The evil birds had all fallen asleep. They were slumped over the banquet table in a drunken stupor. Matthias noticed the key to the cage hanging on a string from the back of Ironbeak's chair. "Maybe I could squeeze through the bars and grab that key," he whispered.

"Go for it," said Twilight.

He slipped between the cage bars. It was a tight squeeze, and he had a little trouble getting his head through, but he managed to push himself out. Then he tiptoed across the room to where General Ironbeak lay snoring on his bone throne. He picked the key up and started making his way back to the cage.

Then suddenly a thing happened that was bad and not good. Those birds weren't very tidy, and they had left loose feathers all over the floor. Matthias slipped on one of them and fell down with a crash. The key went flying out of his paw and into his mouth. And oh no, oh no, he SWALLOWED it!

Twilight groaned.

All over the room, the birds sat bolt upright as if electrified, blearily opening their eyes and saying, "Wossat? Wass going on?" to each other.

A crow named Mangiz pointed at Matthias. "Look, the mouse escaped!"

"I'll fix that scummy little sneak!" said General Ironbeak and he picked up an axe that was lying nearby.

"Watch out, Matthias!" Twilight yelled from inside the cage. Ironbeak threw the axe but Matthias ducked and it embedded itself in the wall right above Twilight's head.

About twenty large birds got up from the table and advanced on Matthias, swords, spears, and axes drawn. The odds were not on the mouse's side… and Matthias was completely and utterly unarmed. So, in absence of his sword, he picked up two large, sloppy, creamy pumpkin pies from the table and crashed them like cymbals on the nearest rook's head. The rook fell backward, a sticky, dripping, pumpkin mess, and landed on the magpie behind him.

Matthias ran over to the cage. "I'm sorry, Twilight! I made a mess of things again."

But Twilight had an idea. "Use the bear claw!"

"What?"

"Take a claw off one of those bear rugs and use it to pick the lock! Hurry!"

Matthias did as she said, stooping down to pull a claw off the nearest rug. While he was bent over, Mangiz advanced on him with a sword, but Twilight shot a blast of magic through the bars that knocked Mangiz back. The crow fell onto the table, knocking over a pot of soup that spilled over onto the floor. That made some of the other birds slip and fall.

Matthias hurriedly twisted the bear claw in the lock of the cage. To his surprise, that actually opened it. Twilight burst out. She rushed at the flock of birds, rearing up with her hooves and whinnying. They scattered in fear, giving Twilight a chance to reach the case which held the Flowers of Icetor and break the glass with her horn. She grabbed one of the flowers and zoomed back to Matthias. "Quick! Hop on my back!"

Matthias climbed on her and they flew out the open window.

They flew over to the balloon and got into the basket. Twilight untied it from the tree and was frantically trying to start it up when the birds came storming out of the castle, armed with bows and arrows.

"Stop and we'll shoot!" General Ironbeak cried.

"Stop and we'll shoot?" Twilight repeated. "Shouldn't that be stop or we'll shoot? Why would we stop if we know you're gonna kill us?"

"Well, it would be a lot easier," said Mangiz. "The targets at the shooting range don't run."

And then General Ironbeak lifted his bow and fired! Matthias and Twilight shut their eyes.

But he was aiming at the balloon, not them. His arrow hit the balloon with a pop and all the air started to leak out. He laughed evilly. "Cawhawhaw! Now you've got nowhere to run, earthcrawlers. I'll teach you to steal my flowers!"

Twilight had to think fast. She knew there was only one thing to do. She hopped out of the basket and gave it a push. It started to slide down the slope. Twilight jumped back in just as it went over the edge of the plateau.

They rode the basket down the mountain like a sled, slowly at first, then picking up more and more speed, until they were moving too fast for the birds to follow.

"This is genius, Twilight!" Matthias hooted as trees blurred past.

"I was thinking of Pinkie Pie," Twilight said. "I tried to imagine what she would have done. I just hope we're in time to save her."