Ebonystar slowly plodded along, weighed down considerably by not only the heavy saddle bags bound tightly around his middle, but the burning humidity of the late spring day boring its way into the unicorns dark blue fur. Tiredly, his mind wondered back to the events that happened a few days ago, he had been sitting in the Canterlot library, buried under a mountain of books as usual, when a strange whit unicorn had come up to him and asked if he would be willing to do a job for one of the princesses, blindly he had accepted, visions of studying under Luna or even Celestia flashing through his mind.
Instead what he got was a trip to one of the farthest villages of Equestria to spend a week preparing for some obscure festival that was being held there. To make It worse, he had been delayed a while to pick up some supplies in the site of the previous year's summer sun celebration, Ponyville. This alone wouldn't have irritated him as much as the fact that everypony there seemed more interested in socializing more than doing their jobs, which was quickly dragging on an already tiring day.
Because of this he was relieved when he finally made it to the last stop of the day, the ponyville library. Adjusting his saddle bags to a more comfortable position, he stepped into the library, greeted by a cool breeze and the familiar scent of pages and ink. He stopped when he saw the pony that was already there reading. A purple unicorn with lighter streaks in her mane, it had to be Twilightsparkle, the hero that saved Princess Luna from her darker self in the previous year's antics. Though he hadn't seen her since a few days before then, judging by the stories that were already being told in Canterlot, she had change quite a bit form the reclusive bookworm that he knew before the incident.
"Um, Twilight, is it?" He asked politely. Twilights head jerked up,
"Do I know you?" she replied.
"You don't remember me? I'm Ebonystar, from the Canterlot library." Twilight slowly shook her head, and then seemed to remember something,
"Oh, Ebonystar, I remember now!" His spirits lifted, finally somepony he knew and could hold a conversation with.
"Your that rude unicorn that wouldn't talk to anypony else!" His spirits crashed, so even Twilight sparkle thought that way about him. It wasn't that he meant to be mean to anypony, he just got so absorbed in his books he either cut conversations short or ignored others completely. There were a few exceptions though, when he wasn't reading he would often talk to others in the library about magic spells, history, and even ideas for various things.
"So what brings you to Ponyville?" Twilight continued, clearly oblivious to the serious blow she had just dealt to her fellow unicorn. "I'm sure it's not the book selection"
"I'm actually just stopping by on my way north, princess Celestia sent me to oversee some festival there."
"Must be a big festival if the princess herself is sending somepony to observe it."
"It's probably because the border's so close, the country just northwest has been getting more and more restless." Twilight nodded and agreement just as a bright orange colored earth pony in a brown stetson walked through the door.
"Howdy Twi'," the earth-pony greeted her friend in a thick country accent, "ah was just goin' to help Rainbow practice for her next big race and decided to see if y'all wanted to come with." Twilight looked between her two guests with a thoughtful expression.
"You know your way around a library, right Ebony?" Ebony nodded, "okay, good, if you have any questions, just ask Spike, he should be around here somewhere." Ebonystar watched as the two ponies left the library, then went to the nearest book shelf, using his magic to pull a book off the top, he read the title.
"Border Skirmishes and Outlying Countries, how convenient" he muttered to himself, "but what is it doing under 'S'?"
Meanwhile, far to the north, a black pegasus was staring out of a fortress window and over the rocky landscape just outside, He shivered as a cold breeze cut sharply through both the thick walls and his fur alike.
/I hope Foxtrail gets here soon./ he thought impatiently. It was a rather cold night for this time of year. The Pegasus looked up as he heard the slow click of hoofs of someone sneaking down the hallway. A brown earth pony was cautiously walking down the corridor, pausing to look both ways every couple of steps; it took him a couple of minutes for him to get to the pegasus.
"What is it, Shadowflight?" Foxtrail asked in a hoarse whisper once he made it to his friend. "You know we're not supposed to be out past curfew unless we're on duty." Shadowflight nodded his understanding.
"It's about our escape plan"
Foxtrail looked a bit irritated, shoulders sagging and a scowl crept onto his face. "You know that was a joke, Shadowflight, there's no way we'd even make it to the front gate, so just let it drop."
"But what if there was?" the question was met with a blank stare, so Shadow continued. "What if we found a way to cause a distraction, such a large distraction that the guards would find that more important than a couple of deserters?"
"And how to you figure we'll do that, oh great and wise one?"
"A few days ago, I overheard some of the other guards in the lunchroom. They were talking about how there's going to be some giant gala over in equestrian, and how the generals making a big fuss about going."
"You still haven't mentioned the distraction." The skeptical earth pony pointed out tiredly.
"I'm getting there" Shadowflight explained. "You know that prisoner, the one they moved in a few days ago?"
"The only prisoner here is that Livewire nutcase, and he was moved here over a week ago."
"Yes, exactly! As our only prisoner, the general will want more than anything to keep him from escaping. If we do release him, they will drop everything to get him back, and that will be our opportunity to leave!" Shadow explained excitedly. It all seemed so perfect, they could start in a few days, and by the end of the week, they'd be home free in Equestria.
Shadowflight's heart was pumping in his throat as they approached the door. It had been two days since he first met with Foxtrail, and now they were both about to pull of their plan. He had never been as nervous as now, and a quick glance to his earthpony friend showed him that Fox was feeling the same. What if it didn't work? What if they got caught? He shoved those thoughts out of his mind. Now all that mattered was entering the next room and pressing a button. He reached for the door handle.
The room beyond was empty, much to their relief. Along the entire right wall was a row of computers and monitors showing a cell from several angles, beyond that, on the far wall was a narrow strip of what looked like a two way mirror. Finally to the left was a row of blinking lights.
"He's just lying there…" Foxtrail said, pointing a hoof at the electric blue unicorn on the monitors. He was lying down on his side, all four hoofs tied together. His neck was stretched at what appeared to be a painful angle and a matted red mane was covering one of his eyes, only adding to his crazed expression.
"I wonder what he's thinking." Shadowflight said, walking up to the mirror.
"Oh sure, we're up long past curfew, planning a dangerous escape that will either end up with us lost and alone, or tied up like that prisoner, which is a potentially homicidal maniac, who we are going to free no less. And you're wondering what the blue unicorn is thinking!" Fox complained, "Let's just get this over with." The Pegasus ignored him, turning back to the small window. There was a sudden flurry on the other side, almost giving Shadow a heart attack as he found himself face to face with the unicorn, whose nose was practically smashed against the glass.
"Ah! Somepony's finally here, now we can play a game!" he exclaimed, "it's gotten ever so lonely in my little magic dampening white home. Ooh I know, how about you decide the game!"
Shadowflight backed up a bit. "He can hear us?" he asked his friend, who hurriedly ran over to the blinking lights.
"Ooh, true or false, I like that game, do you? I bet you do, otherwise you wouldn't have advised it!" he turned his head so that it was his eye pressed up against the glass. "True, definitely true, the mics on! Is this even a game?"
"Looks like he can see us too," Foxtrail coughed, pointing at the mic, which was, in fact, on.
"False, I'll go with false, the lights off."
"What are the odds…" Shadowflight muttered.
"Pretty good actually," Livewire said. "They leave it off all the time. By the sounds of it, your not really my guards, what do you gentle-colts want from loony livewire?"
"We need your help." Shadowflight finally addressed the unicorn.
"Oh really? Want to free me? Want to cause a ruckus to blame on me?"
Suddenly, Fox ran over to the door. "Somepony's coming!" he hissed urgently.
"Will you?" Shadow asked, the unicorn started humming.
"Maybe, maybe not" he said finally, in a sing-song voice.
"Why wouldn't you? We need to escape, and your situation can't possibly get worse."
"Shadow!" Foxtrail repeated.
"What do I have to gain from it? Sure I'll get to stretch my legs, see my captors' frightened faces, but nothing really changes."
"What do you want?"
"Shadow!"
"Take me with you"
"SHADOW!" Fox shouted, Shadowflight turned around.
"What-?" his question was only just forming when he had the answer. Right next to Foxtrail, filling the entire door frame with his bulk, was a grey earthpony, in front of him was several guards. It was the general.
"Shadowflight and foxtrail, tut tut tut" the general clicked his tongue. "Our youngest and newest guards, already fooled by the madcolt, come away from the mirror Shadow, there's nothing for you in here." Shadow stayed put, it wouldn't matter if he moved or not, he would be punished either way. He watched as the general trotted, or more of waddled, across the room.
"Are you really going to put all your faith in somepony you've only just met? Please shadow, think reasonably" Livewires grin broadened significantly.
"Hello mister general, you're a voice to sore ears! You sound more energetic than usual, heart definitely is, you scared of something?" The general looked like he was on the verge of exploding, seeing his chance, Shadowflight edged toward the control panels.
"Think before you act, boy!" the general shouted, all facades of gentleness wiped away. He took a step closer, shadowflight backed away. "do you really intend to endanger the lifes of every pony, you own freedom, and that of a friend, just for a faint glimmerthat the grass might be greener on the other side?"
"I already have." Shadowflight retorted before promptly flinging himeslef at the master lever and pushing it down with all his might. As he did so, red lights and sirens exploded into action all over the fortress. Live wire burst out laughing before teleporting away while the general shivered with ragem grey face turning scarlet as he barked orders at his guards.
"Take the prisoners away to the eastern cells, then join the others to hunt the fugitive." He turned to the two friends. "you going to regret ever setting a hoof into this base." he said.
"Too late" were the last words Shadowflight heard before feeling something heavy fall onto the back of his skull, then all went black.