DAY 1 – 6:30PM

The massive room that imprisoned the Cutie Mark Crusaders as they woke up was about as intimidating as it was big, and it was at least twice as large as the common area of Carousel Boutique. Unlike the extravagant décor of the boutique, however, the walls were barren and cold. Its sole feature was the entrance on the far side of the room, barred shut by reinforced plating.

The aroma of something sweet wafted through their noses. Their stomachs grumbled, reminding them of a meal that had long since passed. They could feel the onset of a slight weariness overcome them momentarily as they surveyed their surroundings. A table and chairs stood near the door; they could just make out two bowls laid out on top, presumably the source of the appetizing smell.

They all tried to get up and walk to the table, and they all failed. Bound via either rope, restrictor, or both, their movement was severely inhibited. They could do nothing but struggle in their hold. With the additional binds disabling their magic and wings, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo in particular felt powerless. An abhorrent goop stuck to Sweetie Belle's horn, while wraps painfully restricted Scootaloo's aerial movement.

Suddenly, the sound of the two kidnappers unbarring the door and arriving into the room drew their attention. The one out in front who seemed to be calling all the shots held a communicator in hoof. Stashed away on his belt was the familiar audio recorder which had been used to lure them into a trap. The stallion's build, size, and fur color was equivalent to Thunderlane's, but he sported a dark blue mane and tail. From their binds, they could just make out the cutie mark on his flank as being that of a bloody ax, which potentially represented an executioner. His red eyes seemed to glow as he glared at them with the intensity of an aggravation he couldn't quite disguise.

The stallion's accomplice stood beside him. A large blue-colored Pegasus possessing similarly red eyes stared down at them with disinterest. The net Cutie Mark on his flank was not nearly as flashy as the leader's, but it didn't diminish his menacing stature.

At the leader's order, the right hand man trotted over to them and removed their folds to allow them to speak.

"Hey, whats the big idea?" Apple Bloom shouted immediately.

At the same time, Sweetie Belle cried, "I want to go home."

"You screwed with the wrong filly! Just you wait, when Rainbow Dash gets here she'll-” Scootaloo screamed.

Her voice was suddenly drowned out by the assistant's shout as he interrupted her."Quiet!"

Right up until now, the whole event had been surreal, possibly even discountable as nothing more than a sick prank. When the stallion yelled, however, the sound of a pin drop could be heard. Fear was beginning to set in for the Cutie Mark Crusaders as realization of the gravity of the situation dawned on them. They were in deep trouble.

They began to cry, terrified for their lives at being subjugated in the hands of these dastardly foe. “Who are you monsters?!”

Another pointed stare from the assistant had them quivering in fear. When it appeared as if there would be no further interruptions, the villains introduced themselves. The leader was the one to speak. “Though I find your annoying cries quite appalling, I shall deign an introduction to quell your...curiosity. My name is Raden, and this here is my assistant, Alex. We are anything but monsters. We simply abduct ponies for our boss's nefarious plots. We. Are. Mercenaries.”

Alex grunted in acknowledgment at his introduction before he trotted over to the far side of the room and grabbed a chair. Its legs grated against the cold metallic ground as he made his way back over to them. When he reached them, he struck the chair against the floor loudly and sat down. One of its legs creaked under the stress of the blue-colored Pegasus' weight. “Time to contact the client. You or me this time?”

An irritable sigh escaped Raden's lips as he shook his head uneasily. “You know I am loath to engage in talk with this client. I find his crude choice of words rather … dreadful.”

For the first time since they had woken up, Scootaloo dared to take action. Her binds were still fastened tightly as she wriggled in place. “I don't care what you want from us. I won't have it!” She managed to edge over to the chair and kicked one of its legs out from under Alex, who went teetering over the side. She couldn't completely contain her snicker as she watched him smack his head against the floor.

The Pegasus emitted another grunt as he tended to a now quickly forming bruise, but he didn't seem quick to get up and return the favor. His associate, on the other hand, looked furious. “You have quite the nerve, if I do say so myself. If the client hadn't expressed his utmost interest in you, then I wouldn't hesitate to wipe the smirk off your face. Well, no matter. Once I exchange you three, I shall be moseying along my way as I count all the money you've made me.”

"You're horrible! You'd really do that?!" Sweetie Belle cried despairingly.

"Wait until my big sister hears about this. She ain't gonna stand for it!" Apple Bloom yells almost simultaneously.

Raden chuckled hysterically as he fought to stand upright. When he calmed down, he sneered down at Apple Bloom. “Oh I think your sister will find it quite the challenge to find you indeed. We are over thirty miles away from Ponyville, under a heavily fortified structure hidden deep within the mountains. You are even free to scream all you'd like; go on, try it. No one will hear you within the confines of these walls. The moment anyone dared to tread too close, our security cameras and turrets setting the perimeter around our base would let us know immediately. You can kiss your old lives goodbye!”

At that moment, an incoming signal patched through to Alex's walkie-talkie. Picking up his handheld device, he answered in a rough tone, “Talk.”

“Uhh...Well, you see...” The voice on the other end of the line sounded quite nervous. Alex looked ready to smash his handeld walkie-talkie, but he remained firmly in place as he waited for the other guy to finish his report. “I was wondering if somepony followed you, because camera three seems to have gone on the fritz again and-”

“Would you quit your bellyaching and go check it out? That camera is always on the fritz.” Replacing the walkie-talkie back at his side, Alex turned to his partner and said, “Incompetence. Next time, we go alone, or not at all.”

In the midst of their conversation, Apple Bloom whispered to her compatriots, “We gotta get out of here somehow. Help me untie this rope. Come on, there ain't much time.” Following her instructions, the crusaders began to chew through their rope whilst keeping a watchful eye out to make sure their captors hadn't caught on to their scheme. They were not about to go quietly if they could help it.

“Hear, hear!” The earth pony replied jovially.

By this point, save for the specially crafted devices atop Sweetie's horn and Scootaloo's wings, the three fillies were very nearly freed. Any moment, when the time was right, they would bolt for that door. They would stake everything on the chance for freedom.

“What about the truck?” Alex asked. “You got it this time?”

Raden sighed once more before turning for the door. “I suppose. Just keep an eye on them.” He walked out. Having perfect confidence that Alex had everything handled, Raden did not bother shutting the door behind him.

With his partner's departure from the room, Alex turned back to the crusaders, ready to sit down for a long and boring evening with the captives.

Instead, he was met with the jarring excitement of three fillies galloping past him on every side. He sputtered and turned, trying to grab at least one of them. Whether he was too slow or they were too spry, all he managed to catch was air as they passed beyond the opening and spilling out into the hallway.

Alex darted after them all the while yelling, “Come back here!”

Raden was cruising down a particularly treacherous path leading straight down into an underground gorge near their base. Stalagmites were scattered about on the ground below him and on the ceiling above. When they had first moved into this base some years ago, they had carved out a path down into the gulch. This place had served as the perfect place to discard their trucks.

Now that the deed was done and the CMC in their hands, Raden had need to destroy his truck. Anyone could have spotted him transporting the fillies in it. At best, having it in his possession made him suspect; at worst, it would incriminate him. He needed to destroy it! How? By driving it straight into the biggest bucking pool of lava at the bottom of this underground ravine. After all, there were countless more in the vehicle bay.
As he reached the pool of lava, he leaped out of the truck and rolled across the ground. Coming to a stop, he got up and dusted himself off. “Now to retire to my quarters for the evening.” For a moment he trotted back up the path before realization dawned on him that he had yet to contact his client. “I suppose that can wait until morning,” he said irritably. The walk back to base was longer and more strenuous than the travel down.

Several twists and turns into the base they went. They were pretty sure they were lost by now, but with the mercenary right on their tail, they had nowhere else to go but forward.
“We need to do something fast, he's gaining on us!” Scootaloo cried as they rounded another corner.
“I would, but I still can't use my magic.” Sweetie Belle glanced worriedly behind her to see that the burly stallion was still on their trail, no more than ten paces behind. She shuddered as she tried to block out the thought of him catching them from her mind and not entirely succeeding.
Rolling her eyes, Scootaloo darted out ahead of them and poked her head into one of the side rooms. Retrieving barrels of materials from inside, she bucked them past her friends and straight into Alex, who went toppling to the floor.
Jumping back up moments later, he continued the chase, looking no worse for wear as together they rounded another corner right and nearly into a flight of stairs leading down. They leaped down the stairs, three steps at a time, and came upon a storage room with no way out but the way they had come in.
The girls gasped and came to a halt. Turning back around, they saw that Alex had closed in on them and was now towering over them. He looked ready to pounce, but he stood still by the stairs, not wanting to give them another opening to escape.
"What are we gonna do now, girls?" Apple Bloom asked as she gulped nervously.

After having cut a handful of wires, Rumble had just finished disassembling the keypad lock in front of the gate. Jumpering two wires together, he bypassed the locking mechanism entirely, which caused the secret door to recede into the wall and reveal the entrance into their hide out. He let a sigh of relief as he wiped sweat from his brow. That could have easily backfired on him and tripped an alarm, but thankfully, no such backup circuitry seemed to be set in place.

“That was the easy part,” he thought to himself as he approached the gaping hole in the side of the mountain. At its entrance was a long, twisting cave, more than large enough for a truck or two to fit through.

He heard the whirring of a camera overhead. Reflexively, he flung a knife into the air, and it spun wildly until it dug its razor sharp edge straight into the obtrusive object. A smile played on his lips as he marveled at his handiwork. "Now, to go find my Sweetie Belle and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders." He then proceeds down the long path through the tunnel.

Author's Notes:

Well it looks like the CMC aren't gonna be happy trapped like this. But thankfully, Rumble is on his way already