With everything that Titan had just told me, I knew now would be the right time. It wouldn’t be wise to try pull off the rescue, but I needed to know what I was going to be working with. If the streets were swarming with patrols, there would be fewer guards protecting their headquarters. Looking over to the annoyed Eos, I grabbed her hoof and pulled her closer to me. “Come on, Eos. We’re going.”

“Going where?” She asked, a new sense of positivity and energy filling her voice. “Where are you taking me? Somewhere dark and secluded I hope.”

No matter how sweet and inviting the smile on her face may have been, the implication was completely lost on me and the joy drained from her face as I shook my head. “No, we’re going scouting. I need to know where we’re rescuing Cherry from. The layout, guard posts, points of entry from the sky, what kind of aerial defences they may have – everything.”

Huffing in response to my point, Eos looked at me for a second before realising I was completely serious.
“You’re in no shape to rescue her right now though!” Eos insisted, slamming her hoof down lightly. “You can’t seriously believe that you’re ready to pull off a raid. I-”

Putting my hoof to her mouth, I stopped her mid sentence. “No, Eos. I’m going out to scout. No weapons, no armour, no fighting. I won’t be getting into danger, but if you’re looking to keep that promise about looking after me, you’ll be following me. Now is the best time to find out what we’re looking at, and that’s all. No daring raid, no danger. I just don’t want to go solo if I can help it, and your ability not only fly, but also provide support with your invisibility will be such a huge benefit.”

Letting that sink in to her mind for a moment, I took a deep breath and held out my hoof. Titan tried to object to the proposal, but as soon as he began talking, Eos accepted the offer. Smiling at her, I pulled her into a hug. “Thank you.” I whispered. “Now, lets go do this.”

“But she’s too important to risk for your fancy, Crimson!” Titan growled. “I don’t care that-”

“Stop, Titan.” Helios commanded, her voice echoing through the room. A cold chill filled the air as everyone waited, looking at the green mare in anticipation. “Eos is more than capable of looking after herself. I have been reading Crimson’s mind and can tell you he is not lying with his intentions. They will be safe. Now, stop being overly protective. We are not the only important ones; Crimson is not only important to us in our movement, he is important to us three alicorns. As well as that, he is important to his home of Four Ridges, and Cherry is important to him. We cannot restrict ourselves to only doing things that are important to us if we want others to help us.”

Now the ghoul spoke no word even after the green alicorn finished hers. Looking at her in admiration and respect, I could feel the smile growing on my face as what she had said really hit home. Being important to others was something I was accustomed to, but hearing it from Helios of all ponies was something… new, and exciting. Flattery could never cease to find new ways to impress, it seemed.

With yet another burst of energy, Eos chirped as she spoke. “Well, what about showering first? Do you plan to shower? Come on, I’ll go get my shampoos and we’ll clean you up.”

“No.” I responded flatly, dampening her excitement. “There’s no time. The chaos caused earlier will only last for so long before the D.Z.C grow tired of their more extensive patrols and return to base – or worse – some other group sees their opportunity to attack and we get caught in the middle of it. The last thing we need is for the Zebras United group or Anarchists to seize our chance from us. Besides that, smelling too clean can be a giveaway in itself; don’t forget that we noticed Selene thanks to the berry scent.”

Poking her nose toward me and taking an inquisitive sniff, Eos rolled her jaw around before admitting defeat. “Okay, good point, and I suppose you smell acceptable. Perhaps a little stale, but you’re right.” Letting out a little sigh, she began to lead the way, past her sisters. As I followed, they both waved to us in an innocuous fashion to say goodbye, knowing we would both be back soon. Looking back at Titan as we left the room, his face still showed his sour feelings, though he now kept them to himself.

Beside me came a nervous voice from my companion, surprisingly unsure of herself as she spoke. “So, just to check, you’re absolutely sure you want me to accompany you, Crimson? I know you asked me to, but...”

Sensing she didn’t really want to admit the full sentence without me knowing how much it meant to her, I urged her to continue. “But what? I asked because I know I can rely on you. Your ability to go invisible is beyond incredible and whilst Cherry also knows that spell, it seems to me that she can’t pull it off quite like you do. Besides, its not like she’d be able to help me sneak around whilst locked up. You’re my best option.”

“It’s just.” Eos began, before letting out a long, drawn sigh. “I don’t know what I can do for you. I’m large and much more visible unless I use my spell, but even though I have much more capacity to use the spell than Cherry does, even I can’t use it indefinitely. When I was in Unity, we were always taught to use such strong magic at least a bit more sparingly. Teleportation is a magic that any user will instinctively know if they can pull it off or not. Telepathy is a much more passive spell unless you’re specifically searching for something in the mind of your target. Invisibility however, is exhausting. The amount of concentration and energy it takes to keep it going for an extended amount of time isn’t something I can explain to somepony without a horn; just like how we can’t explain how the wind feels in our wings and how a long flight is as exhausting as running to those without wings. They will never truly understand. If I was fully revitalised I could keep it up for perhaps an hour, but right now? I haven’t had the chance to-”

“Eos.” I interjected, closing my eyes and sitting down in front of the door whilst waiting to be let out. “I-”

Before I could continue my sentence, a call came from behind us. Turning around, I saw it was Tsunami, looking at me in a disapproving way. Once more she shouted over to me as she trotted over to us. “Forgetting something?”

Seeing the bottle in her magic, Eos took it sheepishly from the mare, smile on her face. “Thank you Tsunami. I didn’t think about the time. He has what must be between half an hour to an hour before he takes these, right?”

“Correct. Don’t forget to make him take one pill and only one pill. Don’t let him try get out of it, no matter how much he might resist, got it?” The grey mare smiled at the end of her order. Her smile wasn’t one of bitchiness nor mistrust, but genuine appreciation upon seeing Eos hanging onto her every word.

Nodding her head in understanding, Eos spoke sharply. “Got it.”

Whining and huffing at the idea of being treated like a colt again, I scuffed my hoof on the floor. “I don’t need to be forced to take my medication.” Huffing once more, I remembered what I was saying before. “Besides, getting back to what I was saying, I don’t expect you to stealth me into the actual building. That would be too risky. Getting as close as we can manage would be great, but I don’t want to push my luck. Nor did I ask you to come with me in order to fly as fast as we possibly can. So long as you are making a genuine effort to do it in ample time, which I’m not saying you wouldn’t be, then that’s all I ask. I want a flying partner because I haven’t had one in years outside of the moment I had with that Enclave mare and-”

“Enclave mare?” Eos asked sourly, her pout dropping to the floor. “What do you mean, ‘Enclave mare’? What did you two do?”

Letting out a short huff of air in amusement, I reached for one of Eos’ hooves. “Calm down, you’re acting like a jealous wife. Nothing ‘happened’. It was when I went out with Titan’s friend, we encountered a pair of Enclave soldiers. I asked the mare to sky dance with me, and she obliged. That’s also what triggered my heart attack, so no, I won’t be sky dancing again until I’m better.”

Upon the door being opened for us, I made my way out first. Looking around, I gave the signal to Eos that everything was safe and clear. Within seconds of stepping through the hatch and out into the city itself, we were jumping into the skies with spread wings and taking flight.

“So, I’m here to keep you company and make sure you don’t over exert yourself then, yes?”

“That’s the ticket. You’re with me to help keep an eye on me, help keep me safe, and drag me back home if need be. It also means that we get to spend more time together, and that is what you want, isn’t it? To spend some time with me?”

The cogs turning in her head span as she hummed a happy tune to that rhetorical question. As she also realised that I was asking to spend more time with her, her eyes almost seemingly lit the night sky with how wide they were, joy overwhelming her every thought no doubt.

“Okay, well you didn’t need to convince me, darling, but you’ve convinced me even still. Now, if we’re to make sure that you don’t over exert yourself, I do insist that you stay at my rear. I am, after all, the one who should set the pace if we don’t want you to blow all of your energy at once.”

Falling to her behind and letting Eos set the pace, her words rang back through my mind… over and over. Watching the way her hindlegs gently kicked out with every flap of her wings, I couldn’t help but get the feeling this was exactly the sight she wanted me to see, and now I doubted whether bringing her along with me really was the best choice for my heart.

Ignoring my growing desire for Eos the best I could, I instead turned my attention to the ground below us. All over were small fires that lit the streets and acted as gathering spots – but not all of them seemed to be controlled. In many places, I could see the fires getting out of hand, with ponies and zebras alike scrambling to put them out before all of their belongings were gone.

Amongst the chaos, I could also make out uniforms of the D.Z.C patrols going through, presumably intimidating residents as they banged on the doors of the crumbling buildings, forcing their way into makeshift camps, driving out individuals. A large part of me wanted to swoop down and do something about it, to restore the peace and live up to my reputation, but without a weapon let alone any armour, I knew I would just get myself killed if I tried.

“It’s tranquil up here, isn’t it, Crimson?” Eos asked, completely throwing me off of my train of thought.

“Pardon?” I asked, still trying to piece together what exactly she had just said to me.

“I said its tranquil, isn’t it? A stark contrast to what it’s like below. Nobody else flying around with us, nobody even looking for us. The way the wind gently caresses the tips of our wings, sliding through the sky without anything to cause us trouble. I hate to admit it, but I rarely get the chance to fly these days. Titan is so insistent on keeping us cooped up in that damned bunker for our own safety, so we can be the leaders of the revolution… but we hardly get to do anything at all.”

The sad, regretful tone in her voice hit me hard. I had noticed that Titan was extremely protective, but what exactly that meant to the alicorns wasn’t something I had thought much about. “Well, he’s just trying to look after you is all. What do you mean you don’t get to do anything?”

“Exactly that, Crimson. We don’t get to do anything. Before the end of Unity, we were happy like that. Unity provided us with all of the company we could ever long for. Countless sisters to speak to at any time, all of us connected in such a way that you wouldn’t be able to comprehend. When the demon destroyed our home, she ripped Unity away from us. In that moment, I felt like a curtain had been lifted that previously covered my eyes. The world around me shattered as I saw that nopony saw us as just other ponies – everypony saw us as an idol. Such a life is fine for some, but that isn’t for me. We came to Coltchester to help others, Crimson, we didn’t come to be treated like royalty.”

Confused about some of the attitudes I had seen in the past, I had to ask my own question. “Well why do I hear tales of other ponies being so scared of alicorns if you were just there to help?”

Eos gulped at my question, pausing mid-air as she looked at me, fear and worry in her eyes. “C-can we… not?”

“Please?” I insisted, not wanting to let this go unless I had to. Perhaps Eos would tell me that she absolutely wouldn’t answer the question, but something told me she would. Knowing how scared this question made her, I offered some comfort in response. “I promise I won’t hold it against you. Remember, you are not a part of Unity now and anything you or one of your sisters did back then is not who you are now. I don’t even understand what Unity is, you haven’t really explained it, but it obviously had some impact on you. With each and every action you take now, that is who you are.”

Turning her face away from mine, Eos slowly returned to flying to our destination. Just as I was about to ask again, she spoke. “The help that Unity offered was not the help that myself, Helios and Selene offer now. Unity is a hivemind, a collective, and all in it worked together for a single goal; to serve our Goddess. The Goddess could take partial or even full control of our actions, though rarely ever did so. Instead, she told us what we were to do and we did it.”

Again, she hesitated, though after me telling her to continue she did so. “The Goddess saw fit that the way to help ponies was to turn as many of them who were compatible with us… into alicorns.”

Thinking over those words, it dawned on me. Eos had previously mentioned that she didn’t know who she was before becoming an alicorn. To become an alicorn was to strip a pony of who they were to their very core. Everything that they had ever done, ever been, ever known, gone. That realisation sent a chill down my spine as I looked at her.

“We didn’t send any.”

Blinking my eyes and coming back to reality, I shook my head to get back with it. “Sorry?”

“We didn’t send any. Any unicorns. No, we didn’t send any to become alicorns. It was our original intention to do so, as that was what Unity commanded of us as our goal. We didn’t send any however because we wanted to save Coltchester from itself, so that we could lead all of the willing at the same time, for each of them to become one of our kin.”
Now tears ran down her face, and despite her efforts to hide it, it was unmistakeable between the hiccups. “We wouldn’t have forced any of them, I swear! We didn’t want to hurt anypony! We were just doing as we were told, and realised we’d be better off helping and using that influence to then lead the willing.”

Knowing that Eos needed some time to calm down, I gave her instructions to follow me instead of carrying on directly with the plan. Pointing below us, I made my intention clear. “That rooftop down there. Follow me, we’ll go land on that. Lets take a moments rest.”

“Please don’t abandon me, Crimson. I swear!” Eos cried out, her tears making it harder and harder for her to speak properly. Next she mumbled her response, overwhelmed in the flood of guilt. “I didn’t mean to be a bad pony.”

Landing on the roof first, I tested to see if it was structurally sound. Upon confirming it, I waved Eos over and watched her sit away from me, looking out at the horizon. Rolling my eyes and trotting over, I wrapped a wing around her and pulled her by the neck so that her head rested on my shoulder. Cooing into her ear, I began my attempt to calm her down.

“Ssshhhhh. Come on. You know me, you know I won’t abandon you. What did I tell you before? I said I wouldn’t judge you – and I meant it. Eos, you’re not a bad pony, I promise.”

“Do you mean it?” Eos asked with great sorrow. Nuzzling her cheek further into my chest, I felt the rest of her bodyweight slump into me. “Do you really mean it?”

“Of course I do, Eos. Was I slightly disturbed by what becoming an alicorn means sacrificing? Yes, of course, but you have said yourself that you have no idea who you were before – that’s why it bothered me. Despite that though, if you are true to your word that you wouldn’t have forced anypony to follow you to become an alicorn, well, I guess it isn’t as bad. I don’t know. The point is, even if you had the intention to try and eventually turn others into your kin, you weren’t going to do it by force and you still had intention to help. Do you still plan to guide others to become an alicorn after all of this is done?”

“No. Now Unity is gone, now that The Goddess is gone and no longer commands us, no. None of us want to go through with the plan now. We understand what individuality means and we don’t want to rip the individuality from others, especially now that we no longer have Unity to find comfort in. We don’t even know what would happen to a pony who does become an alicorn now. We don’t want to find out. Not only that, but The Demon destroyed our home and our means of forming new alicorns anyway. We couldn’t even if we wanted to.”

Kissing the top of her head and stroking her mane, I just let Eos cry her tears until she felt better, cuddling her and occasionally reminding her that she was a good pony.
After some time passed, Eos pulled herself from me with a sniffle and wiped her own tears away. Taking a deep breath, she let out a small, determined smile and spoke. “Come on, Crimson. Time is wasting away here. Lets do this.”

Surprised by how quickly she had overcome her sorrow, I asked if she was sure. Planting a small, thankful kiss on my cheek, she looked at me in the eyes and the look on her face said it all even as she spoke. “Yes. I have to prove myself as a good pony, and do what I can to help. And speaking of helping, it must be about time for your medication, mister.”

Wanting to prove my point from earlier, I opened up my mouth and held my tongue out. With finesse that only magic could provide, Eos took a single pill from the pot effortlessly and placed it upon my tongue. Pulling it in and swallowing, I realised that the pill was a lot harder to swallow without assistance, but determined to make my point, I kept swallowing until I felt it go down fully. Opening my mouth and showing Eos to prove I was a good patient, she giggled and cuddled me back.

“Okay, Mister. Fine, you’ve made your point. Now lets continue our flight, and remember to take it easy. No racing there to make up for lost time. Don’t forget that Tsunami said not to let you overexert yourself.”

“I know, I know.” I muttered, feeling a little bit like a coddled little colt. Jumping up into the air with her, we got back on track.

The city continued to be strewn with chaos, though it definitely seemed to be dying down as we came closer to our target. Whether the patrols were calling it quits for the night or whether they just didn’t rough up the areas closer to home, I couldn’t tell. A part of me selfishly hoped it was that they just didn’t rough up the immediate area as much, in order to buy us more time, though I recognised that such a wish meant horrible things for the victims down below.

Perhaps noticing the way I felt, Eos spoke words of wisdom that I was caught off guard by. “The damage done tonight will steal any respect they’ve got for the Coalition, don’t forget that, Crimson.”
Mulling over that, she was right, though I was absolutely surprised by how it had been her that had reminded me. From everything I had seen from Eos, she genuinely did seem to care, but hadn’t shown any strong sense of true leadership. To make a comment like that was unlike her.

Furthering my shock, Eos began to scold me. “I know what you’re thinking, Crimson. Don’t forget that.” Just as quickly as she had begun, she stopped. Her tone softened as she continued. “You’re right. I haven’t shown much leadership. Helios is the thinker of the three of us. Selene is the sociable one. I… I don’t know my place. I just can’t give up my sisters.”

“If you’re anything like what I know you to be, you’re the part of the puzzle that adds empathy to counter any hard logic that Titan might put forward.” I reminded her. “Helios might be the one to weigh up judgements and make the final call, and Selene might be the one who can put on a show and really captivate the ponies, but you’re the softest, the approachable one.”

“You really think so?” Eos asked, a small smile on her face. “I mean, I haven’t been able to figure out my role… do you mean it? Is that what my quality is?”

With confidence and caring, I lightly nodded my head in agreement. “I know so.”

The rest of the flight, of what little there was, was uneventful. There was little more to talk about than had already been mentioned and Eos seemed to have calmed down from her insecurities and guilt from earlier. As we approached the base, it quickly became evident that the mission would be a lot easier than I could have even hoped for. From a distance I could tell that the base interior was well lit, though lights were beginning to be turned off around the complex.

With what looked to be only one entrance in and out on its western border, it quickly became apparent that the base would be almost as easily defended as Four Ridges. Whilst the cityscape behind us was densely packed buildings with the intention to make as much use of the room available as possible, it was clear that the military base was going for the opposite.
A wide and open field of view with little to no obstacles greeted anyone approaching the gate. Three towers stood proud at the front, splicing the entrance into two access zones. Without seeing the mechanism in action, there would be no telling if the gate was a single piece or whether two individual plates acted in unison, though it was obvious that the middle tower worked as a means to fortify its strength regardless.

With an innocent tone, Eos interrupted my focus with another of her questions. “What are you thinking?”

Turning back to look at her with annoyance, I lifted an eyebrow. “Really? Wasn’t you the one to remind me that you can read my mind if you want to know what I’m thinking. Seriously, now isn’t the time to play games. Come on.”

Maybe I shouldn’t have said it quite like I had, though I meant every word. This was no time to be playing around and trying to be cute. One fuck up now could mean alerting the whole base, and there was no telling how fine that line was. Still, her disconcerted reaction reached for the heartstrings as I turned away, only to let out a sigh and give her my attention again.

“I… I can’t read your mind right now, Crimson. Its all jumbled.” She stated slowly with sorrow. “There’s glimpses of things, but all I see is, well, what I can see for myself.”

Dropping my face into my hooves and rubbing my eyes in circles, I slowly regained composure and spoke, withholding as much annoyance as I could, though even I noticed I was expressing it more clearly than I hoped. “You mean you see the gate, and let me guess, you’re seeing it covered in circles?”

“How did-” Eos started, before pausing mid sentence and blushing. “Oh.”

“Oh indeed. Look, I appreciate that you’re new to reading minds, I know I can’t even comprehend what its like to do so in such a direct way, I just have to go at it like everypony else, but I really need you to be on top form right now. I’m doing my best to figure out how everything might work, how everything is laid out, how everything might go. If you’re not capable of keeping up with that, that’s fine, but don’t distract me from doing so, okay?”

Letting out something of a mix between a sigh and a growl, I turned my attention back to the task at hand. Focusing on the spotlight on the ground below us, I watched how the pattern swept back and forth – at first I thought it was purely mechanical due to the smoothness and seemingly simple pattern that the light took, though watching it snap to somebody as they approached the gate seemed too jerky to be automation.

“That was a pretty slow reaction, wasn’t it?” Eos asked, her voice dampened by restrained emotion.

I didn’t turn my gaze to her this time, though I did quickly look out of the corner of my eye at her inquisitively in response. “Pardon?” What did she mean by slow reaction? Did she mean me?
Turning my focus back to what went on down at the gate, the figure seemed unalarmed by the light and merely motioned in response. With that, the gate opened, answering my question; individual plates. As well as that, I took note of the wall being approximately thrice the height of the figure, and they didn’t seem like a child.

Seemingly waiting for me to finish making my deductions from the whole event, Eos delayed her response. “Not you, no. The spotlight. Whoever was guiding that spotlight had a poor reaction time. I saw the figure approaching for what must have been at least two or three seconds before they did. As you know, two or three seconds might not sound like a lot, but to somepony as quick as you, that’s a large gap.”

Flattered by her compliment, I flashed a smile at Eos. “Well thank you.” I couldn’t ever turn down an endorsement like that.

“I mean it. I know you won’t intend to go through the front gate, but if whoever is running the spotlight is slow to react like that, it would mean that you’ve got an opening to get in. Whether that courtesy would extend to a slower flyer like myself, I’m not sure.”

“Well, we haven’t seen the spotlight go skywards at all so far,” I countered, a mix of joy and relief in my voice. “So I’d wager that they don’t feel threatened by an aerial assault. They’ve got plenty of threats coming from the ground as it is, especially on a night like tonight. We shouldn’t even need to pass through the gate, but I’d still like to know how it works just in case.”

“Don’t forget that until you came along, there hasn’t been any need to worry about the skies. Pegasai are even rarer than my own kin down here, and Maisy is so large that there is no way they wouldn’t see her coming. Don’t forget, they publicly hung that imposter that looked just like you. There’s a good chance that many of the guards think that it was the real you.”

Mulling over that thought as I continued to watch the spotlight, Eos was right. The spotlight guard seemed to be entirely focused on what was perceived to be the biggest threat, and perhaps they were right to do so, but not tonight. Looking down from above, all of the few spotlights they had were doing the same general routine; scanning the ground in circles and zigzagging lines hoping to catch someone creeping up from below. None of them expected somepony from above.

Deciding now was the time, I rose to my hooves and stretched my wings out, cracking the joints to release any tension. “Wait here for a moment.” I ordered, confident that she would listen. “Once I’m on the other side, fly high. Don’t meet the cloud layer, but don’t be afraid to be above me.”
Looking into the distance, I could see an exceptionally large and very narrow tower towards the middle of the base. “See that tower out there? Wait for me to circle it three times. If I hover at it, meet me there.”

“Just be-” Was all Eos could manage before I was already out of earshot. Despite having to fight the temptation to go as fast as I could and use all of my energy, I still beat my wings with enough pressure to gain incredible speed. Zipping through the air, I took in as much detail as I could, but even I couldn’t comprehend much. Intentionally overshooting my mark, I circled around the entrance to the complex whilst coasting on the glide of my own momentum.

Scanning for anything I could, I noticed that there was some patrols going around, though each patrolling member seemed to be on their own. It would be an easy target for somepony prepared to deal with the situation, though there was no certainty that they weren’t reporting in somehow at regular intervals. Taking my time to dissect everything else, I saw that their paths were lit by small wall mounted lights at regular intervals, though the amount that these lights revealed was pitiful – enough to not trip up over ones own hooves but nothing more.

Flying to the tower in the middle, I realised it was little more than a metal grid structure with a series of platforms up high that gave mild protection to some cables and held what looked to be the main radio broadcaster above. Approaching closer, I was beginning to feel extremely confident about the mission. I was inside the base, past the first set of guards, and could now take my time to memorise the layout, look at my PipBuck and use the tracker to identify which building Cherry was in. Simple. Easy in, easy out.

In that moment of confidence, everything went wrong. Blinding lights flashed to life in my face as I came closer to the tower, making me lose balance as I shut my eyes and throwing me into the tower itself as I struggled to overcome the sensation of the night suddenly turning to day. The pain of the crash was horrible and threatened to overwhelm me, but knowing just how high I was and how it would mean certain death to fall so far, I desperately tried latching onto the cold, hard metal structure. Gripping it tightly, I crashed into it again as my downward momentum stopped.
The pain of the lights still kept my eyes closed, leaving me in a state where I could only hope that nobody heard the sound – or at least, figured out what it was or where it came from.

Hanging desperately to the tower, I waited helplessly as a stationary target, still reeling from the sudden flash of light. As my vision slowly came back, a new threat was revealed to me; the light which had temporarily blinded me were a series of lights designed to flood a large area of the base, bathing it in a gentle glow and assisting the guards in their patrol. What was meant to be an easy mission of flying to my objective and flying back out was now foiled. With how wide an angle the lights covered even into the sky, I would have to do it the earth pony way to avoid casting a shadow.

To make matters worse, I could now see Eos begin to make her way over to where I was. Thankfully she had listened to my advice and quickly rose to a great height before coming closer, though she would still be on the other side of the light.

As she approached, I rubbed my head and winced as I felt something warm and wet. Looking at my hoof, I was bleeding. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I did my best to regain composure. No head wound was ever good, especially not when it caused blood, though at least I could still see and move freely, and I was alive. Touching the wound again, I winced more than before from the pain, though the blood didn’t seem to come too quickly. I had gotten lucky.

Without thinking about the situation, Eos began to scold me at a volume that was far above what I felt comfortable with. “Crimson! Why are you-!?”

“Shut up.” I commanded snappily through gritted teeth, throwing the alicorn off her stride. Taking another breather, I now spoke in a hushed tone. “Keep your volume down, don’t forget where we are.”

Realising her mistake, Eos now spoke in a similarly quiet volume. “Okay, fair point. Seriously though, did you just crash into that? Are you okay? Why weren’t you being more careful? Goddess, I wish I had teleportation right now. I’ve never had to pass by such a bright light with my magic before, especially not so closely to a light. I have no idea how this will go.”

Before I could protest, Eos went invisible. The next thing I knew, her hooves wrapped around me and pulled me from the scaffolding as I let go, slowly floating us down to the next platform below. It was small, too small for the both of us to stand on individually, though huddling into her chest provided barely enough for the both of us.

“What happened? I didn’t think the lights were on a moment ago.”

“That’s because they weren’t on before. They turned on at the very last moment, blinding me, and that’s what caused me to crash. I would’ve been fine if it wasn’t for those damn lights.”

With an inquistive humming, Eos looked up at the lights and then around at the ground. “Do you think they turned on because of you? I don’t see anyone reacting to it, so I’d hope not.”

“I don’t think it would be.” I countered, looking at my PipBuck to see what the tracking map said about Cherry’s location. Staring at the screen, none of the tracking features wanted to work. Whether it was because of the crash or for some other reason, the locational tracking feature was scrambled and unreadable. Looking at the time, I noticed it had just passed the hour.

“Well… I think I’ve potentially figured out the lights.” I muttered. Knowing Eos would ask, I continued to explain. “It’s just gone past ten. Would line up perfectly with when the lights turned on. Maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong. It would be interesting to check tomorrow night just to see if I’m right about that. Would come in handy to know.”

“Agreed. That’s a sensible idea. The more we know for certain, the better we can plan on how to deal with this.”

After a moment longer of recuperating from my new injury, I climbed onto the railing of the platform. “I’m going down further. The choice is yours on whether you stay up here and keep a lookout for me or follow me, just remember to keep your distance and stay out of sight if you chose the latter.”

“I’d rather be closer to you than up here all alone.” Eos announced, her voice betraying any guise of bravery. “I know it might seem safer up here, but I feel safer when I’m near you. Besides, I can hardly help you whatsoever up here.”

Smiling at her, the urge to plant a kiss on her nose grew inside until I remembered why we were here. Instead, I just continued to smile and dived down, corkscrewing around the tower as I began my descent. Though it made me feel slightly dizzy to go in circles, I took notice of the buildings and patrolling soldiers as I came to the rooftops. Fluttering my wings seconds before touchdown, I made sure to put as little weight into my steps as I could.
Making noise on the ceilings would be one of the quickest ways to be caught out, though finding a weak spot and falling through the ceiling would be even worse.

From where I stood, I now realised that I had to be even more careful than before. Now the lights had been turned on, the immediate vicinity was still left in darkness for the large part, but the buildings that stood apart from this central block were more lit up. The saving grace was that the lights weren’t all functioning properly, leaving gaps of darkness along the routes.

Peering over the edge of the building, I noticed a guard down below and my eyes shot wide as I realised how lucky I was that he hadn’t heard me above. Gently placing myself onto the roof fully to avoid any more sounds of my wings fluttering, I had to have faith that the buildings here would hold true and not collapse under my weight.

“Yo, why are we doing this again?” One voice called out from the distance, revealing his location to me and his friends.

“To make sure we’re prepared for something that isn’t ever going to happen.” The pony below me called back in response, the words dripping with chagrin. “I mean, what a waste of our time. Still, if we hadn’t followed your plan, we wouldn’t have been put on this night watch duty.”

“My plan? Fuck you. That was Xith’s plan! I didn’t tell him to do it.”

“Yeah, but you’re the one who convinced me and Ol’ Grunter to join in with you, so its as good as your plan. Point is, we’re on this shit show of a job, but at least we aren’t cleaning toilets like that Xumeh. Would you rather be cleaning toilets with Xumeh? No? I thought not. Count yourself lucky. He didn’t even do half the shit we tried to pull.”

Watching the guard trot along on his way, I let out my breath as slowly as I could manage as he passed by to avoid making any noise. At least this gave me some indication that there was no less than four on patrol. Would there be more? I couldn’t tell, but at least I knew to account for a minimum of four.

Scanning around for any other signs of movement, I couldn’t see much of anything. With as much as the floodlights lit up some areas up ahead, this was one place where it had no effect whatsoever. If I couldn’t see much of anything despite being a pegasus and having naturally superior eyesight, nor would they be able to. It was almost impossible for me to see them at a distance, so for them to see me would be especially difficult what with my natural affinity for hiding in the dark.

Hovering off the side of the building, I looked into one of the windows just below, trying to make out any details that would help guide me. Instead, I was greeted with nothing more than an empty room filled with old terminals. I guess it made sense that if this was where the broadcasting antenna was, it would also be where the broadcasting equipment was too.

Sticking up on the rooftops was going to do me no good. I wasn’t able to get a reliable look into the buildings from the angle I could see through the windows and would only go to silhouette myself against the light grey walls if anyone did look at me. I had to get to ground level. The risk of running into a guard was surely less than the amount of noise walking on ceilings was causing.

Climbing down from the building and touching the ground, I heard Eos land on the roof above with less grace than I had done so myself, though the guard didn’t make any noise to indicate noticing the sound. Looking up at her as she poked her face out from above, I went to speak but quickly remembered not to. Instead, I thought my messages as loudly as I could in my mind hoping she would hear.

‘Stay up there for now, Eos. Don’t come down. I know there’s at least four guards from what one said to another. They were in earshot of one another, so just keep watch over me, okay?’

I didn’t hear anything in return, though I felt confident that Eos had heard that. The fact that she remained where she was and didn’t say a word was plenty for me. Creeping around the corner, I was as careful as possible to keep an eye out for anypony on patrol. From the sound of it, at least one was a zebra, so noticing them would be harder, but not impossible.

With every step I took, the crunching of twigs and clattering of small pebbles underhoof was unbearably loud to my ears. I knew that it wasn’t that loud in reality, but with how alert I had become, I could even hear the sound of my own blood rushing through my head.
Despite noticing the sound of every breath and movement I took, I had to be careful to not get jumpy at the sound of my own body. If I didn’t want to get caught I would have to be exceptionally quiet, but getting jumpy over nothing was just as dangerous. Getting caught right now was not an option, under any circumstances.

“Fucking hell.” A voice lazily called out somewhere behind me, making me jump into the air instinctively as my heart raced from the shock. “I can’t fucking believe how boring this is. I should have never thought that getting some extra fucking pudding would be worth the risk.”

Swiping through the air over to the unlit building next to me, I found a crevice to hide at in order to assess how close the guard truly was. Holding my breath and releasing it in a slow, controlled fashion as I had before, I managed to calm down as I realised that the guard hadn’t even the slightest clue I was there at all. Noticing he was headed in my direction, I froze my whole body in response, not knowing what to do.

With every step he took, my mind was becoming overwhelmed with a million fears of how he would notice me and what would happen. I could begin to hear his breathing, even begin to smell the musk of his body. Even though he wore nor used any light, I still felt terrified that he would see me.
Watching precariously as he walked by, he didn’t even look towards me at all. Instead, he continued as he was, uncaring about his environment, continuing his route.

Closing my eyes, I could feel the physical rush of relief as I heard him move on out of the way, leaving me alone and back out of danger. That was too fucking close, and my heart made me fully aware of how it wasn’t something I wanted to risk again. If I could go without experiencing that in my lifetime ever again, it would still be too soon.

Looking up at my ‘guardian’ above, I shot her a look of disdain. Her response was silent but sullen.
Realising that she wasn’t capable of sending me messages like Helios could, I knew that there had to be something else she could do for me.
‘If you’re not going to be capable of warning me that I need to move sooner, you would provide more use by going back up to the light fixtures and cutting one or two of the lights out. Watch my progress and make sure to kill the lights as and when needed’

Without saying a word she nodded and began climbing back up to the top of the framework, presumably to do as I had asked.

Having her next to me hadn’t provided any benefit previously, but as soon as she was gone, I felt a chill down my spine and felt even less secure in what I was doing than before. She would no longer be able to save me from a tight situation with her invisibility, but I knew it had to be done. There was no point in backing out of this now, I needed to know where Cherry was, and the lights were in my way. One way or another, I would find out what I needed to know.

Looking out from my crevice in a cautious manner, the coast was clear. Using the opportunity given to me, I climbed back onto a roof and out of potentially direct line of sight of the patrolling guards. I still wasn’t perfectly hidden as any guards strolling around in the higher floors of interior buildings could potentially spot me with ease, though I at least felt a lot safer in the theory that they wouldn’t be looking out of the windows well enough to spot me without a good reason to do so. It was a gamble, sure, but it was a safer bet than staying on ground level.

Looking at all of the buildings around me, there was a lot. Too many. If Selene had been here I would have considered asking her to teleport me around from building to building, quickly scout them out and then teleport me out, but that wasn’t an option and I couldn’t risk asking any of the trio to actually go inside of the complex. Having Eos here at all was almost too much danger already, I couldn’t risk more. As those thoughts swirled in my mind, guilt overwhelmed me as I thought about just how dangerous and selfish this was of me to ask Eos to come with me to begin with. This should have been me and only me. Nopony else should have to risk their life for this, for me.

As one of the lights from above flickered off before turning back on, and then turned off entirely, I was reminded that no matter how I felt it was a mistake to risk anyone else for my mission, now was not the time to let it overwhelm me. The fact was that Eos was here to help, and she was out of the danger zone.

Looking back at my PipBuck, the tracker function was useless, same as it was before. The area being scrambled left me completely blind and Cherry’s marker was jumping all around the screen. There was no hope in using that to find her… though the broadcaster! Of course! If I could by any amount of luck get even the smallest of hints from her through the broadcaster, I could find her!

Getting low down to the roof, I cleared my mind and listened to the sound of my surroundings first. If I was going to even try to risk this, I had to know that nobody was around to hear it. Hearing the sounds of movement and muffled talking below me, I realised that the roof I was on was just as bad as any other. Thinking of what I could do to avoid being caught, I quickly remembered that there was the small platform far enough up that should provide ample distance away from unwanted listeners.

Getting back up to the platform, I once more looked at my PipBuck and tried contacting Cherry. This was later than her usual deadline and there was no way of knowing what would happen, if she would even respond or how she would act if she did – but I had no choice – I needed the information only she could provide, and I needed it now. There was no guarantee that tomorrow night would be as quiet in terms of how many soldiers would be roaming around the base, I had to be successful.

The buzzing sound of the PipBuck trying to make a connection put me on edge as I knew it would risk putting her in danger too, though there was no other way to do this. Seconds passed with my heart beating faster as I waited, wondering what response I would get, though finally I heard a familiar click sound and sighed in relief.

Without pause, a very hushed and scolding spat at me. “What do you think you’re doing, contacting me at this time of night, Limoncello?”

For a moment I wondered why she would be calling me by her sisters name, though with no time to ask questions or care, I just shrugged it off. Rushing to get my words out as quickly as possible, I didn’t even breathe as I spoke. “Look, quick quick, I need your answer. Are you wearing earbuds?”

Cherry wasted no time in her response, obviously nervous of the situation herself. “Yes.”

“I’m at the tall tower in the base. I need directions to find you.”

The confusion in her voice was palatable, the noise of her bed rustling as she moved “W-what?”

“Directions. Now.”

“Wait, he seriously kicked you out at this time of night?” Cherry murmured, playing along with her own cover. “Okay, okay. Uh, let me just…” Another pause. The sounds of her getting out of the bed entirely and going through a doorway was evident past the rest of the silence. I could even hear the snoring of others with how quiet everything was. A moment later and more hoofsteps, Cherry spoke once more. “Okay, Limon. You might as well be at the bunker. I don’t really know the bunker well… tell ya what. From the train tracks, you want to head to tank and then almost as if you were going to Angel by a short distance. I know you’ve not been around in years, so my house is the ‘L’ shaped one with two floors, remember? I know you’ve not visited in years, but you’ll recognise it when you see it. It has that locked up storage hut just to the left of it as you approach, you know the one. I’m sure you’ll find the spare key to my place, just look to the blue box. Feel free to let yourself in. Now if you’ll excuse me, you waking me up really does make me need the little mares room.”

That was it. The broadcaster cut off without warning, without any more explanation. Swearing under my breath, Cherry had been anything but helpful. Fuck! How the fuck was I meant to figure out what she was on about? Train tracks? Tank? Looking back at where I had come from, I saw no train tracks and hadn’t seen anything of the sort anywhere at all around Coltchester, which didn’t make sense at all anyway.

What could she have meant by all of that? You might as well be at the bunker? Tank? ...wait. Of course! The bunker was Stable Fifty-Eight! I was at the Stable… in the middle of the zone! The walled in area!

Suddenly everything clicked in my mind. When we had left Four Ridges, we had made our way along railroad tracks after climbing down the mountain path! Looking to the south-east, I saw lots of carriages that didn’t sit on tracks, but their rough location matched her guidance. Eyeing up the path she had told me about, I could see what she meant now. There was a large, multi-level ‘L’ shaped building that connected onto others, but was distinctly ‘L’ shaped in itself.

There was just one trouble… the area was well lit. The carriages themselves were doused in overwhelming flood lights whilst the other nearby building Cherry had told me about seemed to have a lot of lights concentrated around its entrance. What was in that smaller building? The extra fences around it told me that it had to be significant… I had to find out what that was too, but doing so would add even more risk. Still, a part of me was dying to know why it had that added security. I just hoped it would be worth the risk.

Looking up to the skies, the clouds seemed to be thin and there was more than enough moonlight shining through that flying directly over would make me too visible even if the lights were killed. Despite wanting to change my plan after having almost being caught the once, it was clear that I indeed had no choice but to do the journey by hoof. Realising that my companion above would need to be ready knock out some lights to cover my tracks, I began climbing up the tower to just below the lights where I finally caught her attention.

“Eos, I need you to cover my ass as I move over to the highway over that way. I can’t risk flying so you’ll need to keep a keen eye on me and cover me from up here by taking out the lights as I move along the ground. Do you see where I mean?”

“I can’t see any highway.” Eos called back, leaving me agitated with her response. “Wait. Oh, of course. I see now. You’ve got it. Just… stay safe, darling. I won’t be able to physically protect you, but I can absolutely do that. Just make sure to avoid the light and wait for me to take them out. Some of these cables seem quite stiff, and I’ll have to reconnect one or two so nopony gets too suspicious, okay? The last thing we need is for someone to come checking.”

Realising she had a good point, I nodded. “You’re right, we can’t risk them looking up here and finding out you’re messing around with the equipment. Do as you need to, just don’t do it when I’m right in the middle of the lighting zone or I’m as good as dead.”

Dropping back down, I was aware of what I had just said being very extreme and there was no doubt she would appreciate the pressure I had just put on her, but there was no other way. I had to be strict about the matter. Any fuck up from either of us would almost certainly cost me my life, whether it was immediate or through getting captured myself.

Reaching the roof, now was the time to take another glance out at who was where, and try to guess where they might go next.

Looking at the area, I quickly mapped the route to my destination with a couple of places where I could choose to go multiple directions if necessary. The routes that were taken by the guards seemed to favour scanning the outer perimeter of the immediate complex, though with the other complexes to also consider, I could only assume there was more guards patrolling those too. There almost undoubtedly would be, and whether these guards would swap zones to patrol, let alone meet in the middle and cover each others backs on patrol, was the sticky part of the situation.

Spreading my wings out, it was time to move as silently as possible.
Getting around the first building was easy. No windows watched over me and no guard had come close since the previous encounter. Twitching my ears to try and pinpoint any sound of movement around me, I couldn’t hear anything. So far, so good.

Poking my head around the next corner, I saw my first challenge. A guard across from me, looking the other direction. Scanning for any cover, there was two options. The safest option was to hide behind the dumpster, though the low wall would allow me to crawl closer to my objective. With only a heartbeat to decide, I threw myself at the low wall and began shuffling forward as silently as possible, hoping to reduce the distance as much as possible as quick as I could. There was no telling how long the guard would stay at his spot, or if he would even move at all.

Approaching the next corner where the low wall turned, I began to hear the noise of movement to my left. Pulling my wings as close to my body as I could, I barely poked my head over the wall enough to see what was going on. The guard that had been looking away was now moving to where I had previously been.

Scrambling to the corner and checking if the coast was clear with my eyes before my ears could even adjust, I noticed the risk had paid off and there was something dark to hide beside. Getting into cover, I watched as the guard walked over to the dumpster where I had considered hiding… and took a piss up the side of it.

Well, I’m unbelievably glad I didn’t choose that option now!

Moving on, now the guard was pre-occupied I could make my way to the next spot. Crawling along the floor I couldn’t help but notice just how dirty I was getting already, but that was hardly a price to pay compared to getting caught, much less pissed all over. Looking into the next zone, it was way too well lit from above to cross without getting noticed – guard or not. Quickly checking the windows around me to see if it would be safe enough, I climbed onto the nearest rooftop. I flashed my wings several times, hoping Eos would notice and understand the signal.

It worked. The area ahead of me plunged into a darkness a few seconds later, only barely scratched by the odd building interior light and a couple of external lights that provided no use whatsoever. Those few lights were nothing of concern to me now, I could make it past those without fear. The darkness was my ally.

Taking one step towards the edge of the roof to plan my next movement, I heard a new voice, causing me to panic once more. “Awh what the fuckin’ hell was that?” The anger in it was extremely alarming, sending my mind back to full alert.

Dropping to my belly, I froze on the spot, quietly preparing myself to evade and escape by any means necessary. I couldn’t let them get me.

“Fuckin’ lights. Always fuckin’ goin. Awwwh fuck me, I hate patrolling in the dark.”

Phew, just complaining about the lights.
Still, paying attention to the direction of the voice, that wasn’t the guard who had been pissing over at the dumpster unless his route had followed my path. Looking back to where I had been, he wasn’t there any more, though a quick search revealed he had returned to where he was standing prior, scuffing his hoof on the floor.

Calling out in annoyance, the guard below me bellowed his words. “Hey, Grunter, what’s your bet on how long it’ll take for them to fix that fuckin’ light fixture? I don’t want my whole fuckin’ week of this shit to be in the fuckin’ dark. Fuck this, oh, did I remind you that I fucking hate this shit!”

“Watch your fuckin’ language.” Another voice called out ahead of us, being helpful enough to give me the warning. “And who fuckin’ knows. Could be tomorrow, could be all week. Hades, it could be for the rest of time given that nobody wants to grow wings to get up there just to change a bulb.”

With that, the conversation died out, returning me to a state of darkness and with a lack of precise situational awareness for where was dangerous or not. The sound of movement below did give me a small benefit, but it didn’t seem like the guard was doing much other than mulling around. Now I was the one getting annoyed. I needed him to move. I needed him to speak. I needed him to do anything other than just stay in the one spot below me. I needed an opening.

Peeking over the edge to see what was going on, the stallion below me had just decided to sit down, hunched over with his face to the corner and with something in his hooves. Realising that his attention was lost in whatever it was that he had, I knew now was the time to move. Getting down to the ground would be too dangerous this time, I had to fly over to my next spot… but where?

The next spot I had wanted to go to before was now presumably guarded by ‘Grunter’, and going by hoof wasn’t an option. Flying directly to that spot would mean that Grunter would undoubtedly notice me one way or another… looking around, there was another building I could use to get around with. The area next to it was well lit, but if I could just get there, I could plan my next move.

Taking to the sky and using as little wingpower as I could scrape by with, I flew low and slow at first, desperately hoping to avoid gaining any attention. Passing over all of the agility course, the childish part of me almost wanted to go down to it and complete it just to show off, but that thought quickly left my mind, even as my smirk remained. I could totally ace that and beat the best time.

Landing on my next roof, I had to be extremely careful. A watchtower had excellent view of me here and the fact that there was a pony actually inside of it working the spotlight that overlooked the opposite direction didn’t fill me with any sense of confidence either. It would only take a split second of inattention to their job to turn around and spot me.
Knowing this, I dropped down to the ground almost immediately and slipped between the building in a small alleyway.

“Wha- what was that?” A voice called out, freezing my blood for the third time tonight.

Spinning around on the spot, I saw him. A young zebra who looked beyond tired with the way he stood uneasy. Without even a split second of thinking about it, my hooves were around his neck and pulling, squeezing, and dragging him further into the darkness. The gargling noise that followed as the zebra tried his best to fight back quickly died out, his limbs going from already weak to completely limp.

Knowing that this could be a ploy, I continued with my hold for a few seconds more, ensuring that it wasn’t just a ploy. Dragging him even further back out of sight, I gently placed him on the ground and checked for a pulse. Weak, but noticeable. Still breathing too. Good. I wasn’t trying to kill the colt, that would mean a lot more trouble than it was worth and put the guards or even the whole base on high alert if somepony found him. He just needed to be out of action for at least a while.

With the speed that the blood was pumping through my body, I could feel my muscles twitch and felt more powerful than usual. Looking at my hooves and contemplating what I had just done, I was completely amazed that I had managed to pull that off. I wasn’t the strongest of ponies, though I suppose the element of surprise and how tired the buck was didn’t help him either. I couldn’t risk doing it again however, that was for sure. Still, I couldn’t deny the rush of adrenaline pulling that off had given me.

After leaning him up against a wall to both make him look like he was sleeping on the job and pulling his face forward to ensure he wouldn’t die from choking on anything, I kept on moving. Enemy or not, I didn’t want him to die like that. That was a pathetic way to go, and even reading about the cases of it happening in that medical journal shocked me too much to forget. If I was to kill somepony, I wanted it to be more dignified than that.

Sneaking out of the alleyway and looking around, there was no threat in sight to worry about. I just needed to make it to the next section and I’d be home free. The only trouble was the absolute lack of any kind of cover to hide behind or blend in with. The only piece of cover I could even begin to use was my next spot entirely; some sort of wooden stage in the middle of a field.

Looking at the stage, I saw the distinct similarities to the hanging post I had encountered before, though this didn’t have the exact same look. No, with some drapes around the sides and a clear audience view, it looked closer to something of a theatre like the one in the Stable – not as pretty nor as large, but its purpose was certain to me now. In truth, it didn’t matter what its use was to anyone else; I was going to use it as cover, if I could just get over to it…

Two choices. Take it slow and silent, hope that staying low to the ground would mean that I wouldn’t be as visible to anyone at a mere glance – but I would be vulnerable to anyone who looked intently in my direction.
Or, go fast and heavy. Running with the help of my wings in order to not exhaust what dwindling energy I had left in me.

Trying to make up my mind on the matter, I then noticed that there was a wandering light gradually making its way over from in front. The rest of the field was dark but this intruder had been smart enough to bring their own equaliser. Knowing the odds, it was too risky to go slow. My luck could only last for so long, and with every second that I prolonged the journey was another chance to be caught out.

Stretching my joints and preparing to gallop, I waited for the right moment. Just as the light turned slightly away for longer than a moment, I did my best to reach top speed with everything I had. The dirt kicking up under my hooves, the sound of gravel, my panting, none of it mattered. I had to get to my target. I had to get out of sight. Pushing through the strain I felt beginning to form in my legs and wings, there was no choice about stopping.

“Who goes there? You should be at your bunk!” The guards voice called from behind me, kicking me into overdrive. “Get back here!”

Pushing further, I jumped onto the stage and hid behind the drapes, ready to slide off of the other side at a moments notice. From the distance I could see the beam of light approaching, determined. The grunting and groaning from the voice told me it was an older stallion. Staying perfectly still, the creaking of the wooden stage told me that this guard had climbed up. Trying to slide under the drape, I now realised this part was a wall. I was trapped.

The sound of hooves got closer and closer, my heart threatening me yet again. If there was no escape from the back, I would have to make my way through the front of this guard. Preparing myself for the moment, I felt something wet drip onto my eye and my world turned red.

Not a second later the light was shining on my face, dazzling me and further driving in a sense of primal survival instinct. Just as the guard dropped the torch and gasped as if he had just seen a ghost, I lunged out as hard as I could, knocking the old stallion to the floor. Swiftly making my way over to him before I could even understand what I was doing myself, my hooves were smashing into his face with force that I couldn’t believe I was mustering. By the third hit, he was out cold. Perhaps even dead, I couldn’t tell. My body was too pumped up on fear and survival instincts to make out what was my own heartbeat from his.

Realising the amount of sound that whole ruckus must have made, I couldn’t stay here. I had to keep moving. Just keep moving. I was almost there.

Wiping my face clean and slinking out from the stage, I trotted around the building without being as careful as I could, perhaps too carelessly, but it didn’t matter now. Two of the guards were knocked out and I was practically where I needed to be.

Searching around I could see the well lit building that Cherry had made reference to, but seeing that there was three watchtowers with impeccable view of it, I decided against investigating. It had to be something of great importance though, with all the effort to secure it.
My mind wandered for a moment, trying to remember what Cherry had likened it to. ‘a locked up storage shed’, right?
Trying to make sense of it from that alone wasn’t enough, I’d have to forget about it for now.

Making my way around the side of the building I checked for any boxes whatsoever, finding nothing. Realising that a window could be likened to a box, I began looking from window to window looking for the blue room that she had mentioned. None of them looked that way. Not one! All of the windows I had looked in were large and showed off rows of beds with sleeping guards, and that was the opposite of what I wanted to gain the attention of.

Moving further around the building, I finally noticed a much smaller window at a height above the others. Using my wings I floated up to the slit and looked in. Blue! It was blue! Looking inside, it was filled with cubicles and wash basins. Realising it was a toilet made me feel like a bit of a pervert, though I had to be sure. She did say she was going to the little fillies room...

Giving a small tap on the window, one of the doors opened. There she was. My Cherry. My beautiful, gorgeous darling Cherry Sundae. My heart fluttered as a smile crossed my face, my soul warmed with the way she had peeked around the corner inquisitively checking out the noise... until she seemed horrified to see me.
Her jaw dropped and her lip stuttered in place as her eyes grew wider, a hoof gracefully making its way to cover her mouth, to hide her shock.

Shooting her a look of utter confusion, I shrugged my shoulders as if to ask what the reaction was for. I’d assumed she’d have been happy to see me! I was happy to see her! Frowning at the implication of her not wanting to see me, she quickly caught on and shook her head. Using a hoof, she gestured towards me before pointing at one of her eyes. Touching my left eye in response, I felt nothing odd. Her reaction of pointing at the other eye made me respond in kind. Pulling back my hoof, I now saw what she was horrified by; the blood. Of course, the bleeding.

Realising the cut must have been worse than I realised, I wiped my face more thoroughly and cleaned the mess from my face. Her relief seemed instant and the way she now smiled back at me with something so wonderful in her eyes was nothing short of magical. The overwhelming sensation of delight and love washed over me once more as just gazed at her for a moment longer.

Continuing the theme of not using words to communicate, she pointed at me again, and then herself, followed by making a flapping motion and pointing to the ceiling before giving an exaggerated shrug, as if asking a question. Piecing it together like a game of charades, I figured out she was asking if I was here to rescue her.

Shaking my head, I returned the gesture by waving my hooves to say no, followed by a series of motions in an attempt to imitate a clock before pointing at my PipBuck to make it clearer. There was no time to save her tonight. No time and not the right preparation.

Cherry sighed and nodded without any enthusiasm, seeming to accept the outcome. The only other thing I needed to know now was where she slept. Pointing at her before gesturing to rest my head, she then pointed to the next room along and pulling back, I saw a large window and more beds. At least now I knew where she was being kept, I could plan for this.

A sense of sadness filled me as I mouthed the words ‘I love you’ to her and she did the same in return. The fact I couldn’t rescue her tonight was breaking my heart, but that was just what I had to work with. I wasn’t ready, I wasn’t armed, and even more importantly, I could feel the last of my energy drain out of me with every flap of my wings. I couldn’t keep going for much longer.

Giving her a wave and blowing her a kiss, I watched her wave back before reaching out, kissing her imaginary catch, and sending it back to me. At least we could have that moment of intimacy, even if it wasn’t physical. With one more silent ‘I love you’, I finally watched as she walked away, through the door.

Collapsing down onto the ground, partly in exhaustion and partly to catch of a glimpse of her going to bed, I watched helplessly as she did just that. There was nothing I could for tonight, and I could only hope that nothing would change. This was Cherry’s fate for now, though I swore up and down I would rescue her soon.

Taking a few steps away, I couldn’t help but notice that the adrenaline was wearing off now. The extra sense of energy and awareness I’d felt before was leaving me, and now was the worst time for it. Shaking my head to imbue more awareness if nothing else, I began retracing my route back to Eos as stealthily as I could manage. Treading in the same spots as before, I could only hope that the two guards I had previously dealt with hadn’t been noticed as missing or replaced on guard duty.

Making my way past the stage, the older stallion was still there, still unconscious. Not even daring to go near him, I continued to creep along, desperate just to be out of the danger zone and back to the safety of Eos. I didn’t care to check if he was okay, nor to see if he had anything I could use. I just wanted to get out of here.

Crossing the field under the cover of darkness, I felt safe enough not having to check my rear or scan from side to side this time. Coming up to the buildings and turning the corner, my absolute worst fear had been realised. A group of guards were crowded around another at the entrance to the alleyway where I had left the young zebra. Most were quietly muttering to themselves, though I could hear somepony panting as they did whatever it was they were up to.

Whatever it was they were doing, I didn’t want to find out, but I had to use this moment as my chance to get past. Mustering all of the energy I could, I began running past, figuring it would be safer just to get past them as quickly as possible than to dawdle. All I needed to do now was get out, that was it.

Noticing the noise I made, I saw two of the guards turn their heads to see what was going on. Despite running away, I noticed the alarm on their faces as one of the voices cried out behind me, alerting the others to my presence. “Intruder! There’s the intruder!”

Snapping my focus to where I was going, this was no time to look back. No time to see if they were chasing me after all. In my heard, I heard the voice of my survival instinct. Do not look back. Just RUN!
With strength and energy reserves I didn’t even know I had, I bolted down the road as fast as possible, weaving behind anything and everything that would provide me even the smallest amount of cover. Looking to my side without turning my head, I saw another flashlight approaching at great speed. I had to get out of here.

Extending my wings and jumping with all of my might, I gained a small amount of height before taking off with true flight. It didn’t matter if I was seen now, all that mattered was getting to Eos and getting out.

“Where did they go?” One voice called.

“I could have sworn that they went this way!”

“After them!”

The voices were catching up. But my breath… I couldn’t keep it up. Closing my eyes and pushing as hard as my wings would let me, I tried my best… I tried and tried, but it was no good. All of that sudden burst of energy I had felt previously was running out even faster than I could realise. Catching a hoof on what must have been a log, I felt my face smash into the ground, causing me to roll to a halt. Opening my eyes was blinding light. After… all… that.
Letting go of my last breath, I had nothing left in me. The voices were getting closer... closer… closer… they weren’t on me yet, but it would only be seconds before they were.

“There they are! The intruder! Get him! He’s on the ground ahead! Get him whilst he’s down! Don’t let him escape!” One of the guards screamed, filling me with dread.

I expected bullets. I expected blood. I expected hooves to smash and grab me. I expected pain. There was still pain mind; the burning in my chest, the shame of being caught, the knowledge that I’d failed. Closing my eyes in acceptance, I just waited. There was no point in fighting it.

‘Get up!’ A voice whispered in my mind.
Opening my eyes and looking around, the guards hadn’t yet reached me… but there was no time. They’d be on me even with my best efforts.
‘Get up!’ the voice commanded again. Looking up, I saw nopony next to me. I didn’t recognise this voice as any other than my own, but I couldn’t… it wasn’t me. I’d given up.
‘GET UP!’ It now screamed.

Obeying the survival instinct that screamed at me,I began raising to my hooves shakily, I saw the guards stop in their tracks and stare at me before my face dropped back to the floor. “W-wait! No! It can’t be! You… you were caught! Hung! Dead! I saw it for myself!” One of the voices called.

Blood dripped from off of my face onto the ground below, and upon seeing it, something in me triggered. Looking up, the faces were filled with terror as my wings moved from limply hanging by my side to fully extended in a display of intimidation. I had nothing left in me, but for some reason I began to try and bluff having more of a fighting spirit. One stallion began to back pedal away, though another of his comrades did the opposite and began to charge.

Standing my ground, I froze as a new sensation overwhelmed me; I was floating, but I wasn’t flapping my wings. The floating quickly turned to resting on something physical, though I couldn’t see what it was. Noticing the scent and feeling the softness, I realised there was only one thing that it could be; Eos.

With a collective gasp and stutters from the group, one of them managed to speak as the others were dumbfounded. “W-what?! How the fuck is he doing that?”

“It’s a fucking ghost! A phantom!” Another cried.

Taking advantage of their confusion and fear with a bolt of energy emanating from her still invisible horn, Eos blasted a gap through the circle of ponies, knocking her target down to the ground with a meaty thud. As Eos stepped towards the floored pony, all of the others jumped back out of my way. Knowing this was our chance to escape, I growled at the others to keep them stunned and confused.

Keeping my wings spread out for effect, I gripped into Eos with all of the energy I had left as she leaped into the air with a great push, knocking over two more guards who moved back into our path before rising far above the pursuers and high into the night sky.

Once we were out of the thick of the chaos and out of eyesight, Eos’ invisibility wore off, leaving me to witness the alicorn panting with effort. Hovering in place, she regained her composure before turning her gaze to me.
“You almost got yourself killed there, mister.” Eos spat with disgust. “What in Equestria was you thinking?!”

“I…” I muttered, unable to really give any answer. Nuzzling my head into her neck, I started to break down in quiet tears of exhaustion. “I couldn’t...”

“You were reckless and stupid. You should have signalled me sooner if you were having trouble. I would have come down and rescued you before your life was at such great risk.” With that she let out a sigh. “Still, you’re alive. That’s what matters most.”

Looking down at the ground, we were already out of the base. I was amazed at how quickly she had managed to get us out of the danger zone, though that was no promise that there wouldn’t be risk on the journey home.

“I also have to add, you getting noticed will probably mean increased patrols now. Why would you let yourself get so sloppy on the way out?”

“I was already noticed before.” I countered sullenly. “Twice.”
Eos groaned at that, though I couldn’t care. Regardless of whether I had been caught, I wasn’t captured. She was right; I was alive still, and safe now that she was carrying me away, back home.

Muttering to herself in a low tone, Eos made her grievances almost inaudible, but just loud enough for me to make out. “Goddess help me, I’m gonna have to eat some rads after all this is over.”

Being carried into the base was beginning to feel all too common for me, and I didn’t like it. As we approached the door, I slumped off from Eos’ back and tried to carry my own weight instead to retain some pride, though found it almost impossible. Noticing my struggle, Eos quickly picked me up with her magic and returned me back to laying across her body.

Motioning to Eos as we walked through the door, Titan spoke with true fondness. “Welcome back. I’ve been worried sick about you two.”

With what little energy I had left, I laughed. “The pair of us? I thought you disliked me for how many meds I eat up.”

Titan shook his head at that, bemused by my quip. Reaching out a hoof, he tapped me on the shoulder as he went to speak, though I didn’t even have it in me to flinch at his touch. “Crimson, you’re a fucking wildcard. Back in the days of the war, we could’ve used a pony like you in my squad. We had one, and he was the luckiest bastard, until he wasn’t. The reason I get annoyed is because you remind me of him, and the hurt it caused when his luck ran out. He was a pegasus too, thought that his ability to whisk around everywhere would always keep him safe.” For a moment he paused, falling to his rump as if remembering the old days. “Yeah… he was a good stallion. A true fighter. And you? Your plucky nature is just like his was. That’s why they love you, Crimson. The crowds always did love the plucky ones.”

“With all due respect,” Eos began before lowering her head, no doubt giving Titan a look. “Crimson is too tired for this right now, as am I. We appreciate you waiting up for us, but we’ve got to go to sleep. Wake me up in the morning, we’ll go to the rad pool together. As for now, I’m commandeering that last spare bedroom.”

“He has one set for him.” Titan stated dryly, not letting any hint of annoyance out, though something told me he felt it deep down.

“He won’t sleep in it. Let him have this. We’ll speak in the morning.” With that, Eos continued past Titan, not giving the conversation a chance to continue. Watching her travel through the hallways at this time of night so proficiently was oddly cathartic for me for some unknown reason.

Opening a door, I saw a double bed and not much else. It was obvious this room was the very last available one as there was no space for personal touches or even items, though it would do. Placing me into the bed, I expected her to tuck me in and say goodnight – but she didn’t.
Instead, she made sure I was comfortable before climbing onto the bed herself and wrapping her hooves around me.

“E-Eos?” I asked, uncertain of what was going on.

“Just relax darling.” She insisted. “I’m tired too. I just want to hold you close for tonight, to remember that you’re safe, my love. After saving your life earlier, I think you owe me this one personal pleasure, no?”

Turning my face to gaze upon her, the beauty that stared back at me was undeniable. With the press of her lips on my nose, I felt her grip tighten as she nuzzled in and cooed for me to sleep.
I couldn’t deny just how wonderful it felt to be in her hooves, and the way she pulled me in was a comfort I couldn’t get enough of. Closing my eyes, I granted her that one wish.

Author's Notes:

Well, this was something different for me. Although I've had stealthy moments in chapters before, I've never had an entire chapter dedicated to a stealth mission. I'm hoping that nothing was too repetitive or boring, and that I'm not overplaying any aspects that aren't enjoyable for you (or downplaying any aspects that should be enjoyable!). As always, feedback is always welcome and loved, and especially at times like this where I'm trying out something new and different!

As always, my love goes out to all of the readers and everyone who has supported me, no matter how long or short - I appreciate it all. Thank you.
(And again, to repeat myself, why not let me know what you thought of this? Whether you liked it or disliked it, I can only learn how to improve within the scope of this story if I know where to improve!)