Life could be worse for you. At least, hanging around in the Freedom Fighter's Everfree hideout is better then being a homeless and bitless pony on the streets. It looks rather cool, though. The rebels had built some buildings around trees and some treehouses as well, making this hideout almost impossible to be seen from the sky. Of course, all the rebels know how to reach this place, that's what you've been taught when you first joined the rebellion, and it's still fresh in your head.

Yep, you just joined the Freedom Fighters recently, about one and a half month ago. You just can't make a living anywhere, until one of the rebels found you and took you in. Of course, you have to be their brother in arms in return. Everypony is quite nice around here, at least better compared to those Royal Guards. You've never been into any action yet, unfortunately. So far, you've been earning your keep as a watcher, keeping an eye around the hideout for any suspicious activities. The almost invisible treehouses are perfect lookouts. You always wanted to live in a treehouse anyway. Since your first time on the job, there's really nothing major to report. It's always the same Wonderbolts patrol above your position, or sometimes Thestrals do it at night.

Tonight, however, is a different night.

Coincidentally, it happened when a group of rebels are away to do a raid on a nearby town called Ponyville, so at that time, the hideout is rather empty of members. A sound similar to a distant thunder caught your attention, and as you looked up, you see a rainbow colored ring in the sky, next to a big airship. You alerted one of your superiors, a dark green, silver maned unicorn called... Actually, you don't know her real name. You just call her 'Sister Vine' because she told you to.

"Oy vey, that is something, alright." She said as she reached your position and watches the spectacle. You notice the airship started to fall as it caught on fire. All ponies on board, or at least the ones that managed to escape, are all pegasus. The airship soon crashes on the other side of the forest in a big orange fireball, and you see the survivors started to fly down, towards the hideout's general direction. You're about to warn everypony, but Sister Vine stops you.

"No worries, they are friendlies. Only rebels know where our hideout exact location is." She assured. And, true to her words, the group of pegasus are fellow rebels. You noted that they're injured, and remembered that one of them had her wing broken.

The hideout turn their priority to heal the pegasus squad, and you got to help. You were assigned to heal a dark blue pegasus, who got pretty bad bruises on his hooves and face. You wrap one of his hooves, he said it got twisted the wrong way, and gives his wounds come Comfrey cream, a plant that can be found in the forest. It's been proven to be effective to heal wounds and bruises. Once you're done wrapping his hooves with bandages, he gets up from his seat to face you.

"Thanks." The pegasus smiled, and offers a hoof. "My name is Horizon, by the way."

That's a bit out of the blue. Nevertheless, you told him your name, and gives Horizon a brohoof. You asked him what happened to him and why is there a burning airship that crashed to the forest.

"Yeah, about that... That's the regime's weapon. When we tried to use it against them, we got shot down by a mare... One of the mane eight." He explained. That's quite the story, something that's always nice to hear for somepony that haven't got any action. "Anyway, our leader told us to hide here because it's extremely likely we've alerted Cloudsdale, and a Wonderbolt squad might be on their way..."

As you're chit chatting with the pegasus, you see a female dark green pegasus with her wings wrapped on her body, accompanied by another, approaching you and Horizon. Sister Vine is also amongst them, talking to the pegasus with the same color of her.

"Whoa, you two look so similar, coat, mane, and all." Horizon noted, looking at Sister Vine and the female pegasus.

"That is because we're siblings." Sister Vine said, surprising the both of you. "This is Gust Whipper, my dear younger sister, and I am Vine Whipper. Call me Sister Vine, if you wish." Oh, so that's her real name. Sister Vine still sounds better for you, though.

"Here you are, Horizon. Your wingspony is looking for you." Gust Whipper said. You look at the pegasus that still hasn't said a word. Looks like a friendly pony, though.

"I'm not going anywhere, you know." Horizon walks next to his wingspony, then turns to you as he motions his hoof towards the pegasus. "Doesn't talk that much, but a very respectable partner." You exchanged smile with the silent pegasus.

"So, Wonderbolts will be upon us, eh? We have to get low and set up our watchers and guards." Sister Vine said. "Let your group rest and recover, sister."

"How do you plan to keep them away?" Gust Whipper asked.

"I will have ponies keep guard and watch the perimeters. If they do land to scout further, we'll take them out. We have a big advantage in the forest." Sister Vine said. The unicorn lead her sister and the group away from you, before returning to you.

"You should get back to your spot, young one." She patted you in the mane. You blushed a bit, and remembers why she is called 'Sister'. Sister Vine is like a mother to all the rebels, always taking an extra care to make sure you all will be alright. You heard from somepony that she'll the one who would be most hungry if the rebels are short of supplies because she prioritizes food to her rebels. Standing side by side with a kind pony that always smiles can't be the wrong path in life, right? Nevertheless, you proceed to return to your post.

You don't remember how long, but it only took several minutes before something else happens to catch your attention. A band of friendly rebels passes your post and into the hideout. It's the group that left earlier to Ponyville. However, what really concerns you is there's an unknown yellow mare in the middle of the group, a leash is tied on her neck and wings. Perhaps a prisoner? Your curiousity made you go down and look.

You see the leader of the group talking to Sister Vine, a silver male earth pony. You don't remember his name, but you do know he often talked about how much he hated the regime, even making fellow rebels uneasy with him. He's the kind of pony that would slowly kill his enemies and finds delight in every second of it. The fact that he brings a prisoner means there's something about that yellow mare...

"...And this mare is smack in the middle of 'em!" The stallion said, presenting the yellow mare to Sister Vine, who looked surprised to see her. The yellow pegasus stares back with equal intensity.

"My word, how can you possibly end up here? Fluttershy, is it not?" Sister Vine asked.

Fluttershy? She can't be talking about 'THAT' Fluttershy, can she? How does she look again?

Yellow female pegasus... Pink, long mane and tail... Dark cyan eyes...

Don't ever let her look fool you. This mare, called Fluttershy, is mostly a backline supporter. You know, being a medic and tactician and such. But don't think she's harmless, she can defend herself. There's not much we know about her, but it is rumored that she has some kind of hidden power... Be extra careful with her.

It can't be... That's 'THE' Fluttershy!? One of the mane eight!? Right here captured by the rebels!?

"How unfortunate for you to be captured by us, Fluttershy. Maybe we are a bigger threat then you think?" Sister Vine smirked, looking a bit smug.

"You think you can use me as a bargaining chip? Sister Vine?" Fluttershy shot back with a stare. Looks like somehow she knows about Sister Vine as well. Either she's just that notorious, or the Royal Castle got good intel. Without warning, the silver stallion puts his head between Fluttershy and Sister Vine.

"Oh, we can use you for more then that, pretty mare..." He caresses her cheek with his hoof. Suddenly, Fluttershy smacks him with one of her hooves. Unprepared, the stallion fell to the floor, while the rebels that's surrounding Fluttershy started to restrain her. Her leash were pulled so hard that she's forced to stand on her back legs, while the other rebels punches her in the gut and face a few times.

"Stand down." Sister Vine ordered, then she turned her head towards the silver stallion. "Get a hold of yourself, Silver Grin. I need her for something." Oh yeah, that's his name, Silver Grin. He doesn't look to happy now that he got a bruise on his cheek. He stares at Fluttershy, then back to Sister Vine.

"As you say. Put her in a cell." He commanded his band of rebels, who immediately started to herd Fluttershy somewhere. As you watch her being sent away, you barely notice Sister Vine walking towards you.

"Young rebel, maybe you should keep an eye on her. She's important for my plans." She said. Did you heard that right? You're going to do an important task of guarding one of the mane eight? That's quite the honor you got! You admit, you're quite excited to do something important for the rebel's cause. It's the least you can do to repay their kindness of having you.

But... there's also this nagging feeling at the back of your head. Your task is important, VERY important. Much more important then keeping watch on the forest. What if you mess this up? What if Fluttershy escapes when you take a snooze? Will the rebels cast you away if that happens? As if sensing your troubles, you feel a dark green hoof wrap around your shoulder gently.

"The mightiest of trees grow from a mere sapling. It will endure many trials, before it'll be unshakeable by the winds." Sister Vine said. "Do not worry yourself too much. You will partake in more important things as you grow."

That's quite the pep talk, you must say. She is right, if you were to be a strong rebel, you will have to do missions and tasks that's demanding. This is just the start, and you promise yourself to make sure it went well. Nodding a 'thanks' to your superior, you walk towards the direction you see Fluttershy is herded into. She'll surely be brought to the prison...

The rebels have their own jail to keep the prisoners they've captured. It's a bit rare for them to get prisoners, but Sister Vine seems to like the idea of ransoming the Royal Castle to get bits and such. Unlike most rebels who doesn't tolerate any peace or negotiations, the leader of the Everfree Hideout prefers a non lethal way to aid her cause. It's not like she cannot lead a battle, though. All the attempts the Royal Army made to scout the Everfree ended up in failure thanks to perfectly executed ambushes and traps by the rebels.

Today, the prison is empty, very empty, with the exception of the cell furthest down the corridor. You see somepony standing near the bars. It's Silver Grin, looking into the room behind bars with a couple of rebels. As you get closer, you see the yellow mare sitting next to the wall of the confined space, glaring at the rebels.

"Heh... You are so lucky that Sister Vine wanted to keep you alive, you know that?" Silver Grin hissed. "Imagine what I'll do to you after you slapped me... Huh?"

One of the rebels noticed your presence and informs Silver Grin of you. You explain that Sister Vine wanted you to keep an eye out for Fluttershy. The stallion looked a bit skeptical, something that bothers you a bit.

"But that's just like her, giving a task that's this important to a rookie." He chuckled. You're not sure how to take that sentence. "Well, I'll leave now. Heard Vine wants the upper ranks to rally. Have fun with her." With a grin, Silver and his rebels leaves you alone with that yellow pegasus. You notice there's a stool behind a table just across the cell, and you help yourself into a seat. Now that you're alone, you can focus on studying your... captive. Heh, having a prisoner under you seems a bit too surreal for someone as green as you, you thought.

Fluttershy's long mane partially covers her right eye as she keeps watch on you with her left. You notice some bruises on her body, probably from her capture and the little fight in the hideout. Her face shows some fight in them, which means you must stay alert. Who knows if she can actually pry those bars apart if she wanted to?

"What are you going to do to me?" Fluttershy speaks. You shrugged. You honestly have no idea what Sister Vine is planning by keeping her here. But, considering she's one of the Mane Eight, she can be used as a great bargaining chip. Sister Vine must have something big in her mind. Not long after that, you hear somepony walk into the corridor.

"Is anypony here?" A voice called. It took you a moment before you realize it's Sister Vine's sister, Gust Whipper. Her front hooves were covered in bandages, along with her body. One of her wings is in a cast, tucked to her side by the bandages.

"Oh, excuse me. Did you, perhaps, see a silver earth pony around? My sister is looking for him." She asked. She must be talking about Silver Grin. You told her that he was here, but went away somewhere, saying that he's looking for Sister Vine.

"Hmm hmm, what happened to you?" Fluttershy looks at Gust Whipper, whose reaction is less then pleased. The injured pegasus approaches the iron bars holding Fluttershy.

"See this? This is what your regime does." Gust Whipper shows her broken wing and bandages, her face clearly shows some rage. "But it'll take more then a broken wing to stop me."

"Now, it wasn't me that broke your wing." Fluttershy stood up, staring back at Gust Whipper. "Are you actually blaming me for this?"

"You think you can play innocent, slut!? You're with them! You're with the ponies that would do this!" Gust Whipper smacks the iron bars, baring her teeth menacingly. You flinched a bit. She's kinda scary...

"Oh! But it's you rebels who disturbs us first!" Fluttershy countered, stepping up to the cell door, putting her front hooves on them. "You think I like what's going on right now? There's a reason why I never went to the front lines myself!"

"...Really... You're just scared to get hurt, aren't you? Coward!" In a flash, Gust Whipper bucks the door. The force is enough to knock Fluttershy back to the ground. She looks shaken for a moment, before her glare returns. "At least when I kill that rainbow maned pegasus for what she'd done to me and my squad, I don't have to worry about you trying to save her."

This time it's Fluttershy's turn to slam the door. She violently got back up and throws her front hooves to the iron bars as hard as she can, a newly ignited anger burning in her eyes. Wait, did you mean that literally or figuratively? It looked like her eyes flashed a bright red...

"WATCH. YOUR. WORDS." If looks can kill, all your bones would've been shattered by the yellow pegasus. Gust Whipper had struck more then a nerve there. Afraid that things might get out of control, you told Gust Whipper to hurry along, gently pushing her away from the cell. Thankfully, she decided to stop as well, but not before giving a snarl back at her foe. Likewise, Fluttershy locks her sight at Gust Whipper until she's out of sight. This is actually not good for you, since you're the pony who's supposed to stay with the prisoner. Now that she's angry, you just pray she won't let it all out on you...

You groggily lift your head from the table. Goodness gracious, you feel sleepy. You thought you're used staying up all night as a watcher for the rebels, but for some reason you're struggling to keep your eyes open last night. It looks like you fell asleep for a couple of hours.

Wait, you fell asleep? Shouldn't you be keeping watch over Fluttershy? Oh crap! She might be missing right now--!

Oh, wait, she's still there, in the cell. Looks like she's asleep for now, and it's better that way. Knowing she's part of the Mane Eight, she must've been something to be in that deadly group. She does look rather cute though when she's asleep. Maybe her hidden ability is to overdose somepony with her innocent cuteness, causing a heart attack?

The door into the corridor you're in creaks open, making you look to your right. It's Sister Vine. Why is she here though? Maybe to check on you and the prisoner?

"Is she still there?" The dark green unicorn peeks into the cell, and breaths a sigh of relief. "Good. Although, I have to inform you of your current situation. Come." You follow Sister Vine away from Fluttershy's cell. Once you've far enough, she started to explain the situation to you.

"I'm afraid things will be a bit harsh. Wonderbolts, Royal Guards, and even Thestrals were spotted more frequently above the forest. This time, they really threaten our hideout's secret location." Sister Vine explained. "We have to position almost all of our ponies in the forest to stop anypony that may find this place."

You reflexively turn your head towards the end of the corridor, where Fluttershy currently is. The Mane Eight is a very powerful and influential group in the Royal Castle, only second from the Two Sister themselves. They definitely have the authority to deploy an entire army to sweep the Everfree Forest. Now you're wondering if keeping Fluttershy here is a good idea at all, since she's only attracting unwanted attention. However, Sister Vine dismisses your idea.

"It's weird. I do reveal that we have her held as a prisoner of war, but they still won't listen to our demands. And I think 'leaving the Everfree Forest's airspace alone' is not that demanding." She continued. That is rather weird. Would the Mane Eight really leave one of them as a scapegoat? No, it can't be possible. You remember how angry Fluttershy is when Gust Whipper said something about killing 'the rainbow maned pegasus'. You remember one of the Mane Eight have that characteristics. That has to be an insight of the group's relationship, right?

"...Anyway, I've brought you these." Sister Vine made a sack of... something, appear via teleportation. As you inspect it's contents, you see a bunch of apples inside the bag. You ask why did she brought you so many apples. Are some of them for the prisoner?

"Actually, they are all for you. You see, this is a bit unfortunate, but for the next few days, you will most likely be alone." The unicorn reveals. "We're deploying almost all of the rebels to intercept any scouting party lurking in the Forest. The hideout will be pretty devoid of our brothers and sisters."

Welp, okay. The alone part is not much of a problem, because you sometimes do have to keep watch at night all alone in the forest. But the 'alone next to a potentially dangerous mare with only iron bars separating you two' part is pretty intimidating. It's not like you have a choice, though. If the Royal Army find out the location of the hideout, it could be disastrous. Looks like you have to be a stallion and do your task. You nodded to Sister Vine, who hands you your supply of apples.

"By the way, try not to feed the prisoner too much. A weakened enemy is easier to handle. But don't starve her to death either." Sister Vine said before leaving.

It's been sixteen hours already since you met anypony else except Fluttershy. The chilling night air creeps through the prison, the only solace to the unusual silence. The moon shines from the small window in the cell, lightning the room a bit dramatically. You took another apple from the sack, you haven't had dinner, and your stomach is hungry for food. However, as you took a bite, the unmistakable noise of a rumbling stomach reaches your ears. It's Fluttershy, you noticed. The mare seems to be much more docile then before, her eyes looked a bit... sad.

"Mmmph..." Another rumble emits from Fluttershy's belly. She looked at you as you take another bite from your apple. You notice her pleading eyes. They seemingly make her look like a fragile mare, although you suspect there's more to her then that.

"C-Can you...?" Fluttershy pointed at your sack of apples. You keep staring at her eyes, looking for any sign of her true intentions. But the only thing that appears from your head is the fact that she's pleading. Either she's genuinely pleading, or she's a great actor. However, Sister Vine did say not to starve her to death. You took an apple on your hooves and motioned it at the mare, asking her if she wants one.

"Please... You still care about ponies, don't you?" She said. Her eyes seems to be testing your empathy. You told yourself that you only do this because Sister Vine told you to, but a small part of you felt sorry for her, despite her affiliation. You got off your seat and reaches the apple out at her direction. Fluttershy's eye briefly widened, and she slowly made her way to the door, never breaking here eye contact with you or the apple.

The pegasus reaches her hoof out, trying to reach the apple you're offering. Not without caution, you carefully -perhaps too carefully- hand the apple over to her. In a flash, she grabbed it, put it near her mouth, and started eating the apple hungrily. You hear her emit a sigh of satisfaction as she continues to munch on the treat. Again, she looks at you, seemingly thanking you judging from the look in her eye. Gosh, who knew one of the Mane Eight is this adorable? You should give her another apple, because she wants another one...

Wait, wait. No, you shouldn't do that. You blinked a few times, what were you thinking? She's still one of them. Just because she's an adorable mare doesn't mean she's a good mare..... is she?

"I want another one." She said softly, looking at you. "Um... Please?"She said she wants another apple. Should you give another one to her? You kept observing her expression. She seems like a different mare from yesterday. Her gaze now seems to be soothing, lacking any kind of trickery, hate, or aggression like when she confronted Gust Whipper. Did she really change overnight?

Well, she did say please. Your hoof grabs another apple from the bag, and gives it to her. She smiled at you, she actually smiled a genuine smile as she took a bite. Contagious as a cold, you can't help but smile back.

"Thank you." She looked at you with a happy face. Boy, she is adorable. You kept staring at her eyes as she finishes the apple quickly. Those red eyes are just so beautiful. Maybe she doesn't need to be kept in a cell, she's not that dangerous. Besides, she can't run away from the hideout without getting lost in the dangerous Everfree Forest, right?

"Do you have more? I'm still a bit hungry..." She lowers her head a bit, seemingly a bit shy. Oh, you definitely have more, don't know how many, but you got an entire bag of apples right here. You're about to hand her the bag, but you realized it's too big to fit through the bars. Silly you. Looks like you need to use the door to give it to her. Luckily, the key never left your side.You watch Fluttershy follow your movement as she gets near the door along with you. You unlocked the door. You stepped into the cell with her.

The light of the moon flashes into your eyes.

You blinked a few times. Wait, what happened? Why are you dragging the bag along? Why are you in the cell-- Oh crap!

Before you can react, something tackled you to the wall, making you drop the bag and the key. You feel your hooves pinned to the wall by something firm. As your mind is still wondering what had happened, you see a figure mere centimeters from you. The moonlight soon reveals who, or what, it really is...

You're staring back at Fluttershy's red eyes, but you notice her coat seems to change into a more dull shade of yellow. Her pink mane is a bit more unkept since the last time you remembered. The real horror, however, is her mouth. It houses two sharp fangs poking out from it.

What the hay!? Ponies don't have fangs!

"Awww... You're so easy to be manipulated." Fluttershy said in a mocking tone. Still having no idea what's going on, your eye wanders about, until they caught view of Fluttershy's wings. Instead the normal, feathery wings all pegasus have, her wings looks more like those Thestral ponies. That's not how it looked like before! Did Fluttershy... transformed into this? The mare in question moved her head to nuzzle your neck with her nose, making you shiver.

"Let me tell you a secret." She whispered. You can feel her fangs brush against your neck. "I can transform... into a Thestral." Now her tongue slithered across your fur. As you shiver again, you feel her tongue doesn't feel like a pony's tongue.

"And while I'm like this... I can feed."

What followed next is a really sharp pain emitting like an earthquake from your neck. Your scream got caught in your throat as your entire body stiffened, unable to respond to your brain. Your ears are ringing, and you can hear Fluttershy making slurping noises as you feel her sucking your blood (It got to be blood, right?). A wave of chilling wind courses through your body as you feel yourself drifting away.

"Mmm~~" The monster of a mare let out a hum of pleasure as she give your neck an extra powerful suck.

Your body feels colder then usual. Your head feels light. Your vision starts to blur. Your heartbeat quickens, unwillingly supplying the hungry monster more of your life essence. You feel your body slowly slump against the wall, then everything went black...

Where are you? What happened?

Are you dead?

".........ey..."

"...Is....ead?"

".....sti...l...ld..."

"...e mov...!"

"...ill alive...!"

"..ank goodness!"

You move your hoof to your head, which in itself, took a lot of effort as the world slowly forms around you. You notice there's something tugging your hoof, and when you can make out your surroundings, realizes it's an IV with red liquid flowing into your hoof, presumably blood. A blanket also covers your body, providing a bit of warmth. Before you can do anything else, though, you see a dark blue pegasus and a white mare standing next to you. You recognize the pegasus is Horizon, the rebel you helped the day before.

"Are you okay? We thought you're dead!" Horizon said, both worry and joy is present in his voice. "You're really lucky that I stumbled upon you by chance... You've lost a lot of blood." Your eyes widened upon the word "Blood". That's right, you're keeping watch over Fluttershy, until for some reason, you decide to enter her cell. That's when she... she...

"It turns out that mare can transform into a bloodthirsty Thestral somehow." The white earth pony said. "She escaped the jail and stole a firework flare... Thankfully, we managed to recapture her in the forest when she stumbles on one of our group before she can use the flare."

Well, that's good to know... You just hope that this time extra precautions were made to stop her from escaping again. Soon, Sister Vine enters the room. However, you noted her expression seems... unusual. Instead of her usual soft smile, her face is as stiff as a rock. She looks at you with concern, before walking next to you.

"Poor you... I should've known better then only assigning you to keep watch on her." She brushes her hoof with your mane. "Are you feeling alright?" You nodded. Although you're feeling lightheaded, cold, and fatigued, you're alive and well. Sister Vine smiles briefly, before turning serious.

"I joined the Freedom Fighters to stop such fate from befalling anypony. Look what she've done to you... The regime is truly filled with despicable ponies." She said. "Be strong. As you recover, we will continue our fight to save Equestria from these horrible ponies."

Having tasted a dire situation, you feel something burn inside you. You felt that your life in the future won't be as easy. Joining the Freedom Fighters gives you a home, but you realize you must fight against the odds to protect it. It's a giant fight for survival. Who knows what will happen to you during this fight. Will you survive to see the end, or will you perish first? That thought scares you a bit, but you don't consider living under the regime as a choice. Too much ponies had suffered under the Two Sisters, and you can do something about it.

You just hope you won't make the same mistake as you did when you keep watch on Fluttershy. As heartless as it is to say this, words doesn't work anymore, only... bloodshed.

It's a cruel world you're living in.

And only the Royal Castle is to blame.

Author's Note

Direct continuation, horray!

Close call, huh? But once again, you survived!