Paranoia got the better of me that night. It was the only thing left in my tank after the adrenaline went. Coming down from administering a well deserved beatdown on a guard was like waking up in a strange bed after a night you don't remember. I was in the obligatory post revelry period where I waited to see if something bad happens now. That's why I was sleeping in the bathtub instead of my bed and the bed was stuffed full of spare pillows to look like me and I had a pack with money, my conspiracy journal and my wedding band clutched to my chest.

That stallion, whoever he was, saw me. I was sure of it. There was no way of knowing how much he could recall of my description or if that would pan out in an investigation but I couldn't shake the pervasive sinking feeling that I had really… really screwed up. This was the sort of thing I needed another new identity for.

If they came for me, I didn't expect a knock or even a battering ram. They'd teleport silently right into my room, expecting me to be asleep or at least taken by surprise and then clamp an inhibitor on my head. Then they’d go to town on my face for starters. After what I did, there would be no reason to surrender. I would not let them take me alive. Dying in a brawl was unsatisfactory but preferable to what awaited me if I ended up in a cell.

I had a tripwire stretched across my living space and attached to a pyramid of empty ale bottles that would make one hell of a racket if they fell. If I heard that, I was out of here.

Despite the meager comfort of the single blanket lining the cold hard tub, my eyes began to grow heavy. I was semi unconscious when I heard the crash. My eyes shot open and I sat bolt upright. My ears stood at attention for confirmation. I heard a bottle plink and roll across the floor as if someone had kicked it. Then there was angry muttering.

That was my cue to leave. Well, shit. I mean, I did prepare for this possibility but I still couldn't believe how fast they nailed me. Same night, just hours later. I must be number two on the enemy of the state list now.

I cast a teleportation spell, aiming for the roof which I hoped was safe for the moment. The flash from my horn lit up the room and died away but I hadn't moved an inch. Panicking a bit, I rolled out of the tub quietly and touched the wall. It bloomed with a ripple of pink energy that faded away as it expanded across the surface. They warded my apartment. The only way I was getting out of here was on hoof and the only way that was happening was with a fight… or maybe they'd all just shrug and leave?

Before I could begin to weigh what little options I had, the doorknob to the bathroom jiggled and turned. Improv it is… I whirled around and coiled up, bucking the door with everything I had, just as it cracked open. It swung outward, making solid impact with another pony's face. She cried out as the force flung her off of her legs. I burst out of the bathroom and tried to make a hard left turn.

I felt the air smashed out of my lungs with a hard blow as I was blindsided and tackled to the floor. Despite my gasping for oxygen, I rolled and flailed my legs, quickly throwing off my attacker. I staggered first to my hooves and then tossed him backward with my magic into the wall with a crash, knocking down a column of shelves with a cascade of books. I telekinetically flung open my apartment door before barreling into the hall, still gasping.

I turned toward the stairs only to be confronted with a blockade of three more guards. I cast teleport again, really wanting an immediate exit from the situation but the spell fizzled.

I still couldn't teleport. They must have warded the whole building which meant they had someone with significant magical aptitude locking the place down, probably from the outside. This wasn't an early morning posse roundup, it was a serious tactical raid.

I shot a desperate glance behind to see that my prospects weren't any better in the other direction. Suddenly I was pressed to the floor, ensnared in a magic aura. I cried out in pain as a laser glanced off my side.

"Watch the crossfire, idiot," one of them shouted. "Mute him!"

I looked up to see an open inhibitor flying at my face. This time when I tried to teleport, I focused on the hallway. I blinked behind the wall of advancing guards and scampered into the stairwell to the sound of chaotic shouting.

If I could just get out of the building, my chances of escape would increase significantly. I was closer to the roof at this floor and I still held the belief that I'd meet with less resistance up there than on the ground so I teleported upward on the stairs to the roof access. I rammed the door open and saw a single wide-eyed pegasas, the safety unit. He took flight immediately but I grabbed him with my magic and slammed him back down onto the rooftop. Roughly rolling him on his back in the snow, I stretched one of his wings outward and stomped on it near the base as I rocketed past.

I felt the crack more than I heard it. His scream however pierced the black desolate night. One less eye in the sky. I left him quivering in agony and bolted to the edge of the roof, then teleported as far as I could, several blocks away to another roof and warily checked the skies. I ducked behind a water tank as a patrol flew overhead.

Using the roofs had its downsides. Flashes of magic in the dark weren't low profile to anyone airborne. Discretion and patience were in order for any path I took but by nature I'm not a sneaky, subtle guy. My wheelhouse has always been head to head but I had to concede that that wasn't good for all situations and it wasn't good now.

My life here was over. My only real option now was to disappear from the city. I couldn't begin to understand what that meant for me. My plans… I couldn't even say goodbye or explain anything to Pinkie and it absolutely killed me inside but it was what was safest for both of us. I did this to myself and to her…

As I charted a winding route to the train yard, I heard a sad whistle wailing in the distance. Whatever it was, it was the closest thing I had to salvation. In two more bursts, I appeared atop a warehouse. I could see a single light down below, cutting through the dark industrial canyon. The engine of a cargo train, thundering my way. A procession of hopper cars and boxcars began to glide past. I zeroed in on a particular green boxcar and teleported inside. The interior was cramped with crates and sacks but I found a pile of lumpy burlap in the corner that was more comfortable than anything I had expected to find. Laying down, I winced in pain, suddenly aware once more of the laser burn on my side.

I slammed my hoof on the side of the car, angry at my own carelessness. After being so careful for so long, it was an unforced error that brought it all down. I was lost and alone again. Virtually everything leaving Crystal City was southbound. I didn't know what I was doing. I had no clue where this train was going but for now it didn't matter. Anywhere else was better than here.

Author's Note

Night in Crystal City Playlist (a work in progress)