"Alright... so as I was saying earlier, Xiibal and I came up with a place for you kids to go—and the other two of you, I suppose. You'd better keep close, since you know important stuff now."

"There's that name again," Flight said.

"Yeah, who's She-ball?" Scootaloo asked.

"Well, she's... she's my boss. I work in her department, under her guidance. She's a friend of mine and she's been working with the revolution for decades. Anyway..." Doc Zed paused, clearing his throat. "There's a town to the north of here in the Sciouse province called Ferretfall. It's mostly aboveground, but what's important is that we have a hideout and about a dozen operatives near there. Basically, you just need to fly the hoverskiff there and get in contact with a pony named Turnip Acres."

"Turnip Acres? Like, the vegetable?" Mochi asked, leaning in.

"Yep, the very same. He'll be in contact with myself and Xiibal so we can figure out the best way to get you kids offworld."

Flight frowned. "But I want to go back to my parents after this."

Doc Zed hesitated. "I... I hope that is possible. I can't make any promises, though."

Flight didn't look any happier. "Hmph... well, whatever. We'll figure it out later. Is that it?"

"That should be it. Please, by all means, call me when you need to, Flight. Oh, and before I forget—remember to shut off the GPS tracking on your comlink. I'm doubting that the Bureau's identified it yet, but it's certainly possible that they could if given enough time. That goes the same for Microfiche and any of the rest of you with comlinks."

Flight nodded. "Will do, thanks."

"And thanks for all your help, dude," Scootaloo chimed in. "I may not know you, but you seem like a cool dude to me."

"Thanks, Scootaloo. And it's been a pleasure talking to you, and I hope we get the opportunity to talk more soon."

"...Yep. Totally," Scootaloo said in a hollow tone, her eyes darting down.

"Wonderful, wonderful. Now, if that's all, I think I must be off now. Lots of work to do, and places to go, you know. Heh. Ta-ta for now." There was a click and Microfiche's comlink went silent. The zebra put his hoof back down to the ground.

"Gah," he gah'd. "My leg was getting pretty tired, lemme tell ya."

Flight was too busy pressing buttons on her comlink that made bleepy-bloopy noises to pay attention, so it was Scootaloo who asked the inevitable question. "So... should we get on this ship and get this show on the road?"

Microfiche nodded. "I'll just get the parts and list from Flight and then you guys should go." He gestured up at the sky, which had gone from a dim shade of blue to a dark one nearing black. "It's getting late, and the faster you can get there, the better. One of you can drive, right?"

Scootaloo looked to Kevin, who looked up and looked to Flight. All three of them snorted and then turned around.

"Yep, I can!" Mochi exclaimed. "Well, at least I could. I bet my license has expired by now, and I haven't done it in, like, a decade. But I totally still remember how!"

"Eheh... or I could do it," Cotton Fluff interjected. "I'm, like, legally allowed to, even. Not that you ponies are that concerned about legality."

"No, no, that's perfect," Microfiche said with a nod. "If you did run into the police, it'd be a lot easier. And safer, since you've got the experience."

"Now that that's settled..." Scootaloo trailed off, trotting forward past Microfiche. She leapt up and, with a tad bit of propulsion from her wings, plopped down on the metal surface of the hoverskiff in a spot where the railing lay open like a miniature door. It bouced slightly downwards in the air with the addition of her weight. "C'mon," she said, beckoning the others forward with a hoof. They all began to trot past Microfiche, to join her atop the hoverskiff. Flight hoofed the zebra the bag with the parts as she passed him

"Cotton Fluff, hold on a minute. I have something I want to talk to you about," Microfiche said as the brown mare passed. She stopped dead in her tracks and, feeling her heart pounding in her chest, turned to face the stallion as the rest of her companions climbed aboard the hoverskiff.

"Y-yes?" she stammered.

"Now, I can tell you're the more 'experienced' or at least more acclimated to adult life than the rest of these ponies, so I need you to take special care to keep everyone safe," Microfiche said with a warm smile. "Get these ponies where they need to go. Yeah?"

"Yeah, d-definitely," Cotton Fluff agreed, nodding shakily.

"And, because of this, I'm gonna give you my spare comlink. It should have my number and Doc Zed's number programmed in already, and then you can just get Flight's so you can contact each other if you have to split up."

"Oh, thank you," the mare said, and reached out a hoof as Microfiche levitated the comlink out of his bag, using the white aura to close its bands around Cotton Fluff's wrist. "I won't let you down, sir."

"Heh, just Microfiche will do. And thanks, really." He stepped to the side. "Goodbye, everypony! And may we speak again soon!" With that, the zebra turned around and began trotting away across the hill. Cotton Fluff stood there watching him as he disappeared out of sight among the darkened shapes of the grassy hills.

"C'mon, Cotton, we gotta go!" Kevin cried from behind her. She looked at where Microfiche had been just a moment earlier and then turned to climb onto the hoverskiff where the rest of her companions awaited.