The pink unicorn pranced down the hallway, a smug look on her face, nose pointed in the air.

I forced down a laugh as Clothesline approached the target zone. Ashes had to keep her fetlocks clamped around to muzzle to suppress her own laughter..

The pink filly continued down the corridor.

Her leg snagged on the tripwire, which immediately snapped.

From the door in front of her, a small metal catapult swung out. It released its payload, and the cream pie was sent sailing through the air.

The confectionary hit Clothesline directly in the face with a loud SPLAT.

Ashes and I burst into laughter, falling out of the closet we were hiding in.

The pie tin slowly slid off Clothesline’s muzzle, revealing the shocked, goo-covered expression of the filly beneath it.

It made us laugh even harder.

Regained her senses, Clothesline growled. “What. The. Hell.”

“You should see the look on your face,” Ashes gasped. “Priceless!”

“You ruined my mane, stupid!” The pink filly screamed. “It’s gonna take forever to get this stuff out!”

I was laughing so hard that I could barely breathe.

“Oh, lighten up.” Ashes snorted. “We’re only having fun.”

“Only foals would think this is funny! You’re ten!” Clothesline growled. “This isn’t funny at all.”

“Y-yes it- aha- is!” I managed to rasp out. “Just look at you!”

Her horn glowed, and the pie-goop on her face exploded, spraying the walls, floor, Ashes, and myself in apple meringue.

Ashes burst into laughter again as she wiped some of the goo off her face, and flicked it right back at Clothesline, where it landed on her nose.

The unicorn’s face turned red. “This is attacking a Guard, you know!”

“Pffft, no it isn’t.” I said. “You’re too young to be a guard.”

“Yeah, and even then, I would be a guard too.” The grey filly licked some pie off her nose. “And I say it’s okay.”

Clothesline snarled. “I’m gonna tell my mom!”

Ashes blew a raspberry. “Your mom can’t do anything unless the warden says so.”

“Th-then I’ll get my dad to-“

I blew a raspberry of my own.

“Shut up!” The unicorn screamed. “Why are you always bugging me?”

“Us?” I asked incredulously. “You came over here. And you’re always talking like you’re so much better than everypony.”

“Well at least both of my parents are still here!”

At that, Ashes’ face fell, and her ears went back against her head.

I narrowed my eyes at Clothesline. “That was mean.”

“You threw a pie at me!” She yelled.

“Yeah, well you hurt Ashes’ feelings!” I yelled back.

“Diamond…” Ashes gently poked me in the shoulder. “Let’s just go home.”

After sticking my tongue out at Clothesline, I turned and followed the earth pony.

“Go cry to your stupid mom.Oh, wait.” She pointed a hoof towards me. “Only you can.”

Her expression turned into a smug smile. Ashes’ eyes teared up.

My hoof slammed into Clothesline’s face.

~~~~

I couldn’t seem to stand.

I turned my head to see Bilge trying to help Meda, holding his hooves down on her wound in an attempt to stop the blood.

My own coat was covered in a mix of ironwolf dust and blood, making a greyish-red sludge.

“Purity!”

I blinked.

“Purity, throw me that potion!”

Bilge was yelling at me.

“The one on your horn, hurry!”

Confused, I put a hoof to my horn, to find it blocked by a glass bottle.

“Throw it here!”

I pulled the bottle off my horn with a quiet pop, and chucked it to him with a telekinetic punt. There was barely anything left in it.

Bilge poured it onto Meda’s gut wound, and within seconds, her bleeding subsided.

I tried to stand, and collapsed back onto the ground in a heap.

That growling voice on the comm system started talking about another fight, but I was too tired to pay attention.

Then I was roughly grabbed by the shoulders, and dragged out of the pit.

Glancing around, I saw that we were all being hauled away by two slavers, one carrying Meda, another carrying Bilge and myself. Meda and I were leaving blood trails behind us, hers much thicker than mine.

”Oh look… Little Miss Knives is hurt again.” She snarked. I could almost hear her grinning.

“Fuck you…” I mumbled, feeling woozy.

I coughed and spluttered as a potion was forced down my throat.

Somepony thumped me on the back. “Shut up, scab. You’re fine.”

A bit more coughing cleared the liquid from my lungs.

“So, here’s how it is scabs…” Said one of the slavers. “We’re gonna lock you back in here ‘till your friend gets up. If she gets up. Heh. And if she doesn’t? Well, you’re going in… with… out… Holy fucking shit…”

I craned my neck to see what he was gawking at, and promptly joined him.

The door to one of the cells, the one just across from mine, was forcibly removed. The metal bars sat against the opposite wall, its former wall mounting now little more than chunks of concrete scattered on the floor, the wall itself now bearing large holes.

“Gentlecolts.”

The slavers, Bilge, and I all turned to see a grinning zebra stallion casually standing just behind us.

“You may have a security breach.”

He lashed out one of his front hooves, delivering an uppercut into the jaw of the bigger slaver carrying me, sending him tumbling backwards.

The smaller one responded quickly, dropping Meda and drawing a shock baton. He charged the zebra, who spun around and delivered a full force buck to the face with both hooves. While a sickening crunch signified the slaver’s end, the zebra lost his balance, hissing in pain while he grabbed his right hind leg.

The first slaver stood, picking up his comrade’s baton in his teeth and screamed bloody murder. Still on the floor, I managed to quickly muster what little focus I could, and magically took hold of the baton. With a telekinetic kick, I forced the weapon out of the earth pony’s teeth. With another, I drove it right back. He fell to the ground and had his head stomped in.

The effort nearly made me black out.

The zebra’s head popped into my vision, which had become blurry. He was asking me questions, but I couldn’t make any sense of his words.

He grimaced and said something to somepony else.

I clenched my eyes shut and tried to focus.

“-with a knife? Well fuck, I need a buzz-rifle to deal with those things. Not bad.”

“not b- they’re bleeding out!”

“Relax. Just grab those potions from fat-ass’s pocket. I can see them hanging out.” The zebra chuckled. “You are one panicky buck, you know that?”

“D-dammit... whatever your name is! I’m a hooker not a doctor!”

“Seriously? How the fuck did you get into that job?” The striped stallion snorted. Something tapped me on the cheek. “Here. Drink this.”

I happily obliged, gulping down the potion as fast as I could.

Within seconds, I felt much better than before, albeit exhausted.

I tried to sit up, but didn’t really manage to do anything more than squirm weakly.

Somewhere behind me, Meda let out a long, miserable moan.

The zebra patted me on the shoulder. “You still with me?”

“So… fucking… tired…” I replied, panting for a moment. “Nezan Kazdri?”

He blinked at me. “Yeah. Didn’t think anyone around here knew me. Or, wait… I don’t owe you money, do I?”

“Here with your daughter… Trying to get you out.”

He gave me a doubtful look. “My daughter is safe in Bladesville. With her mother.”

“Other daughter. Zeed.”

His eyes widened. “Wat.”

“Infer… Infermerrr… Ughhh…” I managed to put a hoof to my head. “Can’t brain… so dizzy… I think she’s in the infirmary.”

“WHAT?”

I tried to talk again, but my jaw didn’t seem to want to cooperate.

He growled, and hauled me onto his back. “We’ll talk later. C’mon. We’re taking these two to the infirmary.”

“They’ll shoot us the moment they see us.” Bilge sighed.

“Yeah, well they’re bleeding out, and I have a sprained pastern.” Nezan snorted. “Word of advice: don’t buck someone in the face when you’ve got a sprain.”

“No, really?”

“Yes. Now lead the way.”

We moved through the police station as fast as we could manage, me barely managing to cling to Nezan’s back as he limped along.

”Wow, Knives…You sure like getting hurt.”

I don’t know how long it took, but eventually, Bilge pointed to a door labeled ‘forensics’, and we barreled through it.

“Alright, listen up- oh, there’s nobody here.” Nezan said, slamming the door shut. “Quick, grab what you can and I’ll barricade the door.”

“You know we’re wearing collars, right?” Bilge replied as he gently placed Meda on a gurney and began searching through the cabinets and metal boxes scattered throughout the room.

Nezan growled. “Fuck, you’re right… we’ll have to think of something. Maybe I can find some scrap and make a-”

Nezan was shoved aside as the door slammed open again.

“Outa my way, medical emergency!” The striped mare cried. “Where did you idiots put the potions?”

“Hey!” Bilge yelped as he was shoved aside.

The mare started grabbing bottles and shoving them in a bag.

“Zeed…” I croaked.

“Not now, Knives I’m trying to…” her head snapped up to look at me. “Knives? How the hell did- When did-?”

“Axy?” Nezan said.

“Axy?” I muttered.

Zeed spun around, finally noticing that there were other ponies in the room. Her jaw dropped. “Dad?”

They stared at each other for a moment.

Nezan’s wide grin returned, and he shot over to pull his daughter into a hug, while she responded in kind.

“Bwahahaahh! Axy it’s really you!” Nezan cried.

“I almost thought I’d never see you again!”

“Oh, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you, kiddo.”

“Where have you been, dad?”

“Oh, you know, just fucking up my leg by kicking down a door.“ He rose an eyebrow upon seeing Zeed’s expression of shock. “We should probably deal with the wound- eh... severely wounded first, don’t you think?”

“Great idea. You!” She rolled several potions over to Bilge. “Give these to Knives.”

“Who?”

“Ugh! Purity! Whatever. just hurry up, we don’t have much time.”

She frantically went over Meda’s wounds as she spoke, not even looking up from her work. Nezan began to stack things in front of the door. Bilge, with a look of confusion on his face, held one of the potions to my mouth, which I drank down greedily.

I was on my third potion by the time I felt well enough to stand on my own, if a bit unsteadily.

By my fourth, Zeed had finished shooting Meda up with healing potions, and the zony’s wounds were almost healed, though she had passed out.

Zeed immediately popped back over to give Nezan another hug. I couldn’t help but snort a laugh.

“Shut up, Knives!” She snapped at me. “We still need to find your coltfriend.”

I blushed. “He’s nae… och fuck it. Ye know where he is?”

“Yeah. Somewhere in the police station last I knew. They caught him trying to sneak in.” She replied.

Nezan shook his head in disbelief. “Why would someone break into a slaver camp?”

Zeed smirked at him. “Gee I dunno, dad... Maybe to free their father or something like that?”

The older zebra stared at her for a moment. “No weapons, no plan, just you and a couple of friends sneaking your way past a horde of raving nutcases that make ‘paths look normal by comparison...”

Zeed winced and shuffled her hooves.

“Oh dear Luna, you are definitely my daughter.”

A wide grin spread across Nezan’s face as he pulled his daughter into another hug.

”Awww... look at that.” She muttered. ”Doesn’t it just make you miss daddy?

”Shut up... just... sh-shut up...” I forced her back down, feeling tears sting my eyes.

“Anyway...” Nezan released his daughter from their hug. “We need a way to get rid of the collars first. I’m sorta using my head right now, and I’d rather not have it blown up.”

Zeed tapped her chin with a forehoof. “Maybe we could make a fair-day cage?”

The older zebra shook his head. “Already thought of that. We wouldn’t be able to make a mobile one that’ll stay grounded. Maybe we could rig up a jammer?”

“We don’t know the frequency.” Said Zeed.

“Jukebox incident.”

Zeed grimaced. “Right, but we don’t have any of those available right now.”

As I watched the two throw ideas back and forth, I stared at the collar on Bilge’s neck, trying to think of a way to remove the collars myself. Sure, I could have tried to pry them apart and disable them, but that was hard to do when they were assembled, and it would likely be a process of trial-and-error. I doubted I could get, or even want, willing participants for that.

I realized something.

“Wouldn’t they need tae keep a key around here if they need tae get th’ collars off th’ slaves?”

Both of the zebras blinked at me for a moment, then turned back to each other.

“She’s right.” Said the elder.

“Well, yeah, but the slavers wouldn’t keep the key in here. Somepony might get the same idea Knives did.” The younger zebra replied.

“Do you know if there’s a head medic?” Nezan asked.

“Uh… Yes! I think he lives on the floor just above this one. Hold on, I’ll be right back.” With that, she darted off, shoving aside Nezan’s barricade and slipping through the door, leaving her father staring after her, grinning with pride.

Then his grin changed into a look of horror as he realized what she just said. “Wait, Axy! Ah crap… she’s gone…”

There was no response other than the fading of Zeed’s hoofsteps.

Nezan swore again.

I rubbed my aching head and moaned.

“Great…” Nezan sighed. “Now I’m nervous. I hate being nervous.”

“Why dae ye keep callin’ her ‘Axy’?”

He blinked at me. “Because of her name?”

“Her name is Axy…” I raised an eyebrow.

“What? No, that’s just what I call her. Shouldn’t you know this?” He smiled. “Her name’s Axadel.”

“Ah thought her name was ‘Vazjir’.”

“Ah… I get it.” He smiled. “I’m gonna shut up now. I’m sure she has a reason for not telling.”

“Wait, not telling what?”

“While this bantering is fun,” Bilge interrupted. “I think we have more important things to worry about.”

“Hey, pipe down. This is the first time I’ve seen my oldest daughter in eleven years,” Nezan retorted. “I think I have the right to be happy about that.”

His ear twitched, and he frowned. “The hell was that?”

My own ears perked up as I tried to hear what he was talking about. It was quiet, and sounded like somepony was screaming.

Then the ceiling started shaking. I could hear the pounding of hooves from the floor above us. A bit of dust landed in my left eye. I swore loudly as I tried to dig it out.

I was distracted when part of the ceiling exploded. Chunks of concrete, rebar, and a cloud of dust rained down on us. After the ringing in my ears passed, I realized that the sound actually was screaming. Specifically, Zeed screaming in panic, her voice accompanied by the sound of raging slavers as they shot down the hallways.

“AXY!” Nezan tried to charge out of the room, but gasped in pain as he put weight on his back hoof.

Several more holes appeared in the ceiling, though these ones were made by bullets instead of giant ear-destroying explosives.

Snarling with irritation, I snatched a medical brace and a syringe of Med-X from a nearby table and floated it over onto Nezan’s leg. With a grateful expression, he fastened the brace, took the full dose of the drug, and swiftly limped out of the room, calling for Zeed.

Though I was still a bit dizzy, I followed him.

We followed the shooting, screaming, and explosions for a minute until we reached a staircase. Just as we began to climb up, Zeed came galloping down, screaming her head off.

“FOR THE LOVE OF LUNA RUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNN!” her voice faded as she rounded a corner.

A grenade bounced down the staircase.

Yelping in surprise, I scrambled away from it.

Nezan just smirked and flicked it back up the stairs with a fetlock.

I heard several slavers scream in pain when it exploded.

“C’mon, let’s go.” Nezan called back to me, galloping after Zeed.

“HEY! GET OVER HERE!” A slaver yelled.

He shot at me, I yelped and ran after Nezan.

I kept hearing explosions and gunshots just behind me as I ran. The battle cries and death threats from the slavers echoed through my ears.

Sweat dripped down my face, stinging my eyes.

It was getting harder to breathe.

I’d already started wheezing.

I rounded another corner. The two zebras were getting further and further away.

I think my tail was on fire.

I was starting to slow down. I tried to push harder but I just couldn’t keep going.

Another corner.

I struggled to keep ahead of the slavers. I risked a glance back to see that they were slowly gaining ground.

Another corner.

Breath getting ragged.

Getting dizzier.

Another corner.

Almost tripped on my own hooves.

My eyes widened when I realized how far away Zeed and Nezan were. How close the slavers were.

Pushed myself harder.

Another corner.

So far away now.

Legs felt like lead.

Sweat in my eyes.

Head spinning.

The slavers still shouting their death threats. Just lucky none of the grenades actually hit me.

Another corner.

I was yanked to the side by a striped foreleg. I struggled against it, frantically, trying to push it away, beating at its owner with my hooves.

“Ouch! Knives! Calm down! It’s-ow- me!”

I stopped fighting and looked. Zeed was holding me down, trying to keep me from hitting her in the face.

“Z… Zuh… Zuh…” I swallowed. My head was still spinning. My breath was ragged, and coming in short gasps.

She helped me back to my hooves, and I put a hoof over my chest, continuing to wheeze loudly.

“Knives, are you okay?”

“I… I juh… can’t breathe… Gugh… need… need to lie down…”

I flopped back onto the floor, curling up into a ball and trying to calm down.

“Wow. Is she gonna be alright?” Nezan asked.

“She should be. I think she’s just exhausted. She did lose a lot of blood earlier.”

“Yeah, with the trail she was leaving behind I’m amazed she’s still alive.”

“Keh… Key?” I gasped.

Zeed grinned, put a hoof to one side of her nose, and blew. There was the tink of metal on linoleum as the key flew out of her nose. “Yup! Asshole had it on his desk. I just barely managed to snatch it off him before he woke up.”

Nezan raised an eyebrow. “The slavers?”

“Well… he woke up, so…”

“Right.” Nezan chuckled. “Let’s get these off.”

Zeed grinned. “Snot a problem.”

Nezan laughed. I groaned.

She grabbed the key in a fetlock and moved over to her father. With a smile, she stuck the key in the lock. Her face fell when she tried to turn it.

She groaned and threw the key against the wall. “Dammit.”

I blinked. “What’s wrong?”

“I grabbed the wrong one!” She swore repeatedly.

Nezan patted her on the shoulder. “It’s alright, Axy. We can find one somewhere else.”

She let out a frustrated sigh. “I know… I just… Ugh, dammit…”

“What are we goin’ tae dae, then? Ah doubt we can get out ay here with these damn thing oan.”

“I think we should go find Raid.” She said. “At least then we can get it all done at once.”

“That’s probably a good idea.” Nezan said. “I’d like to fix this busted leg too.”

Zeed smiled. “Alright. Let’s go!”

~~~~~

Both ponies stared at the zebra, who was currently sitting in a chair connected to the machine, with a helmet on his head, and a blank expression on his face. A small bucket of clearish-white orbs sat on his right side, another sat on his left.

Wretch tapped a hoof impatiently.

Green munched on another yucca fruit.

After several minutes, Xixixix blinked, and popped a memory orb out of the back of the helmet and tossing it into the bucket on his left.

“Nope. Not that one either.” He said, grabbing an orb out of the bucket on the right.

Wretch growled in frustration. “Of for the- alright, that’s it. I’m going in too. What are we looking for?”

Xixixix blinked again. “Uh… anything related to programing or psychology? Are you sure you want to? There’s some pretty nasty stuff in these.”

“Yes! There’s something that I need to do, and this is taking forever.” She sighed. “Green? This is gonna take a while, alright? You don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to.”

Green blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Wretch raised an eyebrow. “You don’t have to stay here? You can do whatever you want. Explore the Mall, make some friends. You know, just do whatever?”

“Oh… um… Okay?” Green looked at Wretch, blinking repeatedly. “Uh… bye?”

With that, the pegasus awkwardly left the room.

“Nice filly. Bit dumb, though isn’t she?” Xixixix smirked.

Wretch glared at him. “She’s been a slave her whole life.”

“And you’re just throwing her out?”

“I’m not throwing her out!”

“I meant into the city. If she’s been a slave she might not be used to taking making her own decisions.” The zebra replied matter-of-factly.

Wretch worked her jaw for a moment, trying to think of a response. “I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

Green wandered through the walkways of the Mall, taking in the sights and marveling at pretty much everything she saw. Particularly the neon signs. She really liked those.

With a smile, she sat on a bench and ate another bit of yucca.

She almost dropped it when a loud crash made her jump.

Over in one of the alley between the stores, two ponies were fighting. More accurately, a unicorn colt was running from an infuriated mare, laughing and taunting her as she repeatedly swiped at him.

“Come back here you little shit!” She shrieked.

“Make me!” He replied.

Green watched this with some confusion, unsure of whether she should get involved or not.

The choice was taken from her as the mare clipped the colt’s leg, and he was sent tumbling into Green’s bench.

“Owwww...” he said.

“Alright, little filly...” The mare said as she slowly stomped her way towards the two ponies.. “Just back away slowly, and I won’t hurt ya. I’m only after this little fuck.”

Green blinked. “Uh...”

The colt’s eyes widened, and he scrambled to his hooves. “Oh crap...”

“C’mon, squirt. Just leave now. His daddy pissed me off and I want some payback.” She grinned at the colt, who swallowed in fear.

Green looked around for anypony that could help, but nopony seemed to be paying any attention to the incident in the middle of the walkway. “Well...”

“It’s a simple request, ya little rat. Just get the fuck out of my way and-HEY!”

Green spun around, her wings flaring, and started pushing the colt down the street.

The mare screamed angrily, and started chasing after them.

Green squeaked in fear, being reminded of one of Bark’s drunken rages, and pushed the other foal harder. The colt’s horn began to glow, and a nearby stack of crates was knocked over into the raging mare’s path. To his chagrin, she leapt over it with ease.

Green frantically looked around, trying to find a way to escape. The alleyways were too far away, nopony was paying even the slightest amount of attention to them, and any stores probably wouldn’t appreciate them leading a psychopath into their premises. Glancing up, Green grinned.

She grabbed the colt around the chest, and flapped her wings as hard as she could. She was just in time to barely avoid another swing from the mare. She screamed at the two as Green flew to the top floor of the Mall.

Green landed on the broken concrete, panting with the effort of having carried another pony of her size to that height.

“Hey...” The colt said. “Thanks. I’ve been trying to get away from her for a while.”

“No... no problem...” Green managed to say.

He smiled. “I’m Barkeep! Who’re you?”

Green blinked. “Uh... I’m... uh... Green.”

Barkeep tilted his head in an inquisitive manner. “That’s your name?”

The pegasus filly nodded nervously.

Barkeep shrugged. “Okay. Wanna go get some stuff?”

“Huh?”

“You know, stuff?”

Green gave him a confused look. She continued staring at him for a moment, and eventually nodded.

--------

Footnote 1: Diamond Knives

EXP 72%

~~~

Footnote 2: Zeed Kazdri

EXP: 40%

~~~

Footnote 3: Raid (???)

EXP: ???%

`

To-Do List:

Active Quest:

Where For Art Thou?:

-Find Raid

-Find Knives

Other quests:

Layin’ Down The Rails:

Find a way to remove bomb-collars

-Find a way inside Raftwater without getting killed

O’ Father, Where Art Thou?:

Infiltrate or assault the Bone Eaters’ base near Bladesville.

-Escape from Raftwater.

Sifting Through The Dust:

1) Find information on the location of Ashes.

2) Find information on the location of Obsidian Knives

3)Find information on the location of Nezan Kazdri