Starry Skies woke up to find herself in a cage. It was a small space, not quite enough room to stand up or turn around. From her spot, she could see the cages that were holding Flurry Heart and each of the Cake twins separately. None of them had any obvious signs of injury, and she could see them breathing.

Moving as much as she could in the little space, Star tried to take in her surroundings. From what she could see, they were inside a building. A warehouse maybe? Ponyville must have at least a few. There were no windows that Star could see. The basement to a house?

"What happened?" Pound Cake groaned out, rubbing his head.

"We were put into a magical sleep and abducted," Star answered.

"PUMPKIN!" Pound shouted as he jumped out, slamming his head against the top of the cage with a loud clang.

"I'm okay," Pumpkin called out, "I think. Where are we?"

"Cages," Star replied. "Room with no windows. Flurry?"

"I'm awake," Flurry said. "Any ideas on who took us or why?"

"I think I have an idea," Pumpkin said. "Just before I passed out, I heard something that sounded like music, like when Star and I were knocked out before."

There was a loud bang as a door was slammed opened.

"My ears are burn-ing!" a feminine voice sang out.

The pony that approached the cages was... short. She was about half the height of Starry Skies, at most. She was also a little... pudgy? Chubby? There was definitely a little bit of excess fat on her white cheeks. The mare tossed her head back as she walked, making her curly pink mane bounce slightly. Following behind her was one of the dressing dummies and a pony with insect-like wings.

"Awwww," Princess Flurry Heart cooed out. "She's so adorable. I just want to pinch her cheeks."

"I AM NOT ADORABLE!" the pony -- assumably Sleep Thief -- bellowed, turning to face Flurry Heart. "I am a mare that should be feared and respected! Not some cute little filly that should be fawned and cuddled!"

"Aw, look," Flurry continued. "Even her tantrums are cute." This got a glare from the tiny mare, which Flurry just smirked at.

"So I take it you're Sleep Thief," Star said.

"The one and only," the mare said with a smirk. "So glad you could finally join us... in one sense of the word at least."

"Well you didn't really give us much of a choice," Pound grumbled, "seeing as you knocked us out and put us in these cages."

"I did ask two of you before to join me, and you turned me down," Sleep Thief replied. "Didn't want you missing out on this." She turned to look at Pumpkin Cake. "Especially since I could use some help." She then returned her attention to them all. "Plus three of you belong with us, and I really couldn't leave one of you behind to be discovered or anything, now could I?"

"So I'm just collateral damage?" Flurry Heart asked.

"I'm afraid so. I'm sorry darling, but I don't think I have any use of you, and you aren't exactly one of us, now are you?"

"So what do you need me for?" Pumpkin asked. This got a chuckle from the other mare.

"Oh come now, do you really think I would be foolish enough to reveal my whole plan before I was enacting it? You don't have to wait long, though. Now that I have you here, we can start as soon as everything's ready."

Turning away, she headed for the door.

"Keep an eye on them," Sleep Thief said to the flutter pony. "Especially the stallion. A chance to save his sister and show off for a bunch of mares -- including a princess -- sounds like the perfect time to try something stupid."

The flutter pony gave a nod, the wings twitching on her back. The dressing dummy stepped aside, allowing Sleep Thief to leave.

That was interesting. The pony that was controlling it was not in the room, and Star could see no way that he could be looking into the room without being seen. That would indicate that he was somehow able to give it a basic form of autonomy. It was doubtful that it was more than basic, allowing it to follow simple instructions. It would be easy enough to outwit, provided they could get out and do something about the flutter pony.

First would be trying to befriend and talk to her. Star closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing. Opening her eyes back up, she put on her friendliest smile.

"Excuse me," she called out as sweetly as she could. "Hi. I'm Starry Skies. Most call me Star. That" -- she pointed -- "is Pound Cake, and those are Flurry Heart, and Pound's sister, Pumpkin Cake. What's your name?"

The flutter pony narrowed her eyes as she glared at Star, lips pressed tight. Star managed to do a slow count to ten without getting any further response.

"Don't feel like telling me, huh? I guess I understand since you don't really know any of us. Although the best way to get to know us is to talk to us, and one of the first things done is normally sharing names."

The mare continued to glare at Star, not moving.

"Okay, you don't want to talk," Star said. "Are you willing to listen? Is this really what you want to do? To watch four ponies being held prisoner against their will?"

The flutter pony flinched, ears dropping as she took a step back. Her head turned, looking away from Star. That reaction sent a thrill of hope and excitement through Starry Skies. Whatever was going on, the other mare was not entirely supportive of it. Maybe that could work in Star's favor.

"It's not too late. You can just let us out of these cages and leave. We can get the inhibitor rings off and find our own way out."

"Couldn't even if I wanted to," the pony finally replied. "Don't have the key. Besides, we're too close."

With a sigh, Starry Skies ran her hoof through her mane, feeling the hair clip still in place.

"Too close to what?" Pumpkin Cake asked. "And what do you need me for?"

The flutter pony took another step back, moving to look away from them all.

"We aren't supposed to discuss it with outsiders."

"And you don't see anything wrong with that?" Flurry Heart asked.

"You wouldn't understand!" the flutter pony shouted as she turned to face Flurry Heart. "None of you would, especially you. And there's not enough time to explain. Things will be better for ponies like me -- for ponies like us -- soon."

"And what about other ponies?" Star asked. "Can you say that things will be better for them?"

She slipped the clip out of her hair and under her wing.

"Can you look me in the eye and say that things will be better for everypony? That it will be worth abducting us and freeing a thief from prison? That whatever is about to happen, no ponies will suffer or get hurt?"

"Ponies are already suffering!" the mare shouted. "And of course some of the ponies are going to resist at first, but they will see how much better things are once everything is done."

"And what about breaking a thief out of jail?" Star asked, pointing at the dummy. "What about having a criminal involved in this whole thing?"

The mare bit her lip as she turned to look back at the dummy. Her ears and wings gave a flicker as her tail twitched behind her.

"He... he wasn't supposed to do that," she finally said. "We were supposed to keep low profiles until everything was ready." She then straightened up and faced Star again, face hardening. "Still, we couldn't just leave him there. He's one of us, and we still need him."

Star's own lips pressed tight as she stared at the mare. Although there was some doubt about what they were doing, it did not seem like it would be enough to convince the mare to turn against the group. That left two major possibilities: either getting the mare close enough to render her unconscious, or get her frustrated enough to leave.

"Is that how it's going to be?" Starry Skies asked. "You and the others are allowed to do whatever you want without any consequences? Just take whatever you want from whoever you want and not worry about who might suffer or get hurt?"

"NO!" the mare shouted. "It's not like that. We aren't trying to replace one group of power-abusive elitists with another. We're trying to make things better. For everypony." Looking down, she placed a hoof on her stomach. "Especially those like us."

Fuck, Starry Skies thought, jaw clenching. That made things more complicated. Rendering the mare unconscious would be a little too dangerous now.

So, the flutter pony mare was not going to betray her group, and Star could not knock her out without it being too risky. The best chance was to try and get her to leave. With the new information that Star now had, she saw something that may work.

"And what are you going to tell them when they get older?" Starry Skies asked. "Do you really think they will understand everything that happened when you try to explain it to them? Can you honestly say that the future you will create will be worth telling them how it came to be? How you were willing to hurt others and let them suffer? Is that the kind of pony you want them to--"

"Shut up!" the flutter pony snapped. "Just shut up. You don't... you can't..." She let out a snort and stomped off.

"I need to get out of here," she declared as she moved past the dummy and toward the door, slamming it behind her as she left.

No longer being watched -- by a living guard at least -- Star pulled out the hair clip, giving it a press and turn. With a click, it popped open to reveal the blade and, more importantly, the lock picks. Taking the picks in her wing, Star slipped them outside the cage and around to the door. She closed her eyes as she felt for the lock, then started working the picks into the slot.

"What are you doing?" Princess Flurry Heart asked.

"Sshh," Star whispered, keeping her eyes closed. "I'm trying to pick the lock and get out of here."

"How can you--"

"Sshh," Star repeated. "I have to go by feel and sound."

Star could hear Flurry let out a snort, but did not talk further. Eyes still closed, she tried to relax and focus. There had been some practice with lock-picking, but it had always been from the other side. Granted there was not much to see in the lock when working on it, but it was part of the how they practiced and were trained. It was also a bit more difficult since some of the movements were reversed.

Minutes must have passed in silence as Star tried to work. Her jaw clenched as she squeezed her eyes tighter, trying to listen to the scraping and clicking, to feel the movement of the picks along the slot and over the lock mechanisms. Lock picking had never really been a strength of hers, and having to do it blind was--

There was a loud pop as the pressure on one pick disappeared. A small gasp of excitement escaped Star as she opened her eyes.

Only to be replaced with disappointment as she saw that the door was still locked and the pick had actually snapped.

"Well that's disappointing," she said. "I don't suppose any of you know how to pick a lock?"

"No," Pumpkin Cake answered.

"Not without using my magic," Flurry Heart said, "which I can't with this stupid ring on it."

All eyes turned to Pound Cake. The stallion shifted, one of his ears flicking as his wings ruffled themselves against his side. A small cough escaped from his throat.

"Wait," Pumpkin called out. "Am I to understand that my dear, sweet, innocent, brother knows how to pick locks? Do you have a dark side I don't know about? Some sort of criminal activity you've been keeping from us?"

"No," Pound snapped. "Nothing like that. It's just..." He shifted and licked his lips. "...I may have lost my keys to the shop or display cases a couple times. If it was on a day where nopony else was home or available... I might have had to jimmy the lock or two because of it. Not like I have any sort of training in it or anything."

"Well give it a try at least," Starry Skies said as she tossed the hair clip to Pound.

One of his wings slipped out from between the bars to pick up object and held it up close. His eyes narrowed as he looked at it for a moment before sticking it into the lock of his own cage.

"Star," Flurry Heart called out, "why do you carry lock picks with you?"

Starry Skies had been expecting this question, and had an answer for it all planned out.

"Why do you not?"

"What could I possibly need lock picks for?"

"Oh, I don't know," Star said as she rolled her eyes. "Maybe if we get abducted and need to break out of a place that has locked doors or something. But what are the chances of that happening? I mean, it's not like we have any connection to anypony of power or influence or anything like that."

"Is now really the best time for sarcasm?" Flurry asked, ears dropping.

"Considering this is a situation that we need lock picks for and we're just waiting to see if Pound can unlock his cell, yes," Star declared. "I'd say this is the perfect time for sarcasm."

In response, Flurry Heart stuck her tongue out at Starry Skies.

"Ah ha!" Pound Cake cried out. "I got it!" Pushing the cage door opened, he jumped out and posed, wings spread wide and massive grin on his face.

At which point, the dressing dummy slammed itself into him. There was a grunt as the pegasus slammed into metal bars, and Star heard a muffled crunch.

"POUND!" Pumpkin cried out, throwing herself at the door. "Leave my brother alone you... you... cheap pile of cotton!"

The dummy raised its head and turned to look at Pumpkin Cake. If it were possible for a animated sewing dummy with no facial features to have and express emotions, Star was pretty sure that the thing would look very offended.

"What's the matter?" Star called out. "Did the bargain bin reject get its feelings hurt?"

The dummy turned to face Starry Skies.

"Oh no," Star said, trying to sound as bored as possible. "I've offended the dressing dummy. What are you going to do? Wear a dress at me? Maybe pop a cheap stitch?"

The dressing dummy looked toward Star a little longer before returning its attention to Pound Cake. One of its legs wrapped around his middle, lifting him up.

"Hey!" Star called out. "Hey! Have moths eaten away your ears or something? I'm talking to you!"

Instead of looking at her or stopping, the dummy dragged Pound back to his cage and threw him inside (Star grimaced as she could see that one of the wings was no longer lying against his body the way it should). It then slammed the door shut, the lock re-engaging with a click. It then returned to where it had been standing, watching the captors again.

"Pound," Pumpkin whimpered, looking at her brother's unconscious form.