A FEW MOMENTS AFTER THE EVENTS OF "ESCAPING"

Aquilinus tugged his knife out of the body of Phalanx. Poor bastard. Never knew when to quit. Aquilinus thought about him. He was the first pony he had killed, although he had killed animals and fought with Zebra. The Zebra weren't like ponies, and Aquilinus had never known them. He knew Phalanx had needed to die, but... did Phalanx have any family? Would he be mourned? Should he, Aquilinus have not killed him for their sakes? He wondered if he even should feel remorse for this death.
Twilight and Pinkie were following him nervously. Aquilinus looked over his shoulder and saw Twilight blinking back tears and Pinkie crying unashamedly onto the floor. Twilight was looking horrified. They should have had a plan, he thought annoyedly, and they had left it up to some old guard they barely knew.
"Any idea what next?" he said.
"Escape." Twilight said.
"Well done. Full marks. How?"
Twilight shrugged and Aquilinus felt a sudden, uncharacteristic flare of anger. He had just had to kill somepony, even if he was an insane bastard, and she didn't even care.
"You didn't have a plan to start with, did you?"
"I didn't expect to be thrown in a cell by your nut of a doctor, eithier."
"My doctor? Bright is an insane git with the morals of a manticore on a killing spree. What makes you think he's mine?"
Twilight shrugged again, and Aquilinus was suddenly holding her down by the throat and shouting in her face.
"LISTEN! I just had to kill him back there. You think I enjoyed that? You think I wanted to kill him? I didn't, and I did it all for someponies I barely know and don't give a damn about it!"
Twilight clawed at his hoof and he let go and moved away. Twilight gasped and said "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."
"What didn't you mean? Him to die?"
"I didn't want anyone to die, I never want anyone to die!"
"He's dead now."
"I know. And I wish he wasn't."
Aquilinus tried to force himself to calm down. There was no point fighting now.
"Fine. Fine... look, what now? We're all screwed if we get caught."
"There're lands outside of Equestria. The Zebra lands, for example."
Aquilinus gave a hollow laugh. "The Zebras? You think they would welcome a guard, a nutcase and a librarian?"
"They might welcome a guard coated in another guard's blood and Celestia's favourate student, though."
"And her?"
"I... I don't know. I don't know if anyone can welcome her."
"Why would they accept us anyway?"
"Possibly hostage value."
"For you, certainly. I get a cut throat and a complimentary last meal."
"Look, do you have anything better?"
Aquilinus said nothing.
"Exactly. It's the best hope we have. How do we get out?"
"The building is proofed against teleporting. Bright supports the spell. We need to get him to release it."
"How?"
"It seems I'll need to kill for you again."
"Is that the only way?" Twilight said with a pianed look on her face.
"He isn't going to give it over cheaply I think. You could try bribing him or something, but if I can sneak up on him I'll-"
"Please don't tell me."
"Feeling delicate?"
"I didn't enjoy seeing Phalanx die eithier. Please just don't..."
"Let's just get on our way. I know where to find him."

Pinkie was following blindly. Everything had seemed to be coming back, and stronger than before. The roots from the ceiling had run down the walls, but shed away from Pinkie when she came near them. Everything was much darker again. Pinkie could think more clearly now, which she was profoundly unhappy about. Twilight was risking herself for Pinkie, and she didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve anything. There was no point in getting Twilight and the old guard in trouble, and Bright would probably do something horrible to them all if they were caught. Pinkie didn't care about herself, but she cared about Twilight and she didn't want any more blood on her hooves. But Twilight insisted, and they were all going to die.
"Twilight, why are you bringing me?" she said.
"We've been through this Pinkie. We all need to get out and I'm not leaving you. You can help us."
"Shut. Up." the old guard said through clenched teeth.
Twilight glanced at him then said "Later, Pinkie."
Pinkie stared at them and followed along again, wallowing in guilt.

Twilight watched Aquilinus approach the sealed door. It was the same as the ones in the area Pinkie and Twilight had been imprisoned in, and out of place in this hall with ordinary wooden doors along. There was a small terminal to he side of it, which Aquilinus leaned forward to and whispered something into it. There was a small click and Aquilinus pushed open the door. There was a small room, totally empty.
"Inside." Aquilinus snapped.
"What is going in there meant to do?"
Aquilinus looked at her perplexed expression and sighed. "Elevator. It doesn't mater now, just go inside."
Twilight hurried in and Pinkie followed her. Aquilinus trotted in and stared at the ceiling.
"All the way down, please." he said.
"...damnit, all the way down, boys." the ceiling replied. Twilight gave a start and stared upwards as Aquilinus made frantic signals at her. There was a feeling of movement and a fading groan above.
"It's a moving floor." Aquilinus said after the groanings went out of earshot. "Some guards pull it and stop us plummeting to our deaths. Undignified, but it's apparently "needed". That's all you need to know now."
After a few minutes the feeling of movement stopped and the wall behind Twilight opened, showing a very large, empty room through a tough door that was ajar. The room was dark, and Twilgiht could only see spiky silhouettes. She suddered as the memory of the last silhouette she had seen.
"This is wrong." Aquilinus said. "Bright would normally be in here, and even more so in an emergency."
"What is this place?" Twilight asked.
"He teaches the inmates and the guards magic here. He's here nearly all the time when he isn't out with the inmates or greeting people, and neithier of those happen much."
"Are we going to wait for him to jump out from behind the door and shout "Boo!" or go in?" Twilight said annoyedly.
"Quit sniping at me, we've had our argument."
"Well crap, that's my dramatic entrance ruined." a voice came from the room as some light switched on. It was Bright. The room was filled with many things that Twilight had seen in small fillies and colts schools, unicorn schools. Desks with numerous books piled on them were all around. There were two dragon eggs in a small case on a large desk. Bright was standing near the door.
There was silence. Then: "Bright, you are a real bastard." Aquilinus said tiredly.
"Let me make this simple, I'm not pandering to you." Bright said "You are going to go back in your cells, and Aquilinus will go with you. Or you will die. Any questions?"
"Don't be stupid Bright. You can lift the spell for teleporting, or you will die. Doing what you say would be suicide."
"I thought you would say that. Which is why-" there was a thud. "-you will end up dead. Eventually."
Aquilinus wobbled, then fell over. A large pile of books fell onto the floor next to him.
"Ladies, this was too predictable. A hero's action, asking me to surrender my patients."
Twilight tried to find her tongue. "We didn't want to." she said after a pause and looking up above her for any books. "We would have killed you if we could."
"Good answer. But that failed, ladies. Back into your cells would be best. I might even let Aquilinus off if you do." he added.
"You know I won't say yes."
"Oh, you might have. If you fail, I will make sure Aquilinus will die. Slowly, and in front of you. I imagine your lethargic friend behind you will enjoy that, but you certainly won't. I could have you lodged with her, and we can see who dies first. Or maybe I'll just kill you now."
"What's the point of this? Why were we imprisoned?"
"I couldn't have too many questions. Your friend would have been in this school here, like everyone else has."
So it was a school. "Why? What is it for?"
"You know the answer. Don't think I haven't heard you talking. The spell on this place lets me hear everything someone says here, among other things. Magic."
"They aren't unicorns. What's the point?"
"It works, is the point. I'm not a unicorn, Miss Sparkle. An old fashioned earth pony."
His horn began to glow and dropped off and landed with a clatter on the floor. There was a small light that floated above his head and then vanished.
"It works very well indeed. I don't understand why your Celestia banned most zebra magics. You just need willpower to overcome the problems with your mind, and all problems that emerge can be dealt with by others."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I decided I could use you. I decide everything here, and it happens like that. You are close to Celestia, and excellent in magic. I want a good teacher here, and I want Celestia. The nurse had very certain instructions about what to do, and some magic in her muscles helped that with a blast of pain when needed. Aquilinus was a problem, though. I didn't expect that. He hides his feelings very well from other ponies. If you return to your cells, there will be no trouble for any of you."
"You're lying."
"I take it you refuse my offer?"
"Yes. You'll kill me and Pinkie anyway, no matter-"
There was a fizzing behind her and she quickly turned around. It was coming from Pinkie. She had stepped on a long wire that was fizzing next to Twilight's hoof.
"Not so lethargic any more, it seems. This shall be dealt with easily, anyway."
There was a loud snap as the wire hit the floor and another flew at Pinkie, which Twilight stopped with her own magic. The wire slowed but didn't totally stop.
"This... this is why I need you, Miss Sparkle." Bright gasped. He was sweating from the effort of fighting Twilight's magic, and his eyes were turning slightly yellow. "You are better at magic than me. Wouldn't you like to be a teacher? Free of Celestia, and fully in charge?"
Twilight said nothing, but she watched the wires that were dragging on the floor behind the doctor from the pockets in his overcoat. There were more of them than she had seen with the other ponies, about six counting the ones they had already imprisoned. Bright noticed what she was looking at.
"You are a clever one... why am I still trying to tempt you?" The yellow in his eyes flared up slightly more and he said "I should not. I can imprison you and do things to you that will make you wish you accepted my offer from the start. I can cut off your horn and force you to use my magic. I would have prefered it otherwise, but sadly I can't."
"You're mad." Twilight gasped at him. They were both straining at each other's magic. Bright was incredibly strong and the wire seemed to be sneaking towards Pinkie faster.
"Mad? No, Miss Sparkle, I'm not mad. Celestia is mad, mad with her power. Keeping all the magic to herself and her precious unicorns... no. I'm not mad."
"You torture ponies to do this. You're going to kill us!"
"Only the pink one. I've said what I'll do to you."
"And that is mad!"
Bright's eyes flared bright yellow and were totally opaque now. "I should just kill you, kill you all. Teach you all a lesson. I teach lessons, don't I? Yes, I do. I'm the teacher here." Twilight stared at him. He had actually dropped the spell pushing the wire towards Pinkie. The yellow in his eyes started to fade again, slowly. Twilight wasn't waiting to talk. She flung the wire at him and it was caught by his magic quickly, the mental fight starting again.
"Turning my own weapon on me? Miss Sparkle, you are not strong enough for this. Parlour tricks, parlour tricks is all you were taught! That damned witch, Celestia did this! She will die and I will see you all dead, and she will die with you and everyone will see you dead..." he seemed to stutter to a halt in his nonsensical ramblings. His eyes were flaring, his face was barely visible and some sort of ichor was dripping on the floor from him. The other wires shot forwards and they all began another slow grind to Pinkie. Pinkie was holding tight to the wire aimed at Twilight. She had a strange expression on her face. She looked totally engaged with whatever she was seeing, and stared at the wires grinding towards her. Twilight groaned and tried to push them back again. The field of magic from her horn was covering her vision slightly, even more than when she had levitated an Ursa Minor. And she couldn't top these wires.
"...murderer..." was all she managed to mutter at him.
"You think!? Hypocrite, you are protecting a murderer herself from me! Let me go and I can rid this world of another blight! I can't stand you ponies, always protecting those you call your "Friends". She can die. You can die. I can die. We should all die, to save the world. But I need to make you die, because you won't. Magic will be everyone's, then they will die. That is how it will be!"
The field of yellow was covering Bright totally, and the ichor was starting to flood the room. Pinkie did nothing as it touched her, but the wire she held began to glow and then it dropped slack under Pinkie's hoof. The ichor was near Twilight and she could feel the raw power coming from it. It started to wash around Twilight's hooves as she dreamily watched Bright lengthen and become taller. A pair of wings burst from his back and the walls seemed more elegant and shining than she remembered. Bright turned to her and smiled. He didn't look like Bright. He looked like Celestia, and the only difference was the burningly yellow eyes.
"Now you see it? This is what this place shall be, with my magic. You don't need to worry, Twilight. You can be my student, after losing that cumbersome horn..."
"Yes..." Twilight heard herself say, not even thinking now. She... Celestia... who was that? There was Bright, there had always been Bright. Everything started to change more. The glossy white walls were changing to gold and Bright had let the wires drop and was staring at her.
"I know everything shall be right, soon enough. Celestia took my place, I will have it back. Celestia will die like the other horned witches. You aren't like them, Twilight. We will take your horn, and you'll be one of us. A teacher, and I will teach you."
There was something intrusive behind Bright. It was orange and she couldn't make it out properly. Bright strode towards her, his eyes staring into hers as she started to feel intense pain in her forehead. She did nothing.
Bright gagged suddenly and the pain stopped. He backed away from Twilight, his front hooves clutching his throat and he crashed onto his chest. The orange blob was behind his head. The glossy walls began to tarnish and flicker. The ichor was turning orange, then started fading in colour till it was a dull, dark pink.
Twilight looked at Bright as her mind started to thud back. He looked normal again, aside from the fact that his eyes were bulging out too much and his tongue was hanging out his mouth. He was obviously dead. Twilight stared dully at it till she heard the quiet sobbing. Pinkie was holding tightly to the wire, and holding it around Bright's neck. She was quietly crying into her shoulder, looking away from Bright. Twilight didn't think, but she moved over to Aquilinus and checked if he was alive. He was breathing, only unconscious. Twilight levitated him quietly in the silent room over to Bright's body. The ichor was evaporating around Pinkie, and the rest of it was following quickly. She held onto Pinkie's hoof until she let go of the wire, and then stood as Pinkie cried into her shoulder, saying nothing. Twilight forced herself to think. They had had a plan of sorts... the zebras. Twilight held onto Pinkie and Aquilinus as she started the spell to free them from these hells in Equestria.

Pinkie stared at the corpse of the Madame. There were no marks on it, and the corpse was smiling. As she watched, the corpse seemed to change and became the body of Bright, in a deathly pose. Some ichor clinging to her slid off as she saw this. Was all that had happened real? Had the Madame died, or Bright? Or both? She didn't know.
A hoof touched her in the shoulder and she spun around. It was Twilight, holding up the unconscious Aquilinus. Pinkie looked around and saw tall grasses, with the odd patch of trees scattered around. Pinkie had never seen anything like this in Equestria. Twilight collapsed under Aquilinus and Pinkie grabbed her and held her up as Aquilinus slid onto the ground.

Pinkie didn't know what would happen after this, but whatever it was, she would do it with her friend.