Cutie Marks:Their appearance marks a very joyous occasion for the youth of Equestria, but not all cutie marks are innocent. Some unlucky foals develop much darker natured marks. These young ponies all soon disappear without a trace, never to be heard from again. They disappear to Black Box.

In dim darkness, two kevlar-armored ponies leaned over a railing of a narrow pathway. Both stared down into a deep chasm of machinery at the center. Spastic electrical sparks popped and fizzled periodically from spots of uncovered wall. The two watched the miniature firework display for the millionth time in silence. Each flash lit the cylindrical room slightly, revealing the serial numbers on their armored uniforms. One of the guards pulled out a cigarette and started smoking, inadvertently sending out puffs of gray fumes. He let out a soft exhale, sending fumes toward the other guard.

“Dude, can you blow your junk somewhere else?”

A single puff of smoke drifted from a guard’s mouth as he exhaled cigarette smoke, ignoring his partner’s request. “Why?”

“Cause’ you’re blowing that garbage near my face! That’s why,” the second spat with a glare.

The smoking guard casually puffed out another stream of the grey fume, watching it waft through the air lazily.

The second guard hacked and coughed. “Asshole!” He waved his hoof to clear the smoke. “What’d I just say?”

“Look, can’t you just let me enjoy a small break here, man? This job is ridiculously dull. Only the scientists on the lower levels get to doing anything fun nowadays.”

The second guard was now covering his nose with a hoof and facing the other direction. “You call that sick shit fun?”

“Well…” the first guard mused to himself, slowly taking a drag of his smoke. “Not really no, but at least they get to do something. We just get to stand around keeping an eye on cold, black, and gloomy,” he said, motioning over his shoulder to a giant steel vault behind him. “S’not like he’s going to suddenly bust free anytime soon. You see the security feed? They’re really taking this one serious.”

There was a pause of silence for a moment before the second guard spoke, still covering his nose to escape his friend’s fumes. “…What do you mean?”

“They’ve got all these crazy heavy duty metal bolts holding his hooves man. It’s crazy.”

“Wonder why they take him so seriously. We take in prisoners all the time, and they just go to the regular cells. What are they so afraid of?”

“See, that’s the weird part.” The dark grey stallion said, articulating with his cigarette. “Aside from his black coat he looks like any other colt.”

“Maybe it’s his mark? That’s the reason this place was built right?”

The smoking guard took another drag before responding. “Yeah…” He paused thinking to himself silently. The guard figited while looking off wide eyed. The second guard looked curiously at his companion.

“So, what does it look like.” The second spoke.

“Mm?” The smoking guard mumbled before sighing to himself. “Well it looks a lot like the other ones I guess. You know what I mean right? Those A-class detainees we escort all the time all have ‘em.”

“That black stencil style, and dim red glow?”

“Yup that’s it. Except…” He paused, rifling through his black armored uniform for another cigarette. He stopped, and stared off for a moment as if thinking about something that worried him. “It’s this really twisted looking skull. I’ve never seen anything like it. It doesn’t sound that bad just hearing about it but, when you see it… it’s just is unnerving for some reason.” He thought for a moment, staring down over the railing he had been resting his forehooves on. Finally he fired up his horn to light his second smoke.

“Really? Another one?”

“Deal with it.” he said before puffing a plume into his fellow guard’s face.

His partner coughed and hacked for a moment. “Oh you jerk! Fine! How’s this then?” he grumbled before slapping the cigarette out of the Kevlar-plated stallion’s mouth, sending it down the edge of the railing into a deep chasm of wiring and machinery.

“Hey! What the hell was that for?”

“Shut up,” the other snapped.

“Now how am I supposed to pass the time?”

“Gee, I don’t know! Maybe you could pass the time by doing your job and keeping watch!”

The first guard eyed his companion. Just about the only thing that separated the two from looking identical was the subtle color difference from their coats, which only appeared in between the gaps of their uniforms. “Nothing is ever going to go wrong,” he said casually, reaching for yet another cigarette in his pocket. “Nobody escapes Black Box.”

Suddenly, a siren’s blare snapped the calm in two. The dim, clear lighting quickly switched to red as a bellowing, mechanical voice echoed down the steel halls of the facility.

“Warning! Warning! Escape in progress! Lockdown commencing!”

The smoking guard dropped his lit cigarette.

“Nobody, huh?” the second guard sneered.

“C’mon!” the first said to his cynical doppelganger as he grabbed his sword that had been laid casually against the railing. “Like I said…nopony escapes Black Box.”

“Wait, where are you going? What about him? We’re supposed to make sure he doesn’t escape.” the second said, motioning his head to the vault door where they were stationed.

“He’s not going anywhere.”

Both armored guards dashed off down the narrow railing.

Thunder rocked the frame of Twilight’s home as heavy rain pattered against the windowpanes. It was a dark and violent storm tonight; one that Twilight’s friend, Rainbow Dash, had wasted no time in emphasizing the danger of. Twilight sighed as she watched from her bedroom’s large, oval window. The direction of the gusts changed erratically, making the rain whip and flail. Twilight’s eyes tracked the water as it whirled in a torrent.

Another large bolt of light illuminated the deep purple sky. Twilight winced as the thunderclap cracked from a few short miles away. Even the window shuddered-There was no getting sleep tonight. Instead, she sat, bored, and looked out the window.

“Today could have been such a nice day.” She let out a lonely sigh. “I had a fun time with my friends all planned out too,” Twilight mumbled to the glass, fogging it with her breath. It looked like she would have to wait until tomorrow to spend time with them.

She dropped her head down to her forehooves, and rest it glumly on her window sill. A frowning, gloomy-eyed, unicorn stared back at her in the window’s reflection. “I wonder if everyone else is feeling the same as I am.”

Suddenly, something caught her eye through the downpour. She immediately perked up, and moved her face closer to the window for a better look. What could that be? she thought to herself. Twilight squinted at the dark shape. Did somepony leave something out in the middle of the street? Just then, the heavy rain let up enough for her to see. Her eyes grew wide, and a gasp escaped her. Twilight finally was able to make out the form in the torrential downpour.

A white stallion with a crimson mane was trudging through Ponyville. Blood dripped from several cuts along his back and muzzle. His eyes looked distant as he stared off blankly. She could see his slow, heavy breathing as mist in the cold. After a few more steps he stopped and turned his head up, staring into the storm. With a pained expression on his face, the stallion’s legs shook and gave out. The stallion collapsed. His body lay motionless in the street.

Twilight backpedaled away from the window. She hyperventilated, her eyes open wide. Somepony was really hurt out there! She started pacing back and forth. He needed to get out of that storm before he became hypothermic. Twilight rushed down the stairs. Her mind was a blur with thoughts. Who was this pony? What was he doing out there? Was he okay? She quickly burst open the Library’s front door. The storm was still going full blast, its volume even more intense without a wall to buffer it. Twilight steeled herself; she had to help him. With a heavy breath, Twilight pushed forth into the wild tempest. It took everything she had to move steadily. Time was of the essence. With moderate effort, the dim outline of the unconscious stallion started to come into view.

After what seemed like an eternity of enduring the battering wind, she finally reached him. His white coat was stained with blood trails that spread like veins along his side and face. She came to his side. “Are you ok? Please say something!” She yelled over the noise of the wind. He didn’t respond. Twilight noticed his chest rise, and fall weakly, mist puffing faintly out of his muzzle. Good, at least he’s breathing, she thought. Wasting no time, Twilight quickly, yet carefully, picked up the hurt body, and gently placed him on her back.

Her knees buckled at the added weight. The stallion was heavier than she thought he would be. Twilight grunted as she forced herself back up. With a slight hesitation she took a step; so far so good. She slowly started inching forward, one shaking step at a time. It took every ounce of strength for the young mare to stiffly move back through the storm. She kept her head down, the wind and rain pushing against her. The violent tempest was making her task feel impossible. Her body was starting to ache and burn from the strain. A single thought crossed her mind: give up. She quickly shook her head at the notion. “There’s no way I can do that...” she breathed heavily to herself, eyes tearing slightly. “I can’t let him die!”

As if Celestia herself had heard, the form of the library came into view in the misty torrent. Twilight perked up and she smiled. She was only a few yards away. With one final effort, she pushed forward, doing her best to ignore the pain in her back and legs. Standing on shaking limbs, Twilight pushed open the door and collapsed. She gasped for breath at the effort of making it through the tempest with the added weight. After a moment to compose herself, she pointed her horn at the fireplace. With a quick flash of magic, a warm fire burst to life, lighting the main room of the library in a warm glow. Twilight placed the dripping stallion in front of it before going to grab towels to dry themselves. When she returned Twilight had already wiped herself down, and checked up on a peacefully slumbering baby dragon. The white and red pony hadn’t moved an inch from where she had left him. She walked over cautiously, and placed the towel on his side to soak up the blood and water.

“We made it.” He exhaled slowly.

Twilight jumped at the unexpected sound. “You’re awake.” she said softly, her eyes wide with surprise.

The white pony had barely opened his eyes, and was still breathing heavily. His voice was raspy as he spoke. “Quick Step… Wave Chaser… we did it. We escaped Black Box.” The stallion’s eyes then closed again as he lay motionless. The thunder rumbled numbly outside as a teary eyed mare sat near the fireplace.

A warning siren screeched above three foals as they rushed down the red lit, concrete halls of an underground facility. The screeching blares were paired with the frantic, echoing clop sounds of running. A big red number three repeated every so often on the walls as they dashed along at breakneck pace.

“Come on, keep going! Don’t slow down!” the lead pony yelled back as he tore down the hallway.

One of the others, a white stallion with a crimson mane, glared back at him. “I’m trying! I’m trying!” he yelled in between gasps as the group rounded a corner. The ponies ahead of him, a yellow orange earth stallion, and a turquoise pegasi mare, both skillfully cut around the bend while he slid and drifted into the wall, cutting his speed momentarily. The red and white pony let out a frustrated grunt before he pushed forward to catch up.

“Go faster!” the agile orange stallion yelled, still a few steps ahead.

“I’m not as fast as you, Quick Step!” the other answered, breathing heavily. Pain tore through his muscles, aching with every second. His steps landed uneven and awkwardly as if he were about to stumble and fall.

“Doesn’t matter!” Quick step barked back.

Ahead of the trio, a series of doors started to close. The large steel bulkheads shifted, sending thuds through the floor as they began to slowly move in. Quick Step took the initiative, and sped up. The two others followed suit, matching speeds to stay together. It was still possible to clear the doors, but it would be close. Quick Step continued pushing his two allies as they approached the series of closing entryways.

He turned and yelled back. “Run like your life depends on it, Origin,” They blasted past the first archway with mere inches to spare as the thick metal grinded closed, “Because today it does. This is our one shot at this! We can’t use that trick again, and you know it.” The group kicked up the speed another click, still only making a few inches excess between the shutting doors as they raced down the hallway.

“I know!” Origin said, as he leapt a few inches to avoid being crushed by one of the shutting bulkheads. Sweat soaked his red mane and stung in his eyes, but he kept pressing.

“Then run like it! You too, Wave Chaser! We get caught now, and it’s over,” Quick Step yelled back, keeping his brisk pace.

“Ha! Who do you think you’re talking to? Just cause I’m a girl doesn’t mean I’m slower than either of you!” the pegasus mare, Wave Chaser, called back with a playful smirk.

Quick Step smiled at her spunk. Even in a time like this she was able to stay positive. “Fine then. When we get outside I might just have to race you all out,” he challenged.

“Hey, you guys!” Origin called out just behind them. He breathed sharply through his teeth as the last lockdown door cut close to his back heel. The group slowed to a trot before stopping. All three were sweaty and breathing heavily. “Could you two leave your weird rivalry aside for a moment and focus!” Origin hissed at them between breaths.“We didn’t plan on getting caught this soon. If you took a moment to realize how totally bucked we are, you wouldn’t be acting like we’re all set to get out of this hell hole.”

They had planned this for months. They spent hours at night, meeting in secret to try to plan. So many months of enduring the sadistic torment on the lower levels, just hoping and waiting patiently for their one chance. Now, that chance was here, but something had gone wrong. Somehow they hadn’t planned things out so perfectly. A vent that was supposed to lead them a good ways to the control room hadn’t turned where they thought it would. Instead they ended up in the left wing’s morgue pit, a place where the unfortunate C-classes were thrown away after who knows what. The facilities moderators were creative. Scientific achievement at any cost; that was the Black Box warden’s mantra and he was willing to use every resource at his disposal, especially c-class inmates. C-class inmates were members of the higher levels who were thought to have semi-dangerous cutie marks. They were brought in under initial suspicion, but there had been too little evidence to verify if they were any true threat. Most were probably just average, everyday pony folk.

“Origin, it’ll be okay.” Wave Chaser assured. “The more distance we put in between us, and where that sensor caught us, the less guards we’ll have to get past.”

“Besides,” Quick Step added “If we really need to, we can use our marks to deal with a guard or two.” He said motioning to his mark of a sideways burst. “I could really use a challenge anyways.” The sunset colored pony smirked. Wave Chaser giggled, and shook her head at him while Origin rolled his eyes. It was typical of his friend to become overconfident.

“You know that was relatively easy right?” Origin said with a questioning look.

“Aww don’t worry about him, Origin.” Wave Chaser chimed with a smile. “You know how he is.”

“Yeah...” Origin sighed, and shook his head. Quick Step wasn’t necessarily an narcissist, but he could be an adrenaline addict at times. It wasn’t so much that he thought he could easily take on a set of the elite guards that infested Black Box, but rather that the prospect of a lethal fight excited him. There were bigger concerns on Origin’s mind though. “I’m just hoping we make it there before they upgrade the lockdown level.”

All three foal’s hearts skipped a beat, remembering what that would mean for them. Quick Step stopped, and looked down, the swagger knocked out of him. The blond-haired stallion paused for a moment, staring down at the floor.

“Quick Step...?” Wave Chaser asked with hesitation.

Quick Step picked his head up. His eyes narrowed, and a bead of sweat dripped from his muzzle. “Just keep moving, and we won’t have to worry about that,” he said, trying not to sound worried.

Origin nodded. “It’s not that far from here.” The three ponies dashed off again down the dim, concrete halls. “There!” he said as he stopped to point toward a large steel door with a glowing blue hoofscanner to the side. “That’s the warden’s office,” he said breathlessly. “I can’t believe we’ve actually made it...” The trio walked up to the enormous set of double doors.

Quick Step noted the scanner to the side. It lit them in an ominous blue glow. “Yeah, but how do we get in?” Before either of his companions could answer, the doors shifted, and started to open slowly.

“Shoot!” Origin cursed. They couldn’t afford to get caught, not after they had come this far. His eyes quickly darted around for something to hide in. The area was almost completely bare.

“Good idea!” Quick Step said hastily as he rushed over and grabbed his friend. Before Origin could protest he was lifted up and thrown into a nearby morgue chute. He tumbled and bumped against the walls, making dull thuds as he careened down. Origin stuck out his limbs to stop causing his skin to screech against the aluminum. He grunted in pain as Quick Step joined him, slamming down on his chest.

“Grah... damn it, Quick Step. I meant shoot as in dang it!” He whispered indignantly, wary of being heard.

Quick Step shushed him, and put his hoof down to cover Origin’s mouth. They waited for a moment, keeping still and trying their best not to breathe too loudly. After a few seconds they heard the doors thud, having fully opened. Quick Step carefully braced his limbs against the walls and inched up, being very careful not to make any noise on the resonant aluminum. He climbed back to the opening a few feet above, and slowly pushed ajar the latch. It squeaked open as Quick Step peered out to the hallway. His eyes widened. “Origin!” He whispered down.

Origin’s legs were starting to shake from having to support his weight at such an awkward angle. “What?!” He said annoyed, still keeping his voice down.

“It’s the chief warden!”

Origin glared back skeptically. “Yeah, well it’s the warden’s office. Big whuup.”

“No. I mean-” Quick Step snapped his eyes back to check the hallway. “Origin, this is a Golden opportunity! Let’s take him out.”

Origin began to reposition himself to a more upright position. “No,” he breathed out as he started to climb, “we don’t have time for that. Get to the doors before they close.”

“Oh come on. If we take care of him the whole facility is done for.”

“Yeah, but so are we. We’d be stuck down here on level three.” Origin was now just below his friend.

Quick Step looked back out through the slit. He watched as the figure of the grey stallion in a white lab coat faded down into the darkness of a split corridor. “Fine,” he sighed as he quietly crawled out of the chute, carefully catching the latch so it wouldn’t make a sound.

Origin lifted a limb up. “Hey, give me a hoof here.”

Quick Step reached back and helped pull his friend out. The two then rushed into the room as the doors started to move in. Origin glanced around. “Where is-” A vent grate on the ceiling banged open, and Wave Chaser flew out, barely making it before the doors shut. Origin sighed with relief.

Quick step chuckled. “Cheating pegasi.”

The group started to make their way to a large terminal. Its screen lit the warden’s office in a gloomy blue glow.

“You, be quiet! I was worried sick about you two!” She looked away from them in a pout, trying to hide her tearing eyes. “I thought you guys were going to get caught because you couldn’t fly,” she said, her voice faltering slightly.

Quick Step smiled and stood up on his hind legs, puffing his chest out. “What? You think we can be stopped that easily?”

“Yeah, your team skills are astounding,” Origin added sarcastically. “C’mon. We’re here for a reason,” he said as he walked into the wardens small, dark office. The space was dimly lit by a single large monitor behind the wardens desk: the master terminal. The machine blinked an orange warning message, issuing a soft beep each time like an alarm clock someone forgot to turn off. Wave Chaser pulled a small pin out of her hair and handed it to Origin. The white pony then clicked out a usb plug, and inserted it into a port. Black windows filled with flowing numbers rapidly flashed across the screen. The three watched as the device literally worked it’s magic.

“Code Script’s ability really is amazing, huh?” Wave Chaser commented.

“Yeah...” Origin trailed off. “Too bad he couldn’t be here with us. Instead we just have his final piece of work. He was really a good guy. We were fortunate to meet a B-class like him.”

“They definitely underestimated the damage he could do,” Quick step added. Code Script was a brainy pony that had been brought to Black Box because of his unique ability with what was now called new magic technologies, or NMT. They were spells for creating sets of devices that would run on magic algorithms, and basic level life enchantments. It was still a budding field, and most unicorns were very wary of it. Even though there was no evidence to say that these new techniques were necessarily dangerous or evil, most ponies didn’t really understand them. This led most to fear the NMT users. In a few areas, mostly near Canterlot, studying spells that were not of the classic arcane was shunned. Because of this movement, other areas followed suit on the basis that the nation's capital knew best. There were even rumors of violence against NMT users in some towns, but none of them could confirm anything from inside Black Box.

The computer system’s screen went black, crackling before going silent. After a moment, it hummed back to life, and started to display rows of green text and numberings. Origin rubbed his eyes from looking at the terminal in the dark.

“So which one did he say it was now?” Quick Step asked.

“Um...” Origin mumbled, scrolling down the list of cell numbers. Each was paired with an ability tag. “Pretty sure it was like... 207. I think he said it would be a ability that would stand out.” He rapidly tapped a button sending the text up with each stroke. “Once we release him it’ll be that much easier.”

Wave Chaser bit her lip. “Is he really as dangerous as they say?”

Origin tried to look away discretely. He remembered all the stories A-classers would tell. Nightmares of what the black pony could do. He shivered at the mere memory of them. “Yeah... he’ll keep them busy.” Origin’s mind flashed a memory of a poor screaming pony that had witnessed the black stallion in a rampage. He remembered the experience well. The guards dragged the poor pony to solitary past Origin’s own cell. The crying pony lamented the whole way. “He twisted them! Ripped those poor ponies to pieces, and he didn’t even get near them!” Origin stared in horror at the subject being dragged down the hall. “They were alive for that. Their screaming... Their screaming! Oh Celestia... I can hear it now! It won’t stop. Oh buck it’s in my head!” Tears streamed down his face as the guards finally threw him into a sound proofed cell, and slammed closed the steel door.

Wave Chaser looked over at her friend. She watched as he stared off blankly and shivered. “Origin... What is his mark’s ability?” She pleaded, now feeling concerned.

Origin kept facing forward, never looking her in the eye. “It’ll get the job done, Wave Chaser. That’s all.” He stopped, fixated on a highlighted line. Before them was a 207 and the words Reaper’s Avatar. “They’ll definitely have their hands full,” he said grimly as he pressed the button.

“Shoot, shoot, shoot! It had to be today! It just had to!” A dark grey stallion with a blue mane paced angrily back and forth in a small monitoring room. Lights and sensors blinked on and off on a nearby wall indicating different alerts and electronic failures. “Celestia will be here for inspection in moments, and now we have A-classers trying to pull something at the same time?! They timed this somehow, I know it!” He stopped pacing for a moment to return to his monitoring system, and frantically mashed a few buttons. “C’mon, c’mon, reboot already! If those foals escape, and Celestia finds out what we do on the lower levels, she’ll send me to the moon…” The warden of Black Box stopped suddenly, freezing in fear to contemplate the consequences. No, that would be much better than what he would do, he thought to himself. The magical computer system before the frightened warden remained frozen, displaying a variety of warning and blinking error messages.

“Damn it!” he yelled, smashing his hoof on the keyboard. Everything was going wrong at once. Out of the blue a two way radio buzzed to life on the warden’s desk.

“Chief Warden Atmosphere, sir!”

The grey and blue stallion snatched up the device with his magic pulling it closer. “What! Can’t you see what’s going on right now?” he snapped.

“We have the requested A-class prisoner Falter Reach with us now, sir.”

“The one with the vortex cutie mark?”

“Yes. We’re ready to escort him.”

“Good. Bring him up to level one, and make sure he has a security collar.”

“Level one sir? Isn’t that a little risky?”

“Just keep those mental protection spells going and you’ll be fine. We’ve done this many times before.” He clicked off connection before tossing the radio to a corner, and heading towards the door. It opened with a quick whish.

Warden Atmosphere stopped for a moment remembering something. He glanced back looking at a red switch on the wall near his desk. It had a key slot and a glass cover over a large lever. Above that was labeled security lockdown final level. He walked over to the switch fumbling for a set of keys in his lab coat’s pockets. As he walked up to the device he telekinetically inserted the key into the slot turning it to the side. With a light click the glass cover popped open. Atmosphere lifted a hoof placing it on the lever, but instead of forcing it down he paused. “Falter Reach would be ripped apart if I activated it now. I can’t wait around until he makes it up to the higher levels either, since I’ll have to stall Celestia,” he hesitantly removed his hoof from the metal switch. “They’re lucky,” he said, removing the keys from the slot and placing them back in his coat as he moved back to the door.

“Okay then, Reach. We’ve got a show to put on.”