Elsewhere...

A calm darkness filled the sky, interruped only by pinprick dots of light from the stars and a big, full moon that glowed not too bright, but still dimly casting a shade of silver over the land below. Houses lined the roads below, but all of them only had a few lights on here and there or were completely in pitch darkness. However, there was a streetlamp standing tall on each corner, casting some light at least so that if a pony were to walk outside, they would be able to see at least somewhat the world around them.

At one such corner, there was a shape shifting by in the dark. She made hoofsteps on the dirt road as it went along, trying to keep in the shadows so that anypony who chanced to look outside would not see her. Not that she wasn't supposed to be outside, but... well, being seen would lead to too many questions. No, she needed to trot a few blocks, and fast. When she came across intersections, she looked both ways before dashing as quick as her legs could take her. She only had to go a few blocks, though, until she came across what she was looking for: a particular alley between two brick buildings.

Peering forward into the dark to make sure it was safe, she shimmied ahead and then paused to catch her breath.

"You made it," a low voice said. She could not see who it came from, but... there was no mistaking it.

"Yeah, it wasn't hard," she squeaked in response. "My sister sleeps like a brick."

"Great," the other voice replied, coming closer. She thought she could see his shape in the dark, standing there, but it could have been a trick of the light. "Come with me—we don't have much time, but I was able to get the blueprints and a lot of the scrap together. We'll wanna get you back before the morning, though."

Nodding, she followed as she heard steps on the ground, leaving the alley and walking towards the looming shadow of what was unmistakably the largest and pointiest building in town.