- Previously
- http://pastebin.com/ruRF3Kdq
- >Anon's face twitches, stunned.
- >Quiet Dawn is standing, mouth agape.
- >The air is thick with shock.
- >The robe you wear thankfully keeps you from Jasmine's sight.
- >There's no way you're getting out of this one.
- >This is all Anon's fault anyway.
- >If he hadn't practically forced you to come here, none of you would be in this situation.
- >That treacherous guard...
- >If only you could explain to Luna!
- >If only...
- >You've all been too afraid to move.
- >“You know, I can't believe you, Dawn! I always gave you a chance and told you where to improve and-”
- >The black-maned mare stands firm, shouting down at the guard.
- >What an odd disguise she donned previously.
- >Convincing too.
- >Fooled you well enough.
- >But there's other matters at hand.
- >“Told ME where to improve?! Your whole life you've been a stuck-up prude! Not to mention your boring, tear-inducing stories that could drive anypony insane!”
- >The arguing continues, but you've lost interest.
- >You want to escape, but you don't reckon that chance is in your favour.
- >Echo looks up to you though, giving you a funny look.
- >Shrugging your shoulders, you try to ask what the hell she means.
- >She moves her head towards the side lane beside the entrance.
- >You whisper to her, the two guards distracted by their own bickering.
- “Think we can make a break for it?”
- >“Jasmine is the slowest pony I know. We could be in Ponyville and she'd not even be close to the Everfree.”
- >You two look away from each other.
- >“-and furthermore, Quiet Dawn, what have you ever done to deserve the royal guard position?”
- >You hold up three fingers.
- >“More than you, that's for sure!”
- >Two.
- >“Hell, I could name fillies who'd make better guards than you!”
- >One.
- >“You're a fool, Dawn. A liar and a fool!”
- >As light-footed as you can, you make a break for the lane.
- >An enormous gasp is heard from Jasmine's throat.
- >“DAWN! AFTER THEM!”
- >“Who said you give the orders around here?!”
- >“If you catch them I'll let you go free!”
- >Oh great.
- >A whooping noise from the traitorous foe.
- >“Sorry, Anon. I didn't count on that!”
- “Well, we'll just have to outrun the pair of them. Think you're up to it?”
- >Your friend turns up to you, a gallant look on her face.
- >“You bet.”
- >You wonder why she hasn't used her wings yet.
- >The gallops of Quiet Dawn are sluggishly but steadily catching up to you.
- >“Anon, when I give the signal, grab onto my leg.”
- “What?”
- >She huffs, her breath slowly dissipating from her tiny lungs.
- >“Just trust me!”
- >Feet slamming down on the cold ground, you focus on one thing only.
- >“Now!”
- >The jumping batpony.
- >With an almighty thrust at the floor, physics takes place.
- >You grab onto the flying pony, getting some height above the ground.
- >“Ugh-! You're a- a little heavier than I thought you'd be!”
- >Holding onto her curled hindlegs is more of a challenge than you thought it'd be.
- >You can feel your grip surely slipping.
- “Echo, we can't keep this up much longer.”
- >“Ngh! No- Anon. I can do this.”
- >Her words ring hollow.
- “Echo, set down now!”
- >“We'll be sitting ducks!”
- >Eyes tracing downward, you see the buildings of Hollow Shades beneath.
- >And you're not that far from the gates.
- “Echo, trust me. We'll be home-free before you know it.”
- >She grunts.
- >“Fine.”
- >The black-maned guard cries out at you from the distance.
- >“Get back here NOW!”
- >She's barely through the sideway passage of the lane.
- >No way she'll catch you.
- >Dawn, though...
- >She's gaining.
- >In the middle of the square however, attempting a leap over the statue of Princess Luna...
- >Results in a pitiful smack of flesh and stone.
- >A wincing screech makes its way from the idiot.
- >You hadn't noticed before, but her wings are fairly little.
- >That'll be it, then.
- “Echo, now! Set us down!”
- >She puffs for breath, and almost descends into freefall.
- >Your grip isn't tightening any.
- >Hands slipping, you feel yourself about to fall...
- >Out of nowhere, the hard stone touches your feet.
- >“Get back here, you two!”
- >A cringe-worthy scream from the faster guard.
- “Let's hurry.”
- >The gates are still open in the dead of the night.
- >“CLOSE THAT GATE!”
- >The shunting groan of steel scrapes along the rock.
- >No time to pace yourself.
- >“Run!”
- >You obey.
- >Pedalling along the floor, almost all oxygen inside of you has drained.
- >Your legs are fatigued, your head is pounding with adrenaline.
- >Maybe it's enough to get you through.
- >Creaks and clangs.
- >“Anon, hurry!”
- >She starts flapping her wings to the point where they blur, and bolts out of the village.
- >You never were an athlete, but...
- >You can run to save your life.
- >That's exactly what you're doing.
- >Boot upon gravel, wind passing by, you're going to make this.
- >The dark streets of Hollow Shades will be gone soon.
- >The guards that stand beside the mechanism try to reach out to you as you pass the gate, but no use.
- >You're through!
- >A slam of metal hits your ears.
- >You plop yourself down behind the wrong side of the hulking steel gate.
- >Now you're going to be thrown to the jails for sure.
- >Your ears perk up, and pants enter your auditory nerves.
- >“Dih... Did you catch them?!”
- >Jasmine.
- >You have no energy left.
- >You're for it.
- >And the secrets inside the Chronicle will be returned to a vault in Canterlot, likely.
- >Not sold to the highest bidder.
- “No.”
- >“What?! Wha- hold on a sec...”
- >She coughs for a moment.
- >“What do you mean you didn't catch them?!”
- “They're past the gate, Jasmine!”
- >The pony looks horrified.
- >Her voice softens.
- >“Do you even understand what this means, Quiet?”
- >It's unnerving.
- >“You know what's going to happen, right...?”
- >That, you do.
- >The torment of Luna's dream spells have only been spoken of in folklore.
- >But you know full well, for capital offenses like this, you're going to drown in insanity.
- >Those two will pay.
- >Oh yes, they'll pay.
- >“Where to now?”
- >You and your friend are still going at a steady pace.
- >Better safe than sorry.
- “Back to Ponyville, I suppose.”
- >It's becoming increasingly difficult to navigate through the brush of the Everfree.
- >That map is still in your pocket.
- >“Won't they think to look there?”
- >The navigational tool is broken, though.
- >You wonder if there any more of those bright opals in the vicinity.
- >While you push aside some rough branches, you spot a clearing.
- >A small one, yet enough room for the two of you.
- “One second, Echo. We need a break.”
- >Before you can even lift a foot, she interrupts.
- >“No, you mean YOU need a break.”
- >She giggles.
- “Well... Yes.”
- >A smug grin greets you in the gloom.
- “Quiet Dawn and Jasmine don't know where I live. They probably haven't even heard of Ponyville.”
- >Taking a seat on a rock, you pick up a miniscule stone and throw it as far as you can.
- >“Probably not.”
- >She sits on her haunches, peering around.
- “What are you doing?”
- >“Sonar.”
- “Oh, of course. You're a batpony.”
- >The mares face looks to you.
- >“You're really something, Anon. You know that, right?”
- >You chuckle.
- >Noises of the forest creep around you and your friend.
- >A minute bug on the floor crawls beside your boot.
- >“Anon, why are we here?”
- >Your gaze is drawn to her.
- “Huh?”
- >“Why did you leave your home? Why come for the Chronicle? I'm nothing significant. I'm just your average stole-an-ancient-artifact-and-got-banned-from-her-hometown batpony.”
- >She's good with words, this one.
- “I...”
- >Echo's legs raise slightly.
- “I don't know. I'm curious about you.”
- >Her eyebrows do the same.
- >That bug begins to crawl away.
- “You say you're regular, apart from stealing the book. There's something about you.”
- >“What? What could there be?”
- >You ponder for a moment.
- >She waits intently, lurking for an answer.
- “I'm not sure. Shall we head off home now?”
- >Dejected, she sighs gruffly.
- >“Fine.”
- >After about an hour of fast walking, and some more assistance from Zecora, you and Echo come into the village.
- >Dawn breaks.
- >Dawn.
- “I don't like this.”
- >The small mare looks to you.
- >“Why?”
- >You can't meet her gaze.
- “It just... doesn't feel right. Us being here at daybreak exactly.”
- >She doesn't seem as concerned with it as you.
- >“Oh come on, Anon! You're just being facetious. We lost those ponies an age ago. There's no way they'll find us.”
- “Maybe you're right.”
- >Tiredness in her stride, Echo trots with want of sleep.
- >“Hurry up, I need a good sleep.”
- >You can't argue with that.
- >Your feet pursue her into the house.
- >It feels like an age since you were last in here.
- >The clopclop of hooves on the stairs greet you.
- >“Goodness, I'm so tired. I'm still stealing your bed, by the way.”
- >Smiling up at her, an air of guilt surrounds you.
- “Take it. You deserve it.”
- >“Alright.”
- >Under a false small, the batpony looks...
- >Drained.
- >Grim.
- >And worst of all...
- >Betrayed.
- >There's a sinking feeling this won't be your home much longer.
- >You're too tired to dwell on it for now, though.
- >For once, sleep comes easy.
- >A swirling coldness grabs you.
- >Blackness surrounds the air around you, tightening its grip with every breath you take.
- >“This is your fault.”
- “I didn't mean for this to happen!”
- >There's another squeeze upon your life.
- >“Oh, of course! Nah, thought you'd just waltz on into my trust, and then shatter it like glass.”
- “I... My intention was never-”
- >“Shut up! Just shut up shut up shut up, SHUT! UP!”
- >There's an almighty screech.
- >“You're a coward, Anon! A lousy, pathetic, worthless coward!”
- >The sound of bones snapping.
- “No!”
- >“You know you are! Don't deny it!”
- “I'm not!”
- >“You can't even steal a book right! You're not even worth the effort of being killed!”
- >An inglorious roar.
- >A knock at the door.
- “Agh!”
- >That dream wasn't pleasant.
- >The voice...
- >It was like Echo's.
- >But it was different, somehow.
- >The curtains are still drawn inside, but a tiny lick of light shines.
- >She sounded...
- >Anguished.
- >The knock comes again.
- “Ugh, I'm comi-coming, just wait a minute.”
- >A rough head and a cold body isn't a great combination for neighbourly activities.
- >You pull open the door.
- >“Where have you two been?!”
- >It's Lyra.
- >“I've been looking all over town for the past two days worried sick! I thought you two had disappeared!”
- >You look off to the side.
- >Canterlot Palace is in view.
- “We might be gone again sometime soon.”

