A prison, even one as well kept and clean as this one, was not somewhere anypony wanted to find themselves. And yet, this was indeed where a certain mare now dwelt. A pink earth pony, sitting on one side of a cell, with a pair of local guards standing on either side of the bars in front of her. She didn't seem the type to be in a place like this, at first glance. In fact, she looked downright refined, in the way she looked, and even the way she sat. Her expression was one of anger and irritation, though this was not something the guards seemed to care all that much for, as they didn't even look to her as they maintained their respective posts. The mare, after a long time of this silence, eventually just let out a grunt of frustration.
"Ugh! Don't you two know who I am! I'm Suri Polomare! I could buy you up and fire you a thousand times if I wanted to! Don't just ignore me!"
But, ignore her they did, leading to an expected frown on her part. She got up and started pacing up and down the cell, her earlier frustration still as clear as day upon her face.
"Corruption? Bah! Some low-down recruit testifies, and suddenly I'm public enemy number one? As if those guards were actually doing anything useful before I came along!"
As she fumed, the guards, still in silence, cast each other a look that made it obvious that this was not the first time they'd had to put up with this. But, neither of them said anything, and, in fact, they didn't get the chance, as there was a sudden knocking on the door nearby that caught their attention, as well as Suri's. Looking to it, one guard spoke to the other.
"Don't worry. I'll get it."
Suri, understandably, raised an eyebrow to this, walking to the bars as the guard went over to the door. Opening it, the stallion looked to the other side, his eyes widening with surprise. There was a soft voice speaking on the other side, one that Suri couldn't quite make out, and the guard being spoken to gave a short nod, turning his attention back to her.
"Well...looks like you have a visitor, Miss Polomare."
When one was a prisoner, there wasn't really much to keep yourself occupied. Gilda had found this out quite early on, as she dwelt as usual in her normal place, that of a cell deep in the lower levels of the Griffonstone Palace. She seemed completely downtrodden now, sitting quietly in a corner and staring angrily at the walls opposite her. Sighing, she picked up a nearby loose stone, throwing it at the other side, seeing it bounce off and roll back to her. A chuckle escaped her, but it was a dry one, and she picked up the stone yet again, hurling it even harder than before. Again, the stone hit the wall, and again, it rolled back to her. But this time, her efforts had not been unnoticed, as she turned to find the door of her cell opening up slightly, revealing one of the Lunar Guard who had been standing on the other side.
"Keep it quiet in there, prisoner!"
Gilda didn't reply to him, narrowing her eyes angrily in response. The Guard returned the look, before closing the door once more. Gilda let out a long exhale at this, sliding further into her corner. In the dark and the silence, she had a lot of time to think, and none of her thoughts were happy, as one would expect. But, in that aforementioned silence, she soon began to notice something. There was the sound of tapping, somewhere nearby, somewhere she couldn't figure out. The sound kept on going, causing her to start standing up to try and get a better look around. Soon though, the sound stopped, and Gilda raised an eyebrow to the return of utter silence. But, this moment was short, as she found, to her shock, that one of the larger stones that made up the floor of her cell suddenly started to wobble.
"What the...?"
Suri watched with interest as another pony, an older earth pony stallion, started to make his way into the room, albeit slowly, given that he apparently had to use a cane. The guy had dark brown fur and a mane that, while might have been coloured once upon a time, was now as white as snow. He made his way over to her bars, looking to her with interest. As this happened, Suri narrowed her eyes, a feeling of familiarity coming to her. She'd seen this stallion before, she just knew it, but where? The stallion, for his part, merely smiled to her.
"Well...it's good to see you again after so many years, Miss Polomare."
Hearing that voice, deep and almost Grandfatherly, Suri's eyes widened.
"Mr...Mr Morgan?!"
The stallion chuckled.
"The last time I saw you, you were but a filly, listening in when I gave that lecture at the University."
The mare stepped back a bit, clearly shocked ta the stallion's presence.
"Yeah...”need as well as greed”, you would say.”
Morgan smiled.
“I see you remember. Good.”
But, there was a rather obvious point on Suri’s mind right now.
“I...I...what are you doing here?"
Another chuckle from Mr Morgan.
"Well, let it never be said that my family won't offer help when needed."
This time, Suri herself returned the laugh, though it was tinted with nervousness.
"I'll say. Your family practically founded Manehattan. Heck, you could probably say you made Equestria's economy as we know it!"
Morgan adjusted his stance, making sure he was resting on his cane properly, before replying to that.
"We made some good choices, and they paid off. You, on the other hoof..."
He looked around, to all the bars between them.
"...well...I don't think we can say the same."
Hearing that, Suri narrowed her eyes.
"With all due respect, Sir...why are you really here?"
To that, Morgan smiled.
"I have...an offer."
Gilda watched with increasing concern and interest as, very slowly, the stone in the centre of her cell's floor began to slide downwards, as if the very ground that had been supporting it was suddenly no longer there. And it was as this was happening that the Griffon female noticed something else. There was a light down there, emerging between the cracks of that stone and the ones surrounding it. Eventually, the stone went down entirely, leaving a big gaping hole, possibly large enough for Gilda herself to go down also. Gilda herself merely stayed where she was, watching this newly-made hole with hesitation. Then, to her surprise, another Griffon suddenly popped their head through the hole, looking to her with intent, causing Gilda to step back.
"Who...?"
But the new Griffon, a female, put a claw to her beak, silently indicating to Gilda to keep quiet, as she looked over to the nearby wooden door. Gilda understood, nodding and casting a glance at the door herself, before looking back to the hole. The new Griffon used her claws to invite her down, and Gilda nodded yet again. So, after the other one had gone back down, Gilda, as quietly as she was able, started to slip down also, struggling a bit at the end before, finally, squeezing her way in. Once underneath, she saw there were another two Griffons down here, both carrying flaming torches, in what appeared to be a tunnel of some kind. The female, who now walked past Gilda, lifted the previously-removed stone, putting it back in place, before turning to her.
"Let's go!"
"Hold on...you're letting me out?!"
Morgan nodded.
"In spite of your mistakes, you remain a capable mare, and one whose talents could be put to some real use. Corruption and the hiring of thugs is a real black mark on your record, but, with the right help, you could aid with a great deal more than mere fashion."
Though clearly taken aback, Suri, couldn't help but seem sceptical.
"But...the Mayor? There's no way he'd..."
But, she was halted, as Morgan raised a hoof.
"Don't worry, I have a good deal of influence, and not just here in Manehattan. Besides, the Mayor and I go way back. He owes me quite a bit after all that campaign funding I gave him."
Irritation crossed his expression.
"Although...if he himself was involved with corruption, I may need to have a talk with him too."
He looked back to Suri.
"So...what do you say?"
Suri paused, looking around her cell for a bit, before sighing and looking back to Morgan.
"Well...I guess it'll be better than staying here."
Morgan considered that.
"Not quite the attitude I was hoping for...but it'll do, I suppose."
He stepped forward, offering an open hoof to her.
“Here’s to a successful partnership then.”
Suri looked to the hoof, then to his face, then smiled genuinely, putting her hoof into his and shaking it.
“We can only hope.”
The tunnel wasn't the largest, but even so, Gilda and her comrades were making good time as they journeyed through it. Eventually, however, Gilda found herself asking the obvious question.
"Why?"
The female who'd let her out looked over her shoulder to her as she kept on walking.
"You're not the only one who wants those Lunars out, Gilda! We started getting some people together. I'll explain when we get to our hideout."
Gilda frowned.
"Hideout?"
The female nodded.
"Out in the mountains East of here. The Lunars may be good, but we know those mountains better than they ever will."
She narrowed her eyes.
"We're few...but our fight has only just begun."
Gilda, thinking on that, looked behind, to the way she'd just come from, her imprisonment now literally behind her. And in this place, surrounded by those of her people, she smirked.
"Yes...it has."
