Pinkie woke up to the sound of her cell door opening. She rolled over to see Firefly and everypony else lined up outside. She got up to her hooves and walked outside. They were shackled and brought down to the main floor of the fortress.

"So did you get the letter written?" Pinkie asked under her breath.

"Yup," Firefly replied," I wrote down everything I've learned since I got here." The line came out of the stair well that Pinkie had been sneaking through the day before onto the main floor. “I just hope it’s enough.”

"There's Spike's cell," Pinkie whispered, looking off at the far west side of the room. She raised her hoof as high as it could in the shackle and pointed it out to Firefly," umm Fiery, I have a question. How are we supposed to get out of these shackles?"

"Don't worry, Pink," Firefly assured," I’ve got it all covered. I just had to call in a few favors."

"Favors?" Pinkie asked," who could possibly owe you favors in here?"

"Just follow my lead," Firefly said, ignoring Pinkie’s question," when things start happening, they're gonna happen fast. Just follow me and keep your head down." The line stopped far short of where it should have. "What the hay..." Firefly grumbled.

"You two!" a guard snapped at Pinkie and Firefly,"Get out of line, NOW!"

"Is this part of your plan?" Pinkie asked quietly as two guards unshackled them.

"Nope," Firefly said looking over at the colt who had given them trouble the day before," but I think it's part of somepony else's plan." Firefly looked over at the other line of prisoners that was leaving as theirs was entering. They were looking for something. Somepony.

"We received an anonymous tip from-" the guard began as Firefly cut him off.

"By anonymous you mean him," she said motioning at the colt from the cell next to Pinkie's.

"Don't you dare interrupt-" he was cut off again.

"Sorry, just trying to clarify," she said with a dry sarcasm in her voice.

"I said don't interrupt me!" the guard was yelling now," we received an-"

"Well I have to buy time somehow," she said calmly.

"What the flank did I just say about interrupting me!" the guard yelled at the top his lungs. He started to raise a hoof to hit Firefly, but froze," wait... buy time for what?"

Just as he finished speaking he was knocked to ground by a charging unicorn. "That," Firefly said as she knocked the guard out," thanks for the help Vinh." They were showered in a small storm of energy bolts coming from the weapons of guards. Vinh ran over and broke the shackles that held the other prisoners down.

Everypony was scrambling around, getting jumped by the guards. Vinh was hit by several energy bolts and fell to the ground unconscious.

"Come on!" Firefly yelled to Pinkie as she started galloping for Spike's cell. The two ponies ran as fast as they could towards Spike's cell. Three guards stepped in their way, weapons charged and aimed. Firefly absorbed all three shots they fired and stumbled to the ground in front of them. She got back to her feet and lowered her shoulder into the guard on the left, knocking him to the ground. She raised her fore-leg and blocked a swing from one guards staff, but was hit by the other. She yanked the staff from the guards hooves and hit the other in the jaw, knocking him out. Firefly jabbed the staff into the others chest. She spun and bucked him off his hooves as she dropped the staff.

She caught up to Pinkie who had been tackled by a guard. Firefly kicked the guard off of Pinkie and helped her up. The two began galloping for Spike's cell yet again.

Pinkie looked at the scene around her. Smoke filled the room, energy bolts zipped passed their heads. Ponies everywhere were fighting, running. They had no idea where to go or what to do. It was pure chaos. They all thought this riot was there chance at getting out. They thought it was their chance to fight and win. Of course it wasn't. There was no way they could possibly win. The only good thing that could come out of this was a chance for their friends to win for them. It was the only hope they still had, the hope that their friends would pull through and save them.

Firefly and Pinkie were about eighty feet away from spike's cell when they found themselves completely surrounded by guards. The two ponies slid to a halt and backed up close to each other.

"Alright," Firefly said lowly," I'll draw them off to the left, I want you to run to the right and over that statue about twenty feet ahead."

"Okey dokey lokey," Pinkie said," but what are you gonna do?"

"Don't worry about it, I have a plan. I'll be fine," Firefly assured as the guards began to draw closer. Firefly lunged to the left and bucked one of the guards in the chest. The surrounding guards rushed to the left while Pinkie bolted to the statue and waited, watching to see what Firefly's plan was.

Firefly was hit by several energy bolts as she barreled into two guards., bringing all three of them to the ground. She was hit by almost half a dozen staffs as she tried to stand back up, causing her to slide a few feet out of the crowd.

She pulled letter from it's concealed spot in her mane and called out to Pinkie. She threw the letter in the air with her mouth and kicked with one of her back legs to the ground in between Pinkie and Spike's cell. "Go!" She yelled as she was jumped by all but four of the guards. The other four raced Pinkie to the letter that was lying on the floor.

Pinkie couldn't remember a time she had run faster than she did for that letter. She was only few steps ahead of the guards, being singed by their weapons, she dove and grabbed the letter in her mouth, rolling to her feet.

The three guards who dove after her were scrambling to get off the ground . The other was still chasing Pinkie closely. Pinkie galloped as fast as she could towards Spike's cell.

Spike noticed Pinkie running towards him and ran up to bars on the cell as the guard fired an energy bolt into her back. Pinkie stumbled as she

crashed into Spike's cell door.

"Pinkie?" Spike asked confused," What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, Spike. I don't have time to explain," Pinkie said, out of breath," I need you to send this letter." Pinkie placed the letter in Spike's outstretched claw.

"Send it?" Spike said still confused," What is it?"

'It's a letter, silly!" Pinkie chirped before the guard slammed into her, smashing her into the cell door," Just...send it to Twilight."

"Twilight?" Spike asked as he backed away from the cell door," I don't think I can...I don't even know where she is."

"Just send it... send it anywhere!" Pinkie yelled as three guards pulled her way from the door and began to open Spike's cell.

"Pinkie? Pinkie!," Spike yelled as he backed up to the far wall of his cell," well, here goes nothing..." Spike held the letter up exhaling a plume of magical green fire and watched the letter disappear.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

"That's not even fair," Gates said half-jokingly looking at the letter that lay on the floor.

"Well look at that, Gates," Rainbow joked," you said answers wouldn't magically appear, and sure enough here it is."

"Well," Gates asked Twilight," what does it say?" Twilight had the letter levitated in front of her, reading it.

"It looks like it could be helpful," she began," but I have no idea who this Firefly is. And I have no idea how she got this letter to me."

"Firefly?!" Gates exclaimed as he rushed over to read the letter.

A few minutes passed before Rarity spoke up,"well, what it it? Who is this Firefly?"

"An old friend..." Gates said lowly," and this letter is exactly what we've been waiting for. Everypony, grab what your things, we're leaving." Gates charged his weapons and began to gather a few supplies in a set of saddlebags that the Triumvirate guards left behind.

"You got it, boss!" Applejack said happily, everypony was eager to get out of the library and start helping again.

"Wait, Goldie," Fluttershy asked," where are we going? What are doing?"

"We're going to get back out there, we're gonna try and win this war," Gates said without looking up from his saddlebags. "Firefly is like me, one of the elite guards, only she's locked up somewhere." Everypony stopped what they were doing and listened. "Apparently, these Triumvirate guys are still looking for something. And if they want something, then we have every reason to want it too. If they don't have something they want, we just might have a chance at winning this thing."

"So how are we supposed to find it before they do?" Rainbowdash asked," we don't know what we're looking for or where to start, how are we supposed to find whatever they're looking for first if they know everything that we don't?"

"Even if we don't know what we're looking for," Gates said," we can find it first, or at least keep them from finding it, just as long as we know where we're going."

"So where are we going?" Rarity asked.

"The one place I hoped I would never have to go back to," Gates said as he walked towards the door," Colt Lake City."

Next Chapter: Chapter Seventeen - Diamond in the Rough Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 42 Minutes