The Eternal Nightmare[Closed]

“Ugh...I think I’m getting a headache...” muttered the filly as she held her head with a hoof, not at all liking this concussion she had. She held herself there, waiting for her vision to stop swimming. After a few moments it did, and she had regained enough of her senses to look over the edge of the stairs.

She watched as the water below slowly started draining, eventually vanishing altogether as the last of it drained away. It flowed away into a canal, that presumably led to more of the sewer.

“...Well, no point in going up yet if I haven’t found Flash and Arc. Better keep going.” she said to herself as she descended the stairs, heading down to the canal. Following where the water went, she hoped that she’d find the two lost ponies soon. She wasn't particularly a fan of this place.

Rad had followed Ludicus away from Nova and Spectrum, a little worried about leaving them, but since the guardspony seemed to be talking to somepony that wasn't actually there, he figured they would be ok for a little while. Upon entering the room Rad's attention was immediately on the goblet. Damn that thing must be worth mil- Rad's very thought's were interrupted as he was suddenly tackle-hugged by Ludicus, the act had taken him completely by surprise as he was taken to the floor by the impact. All thought's of the goblet gone for now.

Rad felt himself struggling to breath a little with the strength of Ludicus's hug, but luckily it seemed the armour was taking the brunt of the force for him. "Ludicus! I'm surprised I met the floor so fast!" He said light heartedly, regaining his senses as he returned the hug. So this is what it's like to hug a ghost? He thought to himself. "And did ya really think i'd go and die, leavin' you all alone?" Rad smiled, though he was thinking about how strange it felt to tell a ghost that he had lived, to stop him being alone...

Lightning watched as Arc quickly ran up the stairs and the blue stallion didn't waste ANY time coming up behind him. As he climbed, the water rose much faster than he expected and slammed into him hard, launching him up. As his world spun, he felt himself slam against Arc and then land on the ground hard, letting out an "Oof!" as he did so.

The blue stallion groaned a little and slowly rose up to his hooves, taking a scan around the room. To his surprise, he saw what looked like a white tail. That didn't help reassure Lightning. Turning to Arc, he quickly tapped him and whispered, "We're not alone."

The unicorn slowly opened his eyes. He turned his head to look at Flash, feeling a spike of pain in his neck when his head moved. Arc hissed in pain and lightly rubbed the back of his neck with his hoof as he rolled on his back.

"Flash... I though pegasi are supposed to be light... we should put you on a diet..." Arc groaned. He pulled himself back on his hooves and looked at the two passages. He wasn't sure what was giving Flash the indication...

Arc's train of thoughts went silent. His eyes looked at the other tunnel. His face went blank, and his posture turned into a stone, just sitting there, looking at the glare in the left passage.

No.
Just... no...

Arc turned to Flash and grabbed him by both of his hooves. "Flashwecan'tstayherethisisabadplace!" he shot out at the pegasus, looking scared. His eyes trailed back to the now water filled stairs. Not... good...

Lightning didn't even register the joke, if it was one, in his mind from Arc. His attention was on the right tunnel which he was sure that he saw a tail. Picking up his .45 Auto pistol, he was about to start walking when Arc suddenly grabbed him by the hooves, looking rather spooked. He wasn't sure what had caused the unicorn to react in such a manner but it was almost a little comedic to see a unicorn at the hooves of a young pegasus like himself.

Being harsh wasn't going to help in this situation and there must be a good reason for Arc's actions. He simply gave a nod and said, "Alright. We'll move out!" Lightning looked back at his bag as he was rather still curious of the pink box that unlocked in his bag. But that can wait, he figured. "Come on, we'll go through the right tunnel." He brought his .45 up to his sights and taking in a deep breath, began to walk, waiting for whoever there to either pop up or perhaps he can catch another view of whoever it was again when he can see down the tunnel.

Winter felt a crushing weight on her chest as Ark continues to explain the way things were. She was confused, hurt, upset almost beyond the ability to think. She wanted to curl up in a corner and die... only, she had died, hadn't she. Winter began to take deep breaths, the urge to collapse and panic trying desperately to overwhelm her. She shakily put a hoof to her head as she thought. She'd been here before, Fillydelphia, twice in fact. And both times had been hell to her. There was no reason to expect any less here.

She put her hoof back down as she looked back to Ark. "I don't know how this happened, but I'm going to fix this" she said as she looked back at him with tears brimming at the corners of her eyes as they turned into a gradual frown, "I'm going to fix all of this" she said with a determined tone. She turned towards the door, "I already died once, what more can they do to me" she said as she headed for it. In truth she had no idea what she was going to do, or how she even got here. But if the town was here, she was going to get them out, or death pay her a visit twice.

Arc silently whimpered at the sight of Flash, moving into those tunnels. He looked back at the surface of the water that filled the canal below them, but, to his utter frustration, see any other way out of this. Well, they could wait, but Flash already started walking and Arc was desperate to not stay alone. Not alone here, again.

Arc turned back and faced those two tunnels. He started towards the two, following Flash. The glow was mesmerizing to him. Maybe... maybe he could change it this time? But... He looked back at Flash, leaving him here. No. Not alone again. Never.

Arc wrenched his eyes off the tunnel, closed them, and followed Flash.

Spectrum let out a huff as she was ignored rolling her eyes at being brushed off she didn't pay much heed to the passage of time Shooting Nova a calming glance, urging her to be patient, hoping that the guards were not to dense and just found it quaint to leave two prisoners of war unattended inside there walls. She went back to looking behind them, the image of the two sides clashing still in her mind. So when she heard a voice as sweet as a the softest lullaby she was taken back a bit looking up to see the wingless stallion, her eyes filled with sorrow and worry at the prospect of being flightless, the loss a treasure to every pegasi would always rattle spectrum. Ghost enemy or not, she still felt for him if only for a split second remember the fact that her and Nova were suppose to be the enemy in a war of some sorts. She simply cocked her head away from the wingless stallion, keeping silent as she didn't trust herself to not speak in the manner a prisoner would to him. Luckily Nova had spoken, getting a giggle out of her, it wasn't because talking to him in that manner was funny, but just imagining speaking to any person whom clearly did have a high notoriety and then speaking said words tickled on of her funny bones.

===Arc Weld and Lightning Flash===

Despite Arc's whimpers, the two set into the tunnel Flash saw the flicker of a white tail. The tunnel took a long while to trek, it twisted and turned several times, until it reached into a large square room. The room seemed to be a hub of some sort, having several tunnels lead from it, and along the ceiling, the walls were lined with grates that seemed to be ends of even more sewers.

More importantly, though, the room was clearly used as a camp site, and likely by those that left behind the box back in the sewers. Several mouldy tents stood in two lines, with digging equipment scattered around on the tables. Boxes stood all around, sometimes left half open. In one of the tents, a greenish glow announced a terminal.

Med-X lasts for 4 more posts for Arc, 5 for Flash.

===Violet Star===

Violet started into the tunnel. The corridor grew narrower and narrower, until it shrunk into a small pipe again. Eventually, though, her eyes spotted an end, covered by a grate. Through the grate, she saw a room that looked like a tunnel hub, with campsite, and a unicorn and a pegasus standing among the tents.
===Rad Boom===

Ludicus continued to cling to Rad, lightly nuzzling Rad on his cheek with his ghastly muzzle. His touch was cold. Not cold as ice, as one might expect from a ghost, just few degrees under the exact comfortable temperature. Beside this, it was just like a touch of a living pony, tender and affectionate.

"I... was scared, Rubi. When they locked us out, I was scared that the Celestians would come and just crush us into the floor. And I was scared that I lost you forever. Just... please tell me you won't leave me? Ever again?"

===Nova Surge and Shooting Spectrum===

The Traitor turned away from them, ignoring Nova's note of not knowing who he is with grumbling out "you'll see". He turned to one of the guards that seemingly weren't there and discussed with them terms under which he'll take over the prisoners and their escort to the dungeons. However, when Spectrum started to laugh, one of Traitors stumps twitched.

He was fast. Insanely fast, even for a pegasus. The two stumps of wings somehow managed to grab the rapiers at his side before he even turned to Nova and Spectrum, and by the moment he was facing them, they were already moving. The slash came fast like a lightning bolt, a light tug at both of the mares' cheeks, two second later followed by a sharp, warm pain.
The downed pegasus jumped at Spectrum, and before she was able to do anything, kicked her in her belly with his front leg and tackled her on the floor. His eyes, suddenly full of rage, glared down at Spectrum. "NOONE LAUGHS AT ME YOU STUPID MARE! NOONE! NOONE IS MY EQUAL, NONE OF YOU STUPID FUCKS WHO EAT THE CRAP CELESTIA TELLS YOU BY SPOONFULL! I CUT AWAY MY OWN WINGS TO PROVE HOW OVER HER I AM, HOW TRULY I DESPISE ALL SHE DOES, AND THIS IS WHAT I GET IN RETURN? YOU TWO WILL HAVE SOOOO MUCH FUN IN THE DUNGEONS, THE GUARDS THERE ARE ALREADY LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING YOU ON A VERY PERSONAL LEVEL TO..."

As he bellowed on Spectrum, standing above her in a menacing pose, Nova slowly composed herself. The grenade, stashed on her person while back before they handed Rad their guns and other weapons, flashed in her hooves, and few seconds later, without Traitor even noticing Nova move, changed owners when Nova spat out the stem.

-Traitor has been reverse pickpocketed a fragapple
-5 seconds till it explodes, so roughly 1 post
===Winter Bell===

Winter left the room, the door opening almost by themselves. Outside of the room were a spiralling stairs, with an elevator tube in the middle, allowing access to the whole block of flats she was in. She managed to gather this info together before the four guards approached her. Before she knew it, the unicorn one shackled her hooves together, leaving only enough space for her to walk. Leaving her no option but to follow them, they led her down the stairs, the chains making her tumble down several times, leaving her body bruised.
The following hour... or maybe it was a whole day... Winter was not sure. Time seemed to pass as it wished, for some reason. She remembered the emotions she felt, disgust over the surroundings, hate over the occupants, compassion over the poor souls that were locked in here against their will. But when she tried to remember anything specific, whom they met, faces, buildings, how the earth felt under her hooves, all of it was just one brown and dark red smudge on her memory. And a very ugly smudge at that.

They led her to a conference room, with a long table in the middle, chairs along it, and a large window on the opposite side of the room than where Winter was. The window overlooked Filly in all its glory, a black and red city, coronated by a green glowing crater in the middle and a silhouette of a rollercoaster on the horizon. The three were silently standing there, drinking the beauty with their eyes, silent, pious in front of their god. A red unicorn stallion, with tattered cloak made from a Stable jumpsuit. A young unicorn stallion, clad in a rust red robe, obscuring his cutiemark. An old earth pony stallion, who turned away from the window to look at Winter. His face was old, several scars on his cheek in between his wrinkles. His eyes were strangely warm for a slaver, as was his old smile, saying that he has seen it all.

He walked across the room, around the table, and nodded at the four guards that guarded Winter. The unicorn nodded back and removed Winter's binds, releasing her hooves. The old stallion smiled at Winter, moved two chairs from the table and sat on one, gesturing at Winter to take the seat opposite to him. "Winter Bell, I presume? We've been... expecting you," he said, looking at the two by the window.

Nova really was surprised by this guy's ego. Seriously, he was so busy yelling about his beliefs and trying to intimidate them that Nova had managed to slip from his sight and pull the pin on a grenade before placing it onto his person. Nova couldn't help but smirk a little as she'd finished the precarious placement. Nova knew that once she'd done this, there was a small window.

Nova acted swiftly, as swiftly as she could. She turned around and gave a hard, rear-legged buck into Traitor's stub of a wing joint, knowing it should at least stagger him enough to pull Spectrum to a safe distance. Once she'd done that, Nova flashed him a grin, the grenade's pin still in her teeth, and gave him a single wink before the inevitable happened.

Nova then turned to Spectrum and gave her a quick hug.

"Are you alright? No injuries?" Nova asked concernedly.

Rad continued to hold Ludicus in the hug as he listened to what he said, and when the ghost nuzzled his cheek it wasn't the icy cold touch of death that was spoken of in the stories he had been told. More like Ludicus had just been out in cold weather. Though the last thing Ludicus said made Rad stop. "Just... please tell me you won't leave me? Ever again?" It made him think, could he really tell him that? Make that sort of promise on behalf of the dead pony he was impersonating. And what if he did agree to it? If he could bring himself to make the promise, could he bring himself to break it? Would some ancient magics come into play and bind Rad to this place forever?

Rad didn't know any of these things, but he did know he had to say something soon, because right now he was just lying there, holding a ghost in a hug and staring at him. And there was only really a finite amount of time such a thing could be considered affectionate, before it just became suspicious. "I..." He had to do it... If not to help them get out then because he knew full well, that even though he was a ghost, and had been dead for who knows how long. The pegasus couldn't help but hold some genuine affection for Ludicus. "I'll never leave you again." Will I?

Violet wiped some of the grime off of her face as she started to near the end of the pipe. The cloth over her mouth had been doing a good job keeping muck out of her mouth so far, but it was starting to get soaked so much that she could still taste the icky stuff leaking through. Still, it was better than getting any actual chunks in her mouth.

“Blegh...” she muttered to herself as she crawled up to the grate. Her glowing eyes peered past it as she already started reaching out with her magic to try to unscrew the grate from its holding. Hopefully it had actual screws and would prove to be as easy as all the others when it comes to removing them.

Her eyes flashed as she noticed something. Two ponies, two very familiar ponies.

Violet may not be able to see in color, but she had grown accustomed to identifying ponies without it. It was easy enough when you could notice detailed features that would distinguish ponies from each other.

And that’s how she was pretty much able to quickly realize it was Arc and Lightning down there.

‘Yes!’ she excitedly thought to herself. ‘They are alive! I knew it!’

“He~eey guys!” she called out with a bright grin on her face, not that anypony could see it. “How’s everything been going down here?” she asked with a giggle.

[Attempt to remove bolts on the grate with magic.]

Arc was afraid. So afraid, of returning back there. Just not back there. Even starting to remember... it made his legs shiver, like ice slowly crawling up and though them.

Those thoughts were running through Arc's head over and over again as he followed Flash through the tunnel. Several times he almost shot at a shadow, or hit a wall just because his mind was preoccupied with fear. But eventually...

Eventually they left the tunnel, for a larger space. Clearly a camp of those who left behind the boxes. And the... darn. Arc forgot about the tape. Well, nevermind, they could play it now.

-“He~eey guys!”-
-How’s everything been going down here?”-

"Violet?" Arc asked. "Violet," he stated after seeing the filly. He trotted under the grate, gesturing Flash to follow, and started to help her undo the bolts.

(Helping Violet)

Lightning knew that fear has suddenly gripped Arc and that is why he tried to go as fast as he could through the tunnel, hoping to find a way out before the unicorn broke down again and refuse to follow him. As they arrived at the set of tents, the pegasus couldn't help but narrow his eyes. Somepony was living here.

Just then, a voice called out to them. Lightning nearly turned and opened fire when he realized the voice came from a grate and was extremely familiar. Violet. He let out a small sigh as he watch Arc move to help her. The stallion walked over and turned his back toward the two, keeping a watch around. "Stay alert," he warned, "I still think I saw a pony back there. He or she could be here..."

(Perception 6, scanning for threats)

Winter ached, or at least she felt like she did. She tried constantly to remember how they got here and how long it took but it seemed the harder she tried the more elusive the memory was to her. She only focused again as she was confronted by three ponies, none of whom she'd ever met before, or known. As her hooves were released she felt relief and rubbed her hooves a little. That was when she noticed something peculiar about all of this. Atriark had looked old and like he'd been here a long time... so then how is it she was still young. Her body was young she could feel it, and a quick check of her face with a hoof told her she was absent of wrinkles. She had her youth... but how.

She looked up as an old stallion motioned to a chair, her eyes searching him as she said nothing, looking for any sight of malice or will to do her harm. He seemed... some what friendly, a trait in a slaver she found to be disturbing. She pulled the chair back with her magic and slowly took a seat, watching him with slightly narrowed eyes. "I wasn't aware monsters expected things from the ponies they keep bound in chains" she replied, the thought of her friends suffering threatening to break her serene composure. She managed to keep her grace and her elegance as she recomposed, deciding internally that holding onto her base values and virtues might pay off if she was to truly endure this hell.

Spectrum was spinning, her breath eluded her , her memory dancing over what had lead to this event. She had laughed at Nova's statement and then she had mister bird song was yelling in her face about pride of cutting off his own wings, thinking her giggles were at him. She would never laugh at a wingless pegasus, so she looked honestly confused as he roared in her face. She remembered she had been kicked and he was yelling at her as he stood over her. She never was one for memory nor physical endurance as such that kick had sent her sprawling to ground without a breath in her lung. She looked over to Nova whom she just realized had been speaking. She took a long guess but guessing from what just happened it wasn't to much of a guessing game " Yea I'm fine, ponies really need to know whom I'm laughing WITH not AT" She gave nova a faint smile still reeling over the events but a hug made all the difference for her, best medicine in the wastes at least in her book, especially when she saw the pin hanging from novas teeth "I suggest we get some distance and make a plan and start hiding"

===Lightning Flash, Arc Weld and Violet Star===

The grate, with combine effort, soon went loose and fell down, almost hitting Arc. Violet could now join the two ponies.

The room offered several possibilities. One of the tents clearly had a terminal inside. Other tents seemed intact as well, and there were piles of boxes stacked around the campsite, some marked with the symbol the white crate had. None of them seemed to be secured with electronic lock, though.

===Rad Boom===

Ludicus winced when the door got hit with the blastwave coming from the grenade explosion. He shook Rad off, instantly on his hooves, and kicked the door open, running towards the explosion. Rad was left alone in the room with the chalice.

===Nova Surge and Shooting Spectrum===

The explosion shook the tunnel, sending a shockwave through it. Nova and Spec managed to take as much coves as they could, but were still left with their ears ringing. At the place where Nova bucked Traitor, only the destroyed armour and rapiers were left, along with a small pile of cracked bones.

Around the corner, from where Rad was taken to, arrived Ludicus. He stood over the pile of bones, an expression of utter disbelief on his face, looking at the remains. "Where... where is all the blood? And rest of... him?" he asks in a weak voice, clearly startled.

===Winter Bell===

The old slaver made a wide smile at Winter. His teeth were brown, several of them missing, and some of the remaining were broken. Still, the smile seemed honest, he was genuinely happy to see Winter, and he might not even had any bad intentions. The slaver chuckled, though with his voice, it sounded like gravel avalanche.

"I honestly apologize for the way you came here," he started. "Can promise you that you won't leave through that door in chains. Anyhow... guess should start with introductions. I'm Closed Ring. And, by the benevolence of Master Red Eye, I'm in charge of the stock for the Tenement area. That includes the workers from Stableton. I understand that you are affiliated from them, or at least are held in high regard by them."

He leaned back in the chair and showed his teeth in a smile again. "Well, to keep things short, Master Red Eye is offering me to retire and live in the central Filly. Which means one and only thing. There is going to have to be a new master for the Tenement. Winter Bell... before I say anything more, you have to realize this. The ponies of Stableton are part of the Filly. They work for it, and the Unity. They will never leave. But..."

"I'm offering you to take over me as Master of the Tenement. What you will do here, what rules you will enact and keep, they are yours. Master Red Eye only requires productivity and order. Nothing more. Nothing less."

Winter suppressed the urge to turn away as he smiled, finding him to be quite repulsive, his breath reeking of decay. She clenched her jaw as he spoke, the part about them never leaving having a very distinct taste in her mouth, and a taste she didn't like at all. Though as he continued her expression eased. It would be perfect, she could easily move around the guards, keep better care of her friends and maybe, just maybe... organize a breakout. Winter smiled back, her eyes falling into his as she replied, "I'll do it, but I have one rule going into this and one rule only" she said taking a moment before coming out with it, "The simple rule is that no one challenges the decisions I make. If a slave misbehaves then they are dealt with in other forms that don't include beatings or starving them. Deal?" she said simply. She decided to use the angle of calling them slaves and making a point of implying discipline to not only achieve what she wanted, but to throw off any doubt that she might try and save them. Deception, a worthy ally in the face of danger and odds stacked against you.

Upon hearing the explosion, and free of Ludicus, Rad got to his feet. "What the..." Though before he had a chance to say anything, Ludicus was gone, Rad could hear him running off down the hall. Though with the distraction of the ghost gone, Rads eye was drawn back to that so very shiny chalice. And it only really took the blink of an eye before the thing was in Rad's saddlebags and he was off down the corridor to see just what was going on.

He arrived not long after Ludicus, hearing the ponies confusion and wondering just what had got him so worked up, apart from the explosion of course. Though the question was answered as he rounded the corner and saw the pile of bones and armour for himself, with Nova and Spec nearby, and a confused and startled Ludicus stood over the 'corpse.' He realised now that he had to find some way of explaining what had just happened. And why this pony had been reduced to nothing but bones.

Rad approached the bones and looked at them, confused himself too, but for a different reason than the ghost near him. "What happened to him?" He asked, to nopony in particular.

Nova nodded, agreeing with Spectrum tha they needed to get out of sight as soon as they were able to. However, her looking for a spot to flee to was cut very short by a guard who had now found them. If Nova was right, this was the same guard that took Rad earlier. Nova listened to his tone turn to one of seeming confusion. Nova turned to him confidantly as she spoke.

"It's a very long story. And we don't know very much of it." Nova smiled to Rad as he rounded the corner, glad he was safe. "Seems he had something dangerous on his person."

===Winter Bell===

The slaver smiled and then even laughed a little. "Great. Hoped you would agree, I'm getting sick of this place. Not the best thing to feel when you're supposed to meet production quotas. Anyhow..."

A wiry buck trotted into the room, whispered something to one of the guards at the door, and was pointed towards Ring. He whispered something into his ear and stood back. Ring smirked a little. "Well... guess we'll see how you can handle yourself in situations." He stood up and pointed towards the door.

The stallion wearing a tattered cloak, made from a stable jumpsuit, standing by the large window, smiled.

Winter had, again, no good memory of the following block of time. She returned back to where she met Atriark. Not precisely back to his flat where he showed her the mutilated corpses of Arc Weld, Nova Surge and Sky, but in the same area. She was back at Tenement. She also did took a good look at it. She now, somehow, knew that the place was comprised of six high blocks of flats, arranged into two triangles, with the street she saw running between those triangles, making the bases of them face each other.

The compound was placed exactly in the central circle, evenly distant from both the radioactive crater, and the Wall, and it was surrounded by two large clothing factories and one smelter, currently being slowly resurrected from the machine heaven back to life. The smelter was connected to the rest of the Filly industry by a railroad, with a small cargo railway station touching the Tenement fence at one point.

Nevertheless, while she know how her new kingdom looked, she was by far not the queen. She could feel it. The slaves, seeing her walk around with her head held high, accompanying Ring, hated her. She was one of them , an enemy. Another one of Master Red Eye's creatures, sent to force them to work.

The other half of her subjects were no more easier to her. As she walked the street, the guards posted above looked at her as something that was not clearly worthy of their respect. The white mane, well kept light blue coat and regal posture signalled that she was a trophy plaything to their boss walking next to her, and not their new ruler.

Then they reached their destination. A small underground cellar in one of the tenements, converted to serve as a small prison. "Well, we're here, Winter. You got yourself a first task you need to accomplish as a slave master. You saw the looks they were giving you. This place has to be ruled with an iron hoof, there's no good way to keep order than that. The guards won't listen to you if you don't show them who's their boss, else they'll just do what they'll want, rape and steal from the slaves, and similar things that prevent us from reaching Unity. On the other hoof, same goes for the slaves. You're balancing between two necks, and both of them want to slit the other's and yours throat."

"Now, inside the cell is a slave. The bastard shanked two of his own and one guard when he tried to steal some parts from the smelter, to sell them to the black market. Ming be because he has a family that needs to be fed. Might be he's just the same heartless bastard that most of the guards are. Doesn't matter. He has to be made an example, Winter, and it has to be done by your hoof, to clearly send the message to the rest of the stock that there was a power change, and you're the one calling the shots. How you do it is up to you."

Every step she took hurt a little more as the slaves looked upon her how she once looked upon a slaver. She remembered back to when she'd helped save Kestrels father and the screaming child who had tried to wake his dead mother. But they looked to her now with that same hatred, and inside it truly hurt. She'd seen no one from Stableton yet, though she'd been keeping an eye out for a familiar face, some pony she could talk to and maybe even work with in this plan of hers. But she saw no such pony amongst the dirty disgusted faces of the slaves.

Even the guards regarded her with distaste, only she was able to shoot back a glare which let on she would have no quarrels organizing their death if they even so much as whispered in her direction. She was here for the slaves and so she would treat them as best she could. The slavers however... hay she'd kill them for fun if she could. At their distasteful looks she simply flashed an 'I'm above you' look before flicking her mane as if they meant nothing. Though one thing she was well aware of... she would have to be mean, bold and pretty darn scary if she was going to have any pull or any hold over the guards.

When they reached the cellar she listened to what Ring was saying, having a bad feeling well up in her gut. She'd have to 'make an example' of the slave to prove herself worthy to take his place. Only doing that meant mistreating the slave and possibly even killing him, something that wasn't on Winter's everyday list. She took in a deep breath and nodded, "Alright, let's go talk to this slave. I would like to at least talk with him before I decide how he should be punished" she said as she turned to face the older buck.

Arc yelped and jumped to the side from the falling grate. Oh darn... whatever was in here was probably more than alerted by this, Arc mused when the loud sound of a heavy metal thing, falling on a stone floor, echoed away though the sewer tunnels.

Arc looked up at the young unicorn standing above him in the pipe. "Violet, I'll help you down?"

(Offering Violet help to get down.)

"Right... we... probably fucked this up, Flash. I think... we should do a quick search of the camp, Flash, then get out of here and check the recording we found."

===Nova Surge, Rad Boom and Shooting Spectrum===

Ludicus looked up from the smoking remains of the millennium long dead pony. He was slightly trembling across his whole body. "You killed him." His voice was trembling in the same manner as his body, eyes looking at Nova and Spec.

Violet shook her head at Arc’s offer. “Don’t worry, I can get down myself Arc!”

With a jump she fell out of the pipe and landed in front of the two ponies, making a small splash. She removed the cloth over her mouth and rung the sewer juices out of it, spitting the horrible flavor that had leaked into her mouth while doing so.

“You two wouldn’t believe how long I’ve been looking for you ponies!...Ok, actually it’s only been about twenty minutes, but that’s not nearly as dramatic sounding.”

She rolled her shoulders, stretching out a bit after that tight pipe, and frowned at Arc’s next words.

“...What exactly is going on? What’s happened to you two since you fell into this sewer?” she asked. The two looked fine to her eyes, a bit beat up maybe but fine.