I jump into the elevator right behind my unicorn friend, who is not bothering to hide his contempt for me. A few more goons hop in before the unicorn hits the button for one of the top floors. The doors close and the elevator glides upwards, and we all fall into an awkward silence.

Unheard by the others, Rainbow’s voice echoes in my ears. “That’s a lot of Blackwatch going to one place. Something big must be going down.”

The only noise is the movement of the elevator, and the unicorn’s growling stomach. He definitely needs that sandwich. With how cramped and quiet the elevator is, I don’t bother talking out loud in fear of the other goons thinking I’m crazy.

“I can still hear your thoughts. A few inches of metal hasn’t cut our connection yet.”

Alright, I’ll mind talk. Prince Blueblood arrived not too long ago. If anything is going down, it must involve him.

“That’s obvious enough. If Blackwatch is occupied with Blueblood, then they won’t be paying attention to me. Slip away when you get the chance and get me out of here.”

I plan to do just that when I get to the top floor. How tight is security around you right now? I have no idea what’s going on in this building and I need all the information I can get.

“I’m not quite sure. I’m in a cell. It’s empty, but there’s a security door that needs an ID to get through and I don’t know how many guards are posted outside.”

That doesn’t sound too bad. Knock out any guards, tear through the door if needed, smash the glass and get on the next boat to Las Pegasus.

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll be sitting around waiting for you.”

As if you can do anything else.

“I’ll make faces at a guard if one decides to come on in here. That’ll show them.”

I smirk as the elevator slows to a halt. The doors open, and the goon squad pours out and heads down a hallway. As each goon exits, they each show their badges to a large goon, who checks each one with a quick glance. After a minute, it’s my turn to pass the badge checker. I show him my ticket in, and the dude merely grunts to let me by. I walk past and lag behind the others, waiting for them to get on their way. Once they do, I go down the other direction in the hall to search for Rainbow.

Before I get any distance, someone grabs my pony tail and pulls me the opposite direction of where I want to go. I’m forced to walk backwards until I’m parked next to the unicorn, who’s magic is wrapped around my tail hairs. “Wrong way.”

He spins me around and gives me a shove towards the back of the goon group. He follows me closely to make sure I don’t slip away. This just made things a bit harder.

“At least use your Rainbow senses to figure out where I am.”

They’re called Gilda senses, and that’s a good idea. My Gilda senses ping for Rainbow, which immediately tugs me straight forward to where the crowd is going. Huh, guess I’m following the crowd.

“They could be heading to the same hallway where my cell is.”

Maybe. I wonder what Blueblood wants with all these Blackwatch goons.

With the unicorn staring down my back, I follow the group towards wherever we’re going. For a skyscraper in the middle of Manehattan, the inside of this place doesn’t look skyscrapery at all. There aren’t any windows or office spaces. The hallways are wide and sterile, with thick, steel doors popping up every few meters or so. If I didn’t feel like I was going up in the elevator, I’d say we’re in an underground bunker.

“No kidding. I thought I was underground for the first couple of weeks. Then I felt the building sway a little on a windy day. It’s amazing what you notice when all you have are blank walls to stare at.”

It’s not much better out here. I don’t have my wings right now and I can still feel them stiffing up. This space is too closed off for a griffon to fly through.

“How do you think I’ve been feeling for the past month?”

Worse off, no doubt.

“You’re getting closer, by the way. I can feel you with my Rainbow senses.”

That name is never going to catch on.

I look back at the front of the group. We’re heading towards what looks to be a dead end. It confuses me for a moment. It’s only when a guy at the front of the group steps up to a panel and places his hoof on it do I think otherwise. The panel lights up, and the dead end makes a metallic squeal as it shudders to the side. It’s not a dead end, it’s a door!

Cool, secret entrance, just like in Agent Possible. When the door completely opens up, the front guy heads in, and we all pour in right after him.

We enter a large, fortified atrium. The ceiling is at least five floors above us. Everything looks to be made of reinforced steel. Catwalks are running along the walls with heavily armed Blackwatch goons patrolling them. The guards are a healthy mix of unicorns, armored dozers, and ponies with big bolt shooters.

The group I’m in steps onto one of these catwalks, but it’s an odd section. What we’re stepping on is a bumpy, metal surface with yellow and black lines painted across. When everyone steps on this part of the catwalk, the door behind us closes with another squeal, and the platform shudders before descending down. Ah, another elevator.

The floor of the atrium sinks down about two floors. Now that I can see the floor, I now know the purpose this room is for, cubes. Spread evenly in a kind of checkerboard pattern, there are rows upon rows of large, black cubes. Each one is about the size of a small room. The cubes are solid with no windows or openings. Scattered throughout the checker board are ponies dressed in blue trashbags. They are all either running between the cubes or standing in the gaps, looking over clipboards and instruments.

Aside from the shuddering of our elevator, and the unicorn’s stomach, there isn’t all that much noise in this place. I hear a few hoofsteps and a little bit of chatter, but other than that it’s quiet for such a large room. Occasionally, one of the trashbags will look up at the catwalks to eye the Blackwatch goons, so maybe they’re quiet in fear of the guys up high.

This is a far cry from the music hall.

“I think I’m in one of those black boxes you mentioned. It sure feels like I’m in a black box.”

Then I’ll look for you when I get away from this group. I got to be careful, though. The catwalk guards have eyes on everything.

“Then don’t let them spot you.”

Thanks General Common Sense!

“Don’t you mean Captain Obvious?”

That’s his cousin.

The elevator jolts to a stop once it touches down with the ground. The goon squad steps off of it all at once. Just to make sure I don’t hide somewhere and slack off, the unicorn gives me a shove to get me moving. This guy is going to be my biggest challenge, not the ponies with the big weapons.

The group weaves through the boxes, led by a destination I don’t know about. The trashbag ponies eagerly get out of our way. Whatever little noise they were making before is silenced by our presence. I’m not just saying that because our trotting is kicking up a lot of noise. These guys, even with their visors, genuinely look terrified of us.

I glance at every black box we pass, paying close attention to how strong my Gilda sense is. Its strength grows the deeper into this room we go, but I’m still not near enough to Rainbow to know exactly which box is hers. It’s putting me on edge.

“Do you even know what you’re going to do once you find me?”

I’ll work it out. I’m thinking I’ll slip away when these guys are busy doing whatever they’re going to do.

“In short, you’re clueless.”

Hey, clueless got me this far.

“And it’ll be tricky to get us out.”

Oh ye of little faith. I’ll get us out the door.

We go almost to the other side of the atrium before the front guy stops. The group halts behind him. The unicorn tugs at me again to keep me in place. Damn, he’s a freaking hover parent.

My Gilda sense is going off like crazy. Rainbow Dash is close, very close. If this damn unicorn would let me move a little, I can figure out which box she’s in. Ugh, this is killing my head.

“Alright lads,” the front guy yells at us. “Blueblood wants this box up on the roof and on his airship in the next five minutes. We want this girl out of Manehattan within the hour.”

He gives the box he’s talking about a couple of hard thumps, and the Blackwatch crew converges on the box to connect hooks to loops. The unicorn gives me another shove, and he forces me to run to the other side of the box and get to work.

“Uh, Gilda.”

Out of nowhere, a random goon passes me a hook connected to a long strap. I glance down at the base of the box, and find an empty loop to connect it to.

What’s going on, Dash?

“You said the guy thumped the box, right?”

The hook and loop connect with a click, and the strap goes tight immediately after.

Yeah, what about it?

“I heard those thumps.”

My head shoots up, and I stare at the box’s wall. My Gilda senses ping Rainbow Dash, and they come back burning hot and on fire. She’s inside this box.

Well… I found you.

“Make room,” the front guy yells. “Get this box out of here!”

The unicorn yanks me back before the box lurches to the side. I can hear a faint thump come from inside the box.

“Ow! Would you give a little warning next time?!"

“Hey, I didn’t know this would happen,” I say, tensing up right after when I realize I said it out loud.

A hoof smacks me on the back of the head, and the unicorn drags me alongside the moving box. “Did you turn stupid? This is your job. You move boxes all the time.”

I grumble under my breath. There better be a restroom nearby in this facility. This guy is asking for another Fruit Punch incident to happen.

All the straps connect the box to a team of goons wearing harnesses. As they walk, they pull the box behind them, making it glide across the floor with what looks to be little effort. It’s not making a scraping noise as it moves, so the box has to have wheels or something underneath it. Or maybe it’s hovering on a cloud of magic. I wouldn’t put it past the ponies to rely on magic for everything.

When the goons pull the box into an empty row of the box grid, the unicorn throws a harness with a strap at me. “In case you need reminding, you damned idiot, put that on quick and start pulling when everyone else does.”

I rush to put the thing on, though the unicorn does his almost twice as fast. The moment I’m strapped in, I find myself in the middle of a line of goons, a line that immediately trots on forward, pulling the box in a new direction. I run up to catch up with them before I fall behind. The box offers more resistance than I expected. Without all these goons sharing the work, this thing would be a pain in the ass to move around.

From inside the box, I can hear something repeatedly knocking on the side. “Get me out! Get me out! Get me out! Get me out!”

I’m working on it. Give me a second.

“Maybe you could work faster if you didn’t monologue to yourself all the time.”

Rainbow sounds a lot more agitated now her prison is moving to the unknown.

“Go shove it up your hole!”

Do you want to wait a moment or get shot up by a bunch of guards? Go ahead, pick a poison.

“I want to get out of this box, now!”

And I want to not be dead, which is what I'll be the moment the guards sniff me out.

“And that wouldn’t be an issue if you knew how to perform a proper infiltration.”

I’m sorry, did you want that lemon-lime soda? You can’t get that if we’re both dead!

“If I make a plan to get out before you, that one soda is turning into a twelve-pack.”

If you manage a plan to get us out of here all while not complaining, I’ll immediately go straight to the nearest store and buy you twelve twelve-packs, along with the insulin to curb that diabetes you’re going to get from drinking all that sugar!

“Deal. No takebacksies.”

Hmm, you said that a little quick. Do you already have a plan and you just want me to buy you soda?

“Maybe.”

That’s what I would call a dick move.

By now we have the box up against the opposite wall from where we came in. With a little teamwork, we push it onto a similar elevator from before. Once the box is secure, we all huddle around it before someone pushes the button to make us go up. The elevator lurches to life, and we ascend.

“Ready to buy me twelve twelve-packs?”

Oh, so you have a plan?

“Just do what I say and we can slip out of here. We’re going to need a distraction. Can you pickpocket an ID badge from one of the other guards?”

I glance around at the other dudes. They’re all standing firm against the box, which is not leaving us a lot of room to move around on this platform. Any movement towards any of the other goons might draw attention.

The unicorn is still next to me. He’s been giving me the stink eye now and then. I glance at his chest, where his badge is hanging from a clip. Hmm…

My back foot stomps on the little section of platform I’m standing on. A normal hoof might just make a little noise. My hoof has some monster strength behind it. My little stomp makes the platform shake. It’s not enough of a shake to throw everyone off, but it’s enough to fake a trip.

Some goons cling to the box out of reflex, including the unicorn. I stumble to the side, towards the unicorn. I grab him just before I “fall over,” though he’s quick to push me off.

“Get off me, idiot,” he grumbles, right after his stomach grumbles.

I give him an apologetic shrug. He brushes a little dust off himself, gives me his best stink eye, which is impressive given he’s wearing a mask, and steps back to put enough room between us so I don’t throw him off the elevator in a fit of stupidity.

Unbeknownst to him, his chest is missing something. I play with the badge in my hooves, keeping it out of sight of its original owner. He’s absolutely clueless. Classic trip & strip, excellent against the unawares.

“Lackluster stealth, impressive pickpocketing. You’re not completely clueless after all.”

I grin and slip the item into a little pocket in my suit. I had plenty of practice. Where do you think all your fruit snacks ran off too back in flight school?

Rainbow is silent for a moment. “That was you?!”

Story for later. So, what’s the next part of the plan?

“First thing, keep your grubby little fruit snack stealing claws to yourself. Second, you don’t need that badge anymore. Just keep it hidden and out of mind. All we have to do is wait now.”

We’re waiting? I thought you were dying to get out of that box.

“If it means a month supply of lemon-lime, I’ll be patient.”

Glad to know where your priorities lie.

The elevator passes by the catwalks. The guards are watching us, but they don’t seem like they’ll do anything else. My little shake up didn’t grab their attention. Good.

Up above, a panel on the roof screeches as it slides open, revealing the black of the night sky. It’s a clear night, and the moon is right above us. Glad to know the moon is still working. It may or may not have a few issues given Princess Luna had the crap beaten out of her this afternoon.

“Wait, what happened to Luna?”

I’ll tell you later. Let’s get out of here first.

When the elevator finally reaches the hole in the roof, a cool breeze of night wind bites me. The chill goes straight through my suit, although technically it isn’t a suit. With how shapeshifting works, I think it’s an extension of my flesh morphed into the shape, color, and feel of a Blackwatch suit. If that’s the case, I might as well be naked now. In any case, I feel the cold.

With a loud clang, the platform stops as it levels out with the roof. It’s a lot brighter up here than I expected. The entire area is well lit with flood lights, so there’s not a dark corner to be seen. For a skyscraper roof, it’s pretty busy up here. There are Blackwatch guards running all over the place. It’s like the bunker at the ground floor, except this place is built less like a base and more like a fortification. There are turrets placed across the ledges, ponies with large magic shooters patrolling the blacktop.

Oh, and there’s the giant airship.

In the center of the rooftop, lit up by an army of floodlights, is a large, golden airship. It’s decked out in fancy etchings and regal décor, with the seal of Equestria stamped on the front. This thing looks perfect for a cruise above a mountain wilderness.

On its belly, the gondola it wide open with a large ramp leading up to the door. Blackwatch goons are walking in and out of it at a brisk pace, carrying boxes and bags in and out of the hold.

This must be Blueblood’s airship. I check the sky, and sure enough, the other airships are still up there, ready to provide escort and support when called upon. The Prince must be brewing up a storm with his mere presence.

Speaking of presence, halfway between our elevator and the ramp to the airship, two figures are having a heated argument. Even with all the activity going on the roof, their voices are loud enough for me to hear them from this far away.

“There is nothing you can do,” the first pony says. He’s a tall unicorn, with a clean white coat and a well groomed golden mane. The suit he’s wearing is a fluffy piece, something a kid might wear as a Nightmare Night costume, only this looks like it cost tens of thousands of bits. Prince Blueblood, I assume. “This order comes directly from the Princesses.”

“But there’s still work to be done!” The other guy is also a unicorn, also tall. When I notice the color of his coat, I know exactly who it is. Arctic North, in all his purple goodness. Last I saw him was at the hotel. He must have been pretty busy since we last met. “I have a series of experiments lined up of critical importance. Relocating her will delay everything by an unacceptable amount.”

“Do you believe I don’t know that,” Blueblood says, raising his voice. “The Nexus project is already in the red, and this whole ordeal is going to hold back the day before I see any returns. The board is barking up my ass to bring this into control, and I’m the one who has to break this to them. Even then, this is a national threat. If we don’t relocate her now, Zero may just come knocking on our door and release her!”

“And I say Zero isn’t an issue,” Arctic North replies. “I’ve met Zero when she was still Gilda, and I can tell you she has no reason to seek out our boxed friend. She’s more interested in seeking out people she knows and remaining hidden. That’s what we should be after. There is no reason to delay the project over what amounts to a boogieman.”

“What about Eureka? Explain to me why Zero would want your head scientist if he’s not interested in what Genicorn is up to.”

Excuse me, he is interested? Arctic used the correct term just now and the freaking big shot still gets it wrong?!

“Does that really upset you?

It’s been happening more than I’d like.

There are two other ponies off to the side I didn’t notice before. Both mares, both earth ponies. The one closer to Blueblood is a pinkish mare with curly green hair. She’s dressed up in a business suit, and has a flat, bored face. The other mare is a tan pony, with burgundy hair, and she’s dressed up in a skimpy corset.

Wait a moment, isn’t she that stripper from the hotel? What is she doing here?

A hoof waves in front of my face. “Earth to Possum, show me your badge.”

My attention comes back to my immediate vicinity and I notice a blue-eye goon standing next to me with a clipboard. “I, uh… what?”

The clipboard goon has a slight pause, probably to size up my apparent stupidity. “Are you high? This is a badge check. Show me your badge.”

“Oh right, my badge.” I hold out the badge clipped to my chest, the one commandeered from the lone goon shopping for a sandwich. “I still have clearance?”

“Not for long if you’re not on your toes.” He looks at my badge, goes over his clipboard, scratches something on it and nods. “Clear. Hey you, badge.”

The clipboard goon goes off to harass the next guy down the line, which just so happens to be the unicorn.

“He could have figured you out,” Rainbow says. “If he were a smarter pony, he would see right through your excuse of an act.”

Then aren’t I lucky the national test scores are going down.

“Actually, they’re going up, last I checked. But the griffon demographic has been on a steady decline.”

So you ponies are making us griffons look dumber?

“We don’t have to make you look dumb when you’re already at rock bottom.”

I will cut you when I break open that box!

“Heheheh. I missed pushing your buttons.”

And I miss beating the crap out of you when you push my buttons!

“Ah, good times. Good times. Let’s get back on track. You should be getting a distraction in just a second.”

Still giving you a thrashing later. What’s my distraction?

“Take a look at your unicorn friend.”

Upon Rainbow’s direction, I look at my friend the unicorn. He’s spinning in circles, ruffling through all of his pockets all while the clipboard goon looms over him and taps his foot. From the way the unicorn keeps patting his chest, it’s clear he’s searching for his badge.

Uh oh, someone’s in trouble.

“You can make him more in trouble.”

How so?

“Patient Zero doesn’t have a badge, either.”

Hmm, good point. Why would Blackwatch give a monster a badge? Should I remind them of this fact?

“You’d be failing in your duty as a Blackwatch goon if you didn’t.”

I smile behind my disguise. Bravo Rainbow for bringing out a distraction. She just earned herself an entire cabinet worth of soda.

Clipboard Pony is berating the unicorn now, and the unicorn is growing more frantic with his pockets, turning them in and out over and over. The other goons who pulled the box are noticing the scene, and are watching closely at what’s going on.

“What’s the hold up?” one of the box goons says. “We don’t have time for this.”

“Just give me a moment,” the unicorn snaps back. “It’s here, I know it is. I never lose it.”

“It’s true,” I say, grabbing Clipboard’s attention. “He never loses anything. He’s a bit religious over it.”

The unicorn looks up at me. For a moment, I swear I see a glimmer of hope behind those blue goggles of his. “Well, I wouldn’t say religious, but the idiot is right. I never lose anything.”

In a quick flash, I point my hoof at him. “Which means that stallion is Zero!”

Everyone present, the box goons, Clipboard, the unicorn, all give me a funny look. The glimmer of hope in the unicorn’s eyes dies out, just as it was about to catch alight. “What?” the unicorn says.

“My friend would never lose his badge, ever. If you don’t have your badge, you must be an impostor! Zero has been sneaking into Blackwatch bases as one of us. Zero doesn’t have a badge, you don’t have a badge. Ergo, you are Zero.”

The unicorn plants his hoof on his face. “For a second there, I thought your stupid stopped, but no. You remain stupid, and you keep it going loud and proud with this absurd accusation. Captain, arrest him. His ineptitude is a danger to everyone around him.”

He stands there, waiting for someone to grab me under the shoulders and drag me away, but no one comes. In fact, everyone is stepping back, clearing out a circle with him in the middle. Everyone is silent, except the unicorn’s grumbling stomach.

He looks around at the ring spreading around him. “Don’t tell me you believe this imbecile. I only lost my badge. It happens to everyone.”

One of the other blue-eyes speaks up. “You have been angry all day. You’re not an angry guy.”

“I haven’t eaten all day,” the unicorn barks. “If some moron didn’t forget to let me go for lunch, I wouldn’t be so pissed!”

“But you had a break,” another goon says. “You were out for lunch around four.”

“I was in the storage room, by myself, moving cargo, by myself!”

“And that would be the perfect time for Zero to eat you and turn into your body.”

“Don’t be absurd, you daft cunt! Zero can’t step within these walls without us blowing him to bits!”

And you confused my gender, Mister Unicorn. Whatever sympathy I had for you is gone now. I will leave you be and head off on my own to take care of matters that don’t involve you. You were an adequate distraction. I bid you adios.

I unlatch the strap from my harness and step away just as the circle is getting heated. The unicorn doesn’t notice me slip away. He’s too busy verbally fighting the mob and throwing the occasional insult. He’s not doing a good job winning the crowd over.

Patrolling Blackwatch guards, formerly uninvolved with the situation, are now gathering around the commotion. At the sound of someone saying Zero, a few of them heft up their magic shooters and take aim at the unicorn.

“What are you all doing, are you blind?!” the unicorn shouts. “How can you not see I’m not Zero?!”

At this point, even the ponies far from the scene have taken notice. Blueblood and Arctic, for instance, are surrounded by a squad of blue-eyes who are escorting them towards the airship. It seems they’re booking it out at the first sign of trouble. However, their two escorts, the business mare and the slut, are sticking around. They’re staring intensely at the scene. I wonder what their deal is.

“Put your hooves behind your head and shut up,” one of the guards says, taking careful aim at the poor sap in the middle of the circle.

The unicorn is flat out screaming at this point. “I’m not Zero! I’m not Zero!”

As I make my way around the side of the box, entering a blind spot from the circle, I poke my head back and shout at the crowd. “He’s shapeshifting! He’s got a blade!”

Just as I swing back into cover, the sound of a bunch of magic bolts streaking through the air hits my ears. Blue lights flash around the corner, lighting up the night in a brief flurry of flashes. As the night lights up, the screams of a dying unicorn pierce through the air.

Rainbow Dash chuckles after the bolts stop flying. “Blackwatch spooks spook easily, it seems.”

You’d be on edge too if even your closest friend could secretly be a monster waiting to slice your head off.

Rainbow chuckles some more, but doesn’t say anything.

Everyone is too occupied with the scene that just transpired to notice me wrapping around the corner to the opposite side of the box. Most of the box is a smooth, black metal, with no bumps or dents. This side, however, has a rectangle reaching from the floor to almost the top of the ceiling. Ah, a door.

“Freedom, I can almost taste it!”

Hold your horses, we still need to escape the tower.

“We’ll just fly away. We can outrun them in the sky.”

My heart twists a little at the idea. That’s… an issue.

“What issue?”

I can feel my wings ache for open air. Odd, considering I don't have them out at the moment. Not important. Let's get you out.

I reach for the doorknob, only to find the door is completely flat. Right next to the door, however, is a yellow keypad, with the word “Locked” glowing on a little screen.

“I know. I can still hear you monologue. Don’t ask me, I don’t know the code. Can you break it open?”

Let’s see. With my monster strength, I smash my hoof into the keypad, pulverizing it into tiny little pieces. Sparks fly out when I pull my hoof away. To my disappointment, the door doesn’t open. Huh, that usually works in comics.

“Seriously? You might have just busted the only way out.”

You’re the one who told me to break it!

“I meant break in to my cell, not break the key that opens the door to my cell!”

You said… never mind.

“Can you still get in somehow?”

It’s solid steel! My monster claws can’t cut through steel. I don’t have any-

I pause. A thought crosses my head. I glance down at my hoof, which is not really a hoof but a claw covered in a layer of flesh with the look and feel of a hoof dressed in a Blackwatch suit. It’s not the hoof or claw that crosses my mind, but what they can turn into.

“Well?”

I clench my hoof. My flesh shapeshifts back into my griffon claw, and immediately after the tentacles under my skin budge and grow into a massive tumor. With the sudden extra weight, the tumor drops to the ground with a dull thud.

“I heard that. What are you doing?”

I drag the tumor claw behind me. It scrapes against the concrete, leaving a white mark on the roof. I wind up my body as if to swing a baseball bat. Batter up!

Just before I swing my tumor claw, a bright, blue bolt flies past my face and explodes against the metal door.

I look back, and I see a pinkish mare with curly green hair, dressed in a business suit. She’s holding a magic shooter in her hooves, the tip of which is still smoking from the last shot.

Before either of us can do anything, another mare falls out of the sky, this one a cream colored hoe dressed in a frilly corset. She swings out her own magic shooter, stands up straight next to her ladyfriend, and aims it right at my forehead.

Both their mouths move in unison as they both speak at the same time. “You die here, Patient Zero.”

Rainbow’s voice pops in my head. “They see though your disguise. Looks like you owe me another soda.”

I will ram this tumor up your ass!