their manes flowing behind them as their wings beat furiously against the gusts.

Everypony wore a deficiency ring: the pegasi around their necks, the earth ponies had individual bands clamped on their hooves, and the unicorns had a miniature version of the device clenched around their horns. The devious instruments glowed red as the ponies worked painstakingly at their respective jobs.

In the center of the factory, a large cylindrical glass tube extended from the floor up to the roof, where it reached into the outside air and up to the Orb. It seemed to be alive, surging with azure tendrils of light that writhed against the glass as if begging to be released.

Suddenly, a buzzer sounded. Its jarring pitch startled the workhorses, and as they slowed to a stop, the devices they wore began to power down, the rings' red glow dimming and cutting off their magic. A door opened from the side as several other ponies miserably filed in, taking the place of those that had been working as they shuffled towards the exit on the opposite end of the room. The guards stationed by that door checked each of them individually as they lined up, unhooking the pegasi's rings from around their necks and clamping them shut around their wings before letting them pass. As the last of them were escorted out, the buzzer played once again, and the new shift began their work.

Rainbow Dash, Avina, and Orwin could only gape at the display in stunned silence, struggling to fathom the magnitude of what they were witnessing.

Mardeen let out a bout of malicious laughter as she watched the hope drain from their eyes, reveling in her moment of triumph. "Isn't it lovely? It's quite nice of me to give all these ponies something to do, don't you think?"

Dash didn't bother to hide the disgust on her face as she regained her senses, absorbing what the Pon had said with a furrow of her brow. "What is wrong with you? Why would you do this?" she spat viciously, unable to rein in her wrath at the sight before her.

"You'll never get away with this, Mardeen," Avina chimed in, her voice dangerously low. "You won't be able to keep something like this secret after today. The Pons of Pontropolis have a right to know-"

"QUIET!" Mardeen struck her across the cheek, hard. The mare's knees buckled under the force of the blow, but she stayed upright, showing no sign she'd been hit except for the dark scarlet blossoming across her already red muzzle.

The Head Councilpon cleared her throat, adjusting her headdress atop her head before continuing, "Pontropolis has no need to know of this, pet. Not yet, at least. You see, we've found a way to siphon the magic of the ponies into a tangible form through the use of the deficiency rings," she explained, gesturing towards the cylindrical glass container in the center of the room. "It's transferred into this capsule, allowing us to draw on the power of the Orb and combine their magic within the vessel."

"The Orb's magic?" Avina asked, horrified. "You're draining it?"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic. How do you think we power the city? All those luxuries enjoyed by the upper class—which I assume you wouldn't know anything about—would be impossible without the magic of the ponies. The Orb's power is just an added bonus. Eventually, though, it'll be more than that." There was a manic glee to her as she exclaimed, "We're in the process of creating a way to inherit the magic ourselves. Imagine! Pons with the ability to fly with real wings and perform real magic! We would be unstoppable."

The ponies at work didn't even spare a glance at them as they labored on. Their hollow eyes, flat manes, and ruffled, dull coats reflected their shattered state of mind, draining any hope left in the remaining resistance members. These ponies were completely broken.

A spell of nausea hit Rainbow then, stirring in her gut and prompting her to screw her eyes shut to combat its effects. Her mind spun at this revelation, and the bits and pieces of information she'd gathered during her stay in the city began to click together like pieces of a puzzle: the unfamiliar technology, her capture and treatment as if she were a prisoner, the knowledge she'd gleaned from Avina and the rest of the resistance. "You never meant to give me a fair trial." The words slipped past her lips in a murmur. "I was a target the moment I stepped hoof inside this city. All of us were."

She fixed her stare on Mardeen, the queasiness dissipating as a hot, unbridled fury took hold of her. She ground her hooves into the concrete and thrust herself forward, charging at Mardeen in a burst of rage. She managed to slip past the grip of the sentries flanking her, but before she could reach her, she was intercepted by the sturdy bodies of the guards that had moved to surround the Head Councilpon. She collided with their uniformed chests with a thud before falling backward onto her haunches.

"Tch. You ponies... always so self-righteous. No matter." Mardeen flashed her a wry grin as she glanced over at the lifeless workers. "You'll get to join them soon enough."

Dash let loose a snarl in response, fighting against the guards that had taken her in their grip after her attempted attack.

The silver Pon's humor faded, her contempt for the three of them slipping past her facade as she narrowed her eyes in their direction. "You are traitorous filth. You've done me a great favor by showing up at my doorstep." Her demeanor lightened as she tilted her chin loftily. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a celebration to attend. Ta-ta." With a flashy tilt of her headdress and a flick of her hoof that sent the colorful layers of her satin dress billowing behind her, she took her leave.

Rainbow, Avina, and Orwin were shoved out the same door the ponies had left through. The two mares struggled the entire way, while the bulky stallion dragged his hooves on the floor with a downtrodden expression, his large tail and stocky build forcing the guards to lug him the entire way.

They ventured down a long, barren hallway that was just as lackluster as the factory they had seen. The place was crawling with guards, two of them stationed in front of each of the tightly secured doors that lined the walls. Dash could only assume these were the ponies' quarters, and the thought made her heart ache for her exploited kinsfolk.

They were thrown into a destitute room at the far end of the hall. It was completely devoid of any color or decor, and the flat, gray walls contained no windows. Thus, when the steel door shut with a bang behind them, they were enshrouded in utter darkness.

It wasn't long until Avina and Orwin had given up.

The younger Pon still had a fire within her when they were first locked inside, scrambling around the room in search of some kind of exit and desperately scraping at the door with her hooves. After an hour or so, however, she'd slumped back onto her haunches and dropped to the floor with her snout buried in her hooves.

There was a somber air that clung to Orwin ever since they were first captured by Mardeen, and he wouldn't allow himself to hold onto any semblance of hope that they would escape.

Rainbow Dash had other things in mind. She paced about the room, her hooves clicking against the frigid concrete as she mulled over their predicament. She was just as upset as her friends, perhaps even more so upon seeing the state of the other ponies, but she had to stay optimistic. If she didn't, who would?

She chewed her lip as she weighed their options. She wasn't usually the brains of the operation—Twilight was almost always the pony to come up with an ingenious plan to solve whatever problem was thrown their way, but here she was. She had to think of something. What would Daring do?

Just when she was about to give up, a thought struck her. She imagined a lightbulb flashing to life above her head as she had a rare stroke of genius. She peered up at the iron door barring their exit. It was smooth and solid, with no way of seeing through to the outside. Or through to the inside, for that matter. The murmur of hooves against cement from the other side snapped her to attention.

Without bothering to explain her plan, she prodded Avina with her hoof. "Hey," she said in a rushed whisper, "Pretend to be injured and get a guard to open the door."

"What?"

"Just do it, okay?" the pegasus hissed before turning to explain her intentions to Orwin. He, too, wore a doubtful look, but they didn't have any better ideas.

"Owww," Avina groaned unenthusiastically.

"You gotta sell it!" Rainbow clicked her tongue.

Her friend rolled her eyes before yelling, "OWWWW! IT HURTS!! OH, PLEASE, SOMEPON HELP!"

Dash pressed a hoof to her mouth, stifling the snicker that threatened to break through at her dramatics. She put on a good show.

Within a few seconds, there was a light tapping at the door. "W-What's wrong?" A male voice filtered in from beyond the threshold.

"ORB ABOVE, HAVE MERCY! AAAAHHHHH!!!"

Rainbow shuffled Orwin to the side of the room, where they waited as the door slowly began to creep open. Light trickled in, illuminating Avina's slumped form on the floor as she clutched her tail between her legs sorely. The guard scrutinized her dubiously before cracking the door open just a smidge further. That was all the opening they needed.

The cyan mare dashed from behind the cover of the open door, wrapping her hooves around the guard's forelegs and jerking him forward. He was knocked off balance as he tumbled into the room, falling to a heap on the floor. Before he could make a move to get up, Avina rushed forward and shut the door while Orwin wrapped his elbow around his neck, holding on tight until his squirming seized. The Pon fell to the ground, unconscious.

Following Rainbow Dash's plans, Orwin stripped the guard of his uniform and donned it himself, using the keys looped around the belt to unlock her deficiency ring. She looped it around her neck, leaving just enough girth to allow her to remove it without it looking suspiciously loose.

The three of them slipped out the door—which Avina had left open just a crack—and locked the soldier inside. They shared affirmative nods before venturing down the hallway with Orwin in the lead. The two mares hung their heads demurely as they trudged forward, masquerading as subdued prisoners.

Just as she thought, the guards keeping watch in front of the cells paid them no mind. Similarly to the ponies they guarded, the Pons seemed to share a sense of despondency, and there was a dazed quality to them as they patrolled the halls. The broken state of mind of the prisoners seemed to have somehow rubbed off on them. She wondered if they were even allowed to leave the top floors of the building, fated to serve out the rest of their duties within the hallowed walls of an institute that abused and extorted innocents.

She couldn't worry about that now. They were on a mission, slight hiccup or not.

As they neared the end of their backtracked trail and approached the workroom, they were questioned. "State your business." The two stallions standing guard by the doors weren't quite as morose as the others, but they still wore a deep-seated indifference.

Orwin kept his voice impressively level as he told them, "These two are finally ready to help out, so I brought them with me to swap shifts."

The guards exchanged frowns. "Workers should be escorted through the—"

"The other doors, I know." The brown Pon let out a sigh, glancing at the guards as if they were old friends. "Look, it's been a long week. I received orders to rotate shifts with whoever was stationed here. I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone by dragging these two new recruits along."

When the two of them were still unsure, he added, "Unless you want to take it up with Mardeen."

This did the trick, as they were clearly not up for doing anything outside of the bare minimum for their wages. Orwin shot Rainbow a wink as he unlocked the door and led them in. He informed the guards stationed inside the workroom that there was an emergency down the hallway, creating some vague excuse to get them to leave. Somehow, it worked.

With the room clear except for the ponies laboring away in their respective jobs, they'd made it. Now it was up to Rainbow Dash.

She leaned down on her forelegs, shaking her head until the ring slid down her neck and over her ears before clattering to the floor. The creaking and groaning of the wooden wheel being pushed along slowly and the electric fizzle of the magic surging in the center of the room filled the air as she scanned her eyes across the ponies gathered before her.

In a flash, she flew up to the center of the chaos, hovering just beside the glass container of plasma as she raised her voice to a shout. "Everypony, listen up! You're free!"

Not a single eye turned in her direction.

She flew around the room, waving her hooves erratically. "Hellooo? Anypony home? Don't you want to get out of here?"

They didn't so much as flinch or twitch an ear in acknowledgment of her words.

"What in the—" she let out a groan, frustrated that she was being ignored, again, but by ponies that should have been on her side. "We need to go back to EQUESTRIA!" She cried, hoping that last word would evoke a reaction out of at least one of them. She couldn't believe what she was witnessing. How long had they been stuck up here, withering away under Mardeen's rule? Were they too far gone?

She exchanged worried looks with Orwin and Avina, who seemed just as at a loss as she was. She ran her hooves down her face exasperatedly as she slowly sunk to the floor, landing on her haunches with a defeated thump. "Celestia help me," she muttered, looking up at the beams of red moonlight that shone through the gaps in the ceiling.

"C-Celestia?" A hoarse whisper from her right shot a thrill through Rainbow as she jumped to attention. A pale green unicorn with a frosted pink mane had taken her eyes off the rock and looked at her in wonder.

"YES!" Rainbow nearly lunged at the mare, her raspy voice rising an octave. "Princess Celestia!"

Her excited shriek echoed throughout the room, and several ponies halted their work to turn their heads toward her. The light began to return to their eyes as murmurs broke out throughout the crowd, and Dash flew back up to the top of the room where they all could see her.

"Everypony, you need to listen to me. I know you've been trapped up here for who knows how long, but I can help you escape if you can trust me and my friends." She gestured to the two Pons waiting on the outskirts of the assembly. Avina gave a sharp nod and Orwin waved sheepishly at the attention. "We need to work together in order to get out of here and bring Mardeen down for what she's done to you. Who's with me?!" She pumped her hoof into the air triumphantly, and the room burst into a chorus of cheers as they repeated the motion in support of her leadership. "Now let's get your magic back. In the name of Celestia!"

She directed them to the large vial in the center of the room as they repeated her mantra, joining her as she bucked her hind legs into it, creating a small splinter in the glass upon impact. The earth ponies joined in, hitting their shackles against it, while the pegasi bumped the rings around their necks into it. As they smashed the devices into the glass, they broke apart and fell, freeing the ponies of their restrictive grip. Some burst into tears at the release, and others were only fueled by the sudden freedom. Meanwhile, the unicorns gathered around Orwin, who used his keys to free them of the rings around their horns. They, in turn, used their magic to help one another and join in the fight.

The fracture in the tube developed into a spiderweb of cracks, spreading quickly and extending up the glass as they pressed their might against it. With one last push and a sickening crunch, the capsule burst. Colorful auras of magic swirled outward as it shattered, the electric blue melding into purples, greens, and reds upon being released. It glided throughout the room, twisting and turning above them as the sparkling light was absorbed by the ponies who gazed up at it in awe. Their dull coats regained their natural hue as the color returned to their bodies, and their eyes lit up with the sparkle they'd previously lacked.

Cries of relief rang out as ponies hugged one another and wept. The magic above them filtered out through the doors on either side of the room, returning to those that were locked away in their rooms.

Rainbow Dash flew to Avina and Orwin with a smile so wide her cheeks ached. Before she could say anything, a commotion near the doors caught her attention. A wave of guards stormed in, demanding to know what was going on. The ponies, now strong enough to fight back, backed up into a protective circle as the guards closed in on them.

A deep rumbling started then, and the vibrations were so strong they nearly knocked Dash off balance as the tremor ran up her hooves and out to the tips of her wings. It was as if the whole building was shaking, a massive groan erupting from the woodwork as the floor began to tilt ever so slightly.

As if on cue, the guards descended upon the ponies. Swaying building be darned, the two groups clashed in an intense battle. The pent-up rage of the ponies, coupled with the guards' steadfast sense of duty, made for a brutal battle. Pikes enveloped in sparkling unicorn magic flew from the Pons' hooves, pegasi dive-bombed the ranks, and earth ponies took on the forces in hoof-to-hoof combat.

Caught between joining the fight and using it as a diversion, the crossroads tugged at Dash's heartstrings as she retreated with Avina and Orwin at her side. She took in a deep breath and exhaled, knowing what needed to be done. "We need to free the others!" She called out over the clamor of the attack, hurtling towards the door with her friends in tow.

They galloped down the halls, opening the cells and freeing the trapped ponies with great ease now that they didn't have soldiers to get through. She explained as much as she could to the rescuees, but they simply had no time. Her instructions to go to the main room were unneeded, as the roar of the fight filtering into the halls was enough to pique their interest and warrant further inspection. They looped around, exiting through the doors on the opposite side of the workroom and returning to where they had started.

As the rumbling beneath their hooves grew even stronger, Dash shot up into the air above the battle, screaming to make her voice heard. "WE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE!" A bright flash of scarlet from the exposed roof above them bathed the place in red, and the fighting ceased. It was a menacing omen if she'd ever seen one.

Despite their feud, both Pons and ponies alike seemed to understand the urgency of their situation. Several of them were knocked off balance as a shockwave rippled throughout the building, emitting a fantastic rumbling noise that sent everypony running toward the door.

Avina shoved herself to the front of the crowd, herding the terrified, trampling bodies behind her as she made herself the first to access the colossal steel doors. Unsure of her intentions, Rainbow flew towards her, watching as she pulled a key out from the folds of her dress—the same one Mardeen had worn around her neck—and used it to unlock the door, sliding it open with a mighty screech.

She moved aside as the panicked ponies filed out quickly, prisoners and guards alike sharing the small exit in an attempt to escape the crumbling building. Upon seeing Dash's questioning look, she smirked, "Silenthooves." The three of them lagged behind, ensuring that nopony got left behind in the scramble for the door before trailing after the group.

As they headed towards the stairs, Rainbow stopped, shouting, "Wait!" before rushing down a side hall she'd observed earlier, frantically searching for a familiar face. She found Leor locked in a small room a few yards away, seemingly abandoned by whoever had been tasked with guarding him. "Orwin, the keys! Hurry!"

Leor thanked them as he joined in the scramble for the exit, holding back the questions that were surely begging to be answered. As they rushed down the stairs, everypony and everypon around them had the same idea: escape the building. Businesspons and staff members rushed about in a mad dash for the exit, paying no mind to whom they might have bumped or stepped on in the process.

Why in Equestria did they have to be so high up?

They raced against the clock, stampeding past hallways and leaping down stairs as the world came crashing down around them. When they barreled down the final set of stairs and collapsed onto the polished marble floor of the lobby, they were panting, sweaty messes. Everypony had gotten out before them, seeing as they'd come from the top floor, and Dash prayed that nopony had been left behind in the mayhem above. There were, however, a few lingering individuals at the main entrance.

The Council was gathered in the center of the lobby, all five members pacing the lacquered tiles as they deliberated. Mardeen was screeching like a chicken with its head cut off, throwing out curses and insults that Dash mentally added to her vocabulary. "Those guards are USELESS! Abandoning their posts because of a little turbulence? Unbelievable! What do we pay them for? Somepon needs to get up there and figure out what in the name of the Orb is going on right now!"

The tall Pon that had led Rainbow's initial hearing—Damon—spoke up. "It's ridiculous, dear, but what can we do? At this rate, we'll be squashed like bugs if we stay."

"Yeah, we should seriously get out of here while we still can," a short, plump stallion with a ferocious goatee added nervously. She didn't recognize him from her trial; she searched her mind before landing on a name she'd heard Avina utter in disgust: Lughis.

"Are you kidding me? NO! We're not going anywhere!" Mardeen was practically foaming at the mouth, taking short, rapid breaths as she screamed at her colleagues.

"This is insane..." The last male Pon grumbled, beginning to shuffle towards the door.

The other mare of the group glanced up from beneath the brim of her hat then, catching sight of Rainbow and the others. Leor spoke her name, then clamped his mouth shut. His eyes blazed wildly as he realized what he'd done. Her eyes widened, but before she could disguise her reaction, it was too late.

Mardeen snapped her head towards them, seething. She pinned them with her stare, those deep blue chasms threatening to swallow them whole as she took a trembling step toward them. "You—" She paused, then stopped. Slowly, she looked back at Dahlia. Her vision narrowed, piercing into her with an icy glare. "No..."

Dahlia began to shake, retreating a few steps as the Head Councilpon closed in on her. Her peers only watched with mild interest as Mardeen descended upon her like a wolf hunting its prey. "It was you, wasn't it? All this time," she chuckled dryly. "I always knew you were soft. But seriously, siding with them? With ponies? I thought you were better than this."

Mardeen leaped upon her, tail thrashing violently as she collided with the other mare in a flurry of silver fury. She clamped her teeth down on Dahlia's shoulder, and another quake of the infrastructure sent both of them sprawling onto the floor. The dark green pon yelped in pain as her hat slipped off her head in the spat, falling onto the ground beside her much more gracefully than she had. Even Damon and Lughis seemed a bit off-put by their leader's erratic actions, unsure of how to react.

Luckily, Rainbow Dash wasted no time in jumping into action. She charged at Mardeen, forcefully shoving her off balance and away from her victim. Her friends were instantly by her side, Leor helping Dahlia up and Avina and Orwin placing themselves on either side of the pegasus as she stared down at the disgraced ruler with derision. "This has gone on long enough, Mardeen."

Avina spit at her, the glob landing on the floor right beside her head with a wet splat. "The Pons will never see you the same," she cast her gaze around the room, landing on each of the Council members. "Not after what you've done. They will know the truth. What you did to those ponies—what you did to your own citizens. You're... traitorous filth." She growled, quoting Mardeen's earlier insult. She stated a few of the many atrocities they'd committed as she stalked toward them. "Your tyranny ends here, Mardeen. Once and for all. Starting with this cursed building."

Mardeen loosed a guttural wail, so primal it sent each of them reeling back in shock. She shot to her hooves and lunged at Rainbow Dash, but this time somepony else intercepted her.

That unfamiliar Councilpon butted his head into her side, taking hold of her forelegs and pinning her to the ground while the building began to shake even harder around them. "You lying scum," the stallion said with disbelief. "You've always treated us like dirt, even though we're supposed to be a team. You never changed, did you? Keeping all these secrets, hurting all these ponies. You're a disgrace."

"Praiteon—" Dahlia began to speak.

"Go." He told them, his voice firm. "I'll hold her down. Just... go." Mardeen writhed under his grip, but he was resolute. He'd made his choice.

As they bolted towards the exit, Dash spared one parting glance over her shoulder. Praiteon nodded to her.

The city streets were in utter chaos. As they made it out of the headquarters and down the stairs, the ground began to shift beneath them. They'd barely crossed the bottom of the steps and jumped onto the sidewalk when an ear-splitting explosion reverberated behind them.

In one terrible, swift motion, the building collapsed in on itself. Shards of shrapnel flew out from huge clouds of dust, debris raining down from the site of the crash. Rainbow and the others were just out of reach of the destruction, retreating onto the street and watching, horrified, as the city was plunged into total disarray.

The guards that had escaped the building before them had managed to secure the premises, blocking off the perimeter and keeping civilians away from the wreckage. Thus, there didn't seem to be any casualties—only minor injuries and distraught mental states. Large vehicles with flashing lights were parked at the scene, and officials attempted to bring order to the pandemonium. Pons with huge, professional cameras were perched at the front of the crowds, capturing the event on video and snapping candid photos.

Fearful shouts and cries of panic filled the air as the dust settled and the rubble of the building came into view. A radiant crimson glow permeated the clouds of dirt, pulsating outwards from the remains of the building. Dash's ears flattened in anguish as she gazed upon the grand, luminous Orb, nestled amongst the soot and debris. A large crack ran down the center of it, and the blood moon's sheen seemed to dull around the rift.

The devastated Pons wept at the sight, calling out in agony at the state of their beloved monument. If things were bad before, the sight of the Orb sent the city over the edge. The festivities that had been going on in the town square only served as obstacles for the Pons rushing to the barrier set up around the Council headquarters. Parade floats, stands, and performers were stuck in the midst of the surging crowd.

Just when she thought things couldn't get worse, two Councilpons were dragged out from the wreckage by mechanical arm-like devices that were able to lift large chunks of debris and locate them. They were severely injured, but alive, and quickly rushed to a hospital. Mass hysteria ensued.

Rainbow Dash attempted to shake herself out of her stupor, looking over at her friends, who were similarly overwhelmed by the turn of events. She turned towards the crowd, pinpointing the dozens of ponies that they'd liberated. She flew over to where they were starting to disperse into the mass of bodies, calling out to them and gathering them in one spot on the outskirts of the scene. Meanwhile, Avina and the others worked to calm their own kind, speaking hurriedly with the guards and explaining what had occurred.

"Stay together, everypony," Dash shouted to the equines. They were frantic, pressing up against one another in an attempt to soothe their frazzled nerves while the foreign world around them fell to chaos.

She frowned, scanning her eyes across the mob of creatures as an idea sprang into her mind. She flew over to a nearby unicorn who had a sparkling, star-shaped cutie mark. She whispered to her before addressing all of the ponies, filling them in on her plan and earning their reluctant agreement to help. With all of them on board, she flew up into the sky, hovering in front of the rubble with the Orb at her back. She cleared her throat before saying, "Attention, Pontropolis!" Her magic-enhanced voice boomed throughout the city, drawing the attention of everypony gathered in the square. "My name is Rainbow Dash. Write it down. I know you all may not be the biggest fans of ponies, but you better listen up anyways."

Not that they have a choice, she mused, impressed with the spell that allowed her to speak loud enough to be heard all the way back in Equestria. The crew below pointed their cameras up at her, and her face was broadcast onto a large screen on the side of a nearby building. Aw, sweet! She flipped her mane and flashed a toothy grin at the equipment before regaining her composure and continuing, "When I first arrived in this city, I was taken into custody and treated like a prisoner. I didn't understand what I did to make everypony hate me. But that's just it—I didn't do anything. None of us did." She waved a hoof at the ponies watching her below. "Your Council told you lies about ponykind. They turned all of you against us so they could get away with all kinds of stuff.

"Some of you might have heard of the resistance. The Pons living on the outskirts of town created it because they wanted to fight back against the injustices of the Council. I'm sure none of you have even stepped hoof in the slums," she assumed, narrowing her eyes at the posh citizens. "But things are bad down there. Pons are starving. And Mardeen hid it from all of you." A shockwave of distressed murmuring spread throughout the crowd.

Somepony shouted out, "That can't be true! Pontropolis is a Utopia!"

Dash shook her head sadly. "No, I'm not lying to you. If you don't believe me, go see for yourself." She went on to explain what had happened in the building, detailing how Mardeen had kidnapped and locked up the ponies, practically enslaving them in order to harvest their magic. She laid out the crimes that the Head Councilpon had committed and the cruelties she and the rest of the Council had allowed to befall innocents.

As the Pons listened to her story, supported by her friends, a few helpful guards, and Dahlia herself, their outrage only increased. Their anger became directed at the Council, pinning the blame for the whole incident on their leaders. Avina took things over from there.

She commanded the attention of the crowd, bolstered by the help of Dash's new unicorn friend, and spoke her piece. "Fellow Pons," she started, "I am just as upset as you are. I have lived with the knowledge of the Council's cruelty my entire life, and I thought that starting a rebellion to overthrow them would fix all of our problems. If we could just get rid of them, things would be all right. But I was wrong. Our troubles run much deeper than that. The moment we decided to place our lives in the hooves of Pons that had no business making decisions for us was the moment we set ourselves up for failure. And this is the result of that." She raised a hoof, pointing at the damaged Orb behind her. She was silhouetted against the blood moon, her shadow stretching forth from her position atop the stairs. She looked... regal.

She continued her speech, rallying the Pons to her cause, while Dash put her second plan into motion. She gave the signal and the earth ponies galloped forwards, pushing their way through the crowd and making way for the unicorns to venture forth. The pegasi flew up to join Rainbow Dash, following her as she led them past Avina and to the glowing Orb.

The earth ponies cleared a path through the rubble and the unicorns approached the moon, gathering in a band around it and, as one, pointing their horns toward it. They each released a beam of power that joined together and enveloped the Orb in a united aura. Their magic shimmered across it, sweat beading their foreheads as they strained to meld the crack in its side. They might have been somewhat out of practice and still getting the hang of their full abilities, but slowly the fissure retreated, disappearing back up its side and leaving the sphere complete once more.

Cheers rang out from behind them, and the drained unicorns turned to offer small waves and nervous smiles at the praise. Next was the pegasi.

Led by Rainbow Dash, they flew up to the Orb and encircled it, pressing their forehooves against it and beating their wings as the blue mare ordered, "Up!"

They began floating upwards, lifting the moon from the rubble and hoisting it into the sky. As they propelled several yards above the ground, it began to feel lighter and lighter until, at some point, it was as if they were transporting a cloud. It moved upwards of its own accord, and as they released it from their grip it continued to elevate higher. It soared above, taking its rightful place in the heavens and slowing to a halt when it was settled back in its original home. It seemed to shine even brighter upon returning to its place among the clouds and everypony's eyes were on it, basking in its scarlet radiance.

After the joyous applause had ceased, Rainbow addressed the citizens of Pontropolis one last time. "Everypony—er, everypon! This is the true nature of ponies. Our magic is not something to fear or control—we use it to help others, not to harm them. I hope at this point you've learned that not everything can be taken at face value," she quipped, glaring down at where Mardeen had initially emerged from the wreckage before turning her muzzle skywards. "The Orb is magic too, you know? And it is strong enough to survive and continue shining its light down on all of you without the weight of the Council holding it back. You, too, can survive this setback."

She looked out at the mass of Pons, taking in the expressions on their faces: scared, angry, sad... hopeful.

"I don't know what direction your government will take next, but I do know one thing: whatever comes next will be new and different, and maybe even a little bit scary, but it's nothing you won't be able to handle. A friend of mine showed me that change doesn't happen overnight. But with the right ponies—Pons—and the right ideas, anything is possible. The future is in your hooves."

Rainbow Dash descended from her vantage point in the sky, landing beside Avina and sharing a soft smile with her. The Pon not only returned the gesture but threw her hooves around her, wrapping her in a tight squeeze. Dash blinked, surprised at the affection before returning the hug. After a moment, she reared her head back and gave her a smug look. "Wow, you're actually a big softie, aren't you?"

Avina withdrew, pulling her hooves back as if the pegasus had burned her. She scowled at her, but she couldn't hold the expression long. When her lips threatened to curve back upwards at her friend's ridiculous wriggling brows, she smacked her on the nose. "Whatever. I'm just glad everything turned out all right."

"Me too."

Slowly, the Pons began to push forward. The guards allowed them past as they hesitantly approached the ponies, murmuring apologies and introductions. They took the initiative to make amends, and the ponies received their efforts warmly, conversing with them as they began working together to clear the rubble. The Orb wasn't the only thing being repaired that day.

At the same time, a group of well-dressed Pons approached Rainbow and her friends. According to Avina's startled expression, they were important. The well-to-do mares and stallions peppered her with questions, turning to her for guidance on what would soon be known as a dark day in their city's history.

She forced a polite smile, frazzled at their attention and unsure how to respond to the unfamiliar topics they presented her with. She glanced at Avina, who only watched, amused, as she squirmed. "Look, I'm not somepony that can help with something like this," she explained. "But I do know the perfect Pon for the job." She grinned at Avina, who was quickly bombarded by the elites. Thankfully, she seemed to be taking it in stride.

She excused herself as Avina addressed their issues, scanning her eyes across the other activity in the main square. She spotted Orwin helping with the excavation crew, using their machinery to tear through the remains of the building. Leor and Dahlia spoke with the Council Guards, who had since taken Damon and Lughis into custody, and allotted duties, helping to keep the troops organized. Everypony was mingling together, supporting one another, and bolstering each other's spirits as they worked to repair the heart of their city. Despite the positive turn things had taken, Rainbow felt a sinking feeling in her gut.

What was she supposed to do now? A lot had happened, yes, and not in the exact way they'd anticipated, but surely this was the resolution they'd been hoping for. She turned to point a piercing stare at her flank, willing her cutie mark to glow. Everything that had occurred thus far only proved further that there was a serious friendship issue at hoof. How else would you describe the mess she witnessed in front of her own eyes? She'd clearly solved the root of the problem that had presented itself: freeing the ponies, dethroning Mardeen, repairing the Orb. So why wasn't she being given a way home?

With Avina and the others occupied, Dash took the opportunity to slip away from the scene and skulk off through the crowd. Ruminating on the events fresh in her mind, she veered down the road she'd seen the medics take earlier that evening.

She trotted down the sidewalk, mind ablur as she dodged the pedestrians lingering on the outskirts of the commotion. The roads had been shut down in all the chaos, so the paved concrete was speckled with onlookers that shot her wary yet curious glances. For the most part, she was able to avoid detection—opting to go by hoof helped in this manner—but her luck ran out soon enough.

"Rainbow Dash!" A male voice called out, drawing her attention. The stranger stepped out from an alleyway between two buildings, and as his features were illuminated under the light of the moon, she gasped.

"You. How did you find me?"

"You're not hard to miss."

"What do you want?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm so sorry," Xavir pleaded, his ears flattening as he fixed his gaze on his blue hoofs ashamedly. That charm that he'd displayed upon their first meeting was nowhere to be seen as he groveled before her. "Please let me explain. I had no other option—"

"I don't want to hear it." Rainbow had to stop herself from biting his head off, reigning in her temper and keeping her legs firmly planted on the ground. "I don't care what reason you had for doing what you did. Loyalty means a lot to me, dude, and you blew it."

She sighed, shaking her head. "I'll be frank. You were a bad friend, and I know everypony deserves a second chance or whatever, but the bottom line is that I'm not obligated to forgive you." She wondered if she was making a mistake in her decision to let their fractured relationship remain in this state, but she felt no desire to pick up the pieces that he'd shattered with his actions.

He seemed a bit taken aback at this, but after a moment he nodded sorrowfully. "I... I understand. I'm sorry for what I did, and I'm thankful for what you made of it. I wish you the best." He turned and left, his tail dragging along the ground dolefully as he disappeared.

She appreciated his words, but his betrayal was still a fresh wound. They wouldn't be making friendship bracelets anytime soon.

Rainbow continued her jaunt, reaching the hospital and letting herself inside. There didn't seem to be as many patients as she had anticipated, which was a relief. She spoke to the receptionist at the front and was allowed access upstairs and to the back of the clinic, where the two Pons she was looking for were resting.

The hospital was similar to the one they had back in Ponyville, but it employed much more advanced technology. Digital screens with wellness questionnaires lined the walls and miniature cleaning devices swept the floors of their own accord, swiftly dodging her as she trotted by. She spotted an elevator similar to the one she'd taken in the Council building but chose to take the stairs instead.

Finding her destination wasn't hard—two guards were posted just outside the room she seeked. Mardeen and Praiteon were placed in a joint room with a dividing wall placed in between their beds. She didn't bother to knock before entering, helping herself to the complimentary candy placed on a counter beside the door.

The room was empty but for the two patients and a nurse clad in a white uniform that matched the interior design of the room. She was checking on Mardeen, who was slumped over on her side with her eyes screwed shut. Despite her position, she seemed to be awake, simply trying to avoid the nurse's prodding and questioning. Praiteon, however, was fast asleep. One of his legs was in a cast, elevated above him, and there was a bandage wrapped around his forehead. Still, he looked stable.

Dash hesitated for a moment as the medic finished her duties and set her clipboard down beside the bed, giving her a curt nod before leaving. She exhaled and approached Mardeen.

The Pon shifted, sitting up and squinting her eyes open at the sound of her incoming hoofsteps. Her hazy blue irises gained a modicum of clarity as she recognized Rainbow Dash. Yet, instead of the unhinged anger and volatile behavior she'd witnessed from her earlier that day, Mardeen was sullen. She stayed quiet as the pegasus approached, hardly acknowledging her presence as she settled beside her bed.

Dash stared at her for a long time before she found the will to speak. "You're rotten, you know that?" Mardeen's glassy eyes flickered to her, but she couldn't read her emotions. "I'm sorry for what happened with the building. I didn't mean for anypony to get hurt. But... I'd be lying if I said I didn't think you deserved it. Maybe that makes me rotten, too."

The corner of Mardeen's lip curved downwards. "I've learned a lot from my time here, but something I realized today was that not everything has to be forgiven. I'm not a bad pony for being unable to move past something that's hurt me." Rainbow sighed. "If you really do want to be forgiven, though, then now's your chance. Start racking up some good karma by helping me. Tell me, how can I get home?"

The Head Councilpon stayed silent, closing her eyes and refusing to respond. Just when Dash was about to give up and leave, she rasped, "I've failed as Keeper of the Orb."

Rainbow's brow shot up. "You've got another fancy title? Seriously?"

Mardeen slowly sat upwards, gaining back enough energy to glare at her. "Whoever is Head Councilpon also becomes Keeper of the Orb. The knowledge surrounding the sacred monument is passed down from Keeper to Keeper, and we are sworn to protect it, and by extension, Pontropolis."

"Well, you did a terrible job of that, huh?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I suppose you don't want to hear about it, after all."

"I suppose the ponies don't deserve to know why you held them hostage and stole their magic, then?" Dash retorted.

She couldn't get a read on her. Mardeen was awful, but she was so much more reserved now than she had been back in the tower. If she were crazy, she'd think she seemed a little remorseful, even.

The Pon groaned before saying, "Whatever. The bottom line is, there's much more to the Orb than you may think. I cannot expose all of its secrets but I can tell you that it is the reason you're here."

Dash's ears perked up at this. "What do you mean?"

"Its power has a... a sort of gravitational pull to it. It draws in other beings of magic, such as yourself—by any means necessary."

"I don't understand."

"You are not of our world," Mardeen said thoughtfully. "I can only assume so, anyways. There is nothing like your kind here. Perhaps that is why the Orb is so desperate for those who share its... qualities."

"So, you're saying the Orb... pulled me here? What the hay does that mean?"

Mardeen frowned before looking around, settling on the clipboard by her bed and taking it into her hooves. "Think of it like this." She drew several long, parallel lines across the paper, splitting it into thin grooves. In the narrow section on top, she drew a circle. "Here's the orb," she said, pointing to it and motioning to the entire strip. "And all of Reptarus. And these..." she motioned to the array of sections separated by lines that stretched down the sheet of paper. "Are the other worlds. Dimensions. Timelines. However you want to think about it."

Dash tilted her head as she tried to make sense of the Pon's crude drawing. "Uh-huh..."

Mardeen added dotted lines that extended from the circle and stretched down to the sections below. "This is the Orb's reach. Seeing as it's always you ponies that show up on our doorstep, I'd say your home is right... here." She pointed to the area directly beneath the imagined Reptarus. "Your proximity allows its magic to seep into your reality pretty easily, I'd say. Either luring you here or taking advantage of ponies that are already physically or psychologically vulnerable. That last part's just a theory, though."

Rainbow's head was pounding. "Wow. We repaired that thing out of the goodness of our hearts, only to find out it's the reason we were even here in the first place?"

Mardeen shrugged, thrusting the clipboard from her hooves and throwing it over the edge of the bed. It clattered to the ground harshly, sending an echo throughout the sterile room. "Guess so. Now leave me alone." She laid back on her side.

Guess she's not as regretful as I thought, Rainbow scoffed, somewhat startled by her sudden action. "Hold on," she said, shaking the mattress slightly with her hoof to get her attention. "How do we get home?"

"Escape its pull," she muttered, voice slightly muffled by the pillow. "Leave the city and go far, far away where it can't reach you. Only then will the way home be revealed."

Cryptic, much? Still, she supposed it made sense. Somehow.

Although the conversation with Mardeen hadn't panned out exactly how she'd expected, she'd gotten some good information; even if she didn't understand half of the things she'd said. Regardless, she knew what she had to do next.

Rainbow's farewell to her new friends was, for lack of a better word, emotional. She couldn't wait to get back home and put this whole nightmare behind her, but at the same time, she hated to go.

She'd grown accustomed to sneaking around Pontropolis, sharing jokes with Orwin and intentionally getting under Avina's skin. They'd become closer than she thought they would, and the prospect of never seeing them again effectively took the spring out of her step.

Rainbow had told the ponies how they could return to Equestria—omitting the fact that the information had come from Mardeen—and they agreed to leave as soon as possible. The aftermath of the collapse of the Council building, which was quickly coined "The Worse Thing to Happen in the History of Pontropolis," was, above all else, messy. Dash found the nickname for the disaster humorous, but the Pons seemed to take the matter very seriously. She and Avina had become celebrities overnight, their faces plastered on signs and billboards throughout the city as they were hailed as heroes for revealing the truth and healing the Orb.

Avina was up to the challenge, stepping into the vacant role of leadership and ensuring the safety and security of Pontropolis's future, along with the help of Dahlia and the other elite Pons of the city. Dash couldn't imagine a better Pon for the position and was ecstatic to see her in the role that she'd always deserved.

Despite how busy everything was, the Emergency Relief Council, whose name was unanimously changed to the Emergency Relief Organization, provided the ponies with all of the equipment and supplies they would need to traverse the desert. The morning after the day of the Blood Moon Celebration, they were ready to depart. Avina headed the small group that had gathered to bid them farewell at the gates, along with Orwin and a few other familiar faces. As they geared up to make the journey back home, Avina pulled Rainbow aside to speak with her privately.

"Rainbow Dash," she said, a small smile on her face. "Thank you for everything. I don't think any of this would have been possible if you hadn't—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," she interrupted her with a well-natured poke of her wing. "Don't be gettin' all sappy on me, now."

Her smile dissolved into a forced scowl at her banter. "You're impossible."

"Impossibly cool, I know," she shook her head facetiously. "What are you gonna do without me?"

"A lot more, actually, since I don't have to worry about sneaking you around everywhere."

"Touché," Dash snorted. "Seriously, though, I'm gonna miss you. Thank you. For... everything." She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly as Avina beamed at her. She hadn't seen the Pon this upbeat in, well... ever.

"Thank you," she repeated. "I never thought a day like this would come."

Her words might have been general, but Dash knew exactly how much they meant to her. She looked around at the crowd gathered at the gate. Pons and ponies, hoof-in-hoof. They'd made a lot of progress from the time Avina was a filly.

"Your mom would be proud of you," she murmured. Tears sprang to Avina's eyes at her soft words, and she had to wipe them away with a red hoof. "And everything you've accomplished... I bet your dad would be floored." This got a giggle out of her. "But... nopony's prouder than me to call you my friend."

"Thank you."

They shared a warm, genuine smile and a small laugh before Dash's expression turned serious. "Can I ask you one last thing?" Avina nodded. "What... what did Leor show you that made you freak out? Back at the boutique?"

The Pon gulped, rubbing her forelegs together nervously. "It..." she sighed before reaching back and pulling out a clump of fabric from the pocket of her cloak. "I'll show you."

The tan material had a thin black circle inked on it, along with a line down the middle and a few strokes that zig-zagged around it in a manner resembling a snake. "This is...?"

"My dad," she said. "This was his family's insignia... before... well, you know."

"Oh, wow... so...?"

"I spoke to Dahlia and... she knew him, way back when. She believes he's still out there. Alive." Her tail twitched anxiously.

"Do you?" The pony's magenta eyes were filled with concern as she considered her friend.

"I don't know. I want to," she smiled sadly. "And I think that's enough. Maybe, in the future... Pontropolis will become a place he can return home to."

"I'm sure it will." Rainbow pulled her into a hug, holding tight until the signal came that it was time to go. She brushed her wing across her shoulder comfortingly before turning to leave.

As they passed through the gate and into the unknown, she spared one last glance behind her at the city that had been a prison, the site of a revolution, and finally, a home away from home.

She raised a hoof in the air as she hovered just past the threshold, waving to the individuals she owed her life to. Whatever the future had in store for her, she knew deep in her heart that she would always have friends here.

"Goodbye."

And, just like that, she was gone.

Epilogue

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The hike through the open desert proved to be less adventurous and exciting than Rainbow Dash had hoped. There was nothing but an endless expanse of dirt and sand that stretched on as far as the eye could see, and the weather was uncomfortably torrid.

Thankfully, she was in good company. She enjoyed having a chance to talk to the ponies she'd helped rescue from the Council during the now-infamous heist during the Blood Moon Celebration. They discussed trivial matters, such as the latest events back in Equestria, as well as some of the darker things that they'd experienced under Mardeen's rule.

Rainbow had a hard time swallowing how nonchalantly they talked about it, but she knew it was their decision to leave such things in the past.

On the second day of their journey, the monotonous waves of sand reached an end. Before them stood a huge, gaping ravine that swept through the desert, continuing toward the horizon until they could no longer track its ridges with their vision alone.

The ponies deliberated on this new obstacle, debating whether it was what they were looking for or simply a new hurdle to cross. As they spoke, something glared brightly in the corner of Dash's vision. She stared at the ravine, her eyes focused on the area above it that seemed to shimmer under the heat of the sun.

Curiously, she flew over to the source of light and peered at the edge of the cliff. A strange, see-through pane of nothing shimmered above the ravine. The wall wavered just on the edge of the cliff, and Dash was mesmerized by its sheen, iridescent quality. It was there one second, then gone the next, and she struggled to deduce whether it was a figment of her imagination or not.

"Guys! Come look at this." She called over to the others, not taking her eyes off of the wall. Tentatively, she raised a hoof up toward it. As she touched it, the surface rippled, and light swelled across the translucent screen. Then, in a flash, everything went dark.

A white-hot burst of pain pulsated through Rainbow's head as she squinted her eyes open, the fluorescent lights above beating down on her with a bright intensity. She let out a groan as she blinked furiously, attempting to orient herself. She'd barely had the chance to sit up when a high-pitched scream pierced her senses, sending her headache into overdrive.

"DASHIE!!!" A sharp pang of discomfort shot through her chest as a massive weight landed on her with a resounding thump! A lump of pink had thrown itself across her, and the familiar scent of cupcakes washed over her.

"Pinkie?" She croaked, before letting out a cough.

"Ooooh!" Another squeal to her right caught her attention. A white unicorn with a perfectly coiffed mane cast her brilliant blue eyes upon her. "She's awake! Pinkie, give her some space, for heaven's sake!"

"Sorry!" The pink blob removed herself from Rainbow, settling beside her with an ecstatic grin.

She sat up then, rubbing her head and glancing around at her surroundings. She was in a hospital room not unlike the one she'd found Mardeen in, but this one was much more familiar. As she regained her senses, her eyes fell on the two ponies standing beside her bed with joyful tears welling in their eyes.

"I'm... in Ponyville?"

"Well, of course you are, silly! Where else would you be?" Pinkie swiped a hoof across her face before jumping back to her cheerful persona. "We've been waiting for you to wake up from your... coma." She whispered the last word like it was cursed.

Her brow furrowed. "What? But—"

"Oh, darling, you had us so worried! Really," Rarity clucked her tongue, "I can't believe you slept in for so long."

Dash tried to press down the endless line of questions surging inside her, settling on one. "How... long?"

"Why..." the unicorn put a contemplative hoof to her chin. "I believe it's been two weeks already."

It didn't make any sense. She hadn't been asleep, she'd been in a whole other world! "I wasn't asleep," she explained, swinging her hindlegs over the side of the bed. "I was somewhere else."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Pinkie cautioned. "Doc says you've got broken ribs and a concussion."

"Psh, yeah right," Dash scoffed. She'd been nothing but active over the past couple of weeks—sneaking around Pontropolis, fighting guards, escaping a collapsing building, for Pete's sake! Still, the pressure she felt in her chest and the throbbing that persisted in her head told her otherwise. She decided to stay perched on the bed. "I'm fine, I don't see what the big deal—"

"Hold that thought, Dashie! I've gotta go tell everypony you're awake!" Pinkie zipped out the door in a flash of pink fur before she could utter a word to stop her. The pegasus simply stared in surprise as she disappeared, her excited shouts of "She's awake!" echoing throughout the halls just beyond the room.

Rarity chuckled. "Don't blame her for being excited. Everypony's been awaiting your recovery, dear."

Rainbow frowned. "I just don't get it. Why am I here? I mean, I know the whole point was to get back to Equestria, but it wouldn't make sense that I've been here this whole time!"

Her friend seemed uncomfortable as she shifted on her hooves, giving her a somewhat confused smile. "I'm not quite sure what you mean, but... you took a nasty spill saving Scootaloo from that cart. That's how you ended up in the hospital, and you've been here ever since."

She considered her words carefully. She recalled saving the filly during one of their scooter races several days ago, and she knew there was some sort of memory gap between when she'd been in the accident and when she'd woken in the desert just outside Pontropolis. Still, it didn't add up. How could she have been in two places at once?

Just as she thought her brain might explode from the assault of questions and confusion battering her aching mind, she noticed the stampeding of hooves from outside the door growing in volume as if they were getting closer and closer until... "RAINBOW DASH!"

Several ponies burst into the room, led by none other than Pinkie Pie. Her friends wore mixtures of relief and happiness on their faces as they rushed to her bedside. They talked over one another as they greeted her, expressing their joy and releasing the tension that had weighed upon them throughout the course of her unconsciousness.

They spoke for well over an hour, catching her up on what she had missed and better explaining the context of her stay in the hospital. In turn, Dash spoke about what had happened to her while she'd been "unconscious", telling them about her time in Pontropolis and hoping they might have the answers she seeked. Although her recounting of the events certainly caught their attention, it didn't elicit the response she'd desired.

"That sounds like a terrifying dream," Fluttershy said softly, worry evident in her eyes.

"It wasn't a dream!" Dash exclaimed, frazzled. "It really happened. And it was scary, but it was no sweat. I could have saved all those ponies with one wing tied behind my back."

"Sounds to me like you came up with quite the adventure to keep yourself busy while you were snoozin'." Applejack snickered.

"You guys aren't listening to me!" She barked.

Her friends recoiled at her pointed tone, and that same pitying worry filled their faces once again. "Rainbow," Twilight said, placing her hoof over hers comfortingly. "I know this must be a lot for you. We're all glad you're back with us, whether you were sound asleep or off fighting an evil government."

Dash rolled her eyes at her friend's condescending tone. She loved her friends, but their condoling expressions were the last thing she needed at that moment. "Thanks," she said. "I'm sorry. I think I just need some rest."

The five of them paused for a moment, considering the irony of her words, before exchanging concerned glances. "Okay," the alicorn whispered. "We'll leave you be."

With that, they left.

Rainbow Dash curled up in her bed, left with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company. In an effort to take her mind off of the splitting headache permeating her skull, she decided to pour her racing thoughts into a different medium, sifting through the nightstand beside her bed until she found a small notebook and a pen.

If nopony was going to believe her, then fine. But there was no way she was just going to forget everything that had happened.

With that in mind, she began to write.

Life had quickly gone back to normal for Rainbow Dash. Only a few days after she'd woken up from the hospital, she was released with the instructions to stay off her hooves as much as possible and refrain from too much physical activity.

Of course, staying off her hooves meant she could fly, right? Right.

Scootaloo had been ecstatic to see Dash when she woke up, bursting into tears and apologizing for getting her hurt. The two made up and before they knew it they were back to their old shenanigans, performing tricks and racing one another as if no time had passed.

Weeks went by after the incident, then months, and as time passed, the adventures she'd had in a certain faraway city began to fade from her mind. The memories that she'd held onto so strongly right after she'd woken up soon became nothing but a fuzzy image—some sort of foggy, distorted dream that quickly slipped from the forefront of her mind to a small corner in the back of it, waiting until it would be completely forgotten.

It wasn't until a year later, when she got a peculiarly familiar feeling, that the gears in her brain began to shift and turn. While on a trip to Canterlot with her friends, her eyes caught on a face within the crowd of ponies milling about the downtown district. She froze, taking in her features—a pale green coat, fuchsia eyes, and a soft pink mane, along with a horn that matched her fur. She had no clue how she knew the unicorn, let alone why spotting her would evoke such a strong reaction in her. She felt as if there were something she was missing, some puzzle that could only be completed by determining the pony's identity.

Abandoning her friends, she took to the sky and flew over to the mare, skidding to a stop in front of her and catching her off guard. She let out a surprised gasp as Rainbow leaned in with a serious stare. "Do I know you?"

"Goodness! I should hope not." She scoffed, stepping around the pegasus and continuing on her way.

Disheartened and confused, she returned to her friends. It wasn't until later that night, when she was on the precipice between the waking world and the realm of sleep, that it came to her in a flash. She jumped out of her cloud bed, startling her pet turtle, Tank, awake as she flicked on the lights and began rummaging through her dresser drawers.

"I know I put it in here somewhere," she muttered as she searched their contents frantically. "Aha!"

She pulled out a small journal, wiping the dust off of it and cracking it open. Reading the words she'd written in that book was like being reborn, so many distant memories flooding back into her that she didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or throw it across the room.

She pondered the identity of the pony she'd encountered that day, pinning her as the unicorn that had been the first to snap out of her stupor and recognize Rainbow Dash for who she was. She didn't sleep that night as she mulled over everything that had been wrenched from her mind by the passage of time. Had it all been real?

She'd made up her mind. She needed answers.

As soon as it was late enough in the morning for her to rationalize showing up on Twilight's doorstep, she rushed over to the Princess's castle and barreled into the map room, startling both her and Spike with her frenetic presence.

"Twilight!" she huffed, winded from her mad dash to her home. "I need your help." She pulled the notebook out of her satchel and flopped it onto the table.

"Rainbow, I'm sorry, but I'm extra busy today. Do you think we could do this another time?"

She hardly even looked up from the clipboard she was levitating with her magic, her eyes scanning over its contents while Spike helped gather all the things she'd been listing.

"This is really important!" she banged her hoof on the table impatiently. "If we don't do this now I'm going to forget—"

"Uh huh," Twilight responded, unintentionally cutting her off in an attempt to seem interested.

"Urghh. What's so important, anyway?" Dash frowned, blowing a puff of air up at her mane as she settled onto her chair beside the crystal table. She looked down at the book in her hooves, scrolling through its pages and skimming the entries she'd written.

"I have to prepare for another embassy visit. Princess Celestia said they were from some far-off land that I'd never even heard of before. Can you believe that? Me? Never heard of?" She let out a bout of crazed laughter. "Which means it has to be perfect because—"

"Wait, wait, wait." She cut her off, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Her mouth dried as she slowly lifted her head to look at her. "The... name...?"

"Reptarus," she told her. "The city of Pontropolis, to be exact."

Goodbye to a World

by Reba_McIntosh

Preface

Part 1: The In-Between

Part 2: The Resistance

Part 3: The Blood Moon

Epilogue