Though the majority of Squawken lie at the base of a large mountain, the far end of the town near the back where the Conference Building was sloped upwards along it.

The fugitive mares had quickly made their way out of the building and charged up the mountainside at a breakneck pace, save for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, who had opted to fly above them all.

They had all been on the run for several minutes now, soon passing out of the town itself and into the snowy mountain wilderness beyond. In trying to lose their pursuers they had all galloped nonstop, but none of them were any worse for wear because of it.

Twilight and the other ground bound ponies felt like they could've run forever and a day and not gotten tired, and Twilight herself was certain that was a very real possibility. Not only that, but all of them were a lot faster than they used to be.

The normally somewhat sedentary lavender mare found that she could easily match the much more athletic cowpony for speed and endurance -- as could any one of them, and they showed it as they continued their frantic gallop up the mountain past large boulders and thickets of trees.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash kept pace with the others as they flew overhead -- the cyan pegasus actually having to dial back her speed by quite a bit, much to her frustration.

"I still say we should've stayed and fought em' off, Twi!" Rainbow groused, "we could've taken them all on without breaking a sweat!"

Twilight frowned in annoyance and turned to look up at Rainbow as she continued to gallop forward, her pace and breathing unhampered by the exertion.

"I know that Rainbow Dash!" she called back, "but those griffons didn't do anything wrong! They're just upset about what happened and they have every right to be!"

She turned to Pinkie who had been galloping alongside her and gave her a sympathetic look as she spoke.

"I know Pinkie didn't mean... well didn't want to do it, and I don't blame her for it," she assured the pink mare while still talking to Rainbow, "but that doesn't change the fact that there are consequences."

"I get that, Twi," Rainbow replied with a shake of her head and a look behind her, "but I don't see why we're the ones that have to suffer for it."

"Well it isn't much of a struggle if I'm being completely honest," Rarity chimed in, galloping on Twilight opposite side, "I haven't felt the slightest need to rest since we made our daring escape, and I don't even feel all gross and sweaty!"

"Heads up ya'll!" Applejack cried, turning back to the others from her position at the front of the group, "there's a rock wall further up ahead!"

"A wall?" Twilight replied incredulously. She looked up and sure enough, she could see a large cliff face rising high above the trees in the distance, "we can't get around that! We'll have to change course and--"

"We don't need to change course, silly!" Pinkie interjected, "we can just gallop up the wall, remember?"

"I remember, Pinkie," Twilight replied, "but doing so will leave us exposed and--"

"And what?" Rainbow cut in, "it's not like they can hurt us with anything they've got! We're basically invisible!"

"Invincible," Twilight corrected, "and you don't know that for sure, Rainbow Dash! Remember what happened to Fluttershy when she got captured by that construct?"

"I remember she was really really angry," Rainbow Dash responded, "she looked like she was ready to bust out of that thing's grip on her own when I got there!"

Fluttershy pointedly kept her eyes forward, remaining silent and wearing an uncomfortable expression as she listened to the two talk about her aggressive outburst back at the facility.

Well before you got there, she was--"

Twilight yelped in surprise and stumbled over herself slightly as something whizzed past her cheek. She heard Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash let out similar cries above her and she chanced a glance behind her.

Despite all of their newfound speed and endurance, some of the more well trained griffons of the Town Gaurd were catching up. Twilight could see three or four of them flying overhead a little ways back -- each of them aiming a rifle in their direction and taking shots even as they pursued.

"You've gotta be bucking kidding me!" Rainbow shouted angrily, "when the buck did they have time to grab rifles?!"

"Maybe they brought them to the party?" Pinkie asked looking back behind her in confusion, "but why would you bring something like that to a party? That makes no sense!"

"At this point I don't think it matters, dear," Rarity replied, ducking another shot, "if we're going to escape, I suggest we focus on where we're going."

"Okay you know what? No, I'm done running," Rainbow, replied, shaking her head, before coming to a stop mid air, "this is ridiculous, Twilight, I'm gonna go take these guys out!"

"What?! No!," Twilight yelled, scrambling to a stop and causing everypony else to do the same, "we're trying not to hurt any innocents, Rainbow! Just because we can fight back doesn't mean we should!"

"Well they definitely aren't gonna let up anytime soon," Rainbow replied as she dodged more bullets, "besides, it's not like any of us are gonna feel bad about doing what we gotta do at all."

Twilight gave Rainbow a look of surprise that quickly turned to one of sad realization. Before she could say anything in response, Applejack spoke up.

"We don't gotta do nothin', Rainbow," Applejack responded, glaring at Rainbow and stomping a hoof, "the point Twi's tryin' ta make is that we're supposed to be better than a bunch o' mass murderers!"

"She's right, Rainbow," Fluttershy added, flying closer to the cyan mare, "we don't have to be monsters. We can just--"

"Now's not the time, girls!" Rarity cried.

"Incoming!" Pinkie shouted.

The rest of them whipped around just in time to see four of the Town Guard lower themselves to hover just over the ground behind them, rifles raised and ready to fire.

"Alright that's enough running!" one of them shouted at the mares, "come quietly or die like the vermin you are, your choice!"

For a few seconds, no one moved or said a word, both parties staring each other down with looks of apprehension and anger.

"...oh buck this!"

Black tendrils wrapped themselves around one of Rainbow Dash's hooves, causing each of the griffons eyes to widen in alarm.

"Wh -- ghak!"

Before the griffon who had spoken before could finish speaking again, he was slammed to the ground, a silver hoofblade lodged deep into his skull. In a prismatic blur of motion, Rainbow Dash's hoof had connected with the griffon almost faster than the eye could see.

The other three griffon Guards only had a brief moment to comprehend what had happened before each of their heads were impaled by the black, sharpened tendrils that used to be the feathers in Rainbow's wings.

Within a matter of seconds, all four griffons had died -- three of them left suspended in mid air by tendrils and the fourth lying dead below Rainbow's hooves.

The other mares stared at Rainbow Dash with varying looks of dismay, annoyance, and anger as the cyan pegasus yanked her hoofblade out of the griffon's face with a loud squelch.

"Rainbow!" Twilight shouted in outrage, "you... I... I can't--"

"Sorry, Twi," Rainbow interjected, retracting her wing tendrils and letting the other bodies drop to the ground, "but the situation was already bucked and they were probably just gonna try to kill us if we surrendered anyway," she scoffed, "not that they could've pulled it off."

Twilight went to make an angry retort when Applejack suddenly spoke.

"More of them incoming, Twi!" Applejack cried, her gaze locked on the path behind them all, "an' they don't look too happy to see us!"

They all followed Applejack's gaze and sure enough, several of the townsfolk had almost caught up while they were all distracted.

"The whole town chased after us?" Rarity said, taking a shocked step back, "that's... that's insane!"

"No... it's not," Fluttershy replied, landing on the ground and trotting towards the approaching mob of griffons, "these griffons are a very close knit community, and Pinkie Pie killed one of their own."

She stopped next to one of the bodies and frowned at it, trying to muster up any kind of sympathy or even pity for the dead griffon. Finding that she had none, she sighed and moved on.

"They're going to catch up to us any second and once they do," Fluttershy continued, "they'll see what Rainbow has done and if we choose to fight instead of run, they'll probably fight us down to the last griffon."

She stopped and looked at the mob in the distance before turning back to the other mares with a grave expression.

"It'll be a massacre."

Despite her efforts to keep herself in check, a thrill of excitement shot through Twilight at Fluttershy's last statement. She shivered and bit back a smile with no small amount of effort.

No, that's not me... I'm not... like that! I can fight my urges. I will fight my urges!

She looked out at all the griffons and shivered again, grimacing at the pleasant tingle that shot down her spine. Looking back at the others, she could see they each had their own reactions.

Pinkie Pie's expression remained studiously blank as she fought to keep control over the Voice in her head, which had suddenly grown louder and more insistent. Applejack looked from Fluttershy to the incoming griffons and her expression turned to one of grim resignation.

Rarity put on a show of looking worried, but inwardly remained okay with the idea, if not entirely on board. Rainbow Dash took to the air and stared out at the griffons with a frown.

After a moment she smirked confidently and landed back on the ground before spreading her wings. They stretched and blackened into scythed whips that slowly waved back and forth threateningly.

"If they want a fight to the death, I'm game."

Fluttershy looked at each of them in turn with a stoic expression before letting out a long, disappointed sigh and looking back towards the griffons who were almost upon them.

"We have one last chance to run for it," she turned back to the others again, "do we fight, or should we try to run?"

Twilight frowned and clenched her eyes shut.

I don't want to kill them... but... I do. And that's bad... right?

She thought back to the other times she had felt this way. The talk with Asger and the entire time they had fought with the giant magical construct, she had been different then -- felt different then -- but she knew it was wrong.

In her head she knew toying with the lives of others for her own amusement was wrong. Her friends, even in their own questionable mental states, had been uncomfortable when she let go and gave in to her more sadistic urges.

She looked up and towards Pinkie, who had put a hoof on her shoulder. The pink mare's mouth was set in a thin line, her eyes cold, cruel, and calculating, but beyond that, Twilight could still see a hint of the old cheerful Pinkie deep down.

"We are what we are, Twilight," she said in a quiet monotone, "you're the one that told us that, but you haven't accepted it yourself. If you want control, you need to find a balance. Fighting against yourself will only make things worse for you in the end."

With that said, Pinkie stepped away and trotted towards the mob with a grim purpose. Twilight watched her go as she thought about her words.

She's right. I need to practice what I preach... I need to find a balance.

Twilight closed her eyes and focused.

I can't fully give myself over to my urges, but if I can somehow make it so that it's a matter of give and take...

Then maybe...

Then maybe...

Then maybe...

She open her eyes and smiled, her dark purple irises locked firmly on their fast approaching victims.

"Maybe I can make this work after all..."

As far as their mental states go, Twilight and Pinkie aren't out of the woods yet folks. Remember, the story is just beginning...

As for the next chapter... action is coming.