Stable

Nick woke up for the second time this day, groaning as he opened his eyes.

Zaed was standing next to him, looking out as usual.

He rubbed his head as he sat up, wanting answers, "Where were you, exactly? I was busy getting the manure kicked out of me, but you were nowhere to be found!"

Zaed glanced down at her coltfriend before summarizing, "You didn't have to fight that pony. You just seem to have a bad habit of running in without thinking. Thankfully for you, I was prepared to catch you when I cloaked. And, that we made it inside the teleport spell in time. And, that my cloak didn't go off before I could drag you into damn cover."

Nick stood up himself, wondering where they exactly were.

Zaed knew where they were, but wasn't finished reprimanding him, "Can we talk about how you always do this? You must have some sort of death wish. Honestly, you rush in to all kinds of danger, even if I'm not around."

Nick tried to redirect the situation, "Can we just figure out where we are first befo-"

"I know where we are. And, that the coast is clear...for now. Let's just get right back on track to what we were talking about before. You-"

"You know every minute of us discussing my inability to plan is going to give Vain the opportunity to escape, right?"

"Who says he didn't already escape?"

"Then, why have us look around for somepony who is already gone?"

"Because it's simply a matter of asking around until we locate him. After all, we're in the thick of it. Every reject of society from murderer to thief hides out here. Most police ponies that I've known that end up here? They never come back. Luckily for us, we're not cops."

"But, where is 'here'?"

"An Asylum."

Zaed trotted out from behind the crates she'd been using to hide the pair, remarking, "Oh. And, next time you decide to run off without my saying-so, you'll be set out in the open as a distraction."

Nick doubted that as he strode across the strange, candle-lit hexagonal building they'd been inside.

Coming on the entrance, they were shown what awaited them outside.

Row upon row of shops, tents, and shanty-towns crowded the landscape of the literal underground mass market. Massive pillars of stone and steel ascended to support the residences and businesses.

The view was soon blocked by a massive Centaur stepping over to them from his post a few hooves away.

He demanded of Zaed, hand reaching down to her with a frown that meant only business.

Zaed tilted her head, questioning, "Yes?"

The guard said only a few words, all spoken clearly, "Pay us."

"You?"

"Yes."

Figuring the mass of muscle and aggression was simply a guard for the Gatekeepers, Zaed hooved out the small bag of coins she kept inside her mane to toss out a couple bits his way.

After a few moments of waiting, he didn't seem to want to budge, declaring, "More."

Zaed crossed her hooves, explaining to him cautiously, "Hey, that's plenty."

Clenching the bits in his hand, he brought himself to her level, making her sweat.

Nick was unsure of how to deal with the rising issue before as Zaed was more street-savvy, but now felt obligated to deal with this intruder-of-ponysal-space.

Zaed waved him off with a wing for the moment, trying to follow what this Centaur was after.

The Centaur pointed a finger at Nick, staring Zaed in the eyes as he asked not-so-nicely, "Pay him now."

Rolling her eyes at not getting it sooner, Zaed tossed a couple coins at her coltfriend, who was very confused by the event. And, the result of said act, which was the massive monster leaving them alone to stand at his old spot once more.

Zaed grinned at Nick, congratulating him, "Guess you do know how to teleport after all, Gatekeeper."

It soon dawned on Nick what the big mass of muscles standing guard thought, going along with it by picking up the coin off the dirt floor before they both decided to do some walking around.

Vain's smirk faltered as he entered a particular Black-Hole building, visibly concerned that it was still nonoperational.

He questioned the Centaur doing repairs, "Hey! Why's this place still down? Some of us are important! Have places to be! My damn taxes shouldn't have to pay for you to stand around with your hand wedged up your-"

The Centaur blew steam from his nostrils, rising up to his full height to stare menacingly above the Griffon.

Vain rose into the air, hovering at the exact height to put them at equal views of each other, growling out, "What? Think I'm supposed to be afraid of a little mass advantage?"

The monster sighed, hating his customers yet riding the hate all the way to the bank.

He decided getting in a fist-to-claw fight might only partly be in his favor, reminding the Griffon, "Look here. I get that you have to places to be, ponies to rob, and parents to disappointed. But, do get it through that small acorn-sized brain you have that I'm also losing out money on this deal. You think I want to be missing out on my bonuses by having this dump out of commission? No. So, the sooner you get you're cat-bird plot out of my way, I can get back to fixing the bucking magic-coordinate-amplifiers."

Vain flicked him off before turning around, off with his gang again to bide some time before they could return with their prize.