>The shack was completely empty, save for the staircase at the other side of the room.
>Echo and Spark crossed the barren room and walked down the stairs in silence.
>As they descended the staircase, they could hear the clamoring of other bat p0nies growing increasingly louder.
>When the two reached the bottom, the only thing separating them from the others was a large stone wall.
>“You ready?” Spark whispered.
“Of course.”

>Echo pushed open the heavy stone door and was greeted by a wave of sound.
>About twenty of so bat p0nies filled the room, all of them sitting at a huge dining room table in the center of it.
>The room was pure chaos, the ponies were drinking cups filled with blood, throwing food, screaming and screeching, and falling over in their chairs.
>Echo once again found herself questioning why she was ever part of the Order in the first place.
>As Echo’s eyes passed over the crowded room, she found her eyes resting on one p0ny.
>At the end of the table sat a bat p0ny that looked significantly different from the rest.
>Her fur was much lighter than that of herself and the other bat p0nies and her mane was a dark blue.
>Her face held a number of deep scars and her expression was cold and unmoving.
>Her gaze was focused on a plate of uneaten food when a p0ny approached her and whispered something in her ear.
>She bolted upright.
>“Silence!” she screamed.
>The room immediately fell completely silent as the occupants turned towards the p0ny at the end of the table.
>“It has come to my attention that Echo has returned from her mission”, she stated simply.
>A few of the ponies turned their heads towards the door and noticed Echo.
>A cry of welcoming came across the room and the ponies were once again silenced.
>The p0ny at the end of the table turned her blood red eyes towards Echo.
>“Our dear friend Echo here, just came back from her perilous journey to the great land of Canterlot where she risked life and limb for the good of the Order. I was oh so worried that you might never make it back”, the pony said sarcastically.
>There was a chuckle from one or two of the other p0nies at the table.
>“Now let’s cut the crap”, the speaker said, taking a seat in her chair. “Hand over the helmet.”
>The room fell silent.
>Echo was left staring at the hooves.
“I didn’t get it”, Echo muttered.
>“Excuse me?” the p0ny said firmly.
>Why was she being such a coward?
>Echo picked up her head and spoke up.
“I didn’t get the helmet, Stone. I failed.”
>Stone was visibly shaken.
>Echo didn’t think it was possible; the room was somehow even quieter than before.
>Echo stood there quietly for what felt like minutes.
>Stone finally spoke.
>“Let me get this straight,” Stone slowly said, seemingly holding back powerful emotions.
>“You failed your, no, the ORDER’S most important job in years,” she chuckled, “and you even had the nerve to come back here and didn’t try to run off and get yourself killed.”
>Stone stood up from her place at the end of the table.
>“Can you believe this?”
>She was talking to the rest of the bat p0nies in the room now.
>The room remained silent.
>Stone slammed her hoof on the table, knocking off a few cups.
>“CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS??!”
>A few murmurings of replies came from the p0nies in the room, which were half petrified and half curious as to what would occur.
>No one had failed a mission this important before.
>Stone turned to look at Echo and slowly began walking towards her.
>Her expression changed.
>“How did I not know that you would fail a mission like this? Why in the world did I ever trust you?”
>“Maybe I was fooled by your ‘prestigious’ ancestry that everyone here goes on and on about. Or could it have been your strong wit, charisma, and that pretty little face of yours that fooled me?”
>“You know what? Now that I think about it, deep down I always sort of known that you’d fail miserably.”
>She stopped walking and grinned deviously at Echo.
>“Just like your miserable mother.”
>Her mother?
>How could Stone know anything about her mother?
>Her mother couldn’t have connections with the Order, any connections the family had had been broken by Echo’s grandmother.
>Unless…
 >No, of course not, her mother was just a gardener.
>Right?
>Stone read the look on Echo’s face.
>“Oh, I’m sorry you didn’t know about your dear mommy?”
“What are you talking about, Stone?”
>Stone grabbed a large knife from the table and approached Echo.
>“Oh so you haven’t heard? I would’ve thought someone would have told you by now.”
>Stone was waving the knife in front of Echo’s face but Echo wasn’t going to let her intimidate her.
“Tell me, Stone.”
>Stone’s gaze shifted to Echo’s wounded wing.
>“Oh now how did this happen? Did you hurt yourself on the job?”
“Stone, tell me about my mother.”
>“Now why should I do that? Why should I tell you that your mother was in the Order, just like you, and that we had to…dispose of her accordingly?”
>Stone slowly brushing the knife across Echo’s face.
“You’re a liar!”
>“Now let’s not jump to any conclusions. I mean, you never did find out what had happened to your mother did you? You really have only one thing to believe at this point.”
>Echo just stood there staring at Stone.
>“Let me just get to the point here. I never did like you Echo, not even a little bit. That mission was meant to be suicide. You failed in getting yourself killed. I’m actually quite surprised that you came out of it alive.”
>“Hey, but since you DID survive, I’m guessing that you would like a little reward.”
>Stone put her face right up against Echo’s
>“I’m going to let you live. But if I, or anyone else in this room, see you inside Hollow Shades ever again, you’re going to wish that I would have killed you.”
>Stone took a step back from Echo.
>“And another thing!” Stone shouted, 
>“Where is that good for nothing Spark? Ah, there you are.”
>Spark had snuck over to the end of the table when she had entered with Echo.
>“Don’t you think that I didn’t see you come in with Echo. Since you’re such good buddies with her, you can join her in her exile. You were always useless anyway. Now get over here.”
>Spark walked over to Stone without saying a word.
>Stone took the knife she was holding and plunged it into Spark’s wing, creating a large gash similar to Echo’s.
>Spark screeched out in pain.
>“Matching friendship scars! How cute!” Stone spoke with delight.
>Echo went over to Spark’s side.
“You’re sick, Stone!”
>“Am I? Or am I just a little…batty? Now get out of my sight.”
>Echo didn’t want to waste any more time down there.

>She and Spark made their way quickly to the exit, up the stairs, and out of the shack.
“Spark, are you alright?”
>“Yeah, Echo I-I’ll be fine.”
>Spark was crying now.
“Come here, let me take a look at that.”
>The wound was not as deep as Echo’s had been, and not nearly as far down the wing.
“You’ll be alright, Spark. It’s not too bad.”
>“I know, Echo. I don’t even think that I’m crying about that. Everything just happened so fast. We went down there, Stone threw one of her fits, and now we are never allowed back into Hollow Shades again? I just don’t know what we are going to do, this place is my only home. It’s a bat ponies only home.”
“I know a place that we can go to Spark, at least temporarily so we can get back on our hooves and figure out this mess.”
>“Where’s that?”
“Come on, I’ll show you. Let’s get out of this place first.”