Berry's Test

Chapters

The First Test
One key unlocks all
The photographs
Twilight's Test
The Office
Another fighter has joined the party
Confrontation
Berry's Test
Trust and resolution
Spitfire's test
The Mayor's worries and the mourning of Spitfire
Distrust against Berry and a mare's rescue
Attempted ponynapping and office four
Discovery
An ally and a critical move to make
Pinkie Pie's Test
A loss of a friend
Statement and rule breaking
Consequences from Rule Breaking
Missing Blueprint
Lyra's test
Cold Case gone Hot
Caramel's Testimony
Ambush
Suspect and Investigation
Hit 'em right between the eyes
Situation Critical and Announcement to Ponyville
Prologue

The First Test

As the door gave way to the enormous force of Berry’s door bucking, Berry couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if she messed this up. What Berry didn’t know was that “thing” that was wedged between the latch and the door frame was the piece of rope that had to remain in place to prevent a timer from starting. A timer from what, Berry was gonna find out.

Berry stepped pass the remains of what had once been a door, into the cottage. This cottage was slightly bigger than the one Berry woke up in. The cottage came with 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and a kitchen. The living room which she is in had a calm feeling, and Berry could hear a ticking somewhere. Berry’s eye caught something.

There was a steel platform that seemed to stick out from a wall on the other side of the room. It’s surface smooth and had no signs of rust anywhere. It reminded Berry of the planks that pirates used to make people walk the plank. The shape was rectangular and could easily hold a lot of weight. The platform was roughly 4 inches thick and around 2 feet long. This part of the room was separated from the rest of the living room by a single wall with a large glass pane and a door. But what Berry was staring at the figure standing on the platform. Her jaw dropped as she identified the figure as Rainbow Dash.

Teetering on the edge of the platform, Rainbow Dash stood, no doubt still unconscious but it wouldn’t be long before she woke up. Rainbow dash was about 2 inches away from the edge of the platform, but close enough to fall off if she were pushed. Dash’s hands were tied, tied to what, Berry couldn’t see. There was something around her neck that made Berry feel uneasy. Berry took one of the candles in the centre of the room and held it up to the glass pane and looked through. Berry gasped and let go of the candle, letting it drop to the ground, where it immediately burned out on impact.

The thing around Rainbow Dash’s neck was a rope, kind of like what Applejack uses to lasso in stubborn cattle. What was it called again? A moose? She glanced around the room and found an oil lamp on the floor, and used one of the candles to light it. She took the oil lamp by the handle and went to the door to the separated section of the living room. She tried the doorknob but it wouldn’t budge. She tried bucking, but with the same results. She looked around the room looking for anything that might open the door.

Berry’s eyes caught sight of something on the floor. She immediately recognised it as another note and set the oil lamp next to it. She squinted at the note. The oil lamp may have provided enough light to look through a glass pane, but it certainly wasn’t enough for Berry to read the note. Frustrated about how dark the room was, she threw one of the candles straight through a cottage window. The window shattered and light flooded the room as glass struck the oak wood floor. Satisfied, she turned her attention to the note.

Hello Berry, and welcome to your first test. There is a section of the living room you are in now that has your friend from last night. Rainbow Dash. She is here, because she has messed up her duties at the Weather Factory up in Cloudsdale. Though given the authority to increase rainfall in Equestria, she chose not to, and she just hung around instead of doing what she was supposed to do in the first place. Neglecting her duties had led to last week’s terrible drought that had notably affected many crops grown around Ponyville. As you may or may not know, Sweet Apple Acres had been supplying food to disaster-struck areas in certain parts of Equestria, thus helping in reducing the starvation happening, but due to the dramatically reduced rainfall, caused by your dear friend, food supplies have been cut. Stopping charity work and watching people die of hunger is not funny. But enough of that. Rainbow Dash is on a platform with a noose around her neck, and if you do not rescue her in 3 minutes, the platform will retract, and Rainbow Dash will be hung. The key to the door is located in one of the three boxes on the kitchen counter. However I must warn you, 2 of the boxes have needles in them and only one box is needle-free and contains the key. Watch your step, Berry.

Trembling, Berry looked up. The light in the room really helped her. She could see just about everything in the room. She picked up one of the candles and tried as hard as she could to break the glass pane by throwing it. The candle merely rebounded off the glass and landed on the floor. This is bad. She saw a clock hanging on the wall, showing the 3 minute countdown start before the retraction of the platform.She turned her head to the kitchen. It was dark in there. She took the oil lamp by its handle and proceeded to walk through to the kitchen.

There was light seeping in through cracks in the walls. At least Berry could see one of the boxes on the kitchen counter. Berry tried the handle of the door knob of the door into the kitchen. Realizing that the door was hinged outwards, she pulled on the door knob. How silly of me. She let out a sigh and took a step into the kitchen.

Time slowed down as Berry’s first forehoof into the kitchen caught a tripwire that was set. She grimly remembered the last line in the note.

Watch your step, Berry

She tried to pull back as an arrow sailed from the right through the air. Berry narrowly missed, but the arrow struck her oil lamp. It started to leak out some of the kerosene. Berry had let go of the oil lamp the exact moment the kerosene started to leak out. Striking the floor, the fuel chamber of the oil lamp burst and spread all over the floor. The kerosene ignited, and flames started to spread around the entrance of the kitchen.

Sensing that time was running out fast, she leaped through the flames into the kitchen. The door was engulfed within seconds. The light the flames provided gave her an all around view of the kitchen. There were overhead cabinets and counter cabinets as well. A fridge sat in the corner, slowly rusting due to lack of maintenance. I don’t think anyone would WANT to maintain such a place anyway. I mean, the place is nice and all, but why in such a secluded place? Feeling the heat approach, she turned her attention to the counter

Berry saw the 3 boxes on the counter, neatly lined up in a row. The boxes were made of steel, so that no one would be able to see through it. Knowing the flames would heat the boxes to unimaginable temperatures if she didn’t act quick, she stuck her left forehoof down the second box in the row.

Immediately she was met with stinging sensations all around her left hoof. She withdrew her hoof and winced at the pain. She could see needle marks all around her left hoof. She cried out as she pulled one of the needles sticking out of her hoof. Staring back at the flames quickly approaching, she bit her lip and continued to the third box. She stuck her left hoof in again, just in case it was another trapped box. She wouldn’t want both of her fore hooves to sting with every step she took. This time, there wasn’t any needles, and Berry could feel a key. She tried to yank it out of the box. Her hoof got stuck for a few seconds before she yanked it even harder. Her hoof came free and the box clattered to the ground. She turned around and ran towards the door.

She leaped through the growing flames as it started to completely engulf the kitchen. She rushed back to the living room and glanced at the clock on the wall. 30 seconds left. Berry galloped over to the door and tripped over the candle she threw at the glass pane. Shit! She got back up immediately and looked at the clock. 25 seconds left. That was when something she saw through the glass pane made her freeze in her tracks.

There, through the glass pane, in the separated part of the living room, Rainbow Dash, stood the same way she did on the platform. But she had streams of tears running down her face. The rainbow mane that covered the left half of her face was soaked with tears as Rainbow Dash cried. She was standing on her trembling hind legs, possibly thinking that this might be it. Berry didn’t think that Rainbow Dash could see her through the glass pane, but she sure as hell knew that Dash was aware of somepony’s presence. After all, a fire doesn’t just start, doesn’t it?

Rainbow Dash looked down to the floor beneath her. Her tears gently slid down her face, falling off her chin onto the floor. She could imagine what she could have done to get in this kind of situation. She thought long and hard when she woke up in this place, roughly 2 minutes ago according to the clock hanging on the wall. And it was in those 2 minutes that she really regretted what she had done. She remembered how it all started.

About 2 weeks ago, Rainbow Dash had been given a promotion at her sector in the Weather Factory. The Weather Factory was broken up into several sectors, hers being the rain and cloud sector. Because of the separation of sectors, sectors would often debate with each other, hoping to win the debate and decide what sort of weather Equestria would be having. Normally, the rain and cloud sector would win several of the debates and they’d have their rainy and cloudy days. But ever since Rainbow Dash had joined, most of the time the sunny sector would win the debate and there would be sunny days almost a whole week. No one in the sector did anything about it as they assumed that Rainbow Dash had kept losing the debates. With almost no rain, the crops in Ponyville died, and starvation plagued parts of Equestria. Rainbow Dash, being the manager of the rain and cloud sector, should have acted immediately and bring rain back to Equestria.

But she didn’t. She instead just slacked off on the job, and still got paid her usual 50-bit-per hour salary. Not to mention the fact that she slacks during her overtime. After raising enough bits, she bribed her way into the Wonderbolts and quit her job without appointing the next manager of the rain and cloud sector. This led to confusion and chaos around the Weather Factory as to who would be the manager. The time it took to select Rainbow Dash as manager certainly wasn’t a short time. She left the Weather Factory when she was supposed to improve things around Equestria with the power she had.

Instead she abused her power and chose to eat the money thrown and do as little as possible. She acted as if nothing was going on and continued to hang around with the Wonderbolts. The Wonderbolts themselves were oblivious to the chaos at the Weather Factory and the corruption within their ranks.

Then there was that party Pinkie had last night....

Dash had arrived at Sugarcube Corner rather late, and by the devil’s luck, bumped into Soarin’ as she was about to enter. The two greeted each other before having a slight chat. Soarin’ was wearing a tuxedo with a bowtie and had his mane combed back. Rainbow dash, who wore nothing at all, thought this was weird. She asked Soarin’ what was he all dressed up for.

He chuckled and said that he will explain if she were to join him for a quick glide around Ponyville. Dash nodded in curiosity and they both left. As Dash was staring up at the sky as she glided, Soarin’ started bringing up the topic about the lack of rain and clouds in Equestria. Dash, wanting to avoid this conversation, continued to glide ahead of Soarin’. This promted a race between Dash and Soarin’ back to Sugarcube corner. Soarin’ was ahead at first, but not soon after that he was overtaken by Dash. As Dash was leading, Soarin’ started slowing down. Dash called out to him over her shoulder, and heard Soarin’ saying that he was tired and will continue walking back. Dash felt tired as well and, fearing this to be one of Soarin’s trick to be in the lead, opted to glide instead of joining him.

As she glided to a stop outside Sugarcube Corner, she heard a noise around the corner she just turned. It had to be loud enough to catch her attention over the thunderous music coming from Sugarcube Corner. Dash assumed it was Soarin’ trying to sneak up on her and floated slowly around the corner. The moment she did so, she felt a sharp prickle in her neck, and she fell to the ground. The sharp prickle quickly turned into icy numbness as she slowly blacked out. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was the sight of Soarin’s dead eyes staring back at her.

Next thing she knew, she woke up here. She was devastated. The image of Soarin’ lying dead in front of her was permanently seared onto Dash’s brain. The icy numbness in her neck has been replaced with a throbbing pain. Feeling the urge to feel for injuries, she tried to lift her hooves. What the hell? She tried to move her hoovess, only to find that her hooves were tied. As the flames got nearer and nearer, Dash realised how close she was to the edge she quickly tried to move back.

Just then the door burst open and a plum Earth pony came racing in and jumping on the platform. Dash almost lost her balance, and could have fallen off the platform. Before Dash knew what was going on, the noose slid off her neck just as the platform beneath them retracted, sending both Dash and Berry crashing to the floor.

One key unlocks all

As Berry slowly got up, she felt a pain in her side. After she fell to the ground with Rainbow Dash when the platform retracted, Berry assumed that she was through her first test. This was true, however, if she hadn’t start a fire, she wouldn’t have enough light to see in the kitchen. She remembered the crossbow that shot the arrow that pierced the fuel chamber of the oil lamp before she dropped it.

Watch your step, Berry

Dash was unconscious from hitting the floor, as Berry could see. She made haste and carried Dash on her back just as the inferno was starting to spread to parts of the living room. She hightailed out of the room and dashed out the front door. Dash fell off her back a couple of times before Berry could get her out the door. She stepped carefully past the remains of the door and galloped out onto the dirt path in front of the cottage. She lay Dash down on the ground in front of the cottage and galloped back in to pickup the note left on the floor.

Berry looked frantically around the room, trying to see where the note could have gone. What seemed like an hour later, she saw the note where she had left it right before heading towards the kitchen. She quickly picked the note up. As she turned around, the fire had grown in intensity and had weakened part of the cottage’s infrastructure. Already the ceiling in the kitchen had started collapsing. A section of the ceiling had fallen onto one of the trap boxes and sent the needles inside spraying out in all directions. It was by luck that Berry had missed one darting right above her head. Knowing time is running out, she ran for the door.

Suddenly, part of the ceiling collapsed and sealed the front door. The now raging inferno was approaching. A bead of sweat ran down Berry’s head. The rubble sealing the front door would certainly take a long time to dig out, and by then, she’d be burnt to a crisp. Remembering the window she had broken with a candle earlier, she considered jumping out of the window. Noting her injured left fore hoof, she carefully stepped through the hole she made in the window. She barely made it when the ceiling above the window caved in.

Dusting rubble off her coat, she turned her attention to Rainbow Dash, who still lay unconscious on the ground, oblivious to the burning cottage. Berry sighed. She’s really gonna need help from Rainbow Dash if a situation needs her helping with. She hung her head and stared at the ground, thinking of what else she can do. The next thing that came to mind was to find another note related to another test, but she couldn’t just abandon Rainbow Dash here. She undid her bound hooves. She had to wait till she got up.

Or.....

Berry looked around for any source of water. Disappointed when she didn’t find any, she tried to find another way to wake up. Berry was relieved just as a storm cloud came thundering by. As the cloud shed it’s load, the blazing inferno in the cottage started shrinking, and petered out not soon after. Dash slowly regained her consciousness as Berry watched over her. The sound of thunder crackled in the sky. The dark storm clouds had cast a lower colour saturation to the land. Berry was surprised to even see rainfall. Maybe the Weather Factory had employed another manager in the rain and cloud section to try and settle the problem. No doubt they were successful, but this storm was rather heavier than the usual rainfall in Ponyville.

Berry looked back at the cottage. The straw roof had been lost in the blaze, so there really wasn’t anything stopping the rain from entering the house. Pretty much everything inside was burnt to soot, at least, that’s what Berry could see. She flicked off her wet mane to the side of her head. She hated how her mane covered her face when it got wet. She was about to venture into the charred remains of the cottage, when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

Berry turned to face a remorseful Rainbow Dash.

“You know, I really can’t thank you enough for saving me from the fire just now.” Dash’s hoof was rubbing the back of her head as she spoke. “I can pretty much understand why this happened to me.” She gave a sad smile.

Berry just smiled back. She didn’t really know what to say to Dash, so she just continued advancing into the cottage.

“Hey! Take me with you!” Berry turned around as Rainbow Dash flew behind her. Berry said nothing, and continued, with Dash following behind her. Part of the walls had collapsed, enabling Berry to enter without having to go through the window again. The storm was fading slowly, fading into a drizzle. By the looks of the storm clouds, Berry and Dash could tell that it was still gonna rain heavily later, as the second storm cloud was readily rolling down toward them.

Berry had come back to the living room to look for anything that she might provide her with any leads to the next test. Rainbow Dash flew above, giving her an aerial view of the cottage. The roof wasn’t blocking the view, not that there was any part of it left, so she could see through to the other rooms as well. Berry had found nothing, except for the candles that were still lit in the middle of the living room. Unicorn magic.

Berry walked over to the first bedroom to the west of the kitchen’s entrance. The door was burnt, but still standing. She doubted the door was locked, but she bucked the door anyway. She expected the worse, but there were no traps laid out for her this time. Inside the bedroom was a bed, a bedside table with 2 drawers, a wardrobe, a couple of unharmed chairs and an obviously useless clock, seemingly melted onto the wall. The wardrobe was the back part of the room, facing the door while the bed filled the middle part of the room. She headed over to the bedside table.

She pulled open the bedside table drawer with her right hoof and was happy to see bandages. At last she could bandage her injury. She sat on the burnt bed and wrapped her hoof with bandages. She took extra bandages just in case. Pushing through the other stuff inside the and found a mini kit, with a bottle of morphine and syringe inside. Seeing nothing much she could take, she went ahead to the second drawer. Opening it up, she found something that could really help her out if she were in trouble.

It seemed to be knife of some sort. It was kind of weird, as it was designed to be worn on the hoof. It could have been a switchblade. It had a leather sole, making it wearable like one of those leather shoes that designer ponies make. One could just extend their forehoof out and the blade would deploy. There was also a trigger inside the shoe, which can be set of by moving the hoof in circular motion, kind of like waving a magic wand. What the trigger did, Berry was eager to find out. She fitted it on and waved her hoof in a circular motion.

The blade shot out of its hilt and safely embedded itself into the clay wall. Berry was dumbfounded. She can use this for later. She carefully picked the blade out of the wall, and refitted it into the hilt. Taking off the leather shoe, she kept it in her saddlebag. Looking through the drawer again, she found another note.

Dear Berry/Rainbow Dash,

If either of you have found this note along with this fine weapon in the drawer, then I am sure that you might be aware of the stakes involved in my tests. You see, some of the ….wrongdoers are actually quite dangerous, and might require certain measures to be subdued. Most of the ponies here are undergoing their own tests. Should they be successful, and should you be lucky, you might have an extra ally alongside. But can you differentiate friend from foe?

Berry blinked. She read the note one more time.

Dear Berry/Rainbow Dash

So this madpony actually though Rainbow Dash would make it through. No surprise if she did though, her hands weren’t tied and she could easily have slid the noose off.

Berry shook her head. But then why didn’t she...? Rainbow Dash had been conscious when Berry came back. How could she not notice the noose around her neck even after waking up? Berry was starting to ponder what was wrong with Rainbow Dash. She’ll have to ask her later. Certainly a pegasus of her physique could undue her bonds without trouble, right?

Berry was just about to open the wardrobe when Rainbow Dash’s shout of warning trailed her off. Berry looked up at Dash. Dash fluttered her wings and flew down to warn Berry.

“Lucky you didn’t open the wardrobe” Dash gave a sigh of relief.

“What?”

“You know what, just keep down and I’ll show you. Move to the side of the wardrobe.” With that Dash took one of the chairs and placed it in front of her. Berry barely had enough time to dive to the side when Dash bucked the chair into the wardrobe. Before the chair struck the wardrobe, Dash had already flown to a nearby cloud. When the chair hit the wardrobe, the doors of the wardrobe had sprung open and two arrows had been fired out.

Berry leapt to the side just as one of the arrows ricocheted in her direction. The other arrow had embedded itself into the charred clay wall, while the one that almost killed Berry struck the bed.

Berry’s heart was pounding as she slowly got up. If Rainbow Dash hadn’t seen that coming, Berry would have been dead by now. And so will the other ponies.... She certainly had to be more careful next time. Peeping into the wardrobe, she eyed the mechanism which fired the arrows. The doors of the wardrobe had been rigged to spring open, apparently due to the pressure sensitive hinges of the door. Or maybe the perpetrator modified it to be that way. But then again, wardrobes aren’t supposed to just spring open. Except....

Berry had remembered that a store in Ponyville had sold wardrobes that could open just by pressing one of the doors. Magnets, Berry guessed, had helped well for those who could pull the handle. The handles don’t even make sense anyway. One can just push the door inward slowly, and the door would spring open. This had resulted in the occasional muzzlebleed, and was thus regarded as an inconvenience to many. Sales went sour and the store had discontinued the sales of such wardrobes. Berry wondered, if this might be one of them.

But then again, those ones aren’t supposed to fire arrows.... Upon closer inspection of the firing mechanisms, Berry saw that strings attached to the triggers would be pulled when the doors of the wardrobes sprung open, thus firing the arrow. However, this wardrobe had 2 arrows fired, which probably meant this was meant to kill, or there was something inside there that could be useful to Berry.

The wardrobe had 4 inner drawers. Berry went through all of them. 3 of them were empty, however, the fourth one had a note and a little box. Berry read through the note. It appeared to be a list of some sort.

Office

3 4 Basement

Lake

1 Key unlocks all.

Berry was confused, but she kept the note for later. Maybe I should check the office later. Berry eyed the little wooden box in the corner of the drawer. She took it out and put it on the bed. A little red ribbon had been tied into a cute little butterfly knot. Berry pulled the ribbon, and the knot was undone. She kept the ribbon, just in case, and turned her attention back to the box.

Berry slowly lifted the lid, and found a gold key, surrounded by little round pearls. She gazed in awe at the beauty. Berry shook her head a few times, and kept the box in her saddlebag. She wondered if the key mentioned in the note was the key that would unlock all. Whatever all meant. With nothing else Berry could use, she left the room and prepared to enter the second bedroom.

Berry stepped into the hallway, and saw the second bedroom door open. Rainbow Dash called out to Berry.

“Hey Berry!” Dash shouted. “This room is empty!”

Berry walked through the door and saw that, indeed, the room was empty. Dash was looking around the room, trying to at least find something. The walls of the second bedroom had completely collapsed, so any hope of finding anything in the room was slim.

“Hey Dash, I don’t think we’ll find anything in here. I mean look at this place, it’s a mess.”

“Well who knows, we might actually miss something important if we don’t go through everything thoroughly”

Berry couldn’t argue with that, but she knew that time was something she could note was. Berry took the watch out of her saddlebag, and laid it in front of her. 11.43 am. Well, I guess I can spare some time searching this room. She kept the watch, and joined Dash in digging out the rubble. They dug for what seemed like half an hour, before coming to the conclusion that, indeed, there was nothing in the room but just rubble.

“Let’s go. We don’t have much time” Berry could already feel the rain pour again.

Just then Dash exclaimed in surprise, “Hey wait! I think I found something!” She carefully dragged out a chest with her teeth and brought it out into the hall. Good eyes, Dash. Berry thought to herself.

The box was locked. Berry took out one of the screwdrivers from her saddlebag and used it to take out the screws in the hinges. After all the screws were taken off, Berry and Dash lifted the lid in unison. What they found next, could potentially change their journey throughout the meadow in hope of rescuing others.

The photographs

Rainbow Dash said nothing, as she stared into the pictures of her dear friends. Berry held another 3 photographs of other ponies. Inside the box, other than the pictures, was a note, stating the location of each of the photographed ponies. Looks like I have another 8 more to save. Berry sighed deeply. Dash was silent as she went through the photos of her friends. They’re here too? Wonder what’ve they done to get themselves here.

Berry went through the 3 pictures of the other ponies. She had only recognised one of them in the picture. At the Great Galloping Gala two months back, she was part of a quartet that played the music during the party. Berry remembered her very well. Pinkie Pie had mimicked her actions by grabbing the cellist’s hoof and sawing back and forth on the cello violently before letting go of her. The photograph was of her walking down a street in Canterlot, with a cello case on her back. Berry could see great detail in the photograph, and saw the mare’s treble clef cutie mark. The mare was staring straight at the camera.

Octavia... Berry shook her head. She turned her attention to the other 2 photographs. One was a photograph of a unicorn sitting on a bench. The unicorn had a seafoam green coat and a lyre as a cutie mark. Berry was sure that she’d seen the unicorn several times around Ponyville with another mare. Berry never really had time to acquaint herself with everyone else in Ponyville. The other photograph was of a pegasus. The image was blurry so Berry couldn’t really see much about it. She could only make out the flame-orange mane.

Berry eyed the note. Every photograph had a number marked at the bottom right part of the photograph. And every number was matched to a certain location within the meadow. Two extra locations were also written onto the note.

Assembly hall
Cafeteria’s kitchen

That would mean that I’d have to go everywhere around this meadow to get them. Or so she thought. Whether or not if the note was meant to throw her off the trail, she’ll just have to wait and see.

Berry turned to face Rainbow Dash, who was moving a hoof through the pictures. Judging by the frown on Dash’s face, Berry could tell that she was worrying about what they did wrong, instead of worrying on what to do next.

Berry spoke up. “You okay there, girl?”

Dash looked up from the photographs. “I just woke up in a cottage that was already burning with a piece of rope around my neck, only to wake up 10 minutes later under a storm cloud. And now I’m here staring at the photographs of my dearest friends and you ask me if I’m okay? I’m just peachy.” Dash’s tone was sour.

Berry held back for a moment before speaking. She could have asked why Dash didn’t just break free of her bonds and escape.

“Hold on there. Is that your way of speaking to the pony who saved your flank? You had a noose around your neck and you could have broken free of the ropes tying your hooves.”

“Alright listen here. When I woke up, the first thing I thought of was about what happened last night at Pinkie’s party. Did you know I bumped into Soarin’ from the Wonderbolts? No I think not. You were probably getting wasted inside Sugarcube Corner.”

“Yeah, like you would even care about what I was doing last night.”

Dash sighed. “Anyway, last night before I could go in, I bumped into Soarin’. He was all dressed up for Celestia knows what. Then we chatted a bit. Soarin’s tux made me wonder where he was going. So I asked him. He told me if I wanted to know I’d have to race him to find out. I wasn’t surprised to be much swifter than he was, but when he started slowing down I thought he was trying to trick me into slowing down as well.”

Dash breathed out heavily before continuing. “So yeah I made it to Sugarcube Corner first. Honestly, the music coming from that place was just deafening. I wonder how you can cope with that. Anyway, I heard a noise and assumed it was Soarin’ trying to creep up on me, so I just played along. Then out of nowhere I felt a sharp pain in my neck before blacking out. You know what was the last thing I saw? My teammate, Soarin’, lying dead in front of me.” Dash’s voice cracked in the last sentence and tears started streaming down her face.

Berry was no kind of counsellor, but she knew that she had to console Dash somehow. Berry was afraid that she might make Dash feel worse, and that she’ll end up flying off.That would mean losing a potential asset in rescuing the others. Berry patted Rainbow Dash on the back.

Dash looked up with tearful eyes. Berry looked at her with a sad smile. “He may have been your teammate, but does that mean that you’ve lost your whole world along with him? You have other friends that are in trouble. So why cry for what is lost when you can fight for something before it’s gone?”

Dash wiped her tears away and nodded at Berry. She felt somewhat better after hearing Berry’s words. Soarin’ may have been an important part of the team, but that didn’t mean that he can’t be replaced. After all, the Wonderbolts weren’t honest ponies. I should have learned that when I knew that I could bribe her way into joining the Wonderbolts. I probably would be better off without the Wonderbolts.

Dash smiled at Berry, her eyes full of new commitment. Berry smiled back. “Now let’s get going. It’s almost 1pm. Keep those photographs in my saddlebag and we can go check out the office.”
Dash complied. As she was about to pick up the photos, Dash let out a cry of warning to Berry. Berry turned around just in time to avoid a blow from an earth pony. The colt had a brown mane with a light grey coat with a hammer and an anvil as a cutie mark. He seemed to have device wrapped around his neck, with a harpoon gun attached to the front, the harpoon directly below his jaw. The straps holding the device were attached to a leather vest the colt was wearing, secured in place by a single metal padlock.

The colt was about to deal a second blow when Rainbow Dash bucked the colt in the face. The colt stumbled back, dazed from the blow. Before Dash could deal any extra damage, the colt had already gotten up and was charging towards her. Dash flew skyward as the colt charged past her. She flew back down with one of her rear legs stretched outward, aiming for the colt’s jaw. The colt merely bucked her midflight and Dash went stumbling backwards, onto her back.

“GIVE ME THE KEYYYYYY!” The colt shouted as she attempted to charge Dash again. This time, Berry stepped in with the knife from her cottage earlier. The colt was unfazed as he charged at Berry. Berry slashed the knife around, hoping to at least injure the colt. Berry missed the colt on her first slash, but managed to nick him on the cheek the second time.

The colt took a step back, feeling the stinging sensation in his cheek. However, he recovered his posture not soon after. Dash got up and went skyward one more time, hoping to try another aerial kick. Somewhere nearby, a beeping noise could be heard.

Beep Beep Beep

Rainbow Dash made a flyby and bucked the colt right in the face, but he didn’t flinch. He grabbed Rainbow Dash and flung her a few feet away from Berry. Berry gave up and just threw her knife at the colt, hoping to get at least one more injury on him before he could try anything else. Berry’s hoof was bleeding profusely from the adrenaline flowing through her whole body.

The beeping noise intensified, and Berry wondered if she was the only one that could hear it. The knife clattered on the ground in front of the colt. Oh Celestia I’m so screwed.... As Berry stared at the colt picking up the knife, she noticed the colt’s collar had four flashing lights. And with each passing second the lights flashed faster, matching the rhythm of the beeping noise. The colt raised the knife.

“Gitth me derr key!” The lights on the collar flashed a few more times before it stopped flashing and the beeping noise stopped.

The device around the colt’s neck started moving. The harpoon gun cocked and the colt stared defiantly at Berry. The look in his eyes were of pure regret and disappointment.

The weapon discharged, firing the harpoon through the colt’s jaw, straight through his skull. However, the harpoon didn’t make it out all the way, only the head of the harpoon made it all the way through the colt’s head. Blood had sprayed in all directions, some even getting onto Dash and Berry. The harpoon got stuck on it’s way out. Not that it mattered anyway, the colt collapsed to the ground seconds later, dying on the spot from his injury. His leg twitched as he was no longer in control of his bladder. Pieces of skull and brain matter were strewn around the colt as the pungent smell of blood and urine started to fill the air.

Berry repulsed and tried her best not to throw up. Rainbow Dash, who had seen the whole thing, was however, unmoved by what she had just witnessed.

“Good Celestia that’s just disturbing!” Berry wiped a spot of blood from her neck.

“Serves him right for attacking us without reason”. Dash’s tone was cold.

Berry looked over at Dash with a look of surprise. How can she not be moved even by the slightest bit by what just happened? Berry sighed. Well it’s best to get going now before anything else happens.

“Um... Dash?” Dash turned to face Berry. “You got some blood on your wing.”

Dash turned around, and saw that in fact, the blood of that son-of-a-buck was on her left wing. She brushed it off, and turned to look at the colt one more time.

The ground beneath the colt’s head had turned crimson from all the blood pouring out. His dead eyes were staring at nothing in particular, but the dead stare gave Berry shivers down her spine.

“Hey is that a note?” Berry tried to look close at the colt’s vest. Sure enough, there was another note left behind, but this wasn’t for Berry or Dash. It was written for the colt, who was oblivious Berry picking up the note from his leather vest. The hoof writing matched the ones on the other notes that Berry had found.

Hello Iron Anvil. I want to play a game. For many years, you have made the armour and the weaponry of the Royal Guard, serving her Majesty, Princess Celestia, and the Royal Equestrian Military. However, recently, you have had trouble keeping up with the profits of your labour, so you found a way on making weapons and armour with reduced quality but still look the same as the genuine weapons and armours you had made before. This may have saved you a few extra bits, but what you have done, did not save a few extra lives in the wars around Equestria. You see, before your selfish act, the armours had great durability. But now, with what you’ve done, enemies of Equestria have no problem breaching the armour with a a few mediocre slashes and bashes.

You are probably aware of the leather vest you are wearing, along with a heavy weapon around your neck, hence making it hard for you to get up. The device you are wearing is what I call the “harpoon vest trap”. In fifteen minutes, you will have to find a key to the padlock securing your vest, for if you don’t, the harpoon gun underneath your jaw will discharge, and fire through your skull. Now, the quality of the harpoon is very good compared to the ones you make, so rest assured, it will be a quick, painless death. Let the games begin.

Berry’s eye twitched. Now this is just crazy. Berry remembered something from the note she picked up in the bedroom of the burnt down cottage.

You see, some of the ….wrongdoers are actually quite dangerous, and might require certain measures to be subdued. Luckily for Berry, she didn’t have to use the special knife she found. She doubted that pulling out a blade from a colt would be easy. Most of the ponies here are undergoing their own tests. Berry paused. Well that explains the note. Berry took out the note from the bedroom out of her saddlebag and read the last line. Should they be successful, and should you be lucky, you might have an extra ally alongside. But can you differentiate friend from foe? Berry frowned. Screw that, he would have killed us to get whatever the hell he wanted. Then something came across Berry’s mind. What had the colt said earlier?

“Give me the keyyy!” Was he talking about the key I found? Berry turned her head around and reached for her gold key. Fitting it carefully into the padlock, as if fearing the colt would get back up and bludgeon Dash and Berry to death, Berry turned the key in the lock, and the padlock opened. Berry drew back. Celestia Damn it....

1 Key unlocks all. Was this the key that the note meant?

“HEY BERRY!!” Berry jumped. She turned to face Dash, who was looking at her with an annoying expression on her face. “Let’s get going, judging by your watch it’s already 1.30.” Berry nodded, and kept the gold key back in her saddlebag.

Berry kept the note, and walked alongside Dash, on their way to the office, where Berry’s next test will be held....

Author's note : I'm sorry it took so long for me to post this. Been busy since my birthday yesterday and I still have lots of other things to do >.> But rest assured Chapter 5 will be released in the next few days.

Twilight's Test

Twilight Sparkle woke up in a dark room with a bruise on the back of her head. She groaned in pain as she rubbed the back of her head. Her four hooves felt heavy and so did her neck. She tried moving around the room, trying to get a hint of her location. She shined her horn around the room for a moment before she heard beeping.

Beep Beep Beep

Twilight tried to locate the source of the beeping by shining her horn around the room one more time. She was met with a sharp stabbing sensation in her left forehoof. She cringed in pain as her horn stopped shining. As soon as that happened the beeping had stopped. The beeping started once again when she shined her horn around the room again. She stopped at once, and started inspecting her left forehoof. That was when she felt something wrapped around her forehoof. She rubbed her other forehoof and found that there was another one wrapped around it. She sat up straight and felt her rearhooves. Both of them had something wrapped around it. Leather straps, with sharp needles sticking out of them.

Twilight re-lit her horn and shone the light on her left forehoof. Immediately the beeping started and Twilight could see the lights flashing on her leather straps. Before she had time to put out the light from her horn, another needle had been buried inself into Twilight’s left forehoof. Twilight bit her lip, trying to keep herself from screaming. What the hell is going on here? Blood started streaming out of the leather strap around Twilight’s left forehoof.

This is bad. Twilight had shone her horn around the room only a couple of times, but it was enough for her to see a bit of her surroundings. She tried to shine it one more time, but stopped right after the beeping started. The beeping is coming from these leather straps. The flashing lights probably reinforce the notion. She had to find out how long it would take for the beeping to continue before another needle buried itself into her. Twilight frowned. Which means I’ll have to do this one more time.

Lighting up her horn one more time, Twilight had a full view of the room she was in. The beeping intensified and the lights on her leather straps flashed. Twilight recognised the room as an office. But an office where, she had no idea. The room was one huge cube, with it’s four corners visible in Twilight’s light. There were 2 tables in the middle of the room. Both of the tables had leather seat chairs, though one of the tables had it’s chair overturned. Twilight noticed an oil lantern on one of the tables before another needle buried itself into her forehoof. This one had gone straight through a nerve, and Twilight shouted out loud as her horn dimmed out. A tear escaped her right eye as the pain got more and more unbearable. Never again.

Three seconds. Three seconds is all it takes for the beeping to make the needles sink into me. Then Twilight came to a realization. She lit her horn again. The beeping sound confirming her fears. Every time I light my horn or use magic, the beeping starts. Twilight felt useless at realizing this. Twilight lit her horn one more time, only to dim it out two seconds later. Well, at least there’s one way around this. She walked over to the office table with the oil lantern and lit it with her horn. The oil lantern lit and Twilight was able to once more have a full view of the room she was in.

Blood streamed out of Twilight’s leather strap. I can take care of that wound but.... Twilight knew that her reconstruction spell would take more than three seconds. She wasn’t sure if stopping her spells halfway and picking up where she left would help her hoof recover properly. She might even mess it up terribly and worsen her wounds. Twilight looked around the room. She could see clearly around the room now.

The room was a indeed, just a huge cube. A single metal door seemed to be the only entrance and exit into the room. Twilight took the oil lantern by the handle and walked over to the door. She tried the handle, but the door wouldn’t budge. It seems that it was locked from the outside. Twilight tried unlocking the lock outside using her horn, but the beeping started again and before another needle could bury itself into Twilight’s hoof, she stopped.

Twilight inspected her leather straps. She inspected her left forehoof. The leather strap was like a brace around her hoof. 3 of the 8 needles attached to the leather brace had already been embedded into her hoof. At the front of a brace, a single metal padlock seemed to be the only thing keeping the brace from opening. The leather brace on her right forehoof, however, still had all 8 needles sticking out. She sat upright against a wall and saw that her rearhooves were in a similar situation. But as she looked down at her rearhooves, she saw what seemed to be a collar around her neck.

Panicked, she felt the collar around her neck. The collar was similar to the leather braces around her hooves, except this one had 12 needles sticking out the front, in a semicircular fashion. Now frantic, Twilight tried removing the needles on the collar, completely forgetting about the risk she was taking by using magic. In 6 seconds, Twilight had pulled out 3 of the needles on the collar before noticing that another 2 needles had gone into her left forehoof. She collapsed in the pain and tried to slow her bleeding.

Luckily for her, none of the needles had managed to pierce an artery. Yet. The bleeding slowed, but a section of the carpet and the wall Twilight was leaning against was already stained with blood. Twilight sighed. Tears were rolling down the sides of her cheeks as she contemplated about her fate. She lifted her left forehoof and started waving it back and forth in front of her, as if to put herself into a trance, saying that her hoof is fine. Her tears stopped flowing, and she started getting up.

She wiped the tears from her face, and carefully walked over to the table with the overturned chair, trying not to set her injured hoof down. The table top was a mess of papers and ink blotches, as if a filly had somehow gotten hold of a bottle of ink and decided to have some fun. Amidst the mess of papers on the table, Twilight saw a square yellow note with her name written on top of it. She set the lantern on the table and read the note.

Hello Twilight, I want to play a game. How are your studies going? Especially since you’ve found a book during your visit to the Royal Library in Canterlot. Does the princess know of the book’s disappearance? I’m sure she would be aware, since it’s in a hard to reach place. Has witchcraft turned out well for you Twilight? Oh yes, I know all about the witchcraft and what not you’ve learned from the forbidden book. That tornado outbreak in Appleloosa had cost the little town thousands and thousands of bits. There was money left yes, but after repairs and what not, there was hardly any money left in the city fund. This led to the increase in taxes. Several of the residents have already been thrown in jail for tax evasion.

I’m sure you are aware of the leather braces around your hooves and your neck. It’s probably the first thing you’ll notice when you use your magic for longer than 3 seconds. That would mean that without using your magic, you’re safe. However.... the collar you have on is on a timer. The moment you walk out of this room, you’ll have 3 hours to look for the key to unlock your collar. For if you don’t, the needles sticking out of the collar will all penetrate your neck at the same time, severing all arteries and nerves, leaving you paralyzed and bleeding to death.The key will also unlock the leather braces around your hooves, but if the needles are already in, then they will stay there. There are also certain tools in this room and along the way that you can use to your advantage. But once your collar and the leather braces are off, do not think that everything is over. Your friends will need your help as well.

That last sentence made Twilight’s blood freeze. The others are here as well? Twilight understood why she was here, but why the others? She left the note and went to the table drawers. The first drawer on the left had nothing, but the second one had a key. Twilight took it out eagerly and tried it on her left hoof’s leather strap. It didn’t fit, so she tried the rest, with the same results. She laid the key down on the table. Her blood had smudged the key a bit, so she wiped it off with one of the papers on the table.

One single word on the paper caught her attention. The word “Lyra” was scrawled in the top left corner. Twilight’s bloody hoof print in the centre of the paper had, fortunately stained nothing else, not that there WAS anything else on the paper. Twilight focused on the word. Lyra..... The word seemed familiar to her, but she wasn’t sure where she’d heard of it from. Twilight went through another paper on the table. Immediately, Twilight remembered that Lyra wasn’t something, but somepony. The paper she was staring at had a black and white photograph taped to it.

The unmistakable pose the unicorn did on a bench that no other ponies did was what Twilight caught first. Normally ponies would sit on all fours whilst on a bench. But this unicorn had her 2 rearhooves stretched out in front of her, sitting in a similar fashion as a bear, only bears don’t sit on benches. Though the photograph was in black and white, Twilight could remember what colour Lyra’s coat was. Seafoam green... The photograph was taken in a way that the unicorn didn’t even know she was having her picture taken. But what stood out most was the unicorn’s cutie mark. After Twilight had seen it, she remembered Lyra very clearly. The unicorn with the Lyre cutie mark had been Twilight’s only friend while she was still studying in Canterlot many many months ago. Lyra had since then visited Ponyville a few times, but has never stopped by the library to talk to Twilight. The last time Twilight had heard from Lyra was when Lyra wrote a letter to Twilight telling her how much she missed her and that she finally got a job as a musician at Princess Celestia’s castle during The Great Harvest Moon celebration.

Sweet, sweet memories came back to Twilight as she once again broke down in tears right there on the floor. The times that she had spent with Lyra was just too much for Twilight to bear. While she was in Canterlot, Twilight had done nothing but study and read up on new things. Lyra would drop by Twilight’s place very, very often to help her out with things that she wasn’t clear with. Especially music related topics. Twilight remembered the first time Lyra had helped her out with the violin Princess Celestia had given her. She had played it beautifully under the guidance of Lyra. Twilight still kept the violin in a case in her room, with Lyra’s message engraved into the violin’s underside.

I heard you’re moving to Ponyville. Sad I have to stay here. Just remember that I’ll always be with you Twilight, forever in your heart, as you are in mine.

-Lyra

Twilight had to press on, she got up once more and wiped her eyes. She searched through the another paper, which revealed a location and a message.

Lake. She doesn’t have much time.

Twilight went through all the other papers, but they were all blank. Twilight took the note, and the 3 papers on the table and the key, and laid in on the table with the upright chair. She turned and went back to the table with the overturned chair and started opening the drawers on the right. The first drawer yielded another key and a small bottle of a chemical Twilight knew very well. Cyanide. She had tested out the effects of cyanide on rats before. Immediately after ingestion of cyanide, the rats would go into convulsions before dying. There was something else in the drawer. What the?

Twilight lifted out a small tube that resembled the chocolate sticks dipped in even more chocolate down at Sugarcube Corner. She set it down on the table and took out a small box from the drawer. Inside the box, were darts that could be used to fire at people using the small tube. Twilight had read about this somewhere, but she wasn’t sure where. I think this is called a blowtube. She set the stuff down on the mess of papers before opening the second drawer.

Inside the second drawer, Twilight could see a blank piece of paper inside, and thought nothing of it until the oil lantern suddenly went out. Twilight was still looking into the drawer when that happened, but when it did happen she saw something that she would have missed if the lantern was still on. On the blank paper, written in glow in the dark ink, which was really hard to make due to the rarity of the items needed, was the names of her friends, with descriptions of the devices and traps that they were going through. She re-lit the oil lantern and took the paper out of the drawer. Putting it with the rest of the stuff, she looked around the room for something to bring the stuff with. Noting a saddlebag in the corner, Twilight took it, and put her items inside.

4 pieces of paper, blowtube with cyanide, and 2 keys. And that’s just from one table. She went over to the other one, only to find it without any drawers. Twilight tried using the key that she found in the right drawer on her left forehoof’s leather brace. The key fitted the hole, and the leather brace came off. She then tried it on the rest, but they didn’t seem to come off. So now I’m walking around with a vulnerable hoof. Brilliant. Just Brilliant. She kept the other brace in her bag just in case, and used the key she just used to open the door. It didn’t budge. She took out the bloodstained key from her saddlebag and unlocked the door. Looking back to see that nothing was left behind, she quickly left the room, only to have fear crawling back into her blood stream.

The moment she left the room, the beeping started, along with the flashing lights, and the 3 hour timer started counting down.

The Office

Berry and Rainbow Dash were on their way to the office when Berry asked Dash a question.

“Hey Dash, about just now... me asking about you not breaking your bonds and escaping? Will you forgive me for that? I mean, I knew it was a personal question and all but I was just curious.” Berry looked down at the ground in front of her, trying to avoid eye contact.

There was a moment of silence between the two as they continued walking before Rainbow Dash answered. “I’ve done a lot of things that are really really messed up, but not breaking my bonds was probably the worst thing I had ever done.” She stopped, sat down on the ground and looked up at the sky. The rain had started to fall again as she gazed up at the dark clouds above. As the rain once more showered the land, Berry sat down next to Dash, wondering what she could be thinking of now.

Before Berry could raise a question, Rainbow Dash sighed, and turned to Berry. “Yeah, I guess I can forgive you. After all, I just came to my senses when that thing I was standing on disappeared.” Berry was wondering if Dash even knew what was happening just now. But one thing’s for sure. At least she isn’t being her usual self anymore. I could get used to her being grateful all the time. Berry smiled at Dash, though she was sure she wasn’t looking.

“I guess I was kinda selfish just now. I’m the one who should be asking for your forgiveness. It’s just....” Dash’s voice trailed off.

“Yes?” Berry wanted to hear what she had to say about what happened just now. If she could find out anything about who could be doing this, Berry could start off with Rainbow Dash and what she thinks. What Rainbow Dash said though, wasn’t what Berry was hoping for.

“I think I owe you an explanation for all this happening to m-” Berry raised a hoof to silence Rainbow Dash.

“Yes, I forgive you. But first, let’s settle what we have to first. Time’s ticking.” Which was true. Berry and Rainbow Dash had been walking for half an hour before the first word of the conversation was even said. They hadn’t noticed the time. 2:05pm. They were nearing the office when Dash asked Berry another question.

“That note just now. There was another one in the bedroom with the rigged wardrobe. I’m just wondering if there’s anymore that you’ve found.” Berry felt that it might not be the proper time to show her the rest of the notes that she had picked up along the way, but opted to only show her one note. The one Berry found in the living room of the now charred cottage. She took it out of her saddlebag, and set it down on the ground before Rainbow Dash. Dash scanned the note slowly, then reread it. With every passing word, her pupils grew. She inhaled sharply, and let out a deep exhale before facing Berry.

“So I guess you know a lot now, huh?” Dash hung her head. What else could she do? She’s done a lot of things she knew was wrong, but went on anyway, ignoring her conscience. She had wanted to join the Wonderbolts ever since she was a little filly, and was desperate enough to pull out all the stops in order to join them. It was her own selfishness that had gotten her here in the first place, and now, she must learn to let go of selfishness before it expands anymore.

Berry said nothing. Thinking over what was written in the note. If what’s written on the note is true about Rainbow Dash, then the other notes that she’s bound to find would most probably be true as well. But how does this pony even GET this kind of information?

“Oh hey, we’re here already.” Dash looked up and, indeed, they were there. The assembly hall had once been a place for plays and shows not too long ago. Her majesty, Princess Celestia had even held Princess Luna’s birthday once. But to Berry and Dash, it had all seemed to have happened very long ago. The cafeteria now lay in a dilapidated state as nopony came by to maintain the place. The cafeteria door’s had broken windows and grafittis from the previous ‘residents’. Among the things written, the most eye-catching thing were big red letters sprayed onto the doors spelling out:

Down with Celestia

We want Luna !

Berry facehoofed. Honestly, the two sisters were really no different from each other other than colour and size. Both of them think the same way but ponies keep trying to split them up. The staircase that led to the offices occupying the two floors above the assembly hall was dusty and dirty from lack of use. In the dust, there were clear hoofprint impressions left behind. Rainbow Dash pointed this out to Berry. She nodded and Dash, and the two decided to take the stairs upwards.

Careful not to set off any potential traps that could hinder their progress, they made it to the first floor. The first floor had a steel door that acted as a border between the staircase and the office floor. Berry tried the handle. The door wasn’t locked, luckily for them. Berry pushed the door slowly, just in case there were any more traps waiting for them. There weren’t any. Stepping onto the carpeted floor of the hallways, this floor much resembled a hotel hallway than an office. Offices were separated from other offices via walls, the same way hotels separated room from room.

The moment Rainbow Dash got fully past the door, the door slammed shut behind them, and Dash heard some sort of mechanism start to vibrate. Before the Berry and Dash knew what was happening, the door locked itself. Probably motion sensitive. Little deadbolts started to seal themselves at the door. Surprised, Dash started bucking the door, hoping to break it down, to no success. Succeeding in getting sore rearhooves, Berry gave Dash a facehoof.

“I believe this is to make sure we stay and complete the next test. I think I saw a name or two of some pony who’s supposed to be here.” Berry took out the notes and photographs from her saddlebag and studied them closely.

Office : # 2 & 5

Berry and Dash rechecked the numbers on the edge of the photos. Berry found the two she was looking for.

Twilight Sparkle : #5

Applejack : #2

Dash looked up from the photos. “That egghead’s on the same floor.”

“And how would you know?” Berry was skeptical.

Dash pointed at the directories posted on the walls. Berry couldn’t believe how blind she was. It turns out Dash was right. Office number #5 was on the same floor as they were. The floor they were on had 5 offices, and the floor above had 4.

“Office number 5 is right down the hallway.” Dash pointed to her left. The door behind them remained shut while they walked slowly towards the fifth office. Berry let her mind wander. She was wondering who the madpony was. Certainly, the madpony’s tests can push people to onto the right tracks. But it didn’t have to be so extreme right? Dash held a hoof up in front of Berry. Berry crashed into it, not expecting the sudden roadblock.

“What was that for?” Berry’s word echoed around the empty corridor. Dash turned to Berry, and without looking, pointed to the carpeting in front of them. Berry saw nothing on the red carpeting in front of them and asked, “What am I supposed to be seeing here?” Dash glared at Berry, “I’m guessing that all those years of alcohol must have made your vision poor!” She pointed at the red carpeting again, this time much closer. Berry, still not seeing it, shrugged. Dash touched the carpet and wiped furiously at Berry’s face before Berry could do anything. As if pushed, Berry stepped back a few steps when she felt a familiar warm, sticky liquid trickle down her cheek. Blood? Berry was surprised.

“How could you not see that! Blood all over the carpets we’ve been walking on, and neither of us noticed!” Dash wasn’t happy with this. But neither was Berry. Blood on the carpets meant that either somepony else was on the loose on the same floor, or Twilight had made it through her test and is bleeding from Celestia knows what she had to do to make it.

Berry looked up at Dash. “This is not good.”

“No shit, Sherlock” Dash’s tone, was once again, sour.

Berry sighed and the two continued their way to the fifth office. Careful not to step on the blood on the carpets, Berry looked around at the doors of the other offices. They were all like the metal door that was just sealed when they arrived on this floor. But luckily for them, there were no deadbolts that sealed themselves on either of the office doors.

“We’re here.” Dash had to poke Berry’s cheek with a bloody hoof before Berry realized where they were. Staring at the door to office number five, Berry spoke up. “I hope you’re ready for whatever comes next.” Before Dash could reply, Berry had already bucked the door open. The room was rather bright, lit by an oil lantern that was kept alight by a purple light. Unicorn magic. The oil lantern had set the room to an unnatural purple lighting. The room was a mess. There were papers strewn all over the floor and blood on the floor and walls. One of the office tables in the room had an overturned chair. The other had a mess of blood on the table.

“Looks like whoever was in this room had already left.” Berry pointed to the blood stained door handle. Not that Dash was even listening. She was looking uneasily at the purple light coming from the oil lantern. “Hey, is something wrong?” Dash said nothing for a short moment before replying. “Twilight was here. I’m sure she was!” Hearing sorrow in Dash’s voice, Berry comforted her. “She’s a unicorn, Dash. She can heal whatever came upon her. Why she didn’t however, is something you and I will have to find out. I don’t think there’s anything else useful we can find around this room.” Berry kept her tone low. Somehow, she could feel the presence of another pony nearby, and it wasn’t Dash.

She was unsure, however, if Dash could feel the same thing. Berry kept an eye on the door just in case while Dash continued to look around the room. It seemed to Berry that Dash was ignoring what she said about Twilight. “Yeah, I guess you’r-” Dash was cut off by a stinging sensation in her hoof. Surprised, Berry hurried over to check on Dash. Dash had stepped on a needle while checking the blood on the wall, and now her blood was streaming out of her. Dash was screaming at the pain as Berry tried to stop the bleeding. Raising the hoof to her mouth, Dash tried with all her might to keep from crying and pulled out the needle out slowly.

Spiting it out onto the floor, Dash tried to suppress the bleeding by applying pressure. Berry took the syringe and morphine out of her bag and quickly filled the syringe with morphine. Slapping Dash so she could get a hold of herself, Berry injected Dash with the morphine, and immediately her wailing stopped. Dash had continued to suppress the wound while Berry kept the syringe and morphine and took out some bandages.

“I took more needles to the hoof than you did and here you are wailing your heart out.” Berry said while bandaging Dash’s right forehoof. Dash wiped her tears from her eyes and blushed. Apparently pain was a strainger to Dash, as pegasi rarely obtain any injury while in flight. However, on the ground, they are vulnerable to all kinds of dangers unicorns and earth ponies faced.
“That one took me by surprise.” As usual, Dash was finding excuses. Berry gave a smile while shaking her head at Dash. “Right.....” They were interrupted by the sound of glass breaking in the office opposite the one they were in now. Berry took out the knife that she found when she woke up, and handed it over to Dash. Berry took out the knife from Dash’s cottage, and the two walked out into the corridor. Whoever was in the office most certainly would have heard Dash’s cries of pain.

Carefully, Berry walked over to the door. Signally Dash to watch herself, Berry bucked the door and the two rushed in. The room was bright in comparison with the office they were in earlier. The walls and ceiling were white and there was blood on the floor. Before Dash realized what she was doing, Dash threw the knife at the first pony she saw. She screamed in surprise as she immediately regretted throwing the knife at the first unicorn they came across so far.

Twilight ducked as the knife sailed over her head, burying itself into the wall she was leaning against. Twilight, though surprised from the sudden confrontation, smiled at Dash before taking the knife out of the wall. The office was like the previous one, only it was a bit plainer. A single office table and a chair were the only things in the room, aside from the cabinets next to the door. Twilight ran over to hug Dash, but remembering her condition at the moment, stopped mid-run. She instead nuzzled Dash’s mane.

“Am I glad to see you here! Though I wouldn’t want to know why.” Twilight eyed Dash suspiciously.

“Hey, you’re here as well right?” Dash returned the eyeing as Twilight blushed at the responce. Twilight looked over at Berry, who was trying her best not to get involved in the conversation between the two. “Oh hey Berry! Didn’t expect you to be here as well.” Twilight gave a smile that creeped everything out of Berry so hard that she swore she could just shrink and disappear.

“Now that that’s over....” Berry remembered something and asked Twilight, “Hey did you find a note when you woke up in this Celestia-damned place?” The question surprised Twilight, as well did Berry’s vocabulary.

“Uh... Yes I kinda did. Why?”

“I need to keep it for now, as I did with Dash’s note. We’ll go over it later. Because right now we still have another pony to save, and she’s right above us in the next floor. By the way, what is that you’re wearing?” Dash had wanted to ask the same question but Berry seemed to beat her to it.

Twilight was about to explain when they heard a crash from the floor above. It appears to Berry that Applejack’s test has just started.

Another fighter has joined the party

The banging heard from the office Berry Punch, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle were outside of had stopped right after Twilight had finished explaining her game. Dumbfounded, Dash just stared at Twilight with her mouth hanging open. Berry, however, didn’t flinch. Much like how Dash was when the colt that charged at them earlier had his brains blown out. Berry asked a question.

“That thing comes off when you unlock the padlock right?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“Throw it over here.”

Twilight decided not to ask questions, and reached into her saddlebag to take out her needle brace from earlier. Throwing it over at Berry, Twilight sat down on the carpeted floors. Berry went over the brace. Feeling over the holes where previous needles had been, she had felt blood around them. Berry wasn’t sure if she’d seen one of these braces before, but it sure as hell was familiar. So a different key unlocks the braces. Which probably means that Berry’s key that unlocks all wouldn’t apply here.

“Hey, Berry?” Berry looked up at Twilight. “You mind handing over your knife?” Berry saw no harm in giving her knife to Twilight. As she did so, the trio started hearing screams coming from inside the office. Dash, once more feeling useless, couldn’t help but speak up again.

“Those rules can’t really comply if we didn’t read the note right? I never saw the note on the door yet, I mean, I didn’t even get to read your note.” Dash had a point.

Berry, had however, given up trying to talk some sense into Rainbow Dash. Anything said against Dash would end with Dash firing back words faster than the speed needed to cause a sonic rainboom. Her new line of words combined with the screams coming from the office, had forced Berry to break the rules. Just this once. She could feel her sanity cracking under the weight of deciding. Berry asked for her knife back in exchange for Twilight’s needle brace. Twilight complied.

She had a short argument between her sense to help others and her obedient mind that followed rules. If I interrupt this test, I might be able to save Applejack. Her mind rebutted. Or mess it up worse. But... Then again, if this goes well, she’ll be safe before her test finishes, who knows? She might not make it without help. So I’m guessing that interrupting would be the best option for now.

However, her mind fired back with logic that Berry herself didn’t know she had. You were smart enough to follow the other rules, and you made it safely here. Are you REALLY going to risk your life trying to safe another? Think of the implications. If Applejack dies, then that’s just one less pony. But if anything were to happen to you, the others would be really, really screwed. So whatever you choose, it had better be what’s right.

Having Applejack is the same as adding a new asset to the list of ponies we have as allies. Wouldn’t want to fight anything on your own, wouldn’t you? The rule obedient part of her brain went silent.

Berry must have been arguing for quite sometime before she heard a thud from within the office. By then Berry’s mind was made up, and she decided to follow the same approach as Dash, though with another method. Remembering what the note from the burnt cottage had said about the gold key, she took it out of the saddlebag and hastily fitted the key into the padlock securing the door. The key fit perfectly, and the padlock came off without much resistance. 1 key unlocks all.

Berry knew that she was taking a grave risk by breaking the rules, but she felt safe knowing that a brute like Rainbow Dash and a sorceress like Twilight following her around. The way Dash had tried to fight off that colt. Berry hadn’t seen what Twilight could do, but from what she’s heard, she’s a very good sorceress indeed. And she might eventually need Twilight’s leadership skills to help everyone pull through. How she and the others defeated Discord. How she, Dash and the others vanquished Nightmare Moon.

As the deadbolts on the other side of the door started unlatching, Dash was eager to just charge in, her wings already flapping with enough speed to mess up Twilight’s mane. Berry’s mane was no exception either, as the wind from the flapping impacted the ground. It was like a downdraft, but rather backwards. Once the deadbolts were done unlatching, the door opened outwards, as if to make the warning note clear that there’s only a way out, and not a way in of this room.

The room was dark. Some of the light from the hallway had pooled into the room, though only around the door frame. In the room, hung a single lantern lit by an orange flame. Several other lanterns were also hanging from the walls, lit with the same dimness as the orange flame in the centre of the room. The three ponies stepped into the room, with Rainbow Dash cautiously gliding in first, still dark despite the lighting. Twilight lit her horn for a moment, wrapping her horn with an orange glow. The beeping in Twilight’s collar had started the moment she started. Immediately the light in the hallway dimmed by a little, but the lantern in the room had brightened considerably. The room, now having enough lighting, could be looked around with ease.

Next to the door, a cabinet stood. In the middle of the room, a metal chair with a headboard. Behind the chair, complex machinery that probably nopony but Twilight would know about. In front of the chair, collapsed on the floor, lay the subject of their concern. An unconscious, but very much alive Applejack lay on the floor. Her mane was a tangled mess as the rubber band that usually kept her mane kept was not in place. Her hat, along with some shards of what seemed to be glass, was right next to Applejack. Upon closer inspection, Twilight saw that around the glass, there was a sky-blue liquid that seemed to have been inside the glass. To the right to Applejack, a wooden table was bolted to the floor, with a note pasted on it. Twilight, carefully stepping around the glass shards on the floor, checked on Applejack. Applejack’s hoof was broken terribly and there was a rather mess of blood on the floor and the little wooden table from the repeated bangings.

“Her hooves are cold. Though her face is still warm. She has a cut between her eyes I think she got when she collapsed onto the floor. Hey girls, check this out.” The two mares stepped over, also careful not to step on the glass shards. Twilight pointed out to the marking on Applejack’s neck. It was as if someone had lassoed her. Hard. Berry couldn’t even imagine having such force on the neck.

Berry turned her attention to the note on the little wooden table, while the other two mares continued checking Applejack. Word by word zipped by Berry’s eyes as she had a brief scan of the note. Alarmed, Berry called out to the other two mares before something terrible could occur. “Girls! Don’t step on the glass!” The two mares looked down at their hooves, glad to not step on any.

“Like we actually wanted to.” Rainbow Dash said flatly.

Twilight glared at Dash. Rainbow Dash felt like backing away, but seeing as to how the glass shards around her would wound her hooves, she merely hovered above ground. Twilight, on the other hand, carefully stepped over the shards on the floor. Twilight had almost tripped over Applejack as she tried to do so. However, she safely got away without stepping on any of the glass shards. Feeling that it wouldn’t be fair for Applejack to be lying around glass shards, Twilight levitated Applejack to the front of the cabinet near the door. She carefully set Applejack down as her collar’s beeping started intensifying.

“Twilight, do you have anything that can cure poison?” Berry was frantic.

Startled, Twilight tried to remember if she had spells that could possibly help. Bringing up only two spells, Twilight explained to Berry. “Depends on what kind of poison you’re looking for. I have one spell for poison and one spell to cure the state of being poisoned.”

Berry’s face was uncertain. There really is no difference between the two right? A spell for a poison could mean an antidote, but that might require items to work. On the other hand, I’m not that sure either if Applejack is really poisoned or not.

Twilight raised a question. “Why do you ask?”

“Because the glass shards was a glass syringe and the liquid was inside that syringe on Applejack’s hat.” Rainbow Dash answered. The fact that Rainbow Dash had read the very long note without either Berry noticing surprised them both. Twilight, however, didn’t notice the note. Yet.

“And how are you so sure?” Twilight was being skeptical, like the time Pinkie had told her about her Pinkie sense. And everypony knew how that turned out. Before Rainbow Dash gave one of her infamous, infuriated answers, Berry held a hoof up to Dash’s muzzle, and pointed to the note pasted on the small wooden table in front of the steel chair. Twilight walked over to the wooden table, careful not to step on the glass shards and the liquid surrounding it. It was then that Twilight realized that the cut between her eyes had probably been from one of the glass shards that had the poison.

Her eyes scanned the note with the same speed as Berry’s eyes when she had read it. However, the look of dread on Twilight’s face, was much graver than the expression that displayed on Berry’s face earlier. Berry was going to question Twilight’s face, when she turned back to Applejack, whose hooves were starting to turn blue. This surprised both Applejack and Berry. While the two was still wondering what was happening to Applejack, Twilight had begun to cast a spell.

At first nothing had happened, or so it seemed. Twilight asked Berry to check Applejack’s pulse while she continued with her spell. The beeping of her leather braces started, and a black and blue glow shine came out of Twilight’s horn. Berry put her hoof up to Applejack’s neck, hoping to get a pulse. Finding none at all, she proceeded to press her head against Applejack’s chest to listen for a heartbeat.

There was none.

“Twilight! I think we’ve lost her!” Berry exclaimed, and looked as panic stricken as Rainbow Dash did. Twilight picked up the pace, ignoring the fact that it was almost three seconds after the first spell. Aiming her horn at Applejack’s head, Twilight blasted out a bright orange light just as another needle pierced the top of her saddlebag. Twilight knew that the other leather braces wouldn’t start unless the first one finishes. Another two more.

Blood began to flow back into Applejack’s hooves, turning them back to the orange she was before they turned blue. Twilight continued as she still wasn’t satisfied with Applejack’s condition. Firing a beam of, what seemed to be, lavender and yellow at Applejack, another needle pierced the top of her saddlebag. One more. Applejack was starting to breathe again, but was still unconscious.

Twilight concentrated more of her magic onto Applejack. Twilight’s horn, thought shining like a lighthouse, shot out a ray of light so dark it made Luna’s night look bright in comparison. As the light seeped into Applejack, the last needle of the needle brace in her saddlebag pierced the top of her saddlebag. Twilight didn’t care. Because Applejack was stirring.

Groaning, Applejack coughed several times before she opened one eye to squint at Twilight’s face, looking down at her. Managing only a little smile, Applejack once more collapsed into the world of unconsciousness. Though if you asked Applejack, she would just say that she just went to sleep. Applejack had cuts and bruises from glass shards on both the floor and on her hat. Berry let out a sigh of relief.

Another fighter has joined the party. Berry was, however, unsure of Applejack’s condition. Before Berry opened her mouth, Twilight interrupted her.

“No need for thanks.”

“Stop being so modest. You just saved a pony’s life!” Berry could have shouted, but realizing that there might still be others on her floor and the floor below her, she tried her best to keep her voice, along with the other’s voices, low. Loud enough for easier communication among the ponies, but not loud enough that other ponies nearby could hear.

“To be honest...I found out about the cure when I was going through a book I took from the Royal Library. So I guess it’s the bad things that save people as well.” Twilight stuck her tongue out a bit and blushed.

Rainbow Dash stood guard by the door while Twilight inspects the trap that Applejack was strapped to. Berry went through the cabinets by the door. Berry had found another weapon in one of the two drawers in the cabinets, intended for Applejack, should she survive her test. It didn’t seem much like a weapon. It was circular ring, most probably for the use of ponies as it would fit their hooves, but it reminded Berry of one of those horseshoe stores in Canterlot that sold high heel horseshoes. In the middle of the circular ring was a tiny slit. Next to the tiny slit, a little button stood out, the only bump in the whole ring. Berry clicked it, and a blade sprang out of the slit, narrowly hitting Berry’s other hoof.

Applejack’s shallow breaths can be heard as the other three ponies went around doing their own separate things. Not that Berry minded. She was looking for something else in the cabinets. There should be another note somewhere in here. Berry had to shake the cabinet several times, catching the attention of Rainbow Dash and Twilight, before a note fell out.

Hello Applejack, if you are reading this note, then you have survived your test. However, in your journey to pursue your friends, you will surely meet a few other ponies along the way. These ponies can either be your ally, or your enemy. In case things don’t go as planned, I am leaving you a weapon once used by assassins during the war of Germaney. You should be able to reach the little button next to the slit of the metal ring with your other hoof. This blade should be sufficient for your uses.

And the note just stopped at that. There was a key with a string and a note tied to it. Your way out. Berry kept the key anyway. She took the note as well. Checking the second drawer, she couldn’t find anything but a few more bandages. Keeping them, Berry turned her attention to Twilight, who was still checking out Applejack’s trap.

“You know, that knife of yours really is a modern miracle.” Startled by Twilight’s sudden question, Berry said nothing, leading Twilight to continue. “I’ve read somewhere in a book at the library about that knife being used in foreign regions of Equestria, meant for war. When you push the button, the blade discharges outwards at whoever or whatever you’re aiming at and almost always hits it’s target.” Like I didn’t know how it worked already. Berry rolled her eyes.

Twilight went through Applejack’s trap one more time before trying to explain it to Berry. Rainbow Dash came back in to listen to Twilight’s short explanation. Twilight took a deep breath, and begun.

“As both of you probably know from the note on the little wooden table, this device is called a garotte. But the history behind it is very fascinating. Since Applejack was from the country part of Equestria, she must have known much of the garotte. However, when executions discontinued with this method, nopony ever heard of this device ever again. It’s amazing how whoever is doing this, managed to rebuild, or get hold of such a thing. The ones back then were wooden, but being metal, this one was made to make sure that it was inescapable. The ones back then could be broken out of, though it would result in injury. But I don’t see how a little injury could be worse when compared to dying in a garotte.”

That last line really sounded what the madpony had written on the notes. This made Berry shiver. Twilight, however, paid no heed to her reaction and continued explaining.

“Now, this one is a bit more complicated than the ones back then. Instead of having the executioner tug on the ring, this one had a rope tied on one end of the ring protruding from the headboard. This meant that it was all mechanically engineered to work. So whoever is responsible for all this doesn’t want to get caught.”

“Like we’d ever let a mad son-of-a-buck like him or...her go free! If this continues then there’ll be more ponies in danger! You saw what happened to Applejack right? And not all unicorns are as advanced in magic as you are! You’re probably the only unicorn that could revive a dead pony! Except Princess Luna and Princess Celestia of course. But they wouldn’t be risking their flanks coming here and saving ponies now would they?” Rainbow Dash had practically yelled at Twilight, and glared at her, waiting for an answer.

“True be that, as the Princesses are always busy doing things that require their doing. However, I’m sure that I’m not the only pony that can revive the dead. Zecora could probably resurrect a dead pony, but she’s probably better at doing that compared to me!” That was probably true as well, seeing as to how Zecora was raised in a somewhat medical but traditional environment. “Anyway, whoever is doing this is trying to cover his or her tracks, and so far they are succeeding! I’m sure that somehow he’ll make a mistake while we progress.” Twilight sighed.

“Provided we don’t get attacked and die along the way.” Dash’s tone was flat. Oh colt, this part of Dash is back. Berry shook her head and signalled Twilight to continue explaining Applejack’s trap.

Twilight drew another deep breath before continuing. “Now, by mechanically engineered, I don’t mean completely. The force tugging on the rope came from a series of metallic gears behind the chair was from a generator running on the sort of diamonds and jewels that are rather hard to find. But the diamonds and jewels are not destroyed as they can still be reused for other purposes. The power the generator gets from diamonds and jewels is strong enough to operate the gears to tug on the ring, but not strong enough to pull it all the way, which probably explains the 45 seconds given to Applejack as written in the note.” Twilight was interrupted by the sound of hoofsteps going up the stairwell they came up.

Berry, going all Overly Protective Parent mode, gave orders to both Twilight and Rainbow Dash. “I’m going to go check on who or what is approaching. I want the both of you to have your weapons drawn, ready to battle should you have to, and watch for the glass on the floor, as well as the blood. The last thing you’d want is to slip on the blood and have the glass puncture your skin. I’m going to leave my saddlebags here just in case I don’t come back. Now when I leave I want you to close the door so the deadbolts would latch. The key out of this room will be in one of my saddlebags.” Twilight and Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement, and armed themselves. Twilight with her blowtube and cyanide darts, and Rainbow Dash with Applejack’s switchblade from the cabinets. Berry took her ballistic knife by the hilt and was ready to bite on the button to shoot the blade out. She left her saddle bags before carefully stepping out into the corridor. Twilight casted a short spell, and the room they were in and the hallway Berry was in had equal brightness.

The sound of hoofsteps approaching got louder with every passing second. Berry hid in the doorway of the adjacent office, hoping that it’d give ample cover for Berry. The other two ponies had closed the door, and Berry was glad that the deadbolts had started to latch again. Now it was Berry, and whoever or whatever was approaching. Berry was waiting for the right moment, when suddenly the right moment when suddenly the hoofsteps stopped. There was a thump sound. Berry slowly inched her head out to see what was happening.

The last thing Berry remembered was firing her blade at a unicorn before being whacked unconscious by a metal pole.

Confrontation

As the door shut in front of them, Twilight and Rainbow Dash took up Berry’s commands and armed themselves. Taking out her darts and small bottle of cyanide from her saddlebag, Twilight looked over at Dash. Rainbow Dash had that certain....flame in her eyes. The kind of flame that burns during intense moments of excitement and yet fear at the same time. Twilight had seen that flame in Dash’s eyes a couple of times, but the flames in her eyes now were much bigger than before.

Twilight, however, only felt fear. She was just a quiet, librarian. Though she’d been in many kinds of situations, this kind was probably a first for her. She could use her magic had the leather straps been removed already. Twilight had learnt a firestorm spell from the forbidden book that she took from the Royal Library that she could use, but creating such a spell in such a small room could kill whoever came in. And the three ponies inside as well. And Berry might still be in the hallway. Not to mention that Applejack was still unconscious. Twilight realized something. Wait a second....

“Hey Dash, you mind waking Applejack? We might need her for this.”

Rainbow Dash said nothing, and stepped over to Applejack. She shook Applejack several times before getting her to wake up. Groaning, Applejack rolled over before sitting up. Rainbow Dash, pleased that Applejack was awake, went on to arming herself with the switchblade. Applejack yawned and scratched her mane.

“Now where in tarnation are we? Ah’ remember goin’ ta sleep a moment ago before somepony casted a spell. What was that about?” Grogginess in Applejack’s voice made it hard to hear her voice, but Twilight could hear what she said very well.

“Better get ready Applejack. We’ve got company on the way. I’ll explain everything later.” Twilight walked over to one of Berry’s saddlebags and took out a knife. She gave it to Applejack, who gave Twilight a confused look.

“What’s this fer’?” Applejack inquired.

“I said I’ll explain everything later. Just take it!” Applejack had never heard Twilight so stern before, so she took the knife. Any remaining sleepiness in Applejack had gone away. Grabbing the hilt of the knife with her teeth, Applejack continued to watch the other two ponies with a confused look.

Twilight dipped the tip of a dart into the small bottle of cyanide, before carefully inserting it into her blowtube. She had only one shot before she had to reload, and Celestia knows how long that might take. Or how fast I can do it. Not to mention the fact that even a little cut while reloading from the cyanide-laced dart could prove fatal.

There was a thud outside that got the attention of the three ponies in the room. If the door were to open now, they would have seen Berry lying unconscious in the hallway. However, the deadbolts remained in place, much to Twilight’s relief. But that didn’t mean it wouldn’t open eventually. They still had to be ready for whatever might happen.

Another set of hoofsteps were trotting up the stairwell. This surprised both Rainbow Dash and Twilight. Another set of hoofsteps could mean that more than one perpetrator could be behind all this. Or.... Rainbow Dash glanced around the room while twilight still pondered. If it’s another pony, we might gain another ally.

“I wonder how Berry’s doing now...” Rainbow Dash whispered over to the other 2 ponies. Twilight could only shrug, apparently still pondering about the second set of hoofsteps. But Applejack’s ears perked up upon hearing the name.

“Berry’s here too?” The question rang out in the room and reverberated against the walls. Twilight scowled at Applejack. She stepped back a few steps before Twilight let out a cry of warning.

“Stop moving!” Though Twilight had meant for what she said to be a whisper, it came out much louder than she expected.

The hoofsteps stopped. The three ponies held their breaths. Had I been a bit too loud? Twilight stared at the door. But Applejack was much louder than I was. Twilight shook her head. She wasn’t the type of pony who blamed others for her mistake. But if she didn’t speak up so loudly, I wouldn’t have been so loud. She looked over at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash had her wings spread and was ready to rear up and attack the moment she gets the chance. She was waiting readily by the door, with the blade already protruding out of the hilt. Twilight knew that Rainbow Dash was capable of many things thanks to her carefree attitude, and this will probably help the three ponies in this critical time of need.

Twilight turned to look at Applejack. Applejack on the other hoof.... Applejack had just woken up after being unconscious for a short time and was no doubt disorientated about what was going on. She probably didn’t even remember what happened. Twilight knew that Applejack’s applebucking skills would come in handy here, but seeing the state Applejack was in, she’d miss every shot she gave. Twilight didn’t really expect Applejack to do anything, but she gave the knife just in case. Bucking might not be the correct option now considering Applejack might lose her balance if she was on two hooves. Lucky she stopped moving. Any further steps back would result in Applejack stepping on the shards of glass. And we wouldn’t want that happening now.....

Twilight turned her attention to her small bottle of cyanide and was surprised to see that the liquid was bubbling. Realizing something had been overlooked, Twilight proceeded to conjure a spell. The other 2 ponies turned to see what was happening when Twilight shot an icy blue beam at her bottle of cyanide. Immediately the liquid cyanide stopped bubbling and the bottle started to fog up. Twilight had overlooked the fact that the boiling point of liquid cyanide was just above twenty-six degrees celcius. Had it begun to evaporate into the atmosphere, the three ponies in the room would be dead by now. Lucky enough Twilight had remembered. Twilight’s freezing spell had to be turned up a bit to prevent the cyanide from freezing completely. Twilight sighed and quickly grabbed another dart by the fletching, or more simply known as the tail. She knew the spell just now had made a considerably loud noise that most certainly would have alerted the ponies outside the room. Dipping the point into the bottle, she heard the hoofsteps slowly approach the door.

Knowing time was running out, Twilight hovered the bottle over to Rainbow Dash and started pouring a bit of the cyanide onto her switchblade without her knowing. The beeping started and Twilight managed to set the bottle back next to her right before the three second timer expired. Using her magic one more time, Twilight spread the cyanide all across the blade and carefully mixed it with the blade, making it a lethal weapon. This, however, took some time. Though not long, it was enough to set off the three second timer. Before Twilight knew it, a needle buried itself into Twilight’s hoof, just narrowly hitting an artery. This was enough to make Twilight scream out in pain as blood once more trickled out of her leather strap and down her hoof. She sat and tried to suppress her pain.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash turned one to face Twilight. Seeing her friend hurt, but not willing to endanger any of the ponies in the room by leaving her spot, Rainbow Dash stood still in front of the door, hoping that Twilight understood Dash’s actions. Applejack had rushed over to Twilight’s aid and had tried to offer assistance, only to be turned away by her. Twilight could have requested Applejack to lessen her pain by injecting morphine, but the bottle was already three quarters full, and they couldn’t afford to waste much more on anypony else unless it was truly necessary, and Twilight’s wound wasn’t that grave. At least not yet. There were another seven more needles that were waiting.

Applejack listened, and stood back as requested. She picked her knife up with her teeth, and stood close by while Twilight got a hold of herself.

A shadow had fallen outside the door, and the three ponies were instantly alerted. Twilight wiped off a stray tear and picked up her blowtube. The other dart was on the floor right in front of her for easy reloading. But even reloading would take some time. The beeping and flashing lights on her collar would make dimming the room for stealth useless. Twilight looked over to Applejack. She had the same fire as Rainbow Dash had, but the flames seemed much bigger. All those hours under Celestia’s sun.... And that was enough to tell Twilight that Applejack was ready.

The door was unlocked from the outside, and the deadbolts started unlatching. Rainbow Dash reared up, and the moment the door swung open, she charged at her opponent, swinging her switchblade around like a bat. The mare that stood in the doorway must have anticipated an attack, because she had taken a step back right before Dash met her target. The mare shot out a spell that Twilight had used a few times during her journeys with her friends. Thunderclap...

Twilight knew that thunder was just the sound that follows after a lightning strike, but this spell was rather different. Rather than the lightning, the thunder came first. After the sound of thunder rang out in a hundred eighty degree angle in front of the unicorn, the unicorn would have roughly a second to aim before the lightning shot out. And Twilight could tell that this unicorn was not used to using the spell. The room was small and almost bare. The reason why thunder came first during a thunderclap spell was because it was able to stun opponents, making them vulnerable targets. The echoes from the thunder clap stunned the three ponies, but at the same time everypony else that was in the hall was also stunned by the loudness as the echoes escaped the door. A little too inexperienced to used spells now aren’t we? Even aiming inwards, the reverberations would have to go outwards soon anyway. So the unicorn couldn’t get a hold of her bearings before she shot lightning out at the garotte in the middle of the room.

The metal chair and the garotte disintegrated as Dash once more swung her blade around, this time cutting deep into the unicorn’s thigh. The unicorn wailed in pain and immediately retreated out the door. But before the three ponies could chase after the mare, a stallion, who was also a unicorn, stood at the doorway. His horn glowed a crimson red and a spell was casted onto the stallion’s forehooves. Twilight knew what came next. If the stallion were to succeed in crashing his hooves down on the floor, the sonic boom generated would be enough to push everypony off their feet, including the stallion as well. The stallion reared up on his rearhooves,ready to stomp on the ground. Twilight seized her chance and fired her dart directly into the right eye of the stallion.

The stallion, yelled out in both pain and fury and stumbled backwards as he lost his balance. Falling out of the doorway onto his back, his forehooves had extended enough to reach the office door opposite the room the other ponies were in. The sonic boom released was enough to completely shatter the metal door and rain down bits and pieces onto the already wailing stallion. Pieces of metal embedded themselves into the stallion’s abdomen. Bloody streamed in a steady flow out of his eye as he he tried in vain to pull out the dart embedded in his right eye. Applejack saw her opportunity and drove the blade right into the chest of the stallion. The stallion let out a sharp gasp of pain as he tried to cast another spell. He failed,however, when Applejack pulled the hilt of the knife and pulled the blade upwards. Blood sprayed out of the wound and splattered onto Applejack’s face. Unfazed, Applejack continued.

The blade cut right through the stallion’s heart right as his horn was starting to glow. Applejack pulled the blade upward harder and the blade nicked the top of the stallion’s right lung. More blood sprayed out as Applejack heard a faint release of breath but could still feel that the stallion was still alive. She took the blade out and began to saw back and forth on the stallion’s throat, just to make sure he couldn’t harm the three anymore. Applejack knew that nopony would die if you run the blade across the throat in one clean swipe. All the sinew and arteries made that impossible. But thanks to all those crazy movies being played at the Ponyville Cinema, action junkies started spreading the news. Darn fools. Not that it mattered anyway. By the time Applejack was done sawing at the stallion’s throat, he was already dead in a pool of his own blood. He really was a mess, and the blood had sprayed all over Applejack’s face and unkept mane.

Rainbow Dash had flown past Applejack and the stallion to chase after the unicorn, who was casting a teleportation spell around herself as she ran down the hallway. Dash extended the blade one more time to finish the unicorn off, but the unicorn had completed her spell and disappeared, causing Rainbow Dash to stumble head over hooves onto the carpeting of the hallway. She spat out dust and proceeded to fly back to Applejack, who was panting with exhaustion and trying to wipe the blood of her face and her mane.

Twilight stepped out of the room, only to see the carnage that Applejack had left. Twilight didn’t hold back as she started vomiting onto the floor next to the dead stallion. Applejack snickered and Rainbow Dash tried her best to choke back a laugh, though without much success. They hadn’t seen Twilight vomit before, but she made one of the most funniest sounds when she does. To Rainbow Dash, it was like the sound of Fluttershy saying yay mixed with rarity’s wailing. Soft and ridiculous. Applejack had thought that Braeburn’s vomiting sounds was funny, but Twilight’s vomit sounds took the cake!

Once Twilight finished, she looked up, teary-eyed from the retching, to see the two smiling ponies. After what they had gone through, Twilight had expected exhaustion in the eyes of both of the ponies. Applejack had apparently gone overboard with killing the stallion in such a way that Twilight wouldn’t want to know how Applejack knew. Dash did look a bit disturbed though, at what happened to the stallion.

“Where’s Berry?” Was all that managed to come out between Twilight’s breaths. The other two ponies glanced around the hallway, but without much success.

“Maybe she’s in one of the offices?” Rainbow Dash gave a suggestion.

Then it came to Twilight. Could it be...? Had the thud outside the room been Berry? “Hey Dash, is there a possibility that Berry might have been taken while she was in the hallway just now?”

Dash considered the possibility. “Come to think of it, wasn’t there a thud outside the room before whatever just happened happened?”

“I heard it too. If she was taken, then we’ll have to decide who to save next. Berry had left her saddlebags behind, and she probably had a list of ponies to save! Like how she knew where Applejack and I was!” Another adventure had seemed to cheer Twilight up.

“Hey wait a minute!” Applejack spoke up. “Berry knew where we wer’ ?”

Twilight and Dash nodded in unison. Twilight spoke, “Apparently she has to help save us all from whatever is going on now. Thanks to her, Rainbow Dash is still here, and thank Celestia, so are you.” Twilight gave Applejack a warm smile.

“But if she was taken by somepony.... doesn’t that mean that we’r screwed?” Twilight hadn’t considered that option yet, but apparently Dash had, since she answered first.

“Well at least she left her saddlebags behind. She left them there just in case she wasn’t coming back. She probably can handle things by herself.....” The last sentence had unsure written all over it.

“But we haf’ ta’ save her too!”

Twilight and Rainbow Dash nodded. “But first...”Twilight began. “That explanation I owe you.”

Applejack listened attentively as the both Twilight and Rainbow Dash began telling their stories.

Berry's Test

Groaning at the pain at the back of her head, Berry came to her senses in the middle of a dark room. The first thing that went through her mind was what she did wrong earlier in the office hallway.

Hiding in the doorway of the adjacent office had sounded like a good idea at the time given that the hoofsteps were already so close. Berry had stayed in place until the sound of hoofsteps got really, really close. Curiosity took over her as she peered into the hallway. Her muzzle and the ballistic knife in her mouth stuck out.

Approaching the office the mane three were in, was a mare about Berry’s size. The mare was a unicorn with a lilac mane and a light green coat. She stared ahead with her tired, magenta-coloured eyes. She didn’t seem to be focusing on anything while she was walking. As far as Berry was concerned, the unicorn could have trotted on a bed of needles and continue trotting without noticing. Behind the unicorn, a metal pole floated and followed her as she moved through the hallway. Berry stopped peeping as the unicorn’s hoofsteps got louder with each passing moment.

Berry knew she had to act before the unicorn became aware of Berry’s presence. She once more poked her head out of the doorway to look at the fast approaching unicorn. Berry carefully rolled her tongue to the trigger of the ballistic knife in her mouth. Though the knife was aimed sideways, Berry was sure that she would hit her target. Berry was breathing hard. Probably harder than the time she had entered the Sisterhooves Special. Damn it girl, cool down. Berry tried a couple of times to slow her breaths, only to breathe even harder after hearing the hoofsteps coming closer. Berry had not probably noticed but by the time she got her breathing stable, the unicorn was roughly five feet away.

Even five feet away, the unicorn must have sensed something going on, because even before reaching the office, the unicorn stopped in her tracks. As if anticipating an attack, the unicorn inched forward and casted a spell. Her horn glowed a stunning bright red and shot out a wave of energy that swept the hallway. Berry felt it tickle her as it went through the hallway. It didn’t feel like anything more than just that. A slight tickle. But the purpose of the tickle was clear. It had been sometime since Berry had last been tickled, and the last time she was, she’d been rolling on the ground drunk with her equally drunk friends. Berry let out a tiny giggle that alerted the unicorn of Berry’s presence.

The unicorn stopped her spell and immediately used her magic to grip the metal pole like a giant baseball bat. Berry knew that her giggle must have set off the unicorn and decided that now would probably be the best time to execute her first move. Berry rolled onto the carpet just as the unicorn had smashed the metal pole into the doorway Berry was in mere moments ago. The wooden frame splintered on impact, but didn’t quite shatter. But it took the unicorn some effort to pull it back out. By the time the metal pole was successfully pulled out, Berry had already set her sights on the unicorn and had fired the blade in the unicorn’s direction. The unicorn ducked as the blade sailed right above her head. Before Berry could do anything else, the metal pole had swung into the back of her head.

Right where she had been hit during last night’s party.

The second thing that went through her mind was the fact that she couldn’t move either of her hooves. Oh Celestia please don’t give me this shit again! This time struggling against whatever was keeping her hooves in place didn’t let go. However, this time she couldn’t get out of whatever restraining her, unlike when she first woke up.

An oil lantern hanging in the middle of the room started burning. Dimly at first, but slowly the flame grew bigger until it almost lighted up the whole room. What Berry saw made her brain go blank almost immediately.

The floor was six feet below her hooves and it seemed at first that Berry was just levitating above the floor. But as Berry’s blank mind started processing her situation, Berry noticed four metal cuffs attached to all four of her hooves. Each cuff was welded to a metal beams which seemed to extend out into all the four directions that Berry’s hooves were spread out towards. The beams had forced Berry to spread out all four of her hooves, as if she were lying on her belly. Nothing else was holding Berry up. Just the metal cuffs and the beams keeping her from falling down below.

The room was rather spacious compared to the hallway she was in previously. Which would explain why the floor was six feet below. However, as Berry looked up in front of her, there was a glass wall separating the room she was in front the vast darkness beyond. The darkness outside the room Berry was in seemed to be endless. Berry’s alcoholic vision didn’t help either. Even if she tried staring through the glass into the darkness, chances are she’d see nothing thanks to the light above her impairing her vision. The glare from the oil lantern above Berry made it further impossible to see anything.

Right on the glass wall, was two notes. Berry read the one on the right first, believing that doing things starting from the right brings good luck. This time she was wrong. The note on the right was meant for her.

Hello Berry, I want to play a game. I am very, very disappointed with you Berry. Hadn’t been listening haven’t you? Because rules are to be broken within times of emergency? Oh no. It may save lives, but it costs more. Wouldn’t want me to remind you of your sister wouldn’t you? You yourself remember your dark past. Jobs may be easy to find here in Ponyville, but the ponies from Canterlot need to go through a lot of tests to prove themselves worthy of their jobs. I’m sure you felt the same for Applejack when you were told not to interrupt her test, when you told the rescuers two months ago that you had to save your sister. Though with each heroic act, there will always be something at risk.

You no doubt notice the metal cuffs securing each of your hooves. This is to keep you from falling down below. You see, six feet below you, is a spiky flooring, much like those used as traps during medieval times. When crusaders stormed a castle, there would always be trapdoors that would leave them tumbling towards a short but painful death. The cuffs your hooves are attached to are welded to metal beams protruding from the sides of the room. However, the metal beams will collapse and the metal cuffs around your hooves will open one by one for every wrong step taken outside this room. Outside the room you are in now, is another unicorn that you are no doubt familiar with. She’s right on the other side of the glass wall, right in the darkness.

After Berry read the last word in that sentence, several oil lanterns hanging on the other side of the glass wall started glowing. Berry watched as the lights gradually grew brighter, revealing a familiar unicorn in the middle of the room with similar cuffs around her hooves and a blindfold over her eyes. Instead of metal beams, the unicorn’s cuffs were attached to chains. She had a leather cone over her horn to prevent her from using magic. As the lights finally lit the other side of the glass wall completely, Berry’s eyes went wide and her mouth hung open as she stared at the familiar figure who had made her Harvest Moon celebration dress.

Rarity...

Even with the blindfold on, Rarity must have noticed the lights on, because as soon as the lights had lit the room, she started shouting and struggling against her restraints. At least she could move her hooves around, unlike Berry, who was spread wide. Berry called out to Rarity, who, surprisingly, heard Berry’s calls over her own whining.

“WHO’S THERE!” Rarity’s panic-stricken voice could be heard clearly on the other side of the glass.

“Rarity! Calm down! Stop your yelling and listen!”

“ARE YOU DAFT?! I CAN’T SEE! I CAN’T EVEN TRY MAGIC! I CAN’T EVEN MO-”

“SHUT UP AND LISTEN FOR CELESTIA’S SAKE!”

Rarity shut up immediately. “Now I want you to cool your guts, shut up, and hang on for a moment. I’m not done reading the note yet.”

“A note? By who! You must tell me which pony could possibly do this to us!”

Had Rarity not been blindfolded, she would have seen the sternest glares ever given by Berry. But since it was still on, Berry could only shout in response. “I said SHUT UP!”

Rarity stopped and Berry continued scanning the note. She start from the top again just to be clear.

You no doubt notice the metal cuffs securing each of your hooves. This is to keep you from falling down below. You see, six feet below you, is a spiked floor, much like those used as traps during medieval times. When crusaders stormed a castle, there would always be trapdoors that would leave them tumbling towards a short but painful death. The cuffs your hooves are attached to are welded to metal beams protruding from the sides of the room. However, the metal beams will collapse and the metal cuffs around your hooves will open one by one for every wrong step taken outside this room. Outside the room you are in now, is another unicorn that you are no doubt familiar with. She’s right on the other side of the glass wall, right in the darkness.

I hope you know how to calm her down during times of great stress. You know how ponies like her react when they are in an unknown situation. They hope for others to lend a hand. That is what you will do in order to save yourself. To save yourself, you’ll need to save her first. On the other side of this wall, she waits in a room with 25 tiles. She is roughly 1 tile away from you at the moment. However, I must warn you that some of the tiles are pressure sensitive. By stepping on these tiles, the cuffs around your hoofs will open and the beam will collapse leaving only three. Stepping on the next will result in another beam collapsing and so on until you fall to your death.

However, to “save” her, you’ll have to reassure her that you, “the town drunk”, can save her. The only way you can save her is by surviving your test. Which means you’ll have to use her to save her. On the other side of the room, there’s an instrument panel in the wall to the left of the other pony’s position. You will need to guide her through the room, avoiding the pressure sensitive tiles in the room, and command her to use the instrument panel to protract a platform for you to get out of this room to help her on the other side. Tied to your back, is the key to her chains. So if you were to fail this test, she would automatically fail hers. I may warn you though the number of tiles is the same number of ponies who died in the train derailment your daughter was in, and you and I know that that number is high. The pressure sensitive tiles are marked with red paint. Tell her to pull the lever or the instrument panel and you would be done with your test.

However, there is a catch. You have four minutes to guide her through the room and to pull the lever. In two minutes, your cuffs will automatically open and you’ll fall to your death, and in another two minutes, she’ll have her hooves crushed by the cuffs that shrink onto her hooves rendering her immobile and helpless where she’ll bleed to death.

Let the game begin.

Oil lanterns beneath her started lighting up. But Berry couldn’t wait for them to finish lighting up. Berry called out to Rarity.

“Rarity! Listen to me! You gotta move where I tell you to move or else I can’t help you!”

Rarity said nothing, only nodding her head vigorously. Rarity was standing on two tiles now, and the room was set in a five by five tile layout. She was one tile away from hitting the glass wall in front of her, and the red tiles around the room totaled eight. The closest one to Rarity at the moment was the row to her left, but she needs to step on it to reach the instrument panel on the left. The second row of red tiles on Rarity’s right was completely red. Which meant for Rarity to activate the lever on the instrument panel, whether Berry wanted or not, Rarity would have to set off two of Berry’s cuffs. However, the first row of tiles to Rarity’s left also had a red tile, in the middle of the five tiles. The chances of Rarity stepping on it may be small, but Berry wanted to make sure that she wasn’t dangling by one hoof while the floor was protracting.

“Rarity! Move two steps to your left! Feel the tiles you’re on now! I want you to be able to tell the difference between the tiles you are on now and the ones you are about to step on! Take small, graceful steps!”

Trembling like Fluttershy, Rarity turned to her left. She gently laid one of her forehooves on the tiles. Immediately, the tile sank a bit and Berry cringed. The cuff around Berry’s right rearhoof opened and the metal beam supporting it collapsed, leaving Berry’s right rearhoof hanging in the air.

Rarity, noticing the tile that just sank, pulled back. “Did I do something wrong?!” Rarity shouted.

“For Celestia’s Sake you don’t have to shout! I can hear you very well! Now watch your step, that’s just one of the tiles that’s gonna kill me if you step on anymore of them!” Berry barked. Rarity whimpered, but continued moving on. She laid her right forehoof near the wall, completely missing the red tiles in the second row, and laid her right rearhoof on the red tile that had already been set off.

“Perfect! Just one more step!” Rarity felt a bit cheered up by the comment and continued. However, her next step was wrong. She laid her left forehoof directly on the only red tile in the first row, and her left rearhoof on a red tile in the second row. Immediately, the cuffs around Berry’s left rearhoof and left forehoof opened and the metal beams collapsed, leaving her hanging by her right forehoof. Feeling nothing beneath her hooves, she started tcrying out.

Rarity heard Berry’s cries and called out. “Are you okay Berry?!”

Berry, not wanting Rarity to back up onto a wrong tile, clammed up and continued instructing Rarity. However, when it came to having a reassuring voice, Berry was terrible at doing it.

“Uh, yes I’m okay! Now in front of you is an instrument panel! I want you to feel around for a lever and pull down on it quick!” In Berry’s mind, she can already feel her two minutes coming to an end.

Rarity raised her hoof to the instrument panel, vaguely feeling around for a lever. The instrument panel had a few broken buttons, with only one working and a lever. Rarity was still fumbling around for the lever when she accidentally clicked the only working button on the instrument panel.

Berry heard a sound below and looked down. Either Berry’s eyes were playing tricks on her, or something had gone wrong. Below her, the oil lanterns had started moving upwards, along with the now clearly lit, spiked floor. Slowly, the floor began to rise, coming up in Berry’s direction. At this rate, Berry wouldn’t have to worry about the two minute timer before she would die. She started panicking.

“RARITY HURRY UP AND PULL THE LEVER FOR CELESTIA’S SAKE DO IT NOW BEFORE THE FRIGGIN’ FLOOR CRUSHES MY BRAINS OUT!” Berry had shouted at the top of her lungs. She swore that the decibels of her shot would have shattered the glass wall, but it didn’t.

Rarity had heard Berry loud and clear, and the remark about the floor crushing Berry’s brains out made Rarity chuckle. As if floors could do that. Rarity found the lever and pulled down on it hard.

Beneath Berry, the spiked floor now four feet away, a floor had protracted. The metal beam attached to the wall dislodged and Berry’s cuff opened. As her belly touched the floor, Berry felt a momentary relief before noticing that she still needed to escape the moving spiked floor. Looking around the room, Berry couldn’t see a possible exit out. She tried banging hard on the glass. While she was doing so, a confused Rarity was wandering around the room she was in. The glass wall wouldn’t break and Berry thought she would just break down and give up. Just like the accident two months ago with my sister. Her mind went back to the incident two months ago.

“So I heard you got promoted to principal. I assumed that you would have gotten the promotion much later, so I’m quite surprised that you got it now.” Berry mused. She had been staring out the carriage windows into the snowy sky. Cheerilee could only laugh in response as the train they were on bounded on the tracks as it made it’s way to Canterlot.

“Well, the children have been rather nice this winter. This is probably a gift from Princess Celestia herself!” Cherilee gave a warm grin. “You know how the children normally are... It was a miracle that they weren’t very talkative and playful like they usually are.”

Berry looked over at Cheerilee. “Oh Cherry, you really are a lucky one!” Berry returned the warm smile. During cold winters like this, such warm smiles were really heartwarming. “Now with you being principal, wouldn’t that mean that some other pony would have to take over your old job as teacher?”

“Well of course! The school may be small, but certainly I can’t teach everypony! Being a principal would mean a lot of time being taken up for the sake of the school. Which means longer hours, though I’m not complaining. And the pay’s good as well. Not that I mind the long hours though. Being at work all day with the children is what truly warms my heart!”

Berry envied her sister’s cheerful outlook on life. For that reason, along with several others, is why she will never, ever, forget her sister. The main reason being that family stayed together, no matter what happens. If anything were to go wrong, they’d go all out to help each other out. Or so Berry thought.

The train ride went from smooth to bumpy within a few moments and the two ponies could tell that something was wrong. Berry opened the window and peeked out into the open. The train was wobbling dangerously as it continued its journey to Canterlot, the city already looming in the distance. However, the train didn’t make it. Berry left the window open to reduce the chance of glass breaking upon impact and dove down to the floor, asking Cheerilee to do the same, and they both braced for impact.

It was only then that the conductor of the train tried to apply the emergency breaks on the train, but it was already too late. Coming up on a sharp bend, the best the conductor could do was tell passengers to brace for the impending impact, had they not done so yet.

What happened next was fuzzy and all Berry could remember was waking up to ringing ears, blurred out vision and blood running down the side of her face. She had been thrown out of her carriage the moment it had derailed and detached from the caboose of the train. Her sister, however, had not been so fortunate. Berry looked around the burning wreckage with her blurred vision. All she could see were injured ponies lying in the snow, and all she could hear were cries of many kinds. Cries of agony, cries of sorrow, cries of confusion, and cries for help were all that could be heard. Out of those many cries, she had heard one that struck home.

“Berry..!!”

Berry’s vision immediately cleared and her hearing recovered. She knew what she had to do next. All around unicorns were helping put out fires by redirecting snow before melting it, pegasi airlifted injured ponies to the nearest general hospital in Canterlot, while rescue ponies just tried to keep ponies from re-entering the train. Among the ponies that were not let on, was Berry.

“Let me GO! My sister’s inside!” Berry said as she tried frantically to resist the rescue ponies holding her back.

“No. We are not going to let any other passenger become a victim when they are safe where they are now.” That line had slipped off one of the rescue pony’s tongue rather smoothly. It was as if he were trained to say it in such situations.

Berry knew that she had to listen, for her own safety. But my sister’s in there Celestia damned it! She wasn’t the only one with loved ones in left in the train. Around her, ponies tried to resist being contained, for fear of losing their loved ones. Berry felt like she could just break down and give up right there.

But she didn’t. A flame inside her heart burnt bright at that moment, giving her strength she never she had had. Pushing back against the rescue ponies, along with a few others as well, Berry had managed to get back to her train carriage. The carriage lay on its side in the snow with the window part facing the sky, and the door facing the ground, making it impossible to get out through the door. Berry was glad she made the decision to leave the window open. At least she didn’t have to break it and risk hurting herself further. Inside, Cheerilee was unconscious from loss of blood. Berry cried happy tears as she signalled for a couple of pegasi to help airlift Cheerilee to Canterlot. The tears she cried were a mixture of both happiness and gratefulness.

It wasn’t only that that had made Berry cry happy tears. Seeing other ponies be able to save their loved ones made her happy as well. Though not everyone got out in time.

Berry blinked back tears as she had vowed with herself, never to give up. The fire in her heart once more burnt brightly as she once more had to save someone who had helped her go through a hard time. Three feet below, the spiked platform inched slowly toward the protracted floor, threatening to impale Berry’s hooves.

Berry grabbed the dislodged metal beam in both her forehooves and started banging away on the glass wall. Immediately cracks started forming on the impact point and before Berry could warn Rarity to stay back, the wall broke and Berry tumbled through.

It was just then the protracted floor started cracking as the spiked floor below it started pushing. The floor broke away as the spikes went through it, slowly continuing its way to the ceiling. Berry galloped over to a confused Rarity, who was still wondering what was going on. Berry reached over to her back and took the key to unlock Rarity’s cuffs. Berry quickly unlocked Rarity’s cuffs, and, sliding them off, she took off the leather strap hindering Rarity’s magic. The moment Berry took off her blindfold however, Rarity cringed in pain as the lights burnt her contracted pupils.

Berry laughed heartily and she let tears stream down her face as she hugged Rarity. Still confused, but grateful to be through with her ordeal, Rarity cried and hugged Berry back in gratitude.

Author’s note : So yeah, this took a bit longer than usual. Was planning to post it on the 23rd, exactly one month after the first chapter. But I had to be busy today so I came back late to write. From now on flashbacks will be written in italic to avoid confusion like in the first chapter. A big warm thanks to my readers and supporters who helped me get by so far. Next chapter to be released very soon xD.

Trust and resolution

Applejack couldn’t believe what she just heard. But if she were lyin’, then why would ah’ even be here? Applejack was well aware of what she had done wrong, but to believe what Twilight and Rainbow Dash had just explained was just nuts. Well, all of our journeys together were plain nuts as well. After all, Twilight had been truthful to Applejack and the others, save for a few occasions that she would most likely deny or pretend that she couldn’t remember. Applejack didn’t mind. In most crazy situations, the average pony would choose to speak the truth in hopes of achieving allies. The last thing Twilight and Dash would want was for me to go against them.

However, that was the least of Applejack’s worries. The two ponies had just explained what they did wrong and what the consequences had been imposed, but Applejack believed them. Oh yes she did. But what if they find what ah’ did ta’ be unforgivable? A few ponies ending up in Intensive Care certainly couldn’t compare with Dash’s draught. Applejack’s brain told Applejack to blame Rainbow Dash for what she did. If there was no draught, ah’ wouldn’t haf’ tried all those things on dem’ apples. But then she wondered if her eventual greed would lead her to do so anyway. Well, ah’ can’t blame everyone. Greed really is a powerful thing.

Meanwhile, the two ponies watched as Applejack went through her mental thoughts, going through what they had just told her, no doubt. Applejack had proved to be a rather important ally during the confrontation just now, though she had gone a bit overboard. We could have gotten information from the mare though... Twilight didn’t blame Dash for not catching her. Teleportation spells were normally quick so Dash not being able to catch the mare didn’t really surprise her. During the confrontation earlier, Twilight had expected to miss upon first shooting with the blowtube. Never in all her years had she expected to actually get a bulls-eye. Twilight snickered a little at that. Bulls-eye..... Dash would have facehoofed hard if she had heard that pun.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, was thinking about the way Applejack took down that stallion. Well that’s one way of taking care of others. I think. The image of Applejack sawing back and forth on a unicorn with a knife while he’s attempting a spell will forever be burnt onto Rainbow Dash’s mind. Not that she cared. That was so awesome! Well it wasn’t everyday that somepony gets to kill another pony without being convicted right? That’s when Rainbow Dash gulped. The sound of Rainbow Dash swallowing caught the attention of the two ponies.

“Something wrong, Dash?” Twilight asked. Applejack had wanted to ask the same question, but since Twilight had raised it faster than she did, Applejack said nothing.

“Well I was just wondering...” Dash’s voice trailed off. There was a momentary silent between the three as Dash tried to find the suitable words to describe her sentence. A short moment later, she sighed, and continued. “I was just wondering, if we were to come under attack or get assaulted by somepony and we by some luck manage to retaliate, would that be considered a crime? Like, against the law or something? Like how Applejack ended that unicorn’s life just now?” She ended the sentence with a rather grim tone. She started poking at the ground, as if hoping something were to pop up and save the conversation.

Nothing popped up, and the three were once more shrouded with silence, all three lost in their own thoughts. The only thing the three were thinking about was a matter of trust. Twilight knew she could trust Rainbow Dash, but she wasn’t that much sure about Applejack. Rainbow Dash trusted Applejack, since they’ve been through a lot of things together, but seeing how Twilight reacts under moments of intense stress, pretty much like now, she wasn’t sure about Twilight. Applejack on the other hand had already decided that both of them were good as long as there’s teamwork between them. But seeing how Rainbow Dash was always a soloist when it came to critical situations, Applejack really wasn’t sure if she could trust Dash.

At this rate, all three would be at each other’s throats when a situation presents itself. Sure they did well during the confrontation just now, but what if a much more sturdy fighter, or cunning unicorn, or a dogfighter pegasus were to show up? The mane three would have a fight of wits and logic to see who was right. And that was certainly not what Twilight, Dash or Applejack wanted. But they did not know the thoughts of one another. Twilight could cast a mind reading spell on herself or her friends so they’d know each other’s thoughts. But if Twilight was afraid, for that if she did so, the two would accuse her of not telling them earlier and had probably been reading their minds without their consent.

Twilight knew she had to keep the ball rolling between the three. Trust can be a very powerful weapon when used correctly. But Twilight felt guilty if she were to toy around her friends just to use them later on. But this is not for my own benefit. And that was true. If I don’t keep things together, we might split up faster than when we were under Berry’s command. Berry had known what Rainbow Dash and Twilight had done wrong, and the three had gone together well. But without Berry, Twilight wasn’t sure if they’d hold out long. But then again, since Twilight and Dash confessed their sins to Applejack, Applejack could have taken that as a sense of trust in her. Twilight felt reassured, but that didn’t mean the other two would feel the same.

“Actually, I don’t think it would be a crime.” Twilight spoke up. The other two ponies turned their attentions to Twilight.

“And how sher are ya’?” Applejack was rather skeptical. And so was Rainbow Dash, no less.

Twilight had remembered reading up on a couple of thick law books a couple of weeks ago. And those books aren’t that thin. She hadn’t even finished reading up on Equestrian history. “Well, for one thing, us getting attacked in the first place would be considered being a victim to assault. That means if we were to defend ourselves, it wouldn’t be against the law since we were just defending ourselves right?”

“But surely there should be a limit to how we should defend ourselves...right?” Even though she was asking the question, Rainbow Dash was rather unsure.

Twilight looked down at the carpeting, trying to remember if any part of her books had said anything about a limit when it came to self defence. Finding nothing at all, she shook her head. “If we’re defending ourselves, it wouldn’t be a crime. If we didn’t defend ourselves, then we would be putting ourselves in harms way on purpose.”

This answer was enough for Rainbow Dash. Applejack, on the other hand, was curious about one thing else. “Hey Twilight, ah’m just curious here, but what were those spells dem unicorns did? Ah’ve never seen you cast such spells before.”

Twilight was surprised as to how Applejack had not seen Twilight cast Thunderclap before. She had done that spell several times during their journeys. “Are you refering to the spell the unicorn had used to shatter the metal door?” Twilight was certain she had casted thunderclap before, but she wasn’t that sure about the sonic boom spell. Twilight knew that if she casted Earthshock she would have to exert the spell on the ground anyway. She couldn’t just cast the spell on her hooves and continue walking on all fours, hoping to use it later. Oh no, the spell did not work that way.

“That, and the spell that mare used to shatter that chair in the room.” Twilight facehoofed. Apparently Applejack, being an able-bodied applebucker, would always be ahead of the group when it came to confrontations. But then again, wouldn’t Applejack be able to tell who was casting the spells? Certainly Rarity couldn’t cast such complex spells. Not that Twilight was doubting Rarity or anything. Who knows what Rarity would be capable of. Well she’s here with us... right?

“The spell that mare casted was Thunderclap, which I myself have used a couple of times during our adventures. Despite the name, the ‘clap’ normally comes first to stun others before the lightning came. However, I don’t really think that mare mastered the spell that well. Normally after the thunder, the unicorn casting the spell would be unmoved and would be able to aim properly before shooting out lightning. She instead missed. And the spell really doesn’t take long to cast. About say.... two seconds?”

Applejack wasn’t sure she understood, but she nodded as if understanding. Twilight wouldn’t expect Applejack to understand anyway. “And the thing the stallion did?”

Earthshock would be a much more complicated thing to explain. If Applejack couldn’t understand Thunderclap, then she most likely wouldn’t understand Earthshock. Twilight inhaled deeply and continued. “The spell the stallion had casted was meant to be another stunner spell, much stronger than Thunderclap. The only problem is stallions like him would cast it on his rearhooves as they aim much more accurately by bucking. With Earthshock he could buck down walls or even cause bones to break should he buck anypony. What I’m confused is why he’d cast Earthshock on his forehooves instead.”

That’s when a thought came into Twilight’s head. Had the two ponies somehow swapped spells, messing up their attack on us? The thought seemed plausible. It really wasn’t a regular thing for stallions like him to actually cast Earthshock. Earthshock was used quite some time ago to enhance the bucking force of some weak earth ponies. Earthshock, though rarely used, was not unknown in battlefields as well. Mares cast the spell very well, although they themselves cannot withstand the force of beating pure shockwaves down on the ground. They were normally martyrs of war.

“A stallion of his size should be capable of knocking back others with forehoof smashin’ right? So ah’ guess that he did so on purpose.” Applejack sounded certain, though Twilight knew that what Applejack said might be wrong.

“If that were the case, then the stallion should also cast the Thunderclap. it isn’t the other way around. The mare is supposed to sacrifice herself doing Earthshock before the stallion moves in for the kill with Thunderclap. That would have been enough. The mares usually die while the stallion emerges the victor of the battle. This is, however, the opposite.”

Applejack said nothing more, as to question Twilight’s logic was the same as to question an apple of its colour change. So she stood silent. Rainbow Dash had nothing else to say as well. The three ponies went silent, the only sounds in the hallway being their own breathing and Twilight’s collar beeps.

After about two minutes of uninterrupted silence, Twilight’s leader instincts took over, and she gave orders. She knew they had to move out in time to save all the other ponies. Chances were, they might meet Berry or another pony along the way. Twilight had lost track of time, though she was sure she had left her office an hour ago. Twilight went over to Berry’s saddlebags to look for the watch she had. Taking it out slowly, Twilight set it down on the floors of the hallway. It was already 3.15 in the afternoon, and Twilight could hear the sound of thunder outside the building. She had another 2 hours before it would be too late to take off her collar. She had to find the keys to her braces, and fast. She still hadn’t forgotten that she had to save Lyra. However, Twilight wasn’t sure if Lyra could wait. To either look for Berry or instead go ahead to save Lyra, Twilight couldn’t decide. Giving it another two minutes, with the other two ponies just looking at her like Twilight was having a brainstorm, Twilight knew she had to find Berry.

Twilight sighed, and that got the full attention of the other two ponies, and said, “We don’t have much time. Pick up your bags and let’s save the others.” Twilight then remembered that some rooms could yield rather useful items to their journey. “But first, we should probably check for anything that could help us.” The other two ponies nodded in agreement, and packed their saddlebags. Applejack’s room didn’t have anything else aside from the disintegrated chair and the garotte. “We sweep the top floor before we go to the floor below us. Hopefully they didn’t take Berry far.”

The three ponies made their ways to the office adjacent Applejack’s room. The door being shattered from the force of the Earthshock the stallion had done, the three ponies stepped over what was left of the door and went inside. To their surprise the room was already lit, like a regular office. However, there was nopony or anything indicating the presence of a pony in the office. As Rainbow Dash stepped over the remains of the door, she spotted the number that once hung on the door itself. Office number one. The room had a barred window on one side with a clear view of the storm outside. Rain had once more covered the land, and Twilight was wondering how Lyra was. Lake.... The window was flanked by two bookshelves, both bare save for two books each and a small drawer in the lowest section of both bookshelves. The room was painted a pearl white colour with the bars at the window painted a gloomy orange. The paint was peeling. No glass had covered the window, enabling some of the raindrops to fall into the room. The carpeting in the room had been a continuation of the carpeting from the hallway.

Twilight levitated a book from the bookshelf on the left and set it down on the floor in front of her. The book was rather dusty and was fragile after a long time of disuse. Months, or perhaps years, since the last pony had even read the book. Twilight blew the dust off the cover. The cover was bright red, with the title in gold. The book was entitled, “The pony mind”, with a short description at the back detailing the emotions, the thoughts and the actions resulting from those thoughts and emotions that have shaped the history of Equestria.

Twilight flipped open the first page, and was surprised to find something else other than the index. If there was even an index. The book had been hollowed out, until probably fourty pages into the book. There was a gold key, encrusted with a diamond, in the centre of the book. Twilight had expected to read up on the book, hoping to find out more about other ponies, but she knew she had no time. She shook the key out of the book, and felt the key. The key was rather heavy, and looked as if it could be of more use than it’s original purpose. Twilight tried fitting the key into the leather braces on her rearhooves, but to no avail. However, she knew she had struck gold when she was able to fit it into the leather brace on her right forehoof. She slid it off, and rubbed her hoof with her bandaged hoof. She was kinda happy that there was only one needle in her right forehoof instead of two or more.

Meanwhile, while Twilight was checking the book out, Rainbow Dash had gone to the drawer on the left bookshelf. She tried the handle, and the drawer opened with ease. Inside was more morphine, another syringe, a bandage and a little cardboard box. She skipped the first three items and took out the little cardboard box. The top was sealed with tape, but Rainbow Dash knew she could open it with ease. Reaching into her saddlebag for her switchblade, she nicked the tape on the box and slowly slid the blade across the tape. Dash opened the flaps covering the top and peered into the box.

Another weapon had presented itself, and Rainbow Dash had felt like she had seen one of these before. She laid down the oddly shaped object on top of the cardboard box. She had remembered the Royal Guard utilizing such things. What Rainbow dash saw could be fitted onto the hoof and aimed at another pony before firing. It was like a slingshot, only you could fire it by shaking your hoof a bit. Rainbow Dash had seen the use of this weapon many times during her days in the Wonderbolts. Security had used these against ponies who crossed the line just to see the Wonderbolts. Upon firing, two projectiles would be ejected out of the device and would administer a small shock view the small, flexible wires attached to the projectiles. Known only as a Taser to Canterlot folks, Rainbow Dash had known it by a different name. She had been told that the name had been given though it made no sense. A stuncannon. The cannon was much much smaller compared to Pinkie’s party cannon, but it held the same function. It was hoofheld, making it a good close quarter weapon. The shock from the stuncannon was enough to render an full bodied stallion unconscious. Rainbow Dash snickered. This is gonna be fun to use later.

Applejack had went through the last book on the left bookshelf. The thin purple book detailed the change of temperature that came and went during winter and summer in Equestria. Applejack didn’t feel like reading at the moment, so she kept it in her saddlebag, for future use just in case.

Just then, a sound erupted from the hallways. The three ponies’ ears perked up as they recognized the sound to be that of deadbolts unlatching from a doorframe and a metal door opening. A single thought went through the minds of all three of the ponies. Looks like somepony else just finished up on their test. And we might have ourselves a little company here.

Author's note: I was actually planning to release this on Christmas Day, but I somehow lost track of time and that was that. Forgive me if this chapter was a little bit confusing.

Spitfire's test

The oil lantern in the room started with a dim light that barely filled the room, but gradually the light grew brighter, eventually filling the whole room. The oil lantern had been timed, only to start burning upon a designated time. That didn’t mean that the single pegasus in the room had to be awake by the time the oil lantern had started to light. She had awaken roughly half an hour ago, screaming in panic at first, but then accepted her fate that nopony would hear her. She had tried harder after a few moments, only to give up after a few tries. She had hoped that somepony would have heard her cries for help. Even if anypony heard her, there was no way into the room, and the only way out was from the inside. The only way in, was by numeric combination upon a combination lock securing the door.

Her fiery-orange mane wet with perspiration, the mare had given up trying to get help, seeing as to how immobile she was. However, the mare looked up when the oil lantern started filling the room, prompting her to look around the room. She gave a sigh of exasperation after realizing that her cries for help were in vain. The room had been soundproofed. The mare couldn’t look behind her. She was facing the door to the room. She felt useless, knowing the door was so near, yet so far. The mare’s wings were stretched open behind her, and she could feel something holding onto her wings. She had tried trying to shake her way out of whatever was holding onto her wings but her rearhooves were cuffed onto a steel plate on the floor. The only thing she could move were her forehooves.

In front of the mare, between her and the door, was a single metal block. On the metal block were two other blocks protruding from the top of the block, though much flatter and smaller. Apart from that, the metal block just looked like a regular metal block, nothing out of the ordinary. Except for something yellow on top. Spitfire squinted at the yellow thing, only to find out that it was a note. She leaned, one of the few things she was capable of doing, forwards to read the note. She was surprised that her name was on the note. She couldn’t think of anypony that could have left her in a place like this. Except Soarin’. That joker. Though this was probably too far to actually be considered a joke. Soarin’ should know that. She read the note slowly, carefully trying not to snap rearhooves trying to lean herself forward.

Hello Spitfire. I want to play a game. You are not a regular pegasus. You stand out among your teammates when it comes to soaring to the skies. You have more fans than any of the members of the Wonderbolts aside from Rainbow Dash. But you have made a terrible mistake in handling one small matter.

A fan of yours, it seems, caught you accepting bribes from a few ponies wanting to join the Wonderbolts. If it’s not that, it’s somepony paying you to rig a race. That pony who caught you, attempted to confront you, with clear evidence of your wrongdoing. You knew the jig was up, and that everything would come falling apart. So your next move was critical.

A few days later, police found the body of the fan who confronted you. Now you and I both know what you did. Don’t try denying. I have as much proof that you finished her off as she had proof of you accepting bribes.

The device you are attached to is what I call a Wing Tug. In sixty seconds, the clamps holding onto your wings will slowly be tugged back, ensuring you enjoy every single second of the pain. The only way out is by destroying the hooves in which you have used to destroy another pony and accept bribery. By smashing your hooves repeatedly on the pressure plates on the metal block before you, should you succeed, the pressure plates will activate and stop the tugging on your wings. The clamps will then be released and the cuffs securing your rearhooves will be opened.

Are you willing to stop your dirty laundry before the washing machine stops? Let the game begin.

Spitfire didn’t react for a few seconds. Is this for real? Spitfire had thought this was a practical joke, but now she knew that this was all just a game. Sick bastard. And how did he...or she know about what I did!? Spitfire swore that her jaw could have struck the floor if she weren’t leaning so hard towards the metal block. A flurry of thoughts went through Spitfire’s mind faster than Rainbow Dash needed to create a Sonic Rainboom. Spitfire’s head hurt as she tried to figure who could have been behind this, how he...or she knew about what Spitfire did and how she could have been caught twice. Spitfire’s hooves were definitely dirty, but she wanted to know just how much the perpetrator knew about her.

All of those thoughts stopped assaulting her brain immediately after she felt her wings being tugged on. This is bad. Really bad. Spitfire’s whole life depended on her ability to fly. Being a member of the Wonderbolts, it just wouldn’t sound right to have a flier who can’t fly, right? Even the retired members of the Wonderbolts can still fly. She would have to worry about that stuff later. Whether or not she would still be able to fly all depended on what she was willing to do right now. Five seconds in, Spitfire scanned the note and immediately came upon the sentence she knew would help her get out.

By smashing your hooves repeatedly on the pressure plates on the metal block before you, should you succeed, the pressure plates will activate and stop the tugging on your wings.

Spitfire didn’t hesitate. But she had a problem. In order to reach the metal block in front of her, she had to lean forward. But by leaning forward, she was unintentionally speeding up the process of her wings being pulled off. So by trying to save myself, I’m actually screwing my chances of getting out safe. Ten seconds in, and Spitfire could already feel her wings flexing in ways they shouldn’t be. Against her will, Spitfire leaned forward and proceeded to bang her forehooves onto the pressure plates atop the metal block.

Slowly but surely, the pressure plates descended into the metal block by bit. Fifteen seconds in, Spitfire stopped, cringing at the pain from striking her forehooves upon the metal block. Tears streamed from her eyes as she couldn’t keep them back any longer. Spitfire hadn’t felt so much pain since the accident. The accident...

“But daddy, I want to join them now!” A young Spitfire huffed. Spitfire and her father had to the Wonderbolt’s derby on the eve after Winter Wrap Up. Her father had promised Spitfire that she would be able to join the Wonderbolts if she gave the opportunity all she got.

“Now now, spi, you know that you can’t just waltz into the Wonderbolts just like that right? You have to do something amazing to capture their attention!” Her father pointed at one of the Wonderbolt’s zooming ahead of the rest. Though he was a new flier in the Wonderbolts, the pegasus had done his best to outshine the other members of the Wonderbolts, easily leading by more than half a lap.

“But over-confidence gets nopony nowhere! And don’t call me spi! You know how much I hate that!” Spitfire’s cheeks puffed up. Her father laughed. Spitfire was so cute when she’s mad.

“Tell you what. I know how you can get into the Wonderbolts. But you have to promise me that you’ll give it all you’ve got, you hear?” The head of the Wonderbolts had managed to overtake the lead of the derby and was now racing neck and neck with the new recruit.

“You do?!” Filly spitfire was ecstatic. She knew her father wouldn’t lie about something she was so serious about. She was willing to do a whole lot of things, just to even get to meet the Wonderbolts in the flesh. The Wonderbolts rarely granted such meetings, so filly Spitfire knew that she had no chance. However, when given the opportunity to even join the Wonderbolts, Spitfire wasn’t that confident with her flying capabilities.

Her father smiled at her again, knowing that Spitfire would say yes almost immediately afterttelling her how to join the Wonderbolts. To be able to strut your stunts in front of thousands of fans was one of Spitfire’s dreams, as her father had recalled. He had never seen Spitfire as serious as she was whenever he spoke about the Wonderbolts.

“There’s a competition coming up next week that will be judged by none other than the Wonderbolts themselves. If you were to win the competition, I’m sure that they’d take you in proudly!”

Filly Spitfire’s eyes sparkled. Her confidence would rise whenever she heard the name Wonderbolts. She would envision the Wonderbolts, actually there to see just how well she was at flying. Spitfire loved to fly, there was no doubt about that. When given motivation, Spitfire had the potential to outshine any of the pegasi in Cloudsdale, and quite possibly, the Wonderbolts themselves.

“I knew that you’d look at me that way.” Spitfire’s father laughed heartily. “That’s why I signed you up for the competition yesterday. At least now, you can show the Wonderbolts what you were made of and finally join the ranks of the elite!”

Spitfire banged on the pressure plates, hoping to push them deeper before the bones in her forehooves gave way. She could feel her wings stretch much further than she could possibly have done during training on her own. Even with help, Spitfire wouldn’t be able to extend her wings that far.

The pressure plates decended a little bit more, and Spitfire stopped. Already twenty-five seconds in and Spitfire was already giving up. She could feel the bones crack with every smack she did on the pressure plates. She had beaten so hard that she would have been bleeding had she been cut. Internal bleeding was just as painful as bleeding on the outside, but amplified about five times. And she had to continue beating on the pressure plates.

The tears continued to flow as Spitfire looked at her forehooves. They were a mess. Though on the outside it didn’t look serious, she could already see that parts of her forehooves were already starting to turn purple, confirming her worst fears. She had internal bleeding. She wasn’t that worried, and soon her other worse fear would be there to greet her. She either lost her forehooves, or lose her wings. Spitfire knew she couldn’t lose her wings. Not becaused she treasured them very much. Oh no, it was because the wings of a pegasus had lots of important veins and arteries, acting as a secondary blood distribution centre, the primary being the kidneys. If her wings were to come off, she’d not only lose her ability to fly, but she would also bleed until she died.

Her forehooves felt numb, and she took this as an advantage. She continued bashing away at the pressure plates, slowly driving them downwards into the metal block. It was forty seconds in that she felt a sharp pain in her wings. Spitfire felt as if she were being stabbed in the back repetitively. Nevertheless she continued banging away on the pressure plates, just two more inches to freedom. However, the numb feeling in her forehooves had subsided, and the pain came back. She stopped immediately. She knew she couldn’t stop. She had vowed to never give up since the accident. The accident....

Filly Spitfire paced back and forth nervously, waiting for her number to be called out. By some luck, she was the last one to be called out. She was worrying that what she had planned might not be enough to wow the Wonderbolts. I’m not even sure if I can pull it off.... Filly Spitfire had been practicing her signature move about a dozen times a day for the past week, hoping to improve before the big day. She had tried and tried, getting noticeably better every time. However, that was when Spitfire had confidence. Spitfire hadn’t anticipated so many people to attend the Best Young Flier’s competition. What if she were to mess up during her routine? She would certainly not join the Wonderbolts, and would become the laughing stock of all of Cloudsdale.

That was when something unexpected happened. Spifire had almost flown through the ceiling when somepony had tapped her on the shoulder. Spitfire turned to see who could be disturbing her now. Her jaw dropped as she saw the new recruit of the Wonderbolts who had won at the derby last week. Stammering, Spitfire tried to mutter up a few words, only to fail miserably.

The young Wonderbolt smiled at Spitfire, playing with her mane. “You’ll do great. Don’t worry about messing up. Worry about missing out. Being here is your first step to joining us, kid. Remember that. To join us, you must be brave and have lots of self-confidence. You got that, kid?” Spitfire was still stuttering, trying to find words. She felt a flame burn in her heart. She had just been cheered on by a Wonderbolt. And right before it was her turn to go out.

With all nervousness gone, Spitfire had wanted to practice her routine one more time. She didn’t have enough time, right before her number was called. She flew out, the fire of confidence burning in her eyes. As she flew to the centre of the stadium, she looked around at the crowd, an expression of fearlessness on her face. The head of the Wonderbolts started counting down the timer, and the moment he said go, Spitfire had flown off.

Spitfire knew that she had to execute every part of her routine perfectly in order for this to work. First she flew skyward, before plummeting downward, building the momentum. Right before touching the ground she made a sharp 90 degree turn and soared dead ahead. By this time in her routine, Spitfire’s tail and mane would appear to have caught fire thanks to the wind beating against them, making it look like flames fanning about as she flew. She was travelling so fast it, her tail and mane flapping around in the wind so hard, that it was as if streaks of flame chased after her as she flew. Then she made another sharp 90 degree turn upward and fly skyward, with the streaks of flames chasing her.

Filly Spitfire had never felt such a feeling of invigoration in her whole life. To have the wind beating on her face as she slowly approached Mach 1. Nopony in history had ever been able to travel at speeds nearing Mach 1 before. Spitfire knew this, and was pushed further to show what she could do.

Then something unexpected happened. She hit Mach 1. The sound barrier broke as streaks of flames chased her. The Sonic Flameboom created spread across the skies like a huge bright orange aurora. The crowd watched in awe as the flames licked at the clouds as Spitfire flew back down. Spitfire knew she had done well. Once her hooves touched the ground, Spitfire was welcomed with cheering from the clouds, and a huge round of applause from her idols, the Wonderbolts. That feeling she had right then was one of the best she had ever felt.

Fifty seconds in, Spitfire could already hear her bones start to snap as the clamps tugging on her wings continued. Spitfire was already beating on the pressure plates with all her mights, as determined as she was when she was a filly, to fly once again among the best of the best. She knew that she had to do it. She had worked so hard to get here. She knew that all of that hard work were to go down the drain if she were to give up now.

Her left forehoof broke as she finally managed to get the pressure plate on the left to descend fully. Her right forehoof however, was still banging on the right pressure plate like no tomorrow. Spitfire whacked barbarically on the right pressure plate with her right forehoof. In an attempt to quicken the descent, Spitfire used her broken forehoof as well. Bad choice. Spitfire bit her lip in pain she she felt her wings start to tear of her back. She banged and banged on the pressure plate, feeling the cursed thing descending ever so slowly. She flashed back to the accident. The accident...

After the Wonderbolts had accepted Filly Spitfire into the Wonderbolts, Spitfire gleefully went on her way back home. That was when she had the idea to try and recreate her Sonic Flameboom. Looking around to make sure that nopony was watching, Spitfire quickly dashed off to the now vacant stadium. Spitfire once more looked around to make sure nopony was watching. Nopony was around. Seizing her chance, Spitfire once more flew off. Flying skyward, she quickly gained enough speed to almost hit the sound barrier.

But she hit something else. Another unlucky pegasus had been flying above the stadium at the time. Spitfire couldn’t stop. Stopping suddenly at such a speed would mean spreading her wings wide enough to slow her down. But at such speeds, such attempts would rip her wings clean off. She had no time to stop, she shouted a word of warning before crashing into the pegasus. She blacked out on impact. Before Spitfire’s eyes closed, she saw the pegasus she crashed into, dashing at Spitfire’s falling body.

Spitfire woke up days later, lying on a hospital bed with her father sobbing away at her bed sheets. Spitfire groaned in pain, catching the attention of her father, who looked up immediately with tearful eyes. Spitfire couldn’t tell how long she had been knocked out, but judging by the eyes of her father, she knew it had been a long while. The two embraced in a hug that meant that no matter what happened, the father and daughter will still love each other.

Sobbing her father stammered, “Oh Spitfire. Promise me you’ll never attempt any dangerous acts again!”

Spitfire, also tearful, promised. “I promise Daddy, I will never do such a thing ever again.” The two had continued the embrace and the crying for several minutes before finally letting go.

Fifty-five seconds in, Spitfire felt her left wing tear off first. There was almost no resistance as the bone had been stretched to it’s limit. The muscle in her wings had been weak, considering how long they had been left open, and had almost no resistance as well. As the wing reached it’s limit, it came off easily. The pain, however, did not come easily to Spitfire. She was howling in pain, knowing that she wouldn’t make it. She tried one more time to bang on the pressure plate. Finally getting it to descend fully, Spitfire knew it was too late when her right wing tore off.

Tears cascaded down her face as she was slowly weakened by her injury. She pitched forward, onto the metal block, knowing that her time is now limited. She cried not only in pain, but also in regret. She had promised her father that she would never attempt a single dangerous act. She had broken the promise, consumed by her own greed. She was in too far to even care whatever promises she had made. She was making money, and quick. She was enjoying it very much, and almost paid no heed to the attention she could have been attracting at the moment.

Spitfire’s strength was weakening, the wings on her back now replaced with bloody stumps that were once her wings. The wings hung behind her, one on each side, like a butterfly’s wings. Bloody poured out of Spitfire’s wounds as she tried to reminisce on her sweet childhood memories. And that single promise she had made with her father that she had broken. A broken promise would hurt her father as much as Spitfire’s death would. The news of the fan she killed would be all over the media soon anyway, so even if she died alone here, Spitfire’s father would still found out.

This hurt Spitfire much more than the accident, and her wings being torn away, and quite possibly both of them combined. Blood continued leaking out of her wounds as Spitfire felt sleepy. Knowing her time was short, Spitfire tried as best as she could to keep her tear-streaked face up. She had to keep her head up. It’s what her father would have wanted. To have confidence no matter what she did. She pushed herself of the table and stood there, on her rearhooves that were standing in the cuffs even though they were opened once both pressure plates had descended. But Spitfire didn’t notice.

She looked upward and felt her weakening lips part. The words that came out would make her father weep deeply til the day of his death. “I’m sorry Daddy...” With that Spitfire once more pitched forward, her rearhooves now moving out of the cuffs. Her chest rebounded off the metal block and she fell to the side. She felt the remaining blood inside her continue to leak out as her vision darkened. The last thing Spitfire remembered was the door opening.

Spitfire closed her eyes and repeated the words until her heart stopped. I’m sorry Daddy....

The Mayor's worries and the mourning of Spitfire

Meanwhile, the little town of Ponyville was oblivious to the missing ponies, apart from those really close to them. No one had wondered where the usual group of six could have gone off to. Most likely on another adventure to a foreign region, like their trip to Appleloosa. But before they had left on their trip to Appleloosa, they had notified Mayor Mare, who notified the residents of Ponyville of their departure. After all, the mane six were always helpful around town, though they themselves have caused quite a few problems.

However, the six had been out of sight the whole day. Mayor Mare was starting to worry. If they were going off on an adventure or anything, they would notify her so that the town wouldn’t worry. Mayor Mare had no idea what to think of next. Occasionally the six would go missing without letting Mayor Mare know. There had been several times that Mayor Mare almost alerted the town of their disappearance, only to receive a letter from Princess Celestia stating that they were out on their usual adventures. Mayor Mare should have gotten a letter by now if it were from Princess Celestia.

And then there were the disappearances of some other ponies in town. The town drunk, or so she was called, Berry Punch, was nowhere in the local bars drinking her days away. Not that she does that as frequently as she did before. She had reduced her times drinking and had apparently opted to stay home and take care of her sister, Cheerilee. Even though the accident had occurred two months ago, Cheerilee still had to stay at home after being discharged a month later.

Cheerilee, still in her carriage during the derailment, had been thrown around the carriage. It wasn’t surprising that she would have gotten serious injuries. But no one knew that the concussion she had from the accident would affect her thinking for so long. Berry had since gone out less to stay home and take care of Cheerilee. So far, the school Cheerilee had been working in had a replacement following the accident, much to the students’ disapproval. Mayor Mare would often see Berry in a particular bar every night where she herself goes to every night. Being a mayor really does take a toll on your mind.

Though Mayor Mare wasn’t much of a drinker, she wasn’t afraid to admit that she might have gone a tad bit overboard from time to time. Even then, those were on special occasions. She still had to administrate the town that she loved very much. Mayor Mare wasn’t surprised that Berry wasn’t in the bar she herself went to. The party thrown by Pinkie Pie the night before had attracted a lot of Ponyville’s residents, with some talk going around the town that Pinkie had secretly snuck in alcohol. This wasn’t healthy considering how little fillies often favoured Pinkie’s parties. A way to relax, as they would say it. But the alcohol just wasn’t necessary. After all, you don’t have to be drunk to have a good time.

Mayor Mare sighed. Berry and the other six were not the only ponies missing. Word from Cloudsdale was that three members from the Wonderbolts had gone missing, one of them being a member of the mane six. This had shocked Mayor Mare. She knew something was up, but she didn’t want to take action just yet. She had overreacted in such situations before and ended up embarrassing herself in front of the town. But she knew that she had to work quick.

After a few hours, reports of missing ponies began pouring in. Mayor Mare had personally gone to see the chief of the Ponyville Police Department for anything regarding the missing ponies. The chief had said that he had never seen so many cases coming in in a single day. A missing ponies report filed by Bon Bon. A missing ponies report filed by Spike the dragon. A missing ponies report filed by the wife of Iron Anvil, the blacksmith that made amour for ponies. And the reports kept coming in. By 4pm in the evening, the number of missing ponies reports had reached 12. An additional two reports came from Canterlot, followed by three more reports from cloudsdale.

Mayor Mare was certain that something was afoot. You don’t say.... Mayor Mare had to alert the ponies of Ponyville of a potential ponynapper on the loose. The chief of the PPD decided for Mayor Mare to go against it.

“But the public has the right to know what is going on!”

The chief’s face was expressionless. It was as if he had gone through such things many times before. In fact, he actually had gone through such situations before. He knew that alerting the public would create panic, and a lot of things happen when ponies are panicking. And the chief sure as hell did not want that to happen. And even if there wasn’t any panic, telling the public would make them isolate themselves in their own homes, even more vulnerable to being ponynapped since there were less witnesses.

The chief shook his head. “If the public finds out that there might be a ponynapper on the loose, they’d panic their pretty little heads off. You know very well that the last thing we want is panic happening in a peaceful little town like this. You, of all people, should know this very well. Don’t you think you’re being a little over-reactive?”

That be true. Alerting the residents of Ponyville would most likely result in total isolation. Nopony would trust anypony in town. Eventually the town’s businesses would close down and nopony would be able to communicate with others in fear of revealing too much information. Keeping quiet for now would probably be the best option. However, the residents who reported the missing ponies will have to continue to worry. PPD and Mayor Mare had no idea as to their whereabouts, but are in no hurry to find out.

17 missing ponies from different towns would probably go on unnoticed. Except to those close to them. And in Ponyville, everypony was close to each other. Mayor Mare couldn’t think of anyone who would want to spoil the relationships of the ponies in Ponyville. Until they find out more, Mayor Mare and the Ponyville Police Department will have to wait and see. If the missing ponies reports keep piling up, then they will have to to tell everypony to be careful. Though they might not take the disappearances of the mane six seriously, the disappearances of the other 11 ponies would not go unnoticed.

Half an hour before the final missing ponies report was submitted, the mane three had once again regrouped in the hallway, Twilight being the last pony to step out. The bookshelf on the right had yielded two books. One book about mechanical mechanisms and another, about electricity. Both books would be read later. Twilight had a brief scan of the books just in case there was a key in either one of them that could unlock her needle brace. There were not keys. The drawer at the right bookshelf had another bottle of morphine and a brass key with a string and a note attached. The note had the number “3” written on it. Twilight kept the key in her own saddlebag before stepping out into the hall.

Applejack had volunteered to carry Berry’s saddlebags, and despite all her mental warnings, Twilight had agreed. Armed with only a knife, Twilight had seen what Applejack was capable of doing. Even without a knife, Applejack could still buck the daylights out of anypony. Twilight was still skeptical of Applejack. The element of honesty, a seemingly experienced killer on the inside. Twilight shuddered, and was relieved to see that neither of the two ponies had seen her do so.

Down the hallway, roughly 50 feet away, a door hung open. It was still swaying outward slowly, as if somepony had forced it open. Twilight called over to the two ponies for them to creep towards her. She didn’t want anypony or anything to know that the three were in the building. The last thing they wanted at the moment was another confrontation in which killing was an option.

“Looks like we might have some company.” Twilight whispered over to the two ponies. Rainbow Dash and Applejack nodded. Applejack took her knife out of Berry’s saddlebags before Twilight could stop her. Twilight facehoofed. “The pony in the room probably just got through with his...or her test. I don’t think the knife will be necessary.”

Applejack shrugged, and kept her knife. Ah’m better off buckin’ anypony anyway. Twilight combed through her thoughts as she tried to devise a safe plan to check on the room that just opened. A safe plan was for one of the three to stand guard by the staircase while the another stood outside the door, just in case there were an ambush. However, an effective plan were for one to stand guard and the other two to storm into the room. Twilight wasn’t sure why, but splitting up probably wasn’t the best answer. All three of the ponies would just have to enter the room together.

Twilight eyed the two ponies. Both of them were tense. They were ready for another attack. Twilight, on the other hoof, wanted to avoid any battles for the time being. “The only thing we need now is to check if anypony is in the room. There is a high probability that there will be somepony in there, so don’t let your guard down.” That was when Twilight had remembered a spell Princess Celestia had used a couple of times when she wanted to sneak up and play a trick on Princess Luna.

Without warning the other two ponies, Twilight’s horn glowed a bright green and the bright green aura surrounded her, making her slowly, but surely, turn transparent. The invisibility spell, thought by Princess Celestia herself to Twilight, would temporarily make anypony invisible with only one tiny side effect. The spell left a slightly minty fresh scent around the pony. Those aware of the spell would be able to find out who was using the spell just by detecting the scent.

Before the two ponies could raise a question, Twilight had whispered over to the two. “This spell is only temporary. Don’t follow your eyes, follow your muzzles.” Twilight casted the spell on the two ponies. They accepted the spell silently. The two slowly disappeared, the only hint of their presence being the minty fresh scent. However, if one of them were to go astray, then none of the ponies would know. Twilight casted another spell, that acted as a tracking device for the three ponies so they know where to go.

“Dash, fly forward and stand in front of the staircase. If anypony goes our way, knock on the wall.” Twilight whispered while pointing at the walls. If Rainbow Dash were still visible, Twilight would have seen her nod. Rainbow Dash flew ahead, and hovered near the front of the stairwell. She had to hover as not to cause enough wind to disrupt the air in the room.

Twilight whispered to Applejack. “You can take your knife out now, if you hold onto it it’ll stay invisible, but you must continue to hold onto it.” Applejack whispered a reply, “Ah hear you Twi’.” She took her knife out Berry’s saddlebags, grabbing it’s hilt in her mouth. Applejack muttered at Twilight, and the two slowly made their way toward the door. They carefully skipped over the corpse of the stallion, hoping that nopony would come to see the carnage they had left behind.

Rainbow Dash felt the approaching minty scent below her and silently saluted the two ponies creeping towards the door. They made their way slowly to the door. No sound was coming from the stairwell, a good sign. Applejack quickly leapt to the other side of the door, with the knife still in her mouth. Twilight slowly made her way to the door. The room was bright, but the bloody mess inside was just too much to handle. Twilight had no time to look for a place to throw up, and immediately threw up behind her, the remains of what she ate at Pinkie’s party landed close to the stairwell.

Twilight knew that at this point, there couldn’t possibly be anypony that was still alive in that room. As she emptied the contents of her stomach onto the floor, Rainbow Dash and Applejack locked over at her. Twilight had a stomach of steel, once downing more drinks than Applejack could. So whatever it was that made her throw up, it was bad. Really bad. The two prepared as to face whatever Twilight had seen inside the room.

Once Twilight was done evacuating her stomach, she wiped a hoof over her mouth, wiping off any extra that had splattered over her face. The invisibility spell was beginning to wear off, as the two closed in to comfort Twilight. The two hadn’t even looked into the room on the way to comfort Twilight.

“Ya’ alright sugarcube?” Applejack whispered over to Twilight. Applejack’s colours had begun to come back, starting with her cutie mark. Rainbow Dash was also starting to recolour starting with her mane. Twilight was begin to recolour as well. The smell of the vomit disguised by the smell of the minty freshness that would stay for another ten minutes.

Twilight’s voice was shaky for a moment, but she spoke. “I guess we don’t have company. I wouldn’t recommend you two going in there. Whoever that pony was she’s long gone.” Twilight looked over at Rainbow Dash, all three of the ponies having their colours back. Twilight had no idea how to break the ice so she just told Rainbow Dash, knowing that Rainbow Dash could take such a sight. Applejack could do the same seeing as to how she finished the stallion.

Twilight sighed before telling Rainbow Dash. “Spitfire is dead.” Twilight prepared just in case Rainbow Dash were to break down or anything worse. How surprised she was when Rainbow Dash showed no reaction whatsoever. Applejack too had expected Dash to cry or at least show some emotion upon hearing the news. Rainbow Dash showed no expression. Rainbow Dash had acted as if nothing had happened.

“Spitfire was into some deep shit. She was into what the Wonderbolts had been into. Money, and it came from all directions. Bribes, corruption, the works. I wouldn’t be surprised if everypony from the Wonderbolts got ponynapped.”

Though it seemed heartless of Rainbow Dash to say such a thing, it was true. Spitfire wouldn’t be here had she been a good girl and had kept her hooves out of the cookie jar. Everything changed once she had her hooves in the jar. After her first “cookie”, she just had to have more. Greed fueled many ponies these days.

Twilight, however, didn’t want the two to view the mess in the room, even though she was confident that the two would be able to handle it well. Shrugging, Twilight led the two ponies into the room. Twilight could have at least have told the two ponies that the room would be such a mess. Telling Rainbow Dash Spitfire was dead didn’t really explain how. The moment the other two ponies stepped in, it was clear how she died.

The bright orange pony was sprawled on the floor, lifeless, lying in a pool of her own blood. A metal block, stood in the middle of the room, the surface smeared with drying blood. The pegasus’ wings were no longer on her back, and the only things in place were what would seem like stumps, but were actually just tear marks on her back. Spitfire’s wings were spread out on the wall behind the corpse, like the way butterflies spread their wings in flight. The blood stained wings had clamps holding on to the wings. The note glued down onto the metal block was blood stained and was hard to read, but the words were clear once Applejack carefully took the note from the metal block. Apparently the blood had acted like a lubricant, and at the same time weakening the glue holding the note down, making taking the note without tearing it somewhat easy.

The three read the note, Rainbow Dash still not surprised, but the other two couldn’t believe what they were reading. Apparently the Wonderbolts didn’t have the cleanest hooves in the skies. They probably knew that their hooves were too dirty to wash off before someone found out. However, hearing how Spitfire had killed a pony who had caught her accepting bribes was unimaginable. The three began to mourn in silence, the loss of a great pony, who had taken the wrong route to success.

Rarity and Berry couldn’t tell much of where they were. Berry could have told Rarity to cast a spell and light up the room they had entered after leaving both Berry’s trap and Rarity’s trap. The two had made their way through the darkness before Rarity offered to light up the space they were in. Berry knew that in the darkness they were better off without light. With light, other hostile ponies would be able to locate the two. They weren’t outside the building, that they were certain. However, stepping into the darkness out of a lighted place would have probably turned several heads in their direction if there were anypony in the same room as they were now. The room they were in was cavernous, and could be as large as Princess Celestia’s castle ballroom.

If Berry remembered the photographs of the ponies and the list of places they were placed in right, Rarity would be number #4, in the assembly hall. Which was bad news. The assembly hall was huge, which meant that there most certainly were other ponies in the assembly hall. The part of the hall they had been in was probably a separated section of the assembly hall. The Assembly hall could have other ponies in danger, and also some other ponies that could bring harm.

Berry told Rarity to shine her horn around the room, to look for an exit out of the place. Rarity lit her horn for only a moment, but during that first moment they saw another pony, who was helpless trying to face her test. Propped up around the mare were a series of harpoon guns. The pony was facing a wall, very much aware of what was behind her. She was standing on her rearhooves, chained to the floor with her forehooves chained as well. A digital timer hung on the wall right above the mare. The timer displayed 00:60 but the time wasn’t moving.

And as if on cue, the timer on the wall started to tick down with the mare no doubt gagged panicking against her restraints.

Author’s note : This chapter was a bit rushed due to the fact that my cousins are coming over tomorrow and I might not be able to complete the next chapter by New Years. If I overlooked anything, I’ll edit it later. Have a great day.

Distrust against Berry and a mare's rescue

“We should really get going.” Twilight suggested after mourning Spitfire’s death alongside Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Spitfire wasn’t that bad of a pony. The mane six had known Spitfire for quite some time, especially Rainbow Dash. They were practically sisters. But yet Dash knew she couldn’t pity Spitfire. Anything could happen to ponies who did bad things. It was just by Dash’s luck that she was alive, and why Spitfire is not. Dash gave a shrug to Twilight, signalling that anything goes, although in her heart, she felt like staying and mourning Spitfire’s death.

Applejack sure as hell didn’t want to stay, but somehow she felt that without Berry’s guidance, they will probably end up lost quick. “But where do we go next? Ah’ mean, Berry’s been guidin’ ya’ two around right?”

Twilight wasn’t that sure of where to go now, except for the fact that Lyra had no time. She had wanted to rescue Lyra the moment she got out of the office, but now she was as lost as Applejack was. All she knew was that she had to get to the lake as soon as she could. But without Berry, they probably won’t make it that far. Twilight could only shrug. “I wasn’t around when Berry was rescuing the other ponies.”

“Well, after Berry got to me, the cottage I was in was burnt down. But after that we went to the two bedrooms. One had a weapon while the other had a list and a series of photographs.” Rainbow Dash spoke up.

“A list of what?” Twilight hadn’t known about this. Applejack was as clueless as Twilight was.

Rainbow Dash bit her lip. Letting the two ponies in front of her know of a list and a series of photographs related to what happened to all of them and a few others might just plant suspicion on Berry. Unless the two had found similar things. She doubted Applejack would have found anything, seeing as to how the three had been together through Applejack’s trap and the rest of the top floor office. They still had to check for anything useful on the floor below them. Rainbow Dash went silent for a short moment, looking for the right words to explain how Berry could have gotten hold of the photographs and the list. She had told them that both Berry and Rainbow Dash had found it in the cottage, so Dash assumed it was safe to tell them.

“Well....” At fight Dash hesitated, but then the words came out in a stream. “After she got to me, the place was burnt down. But somehow, under the rubble, we found a box with the list and the photographs. The weird thing was that the list was a list of all six of our names along with a few others. And guess what? The photographs were photographs of all of us. That’s how we knew where you guys were.”

Twilight then remembered about the photograph she had found and the note she had. “Wait, I found a photograph as well when I was in the office. You think that all of us could get photographs as well? Might help us save a few others, you know?”

The two looked at Applejack. She had a face full of questions, but had the look that said she didn’t know where to start. She raised a hoof to her mouth, trying to think of what to start off with. The two ponies stayed quiet as not to interrupt Applejack’s train of thought. But Twilight’s time was running short as well. She had another hour and a half before her trap would go off. The beeping certainly wasn’t helping.

“Well...I gotta’ lot of questions if ya’ girls don’t mind.” The two ponies nodded. They had to clear Applejack of anything that could distract her on their journey. “First thing, ah’ want to know if Rainbow trusts Berry.”

The question came as a surprise to Rainbow Dash. She had expected Applejack to ask Dash to hand over the list and photographs for inspection. The question she had just asked was rather ridiculous in Dash’s opinion. That wasn’t even a question.

“Of course I trust Berry! She’s the one that got me out of the trap in the first place!” Dash’s voice was laced with uncertainty. I have a bad feeling about this...

Applejack looked over at Dash skeptically while Twilight just looked on. Twilight too had a bad feeling about this. She herself often gave the look Applejack gave Dash now when she herself were skeptical about a certain thing. But how Applejack was looking at Dash was implying that she didn’t trust Berry that much. But Applejack had just gotten into the situation. She was probably still disorientated from being revived just now. But Applejack’s next question challenged both Twilight and Rainbow Dash’s trust in Berry.

“Rainbow, ya’ said that Berry saved ya’ from yer’ trap right? Are ya’ absolutely sure about that? Because I think it might have been Berry herself who put ya’ in yer’ trap.” Applejack had used the tone she always used when she was being dead serious. The two ponies looked at Applejack as if she were crazy, but Twilight, upon hearing Applejack’s question, started to think over her question. How sure is Dash that Berry herself didn’t put her in her trap? Berry might be the perpetrator in this situation.

“Can you clear that question up? I don’t get it.” Dash wasn’t that sure of what Applejack said anyway.

“What ah’m saying is, how sure are Berry was the one that saved ya’ and not the one who put ya’ in yer’ trap? Ah’ mean, you were knocked out when she came right?”

Rainbow Dash glared at Applejack, who was returning an equally disturbing glare. “Why would she go through all the trouble to put me in the trap, only to take me out of it?! It doesn’t even make sense! And, my dear Applejack, Berry herself woke up trapped!”

Applejack’s voice was cool, as if she emerged a victor in the argument. “Did she say that? Or did’ja see it yer’self?”

Rainbow Dash didn’t know what to say. She had trusted Berry so much at the start, but she herself had never wondered if Berry was a liar or not. She thought over it for a moment. Just what benefit would Berry gain from trapping a bunch of ponies? And from the death of others, would she really find benefit at all? If Berry wanted to trap everypony, she wouldn’t have the heart to go back and save everypony. It already took so much energy and resources to ponynap somepony, so why bother turning back? Besides, if Berry wanted me to die, she would have just left me there.

Rainbow Dash replied to her question with a question of her own. “I did not see it myself. But I know that she is not lying, seeing as to how she’s been given the task to save everypony here! She was the one that knew where you were, so if it weren’t for Berry, you yourself wouldn’t be here! Twilight wouldn’t have known where you were without Berry as well!”

At that, as if on cue, Applejack’s face fell. She had nothing to say against that. She still wasn’t sure what happened to her just now. All she remembered was getting out of her garotte and falling unconscious on the floor. After that she felt very cold. The cold had lasted some time. She felt nothing. As if time were slowing down, with every passing second, her heart slowed as well. Applejack didn’t think anything happened. A pony’s heart rate always dropped when they go to sleep. And she had been very tired at the time, not the mention her broken hoof. She herself didn’t think that attacking the stallion the way she did just now was possible with a broken hoof like that. Her thoughts were interrupted by Rainbow Dash while she was still thinking.

“And just to let you know, you DIED just now. Without Berry, Twilight wouldn’t have found you so quickly and revived you. It would probably take her HOURS just to even get to you. Even if she got to you, there was no way she would get through the door, I mean look at her!” Twilight felt pain in that insult, but she herself knew that she wasn’t a strong pony. Indeed she would need some time to actually get past the door. If it weren’t for Berry, she would have went straight to save Lyra, probably abandoning the dead Applejack if she had done so. “And Berry herself had the guts to leave the room to make sure that ALL THREE of US were safe from harm! And look at what situation she is in now! She’s gone missing, probably taken away by that mare or whoever was around at the time! We may have got one kill, Applejack, but that was just a useless pony we had. Berry, was an important pony to ALL of US!”

Tears were flowing, much to the two ponies' surprise. Rainbow Dash herself was surprised at her sudden release of tears. But she knew that for once, Applejack had to let her suspicions go. Applejack needed to know that, even if she was the Element of Honesty, she just couldn’t put any distrust in others who made an enormous effort to make a huge difference.

“Picture our situation without Berry now, I want you to do that. Without Berry, I might not have gotten out of my trap, and would be hanging before being reduced to ash. Berry had started the fire by accident, but even without her and the fire, I’d still be dead, hanging a round in that cottage without anypony knowing!” Rainbow Dash was shouting at the now trembling Applejack. Twilight too, was shaking at the logic shooting out at the two faster than Pinkie’s Party Cannon. “With me hanging around, and Twilight wandering around here like a filly who lost her mother, you would be lying on the floor, dead! Even with Twilight’s freedom of movement now, she could die out there, unsure of where to look for the key to her traps thanks to the absence of Berry!”

Rainbow Dash stopped, and glared through her tearful eyes at Applejack, who, with Twilight were trembling. They had taken a few steps back. Had they taken more, they would have stepped on Twilight’s vomit, or much worse, step on the corpse in the hallway.

“And one thing. BECAUSE Berry was missing, NEITHER of us knew about Spitfire being in her trap. IF she were still around, we would one extra ally helping us out in this situation! If I were by some chance, killed or missing in action, there would AT LEAST be another pegasus with you guys to scout ahead to make sure that nothing would occur along the way!” Rainbow Dash coughed before continuing. “We lost a great friend here, and seeing as to how little time Twilight has, we might lose another! AND HERE YOU ARE WORRYING ABOUT BERRY’S ACTIONS! YOU ARE THE ELEMENT OF HONESTY FOR CELESTIA’S SAKE! YOU SHOULD KNOW IF SHE WERE TRUSTWORTHY OR NOT!” Rainbow Dash continued to cough, almost uncontrollably, trying to not choke on the tears that flowed like a river from each of her eyes.

Through her coughs and chokes, Rainbow Dash managed to get a few sentences through before none of the ponies understood what she said. “And now, without her, we now run the risk of losing the others.” Her voice was grim. “The list and photographs are inside her saddlebags if you want to check them out. She understood what to do next. It was against the rules for Berry to interfere with your test in the first place. So think of it like this, Berry sacrificed her life to save yours. She may be dead now, trying to save all of us. She got to three of us, but the other lives are now in our hooves.”

The mare, on her rearhooves, was shrieking now, somehow being able to get the gag out of her mouth. The shrieks of terror resonated around the the cavernous assembly hall. Anypony in the hall could have heard her. Rarity and Berry knew they could help her out, but were afraid that anything might happen on their way there. Rarity had decided to stop shining her horn, in fear that other ponies might be able to locate both she and Berry. The digital timer on the wall ticked down, oblivious to the life it was counting down for.

The two were roughly a hundred feet away from the mare, and knew that nothing was blocking their route to the mare, but Rarity hadn’t shone her horn bright enough. All around, there were sounds, some in the distance, but some very near. Berry knew that she was unarmed, and Rarity would probably have to useful spells at hand. However, if Berry could get a hold of one of the harpoon guns pointed at the mare’s back, they could have some leverage.

“Rarity, I want you to be very quiet in your next few hoofsteps. I need to get a hold of one of the harpoon guns aimed at the mare. We’re unarmed now, so this could be a bad thing for both of us. But if we manage to save the mare, we could have an extra friend to help us out, provided she stops shrieking.” Berry whispered, to which Rarity giggled.

The two slowly made their way towards the mare. Though being cautious, all around, the sounds of other ponies seemed to be getting closer. Rarity thought of an idea that Twilight had taught her a while back, and whispered over to Berry. “Close your eyes, don’t ask why, just do it.” Berry did as she was told and closed her eyes.

Rarity started the spell by glowing her horn. It was enough to light the room, to which she could see another two or three ponies in the room, then Rarity closed her eyes. The next few seconds were critical. Her horn started to glow bright white. Berry was starting to wonder what was happening, when the sound of a bang rang through the hall. She was lucky her eyes were shut, or else she would have been blinded.

Rarity whispered, “Open your eyes.” and Berry did. The room had been flashed white, as if someone had taken a photograph with a flash, but the flash had stayed forever. “The spell only lasts ten seconds. I just blinded everypony in this room aside from us and the mare there with a flashbang spell. But the ponies will remain blinded for the next three minutes. So let’s move quick!”

The digital timer showed 00.43 seconds, and the two galloped over to the mare. The room was still bright, though starting to dim with every passing second. The two had reached the mare closing 100 feet in 6 seconds.The room was beginning to dim to the darkness it was before so the two made haste and tried to disarm the traps. The mare, by some chance knew they were behind her, however told them to stop.

“But we’re here to help you!” Rarity called out.

The mare however, insisted. “Hair trigger! Any wrong moves can set off the harpoons!” Rarity had seen the strings attached to the triggers but didn’t think much of it until just now. Berry whispered over to Rarity. “Use your magic to cut the strings quick. Before the spell wears off again and we’ll be sitting ducks with a dead pony.”

The room dimmed again to the same darkness and Rarity lit her horn, knowing the other ponies in the room couldn’t see the light. Slowly, Rarity brought her horn over to one of the harpoon guns. She aimed carefully at the string, and then fired an orange beam. The string snapped in two, and went loose around the trigger of the harpoon gun. There were another sevem to undo before the mare was safe. Berry looked up at the timer on the wall. 00.26 seconds. “We don’t have much time, make haste! Cut all of them at once!” The mare was shaking in fear as the Rarity took her time cutting the string.

Berry, on the other hoof, had taken the time to study the mare’s trap, taking all of it in five seconds. The mare had no choice but to stand still if she did not want to set off the harpoon guns. 8 strings were attached to several parts of the mare. Two on both her forehooves, two on her rearhooves, two around her waist, and another two tied to her mane. Berry had seen the light blue mare several times in the bars she favoured, but had never really talked to her. Not that she talked to any of the ponies in the bars aside from the bartenders. The mare’s mane was a mix of two colours, dark blue, and white, like one of the toothpastes Berry had seen in stores around town. The chains holding her hooves down looked like they were timed to open, which would set off the triggers if she were to fall forward. Falling forward, some of the harpoons might miss, but a good few will be able to pierce the mare, that’s for sure. In front of the mare, was a note, and no doubt from that note the mare knew what would happen if anyone disturbed the harpoon guns.

The harpoon guns were arranged in a semicircular form, starting from one part of the wall, to the other end of the wall. The semicircle had a 15 meter radius, with all 8 aimed at her. Falling forward would mean death. The only way to avoid the harpoons piercing the mare, she would have to fall backward. If she fell forward she would fall headfirst into the wall. If that didn’t stun her, then she would be able to duck in time to avoid a few of the harpoons. But this wasn’t the case. The mare looked weak, like she was about to pass out. If she fell forward, it would mean the end. A weak mare like her would most likely fall unconscious from such a light impact. Well that would save her all the pain from the harpoon guns. Which was a good thing. The pain of being pierced, to a weak mare like her, would be very unbearable.

Rarity had gotten through the fifth string when Berry picked up one of the harpoon guns. She could shoot any of the ponies approaching them with ease. The trigger had been modified to fit a pony’s use. Instead of a handle attached to the main part of the harpoon gun, the trigger had been installed at the side, so all the pony had to do was hoist the harpoon gun onto the shoulder and pull her hoof back onto the trigger, firing the harpoon. This harpoon gun was made this way on purpose. Berry turned to look at the timer, and a look of horror came to her face. 00.04 seconds left. Rarity was just about to start on the last harpoon gun. There’s not enough time.

Berry shouted at Rarity to stay back to which she did. 00.02 seconds left. Berry aimed at the last harpoon gun to the mare’s right, and like a professional, pulled her hoof back on the trigger. The harpoon fired out of the harpoon gun, sailing through the air, narrowly missing the mare’s back. Rarity dove away from the last harpoon gun as the timer entered it’s final second. And at that point, time seemed to slow down, as at the harpoon that Berry fired went through the last harpoon gun, not only knocking it’s aim off course, but destroying the harpoon gun as well. The timer reached zero, and the chains securing the mare fell opened, and the mare fell forward. Neither of the idle harpoon guns fired as both Berry and Rarity let out a sigh of relief. The mare didn’t fall unconscious upon hitting her head on the wall, only letting out a yelp in pain, to which Berry giggled to.

The unicorn glared at Berry. “Thanks for saving me back there, nice last second move though. It’s good to see you around here though, Berry.”

Berry was surprised the mare knew her name, but was still known as the town drunk, so she shouldn’t have been so surprised. “Do I know you?”

The mare gave a smile of gratefulness. “Of course not, how silly of me! I’ve been in some of the bars you’ve been to I’m sure you’ve seen me. My name, is Colgate.”

Author's note : I'm not going to leave any spoilers as to how many other ponies have been inserted into the story. It wasn't even Octavia's turn or Lyra's turn yet and people already knew they were involved before any of the chapters mentioned them. So right after a new pony is saved and or killed will I tag them.

Anyway, I just want to wish everypony here a Happy New Year. May the new year bring the best results for all of us !

Attempted ponynapping and office four

“Hopefully there’ll be no reports tomorrow. Normally, ponynaps don’t happen at all. But here we are, with 17 missing ponies to look for, possibly more missing.” The chief of the Ponyville Police Department spoke. It had been a while since the PPD had tackled a ponynapping case and even then, it was never on such a scale. “With the ponynapper still on the loose, I expect more cases tomorrow, though I expect them to be at the minimum.”

Mayor Mare had been in the meeting room with the chief and the entire PPD staff. Due to the cases being so minuscule in Ponyville, the number of officers present were four, excluding the chief. They sat in the small meeting room. Outside, rain was pouring all about Ponyville and its surrounding areas. The rain and cloud sector of the weather factory really were getting back on their rearhooves. The meeting room’s double door entrance was closed as not to let the rain in and was flanked by two officers who were also attending the meeting. The four ponies sat at the table, trying to find ways to persuade one another to go their own way. On the maple table in front of them, a file with the missing ponies reports lay.

Mayor Mare wanted to have at least one pony who would agree with her about letting the public know of the loose ponynapper. Everypony who had been ponynapped were ponies that were active, and busy with their daily lives. They have nothing on them when they go out. However, if one were to stay in a familiar place and would have access to all defensive or offensive items within that familiar place, chances are that they’d catch the ponynapper very soon. Ponies that isolate themselves with whatever they could within their reach were so much safer compared to ponies who went about the streets without any sort of self-defence. The only thing that could be hidden was the force of bucks that could be used by certain ponies. Same thing went for unicorns. Nopony could tell the power of a buck from an earth pony or the magical capabilities of a unicorn.

However, seeing as to how persistent the chief is being, it might actually take a lot more logic to talk him into Mayor Mare’s idea.

“The only thing we can do now is to alert the public. We wouldn’t want any other pony getting kidnapped right?” Mayor Mare raised a question.

“And just how, by turning the public into a stampede of terrified ponies, are we going to do that?”

Mayor Mare voiced her opinion. Being the mayor, one of the advantages one gets is the power of speech. Mayor Mare delivered her opinion smoothly, as if the words were lubricated with butter. As the logic seeped into the chief’s mind, Mayor Mare heard mumbling between the two other officers that sat around the table. They were giving Mayor Mare approving looks. Success.... At first the words slowly got into the chief’s mind. Then, like a hurricane, the logic struck. If logic could be measured with force, then the force of the logic hitting the chief’s thick skull would be enough to level a whole building.

The chief sunk down in his seat, deep in thought. If he stuck with his opinion, there might be more lives in stake. But others running in panic wouldn’t help even the slightest bit. With isolated ponies, no one would be around to report a missing pony should there be another ponynapping case. This would mean more would go missing and not a single pony would know. Even if they did know, the chances of getting ponynapped on the way to PPD were high enough with the streets being so desolate.

Mayor Mare could only watch as the exasperated chief sat there. Not so stuck up now, right chief? Mayor Mare could have laughed had her years of politics not harden her sense of humour. Mayor Mare used to be the kind that would laugh even at a stupid joke. Not necessarily because it was funny, but because it was heartwarming. Mayor Mare had a wonderful laugh, she had to admit, but recently she started laughing less and less. And with the current case in their hooves, she doubted that she would laugh anytime soon. The crisis must end quick.

“If I may, chief?” An officer at the table spoke. The chief looked up at the officer. Even without the chief telling him to speak, the officer knew when to. The chief’s eyes had granted him permission.

“Forgive me sir, but I would have to agree with Mayor Mare. I mean, if what you are doing is right, then countless of other ponies could fall victim to whatever is going on at the moment. I pray to Celestia it doesn’t happen, but with so many going missing without others knowing, wouldn’t it be easier for the public to know what is going on? The population declining would not go unnoticed.”

The chief gave what the lad said a thought. “Well, if everypony were to stay at home, all for themselves to stay, “safe”, as you may call it. Okay, try imagining, if one isolated pony were to go missing, would anypony around be able to notice? With everypony hiding themselves, nopony would notice. If one were to go missing, others would assume that the missing pony would still be hiding. That’s the bad thing. And if anypony went missing, no one would come in and report. Hell, if we’re lucky, somepony might just come in to report a failed ponynapping attempt.”

The officer said nothing. Clearly the chief would still emerge the victor in this debate. If was as if the chief himself was familiar with whatever was going on, which he did. Nothing much could be said as the officer sat there quietly, pondering anything else he could use against the chief. He knew that he would feel bad if the chief were to lose the argument, but there were lives at stake. He couldn’t just clam up and say nothing else that comes to mind.

“The ponies that reported the missing ponies, do they have any description on the perpetrator?” Mayor mare voiced out. The chief took the file on the table, and started fanning through. With every page he went through, Mayor Mare saw nothing on the chief’s face. It was as if he showed no emotion as he fanned through the file. Mayor Mare was a rather good face reader, but the chief’s face was just unreadable. Mayor Mare was surprised. Normally in cases like these, there would be a look of either stress or fear on a pony. Anypony fanning through a file about victims would feel something.

The chief set the file back down, his face still expressionless. “No witnesses. In all of the cases, I was hoping for at least one witness.” The chief sighed before continuing. “Most of the reports stated that the missing ponies were out minding their own businesses, but they never came back. Which supports my suggestion that the public would be more in danger of staying home than in public.”

Mayor Mare was confused. If the victims were out in public with so many ponies around them, how can staying at home be more dangerous than staying in public? Mayor Mare must have thought out loud, because as if what she just thought was received by the chief, he continued.

“The reason why I say so is because, even in public, there are no witnesses to a ponynapping. It’s like what I said just now. Most of the ponies in Ponyville live independantly. Even if everypony was living with another pony, that wouldn’t mean that everypony wouldn’t have their own businesses to take care of. Take the Apple family for an example. One of the reports had said that one of the members of the family, Applejack, frequented travelling alone. Or take another report from Canterlot, this mare named Lyra. According to the report, Lyra had gone to give music lessons. She didn’t come back.”

The officer next to Mayor Mare raised a hoof. Mayor Mare could see her name tag clipped to her uniform. Carrot Top. Isn’t she one of Berry’s best friends? Mayor Mare had seen Carrot Top go to bars with Berry on several occasions, both of them returning home as drunken stupors. The chief looked over at the mare with curly carrot-orange mane. He waved at hoof at her, signalling her to proceed.

“I suggest adding patrols around town. With police making regular patrols around town, there wouldn’t be as much cases as we have now. With that, the public might not panic as much as you think they might when we tell them about the missing ponies. At least, even if they do get worried, they would be happy to know there would be police patrols around. The town isn’t that big, so it should be an easy task.”

Mayor Mare mentally facehoofed. Why didn’t I think of patrols around town? Carrot Top was right. Patrols might just lower the rate of crime in the town. Not that much crime goes on. The ponynappings might go down, though by not so much. The chief and the officer next to him thought over it. Well I’ll be... The chief couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Very well, Mayor Mare, let the public know what’s going on. But first, tell them about the patrols. And tell those that are close with the victims to stay calm, and that police are already investigating the case.”

A look of satisfaction came to Mayor Mare’s face. Just then, there was a banging on the doors of the meeting room. The two officers at the door turned to unlock the door. A filly tumbled in through the doors, messing up her pinkish-purple mane. She coughed momentarily, got up and fixed her mane.

“Somepony tried to ponynap me!” Scootaloo exclaimed.

Elsewhere, the mane three were trying to get into office number four the door was under a combination lock. Applejack was going through the list and photographs. Rainbow Dash was bucking the door and Twilight was searching for something in the hallway.

“Hey Rainbow, where the hay are we anyway?” Applejack asked.

Rainbow Dash paused, her rearhooves sore. Apparently she hadn’t learned from bucking the steel door earlier one floor below. She didn’t understand how Berry could have bucked Applejack’s door so easily. Alcoholic strength. Dash giggled, and immediately felt bad afterward. She coughed before telling Applejack. “You know the meadow on the way to your farm, Applejack? You’re in the office in that meadow. I was in one of the cottages, if you didn’t know that. Twilight herself was in one of the offices below.”

Twilight’s ears perked up, and she turned around to face Rainbow Dash. “You called me Dash?” she said. Dash laughed, and replied, “It’s nothing!”. Applejack shook her head. Rainbow sure can be a joker in times like these. Twilight shrugged, and continued searching the hallway. “Hey Twilight, what are you looking for anyway?” Twilight once more turned around to reply. “You know, Berry went out with her knife, right? I’m just wondering that when they took Berry did she leave her knife behind. At least have Applejack use something much better.”

“Oh.” was all Dash could say. She returned to the steel door she had been bucking earlier, now riddled with dents. Applejack snickered at Dash, to which she glared back at Applejack. “That’s not how ya’ buck ya’ silly pony! Let me do it.” Rainbow Dash stepped aside, giving room for Applejack to buck at the door. Applejack took in a deep breath, and a moment later she bucked at the door. The door didn’t budge. Rainbow Dash rolled on the floor laughing at Applejack.

“That’s one hell of a strong door we’re facing here.” Applejack grunted.

“Aha! Found it!” Twilight exclaimed. “Or at least some part of it.” The two ponies were staring at Twilight, not that she was looking at them anyway. Twilight found the hilt of the knife, with the blade missing. “Hey girls, watch your steps, there’s a missing blade around here.” Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked around, only Rainbow Dash responding, “I think I found the blade! But ugh, it’s bloody!” Rainbow Dash used some of the carpeting to wipe the blood off and took it in her mouth. This tastes awful. She handed the blade over to Twilight, who fused the hilt with the blade without a second’s waste.

Applejack once more bucked at the door, hoping to bring it down. This might take a while. She gave the door one last buck and, bearing no results, sat down. Scratching her head at the huge dents she had cursed the door with. It was then that Applejack noticed the combination lock on the door. Why didn’t Twilight do something about the lock? Anything that has dem fancy mathmatics should be easy for Twilight. Applejack called out to Twilight. “Hey Twilight, come over here!”

“Wait.” Twilight took the knife by the hilt and walked over to Applejack’s back. Before Applejack could ask, Twilight kept the knife in one of Berry’s saddlebags. Twilight then walked over to the door and looked at Applejack. “Yes?”

“Can ya’ try one of yer’ spells to find the combination to the lock on the door?” Applejack pointed at the lock. Twilight eyed the lock. The lock had roughly 5 digits tumblers to spin through. “I’ll try. But first, I have to take this brace out of my saddlebag. Wouldn’t want to pierce it anymore.” But then a thought came to Twilight. The leather brace in my saddlebag from earlier had pierced my bag three times. I thought they were supposed to sink inwards, not pierce outwards. Confused, Twilight took the leather brace out of her saddlebag and set it down on the carpeted floor near the spot Rainbow Dash had wiped the bloody blade on.

“Stand back.” Twilight cautioned to Applejack, to which she did step back. She nearly bumped into Rainbow Dash, who was also looking over in curiosity Twilight then proceeded to test out a spell. Immediately, the leather strap’s lights started flashing and a beeping resonated in the hallway aside from Twilight’s needle collar. Three seconds later, a needle shot out of the needle brace, harmlessly rebounding off a wall.. The three exchanged surprised glances.

“Is that thing supposed to do that?” Applejack asked Twilight. “I don’t think so. Those things are supposed to go inwards. You see those things around my rearhooves? The needles are supposed sink into my hooves if I tried magic, if you didn’t remember.” Twilight looked over at the brace. She studied it over and over in a matter of seconds. Twilight fitted the brace loosely over her right forehoof, much to the other two ponies’ surprise.

“Twilight what the hell are you doing!” Rainbow Dash shouted at Twilight, to which she winced at the pain in her ears. Dash noticed this and immediately lowered her voice. Applejack glared at Dash. Dash blushed and apologized.

“Please don’t shout Dash, my ears hurt everytime you do so. Anyway, I’m trying to find out if this thing has another function.” Twilight explained.

“Whad’ya mean Twilight?”

“Like I said, the needles are to sink into me everytime I cast a spell as long as three seconds. But when I took the brace off and put it in my saddlebag, the needle brace shot out the remaining needles while I was trying to revive you. Right now, I’m trying to see if the needles will sink inward or shoot outward.” Twilight took a deep breath, and proceeded to light her horn. The beeping on the needle brace started once again, and the lights started flashing. Three seconds later, a needle sunk in. Twilight had withdrawn her hoof just in time to avoid the needle sinking into her forehoof.

Twilight let out a sigh, and sat down on the floor, panting. “That was a really close one.” She said.

“What were ya’ trying to discover, Twi?” Applejack asked curiously.

Twilight recovered her posture and her breathing before answering Applejack. “Well now I got one thing clear. When my hoof is inside the needle brace, the needle will sink into my hoof. But if there’s nothing inside the brace, the needles will shoot outward. I think we found ourselves another thing to use.”

Three of the eight needles were used. Twilight left the leather brace on the floor, though much further to avoid further danger from the needles firing outward. Twilight then faced the steel door the office number four, and aimed her horn at the combination lock. Slowly Twilight’s horn glowed a bright green. For a moment nothing happened, then slowly the 5 digits on the lock started moving. As the zeros began moving, the bright green glow from Twilight’s horn turned a dark red. The first two digits came to a stop, which Twilight took to mean that the first two digits are correct. The spell continued until the other three numbers came to a stop.

The correct digits were painted red, which further strengthened the fact that the digits were right, and the lock clicked. Slowly, the deadbolts on the other side began to unlatch. Rainbow Dash must have sensed something about to happen, because she zipped past the door and crashed into the two, smashing them into a wall. Before the two ponies could wonder what happened, a cannonball was fired out into the hallway, destroying the wall of office three.

Twilight and Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash, bewildered. She may have saved both of them, but the only thing that came to their minds was just how she had done so. Rainbow Dash answered before either of the two ponies could ask. “I heard the cannon system thingy operate while the door was opening. I’m surprised you girls didn’t notice.”

Applejack had heard Pinkie Pie explain how her party cannon had operated a while back along with the rest of the mane six. She couldn’t keep up, and would understand if the others didn’t keep up as well. Twilight herself couldn’t keep up with what Pinkie Pie had said considering her rapid firing of words, but she could pretty much understand how the cannon worked. However, rigging a cannon to shoot when a door is opening was just unheard of.

For the first time since she woke up, Twilight thought of Celestia and what she could be doing at such a critical time. Somehow she must know that we're missing, right? Twilight sighed. I hope she can find us.

Discovery

The three ponies got up, dusting themselves off as they checked each other for any injuries. Apart from a few scratches, the three were untouched. At least this isn’t as bad as to being hit by a cannonball. Or landing on the leather brace I left on the floor... In fact, Twilight was even luckier that the impact against the wall didn’t bury any of the needles in her braces into her. She coughed and looked at the wall that just got busted through. The top half of the wall had already been broken clean off, and whatever was left of it was spread out all over the floors, both in the office and in the hallway.

Applejack pushed through part of the rubble. Pushing it aside, Applejack picked up her hat with one hoof and threw it upwards. The hat landed squarely on her head. Neither Rainbow Dash or Twilight knew how Applejack did it, but it does happen everytime she does that. Not that Applejack could tell the two how anyway. It had taken her years to learn such a thing, just to impress others. And she succeeded. Every single time she did the trick.

Rainbow Dash looked over at the ruined wall. It hadn’t gone through the office completely, only stopping after crashing through the wall. The damage was enough to reveal the carnage in Spitfire’s room. Through the gaping holes in the wall, one would see the bloody wings spread out against the wall. Dash shuddered. She didn’t want to remember Spitfire as a criminal that deserved death. Death would eventually come to everypony, but when somepony ends it for you, when you are in your prime, that terrible, gut-wrenching feeling would be enough to set off a flurry of emotions for others.

Twilight’s mane was a mess, like the time she was late in sending in a friendship report to Princess Celestia. Many times since has her mane been so messy, like it is now. She was curious as to what could be in office number four. What had made the room so off-limits that there was a cannon to keep others away? The last thing Twilight wanted was for the cannon to be the start of a trap inside the room.

“Berry had said that there were traps laid out for everypony, including herself. I’m guessing that that’s one of them.” Dash said. The two ponies nodded at her in agreement. We’re all gonna have to go through all the places carefully, and that would be VERY time consuming. Not to mention the fact that the timer on Twilight’s collar was still counting down. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed since she left her office.

“Hey Applejack, can you come over here for a sec?” Twilight called out to Applejack, even though she was merely five feet away. Applejack trotted over to Twilight, not wanting to ask much. Twilight went through Berry’s saddlebag, and after several moments, pulled out what she was looking for. She laid the watch down on the carpeting and looked at the time. 4.15pm. Twilight took a sharp breathe in, and exhaled. That doesn’t leave me with much time. Like Berry, Twilight was given the task to go and rescue Lyra, thought she might have to sacrifice herself in the process. However, when Applejack showed Twilight the list and photographs of the ponies Berry was supposed to save, Twilight went quiet.

Twilight had seen the consequences of a pony going against the rules that this madpony had set, by sending two or more ponies to get Berry. They no doubt succeeded, but they lost a pony. The three were unsure of Berry’s condition. For all we know, Berry could already be dead, setup in another messed up trap set by the madpony. But then again, she’s probably out and about with a new ally. Or with enemies after her. Twilight had to worry about Berry now.

“I wonder what’s inside this office?” Rainbow Dash had no problem flying past the top of the cannon, but the other two had to move the cannon out of the way in order to get in. The room was rather dark, like Twilight’s office. The room had nothing that could be used to light and illuminate the room. The room smelled musky. The three fumbled about the room, trying to find a light source. Twilight could light her horn, but she can’t keep it alight for a long time. And they might just be in the room for a while. Somewhere inside, the sound of running liquid could be heard.

“Twi’, ya’ mind lightin’ this room for a bit? It’s gosh darned dark in here!”

“Wait,let me go get the lantern from your office.” Twilight disappeared out the door. Rainbow Dash was fluttering her wings around. She could hear the sound of water running through the pipes nearby her head. I wonder what’s going on here. Applejack was wondering around the dark, the only source of illumination being the light pouring in from the hallway. Any further than a few feet from the door would prove hard seeing as how the light didn’t stretch far.

The sound of galloping in the hallway caught the attention of the two mares. Twilight came in with a brightly lit oil lantern, no doubt the same bright one as many others in Applejack’s office. The moment Twilight had set hoof inside the room, the three ponies saw everything as clear as day. The room had no windows, which would explain the darkness. The three ponies looked around the room in confusion. All around, transparent pipes were redirecting water a small section of the floorbeneath them from two large plastic tanks from the wall on the left. The sound of the water pumping through the pipes was muffled out by the sound of the storm outside the building.

Aside from that, on the right side of the room, several blueprints and sketches were posted up on the walls. The sketches and blueprints showed a variety of things, from the pony anatomy, to modified helmets meant to fit on a pony’s head, to gas chambers with no way out. The three ponies went through every blueprint, before starting on the sketches. Twilight let out a gasp as she saw a sketch with the blueprints about her leather braces. The same went for both Applejack and Rainbow Dash when they found their respective traps.

“Hey, I think I found Spitfire’s trap design.” Rainbow Dash ripped the blueprint off the wall, and laid it down in front of her. She knew that reading the blueprints would bring much now that Spitfire is dead, but at least they’ll be able to learn something from the traps.

“We better get outta here before the spell wears off.” Rarity told the two. Berry picked up another harpoon gun, just in case anything else were to happen along the way. She had lost her ballistic knife back in the hallway, but at least now she has something more accurate, and powerful. Berry looked over at Colgate, who was also arming herself with a harpoon gun. She levitated it with her magic and carried an extra. At least she isn’t as shaky as she was in her trap just now. Berry envied how unicorns could do extra work without exerting much effort using their magic.

Berry was, however, blessed with wits. Though not expected from a drinker like her, Berry often fought back brilliantly. The advantages I get from having a teacher as a sister. Berry had wanted to check the time, but she had left her saddlebags with Twilight and the others when she had stepped into the hallway. A thought flashed through her mind. Did I collect the notes from our trap just now? Apparently she had not. Even if she did, she would have no place to put the notes.

The ponies wondering around in the assembly hall still had their eyes blinded from the flash bang spell earlier, but if they didn’t get out in time, there’ll have more ponies to go against than they can handle. These ponies might just try to kill me like that blacksmith had tried earlier. If everypony in this place still believed that I had the key, which I don’t, then I might have to go pop a few more heads before it’s all over. Berry turned to Rarity, who was casting another spell. Colgate had lifted another harpoon gun, adding it to the two she already had.

At least Colgate had the advantage of not having to reload the harpoons after firing. Berry galloped over to one harpoon gun and took out its harpoon by the head. She just barely took it in her mouth before the three teleported to the front of the assembly hall doors. That took Berry by surprise. Colgate seemed more surprised that the harpoon guns she had levitated had been teleported along as well.

“I already said to get going.” Rarity blushed. The two ponies couldn’t blame her. The harpoon guns were just taking too much time. The doors leading out to the Assembly hall were boarded up, making the three think over their escape route. Bucking the doors open seemed plausible at the moment, but Berry didn’t want to end up with sore hooves like Rainbow Dash had.

“We’ll have to find another way out. Rarity would you mind shining your horn one more time around this place?”

“If I must shine my horn every few minutes then I might as well fire something that’ll light this awful place for a while.” Rarity then shone her horn once more, turning the space around them a dark purple. The aura of magic surrounding the harpoon guns Colgate was levitating was providing ample light to see around them for anypony who might want to try a move. But then again, lighting up like a flare in the dark really isn’t that good either, right?

Rarity fired an energy orb, that travelled through the dark around the room at speeds even Rainbow Dash couldn’t beat. Slowly, the dark room was illuminated as bright as it would be had there been fluorescent lights installed in the assembly hall. Maybe they had been installed, but were broken since nopony would maintain the place. After the illumination was completed, the three could still see the blinded ponies wondering around the hall. A pegasus was flying blindly into the walls, trying to find her way out like a fly in a jar. The other ponies were walking around aimlessly, but Rarity and the two knew that once the spell was over they might be hostile.

There were four other ponies inside the cavernous room. A pegasus, a unicorn and two earth ponies. Rarity didn’t understand how she could have blinded a pegasus seeing as to how she was flying around the room like a lost filly. The two earth ponies, though very far apart, were in one section of the assembly hall near the one way windows, which seemed to be the only way out. The unicorn was stumbling around, no doubt frustrated of his inability to coordinate his steps properly. He had a vest on that seemed to stretch all the way to his tail. The four looked relatively harmless, except for the fact that they might not.

“Looks like our only way out might be through the windows.” The windows were near Colgate’s trap, which made Rarity teleporting to the doors useless. On the plus side, with the spell already wearing off, and the room already illuminated, it wouldn’t take a while before the two earth ponies were able to attack the three. Though the three outnumbered the two, the earth ponies had the upper hand, being so close to the harpoon guns left behind. Colgate had three, and Berry had one with an extra harpoon. So that left another three harpoon guns behind. Which would give the unicorn an advantage if the spell wears off. He’d be able to levitate the harpoon guns over to himself. But if the three stayed quiet for a while, the four might go against each other before one of them finds out about the three.

But the three had already made their presence clear, thanks to Rarity’s flashbang spell. The four would most likely look for the source of the bang.

“Well then let’s make it quick.” Rarity once more shone her horn, and the three teleported all the way to the other side of the hall, back to where Colgate’s trap had been. Somehow, the two earth ponies must have sensed their presence, because when they had teleported near the windows, one of the earth ponies, a mare with a helmet on, made her move. Leaping forward like a kangaroo, the mare leapt for one of the discarded harpoon guns near Colgate’s trap. It seems that Rarity’s spell had worn off. The yellow-green-coated pony barely made it to a harpoon gun before being smashed in the face mid-flight with Berry’s harpoon gun. At such close proximity, I wouldn’t want blood all over my coat.

The beat to the face dazed the mare, stunning her for a short moment before she recovered. The helmet she wore had apparently cushioned the blow from the harpoon gun. Still believing she could reach the gun in time, she swung her hoof up in an uppercut, knocking Berry’s face upward before once more leaping for the gun. The other two must have assumed that the mare had other intentions, because they had done nothing to stop the mare until it was too late.

The mare shouldered the harpoon gun, and stood on her rearhooves before taking aim. It was then that Colgate, who also felt that firing at such close range would be a waste of a good clean coat, flung one of the harpoon guns, at the mare, hitting the side of her head.

The mare was unfazed, and readjusted her aim, to which Rarity set up a barrier just in time to block the harpoon. The harpoon fired out of the gun, sailing its way toward Colgate, when it hit the barrier, and the harpoon rebounded off the surface of the barrier, now aimed at the mare. Before the mare could get out of the way, the harpoon pierced her abdomen, throwing her backward onto the concrete floor.

Rarity removed the barrier and rushed over to the mare’s side. She was bleeding profusely. She was screaming in pain, trying to pull the harpoon out of her. Realizing that her efforts would bear no fruit, she gave up and said one last sentence.

“Tell Berry I said sorry.”

Moments later the helmet let out a loud crackling sound as amps of electricity travelled from the helmet of the mare through the rest of her body. The pain of the harpoon in her abdomen was numbed, and the mare coughed out some blood before remaining still.

The two remained silent as a wave of realization came upon Berry.

Author's note: A quick post before short starts. And I thought of posting this before midnight (It's 12.01am right now) before my little brother, Purple The Times, had to go to bed since he's going to boarding school and might miss a lot of chapters. Next chapter due either today(4th of january) or maybe tomorrow. Another death is coming up among the mane six

An ally and a critical move to make

For somepony who had feared death, the mare had put up quite a fight, literally to the death. Berry still couldn’t believe who it was, though considering that she herself rarely mingled with the crowd, she wouldn’t believe who else might be here with her.

The lifeless mare lay there, once one of Berry’s drinking buddies. Junebug had given up drinking after getting married, saying that if she ever decided to have a foal, the drinking would be harmful to the foal. The last time Berry and Junebug had a drink together was barely three months ago, before Cheerilee was out of commision.

Berry knew she couldn’t show any emotion toward Junebug. She had the eyes of a killer when she attacked Berry and attempted to fire with one of the harpoon guns. Berry knew that if nothing was done, they wouldn’t have much progress. And it was starting to get late, the sun just hovering above the horizon. Berry was lucky that Junebug was killed before she herself or any of her other friends got killed.

The other three ponies in the assembly hall watched. The unicorn just stared, body covered with perspiration, as he tried to undo his own trap. Junebug’s trap had been rather swift at killing her, but to try and take off a vest without any assistance was just suicide. At least she didn't get sliced up like I will if I don’t get that key. He stared at the plum-coloured earth pony, her jaw still hanging open. Apparently Berry still hadn't gotten use to the death of other ponies in front of her.

Berry still had her jaw hanging when Rarity patting her on the back. "It's time to go. We're wasting time." And that was true. The sun was already beginning to sink into the horizon, and the birds were already flying back to their nests. Berry still couldn't get over Junebug's death. After a short moment, with the other three ponies staring at her planning their next moves, Berry took a deep breath and nodded. The three were still thinking of what they could do to escape, to either go with Berry or to stay in the assembly hall.

The three began making their way out the broken window, with Colgate coming out last, having need to get another harpoon gun after throwing it at the mare. "I suggest that you change your gun as well, seeing as to how hard you had hit June back there." Berry set her gun down on the ground and inspected it, and indeed, she probably had to change it later. There was a huge dent in the metal frame of the gun, which could potentially hinder the firing process and backfire.

Berry shrugged. It probably still works anyway.

"Well at least get another harpoon. You wouldn't want to run out when you're under attack or something."

Once again, Berry shrugged. But she had to agree. When in combat, running out on something useful could be the worst possible thing. "Fine, I'll be right back." And with that, she threw her harpoon gun through the broken window into the assembly hall. With a dull thud, Berry jumped in. Her gun hadn't sustained much damage from the throw inside, but who knows. As she was about to pick a harpoon up from the ground, she came face to face with the unicorn that was staring at the three of them, levitating one of the harpoon guns. The harpoon was aiming at Berry's head.

Rolling out of the line of fire, Berry scrambled for her harpoon gun, only to be held back by the unicorn's magic. Berry tried releasing herself from the magical grasp by flailing her hooves around, but it didn’t seem to have any effect.

“Chill, I’m not gonna hurt you.”

Berry glared at the unicorn. “And why would you not, when others would?”

The unicorn smirked, apparently enjoying Berry’s continuous flailing despite the fact that it wasn’t getting her anywhere. He sighed, and answered, “Because I believe you possess something of my needing, Berry.” The unicorn pointed at his vest, which ran all the way along his back, until the tail. Along the vest, directly above his spine, were a series of blades. Beneath the unicorn’s jaw, an old pocket watch hung, supposedly the timer to his trap. The hands of the watch weren’t moving.

Berry said nothing for a moment, going over her thoughts. She stopped flailing. “How do you know my name, and how do you know I have what you’re looking for?”

“Do not play dumb. You know you have what I need. You know you have what EVERYPONY in this place needs.” The stallion let out another sigh. “You see, I woke up roughly an hour ago in this Celestia-damned place with another three ponies who were in just about the same situation as I was. Now, when I first woke up, there was a note, and with the note, a picture. The note gave particulars to my vest and the way out of it, which was where the picture came in. It was a photograph of you, sprawled on the floor of a bar.” The stallion coughed. “There was something written on the back of the photograph, instructing me to look for the mare in the photograph, as she had the key. A-”

Berry cut him off. “Are you trying to tell me that everypony in this hellhole is out to hunt me? Because if that’s the case, then they’ll have to try harder.”

The magical aura around Berry started shifting, and she was levitated upward. Roughly six feet above the ground, the magical aura disappeared, resulting in Berry tumbling through the air. Berry covered her face with her forehooves, only to be caught by the magical aura made by the unicorn one more time.

“The next time you interrupt me, you’re face will hit the floor first.” The unicorn gave a glare that would have scared the other ponies, but Berry had seen sterner glares and was thus unfazed. “What you said was correct. Every. Bucking. Pony. Is after you. So I would suggest that you receive as much help as needed. Which is where I come in. I am offering my assistance, and in return, I want you to free me of this darned thing.”

Colgate was about to hop in through the window, but the unicorn had already casted a spell over the windows, making sure that nopony was going in, or out. She set her harpoon guns down and started firing lightning bolts at the barrier, but without success. Rarity looked for another way in.

The unicorn set Berry down on the group gently. Berry pondered the stallion’s notion for a short moment. If he were to join, we might have an extra advantage. But.... Seeing as to how the unicorn was desperate to get out of his trap, he might actually pull a trick while the three of us are in trouble. And I left the key in my saddlebags with Twilight and Dash. Would this guy even believe me if I told him I didn’t have it at the moment? He would probably take that excuse as a sign. I mean, I just woke up in this place without my stuff. How can he be mad at me for that?

“I do suggest that you hurry, the sun is already setting.” The unicorn urged. Colgate was firing at the other unbroken windows, but neither of them broke. Rarity was nowhere in sight as she had disappeared from the windows. The pegasus in the hall was bucking away at a crack in the ceiling, and the other earth pony was trying to take his trap off.

“The only problem is that I don’t have the ke-”

“BULLOCKS!” The unicorn shouted, once more surrounding Berry with a magical aura. Left floating in the air, another magical aura surrounded the harpoon gun the unicorn had, and aimed it between Berry’s eyes, the harpoon roughly 9 inches away from her face.

“Now I’m giving you 10 seconds to get me out of this thing before I make you a unicorn with this thing!”

Berry, however, looked at the unicorn, still unfazed. “If you were to kill me now, chances are you’d be throwing any of your chances to stay alive down the gutter considering how I’m the only pony who knows where your key is.” This surprised the unicorn, who had let go of Berry and the harpoon gun, dropping both of them. The unicorn hadn’t thought of that.

Berry hoisted her harpoon gun onto her shoulder, aiming it at the unicorn. “Now if you want your key, you must make a deal with me.”

With the threat of being fired at now real, the unicorn once more surrounded his harpoon gun with a magical aura, returning the aim. “I’m listening.”

Ready to pull her hoof back on the trigger at any second, Berry voiced out the deal. “If you want the key, you must be able to keep your end of the bargain. If you by anyway go against us, I will make sure that the last thing you see is my harpoon going through your throat!”

The unicorn laughed, somewhat amused. “I wouldn’t go against the pony that holds the key to my freedom. What do you take me for, a fool?”

“You’d be surprised.”

The unicorn furrowed his brow. “I see. So you DO have blood on your hooves.”

“Not like I wanted to. Unlike you, those ponies didn’t voice out what they want and just went all crazy for the key. And unlike you, they didn’t offer their assistance in return for the key. Which probably makes you a good guy.” Berry shrugged.

The unicorn laughed once more. “So am I in?” The magical aura around his harpoon gun dissipated, and the gun clattered to the ground.

Berry still had her harpoon gun on her shoulder. But she eased up on the trigger, only idling her hoof over it just in case. “Yeah, I guess so.” Berry lowered her harpoon gun down to her forehooves. “However, you must remember to keep to your part of the bargain. My key is with another unicorn at the moment, who I’m sure is doing a much better job than I was anyway. Besides, I just woke up in this place anyway.”

The unicorn removed the barrier from the windows, causing Colgate to tumble in. Berry chuckled at Colgate as she got to her hooves, hovering the harpoon guns through the window. Colgate brought all her harpoon guns close to the unicorn’s face, almost enough to cut him had Colgate wanted to.

“Colgate... Relax, he’s part of us. For now.”

At that Colgate pulled back, levitating her harpoon guns away from the unicorn’s face. “Okay then. Let’s get going before anypony else tries to attack us along the way.” Colgate looked around the hall, apparently looking for somepony. “That pegasus is gone.”

Berry looked over to the spot the pegasus was bucking at. The pegasus was indeed gone, having escaped through a hole in the wall large enough for herself to escape through. “Where’s Rarity? I don’t want anything happening to her while she’s out there.”

Colgate shrugged. “She said she was going to find another way i-”

The sound of somepony smashing through a wall stole the attention of the three in the hall. There, on the south side of the hall, opposite where the three ponies stood, the walls had collapsed as the pegasus that had escaped earlier went through them. Rarity stood on the other side of the collapsed walls, a look of self-defence painted across her face.

“What, she tried to attack me first!”

Berry facehoofed. “You should have helped Colgate. But what’s done is done. Let’s just go already.”

The light from the oil lantern flickered, as if blown by wind. The three ponies sat there studying blueprints, ignoring the sounds of water flowing through pipes into the floor below. Unlike the other two of her friends, who were studying their own respective traps, Applejack was reading up on the other blueprints. She scanned the walls, and a single blueprint, out of so many others stood out to her. Quickly, Applejack galloped over and ripped the blueprint from the wall.

Setting it down ever so gently, Applejack looked over at the other two, who were oblivious to what Applejack was doing. The blueprint was regarding the pipes that were running down into the floor. Except that the pipes weren’t actually going into the floor below them. As Applejack ran through the blueprint, she felt something else on the back of the blueprint. Flipping it over, a yellow note was revealed. Applejack brought the blueprint closer to the oil lantern and read the words written on the note.

Hello Berry. If you’ve made it this far, despite the defences set in place, then I applaud you. This room was the room I had used to plan all the games and tests I set upon my subjects. However, this particular game requires your special attention.

Applejack stopped reading. “Hey Twi, Rainbow, get yer’ flanks over here!” She called out to the two. Reluctantly, the two made their way over to Applejack, each of them holding a few blueprints in their mouths. Twilight was first to set down the note when she noticed the note on the back of the blueprint Applejack was reading. “Take a look at this.”

The moment you entered this room, you will be met with the blueprints on the walls, aside from the pipes from water tanks around the room. You may disregard these, thinking that it may not mean anything, but believe me, what you do next is critical. The moment the cannon fires the cannonball, the water from the tanks start flowing. This may not be a surprise to you. However, the pipes lead into the floor below, which would mean the floor below the one you’re on now.

The tanks on the left wall are full of water. Harmless, clean water. The tanks are separated into two sections, one for hot water, another for cold water. The pipes around the room redirect the water not into the floor below you, but rather the cafeteria’s freezer. Inside the freezer, awaits the next pony you have to save.

The water cannot be stopped Berry. So let me offer you a small puzzle that might help you. The lock on the door to the freezer is on a numeric lock. To find the correct number sequence, simply enter the numbers of the offices the three ponies you were supposed to save onto the lock, in an “ascending” order.

But you better hurry Berry. Pinkie Pie doesn’t have much time.

The three ponies gasped in unison. “This is where Berry would take over.” Twilight took the blueprint in her mouth and dashed out the office, already trotting down the stairs as the other two tried their best to chase after.

Author’s note : A million apologies for this late update. First week of school was a mess and new subjects had to be learned. However, that doesn’t mean I’ll stop. Pinkie Pie’s test will be released in one or two days from now.

Pinkie Pie's Test

The pony woke up, her teeth chattering. The room was cold. The pony had gone through much colder conditions, but somehow this cold felt different. She was sitting on a wooden dining chair, her forehooves tied behind her back, boasting her chest. Her feet were drumming against the ground as she tried to identify her surroundings. Only seeing frozen crates and hanging icicles around the room, she shivered, her body attempting to generate enough heat to keep her warm in a room as cold as ice itself.

The pink, poofy-maned earth pony tried looking around the room she was in one more time. In addition to the stuff she had seen earlier, a door loomed into view, right in front of the pink-coated pony. The room was well lit, with the orange flame of an oil lantern burning in a corner of the room. Small as the flame is, the light generated was still enough to help her look around the room.

Teeth still chattering, the mare spoke. “H-h-h-hello? A-anyp-pony out there?” Outside the door, was total darkness. Through the little glass panel, Pinkie Pie saw nothing. She tried to get out of the chair, only succeeding in wasting her energy. She breathed out, knowing that it was cold enough for her breath to be visible, which in fact it was.

“H-hello? Anyp-pony?” She called out again, much louder than before. But the response was still the same. Nothing but the sound of water running. Hey! I hear water running! Pinkie glanced around, finally noticing the two steel poles on either side of her chair. The sound came from the transparent pipes that led from the ceiling into a small metal container on either side of the room. Each container had several faucets, to which each of the faucet had its own hose. One the container to the left of Pinkie, the ends of the hoses were tied to nozzles, which were attached to the steel pole. The same went for the other container to Pinkie’s right.

In front of Pinkie, on the bare, cold floor, was a note, soggy from the water dripping from the nozzles of the hoses. How in the whole wide world of Equestria did I get here?! I remember the party last night...but what happened next was so fuzzy. I remember somepony poking me in the neck, and then I had a sweet dream! And then she woke up here. She tried once more to get out of her chair, but to no avail. Pinkie could hear sounds outside, her keen hearing from all the years she’s eavesdropped on other ponies.

The room looked similar to the chiller Pinkie had at Sugarcube Corner. She had used the chiller as a place for storage and other....stuff. A thought came to Pinkie’s mind. Am I still at the party? But somehow Pinkie knew that was impossible. Her chiller had no running water, it would freeze anyway if she did. And why would I have steel poles in a chiller? That makes absolutely no sense! And the one thing that decimated the thought completely was, And how would somepony even get me here without anypony noticing?! That’s just downright silly!

And yet here she was. Tied to a chair. In a freezer in Celestia-knows-where.

There was suddenly light coming from the little glass pane in the door, and Pinkie Pie looked up. But the moment the light came on, Pinkie Pie heard the sound of water approaching. And quick. Hoofsteps could be heard outside the door before the unceremonious banging of hooves on the door started. By then Pinkie Pie could tell that somepony was on the other side of the door and was ready to shout out for help.

The only sound she could let out was the howl of pain as hot water sprayed through the nozzles on the hoses attached to both of the steel poles. The steaming water mercilessly sprayed at the earth pony as she screamed her lungs out. Hot hot hot! was all that went through her mind. Though heat in such a cold place would be quite welcoming, the hot water seemed rather unnecessary. In a cold environment as the one Pinkie was in, even lukewarm water felt like the hottest fires of hell.

Just as sudden as the water had started spraying, it stopped. Pinkie gasped as the water dripped from her mane onto the floor. She was panting, trying to get hold of the air she had lost from screaming. The pain was unbearable. The banging on the door ceased and was replaced with the sound of things hovering around the room before crashing into the door. The impact had no effect as the door still refused to budge.

“That didn’t work either! And that note was for Berry!” A familiar voice shouted out.

Pinkie’s ears perked up as she once more shivered. The cold had come back, twice as bad as it was before. Her teeth once more chattering, Pinkie heard another familiar voice on the other side of the door.

“Unless you have any other bright ideas, I suggest that you shut the buck up and help Applejack with the door!” A voice shouted back.

The sound of water could be heard flowing again, and Pinkie got the chance to shout out what she wanted.

“Girls! Get me out of here!”

That was all that got out before she started crying out in pain as hot water once more drenched her body. The water was still stinging hot, but Pinkie was starting to get used to the heat. The water continued spraying for a further five seconds as she screamed to her heart’s content. The hot water stopped, drops of water dripping out from the nozzles of the hoses onto the floor near Pinkie’s feet.

Pinkie gasped for air. Convinced that her friends hadn’t heard her pleas, she tried shouting out one more time, to much success.

“Pinkie! Hold on! We’re here to get you out!” Though yelling at Pinkie, she could tell that Twilight was trying her best to get the door open.

I hope they get me quick! Pinkie’s heart rate accelerated to beyond rates she usually experienced, and a quick pain in her chest started to freak her out as the cold temperature of the room once more threatened Pinkie with hypothermia.

“It ain’t workin’!” Applejack exclaimed, all the while trying to buck the door down.

“No shit, cowpoke! The note said a numeric code!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

“Well there ain’t no combination lock on the door, so what makes ya’ so sure!”

The cafeteria kitchen was in a dilapidated state, much like the rest of the facilities in the meadow. The walls were dusted with cobwebs and the equipment left behind were all caked with rust and grime. The cafeteria itself was also in a terrible state, with overturned tables and chairs covered in food stains that looked like they could have been left behind centuries ago. The fluorescent lights hanging from the ceilings had only a few functioning, while the rest were broken.

The three had entered the cafeteria after some delay caused by Rainbow Dash. She had said that the door leading down was locked when they came in, and didn’t think it would open until they had explored all the other offices as well. The three had proceeded to trot down, knowing that time was of the essence. However, the moment she had broken through the cafeteria doors, Twilight knew she had made a grave mistake.

Before crashing through the doors, Twilight failed to notice the wedge in between the double doors. The wedge had been what was stopping the hoses from spraying Pinkie with all the hot water from the floor above. But Twilight didn’t know that. She crashed through the door, and upon noticing the mediocre attempt at lighting, she shot out an aurora of light that filled the room temporarily as the other two came trotting through the doors.

Scanning the room, the trio couldn’t find Pinkie at all, which led to only one more place to look. The kitchen. And sure enough, the moment the three had entered the kitchen, there were sounds coming from the freezer. Rainbow Dash had been banging away on the door before Pinkie started screaming in pain.

Outside in the cafeteria, Twilight levitated in a couple of chairs and tables, and told Rainbow Dash to step back before hurling the chairs and tables at the door. Much to the trio’s surprise, the door didn’t budge, much less have any damage done to it.

“Rainbow! Look for Berry, NOW! Dash out of here and bring her back while me and Applejack try to get the door open!” Twilight commanded.

Dash was ready to zoom off, but had told Twilight something that made both she and Applejack facehoof. “The combination lock is next to the entrance to the kitchen by the way.” And with that, she flew off with speeds exceeding Mach 1.

The two galloped over to the entrance, and sure enough, under the light switch, was a combination lock. The dials on the lock couldn’t be turned manually, which meant it had to be done with a unicorn’s magic. The dials showed at that moment 000. Twilight had a thought at that moment just as Pinkie screamed away in pain as the third shower of hot water drenched her, though she was growing much used to it already.

If a unicorn’s magic was supposed to be used at this point, that means I’m supposed to survive! Thought she herself wasn’t sure about that theory, Twilight felt much lighter than she was earlier. But after a couple of seconds, Twilight resumed examining the lock.

Ascending order...

Twilight lit her horn, knowing that it was safe since she left her leather brace upstairs near the ruined wall of office three. Aiming her horn at the combination lock, she turned the dials slowly. Applejack continued bucking at the door, only succeeding in missing a bit and breaking the glass pane in the door. Immediately, the air in the freezer came out, slowly filling the room with cool air as the dials finished turning.

235

The door didn’t open. The sound of Pinkie screaming from inside the freezer could be heard much clearer than before since the glass pane was broken.

After the last shower of hot water, the glass pane in the door had broken, much to Pinkie’s relief. She was just starting to get used to the hot water. Her heart rate was slowly returning to normal as the heat from the hot water became bearable. She tried rocking back and forth in her seat again, and with the help of the water, started moving again. Her wet mane hung forward, almost covering half of her face. Even so, she only managed to move a few centimetres before the wet seat froze in place. The freezer had turned on once more, and the cold came back. Pinkie, however, felt no cold as she felt warm from the hot water earlier. The hot water showered her one more time, this time with Pinkie actually enjoying it, before what happened next took her by surprise.

As if the water had suddenly froze, the hot water suddenly changed ice cold, shocking Pinkie Pie for a short moment before she let out a bloodcurdling shout. Her heart rate escalated as the cold water completely eliminated any sense of heat left on her coat leftover from the hot water earlier. The one thing that Pinkie hated most of all the things she hated was cold water. Especially water that is THIS cold.

Throughout her short, icy shower, she screamed out in agony between pants as she tried to supply her lungs with enough oxygen to keep her heart pumping, thus maintaining body heat. But being in a freezer, and being sprayed with icy cold water, her breathing started becoming more and more shallow as if became harder and harder to breathe. She started coughing once the water stopped.

I’m glad that’s o- She was cut off there just as the icy cold water came back, slowly spraying her with its deathly cold touch.

Twilight once more tried going through the ascending order code, only to fail miserably again. Applejack placed a chair in front of the freezer door and bucked it. The chair shattered upon impact with the door, but the door still didn’t budge.

Berry and her three friends were trotting their way to the offices under the guidance of Rarity’s Tracking Pigeon spell. She shot out a small ball of light which slowly morphed into a bird, and shot out to the direction in which the four had to make their way. However, before they even reached the offices, out of nowhere, a streak of rainbow flashed by, stunning the the four as they tried to comprehend what was going on. Stopping directly in front of Berry, Rainbow Dash shouted, with all her might.

“BERRY, TWILIGHT NEEDS YOUR HELP NOW!”

Had Berry not lifted a hoof to alert the three behind her, she was sure there would be at least two harpoons deep inside Rainbow Dash’s chest.

“We don’t have much time. Did you get a look at the time before you came here?”

Though Dash saw no relevance between the time and the help needed, she tried to recall. “It’s 4:45pm.”

A look of disbelief crossed Berry’s face. “That’s impossible! The sun is already setting and you claim that it’s 4:45pm?!”

Dash facehoofed. “JUST COME WITH ME!” And with that, she flew back to the cafeteria in record time. Berry had no trouble trotting all the way there, and the three unicorns had no problems themselves as they themselves could teleport with ease.

Berry crashed through the doors in a similar fashion that Twilight had earlier, though she had broken a door clean off. Seeing Twilight struggle with the combination lock in the kitchen, Berry galloped over to her side.

“Do you know how to operate this?” Berry panted in exhaustion.

Without looking at Berry, Twilight levitated over the note and the blueprint from office four. Pinkie’s screams were starting to bug Twilight.

Berry skimmed through the note, and immediately understood why Twilight wasn’t getting the message.

Pinkie Pie’s heart rate had soared beyond her highest which was roughly 300 beats per minute under excited conditions. This time it was 350. As the cold water slowly turned into hot water again, Pinkie rocked back and forth violently, trying her best to get out of the chair to avoid any further torture. The note that had been in front of her was completely wet and the words written were no longer recognizable. Pinkie’s breathing was slowing down, though her heart rate still continued to rise.

Her cries for help were not helping her friends get to her much quicker, so she guessed that doing so would be useless. She didn’t feel like she could let out another shout anyway. As her strength started depleting, Pinkie started fading in and out of consciousness. She felt numb. Even when the hot water switched back to cold water again, Pinkie Pie couldn’t tell the difference. Her rocking against the chair had started slowing down as she started to black out. Her heart rate still accelerating at an alarming rate, Pinkie Pie tried one more time to get out of her chair.

She took in one quick breath, and immediately coughed violently as she snorted in some of the cold water. Coughing it back out cost her time and energy, and she vowed not to do so again. But she did anyway. She took a deep breath, and started rocking against her bonds. She couldn’t get out of her chair, she knew that. But that didn’t mean that she would stop trying. She tried for a short while longer, before she felt a sudden pain explode in her chest. The numbness in her body didn’t even numb the sharp, piercing pain at all.

Pinkie was now gasping for air, as if choked by an unknown force. This made the pain in her chest bloom even more as the cold water immediately switched back to hot water. That was the final switch before the pain in her chest disappeared permanently. As Pinkie Pie blacked out, her heart attack finally receding, she knew it was going to be her last few seconds before she was gone from the world. She blacked out, head snapped off to the side as the hot water switched to cold water, repeating the process, oblivious to the dead pony tied to the chair in the middle of the freezer.

Author’s note : Okay this was a rather quick write, since I’m being rather forgetful nowadays so I really have to finish things immediately so I don’t lose any ideas. Will recheck this in the afternoon after school later since I feel that it’s missing something.

A loss of a friend

Minutes before Pinkie expelled her last breath, Berry was skimming through the note on the back of the blueprint to Pinkie's trap. Twilight was trying to go through all of the combinations available, but the numbers were moving very slowly. By the time Berry was done, Twilight had only made it to 073.

Ascending....

"Have. You tried setting 235 on the lock?"

Without turning to face Berry, Twilight gave a quick reply. "I tried it, and it didn't work at all. I might as well try all the numbers I can!" Twilight frantically worked her magic on the numerical lock, the numbers moving oh so slowly, only 078. Twilight's horn shone a deep red, and the numbers started moving a bit faster, though still at a slow rate.

Berry felt that they might not save Pinkie in time, knowing the slow progress will take forever before they actually get the door open. As she once more scanned the note, Applejack had ran out of things to buck in the direction of the door to the freezer as Rainbow Dash flew around the room, hoping to find a different way into the freezer.

Applejack knew that this couldn't go on any longer. If they couldn't save Pinkie, then they had better prepare for the rescue of any other pony they were going to save later.

"Hey, Rainbow! Ah' want chu' to fly back up and get the other blueprints for the ponies we're going ta' save later!"

Rainbow Dash gave Applejack a quick salute before flying off. The three unicorns that Berry had brought along were offering their assistance to Twilight to try and crack the numerical code by sharing their magic altogether, but Twilight felt that any extra "inexperienced" help given might hinder progress on cracking the code.

"The door is hinged to open inward." Colgate said. And that it was. The hinges attached to the door could not be seen from the outside, which leaves the only logical explanation that the door was hinged to open inward.

The two unicorns agreed while Twilight continued going through the numbers on the numerical code, now at 136.

Pinkie Pie's screams of agony could no longer be heard, which made Twilight try harder. The resurrection spell can only work within five minutes of a ponies' death. She fired up a spell that made an orange bolt struck the combination lock, slowly making the numbers spin much faster.

But by then, Berry had found out what Twilight had done wrong. Or I might be wrong myself. The note emphasised the word ascending, which made Berry think through a number of reasons why it should be emphasised. A number of factors went through her mind, but only one had seemed plausible. When it came to her, she couldn't help but shout out the number to Twilight.

"Twilight! 523!"

Twilight didn't ask how Berry knew, but she complied anyway, knowing that she might be right. She tuned the spell on the lock to quickly spin to the number Berry had given. When the three numbers rolled into place, there was the sound of a click, and the sound of the freezer door lock opening. Twilight knew that she might be too late to save Pinkie. Berry, however, held on to the hope that Pinkie was still alive.

The door swung inward, and Berry knew that she was wrong in hoping. Light from the kitchen poured into the freezer, illuminating the room. There, tied to a chair between two steel poles with hoses spraying water, was the pink earth pony they came to save, sitting there motionless. Twilight went through her mental timer, and tried to keep from shedding a tear.

The five minute timer was up.

Rainbow Dash zoomed up the stairwell, and flew to room four. Ignoring the dead stallion in the hallway, Rainbow landed on all four hooves outside room four. She turned her head around to look at the adjacent room. Spitfire's room. Spitfire's inanimate body still lay there in the pool of blood the wound in her back had made. Dash turned away, not wanting to see the scene. Entering the room, Dash started scanning the walls, hoping to look for what she came for.

There were roughly three dozen blueprints and sketches still pasted on the walls. The water that had been flowing through the transparent pipes in the room had gone dry, the tanks of water now drained. Why hadn't we tried to break the pipes instead of trying to break the door? Dash facehoofed. It wasn't the first time that something so obvious got pass the three. In moments of panic and enormous stress, one would tend to look over even the major details.

Dash turned her attention back to the blueprints on the wall. There was Twilight's trap, right next to a sketch of Colgate's trap. Next to Colgate's sketch was a blueprint of what seemed to Dash as giant amplifiers, at the bottom of a deep trench with a pony between each of the four amplifiers,two on each side. Dash glanced around. If I recall correctly.... Dash moved to the southern part of the room. A pipe had been blocking several blueprints. Dash knew that if she hadn't had the strength to buck a door down, though not as much as Applejack, she would have a problem trying to break through the pipe blocking the blueprints. If she reached below the pipe and tugged on the blueprint, she might rip it, rendering it useless if it were unreadable.

The sound of hooves going up the stairwell caught her attention. The pattern of the hooffalls seemed familiar to Dash. She had never really paid attention to the sound of hooffalls before, but ever since she got here, she practically forced herself to pay attention to every last detail. When she didn't major details could be skipped, such as the case of Pinkie's trap. The only hooffalls that she recognised with the pattern that she heard now was Berry's. Which was a relief for her. I need more help to understand some of the stuff written on these things.

She trotted off into the hall, only to retreat back into the office when a harpoon sailed through the air. What the buck?! She wanted to go back out and go crash head-on with whoever had tried to impale her. But all that was gone when she heard the sound of the harpoon gun reloading, and a very familiar voice called out.

"Who goes there?" a frightened, yet educated voice called out. Dash couldn't believe that a mare like Rarity would even know how to fire a harpoon gun, much less reload one, but she did reply.

"Rarity, what the buck has gotten into you?!"

"Dash? Is that you?" the voice called out.

Rainbow Dash stuck her head out of the doorframe, giving the marshmallow white unicorn a glare. "No, I'm a piece of fruit with wings covered with rainbow moss." Rarity snickered.

"Forgive me for the intrusion just now. Twilight and Berry got through the door." For a brief moment, Dash's eyes held a glimmer of hope, until she saw the sad expression of loss on Rarity's face. "But... Pinkie didn't make it." Rarity choked back a tear.

Though Rainbow Dash wasn't expecting Pinkie to pull through, the sheer reality of the truth was still enough to surprise Dash. She had always been around Pinkie, somewhat curious with her ways. Pinkie had thought Dash a lot, and to lose an amazing teacher and at the same time lose one of her best friends was a bit too much, and for the umpteenth time that day, Dash cried hot tears. Rarity joined in seeing as to how Dash was breaking down in front other, and the two cried together as the storm outside intensified.

Applejack sighed. She was sad, that was true, but somehow it wasn't enough for her to cry. Years of being under the sun and months of doing evil things had hardened her feelings, and anything saddening had been brushed off. It was the bad things ponies did that prepared them for the worst. Anypony who had done good would most likely be unprepared for the worst. Such as the case for Twilight. She had been awfully quiet since the tornado outbreak in Appleloosa. She had been reclusive and would give Applejack and anypony who came by excuses not to let them into the library.

Berry patted Twilight on the back as she cried on Berry’s shoulder. Twilight had never experienced the feeling of loss before. Spitfire was different. The two weren’t as close together as Pinkie Pie and Twilight. And losing a good friend like Pinkie was just heartbreaking. The Element of Laughter, no longer tied to the chair, now lay lifelessly on the floor in front of the entrance to the freezer as Berry tried her best to calm Twilight down. It wasn’t what happened to Pinkie that she’s worried about. It’s about Twilight. Her time was almost up, and she still had her needle collar on. The two leather braces on Twilight’s rearhooves still hadn’t been taken off yet, and the darkening sky outside certainly wasn’t helping.

“Hey Applejack.”

Applejack looked up. “Yeah?”

“Would you mind checking the time for me? Please?”

Applejack didn’t ask why. Berry had given Twi’ the correct numbers needed to open the door, so asking for the time would probably be one way of helping out with this situation. Applejack reached into Berry’s saddlebags, searching around for the pocket watch. She laid it on the dusty floor. “It’s 4.50pm”

Twilight looked up from Berry’s shoulder, her sobbing grinding to a halt. “Oh my Celestia! I don’t have time!” With that, she pushed herself off Berry and sat with her back leaning against a wall, like when she did in her office. Looking down on her needle collar, Twilight lit her horn, well aware that the needle brace she left upstairs would have run out of needles already. She didn’t care. If she were to get out of whatever she was in now, she had to take drastic measures. Twilight lit her horn, and a purple aura surrounded her needle collar. For a moment nothing happened, and Berry feared that Twilight might be wasting her efforts. The beeping on the needle brace on Twilight’s left rearhoof started intensifying, signalling the unicorn to stop if it didn’t want to get hurt.

Twilight didn’t stop, and continued. Twilight reached the strap of her saddlebag and bit on it right as the first needle dug into her hoof. Twilight’s cry of pain was muffled by the strap. But she didn’t stop, the aura around the needle collar slowly growing brighter and brighter. A second needle buried itself in Twilight’s hoof, making Twilight choke back a scream. The pain the other needle insertions made were mediocre compared to the needle that just pierced Twilight’s hoof.

The needle had gone through an artery in Twilight’s rearhoof and the wound was bleeding profusely. Biting harder on the strap of her saddlebag, Twilight forced herself further. The aura’s colour change to a dark blue, and 7 needles were detached in an instance, leaving two behind. A third needle went through the same artery the second needle had, and the amount of blood flowing out of Twilight’s injury twofold, or in Princess Luna’s words, the bleeding has been doubled! Berry dashed over to her saddlebag and quickly filled her syringe with the morphine from the quarter-empty bottle. Twilight continued the spell when she felt a prickling sensation in her rearhoof, and took it to be harmless as her pain subsided. Twilight was almost finished with the spell, detaching another needle, before the fourth needle buried itself into Twilight’s hoof. She coughed, making the spell incomplete.

“Shit.” She fired up the spell one more time, but there was no effect on the last needle. Twilight tried one more time, but indeed, there was no effect on the needle brace. Twilight looked back at her rearhoof. A horrified expression crossed her face as she saw the amount of blood loss she had sustained. She knew that any further magic would be near-fatal if she were to lose anymore blood, but there was nothing much she could do.

That was when a blue-ish white aura glowed around her Twilight’s rearhoof. Her rearhoof had gone numb from the pain and the morphine, but she felt a slight tingling sensation in her rearhoof as the aura pulsed through it. A few seconds after the end of the spell, Twilight’s jaw hit the floor as the bleeding miraculously stopped and her wounds had sealed themselves. She looked up, only to see the unicorn she had rejected help from earlier when she was trying to unlock the door. Twilight gave a sheepish grin at Colgate, who seemed rather pleased that she could solve Twilight’s problem.

“Uh...Thanks.”

Colgate nodded. “You really can’t get that last needle off, can’t you?”

A question about the last needle on her needle collar was the last thing Twilight had expected. She didn’t answer, slowly going through her thoughts as to why her magic wasn’t detaching the last needle. Moments later, she shrugged. “I have under half an hour to get the last needle off.”

Colgate once more nodded. Berry looked around the room. Aside from Twilight, Colgate, Berry, Applejack, and Pinkie’s lifeless body on the floor, everypony else was missing. Berry looked quizzically at Colgate.

“Colgate, where’s Rarity and the other unicorn?”

“Rarity had gone up after Dash. The other unicorn, I have no idea. But you have the key to his trap right?”

Berry shrugged, she hadn’t checked his trap yet. And already, the unicorn had disappeared without any of the ponies in the room noticing.

This is not good... Berry thought.

Statement and rule breaking

The chief sat in his chair, forehooves supporting his chin as he laid it on them. The rain had started falling again, right after Scootaloo had finished with her testimony. His eyes looking down at the filly, who sat in one of the vacant chairs in the meeting room. Mayor Mare, and Carrot Top had gone silent as well while the other officer was tapping a rearhoof onto the floor, seemingly trying to think in time with the beats on the floor. Scootaloo had, on the other hoof, calmed down and glanced at the four ponies. The officers at the door had not uttered a word since the meeting had began, and were obediently guarding the door.

The rain certainly isn’t helping us think. Of all the time it could rain, it happens now. Mayor Mare mentally facehoofed. Looking over at the wet-coated filly, Mayor Mare couldn’t help but wonder what had gone wrong. The ponynapping of the other ponies had gone well, so why is a simple and helpless filly like Scootaloo still here with us? This either meant that the perpetrator was getting sloppier in his work, or was probably trying out other methods to catch ponies. Mayor Mare looked shifted her gaze over to the chief, who was still keeping his chin on his hooves. I’m sure everypony at this table would be doing the same. But only the chief had done so. Mayor Mare let out a sigh, which caught the attention of everypony in the room.

The chief looked up. “Is something wrong?”

Mayor Mare looked over at Scootaloo, who was looking back at her. Mayor Mare went through everything Scootaloo had said ten minutes ago.

“Somepony tried to ponynap me!” Scootaloo exclaimed. The smell of rain wafted into the room as the two officers shut the doors of the meeting room. Mayor Mare, along with the other officers in the meeting room stared at Scootaloo, eyes wide. Scootaloo coughed a bit, took in a breath, and sat down in a vacant seat next to Mayor Mare. The chief ran his eyes over the filly, with a look of concern on his face. The filly was fine save for a few lacerations and bruises on her hooves and abdomen.

Carrot Top was first to pop a question. “Would you mind running that by us one more time?” Carrot Top asked, her voice laced with uncertainty. Scootaloo grunted, but answered.

“I said somepony tried to ponynap me! How could you not hear that?”

The chief spoke, voice full of authority. “Now Scoots...” Scootaloo hated when ponies called her that, but listened anyway. “If you came here to report about an attempted ponynapping on you, then I expect you to do it politely. That way it’ll be easier for us to take in your statement. You understand, right?”

The filly looked down at the reports on the table. The officers had made a mistake marking the case file as “Serial Ponynapper”, from the look on Scootaloo’s face. But before any of the officers could react, Scootaloo swallowed and nodded. If I’m not the only one.....

The other officer at the table, her mane a streak of two colours, Burgundy and a light pink, gave a reassuring smile to the filly, hoping that she would not make it any harder on any of the officers. The two at the door stood their ground, somewhat unmoved by what the five were discussing. In fact, if it weren’t for the gazes of the two ponies, the chief could have sworn that the two were daydreaming.

The chief reached out to grab the file on the table. Setting it in front of him, he gestured for Scootaloo to speak. Scootaloo didn’t understand gestures that well. Officer Roseluck spoke for the chief. “You may start your statement now.”

Scootaloo nodded. At first Scootaloo stuttered, throwing and replacing words that she wasn’t sure how to use. A few moments passed before Scootaloo began.

“Lets see... You know the kind of stuff me and the Cutie Mark Crusaders get into? This evening we were supposed to get together for another one of our....adventures again. So I was on my way to the CMC clubhouse in Sweet Apple Acres. I was actually hoping to see Dash but she wasn’t around the whole day, which is kinda strange.” Scootaloo shrugged. She paused for a moment before continuing. “Anyway, while I was looking up at the sky, I heard somepony approaching behind. I thought it was Applebloom, I mean, after all, it’s her farm anyway. So I thought I’d just let her sneak up on me. She really doesn’t sneak that well.” Scootaloo exhaled. The officers waited for Scootaloo to continue as she continued looking for words.

Scootaloo tapped a few times on the meeting room table before continuing. “Applebloom would normally try to tackle me, so when I was taken from behind I really didn’t expect somepony else. But when whoever tackled me didn’t let up, I knew something was wrong. Normally Applebloom would let go after tackling me, but who ever was on me didn’t let up. So I did what had to. I bucked whoever it was in the face and I sped off. I didn’t bring my scooter along with me.”

The fact that Scootaloo hadn’t brought her scooter with her was surprising itself. Roseluck finally broke the silence.

“Scootaloo....”

Scootaloo looked up. “Hmm?”

“Why weren’t you on your scooter, like you usually are, when you went to your clubhouse in Sweet Apple Acres?”

The little orange filly had been expecting the question, and answered back quickly. “The wheels on my scooter were punctured. The CMC and I had a little road trip last week, if you didn’t remember.” The four ponies around the table knew very well. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were trying out daredevil stunt in another attempt to get their cutie marks. Applebloom was in a straight jacket over a barrel of water, Sweetie Belle was sewing a dress blindfolded and Scootaloo was to jump over a few nails laid out on the road. Neither of the stunts turned out well.

Mayor Mare raised a question, hoping to get an answer to something she had been wondering about for so long. “Scootaloo, did you recognize who it was that tried to ponynap you?”

Scootaloo went quiet for a short while, sifting through her thoughts as Mayor Mare and the officers waited for a response. However, what Scootaloo said next brought Mayor Mare’s hopes down.

“Nope, I didn’t really recognize the pony. All I can tell is that whoever it was, it was a mare.” The chief’s ears perked up upon hearing that last sentence. Immediately, cutting off what Scootaloo was about to say, the chief asked Scootaloo, “How sure are you that it was a mare?” Scootaloo stared at the chief. She stared hard. Scootaloo hated being interrupted, and the chief had just done something that Scootaloo wouldn’t forgive. But seeing as the chief was just doing his job, Scootaloo let it slide. “Because when I bucked whoever it was, it let out a yelp, as if the pony wasn’t expecting such a thing. Now stallions would expect the unexpected, so the sudden yelp from other bucking really gave her away.”

The chief was ecstatic, from the look in his eyes, but was hiding it rather well. Not well enough to hide from me. Mayor Mare turned to Scootaloo. “Anything else you could tell us about the pony? Size, mane, coat colour, mane colour and what type of pony she was?”

“To be honest, I didn’t really turn back to look at whoever it was that tried to ponynap me. I just knew that I had to get out of there, so that’s what I did. I galloped as far as I could. Though my wings can’t help me fly yet, they really do add a little thrust when you’re galloping away.” Scootaloo shrugged again. “Thats how I keep getting awesome air on my scooter, though I guess I wasn’t fast enough to avoid the nails on the path. So yeah, forgive me. I can’t really tell much about whoever it was that tried to ponynap me.” Scootaloo pointed a hoof at the chief. “You mind sliding that over here? I just wanna have a quick look.”

The chief, sensing that somehow keeping secrets at this point would be useless, complied. He slid the file across the maple meeting table, the surface of the table still perfect, the same way they had bought it, but this one was much older. Even so, the file slid with ease towards Scootaloo. Mayor Mare suddenly felt a wave of panic go through her. Did the chief remove Rainbow Dash’s report yet? If Scootaloo sees that, she’ll freak! Mayor Mare glanced over at the chief, who was grinning and giving her one of those “I’ve got you covered” smiles. The Mayor sighed as Scootaloo went through the missing ponies file.

“You three continue, I’m going to go notify the town about whatever it is that’s happening now.” Mayor Mare stood up, and proceeded to walk toward the double doors as the three continued asking questions related to the events of that day.

Berry went through her bag, looking for something she was sure the missing unicorn had taken. And indeed, the “key that unlocks all” was missing. Berry cursed as she bucked one of the walls in the cafeteria. She had trusted him to stick around and help the group, but now he himself is missing. He had wanted to get out of his vest, but after obtaining the key he ran away. What’s worse being that the unicorn had taken the golden key with him. She gave a sigh as Twilight trotted over to her, wiping any tears leftover from her eyes.

“We have to get that key back.” Was all that came out of Berry’s mouth. Twilight nodded, once more rubbing her eyes. Stepping outside the cafeteria, the two were met by Colgate, who was lurking in the shadows of a pillar, just in case anypony came by. She stepped out of the shadows smiling at Berry and Twilight. Behind her, in the dark, were the harpoon guns taken from the assembly hall.

“Where’s Rarity?” Berry and Twilight looked around, only to be answered by Colgate, “She went upstairs to check on Dash. Did you guys make it through?”

Twilight stared at Colgate, hoping to Celestia that Colgate was joking. However, Berry was the one who answered for Twilight, in a much more respectful tone than Twilight would have ever used. “We’ve lost her.”

Colgate nodded, looking over at Twilight. “I thought you knew how to revive the dead?” Twilight glared at Colgate, as if to say that Colgate should have known from the start that certain spells had their own rules in order to activate.

“The spell is only effective if it was casted within five minutes of anypony’s death. But by the time we got to Pinkie, she was already long gone.” Twilight sniffled back a tear and once more rubbed her eyes. Twilight shook her head, and looked at Berry. “Don’t forget your saddlebag, Berry.” Which was in fact what happened. Berry had been so busy coping with what was going on that she had forgotten to take her saddlebags. She turned to go to the kitchen to get her saddlebags as Twilight and Colgate further discussed.

“You mean to tell me that the dead can come to life under certain conditions?” Colgate inquired.

Twilight sighed. This is going to take a while...

One floor above them, the unicorn that had betrayed Berry was walked around in the hallway, hoping to find a way to break into one of the offices on the floor. The stallion heard the sound of crying a floor above and decided to go against bucking at a door in order to not attract attention. The unicorn carefully stopped in front of an office marked “7”. On the door, a warning note was pasted, warning that anypony who didn’t follow the rules would have to suffer the consequences. As far as I’m concerned, what’s the worst that could actually happen? The door, like the door in the cafeteria’s freezer, had a numeric lock in place and required a combination of numbers to get through. The unicorn casted an orange aura-ed spell on the lock, and the numbers started moving slowly.

The stallion waited in front of the door, the spell unlocking the door. He stretched his hooves out a bit. Am I glad to be out of that vest. He didn’t really plan on stealing the key and running away with it just for his own use, but since nopony was looking at him at the time, he took his chance and stole Berry’s key from one of her saddlebags when she was busy helping Twilight crack the numeric code. He had sneaked out of the cafeteria without anypony noticing and considered himself lucky.

He had escaped his trap, and had just escaped a group of potentially dangerous ponies. The stallion smiled. What’s next? I can probably get myself out of anything now that I’m free of that blasted vest. The sound of a click on the other side of the door got his attention. The door swung open, and what happened next took him by surprise.

A cannon was in place, much like the office one floor above. It was propped up on a stand, with a string traveling around from the door, to a pulley on the floor, to a string tied around the trigger of the cannon. However, the cannon was much thinner and longer and was separated into two barrels. Inscribed on the side of the cannon, were the words “shotgun”. This didn’t surprise the unicorn. He had seen such a thing before.

What he wasn’t expecting was the sound of a boom filling the whole hallway, and quite possibly the whole building, the feeling of pellets being embedded into his torso and neck and the free flow of blood cascading down his neck as he collapsed on the floor. It seems that my game is over. The unicorn lay there, finally accepting the fact that he wasn't meant to live for what he's done.

Consequences from Rule Breaking

“The buck was that?!” The sound of a boom erupting one floor above them had caught the four ponies by surprise. Just moments ago they were surprised to know that Berry’s golden key had gone missing, and now another surprise just sprang out like Pinkie, or the late Pinkie-styled jack-in-a-box. The boom was enough to shake the floor above the three, prompting fears that the floor might just come down on them.

“I think we should leave. Right now.” Berry scooped up her saddlebags and before Twilight, Applejack and Colgate knew it, Berry was out the way four had come in. The vibrations coming from the floor above had ceased when the four were out safely.

“Are we gonna leave Pinkie behind? I mean, she has....moved on so to speak, but it just doesn’t seem right just leaving her there.” Twilight said.

Applejack nodded in agreement to what Twilight said, but Berry’s facial expression didn’t change a single bit. A moment later, a grin crossed her face. “Oh sure, after all, bringing along a dead body with us would very well aid our journey, right?”

The two ponies bit their lips while Colgate looked around. “Uh...Applejack, you told Rainbow Dash to go up and get some blueprints right?”

“Uh..Yeah. Why?”

“She ain’t out yet, neither is Rarity.”

“Well whatever it was that shook the building,” Berry said, “it’s gone. At least for now. However, I am not sticking around, just in case anything else comes up. I’ll go up and check what’s taking the two so long before we run out of time.” Berry took her watch out. Without much sunlight left, the watch began to look dull in the shade of the sunset. “And judging by the time, Twilight’s last needle is gonna sink in in around 15 minutes.”

Twilight nodded, fear and concern visible in her eyes. Though it was just one needle, the spot it was above was what scared Twilight the most. The common carotid artery was the one that supplied oxygenated blood to the neck and head. Should the artery be pierced, Twilight will go through a swift, and painful death. Death is never painless. Especially when it takes you minutes to die. Twilight shuddered, knowing that this might be the end for her.

Earlier, Colgate had asked Twilight about the magic needed to resurrect a dead pony. ‘Certain’ conditions, Colgate had put it. Twilight gave a short lecture on the topic, stating that if there were no boundaries on the spell, then everypony would be immortal.

“I wouldn’t mind that.” To which Twilight facehoofed. She bailed out on the topic almost immediately, seeing as to how Colgate was so interesting to awaken the dead. Now that’s just creepy. Don’t even get me started on how the resurrected ponies would look, or feel like. She was just lucky that Applejack had a lot of strength. After resurrection, Twilight noticed a seventy percent drop rate in Applejack’s strength, which would explain the failure to break Pinkie’s door. But after a while, the strength, plus the energy, would come back. However, such a process took a long time, which neither pony had at the time.

Applejack looked over at Berry. “Rarity wouldn’t be late for anythin’. So why is she taking her time with Rainbow?” Applejack snickered. Oh my. That sounded really wrong... Luckily for her, neither of the three ponies present noticed her change in facial expression. But they did hear her question, Berry being the only one to answer.

“I’m going upstairs, and Celestia help me if the door shuts lock behind me again. But I’m taking my stuff with me should that happen.” Berry went through her saddlebags, and found something she had not expected to find. Her ballistic knife. Taking it out she showed it to everypony, raising an eyebrow to ask how the knife was in her bag.

Twilight recognized the knife and spoke. “I found the hilt near Applejack’s office. And Dash found the blade somewhere further along the hallway. That thing really did go far. Though I’m not surprised, it’s s-”

“A spring-propelled blade.” Berry cut in. “I told you I know of these things. I’m not surprised that you know it as well, considering the time you’ve spent around books.” Berry sighed. She eyed the knife, noting how accurately Twilight had inserted the blade into the hilt.

“If it were to help, I could mix some of the cyanide I got into the blade.”

Berry thought over it. Considering how she herself was rarely sober enough to trot properly, she had done considerably well during the past few hours she had been here. However, when it comes to the point that she can’t trot properly, she might topple forward and fatally injure herself. Not what I would want to. Ever.

“It’s like paint. But you’ll have to pour the cyanide onto the blade before I can fuse the two together.”

Berry shrugged, but then nodded a moment later. “Anything that helps would be good now. Thanks.” Berry handed the knife over to Twilight, laying it carefully on the ground in front of her. Twilight levitated the knife over to her. The knife continued levitating as Twilight went through her saddlebags, carefully searching for that tiny bottle she had used not too long ago. Finding it Twilight slowly moved back a few steps as she levitated the bottle out of her saddlebag. Twilight opened the lid of the bottle, and instead of pouring the cyanide onto the blade like she said she would, Twilight carefully used her magic to bring out a slow stream of cyanide, floating from the rim of the bottle all the way over to the knife. Twilight held the knife with the blade pointing skyward as she carefully used her magic to coil the cyanide around the blade. With the blade covered in cyanide, Twilight aimed her horn at the knife before a plum-pink ray fired out at the knife, and making it glow a light purple for several moments before the light dissipated.

Twilight gave the knife a test, slashing it out in front of her. Making sure nopony was in front of her, she slashed out the number 6 before setting the knife down. “That should do the trick. Even if the fusion wasn’t successful, chances are, there will at least be traces of cyanide all over the blade. So it’ll still be a deadly edge if you wield it right.”

Berry picked up the ballistic knife, and fitted it onto her hoof. The leather hilt was slightly loose, showing use by other ponies right after she had gone out like a light. The colour of the blade hadn’t changed much except for the disappearances of a couple of bloodstains. She gently pressed the blade against the ground, the blade shot back inside the hilt. She carefully loosened the hilt off her hoof, and set it back in her saddlebag.

Twilight looked at Berry. “I thought you wanted to take that with you as well? Just in case you encounter anypony that is.”

Berry shrugged. “On second thought, if anything happens to me, it’d be safer for you girls to have my stuff instead of any random pony. So I might as well go without my stuff.” Berry turned to Applejack, and then back to Twilight. “When I left the room earlier, did you give Applejack anything to help you girls out?”

Twilight nodded. The scene in which Applejack killed the stallion was still fresh in her mind, and she was sure that it’ll stay there for a long time. “I gave Applejack a knife, and she used it fairly well during our short fight with the unicorns earlier.” She paused, and levitated the knife out of Berry’s saddlebag. The blade was clean, despite being one of the messiest weapons used in the battle earlier, which surprised Twilight and Applejack. Berry and Colgate didn’t know what it was they were so surprised about, but didn’t ask. Berry took the knife by the hilt, and gave a nod.

Berry waved a hoof at the three before heading up the staircase one more time.

“Did you hear that?” Rainbow Dash whispered. The tears had stopped flowing the instant a loud boom was heard. The moment the boom happened, the floor began to shake. It took the two ponies by surprise, only being familiar with such a phenomena when Dash successfully made a Sonic Rainboom.

“Something must have happened below! We should get out of here!” Rarity exclaimed. Once again, she was panicking in an unfamiliar situation. Though she herself knew that panicking wouldn’t get her anywhere, she still panicked.

“Woah, woah. Easy there. We still haven’t gotten the blueprints and stuff that we needed. Berry won’t be pleased....”Dash’s voice trailed off. The floor stopped shaking, and Dash continued. “And we should at least make things easy for Berry, don’t you think? We all actually owe her a big favour since she saved us and all....”

Rarity stopped, and took in several breaths. Finally calmed down, Rarity nodded. “I guess so. But I was in the same situation she was in earlier, and she used me to save herself before saving me. So I guess I don’t really owe her anything.”

“Even so, at least having the blueprints would make things easier if we want to save somepony’s life. Might even free the pony before the game even begins!” With that, Dash flew off into office four, leaving Rarity to catch up with her. When Rarity had reached the room, panting like she had just run a marathon, Dash had a couple of blueprints in her mouth already. Dash had remembered the names of the ponies on the list Berry had, and luckily for her, the names of ponies were already written on the blueprints she needed. The lantern that had been brought into the room by Twilight earlier still provided the same amount of light it had earlier, as if nothing had disturbed the flame since they had left the room.

“May I ask, why there’s a dead stallion in the hallway?” Rarity inquired, to which Dash glared at Rarity. She took a step back as Rainbow Dash continued searching for the blueprints she needed. She had Lyra’s blueprints, and Pinkie’s blueprints, and was continuing to look for more. That was when she heard the sound of another set of hooves coming up the staircase below.

“Rarity, get ready. There’s going to be somepony coming up, and I don’t want you to be panicking your flank off when that pony finds us.”

Mayor Mare went through her announcement mentally as she silently trotted through the busy Ponyville market. She had come up with several worst case scenarios should her announcement turn sour. She was shaking her head with every disapproval her brain made to errors in her announcement. Errors that would, in fact, screw up Ponyville very badly. Everything from the meeting was recycled through her mind over and over as she slowly made her way to the stage in the middle of the little town.

Every time Mayor Mare wanted to announce something or made a quick speech, she would trot over to the podium on the stage. Ponies would already be around the stage before Mayor Mare even got near the podium, feeling the tense air surrounding the mayor. As she stood at the podium, she eyed the few ponies already in front of her. This won’t do. Eyeing the crowd, she saw a single person that could help out in gathering ponies.

The cross-eyed pegasus stood among the few ponies, eagerly waiting for the mayor’s announcement. Mayor Mare went off the stage and trotted over to the mailmare of Ponyville. Derpy Hooves looked over at Mayor Mare, who whispered in her ear. “I need you to gather up everypony in Ponyville. I have something important to tell everypony, and make it quick. There is no time to waste here.”

Derpy gave a quick nodded, and flew off in the direction of the Everfree Forest, to which Mayor Mare facehoofed. The pegasus stopped mid-flight, looked around for a spell, and then turned around and headed through Ponyville. Mayor Mare sighed. I feel really bad for her.

Berry went up the stairs, similar to the way she had with Dash earlier. Stepped on the sides to avoid creaking noises in the centre of each wooden step. Berry stepped in front of the door frame and eyed the metal door. Berry took her chances and leaped through the door frame, expecting the door to close behind her. Much to her surprise, that didn’t happen. Instead she was met with the smell of blood filling her nose. She looked around, and found the source. Not only that, she had found her missing golden key.

Down the hallway, was a mess of blood splattered against the floor,walls and ceiling. The figure of a pony could be made out, but the face could not. Next to the mess was the golden key Berry was looking for, which led Berry to think that this was the unicorn she had teamed up with at the assembly hall earlier. Mother of Celestia... Berry hadn’t really expected the unicorn to go far with her key, knowing that he’d probably try the key on everything he found. And that was what he had apparently done, however, he picked the wrong door.

But Berry knew better. The perpetrator had wanted everypony to survive, and for that the pony had set rules. What happened to the unicorn was probably the result of breaking a rule that the perpetrator had set. Another rule breaker. Berry was lucky to have gotten away with her life when she had broken the rules, but the unicorn was not that lucky. Berry sighed. She bent down to pick the key up, and was surprised to hear the unicorn breathing.

The injuries sustained by the unicorn was severe. Tears all over the unicorn’s body, horn blown off by the shot from the gun, face ruined by pellets fired from the gun. It wasn’t a pretty sight, Berry had to admit. But this is what happens when someponies don’t follow the rules. Ironically Berry herself hadn’t followed the rules, and was now leaving the stallion to die. Berry looked over to the door that was open. The shotgun in place was still in place, which made Berry cautious. If the gun were set the reload and fire again, then it’d be safer for me to just be on my way. Glancing at the unicorn, barely alive, one more time, Berry took the key and proceeded to make her way up the next flight of stairs.

Missing Blueprint

Had Rainbow Dash not stopped Rarity, the two would have ended up with another dead pony in their hooves. And not just any dead pony, the only pony capable of getting everypony in the meadow out. Or they themselves would have been the dead ponies. Luckily for Berry, Dash was quick enough. Rarity had been hiding behind the steel door in office four, completely invisible from sight of anypony who set hoof into the room. That is, until she came out and attacked. And I wouldn’t want to remember how Rarity is when she’s all freaked out and ready to attack. Dash mused.

Dash had identified the set of hoof falls approaching to be those of Berry’s. However, Rarity had not and was already hiding behind the door. Dash had to lift a wing to block Rarity before Rarity knew that Dash knew who was approaching. Rarity, at ease, stepped out from behind the door as Rainbow Dash folded back her wings, and called out into the hallway.

“Berry!” A short pause, as Dash went through what to say, before continuing, “Is that you? We’re almost done looking for what you asked us to!” The words echoed around in office four, but not so much in the hallway. However, Berry had heard what Dash had said loud and clear. Berry trotted her way towards the door. Dash stuck her head out as a greeting to Berry, who nodded at Dash.

“Rarity, you can come out now.” Dash said. Rarity came from behind the steel door. Her horn glowed a bright white as she levitated the oil lantern in the middle of the room over to Berry. Berry bit the handle of the oil lantern, and the magic ceased. Berry sighed, and asked a question, one that Dash was expecting.

“Did you find anything other than Pinkie’s blueprints?”

Both Dash and Rarity cringed a bit at the name, and Rarity turned away. Dash nodded, and pointed over to the blueprints she had left on the floor. A thought crossed Dash’s mind, and she turned once more to face Berry. “Hey, how much time does Twilight have?”

Berry shrugged. She had left her watch with Twilight and the other two ponies. “I left my stuff with Twilight and the other two. Though I can make an estimate.” Berry thought back to roughly a few minutes earlier as she stuck her tongue out, supposedly to help her jog her memory. “She’s got roughly five minutes. One needle over such a dangerous place.” Berry gulped.

The other two didn’t need to ask to know what that gulp meant. Berry went on. “Find Twilight’s blueprints and teleport them to her please, Rarity.” Rarity said nothing, but simply nodded. She scanned the walls. Rainbow Dash, had another question crossing her mind. “I’ve went through the blueprints on the walls twice. I think I saw Twilight’s. However....” Dash’s voice trailed off. She motioned her forehooves in circular motion in the air, trying to look for words to describe her next question. “You remember the names of the ponies we were supposed to save right?”

Berry went through her memory to see if she could still remember. Crossing out the names of the ponies she had already saved, she sifted through which ponies left required saving. “Let’s see... There’s Fluttershy, Lyra, and Octavia...”

Dash cut her off right there. “Okay, now I’ve been through the blueprints twice, like I’ve said before, but there was one blueprint that I could not find. Lyra’s at the lake somewhere in the meadow and Fluttershy is in one of the cottages we woke up in. Their traps aren’t really clear though.”

Berry glared at Dash. “You didn’t tell me who’s blueprint did you not find.”

Dash swallowed back bitter saliva. She had the knack of skipping to other subjects when she was talking. “I couldn’t find Octavia’s blueprints. I know I could have been careless in searching for it, but I searched. Twice. Which would make me conclude that her blueprints are not here and we might not be able to look for her.”

Berry lowered her head. I have to save EVERYpony before midnight. That is one more rule I am not yet ready to break. And Midnight was not far away. It was close. We only have seven hours til midnight. It seemed like a lot of time, but they couldn’t take their chances just yet. Either of the three might have really hard traps to get out of. Or maybe not. Nevertheless they still needed to react quick just in case the tests the remaining three were going through would take a long time.

“I would suggest going after Lyra first, since she’s closest to us at the moment.” Which was true. The lake was roughly a couple of minutes away, and the time taken to get back to the cottages they started off in the first place was much, much longer. Berry nodded.

A sudden flash of green snapped the two ponies out of their conversation. When the flash disappeared, Rarity walked over to the two ponies. “I found Twilight’s blueprints and I sent them directly to her.” Rarity declared. “I just hope she can get that dreadful collar off her in time.”

Berry patted Rarity on the shoulder. “Relax, she’s gone through things much worse than what she’s going through now. I’m sure she can get out of her trap.” Berry patted Rarity a couple more times, before asking, “Anyway, anything else you found?”

Rarity looked up. “Well, there’s the blueprints of the few ponies in the assembly hall earlier.” Rarity’s horn glowed a bright white, levitating over a couple of blueprints before continuing. “Apparently, everypony in the assembly hall was supposed to get out within the hour of your arrival. Which I have no idea what the blueprints mean by that.” Rarity coughed a bit, before continuing. I guess we were lucky to get out. Anypony left behind was to be gassed to death.” Rarity used her magic to highlight a few names on the blueprints, the ones being hers, Berrys’ and Rainbow Dashs’. Aside from that, an aura of magic also alighted around Colgate’s name. Rarity flipped the blueprint over and pointed out to the ponies that were in the assembly hall at the time. The photographs were in black and white, but one didn’t needed colour to identify who was in the pictures. The pictures were unmistakable, all taken when the ponies were unaware. One had Berry drowning her sorrows in a bar, and another of Rarity paying off a supplier at her store. There was a photograph of Colgate transporting a couple of gas canisters. The remaining photographs were of the ponies that were in the assembly hall, though each shot was taken from different places. One was of the unicorn that had betrayed Berry and ignored the rules. He was levitating a few metal poles down an alley in Canterlot at night.

But then something caught Berry’s attention. She looked back at the list of names on the blueprints, and saw that, indeed, Rainbow Dash’s name was there. And yet, she wasn’t with them at the assembly hall. Probably a last minute cancellation or something. Berry shrugged it off, and continued.

“I say we get this over with quick, just bring all of the blueprints and we’ll be done faster.” Dash ordered. Rarity grunted at the request, but complied anyway, carefully removing any thumbtacks holding down the left over blueprints. She then neatly alphabetized the blueprints while Rainbow Dash watched, facehoofing every time she saw Rarity doing what she was doing. Berry on the other hoof, was ready to leave. “Hey girls, I’ll be taking these few blueprints first. And stay sharp, we might have to split up later.” Rarity and Dash nodded in unison, and Berry scopped up a couple of blueprints, and left the room.

Rarity had just finished removing all the blueprints by the time Berry’s hooffalls disappeared from earshot. She sighed as she walked over to Dash. “If it comes to a point where we really do have to split up, then I know that this will not end well.”

“Anything like this doesn’t end well, Rarity. Besides, Berry’s been right so far, so maybe splitting up might actually help a bit.”

Rarity shrugged, causing some of the blueprints to elevate further before dropping to its previous height. “I-I just don’t know about this. We already lost a very good friend just now, we’re on the verge of losing Twilight as well, and if we do split up, I have no idea what else might happen. Strength in numbers would seem appropriate now, don’t you think?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Whatever Berry’s telling us now would have been planned. Elsewhere we wouldn’t reach this far if most of her orders were wrong. And we’ve already lost two ponies so far....” Dash gazed upon the ground, looking at nothing in particular, doing so to avoid eye contact with Rarity.

Rarity raised an eyebrow, trying so hard to minimize her shocked expression, but knew very well that it would show in her eyes. “Two, you say?” Rarity hadn’t known of a second death, the first being Pinkie’s.

Now it was Dash’s turn to look surprise. She looked up at Rarity, thinking for a short moment if Rarity was playing a joke or something. “Don’t tell me you didn’t notice the wall that was blasted to bits in front of this room.” Rainbow Dash hovered out and set all fours on the carpeting of the hallway, Rarity emerging out of the room behind her moments later.

“Of course I have, but I wouldn’t actually expect somepony to be-” Rarity stopped mid-sentence. Dash was pointing through the ruined wall, at the obvious carnage that lay there. Rarity’s jaw went slack, as she continued staring at Spitfire’s corpse, the blood starting to dry up. Rainbow Dash facehoofed before Rarity continued. “Well, that was....unexpected.”

“No shit, Rarity. I know we’re supposed to come up and get the blueprints only, but don’t tell me that on the way here you did not see Spitfire? Or the least you could do was ask what me and the others went through!”

Rarity rolled her eyes. Death was no stranger to Rarity. Great friends and clients came and went frequently. Spitfire had visited Rarity quite a few times, inquiring on how to make her own dresses. Strange as it was, Rarity gave her all the tips she could have at the time. Spitfire had even tried making a dress, just for the fun of it. But it impressed Rarity how quickly Spitfire could learn. Shaking her head, Rarity turned to Dash, the cyan-coated pegasus still glaring at her. “Ponies come and go. The ones that go cannot come back.” The two made eye contact, each giving one another glares. “However, we have those on the train to go, but the train has not left yet. Those are the ones that are still around. However, if we continue to mourn those that have already left, then prepare to mourn much more ponies.”

Much to Rarity’s surprise, Rainbow Dash didn’t flinch, but merely shrugged. “Twilight told me the same thing many months ago. Are you learning off her or something?” Before Rarity could even answer, Dash opened her mouth. “Anyway, we should probably get going. Twilight’s probably out of her trap already. I hope.” At that Dash glided down the hallway toward the staircase, Rarity following close behind. Rarity kept glancing over her shoulder, making sure that none of the blueprints might have dropped out of her magic range. The two made their ways down the staircase.

The stallion that lay in front of the door took Rainbow Dash by surprise, but to Rarity, the unicorn got what he deserved. “He’s from the assembly hall, where Berry and I were. I just knew something bad would happen with him around. I didn’t actually think something would happen to him though. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth in an attempt to speak, but closed it back, apparently answering her own question.

She said nothing and continued to glide down the set of stairs that led them out of the office floors. I don’t think we actually have time to search the other offices anyway. Rainbow Dash thought. She folded her wings and landed all four hooves on the safe ground outside the building, with Rarity panting as she chased after Rainbow Dash.

The item that appeared in front of Twilight as she was trying once again to take the last needle out of her collar caught her by surprise. At first she thought that the princess had sent her a letter, telling her that help was on its way. However, the blueprint that appeared in front of her brought her hopes down. She read the first few words of the blueprint, and in an instant, focused all of her attention on the blueprint.

Written on the top left of the blueprint, was Twilight Sparkle. But it wasn’t those words that caught Twilight by attention. What caught her attention were two things, the hoofwriting and a single paragraph beneath her name. The blueprint hadn’t arrived with a sketch, which probably meant that the solution to removing the collar wasn’t that hard. She read the paragraph., and then read it again just to be sure that what she read was right.

Weaknesses:

One of the weaknesses of this trap is not in the collar or the braces, but rather the locks. Because the straps are leather and the operating mechanism of the collar and braces are complex, only padlocks could be used in the test. Padlocks, though quite useful in some uses, are also quite useless when a unicorn is involved. One could just shape a key out of anything lying around, but would then risk jamming the padlock, making it stuck that way forever. However, if executed correctly, the key made could unlock the padlock and the pony wearing the collar and braces could escape.

Twilight’s eyes showed a distant shine as she found a way out of her traps. She could have squealed with glee had it not been for one thing. With timing running out, and the beeping of the collar accelerating, Twilight feared that she might not have enough time to shape a key. Even if she did, it would still be risky, considering that the backbraces are still on. Then an idea came to her. She turned to Colgate who was staring blindly at Applejack, who didn’t seem to notice. If Twilight could teach Colgate how to shape a key in time...

The beeping on Twilight’s collar started to accelerate faster than before, and Twilight panicked. It’s almost time. “Colgate!” The unicorn looked up at the panic-stricken Twilight, and raised an eyebrow. “I need you to help shape a key for me!”

Colgate stared, confused. “And how would I be able to do that?”

Twilight would have facehoofed had she not been panicking. “Just follow my instructions and just do it!” Before Colgate could utter another word, Twilight used her magic to lift a huge rock, and sent it crashing through the steel doors of the cafeteria. This took Applejack and Colgate by surprise, and the two hadn’t managed to recover from the shock by the time Twilight landed a bunch of scrap metal in between herself and Colgate.

Twilight broke off the scrap metal into much smaller pieces, the beeping on her backhooves mixing in with the beeping of her collar. “Now listen here, I want you to to make the blade for the key. You know how right?”

Colgate shook her head vigorously. The beeping on her backbraces had ceased, but the ones on her collar were already beeping like crazy. Twilight knew she had no time to teach Colgate, so she used another method. She would transfer the key making knowledge to Colgate and hope for the best. Without Colgate’s consent, Twilight shot out a gold ray at Colgate and the spell stopped a moment later.

As if under a trance, Colgate started moving automatically. Her horn glowed a light blue as the scrap metal in front started to glow. With the spell keeping the scrap metal still, Colgate then fired a beam of bright red, out from the tip of her horn above a flat spot on the scrap metal. The beam cut through the scrap metal easily, but Colgate wasn’t working fast enough. The beeping on Twilight’s collar started beeping in an unusual pace. At first slow beeps, roughly once every three seconds. But then the number of beeps started increasing as the time got shorter. Colgate doubled her pace, and the beam intensified on the scrap metal. Twilight wiped sweat trickling down her neck as the blade needed to open her trap was almost complete.

Twilight didn’t wait. She fired a beam of her own at the scrap metal, and the beam traced the blade Colgate had been cutting out. Within a couple of seconds the blade was done. The beeping on Twilight’s collar had reached its maximum as Twilight stopped her magic for a second before picking the blade up again. Twilight panicked a bit at first, missing every time she tried to fit the blade into the keyhole. Finally fitting it in, Twilight feared the worst. The beeping had stopped, which was a bad sign. Her hooves slipped upon contact with the padlock a couple of times before Twilight stopped caring. She lit her horn, and undid the padlock. The padlock dropped to the ground and Twilight started to get the collar off quickly.

However, she wasn’t quick enough. As the last collar came off, Twilight had spun it subconsciously upward. The needle, now aimed at the neck, discharged, firing straight into Twilight’s neck. At first Twilight felt nothing, Applejack rushing over to Berry’s saddlebags was all she heard as Twilight’s mouth hung open, not sure what should be happening now. Then she let out a cry of both pain and fury. Pain because of the needle, fury because of the fact she hadn’t thought of making a key earlier.

Author’s note : A big apology for the holdup on this chapter. As an another apology the next one will be released tomorrow. It’s around midnight around here now, so I’ll be done in another... say 16 hours? I have school >.> No excuses though.

A thousand apologies, and pardon my mistakes should there be any in this chapter.

Lyra's test

The levitation spell had some problems at first, but after a retry, the levitation was successful and smooth. However, the strain it was giving on Colgate wasn't little. Though she tried to hide the sign of strain from her face, Berry could still read her face. Either that or the signs of strain on Colgate's face were obvious. Either way, Colgate's going to have continue with the spell. Twilight wasn't light, but rather than to have her being carried around by an already weak Applejack, Colgate had suggested that she use a levitation spell. At first Berry didn't want Colgate to stress herself so much, seeing as to how Colgate still had to bring the harpoon guns with her. But after much persuasion, Berry let Colgate do what she wanted.

Applejack had shouldered one of the harpoon guns, and was reading through one of the blueprints. Next to her, were the photographs and notes regarding the locations of the other ponies. She raised her head for a few moments, hoof at mouth, as if thinking, before skimming the blueprints once more.

Berry looked over to Colgate, who had set Twilight down since the group weren't going anywhere for the moment. Berry sighed. Wonder how the last three are coping. Berry can't imagine what it's like being in a trap for such a long time. What's more the other three might be immobile. After they get out of their traps, their limbs would be stiff, making them pretty useless if their assistance was needed.

Colgate's horn sparked a few times as she warmed up a spell. Nearby, the sound of hooves trotting could be heard. Hooves storming down a staircase by the sounds of it. Berry cracked her neck a few times as Rainbow Dash flew out of the stairwell. Rarity followed suit a few moments later. Rainbow Dash collapsed, panting as if she ran the Running of the Leaves a couple of times over. Rarity wasn't in a good state later as she too collapsed in an exhausted heap next to Rainbow Dash, the scrolls she levitated falling down on a patch of clear ground.

Berry gave the two a few seconds to get ahold of their wits before telling them of Twilight's condition. Right on time too, as Rainbow Dash had already opened her mouth to ask about their dear friend. A couple of minutes later, both Rainbow Dash and Rarity accepted Twilight's condition. Rainbow Dash glanced over to Colgate, who was scavenging through the bundle of blueprints Rarity had brought with her. Sensing eyes on her, Colgate looked up. Rainbow Dash gave a warm smile. Berry was surprised that even after going through a lot today, Dash still had the will to smile.

"I really cannot thank you that much for helping Twilight out." Rainbow Dash said, voice laced with sincerity. "I mean, for saving her."

Colgate merely smiled and shrugged, before responding verbally. "I really wish I could have done more. But there really wasn't. So this is probably the most I can do for Twilight now."

Something about Colgate's tone made Dash feel somewhat uneasy. Rarity, however, was satisfied that Twilight was still alive. Rarity couldn't say anything much to help out, so she just stood there quietly.

Berry sat next to Applejack, who hadn't noticed Berry's presence until Berry poked her. Had Applejack not notice Berry at all, she would have leapt higher than Rainbow Dash could ever have flown. Applejack turned, a look of broken concentration written all over her face. From what Berry could tell, Applejack was probably onto something when Berry had poked her.

"Anythin' ah' can help you with, Berry?"

"I'm gonna need Lyra's blueprints, we're gonna get her next."

Applejack simply nodded, and bent over to pick up Lyra's blueprints. Scooping it up with her mouth, she made sure to do it gently as she didn't want to damage the blueprints with her saliva, using her teeth so that the blueprints wouldn't touch her tongue. After all, better to have teeth marks than to have saliva wipe out some of the details. Setting it down before Berry, Applejack returned to studying another blueprint.

Berry unrolled the blueprint, careful not to tear it. The white words scrawled were slightly messy, as if the writer didn't have that much experience with white marker pens. However, the schematics for the blueprints were enough for Berry to roughly guess the trap that Lyra was in.

The diagram was of, what seemed to Berry, a room with no roof. But upon closer inspection, Berry saw that is was a rough interpretation of a huge hole in the ground. Probably the lake Lyra's supposed to be in. Aside from that, in the centre of the huge hole, was a figure of the pony, to which Berry assumed was Lyra. On both sides of the pony, were small squares, one on top of another. However, from the aerial view, there was another two squares next to the first. There was an arrow that led from the squares to a empty part of the blueprint. The square was labelled as amplifier. Next to the label, was the number 8. Berry took that to mean that there were only 8, though she really wasn't that sure.

One amplifier set on top of the other, and the process is repeated with another three. Berry somehow felt that something would go very wrong, though she wasn't sure why. They had three unicorns, though one out of commission, Rainbow Dash, their only pegasus, and a hoofful of earth ponies to help. Berry hung her head. Pinkie would have been very useful. She sighed. She couldn't save everypony.

She returned her attention to the blueprint. The source of power was from several generators buried a couple of feet beneath the pony. Though no wires were drawn on the blueprint, Berry knew there had to be a few. She would know, she had been to almost every bar and nightclub in both Ponyville and Canterlot. However, when it came to amplifiers, she was lost. She wasn't sure how good the amplifiers in the trap would be.

There was no note on the back of the blueprint. Berry had expected one, but there wasn't any. Applejack came up next to Berry.

"So ah' heard from Rainbow that somepony's blueprints were missin'?"

At first Berry said nothing. Applejack had the right to know who was to be saved and who was to be left on their own, but they had to get to everypony they had to first before trying to get to Octavia.

"Octavia's blueprints weren't there. Well, according to Rarity and Rainbow Dash of course, but they brought down every blueprint."

"Maybe whoever was doin' this made a mistake?"

Berry response was immediate. "I don't think so. I know sooner or later whoever is doing this would slip, make a mistake, but this would downright clumsy if he were to make this kind of mistake it. He wanted us to find the room with the blueprints, if not there would be warning on the door." Berry paused. There was a cannon set to fire on the other side of the door, according to Rainbow Dash. But that means..... Applejack was going to speak, but Berry raised a hoof, no doubt still trying to think.

There was no warning of what was on the other side, yet what was on the other side would have killed Rainbow Dash and Applejack had it not been for Twilight. But that was what surprised Berry. Normally there's be a warning, to make sure that all of them followed the rules.

Whoever was doing this was pulling out all the stops.

The trapped door was probably being set up when the two unicorns that came for Berry and the other three.

A wave travelled through the ground, coursing through everypony's hooves. Berry looked around for the source. "Hey Rainbow!" Berry called out to the cyan pegasus. Berry had spotted lights a couple of hundred yards away, not too far from the building in which they were near now.

“Hm..?”

Berry pointed in the direction of the light, “I need you to go check that out. Now.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, and with a flash, disappeared into the distance.

“Hopefully she reaches there in time. I have a feeling Lyra’s test just began.”

Lyra awoke in a dark room. She groaned at the throbbing pain at the back of her head where she had been struck. By what, she herself did not know. She got up on all four hooves, still a bit groggy. She almost stumbled, and quickly corrected her stance. She tried lighting her horn, only to notice that she couldn't do so. She tried other spells, only to fail to produce even a single spark.

The sound of a crackle resonated in the dark room, and the room was bathed in light. Lyra winced at the pain stinging her eyes. She jammed her eyes shut to stop the pain, only to still feel the pain. A couple of moments passed, and the stinging had been reduced to just a small ache. Nevertheless, it was still pain to Lyra. She attempted to open her eyes slowly, and quickly shut them back as the light still stung. She tried again, only succeeding to glance upon a the ground before her before shutting her eyes again. She repeated the process until her eyes no longer hurt.

She scanned her surroundings, the confusion on her face growing more and more as she tried to analyze. The room she was in was, in fact, not a room, Lyra deduced, but rather a huge hole in the ground, judging by the dirt walls and dirt flooring. She looked upwards, looking through the glass ceiling into the sunrise. Or was it sunset? Lyra couldn't tell in which direction the sun was rising or setting. Guessing it's probably sunset. Princess Luna's stars were already appearing in the sky, her moon in tow.

A lyre was propped up on a musical stand in front of Lyra, as if tempting her to play. Not now. Where the buck am I? The dirt hole wasn't natural by the looks of it. Most of the hole was hollowed out, making the hole look more like a cubic room than a hole. A cubic room with a glass roof. Lyra felt her heart race. And what the buck is going on?! The room wasn't that big. Lyra couldn't estimate the size really well, no thanks to all the bumps still left around the dirt walls even after being hollowed out. There were 4 amplifiers on her left, 2 stacked up on each other, and another 4 to her right, stacked in a similar fashion. Between her and the amplifiers on either side were a few bundles of wire that disappeared into the ground, into the amplifiers Lyra guessed. This is not gonna be good.

The lyre that was on the stand was of pure gold, much to Lyra's surprise. She stared at it for a short while, as if resisting the temptation to pick the Lyre up and strum a few songs like she used to when she was young. But I still do that now..... Lyra shook her head. She remembered she was in Canterlot the night before last night. She earned much more from that gig at the Princess' Castle than she should have. Thanks to a few associates who just so 'happened' to be around as she played. It wasn't the first time that she had let her associates do what they normally did.

Pickpocketing others really isn't that big of a crime. Except it was Canterlot, and everypony's pockets were full of vulnerable treasures in the eyes of Lyra and her associates. Lyra hadn't referred to her associates as associates, but more of a 'crew'.

The sound of sweet music filled the air as the Royal Orchestra played before crowd in Princess Celestia's Castle. This night was going to be a rather big one. Princess Celestia was in a conference with the leader of the Weather Factory and with a couple of representatives from the Apple family and a few rural areas surrounding Ponyville regarding the recent drought that had plagued the area and how many places were being affected by the drought.

Lyra used both her magic and occasionally, her hooves, to play her lyre in time with the rest of the royal ensemble. They played flawlessly in unison, adding to the ambience of the atmosphere. Everypony in the orchestra concentrated greatly on their instruments as the other ponies continued mingling with each other. None of the ponies paid any attention to the orchestra, not that the orchestra minded anyway.

However, while the others are playing diligently, one of the musicians was scanning the crowd, looking for a certain pony who was at work. As she scanned, her skill at tugging her lyre's strings did not falter as she looked for a friend. She continued playing perfectly even as she focused on the crowd before the orchestra. She already saw one of her friends, and proceeded to look for another one, most likely at work as well. A small smirk formed on her face. Perfect. She shut her eyes and continued using her magic to pull the strings.

An earth pony with a yellow coat and a mane with two shades of orange, was moving cautiously among the crowd, moving swiftly, and at the same time, picked into the pockets of several ponies as she moved along. Lyra had seen Junebug at work, and Junebug had nodded to Lyra as she continued to pick the pockets of several other unfortunate ponies.

But Junebug wasn't the only pony at work. A colt with a brown mane and a light grey coat wearing a tuxedo was moving cautiously and 'accidentally' bumping into other ponies, quickly relieving them of their pocket's contents. Like Lyra, a smirk appeared on Iron Anvil's face, but it was more a smirk of accomplishment rather than Lyra's smirk of satisfactory. The pickpocketing had been going on for only a month, but the product of pickpocketing was huge. More than any of the crew's combined salaries can compare to.

A unicorn with a jet-black mane and a sports jacket was sitting by the food and beverage table, watching Junebug and Anvil at work. He had finished his part of the job and had already kept it in the a locker near the dressing rooms behind the stage the orchestra was playing on. The same one Lyra was playing on at the moment. He raised his glass in Lyra's direction, and nodded, before slugging down the contents in a single gulp.

The four had been doing rather well, considering how neither of them had gotten caught yet. This pleased Lyra more, her smirk unknowingly growing into a grin. The orchestra was almost done for the night, and quickly wrapped everything up with The Five Pieces of Orchestra Op.16. After the end of that, the members of the orchestra started to pack up, feeling that their job was done. Lyra’s job still wasn’t done. The results of the pickpocketing will be divided among the crew the next day, so both Iron Anvil and Junebug went on their way home.

The unicorn with the sports jacket had left as well. Lyra hadn’t really known the stallion’s name, but she often referred to him as number six, as it was the number on the back of his sports jacket. Checking to see that the locker did indeed have the loot, Lyra went to the back. Satisfied that it was, Lyra proceeded to pack up. The night was still young. Lyra wasn’t really that bad of a pony. She had told Bon Bon that she was going to teach some music lessons, after tonight’s session, at an orphanage and was going to come home late. The last thing that she had from Bon Bon was a huge hug, and a kiss before Lyra went on her way.

Lyra sighed. This doesn’t feel right. Doesn’t feel right at all. She glanced from side to side, just to make sure nopony was around. She went over to her own locker, and took out a small canister of pills. She disregarded the label and took one. She felt like she needed one at the moment. The folks at the hospital said she did look like she needed the anti-depressants. She, however, didn’t see why she needed to use anti-depressants. She was doing well, evidently by getting a well-paid job at the Princess’ castle.

And she took advantage of it.

She set the canister back in her locker, and closed her locker with a slam. She stretched out a couple of times and cracked her neck twice, before leaving the locker area. She ventured out into the ballroom, where she and her ensemble had performed on not too long ago. There were still a lot of ponies around, most notably the Canterlot ponies, and it would be a shame if Lyra were to go back without snacking up first.

She levitated her lyrecase as she walked on over to the food and beverage table. Se poured herself some gin and punch and took a couple of sandwiches. I’m lucky I’m a unicorn, lest it be hard to carry these things around. She bit into her hibiscus sandwich as she watched several ponies still dancing with each other in front of the stage. No matter what era it was, the tango would always fit the mood of somepony. Lyra couldn’t help but smile at the adorable display. Maybe I should take up dancing. Maybe Bon Bon would like that as well. Hey, maybe Twilight can help us with that! I’m sure she has a book on dancing somewhere.

She hadn’t been contacting Twilight for some time, and neither had Twilight tried contacting Lyra. Lyra didn’t mind, as long as the two still had their friendship bond intact, she was sure Twilight didn’t mind as well. Lyra took a swig of her drink, and immediately regretted it. The gin was too strong, even for her standards. How does Octavia even get through drinking this?

She glanced around. Where is she anyway? Normally Octavia would be having a few drinks while waiting for her marefriend Vinyl Scratch. Lyra shrugged, and finished off her hibiscus sandwich. Her thoughts drifted onto something else. While Lyra was playing onstage, she noticed that some of the notes she played were off. She had to work on that. She wasn’t surprised though. She really wasn’t paying attention when she played, so she considered this to be very good already. And apparently her bandmates didn’t mind either, considering how none of them have confronted her about this matter.

Lyra took another swig of her drink and took a bite of her daisy sandwich. I really shouldn’t be over-thinking things anyway. She finished off her sandwich, and chugged her drink down. She didn’t enjoy the fact that the gin was burning her nose. She set her cup down and shook her head a couple of times. Woah, that stuff sure is strong. She forced herself to cough a bit. One more thing she didn’t enjoy was the occasional essence of a drink being caught in her throat. And this was one of those occasions.

She shrugged it off, and exited into the Royal Hallway. She’d have to walk for another few hundred feet before arriving at the entrance. Her thoughts were about to drift back onto Twilight, when suddenly the lights in the hall flickered, and then went out. Lyra gasped. Despite Luna’s moonlight pouring in through the windows, without lights, the hallway was as dark as a crypt. Before Lyra could gather her thoughts, she heard something levitate over to her, and before she could even turn her head, she felt a sharp sting at her neck.

Her vision, like the lights, flickered before finally blacking out as she collapsed onto the Royal Hallway’s carpet.

Coming back from her flashback, Lyra once more looked around the room. She sat down, pondering a way out. They’re probably just messing around. It wasn’t unheard of for Lyra’s crew to be fooling around. But this was just too far. Besides, Lyra’s crew spent most of their time together. When would they even find the time to hollow out a hole this big?

Lyra turned her attention back to the golden lyre on the music stand. Lyra stepped forward. There was a note under the lyre. Se moved the lyre a bit to the left, and picked the note up. It was more than a note, judging by the amount of words written. It was like a small letter, but nevertheless, Lyra’s heart rate, like the others, accelerated as she read its contents.

Hello Lyra,

I want to play a game. For the past few months, you have been providing insider information for a few… ‘Friends’ of yours as you play greatly well in the Princess’ castle. Your, ‘distraction’, is enough for your ‘friends’ to pickpocket other ponies during the special occasions when you’re needed at the castle. Not only do you earn honest money from your work at the castle, you also earn a lot more from the pickpocketing work of your ‘friends’.

Your ‘friends’ are undergoing their own tests now as you read this note. Oh yes, your ‘friends’, or ‘crew’ as I call it, aren’t that hard to identify considering how well you as a team work together. Now let’s see if you can work yourself out of this test without the help of your crew.

The place you are in now is a dried up lake, in the meadow between Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres. As you can see, eight speakers surround you, one stacked atop each other. For every two seconds that tick by, the volume coming from the amplifiers go up a decibel, and as one of the elite musicians in Canterlot, you will have to play a quick song to get yourself out. No doubt you are familiar with ‘The Flight of the Bumblebee’.

This is no joke Lyra. But considering how many notes there are in ‘The Flight of the Bumblebee’, the first five seconds will start off with one decibel. But after that the decibels will increase at a rate of a decibel every two seconds, so I suggest you hurry.

In front of the lyre’s music stand is a tracker. The device is to make sure you don’t cheat. The device will match the notes, the beat, and the tempo among other things that you play, to that of ‘The Flight of the Bumblebee’. If you miss a note, or play a wrong note, the tracker will cancel out your whole progress, forcing you to start over again. Buried in the dirt wall above the tracker is your timer. You have 210 seconds to complete your test.

I’m guessing that you already know what happens when you fail, but I’ll tell you anyway. The moment the decibels hit a certain level, the glass above you will shatter, and the shards that rain down upon you will impale you. Should you survive, however, you’ll be either deaf from the amplifiers, or blind from the glass shards.

However, not all hope is lost. Should you reach a high enough frequency, your friends nearby can come to your aid. Oh yes, your friends. Not your crew. Twilight Sparkle will most likely be among them, so rest assured, you’ll probably make it out alive.

Now, your test starts the moment the lyre’s position is shifted and you play a note. It doesn’t matter what note you play, but as long as a note is registered into the tracker, your test will start. However, do not delay too long, Lyra. The place is sealed off. If you do not complete your test quickly, you will suffocate in this dried up lake.

Let the game begin.

Lyra swallowed. She had shifted the lyre from its original position, yes, but had it made a sound? She listened carefully, but hearing no sound escape from the amplifiers, she understood that her test hadn’t started yet. She closed her eyes, trying to remember the notes for ‘The Flight of the Bumblebee’. She had played it on numerous occasions in half a dozen orchestras all over Equestria, but a couple out of those numerous times had been without the notes. Lyra didn’t want to admit it, but she hadn’t really memorized ‘The Flight of the Bumblebee’ like many elite musicians had, partly because the lyre position doesn’t really play a key role in an orchestra.

Lyra didn’t care. To be considered elite was already good enough for her, thought she was sure not everypony was okay with that. Being elite had its privileges, but being elite also comes with responsibilities. Lyra had done all she had to. However, she had abused her elite rights by getting involved in pickpocketing, which in Canterlot, was probably considered theft considering the amount of wealth everypony had in their pockets. They were just BEGGING to be relieved.

Lyra shook her head, and stared at the lyre ahead of her. She recalled what the note had said earlier about a tracker, and tried to look past the music stand. Sure enough, right in front of the stand, embedded into the dirt wall, was a tracker. Lyra could only recognize one or two parts of the tracker, one being the equalizer, which she really wasn’t sure of, and a couple of meters. The type of amplifier wasn’t the sort that orchestras normally used, had the orchestras use any at all.

However, amplifiers were often needed when the string section of the orchestra came in. But none of the times the orchestra needed to use amplifiers did they need as much as there is in Lyra’s test. She felt a shiver of nervousness go through her body as she considered how loud it’ll be soon. And then something caught here attention. Right behind the music stand, attached to the other side, were music sheets, all of them for the Lyra’s use.

Well now I don’t have to worry about trying to remember the notes. With the notes now with her, Lyra felt a bit more confident, albeit just a little. Lyra gasped out loud as she remembered that her horn was covered, making her unable to use magic to help herself out. Lyra normally used magic and her hooves to play, but relied more on her magic. Staring down at her hooves, Lyra argued with herself whether or not she should start her test, or wait it out until somepony came by.

Lyra raised her head, looking through the glass ceiling. Luna’s night was going to be full soon, which Lyra guessed to be around 7.30pm or 8pm. It would be a miracle if somepony came at this hour. But what had been written on the note earlier? Twilight Sparkle will most likely be among them. Lyra blinked. How is she even here in the first place? Lyra shook her head in disbelief. Whatever it is, I just hope she’s fine. Now to find a way out of here. Lyra considered digging her way out, but the work will be slow and she’ll probably use up what little oxygen she has in the room she’s in now. And there’s no telling what kind of other tricks this madpony has up his sleeves. For all Lyra knew, the moment she digs out there’ll probably be a landmine.

Lyra snickered at the thought. But hey, I don’t think the way this dude does, so how would I know? It’s probably best not to take my chances. Lyra returned her attention to the lyre on the music stand. A pure gold lyre…. Lyra had doubts on whether or not she could even pick up the lyre, considering that it was made of pure gold. It’s probably going to be very heavy. And this made Lyra’s test all the more harder. Especially when she couldn’t use her horn.

Lyra sat down, looked up at the ceiling, and screamed. She had no idea what to do. She just continued screaming until she ran out of breath. She was hoping somepony would hear her, but at this time of day, there’ll probably be nopony around, much less in the abandoned meadow. Gasping for air, she looked up at the amplifier. Oh sweet Celestia no!

The equalizer was already moving, most likely triggered by Lyra’s scream, and the timer started counting down. Lyra felt time slow down as she tried to analyze the situation that she had just put herself into. Way to go, Lyra. A second went by like a minute as Lyra panicked. She picked up the lyre, finally noticing that it was no heavier than the ones she’s had at home, and then time resumed its regular pace. She carefully spread out the music sheets on the stand. Lyra stretched her hooves out for a moment, and then proceeded to play.

Taking in a deep breath, Lyra quickly strummed the first few bars in under a few seconds, the only sound in the dirt chamber being her heavy breathing and the lyre’s sweet music. Moving onto the other bars, Lyra accidentally cancelled her progress when she played a wrong note. Cursing, she restarted from the top. She made her way quickly through to the spot she had made a mistake and expertly avoided the same mistake. She glanced up at the timer. 00:03:00

180 seconds. The faint sound of the lyre’s melody can be heard coming out from the amplifiers. Lyra doubled her efforts, quickly passing the first sheet. The equalizer rose and dropped as she tried her best to play the complete song without screwing up. Lyra cursed a second time as she overlooked a single note in the bar. Can’t you bucking draw those quavers properly?! She restarted from the top, moving through all of the notes swiftly, not needed to read the first sheet as she had completely memorized it after her mistakes.

The amplifiers weren’t getting any quieter. As time passed by, Lyra could feel the beats resonating around the dirt room, threatening to shatter the glass ceiling above her. Lyra tripled her efforts, completing the second paper, relieved to find that she had a few more to go through. She glanced up at the timer, hoping to see if she could make it in time. 120 seconds. If my calculations are right, the amplifiers should be up to around 60 decibels. Lyra remembered the point where the decibel level would reach 115, which was equivalent to a rock concert playing at full blast, a couple of years ago when a little accident left several ponies deaf due to a malfunction in the amplification of a couple of amplifiers. The only thing louder than that would be a Sonic Rainboom which, by breaking the sound barrier, can reach up to 170 decibels or more.

Time slowed again as Lyra reached a difficult part of the song. Lyra executed every single note in those few bars so perfectly, so quickly, so beautifully, she wasn’t surprised why Princess Celestia had chosen her as the sole lyre playing in the castle’s orchestra. However, the moment was short-lived as she almost played a wrong note again, and slowed down. As time slowly ticked down, Lyra completed the third sheet and moved onto the fourth, which was rather easy considering how she needed to perfect it in order to get through the entrance exams.

Lyra could feel her eardrums beating along with the amplifiers. Lyra once more glanced up at the timer. 75 seconds left. Lyra was afraid of going too fast that she might miss a note. She moved onto her last sheet as the thundering sounds of the amplifiers hammered her ears so hard she swore she was going to go deaf if she didn’t get this over with. She sped up, doing as best as she can to perfectly execute the last sheet. Right on the 60 second mark, Lyra finished the last sheet, and as the last note resonated around the room, the amplifiers’ power was cut, and Lyra completed her test.

Lyra felt triumphant, smiling to herself as she set the golden lyre back on the stand. She could feel dizziness rising to her head as she tried her best to stabilize herself. The glass ceiling above her shifted, and started moving upwards before being placed onto the side of the dirt hole. Lyra let out a sigh of contentment and relief. I did it. Lyra staggered for a few moments before dropping to the ground, unconscious.

Author’s note : Yeah... Sorry about the long hiatus. I was wanting to post this chapter a couple of days ago but my internet line got cut. Legitimate excuse. Chapter 25 is rolling it’s way down the hill. Also, there’s gonna be a chapter for Q&A so if anypony out there has a question regarding Berry’s Test please let me know ^^. One more time, I beg for your forgiveness because of my long inactivity.

Cold Case gone Hot

The sound of glass landing on soft ground was all Rainbow Dash heard as she almost flew past the light source Berry had shown her. Rainbow Dash could clearly see a pony down in the light source, which was most likely part of the dried up lake, but she couldn’t really identify the pony that much. Hovering closer, Dash found that the pony was indeed the one Berry had been looking for. Rainbow Dash zoomed back in the direction of the offices, where Berry and the rest were.

Berry was helping Applejack move towards the light source, with Colgate levitating Twilight and her harpoon guns when Rainbow Dash came back. Rainbow Dash stayed afloat, so Berry had to raise her head when she asked Dash about the light source.

“Yeah, Lyra’s fine. Relatively unscathed if you compare her to us that is.” Rainbow Dash landed on all fours and continued addressing the few. “I think she’s fine that is. No idea what her trap’s supposed to be, but I know that we can go in and get her out if we can.”

“Unless, of course, it’s another trap.” Berry snapped. Berry laid Applejack down, without much protest from her, and continued to look at Rainbow Dash.

Dash returned the look in confusion. She was sure there weren’t any more traps around Lyra. But then again, she really wasn’t that close to Lyra to know if there were any more traps. Dash thought over what Berry said, and was about to rebut. But she shrugged instead, and offered to do another flyby. Berry nodded, and Dash went on her way.

Rarity took one of Colgate’s harpoon guns, levitating it by her left side as she trotted to catch up with Rainbow Dash. Berry didn’t stop her. We’re all going to go there anyway. Berry helped Applejack onto her hooves again, and grabbed her by the forehoof before shouldering it. “Come on, Applejack, only two more to go.” Berry only received a groan in return as she continued to walk Applejack over to wherever Rainbow Dash flew off to. Colgate trotted up next to Berry, with Twilight and the weapons right above her head. The harpoon guns were aimed in another direction, just in case there might be a chance of accidental discharge.

Berry glanced over to Colgate, who was just about to ask a question. Berry nodded, and Colgate asked away. “Well at least Lyra’s safe. Of course, that’s what Dash said, but you seem a bit doubtful.”

Berry couldn’t shrug, lest she risk letting go of Applejack. Instead, she spoke. “I’m not really that sure of Rainbow Dash. She tends to overlook a few things.” She stretched her neck a bit, before continuing, no longer facing Colgate. “I mean, I don’t really doubt her, but observation is key when it comes to these kinds of situations.”

Colgate nodded, though she was sure Berry couldn’t see her nod. Her years at the hospital had thought her that in emergency surgeries, looking for whatever it is that needs to be found quickly is what saves lives. Colgate normally avoided tardiness in operating. If a pony dies, the hospital could be sued for medical negligence. But Colgate thought that was a silly reason to save a pony. After all, money isn’t everything. To save a life was rewarding enough in Colgate’s opinion. But hey, ponies do whatever they want to. It’s probably what makes them happy in the first place. “Even so, at least Lyra’s test is over. I think. So we don’t really have to help her out unless she’s beat up real bad.”

Berry nodded, not turning. They were almost near the dried up lake when Rainbow Dash came back. “Nothing harmful I guess, unless you count the amplifiers as a threat. But yeah, there’s nothing much there that’ll even hurt a fly.”

Berry let out a sigh of relief, setting Applejack down. She let out an inaudible sound, which Berry took to be a grunt of pain. “I’ll leave you here for the moment, rest up.” Colgate approached from behind, setting Twilight right next to Applejack. Once done with that she set her harpoon guns down, save for one.

“Hey Dash, if it were any trouble, would you mind flying Lyra out? And check if there’s any note as well.” Dash nodded, and hovered off, Berry following close behind. Colgate watched as Berry departed for the dried up lake before turning her attention back to Twilight. Her breaths were deep one moment, and shallow the next. If she starts having muscle spasms, we are in for a heap of screwing. Involuntary muscle spasms, depending on the situation, could be good or bad. In this case, muscle spasms would indicate brain damage, which would most likely be the result of the loss of blood. With what Twilight has left, Colgate wasn’t sure if what the brain was receiving was enough or not.

A thought surfaced in Colgate’s muddled mind, but the thought was good enough to stand out above the others. At the hospital, unicorn doctors, when running low on the hospital blood reserves, would work together to try and regain some of the blood loss via a regeneration spell not commonly used. Colgate had been one of very few doctors that had been able to ace the regeneration test in the Canterlot University of Medical Studies. However, Colgate was feeling doubtful. Normally the regeneration spell would require the strength of two or three unicorns. And even then, there might be a chance of failing.

Colgate recalled a colleague of hers going to jail for attempting to carry out the regeneration spell by herself. Colgate wasn’t surprised. She knew that the regeneration spell had a seventy-five percent chance of success with the help of three doctors. And by carrying out the regeneration spell on her own, Colgate’s colleague was hoping to succeed with only twenty-five percent chance of succeeding. If the regeneration spell fails, the chance of a fatality occurring is almost doubled.

Colgate could request for Rarity’s help in the regeneration spell, but Colgate didn’t know to what extent will Rarity’s magic reach. Sure it’ll help out, but Colgate didn’t think it’ll help much. But still, to have an extra hand on deck would be better than to have a lone captain sailing the sea. But she’s with Berry and Rainbow Dash at the moment. Colgate didn’t know what else to do. She just knelt there beside Twilight, contemplating trying out the regeneration spell right there and then.

Colgate’s thoughts were interrupted when a flash of Rainbow and turquoise zipped past her. Had Colgate not known who it was, she would have jumped back. The rainbow-maned pegasus set Lyra down next to Applejack. “Looks like she’s gonna be out for a while.” Colgate nodded deciding to check Lyra’s condition.

“It’s as if we’re lining up the bodies.” Rainbow Dash grimaced as she shook her head.

Meanwhile, in the Ponyville Police Department, back in the meeting room, the chief was once more speaking with the Mayor. What he had failed to answer earlier was probably one of the most dangerous things he’d ever done. By not offering an answer that a member of the public wanted to know showed that he still had a loose grip on the case. Not that that wasn’t true anyway. But still, he had overlooked the possibility that not everypony that was missing would be back. He was in the danger zone.

Mayor Mare, on the other hoof, was trying her best to console the chief. It wasn’t the first time the chief had butted in Mayor Mare’s speech just to make a point. In fact, she was expecting the chief to do so. However, she knew that the ponies of Ponyville weren’t stupid. Most of the questions were capable of setting any member of the police force off balance. But hey, we got the message across anyway. The factor that some members of the public may not have been convinced by the announcement earlier wasn’t really that surprising. I’m just happy enough they keep their opinions to themselves.

Doctor Whooves had been a smart stallion to ask such a question earlier. He was one of the brilliant among the public, his intelligence only rivaled by that of Princess Celestia’s star student, Twilight Sparkle. But even so, Doctor Whooves, or called mostly by the public as The Doctor, was pushing the envelope on an already weak case.

Help from the other cities were helping, but not at all that much. From what Mayor Mare has heard, the citizens of both Cloudsdale and Canterlot have both been informed, and have accepted the current situation. Carrot Top and Roseluck were leafing through the files of old cases that had happened within the past two months, hoping to find something that could help them with the case. Nothing much was turning up in the first few files, but the two still continued, their hope never running out.

The chief should give those two a raise. Mayor Mare snickered.

“Something the matter, Mayor?” The chief looked up.

The mayor turned. The chief had noticed her snickering. “Oh it’s just nothing. Anyway, don’t stress yourself out over the case. Sure it’s the biggest you’ve ever worked on, but hey, you don’t have to do this to yourself. Just take it easy.” Mayor Mare lifted the chief’s head to eye level. “What The Doctor asked just now was just a question. Questions don’t necessarily need an answer. He asked a question that was doubting the possibility that those missing ponies were alive.”

“Will any of them come back, alive?”

The chief merely shrugged, his mind still a mess. There wasn’t much he could say to that. Still.... The chief had nothing against The Doctor. Sometimes he should know what kind of questions to ask in these type of situations. The chief didn’t blame him. If The Doctor were in his hooves, the chief would have probably asked him the same question. He knew the public had the right to know what was going on, that was agreed on earlier. But there must be limits! The PPD had no idea whether or not the missing ponies were alive or not, and when there’s a question you have no idea how to answer, you just trot away. If the chief had said yes, he was confirming that the missing ponies were still alive, and would be home safe and sound. However, that might not be the case, since the ponynapping case is happening at a huge scale, and there might already be a few casualties. But if he had said no..... He would just be saying that those that went missing would never be back, and that would set the whole town in sorrow. Or fear. Or paranoia. And if that were to happen, all hell would break loose. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

So trotting away was probably the right thing. It may not have the bravest thing to do, but it was better than messing up the situation. I wouldn’t want to screw everything up. I’ve been so close to doing so so many times. “I’m over what The Doctor asked earlier.” The chief lied. Actually it wasn’t completely a lie. It still lingered under the chief’s skin, but it had been reduced somewhat. “I’m just worried about those that are missing.”

And as if on cue, Carrot Top came trotting up towards the two, with a file in her mouth. The chief took it with his mouth, and set it down on a nearby table, after moving away some of the table top’s contents. There were words written on the top of the file, may have been typed out or written out. The words read a single word. “Caramel”.

The chief glanced over to Mayor Mare, who wore the same mask of confusion the chief was wearing. However, it was Mayor Mare who spoke first. “Caramel’s had a case?”

And that was when it had struck the chief. He opened the file up to the first page, which showed a detailed profile of Caramel, and the date of the case. How had I missed this? He continued leafing through, feeling the familiarity of the case coming back. Caramel had gone missing a little over a month ago for around two days, before somepony found him wandering around an intersection between the road to Sweet Apple Acres, and the road to Fillydelphia, dazed and confused. His coat and mane had been wet, and he had several cuts on parts of his face and all over his hooves. The lacerations had healed up, the blood crusting the wounds. However so, he was trotting like a half dead pony, it was as if he had all of his energy sucked out of him.

The chief called Sparky over. The lad trotted over without a moment’s hesitation.

“Sir?”

“I need you to go and find Caramel. You know who that is right?” Sparky nodded. “Tell him the chief wants to meet him regarding his disappearance last month.” Sparky once more nodded, and took off, leaving dust particles flying around in his wake.

Mayor Mare tapped the chief on the shoulder, causing him to turn around. Before Mayor Mare could even ask, the chief asked a question. “Wasn’t Caramel the one who popped the first question?”

Mayor Mare nodded. “He didn’t look at all worried when he asked his question. Okay maybe a little bit, but he really wasn’t that worried. Something on your mind?”

The chief cracked his neck several times before continuing. “Caramel says he was ponynapped a little over a month ago, and that he had escaped from somewhere. His testimony is still here in the case file, but I still want to hear it one more time. If this is Caramel’s case happening to other missing ponies, I would like him to stay with us for the time being. Anypony that has ponynapped but managed to escape is probably at risk of going missing again.” He turned his attention to Roseluck and Carrot Top, who were still going through the case files. He trotted over to the two.

“I’d like you two to keep leafing through those case files just in case we had missed anything within the past 3 months. Caramel might not be the only one.” The two officers nodded, and with that, the chief returned to speaking with Mayor Mare, only to be asked several questions before even uttering a single word. The chief held up a hoof, silencing the mayor, before speaking, “One question at a time, please. And ask what you have to.”

Mayor Mare raised a hoof to her mouth, staring at the ground as she comtemplated the questions she would be asking. Ask what you have to. Years of being a politician have taught her that questions, if offensive or not wanted will be ignored, and the conversation will probably be over.

“Cold or hot?”

The chief frowned. He hadn’t been expecting the question at all. He was expecting a question, but certainly not this.

“It’s cold. He didn’t have a single suspect, so we couldn’t do much. Of course, Caramel isn’t happy with that, but with lack of evidence we can’t really get anywhere.”

“Did he mention where he came from?”

The chief shook his head, and mentally noted that he should ask that question later. Fat chance that he’ll still remember the place after a month. But hey, who knows? If we could get our break here, then we can probably save more ponies.

A short pause, before Mayor Mare asked, “Were any other ponies missing around the time Caramel was missing?”

The chief digested the question for a short moment, trying to sort through the cases that had gone through the past few months. With only Caramel’s coming to mind, he shrugged and replied, “Carrot Top and Roseluck are sorting through the case files now looking for anything that could have happened during the past few months just to be sure.”

A knock on the room door grabbed the attention of the occupants within the room, however, Carrot Top and Roseluck continued going through the case files. A familiar voice sounded outside the door between a couple more knocks, “Hey Chief! I got who you were asking for!” The chief called Sparky in, and the door opened, the junior officer stepping inside, Caramel following close behind.

Caramel’s eyes explored the meeting room before locking onto the chief’s. “Good, uh..” Caramel looked around, hoping to find a clock. Finding one hanging from a wall, he continued his greeting. “Good evening, chief. Got any new leads on my case?”

The chief shook his head, slowly and clearly. Caramel continued his stare at the chief, prompting him to continue. “Actually, I called you over to talk about your case.” The chief lied. He had to see if he could link anything between Caramel’s case and the missing ponies. “I noticed that you didn’t provide a location of any sort during your testimony a month ago, and I was wondering if you could be able to do so for me. But, since Mayor Mare is here, I think it would be better if you just repeat everything from the start, just for her knowledge.” The chief gestured for the two to enter the chief’s office, right opposite the cabinets containing the case files near the main door.

Caramel nodded, and proceeded to enter the chief’s office. The chief took his time entering, slowly wondering what kind of questions he’s going to have to ask soon.

Author’s note : Exams are over for now, but there’s going to be another one out in May. For now, I’ll try to make use of my time to write the final few chapters before I can finally concentrate on my exams. Again, forgive me for my tardiness in publishing lately. (Twilight forgive me)

Caramel's Testimony

Caramel sat opposite of the chief in the chief’s office, Mayor Mare seated next to him. Caramel’s case file was among the papers and ornaments on the chief’s table top. The office had a couple of bookshelves, each having three levels, with each of those levels filled with books regarding philosophies of ponies Caramel had never even heard of. The other bookshelf had equally unattractive books. Beside the chief’s chair were a couple of metal cabinets containing various cases from the past. Behind Caramel, a couple of potted plants flanked the door out like Sparky and his brother had flanked the meeting room doors.

“So Caramel,” The chief spoke up, breaking Caramel’s gander around the room. “ I invited you here to discuss your case.”

“Regarding the location of where I escaped?” Caramel raised an eyebrow.

The chief nodded, “You see, we believe that wherever it was you escaped, we might be able to link the location with our current case.”

“You mean the one with ponies disappearing?”

“Well of course!” the chief spoke, a bit louder than what he wanted to sound, but Caramel didn’t seem to notice the difference. “You see, we suspect that the ponies going missing, or rather ponynapped, were brought to the same place you were brought to when you were ponynapped. But then again, it’s only a suspicion. So we can’t actually do much until we have further evidence.”

Caramel set his forehooves on the table. “Just give me a couple of minutes, I’ll try to remember the location.”

The chief held a hoof up, stopping Caramel before he closed his eyes. “But don’t you think it would be easier if you just recall the whole thing instead of just the location? At least Mayor Mare would know what’s going on, or at least have a clue to where you were.”

Caramel merely shrugged. “Well, I guess so. But that’ll take a couple of minutes as well.”

There was a knock on the door, but Caramel nor the Mayor turned. The chief nodded as Sparky came in, bringing in a couple of water bottles for Caramel and the Mayor. Caramel thanked Sparky and gave him a pat on his back before letting the junior officer leave the room.

Caramel unscrewed the cap of the water bottle with his teeth, and proceeded to drink. As Caramel lifted the bottle to his muzzle, the chief could see a couple of old lacerations on Caramel’s hoof. Setting the bottle down and whipping his muzzle with his other hoof, he started recalling.

“I woke up in a rectangular box....”

The rectangular box wasn’t that high, just high enough to fit Caramel and a series of opaque boxes with a small opening in them behind Caramel, arranged in a 3x3 cube fashion. “If I had to guess I’d say it was roughly 6 feet by 3 feet.” Caramel added. Caramel awoke to the sound of trotting around him, albeit a much hollower sound compared to the usual trotting he hears. Either that or his hearing was just messing with him again. He got up and rubbed his eyes with one of his forehooves, trying to squint into the darkness surrounding him. He reached out with his free hoof, only to feel a barrier separating him between the inside of his glass box and the freedom of the outside world. He tapped on the glass, wondering how he had gotten in there.

A stray light source was making its way through the darkness, seemingly approaching the glass prison in which Caramel was in. Caramel tapped harder on the glass, hoping to catch the attention of whoever was bringing the light around. His efforts paid off when the stray light stopped for a moment, and shined brighter than before. Caramel shielded his eyes as he tried his best to make sure his eyes could adjust to the brightness change in the room. The trotting got closer and slowed down, the light intensifying with every hoofstep Caramel heard. Caramel moved the hoof shielding his eyes and analyzed the figure standing in front of his prison. He couldn’t identify much, the glass being close to opaque. The only thing he was sure of was the shape of whoever it was being on the outside of the box. “It was a mare. A unicorn had somehow found me.”

Caramel knocked on the glass and, without receiving any response, continued rapping on the glass, hoping against all hope that whoever it was on the other side could hear him. He tried to shout, but his throat felt dry. Very dry. He could only croak as he strained his throat in an effort to release a sound. He coughed a couple of times as he watched the figure move around the room, pausing to check on something Caramel couldn’t quite identify. Caramel examined this glass prison, only noticing the opaque boxes behind him. In semi-darkness, Caramel couldn’t see what it was that was inside the boxes, but didn’t want to find out. The glass was rather thick, with a couple of pipes sticking in from the top of the box.

A voice was heard, and Caramel perked his ears up. The mare had spoken. The voice was somewhat Canterlotian, but at the same time, sounded much softer than the usual arrogant Canterlotian accent. The unicorn’s horn glowed as she spoke, making Caramel suspicious as to what the mare was planning.

“Hello Caramel.”

Caramel drew back, head nearly hitting the opaque boxes behind his head. He fell back onto his rump as he tried his best to find out how the mare knew his name. Adrenaline started pumping through his veins, and he found the lubrication in his throat enough to enable him to speak.

“Who are you? And what the buck am I doing in this thing?” Caramel sounded more like he was demanding than asking. Well why shouldn’t I be, I’m trapped in this thing, and Celestia knows what she might be planning. Caramel heard a snicker on the other side of the box before it spoke up again.

“Who I am is of no importance. But know this, you are here because of the wrong you have done that could have worsened the hunger in rural areas of Equestria.”

Caramel was confused. He had no idea what the mare meant by “rural areas”. He wasn’t even sure what rural meant. And he sure as hell did not know anything about hunger anywhere else but his own stomach.

“You see, you actually thought that no one would notice your attempt to sabotage the Apple Family crops during Winter Wrap Up? Sure they were only grass seeds, but without grass, there would be nothing else around to retain water for the apple trees to grow.”

Caramel was bewildered. What was this mare talking about? He hadn’t sabotaged the Apple Family crops! He never would, and never will! The mare must have been crazy. And if there was no water around, the pegasi would still bring rain around whenever the rain is needed.

The glow on the unicorn’s horn intensified as she spoke, “Even thought that crisis was averted, a crime shouldn’t go unpunished now shouldn’t it?”

Caramel was outraged. He started banging on the glass of the box. The mare merely snickered before speaking. “Bang all you want, there’s nothing much you can do about it. Now was I....Ah yes, your punishment.”

Caramel shouted aloud, hoping to make sure that the mare wasn’t going to make a very big mistake. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, and I know you must be crazy enough to make up a screwed up theory like that!”

The mare laughed at those words. “Theory you say?” The mare snorted. “How would you like to explain the loss of the grass seeds? You knew how important those seeds would be, and that the earth ponies could not be able to depend on the pegasi all the time. You, of all earth ponies, SHOULD know that.”

Caramel gave up trying to talk sense into this mare. He sighed, and prepared to take whatever it was the mare would do. I mean, what’s the worst she could do since she was outside?

“The box you are in now is what I call the drowning hole.” Caramel shifted in his place upon hearing the name. “The box will slowly fill up with water until it pours out of the hole that has the pipes sticking in. The only way out is to stick your hooves into the series of boxes behind you, and press a couple of buttons in order to activate a sledgehammer, which will swing down from the ceiling and smash the glass box.” Caramel turned around, and almost stuck his hoof in when he noticed something. Needles. The light illuminating from the unicorn’s horn was just enough for Caramel to notice the needles in the box. “Though you wouldn’t be off that easily. Inside the boxes, are needles, and to reach the buttons, you’ll have to make sure you get past the needles, which won’t be that easy.”

“Either way, you either get out with your hooves riddled with holes, or drown in the box. In exchange for freedom, are you willing to comply by the rules set by others? Or much simpler, are you willing to get hurt to get yourself free? The choice is yours. Let the game begin.” Before Caramel knew it, the mare had reached over to the side of the box and pulled a lever. At first nothing happened, and then suddenly, Caramel could feel wetness pouring all over his mane, before the water cascaded down his face and chest. The mare gave a maniacal laugh and disappeared as the glow from her horn dissipated.

By the time the mare had disappeared, the water had reached his horseshoe level. “Not that I was wearing horseshoes at the time anyway.” Caramel didn’t waste time, turning around to look into the opaque boxes. He had managed to see which one of the boxes contained the buttons, which reduced the number of boxes to two, which was enough for him. He tested out out of the boxes by sticking his hoof in one of the boxes with the buttons. The moment he stuck his hoof in, he knew it was a mistake, but he continued anyway. The first needle that grazed his hoof was not felt as he was determined to get out. But when he felt the second needle prick his hoof, he slowed down, but sped up, believing that the quicker he gets this over with, the quicker the pain will be gone.

However, when he was in range of the button, a needle, right above the button, pierced right in the middle of his hoof. He hadn’t noticed the needle, seeing that a needle, head-on, is almost unnoticeable. Caramel didn’t even seem to notice until the searing pain of the needle told him that his hoof could still respond to stimuli, but by the time he did notice, he had already reached the button.

By the time the pain had set in, the water level was almost reaching his hock level. Maintaining a hoof on a button, he struggled to reach his hoof over to another opaque box, roughly a foot away from the first box with the button. He didn’t even think his move over before shoving his entire hoof into the box, ignoring the piercing pains of each needle within the box. And to his surprise, he couldn’t feel the circular button on the inside of the box. Just the pricking pain of the needles embedded in his hoof.

He moved his hoof around the inside the box, further piercing the already-deep needles, but he didn’t seem to care. He just continued pushing his hoof in, hoping to locate a button, a lever or anything that could get him out. That’s when a possibility struck him. What if this was the wrong box? No, it couldn’t be. Caramel had seen with the limited light that only two boxes had buttons, so it was virtually impossible for him to miss the box with the button.

Then where the buck is the button?! The water level had risen to his neck level, and the first three opaque boxes that didn’t contain the buttons went under. Caramel withdrew his hoof from the box, convinced that the box didn’t have the button, despite knowing that he had seen a button inside the box earlier.

Cringing at the pain for the first time, Caramel couldn’t avoid having water intensifying the pain of his wounds. He was about to give up as the second line of opaque boxes went under. He had remembered something Twilight had often mentioned to Applejack whenever a barrel of water couldn’t be open. Why bother opening a barrel of water when you can just buck it open and still get what you need? He wasn’t sure what sort of sense Twilight was making when she said that, however, one thing she explained got through. Or at least, he hoped it got through.

If the pressure coming from the outside is greater than the pressure on the inside, then the barrel would just implode, so to speak. But Caramel was inside a box, slowly filling up with water. If he were to even try bucking the glass, the best he could do was create cracks on the glass. He was never that strong. But then he remembered something else Twilight had mentioned, something that would save Caramel’s life.

As the pressure within a certain area builds up, the pressure acting on the surroundings would increase as well, making things break easily should the pressure continue. Caramel took his other hoof out of the opaque box and prepared to test out Twilight’s idea, hoping to Celestia that he had enough force to buck through the glass and get through. The water level had risen to his jaw level by the time he had raised his rearhooves and bucked at the glass.

The water had slowed the impulsive force on the glass, but it was enough to make a crack in the glass big enough for water to leak out. However so, it wasn’t enough for Caramel. The water may be leaking out, but he will still drown if he doesn’t make sure more leaks out. He raised his rearhooves one more time, trying his best to ignore the stinging pain in his forehooves, and bucked at the glass.

What had been a spiderweb of a crack on the glass box, now exploded outwards as the combined force of his bucking and the pressure on the glass paid off. Shards of glass sprayed out in a wide area, the water carrying the sharp hazardous ones away before Caramel inched out of the box. The water from the pipes were still flowing, and that was when Caramel had forgotten about one thing.

The sledgehammer.

In a flurry of motion, Caramel rolled to his right, cutting himself several times as he rolled across the glass, just as a sledge hammer swung down from the ceiling, completely smashing the glass box to pieces. Caramel cringed a second time at his wounds as he bit into the glass that had cut into him before spitting it back out.

Well, at least this isn’t as bad as drowning and getting smashed to pieces. Bleeding, but not dead, Caramel started finding a way out of the room. Several lockers nearby had been left open, but all Caramel could find were several bottles of water and some disinfectant. He bit into the bottle of water, completely crushing it as the water travelled not only down his throat, but all over his face as well. He left the disinfectant alone though, not knowing how to use it himself.

Careful not to step on the glass shards that went with the flow of the water still flowing from the pipes, Caramel followed the way he had seen the mare come through. As he walked through the hallways, he could hear the other voices of ponies, screaming, crying, pleading. He could smell the death all around him, the only recognizable one being burnt flesh. He felt like throwing up immediately, but he didn’t want to make his presence known. So he didn’t. Not long after he found a side door that didn’t look like it was secured. Glancing around, he trotted over to the door and opened it. Caramel cringed again for a third time as the sudden blast of light filled the hallway he was in, blinding him temporarily. Caramel recovered quickly though, and proceeded through the door.

Caramel looked around his surroundings. Several of the glass shards earlier had managed to scratch his face up a bit, but the blood was already drying off thanks to Celestia’s sun. Caramel was disorientated, not knowing where he was. He had a nagging feeling like he’d been here before, but at the same time the place he was at looked foreign. He had just left what seemed to be some sort of factory, the screams coming from the inside muffled behind the thick factory walls.

He trotted straight. He didn’t know where he was going, but he knew he should get away from the place. Caramel wasn’t even sure how long he had been gone, or how he could have gotten here in the first place. After walking for several minutes, he came upon a gravel road, and decided to turn right, hoping that he was going the right way.

“Then I was just trotting. Next thing I knew, somepony picked me up from an intersection.” Caramel took his bottle of water by the neck and started drinking the cool liquid down. The chief nodded as he scribbled some notes down.

“Sounds like you’ve gone through some shit there.”

Caramel almost did a spit-take. He swallowed, coughing in the process before looking up at the chief. “Are you kidding me? That was worse than some shit! If you were there, you’d know that what went down there was not just some shit.”

The chief nodded, much to the annoyance of Caramel. “Very well then, you wouldn’t happen to remember where this worse-than-some-shit thing went down wouldn’t you?”

Caramel opened his mouth, attempting to fire back an insult, believing that the chief was not taking his story seriously, before giving up. He sighed. “I don’t remember. The only thing I remembered was trotting straight for probably an hour, maybe two before I got picked up. So that’s pretty much it.”

The chief, stretched his neck a bit, analyzing the young stallion’s words. Satisfied with what he believed was what happened, he spoke up. “Well Caramel, this is more than enough to help us progress with both your case and our case. You’re free to go now, but please, feel free to come back whenever you feel that you have something useful to tell us.”

Caramel nodded, and left the room.

Once Caramel had left, Mayor Mare started asking the chief questions. “You seem pleased with what he just said earlier. You found something?”

The chief just shrugged, before answering. “He said he was walking straight on a gravel road for around an hour or two right?”

Mayor Mare nodded.

“Now, noting his injuries and his disorientation at the time, what seemed to him like an hour or two might have in fact been longer.”

Mayor Mare tilted her head sideways. “I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

“You see, ponies that are disorientated tend to be, well, disorganized, so to speak. When he said an hour or two, it might have either been longer or shorter than the time frame he described. Stay with me here. Now judging by his tone when he said that what he saw and heard and smelled was worse than some shit, I can safely conclude that he was going through the early stages of trauma. Either trauma or disorientation can lead to false information. Even if he said he walked straight on a gravel road for an hour or two, he might actually have been tumbling around a dirt path for 4 hours straight.”

Mayor Mare nodded. She caught what the chief meant. “So what do you propose now?”

“Even as one goes through disorientation, descriptions of certain objects are rather accurate compared to time and other factors. So let’s assume that we really did walk on a gravel road, after turning right from a warehouse. The time frame I would say around half an hour or more. He couldn’t have gone on longer than that, given his lacerations and what not.”

“So right now, I propose that we inform Cloudsdale to help us do a little recon work over the path between Sweet Apple Acres and Manehatten, or anywhere nearby. Shouldn’t be too hard to spot a warehouse near a gravel road now shouldn’t it?”

Ambush

The chief and Mayor Mare sat in their chairs in the chief’s office, discussing Caramel’s case for the best part of an hour, when news from Cloudsdale Military Reconnaissance came back. They had located a warehouse along the gravel road leading to Trottingham that had matched Caramel’s description. Well even without his description, that must have been the only warehouse to be out there along a gravel road. The chief nodded, dismissing the two CMR pegasi dispatchers. The two exited the office and flew back to base while the chief and Mayor Mare contemplated on what to do next.

“We can’t do much without a warrant. Even with a warrant, there’s no guarantee that there might be anypony there.” The mayor said, followed by a shrug.

The chief thought over the mayor’s sentence, mentally throwing it around the inside of his brain. After smashing it around several times, he spoke up. “We can’t do much without a warrant, that much is true. However, we can pick up the owner of the warehouse, maybe question him or her about the location’s current use?”

Mayor Mare shrugged again. “Maybe you can do so. Picking somepony up for questioning really won’t be a problem unless they themselves request a warrant. But I don’t think there would be a problem with that. A lot of ponies here are willing to help the PPD, considering the situation at hoof now.”

“Well then, we’ll move along with this for now.”

The chief got off his chair and exited his office, leaving Mayor Mare behind. Mayor Mare heard some mumbling outside, barely audible behind the office door. The chief reentered a couple of moments later and sat back down in his chair.

“Mayor, you deal the sales of houses and land in Ponyville right? Might you have the records of the sale of the warehouse?”

The mayor shook her head. “Not really. Since the warehouse is along the road to Trottingham, it’s counted as the outskirts of Ponyville already. I have no power over locations outside Ponyville of course.”

The chief was silent for a couple of seconds before speaking. “Then the Trottingham authorities should know what to do from here. The warehouse should be close enough to Trottingham to be counted within the boundaries of the city.”

Mayor Mare nodded. “Then I guess I should contact the head administrator of Trottingham. If it’s a mayor, it should be easy. If it’s anywhere above my rank of administering, it’s gonna get really hard to get our hooves on anything.”

The chief concluded the discussion with a nod, and the two exited the office. The chief closed the door behind them and glanced over at two of his officers, Roseluck sifting through a couple of old casefiles, and Carrot Top checking on a couple of files.

He called Carrot Top over, to which she laid the files she was checking through on a nearby desk and trotted over.

“Carrot Top, if you’re not busy, would you please contact the Trottingham Police Department and check who’s the current administrator of the city? We’ve got a lead and I would want this to be done immediately.”

She nodded and retreated to a cubicle with a couple of cabinets.

“This will probably take a few minutes.”

And a few minutes it did take. After going through a second cabinet, Carrot Top trotted over and handed the chief a thick manila file, the words ‘Trottingham’ written in black marker across the cover. The chief thanked Carrot Top and took the file over to Mayor Mare, who was sitting on one of the benches outside the chief’s office. He sat next to her and flipped the file open, skipping the minor details about the town which included districts within the town, the population, and the what the economy thrived on, and moved on to the biodata of the head administrator.

Displayed on the page was a picture of a stallion with a white mane that spotted a short, trimmed white beard and rim-wired glasses. His bright orange coat would have been the distinct characteristic of the stallion had he not have impossibly deep green eyes. He was wearing a brown vest, with the words ‘Mayor Snow’ sewn into the top right breast pocket. He had a lightning that was dark yellow on one side, and a lighter yellow on the other.

“Mayor Snow Charge has been mayor of Trottingham for the past four years, and remarkably, isn’t even 20 yet. I thought you had to be at least 18 before you entered politics?”

Mayor Mare shrugged. “You’ll need a degree in politics to actually join politics, which would require admission into a university for around three years. By the time one graduates, they’d have to be at least 21.”

The chief chuckled, “Then this guy’s gonna be one tough cookie for you to talk to. How old were you when you graduated?”

Mayor Mare frowned. “I’d rather not answer that. Anyway, can you arrange a transport for me to meet Mayor Snow by today?”

The chief shrugged. “It’s rather short notice don’t you think? Why not just send him a message? For all you know he might already be on this case considering how ponies from many different cities got abducted. We haven’t asked Trottingham if anypony’s missing.”

“I’ll ask him about that as well.”

The chief nodded, and gestured a hoof towards one of the Police Department’s phoenixes. “Use him. The message arrives right in front of him, no matter where he is. You can expect a quick reply, unless he uses a dragon, in which case it might take up to a couple of minutes before the message arrives.”

Mayor Mare shrugged, and went over to one of the desks used for writing near the idle phoenix. The phoenix greeted the Mayor with a nod and a grin, to which the Mayor smiled and nodded back. She picked up a quill and dipped it into a little glass bottle of ink before writing on a piece of parchment.

Dear Mayor Snow,

I, as the Mayor of Ponyville, require your assistance following a string of disappearances occurring between Ponyville, Cloudsdale and Canterlot. The Ponyville Police Department is acting with the cooperating from authorities from Canterlot and Cloudsdale to solve the disappearances. So far the only leads we have are from a witness who claims that a warehouse, which is within Trottingham city’s limits, was used to torture the ponies that have gone missing, which would include himself. He managed to come back, relatively fine considering his story.

Anyway, I was wondering if you would help us out. If you would ever be so kind as to send us the details on the owner of the warehouse, we would be most grateful. However, if the warehouse is not within Trottingham city limits, then we’ll have to track down the owner of the warehouse via other means. Whatever the case, we hope to resolve this issue as soon as possible.

-Mayor Mare

With that, Mayor Mare nodded towards the phoenix, and the phoenix grabbed the rolled up parchment with its claws. It spun around in a circular motion a couple of times, emitting a bright orange light that reminded Mayor Mare of Celestia’s sun, and the rolled up parchment was on its way to the Mayor of Trottingham. Mayor Mare thanked the phoenix, to which it nodded, and returned to its post.

Mayor Mare waited with the chief for Mayor Snow’s response inside the chief’s office as the two continued going through the city of Trottingham’s details.

Berry glanced at her watch. Luna’s moon provided just enough light for Berry to see that it was around 8.15pm. . She counted another three and three quarter hours before it was midnight. Rainbow Dash had flown Lyra out of the dried up lake, and Berry was at the brim, looking into it. The lake was well lighted, and apart from that, the place had rather expensive equipment, including a gold lyre.

Berry had seen similar amplifiers inside some of the clubs she frequented. The beats were loud and powerful enough to, theoretically, fibrillate the heart. If Twilight were conscious at the moment, Berry could ask her if that was possible. But now wouldn’t be the appropriate time to do so, considering the time constrictions at the moment.

Berry hopped into the dried up lake, landing on top of one of the amplifiers. I wonder if Rainbow Dash took her note as well. She glanced around the place. There was a scatter of music sheets across the dirt floor, and the golden lyre. Berry knelt down and moved the mess of papers aside, and found a note. She picked it up and studied it.

Same note as most of us. She had left her saddlebags behind with Colgate, so she had to hold on to the note for the time being. Glancing around, Berry deduced that there was nothing else useful to pick up. It was then did she realize her mistake.

Berry had leapt into the hole without even considering a way to get back out. She thought of leaping onto the amplifiers, but they were too high to even get up upon. She couldn’t call out to Rainbow Dash since she had left to bring Lyra to Colgate and the others. She was on her own on this one. She glanced over at the music stand and contemplated leaning it against the amplifiers so she could jump upon then, but she knew she was heavy enough to stab the stand even by jumping on it.

Frustrated, she bucked at the dirt walls. The walls vibrated, and the amplifiers shook. Berry looked over at the amplifiers. They didn’t look secured into place. Berry grinned. There’s my ticket out. But there was a problem. Because the amplifiers were arranged in a cubic fashion, bucking one of the amplifiers so she could use it as a platform to get back up would be a near impossible thing to do. That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try though.

Berry turned to the music stand. Maybe I can use that as a wedge to separate the amplifiers. She grabbed the music stand by the stem and planted the head in the gaps between the bottom amplifiers. If she put the head in the gaps of the amplifiers on top, nothing would hold it in place, and the music stand would just fall back down to the ground. She made sure the head of the music stand went deep into the gaps before turning around. She turned her head to adjust her aim and with one almighty buck, she bucked the step of the music stand.

The base of the music stand went back, and the head snapped forward, shoving the amplifier forward. The amplifier moving forward had provided more than enough room for Berry to move it further. She reached her forehooves into the widened gap and pushed the amplifier out further. She suddenly stopped and took her hands out. If I pull the amplifier any further, the one on top will fall on my forehooves. Cursing herself for not knowing this earlier, she turned to the other side of the amplifier, and tugged on it. It shifted a little in place, but other than that, it didn’t really move that much. She tugged on it further, and estimated that it would take another few inches of tugging for the amplifier on top to fall down.

Berry thought about how weird it was that the one on top did not move with the bottom amplifier as one, but she was vaguely aware of something called inertia. She shook her head of those thoughts and continued tugging on the amplifier. The amplifier moved a few centimeters, and then stopped. Berry could feel sweat running down the side of her forehead as she gave the amplifier another tug. The amplifier slid forward easily as the one on top fell down, filling in the position of the previous amplifier.

Berry gave herself a nod of triumph, and jumped atop the newly felled amplifier and jumped upon the pair of amplifiers still stacked on top of one another. She glanced out of the brim of the hole at her surroundings. In the distance to her right, she could see a group of ponies, a familiar rainbow-maned Pegasus flying above the ground. But it was in the distance to her left did Berry grow surprised.

A group consisting of four pegasi was flying about, most likely looking for Berry and her key of freedom. Berry tried her luck and leapt out of the hole and made a mad dash back to the rest of her group. She had the Lyra’s note in her mouth. The sound of approaching hooves prompted Rainbow Dash to look up.

“Hey, Berry’s back!” She alerted the rest of the group.

Berry stopped short of crashing into Rarity, and gestured a hoof over her mouth, signaling the mares to keep quiet. They didn’t quite understand since Lyra’s note was still in Berry’s mouth, so she took it out before repeating the same gesture to them.

“We might have some company on their way here. Look sharp.” Berry glanced over at the still unconscious Twilight, Applejack and Lyra and looked over to Rarity. “Rarity, bring a harpoon gun and follow me. Rainbow Dash, you too, but take a screwdriver.” Rainbow Dash and Rarity complied. Berry took a harpoon gun and disembarked towards the group, Rainbow Dash and Rarity following close behind her.

The group stood out, with two of its members having a coat of bright red and a mane of snow-white flying idly in the same spot. As Berry and the two behind her got closer, Berry saw that the group had been reduced to three members. She turned around to warn the two others, but she didn’t have time to do so. A Pegasus was speeding towards Rainbow Dash, albeit silently considering how Rainbow Dash hadn’t noticed the speeding Pegasus.

She spun around and shouted, “Hit the ground!” Rarity dove out of the way while Rainbow Dash merely flattened herself against the ground as Berry fired her harpoon. With a bright flash, the harpoon ejected from the gun and sailed through the air. Berry was either lucky or had timed her shot well, because the harpoon skewered through the head of the Pegasus, and it dropped dead mid-flight, a couple of feet shy of the crawling Rainbow Dash.

The dead Pegasus landed face first, making the end of the harpoon penetrate further before the rest of the body smacked against the dirt.

Berry glanced back to the group, only to notice that they have disappeared. Berry turned around and warned the two girls to watch each other’s backs. Rarity dusted herself off and carefully aimed her harpoon gun around as Rainbow Dash took to the skies, screwdriver in hoof. She quickly disappeared among the stars, and it was just Rarity and Berry left. Berry held onto her harpoon gun like a club and watched her surroundings as Rarity continued levitating her harpoon gun.

The night was still, not a single sound heard as the two glanced around. They were vulnerable from all sides, and considering how the Pegasus earlier had tried to sneak up on them, he was silent, albeit unsuccessful. There’s no saying that the other three won’t be that silent.

High above, Rainbow Dash watched as the two ponies stood back-to-back in the patch of field below her. The lights coming out of the dried up lake were enough for Rainbow Dash to see the area surrounding the two. Had the group been earth ponies or unicorns, Rainbow Dash could let Berry know in an instant where the group was, but they were up against pegasi.

The sound of leaves rustling to her right made Rarity turn and spot the approaching target. She aimed the harpoon rifle as the charging Pegasus as he got closer. The Pegasus was one of the two red-coated pegasi that Berry had seen earlier. The Pegasus was just within ten feet of Rarity, a blade shining in the moonlight as he neared, when Rarity made her move.

Both Berry and the Pegasus were caught off guard when Rarity didn’t fire her harpoon, but rather just shot out the entire gun in the Pegasus’ direction. He tried too late to bank, and the harpoon collided with his face. He crashed backwards as the velocity of the harpoon gun firing out was faster than the Pegasus’ speed. He thudded against the ground as Rarity levitated her harpoon gun back to herself.

Berry went back to her vigilant stance and listened around. Other than Rarity’s heavy breathing, there was not a single sound again that stirred the air. Or so they thought.

A hundred feet away, Colgate was defending her three patients as the second red-coated Pegasus lashed out at her with his axe. Colgate was trying her best to adjust her aim on the stallion as he swung around madly. I’ve got to get this madpony away from the others. She rolled out of the way, narrowly escaping as the blade of the stallion’s axe cut into the ground where Colgate stood mere moments ago.

Colgate decided to stop with the aiming and started to swing the harpoon gun at the madpony, who was swinging back at her with similar ferocity. The blade of the axe clashed with the hard steel of the harpoon gun as the two weapons collided with each other. Colgate tried her best not to fire the harpoon, realizing that at this position, a misfire could impale either of her three patients. The axe was denting her harpoon gun, much to the delight of the stallion, and to the surprise of Colgate.

The stallion had a helmet on, with several dry cells protruding from the top. Colgate had seen such batteries in industrial sectors, though they were on a much larger scale. Colgate hoped that the current those batteries would give would be enough to kill the stallion, but for the time being, she had no idea when the stallion’s trap would go off.

The axe dug into Colgate’s harpoon gun, the cut almost deep enough to break the harpoon gun. It was then did Colgate get an idea that would change the course of this battle completely. She used her magic to disassemble the harpoon gun as she dived out of the axe’s way. The harpoon gun split up into more than a dozen pieces that spun around Colgate and the stallion as the two continued their fight.

Colgate’s gaze met the stallion’s eyes and she grinned. He stopped swinging the axe for a brief moment, wondering what she was grinning about, before once more swinging the axe. Colgate made sure that the swing would bury the blade of the axe into the ground again before jumping out of range of the spinning harpoon pieces. She shouted back at the stallion, “So long, asshole!”

The stallion looked up from trying to pull the axe out. Colgate contracted the pieces of the harpoon gun into the stallion. All of the harpoon pieces seemed to implode into the stallion as he let out a blood-churning scream. The pieces pierced him as one, going through his head, abdomen, flank and wings in an attempt to reform into a harpoon gun. When unsuccessful, the harpoon gun pieces spread out again, which meant exiting the wounds of the stallion to circle around him. He collapsed into the ground as Colgate once more used her magic to implode the harpoon pieces into the Pegasus.

The last dying breath of the Pegasus was exhaled when the pieces were once more imploded into him. Colgate took the pieces out of him with her magic, and reformed her harpoon gun again, this one being bloodier than before. She pulled the axe out of the ground and lay it down next to the dead stallion.

Berry had been taken by surprise when the final of the four pegasi collided with her, knocking her off her hooves and causing her to drop her harpoon gun. The Pegasus forced her onto her rearhooves as he turned her around to show Rarity that any move she attempts would put her friend in a very tight situation. The Pegasus had a machete in his right hoof as he used his left to keep Berry in a headlock.

Rarity adjusted her aim, and the Pegasus shouted, “If you so much as aim that thing another inch upwards, I will end your friend’s life right fucking now!” Rarity dropped her aim, and glared at the Pegasus, whose head had a similar helmet worn by the Pegasus that attacked Colgate. There were two glowing red lights, and two glowing green ones on the side.

The Pegasus turned shifted his gaze down to the mare he was holding hostage and whispered, “Now listen here, I don’t want to do any harm, even though you’ve put me in quite a pickle by taking out the three of my comrades. Give me the key to this device on my head, and I’ll let you live.”

“I don’t have the fucking key! You’ve got the wrong pony!” Berry choked as the Pegasus brought the machete closer to her neck.

“Now now, there’s no use lying to me. I saw that unicorn enter the building with that gold key, and I can assume that you took it back. So here I am, asking you nicely one more time, where is the fucking key?” He relaxed his grip on the machete, moving it slightly away for Berry to talk.

That’s where he made his mistake. Berry drove a forehoof upward into the jaw of the Pegasus, stunning him as she dove to the ground. Before the stallion could recover, a blur of Rainbow and Cyan crashed into him, knocking him off his hooves in the similar way he had done to Berry moments earlier. He tried to bring the machete down on Rainbow Dash, but she was many steps ahead of him. A huge distance was not the only thing that Rainbow Dash drove into him as she drove her screwdriver into his torso and abdomen repeatedly as a mach cone formed around the two as they travelled half a mile before she came to a stop.

Rainbow Dash screeched to a halt, flinging the bleeding stallion forward some thirty feet as the inertia carried him further than the intended stop point. He collided with the rough ground and coughed out blood several times as he struggled to regain his footing. He flapped his rapidly declining wings as he quickly lost a large supply of his blood through all the stab wounds inflicted upon him. He flat-lined a few seconds later, a full ten seconds after having the situation under control in his hooves before the tables turned on him.

Rainbow Dash flew back, panting as she carried her bloodied knife with her through the night air, and returned to a recovering Berry and a relatively unscathed Rarity. Rarity was trotting over to the Pegasus whose face she had smashed her harpoon gun into. His breathing was labored, as he struggled to breathe through his mouth since his blood was pooling out of his muzzle. He had a helmet on, similar to two of his friends, except the lights on the helmet were three red and one green.

He coughed a few times as Rarity stood over him. The Pegasus held his hooves out, not in a threatening way, but rather pleading her to not inflict any more pain on him as he shivered. Rarity nodded, and knelt down in front of him.

“What was the lot of you thinking, attacking us like that?”

The Pegasus spoke in a strained voice, but the Canterlotian accent was very apparent in his voice. “We meant no harm initially. I had suggested that we worked together instead of attacking, you know, safety in numbers. Earth had sternly said that the bigger our numbers, the slower our progress would be.” He coughed and mumbled a few inaudible things.

“We’re gathering as many ponies as we can save here, and you have no idea how many of them have a very different way of thinking compared to you. Brute force brings nopony anywhere, even though so far it’s what’s kept most of us safe for the time being.”

“Most of you?”

Berry and Rainbow Dash walked over, the former nodding. “A unicorn we let join the group went rogue and took the key your leader mentioned. He went AWOL and I found him dead upstairs with the key.”

The Pegasus tried to nod, but winced. “Celestia, my neck hurts.” A section of his neck had gone dark, which would suggest either a bruise or internal bleeding. With the Pegasus’ eyes darting back and forth, Berry concluded that it was the latter. He coughed further, this time blood exiting his lips.

“Well, if I have to say something, your shot earlier was impeccable.” He grinned, eyes slowly closing.

Rarity’s eyes welled up in tears as she smiled, “Thank you. I guess I should really apologize for my actions. But please believe me, I had to do so.” The Pegasus nodded, his grin becoming a smile as he spoke his last few words.

“I guess I should be the one apologizing. I’m sorry for the trouble, but I guess it’s supposed to end this way.” His eyes closed, and his final breath left his lips. Rarity cried, albeit softly for the stallion that she could have talked out of attacking instead of killing him. Berry and Rainbow Dash hung their heads, waiting for Rarity to finish. Berry glanced at her watch. It was 8.53pm.

Suspect and Investigation

The letter Mayor Mare sent had a reply during the Pegasus ambush on Berry’s group. It came in a flame of orange in front of Mayor Mare as she and the chief sat in the chief’s office. Mayor Mare hadn’t been expecting a letter so soon and concluded that it must have been serious enough a matter for him to respond so quickly.

Mayor Mare unrolled the scroll and read its contents.

Dear Mayor Mare,

In response to your letter, I, Mayor of Trottingham, had the local police department carry out your request. The owner of the warehouse is a unicorn that I’m sure had stopped by Ponyville once. She was shunned for being a fraud and never came back. I trust you’ve heard of The Great and Powerful Trixie?

According to our records, Trixie had bought the warehouse some six months ago, or a month after her rather unfortunate shunning from Ponyville. Trixie had written that she was using the warehouse as a storage facility for some of her equipment which she uses for her shows. To be frank, we were suspicious of her presence in Trottingham at first, but she did throw a very good show during her visit.

And regarding the disappearances of ponies from Canterlot, Ponyville and Cloudsdale, we are not sure if this is relevant, but we’ve had a couple of ponies missing within a few days. The connection, if any, should be sufficient for us to obtain a warrant to raid her facilities, but until we are sure, we are unable to do so.

Enclosed are the details of Trixie, with her intentions of the warehouse and what not. Should there be anything we left out, do not hesitate to send a message. The police department are worried over the two missing ponies, so getting them back safely, for the moment, is among our top priorities.

-Mayor Snow

Just as Mayor Mare had finished reading the scroll, another one appeared, this time in a flame of purple. Mayor Mare unrolled it, revealing it to be the details of the warehouse owner and former successful performer. Mayor Mare handed the chief the letter from Mayor Snow, and proceeded to read Trixie’s details.

Trixie had graduated from Princess Celestia’s school for Gifted Unicorns, much to Mayor Mare’s surprise. She had been in the entertainment business since graduation, starting off first in Manehatten. Since the successful show, she had been travelling around Equestria, entertaining ponies and giving much inspiration to those who visited her shows. All of that had stopped six months ago, when a show in Ponyville went sour, thanks to the attack of an Ursa Minor. Mayor Mare wondered if Trixie had ever tried putting on another show. She read further down the list that since her carriage was destroyed during the attack, she was declared bankrupt.

Mayor Mare wondered if the bankruptcy part was true, considering how Trixie had managed to buy a warehouse. The chief set the scroll down on the table and looked over to Mayor Mare, who was still going through the details. He let her continue as he pondered the probability of Trixie being the perpetrator in this situation. Revenge could be her motive since she was shunned by the Ponyville residents. He wasn’t sure if this would include Canterlot, Cloudsdale or Trottingham.

Another scroll appeared in a flame of red in front of the chief. The mayor glanced briefly over before reading more on Trixie’s details. He unfurled the scroll and read it. It was from Mayor Snow again.

Terribly sorry for not including this in the message earlier, but the two missing ponies had been troublemakers who messed with the fireworks display during Trixie’s last show. Not sure if this is connected to anypony else, but it’s probably worth considering. Should a link be established, notify me, and I’ll send a team over to the warehouse with a warrant.

“Well then, looks like we’ve got another lead. Apparently the two ponies that went missing in Trottingham had been charged with troublemaking at Trixie’s show.” The chief got up, and left the room, leaving Mayor Mare behind to finish up on reading Trixie’s details. He strode over to Carrot Top, who was still at the file cabinet. Carrot Top looked up from a few files on the counter at the approaching chief. She gave the chief a nod, to which he nodded back and spoke, “We’re going to need a check on the missing ponies. See if they’ve got any criminal record or have done anything that could be considered a crime.”

“Do we have another lead? Carrot Top’s eyes sparkled with excitement at a potential prospect in the case.

“As of now, we’ve only got suspicions. We’re keeping contact with the mayor of Trottingham, who says that two ponies that went missing within the past few days had a criminal record, which was troublemaking during a public event. We could get further leads if we could link the criminal record with any of the ponies that went missing here. If the link is strong, then the mayor should be able to get a warrant for the warehouse.”

Carrot Top nodded and went to over to another set of cabinets. The chief smiled at her hard work, before retreating back to his office. He didn’t knock, and just entered the room. The three scrolls were stacked up, forming a tiny pyramid. Mayor sat in her seat, lost in thought. After the chief sat down, he let out a long sigh and stared at the ceiling.

“I don’t think we can get a warrant so soon.”

“Well, we can at least bring Trixie in for questioning, right?” Mayor Mare asked.

“That’s if we know where she is at the moment. If we can’t find her, we can’t question her.” The chief said, his stare still not broken from the ceiling. “We can contact the Cloudsdale Military Reconnaissance again and see if they could track Trixie down. Or we can ask for the assistance of the Canterlot Bereau of Investigation.” He lowered his gaze onto Mayor Mare. “They have some good tracking skills if I’m not wrong.”

Mayor Mare shrugged. “The CBI is better off not involved. They could be on something else bigger than this at the moment. But there’s no harm in a little assistance though…” Mayor Mare thought in silence in a moment. Requesting for help might arouse suspicion from the CBI, which would probably prompt a bigger investigation. “I’m going to write another letter. I just hope that the CBI doesn’t ask too many questions. This may be serious, but we don’t want too many ponies involved now.”

Mayor Mare stepped out of the chief’s office. The chief sighed. He managed to catch a glimpse of the wall clock hanging outside his office before Mayor Mare closed the door. It was around 8.52pm, if he saw the clock right.

A sudden increase in temperature and a clatter on his desk informed him that a new scroll had arrived. The chief picked the scroll up and unrolled it.

To : Ponyville Police Department

From: Trottingham Police Department.

There has been a recent development in disappearances of ponies in Trottingham. A couple of ponies arrived half an hour ago, informing us of suspicious activity around the warehouse on the outskirts of Trottingham.

We had sent a team of three officers over, where we found the owner. We have Trixie with us for now, but should you need her for anything, do inform us now. She seems impatient, like she’s going to be late for something.

-Officer Wilde

The chief set the letter down and stepped out of his office. The Mayor was just about to send off a letter when the chief managed to catch her. “Looks like we won’t need to contact the CBI for this matter, Mayor Mare, Trottingham’s gotten a hold of Trixie. They can probably send her over for us so we can question her.”

The mayor nodded. “In that case, do you write the letter to the Trottingham authorities or do I?”

“I’ll handle that for now.” The chief glanced over at Carrot Top. “Carrot, we’re going to need the interrogation room ready for a potential suspect. Expect somepony to be in the room within the next hour.” Carrot Top nodded, and went off, leaving behind a few casefiles on a counter.

The mayor retreated back to the chief’s office as the chief made his way towards the phoenix and the writing materials on the desk. He picked up the quill with his teeth and began writing on a blank scroll.

To: Trottingham Police Department

From: Ponyville Police Department

We require a brief questioning session with Trixie. If it weren’t too much trouble, could you send her over? It would be much appreciated. Also, regarding the suspicious activity at the warehouse, was there anything out of the ordinary aside from the owner being around?

The chief rolled up the scroll, and gave it to the phoenix, which incinerated the scroll in a flame of blue, and sent the letter on its way. He sighed and decided to wait at the table for the response letter. Now let’s see… Once we have her here, we can start having a little progress on our investigation. The chief exited the police station and breathed in the night air. Celestia help those that have to endure the loss of these ponies.

He sighed, and proceeded to take out a cigarette from his pocket. He lit it and puffed it. The chief started thinking of plausible scenarios as to why these ponies have gone missing. I’m starting to doubt this was a ponynapping case if only Trixie is involved. She can’t be the only one. I’m sure of it. The chief made a mental note to ask if she had any accomplices once she’s revealed too much information. They always do that. It’s hard to keep one’s lips sealed when under pressure.

The chief briefly considered murder and the hiding of the bodies, but it just didn’t seem right to have so many ponies disappear in one day and for all of the bodies to be taken care of in one day seemed impossible. Whatever the case, it seems Trixie can’t be the only pony involved in this shit. The chief wondered what her motive was if she were the ponynapper/serial killer.

Maybe her failed show here made her go crazy. The chief chuckled, finished off his cigarette and lit another one before he started theorizing again. Revenge can be a powerful motivation here. I’ll just consider revenge a possible motive for now.

The chief was about to think of another plausible motive when a letter materialized in front of him in a huff of purple smoke. The chief finished off his cigarette before picking the letter up and retreating into the police station. He pushed the door open, and greeted Rose, who was at the reception desk filing some papers.

The chief set the letter down by the desk with the phoenix and unrolled it.

To: Ponyville Police Department

From: Trottingham Police Department

We have sent a group of three policecolts and a carriage to escort Trixie over to Ponyville. I hope you enjoy your questioning session with Trixie, and hopefully find the answers everypony might be looking for. Anyway, regarding the suspicious activity at the warehouse, we’ve sent over another three officers to help the three officers earlier. It seems the warehouse is too big for a team of three officers to tackle.

If we find anything at the warehouse, we will contact you, rest assured. We’re hoping you would do the same with Trixie. She’ll be there in another four minutes.

-Officer Wilde

The chief nodded, and proceeded to his office. Mayor Mare sat in her seat, re-reading the details about Trixie again. She looked up as the chief strode over to his chair.

“That took you a while.” She regarded him.

“We’re going to have Trixie over in about three minutes. So let’s just wait for her. I’ll be planning the questions in my head if you’re still going to continue reading.” He said.

“Whatever goes then.” The mayor said.

The carriage tore through the skies as it made its way to Ponyville. There were a couple of pegasi pulling the carriage as it continued its journey. There was another pegasi following behind the carriage should any of the pegasi pulling the carriage want to switch.

A policecolt, a unicorn, sat inside the carriage with another unicorn that seemed to be questioning the decision to bring her to Ponyville.

“Look, Miss Trixie. The police are just going to ask you a few questions. It’s nothing to worry about unless you’ve done something wrong.” He said.

“Trixie assures you, Trixie has done no wrong that is to need the involvement of police. Trixie will never stoop so low.” The light blue unicorn mare said. “Not that Trixie would do any wrong in the first place.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t do anything wrong. Even so, it’s best to just go along with their requests. It happens from time to time whenever police just want clarification on a certain matter. It’s nothing that big.” The policecolt gave a reassuring smile.

The mare merely shrugged. “Trixie is sure she has done nothing wrong, but Trixie will play along just to satisfy the police. One question though. Why were the police at Trixie’s warehouse earlier?” she asked.

“We were merely responding to a report from a couple of ponies. They claimed that there was some suspicious activity going around your warehouse.”

“Strange, why is it suspicious activity when the owner of a warehouse is on her property but when not when there are a couple of ponies snooping around on private property?” Trixie asked accusingly.

The young colt stammered a bit, before quickly regaining his posture, “The two are still being detained for being on private property in the first place. However, the response to the suspicious activity would still have to go. I’m sorry, it’s protocol.”

The unicorn said nothing for a moment, and the transport continued in silence until Trixie asked another question. “May Trixie know the description of those two ponies?”

The colt shook his head. “No can do, Miss Trixie. Besides, I wasn’t there when the couple were at the station. I was only told to transport you over to Ponyville.”

Trixie sighed, before smiling. “Then it’s okay. Thanks anyway.”

At the same time the carriage was en route to Ponyville and the chief entered his office to plan his questions, a group of six ponies were investigating the surroundings of a warehouse right on the outskirts of Trottingham. Their carriages had to be left outside the fenced area, not that the ponies that pulled the carriages minded.

The group of six had appointed a Pegasus stallion, who went by the nickname of Falcon, as the leader of the temporary squad. The three that had arrived first, the ones that had brought Trixie into custody, were showing nervous signs. The other two were rather composed as they listened to Falcon instruct the group.

“This is probably the first time we requested more hands on deck to search an area. You all know how this thing goes right? Search around for anything suspicious, and report back if there’s anything you find.”

The five nodded and separated into three groups that had two officers, one officer and Falcon, and another two officers respectively. Falcon took to the skies, opting to have an aerial view of the whole compound while the other officers made their way around the structure. The groups had been told the purpose of the warehouse as a storage facility, but they were unsure as to how big be the land on which the warehouse was on.

Falcon looked down on the whole compound. The whole area, Falcon estimated, was roughly four hundred square metres. He gave the land another glance and recalculated for another few moments before concluding that four hundred was more or less correct. A few meters aren’t that much of a difference anyway. He was about to descend to join his officer, when he noticed a light coming from one of the windows of the warehouse.

At the same time, the third group, consisting of a unicorn and an earth pony, had reached an orifice in the base of the structure. The orifice seemed to lead into the warehouse foyer. The two debated on whether or not they should enter the orifice, as they were the only around to look for suspicious activity.

“It’s probably against the law of we enter. I think that would be classified as trespassing should we do so.” The unicorn said.

The earth pony, however, shook his head. “We’re here to find suspicious things, so who’s to say there’s nothing suspicious on the inside of the warehouse?”

The unicorn was adamant. “Don’t you think we should wait for the others before we try to enter? I mean, Falcon did say we had to report anything unusual back to him.”

The earth pony hummed, contemplating what the unicorn had just said. “Maybe you’re right. There might be something dangerous in there anyway. Let’s stick to the outside, for now.” As the two were about to depart, a sound came from the inside of the orifice, similar to that of a groaning pony.

The two looked at each other, and popped the same question. “Did you just hear that shit?”

The first group, twin pegasi, were investigating the entrance into the warehouse. The two brothers eyed the two doors that were boarded up. The elder of the two shone light all around the entrance with the torchlight in his mouth. The younger one, named Red Sky, hated when his brother, Sky High, boasted that he was older because he was born a few minutes earlier than Red was.

Red leaned in for a better inspection of the boards. The nails that were holding the boards in place seemed rather new and couldn’t be older than one week by Red’s estimates. The boards that were in place, however, were semi-broken.

“Seems like the wood is gonna give way soon. Why not we make it sooner?” Sky grinned.

Red glanced over at his brother with a bewildered look on his face. “Are you serious? We’re only supposed to look for anything suspicious. Nothing’s suspicious about the boards being half broken!”

Sky shrugged. “Hey, the nails seem new, which is rather weird considering how shit quality wood is being used to board off the entrance.” Sky extended a hoof and brushed it against the surface of the wood. “Hell, this thing’s dusty as well.”

Unknown to the two, a tripwire was attached to one of the boards that were boarding up the door. The board seemed broken, as if somepony had bashed it in with a sledgehammer. Sky continued examining the other boards on the door as Red now held the torchlight for his brother.

“I still don’t think it’s safe to be messing around here. We should really report back to Falcon about the nails and the boards and shit and wait for a conclusion.” Red suggested.

Sky turned around to face his brother. “Don’t be such a coward, Red. We’re supposed to look for anything suspicious. There might be some shit inside there that’s being hidden.” He grinned, and bucked at one of the boards. That board was the same board he had touched earlier and a hook could be heard being released.

Red dropped the torchlight, grabbed his brother, and rolled backwards off the wooden floor the two were standing on. One second later, a pendulum blade swung down from the wooden boards of the roof and smashed into the entrance, completely destroying it before coming to a complete halt.

“Well fuck.” Sky said.

“Still want to investigate there, ‘coward’?” Red teased.

Sky shook his head. “Let’s just report back to Falcon.”

Said pony was hovering near a window, squinting in an attempt to peer inside the warehouse. His eyes were just about to adjust when he heard a thud from the entrance, followed by the sound of metal breaking before there was complete silence.

“The fuck is going on?” Falcon lowered himself onto the ground, right in time to see the twin pegasi brothers untangle from the heap of limbs they were a moment ago. The two got up and trotted over to him as he observed the destroyed entrance doors.

“I am to assume that the two of you were responsible for the destruction of the doors?” Falcon droned. The two stammered, before nodding in unison.

Red spoke first, completely cutting off his brother who was about to speak as well. “Well, we didn’t directly destroy the entrance. Sky accidentally set off a trap,” Red gestured at the pendulum blade, “and that thing just destroyed the door for us.”

Falcon shook his head in exasperation. “Did you find anything else prior to the destruction of the doors?”

This time it was Sky who cut Red off, “Prior to the trap, the entrance doors were boarded up. However, we believe that the boarding had occurred recently, since the nails were quite new. Also, the wooden boards used to board up the doors were semi-broken, probably not to make the trap obvious or something.”

“Did any of you check what was inside after the door got smashed?” Falcon asked.

The two shook their heads. “We were just untangling ourselves when you came down. I should really thank Red for his quick reflexes, if not I would have been the one that was smashed through the doors.”

Red grinned, albeit for a short moment. “Anyway, Falcon, I think we should go inside and see if there’s anything else that we should investigate.”

Falcon shook his head. “No can do. After hearing about the pendulum blade, it’s probably safe to conclude that the rest of the structure might be booby trapped as well, don’t you think? Also, we still have to wait for the other group. I think the officer I was with has joined the other two on the other side of the warehouse.”

The carriage arrived right outside the Ponyville Police Department and officer Roseluck can be seen waiting outside for the suspect. The carriage came to a complete stop as the two ponies pulling the carriage halted. Rose gave a nod to the two carriage pullers, and they responded with salutes. The carriage door opened, and a familiar unicorn stepped out, followed by a policecolt.

The light blue unicorn paused in front of Rose, as if trying to identify her. She shrugged, and waited as the policecolt spoke with Rose.

“I hope that she won’t be that much of a trouble for you guys here. She seems well behaved.” He said, the last sentence earning a huff from said pony. The policecolt nodded to Rose, who nodded back.

“Miss Trixie, you may proceed inside now. Officer Carrot Top should be waiting for you by the receptionist’s counter.” Rose instructed, to which Trixie complied and entered the structure. Rose opened her mouth in an attempt to speak, but was cut off by the sound of the Ponyville Clock Tower chiming. The ponies pulling the carriage, the policecolt, and the backup officer behind the carriage all glanced at the towering structure. Rose knew it was 9pm, though she wasn’t sure if the Clock Tower was a few minutes off or not.

The chiming didn’t last that long, being over in twenty seconds. Rose now had her chance to speak. “Anything on the suspicious activity at the warehouse? I know it’s a little too early to be asking, but I just wanted to know.”

The policecolt shrugged. “No information received yet. We can only assume that there’s some progress going on while we’re back at headquarters.” The colt looked at the night sky for a short moment before resuming, “I guess it’s time for us to get back. If there’s anything you need, feel free to contact us later.”

Rose nodded, and the colt entered the carriage. She saluted the group as they took to the skies once more, heading straight back to Trottingham. Rose went back inside, noting that Carrot Top was not at the counter, which probably meant that she was bringing Trixie over to the interrogation room.

Rose sighed, and went back to what she had been doing earlier, going through case files.

“It’s just the usual questioning just to clear things up Trixie, you don’t have to worry so much.” Carrot Top reassured Trixie as the two made their way to the interrogation room, which was some fifty meters away from the chief’s office.

“Trixie still feels that it is not necessary for Trixie to be here.” She muttered.

Carrot Top shrugged. “We still have to bring you in for questioning. It’s nothing I have control over actually, but I have to follow orders.” Feeling that Trixie still disagrees to the situation she’s in, Carrot Top decided to change the subject. “By the way, why do you always refer to yourself from a third pony type of view?”

Trixie was silent for a few seconds as the two finally reached the door to the interrogation room. “In a sense, it gives Trixie more confidence in what she does. Everypony deserves confidence in whatever they do, don’t you agree?”

Carrot Top nodded, and ushered the mare unicorn into the interrogation room. “Now, wait here. Somepony will be here soon to ask a few questions. If you need anything, I’ll be outside.” Trixie shrugged, and entered the room.

The room was roughly a six by eight meter cuboid, containing a steel table and a couple of wooden chairs. On one side of the walls were a series of one-way windows, which acted as mirrors from the inside of the interrogation room. Trixie sat down on a wooden chair furthest from the door, as she glanced around the room. Aside from a couple of fluorescent lights hanging above her head, there was a framed picture of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna right above the door.

Trixie leaned back in her chair, waiting patiently as she thought of the officers that were outside her warehouse when she was checking up on something.

The Sky brothers and Falcon were flashing their flashlights along the interior of the warehouse as the other three other officers explored the orifice on the other side of the warehouse. Falcon hovered above the ground by about a meter as he shone his flashlight into a corridor. Alarm bells were sounding inside both the heads of the Sky brothers, but they had to push on, knowing that they couldn’t back out now.

That would mean being disloyal to the Trottingham Police Department, and the Sky brothers knew that their parents would be disappointed. Falcon paused, making the two brother crash into each other as they snapped out of their reverie.

“Did you guys hear something?” Falcon whispered.

The two brothers listened, but the only sound they heard was the sound of the breathing coming from the three. The two shook their heads, and Falcon turned around once more. He stopped hovering, and decided to continue the exploration on hoof.

As the three continued their silent exploration through the warehouse, the sound of groaning could be heard emitting from a part of warehouse. Falcon turned his head around and nodded to the two officers behind him before switching off his flashlight. Falcon shut his eyes as the Sky brothers switched off their flashlights and did the same. As the three waited for their vision to adjust to the darkness, the sound of the groaning started growing fainter.

Falcon opened his eyes, and whispered to the two officers behind him. “Let’s keep moving. At least we’ll have no trouble without the flashlights for now.” The trio continued making their way towards the source of the groan. They rounded a corner, only to come face to face with the other three officers that were investigating the same noise.

Falcon leapt back a few meters, crashing into the Sky brothers as the three other officers reacted the same way. Falcon quickly got back on his hooves as the officers recuperated. “Seems we’re not the only ones who know when to turn off their flashlights.” The group chuckled, before the reason they were investigating in the first place returned to their thoughts.

“Did you guys hear the sound of groaning as well?” Red asked the three.

The earth pony nodded, “We heard it from an opening from the outside and decided to check it out. It could be serious.”

“The least you could have done was inform us before you did anything else.” Falcon hissed.

The officer shrugged. “Regardless, you came in without informing us as well.” Before Falcon could retort, the officer spoke. “Let’s keep moving. We found a few rooms a few minutes ago but we decided to keep moving forward to see if there was anything else that we might miss.”

Seeing as to how Falcon and the Sky brothers had not encountered any rooms during their part of the exploration, he went along with the young officer. Falcon switched on his flashlight again, as did the young officer a moment after he did.

The sound of their own hooves colliding against the floor made the whole group sweat as they feared detection from anything that could be within the vicinity. Soon, the group reached a crossroads, and the group distanced themselves from each other.

“Alright, the orifice in which we came in is just ahead. To the left and to the right are corridors that have two rooms on each side. Where the groaning originated from is a mystery to us, for now.” The earth pony glanced around.

Falcon was looking left down the corridor when the sound of groaning returned. All ears were perked up as each pony tried to pinpoint the location of the groan. Just as soon as the groaning started, it stopped. The Sky brothers switched on their lights and shined it down the same corridor Falcon was.

“I have a feeling it’s down this way.” Red deduced.

Sky, on the other hoof, felt that the groan originated from one of the rooms in the right corridor. “I don’t even think there should be any groaning in such a place. If this Trixie character is as innocent as we’ve been told about her, then we’ve been told a whole lot of other shit as well.”

The earth pony shook his head. “It’s better if we split up if it’s going to be this way. We can group into the same groups we did earlier and see from where the groan is from.”

“We will do no such thing!” Falcon hissed. “No divide and conquer crap here. The last thing we would want to happen now is for each of us to randomly disappear because we’ve split up. We HAVE to stick together.”

This time, it was the unicorn that spoke up. “If we stick together, progress will be Celestia-awfully slow, and it could be a while before we can conclude where the groan was from.” He cleared his throat before continuing, “If we all go together, that doesn’t guarantee safety.”

Falcon flashed back to the pendulum blade trap at the door. The officer had a point that safety doesn’t necessarily come in numbers. If there were an even bigger trap, the six of them would be in trouble, and nopony, save for the carriage pullers outside, would know about it. And even if the carriage pullers realized we were gone for some time, there is no guarantee that they would not check out the situation inside and endanger themselves in the process.

The leader sighed, before nodding in defeat. “Alright, we’ll split up. But the moment anything goes wrong, please call out to each other.” The members of the group nodded, and split into their original members. The sky brothers and Falcon went left, while the other three investigated the right corridor.

Falcon shone his light along the path as the Sky brothers randomly shined theirs at the ceiling, wondering as to why the lights are not on. The place would have been very dark without their flashlights, but the two could rely on mild night vision should they need to. The corridor came to a dead end some twenty meters from the crossroads. When Sky turned around to look at the other group, there was no sign of them.

Sky said nothing though, he was sure the group was safe. Falcon shone his light from the door on the left, to the right as he contemplated which door to go through first. He gestured the two officers behind him to slow their breathing, to which they complied. They waited for a moment, before the sound of groaning could be heard. It seemed to be coming from both rooms at once, much to the trio’s disbelief. Falcon held up a hoof as he listened intently.

He recoiled in horror as he realized that the sounds of the groaning emitting from both rooms were synchronized, as if the two were made two mislead anypony that wandered within range. Falcon whispered, “Guys, I have a feeling that this might be another trap. It would be wise for the six of us to regroup before anything else happens.”

The Sky brothers didn’t hesitate, and the three doubled back to the crossroads. However, when they reached there, they only found the unicorn officer panicking. He was running his hooves against a wall that had seemed to appear out of nowhere as he levitated his flashlight behind him. The sound of bucking could be heard from the other side of the wall as Falcon grabbed the unicorn by behind. It was the unicorn that was in Falcon’s group at the start of the search. He had an acetate nameplate with the word Macchiato written on it.

“Take it easy, there. Tell me what the fuck happened.” Falcon glared.

The unicorn paused for a short moment, catching his breath before he barrelled out several sentences in a single breath. “I was right behind the two when I crashed into this barrier that seemed to appear out of nowhere! I started banging on the wall, wondering what was going on. I was like, a couple of meters behind the two when this wall appeared! I don’t think they realize I’m not behind them though, since I can’t hear them replying to my bangs on the wall. It’s either that or the wall is pretty fucking thick.”

It took a couple of seconds for Falcon and the Sky brothers to digest the whole thing, but when they did, they did not like what they had just heard. Falcon contemplated abandoning the search right then and call for backup. But then I’d be risking more lives. Macchiato resumed his banging on the wall, not giving up on hope that he might be able to contact the two officers.

“Dude, I say we stand down for the moment. I really hope they’re safe, but I’m feeling rather sceptical right now. I say we back out while we still can and devise a plan before we do anything further.” Falcon said. “Write a report back to headquarters first. We’re going to have to let them know that this Trixie character might be hostile.”

The Sky brothers stood flashing around their flashlights like guards as they awaited further instructions from Falcon. Falcon took out a bottle of ink, a quill and a roll of parchment from his saddlebag and laid it on the floor in front of Macchiato. Using his magic, the officer enveloped the quill and dipped it into the bottle of ink before scribbling on the parchment.

Unbeknownst to them, the other two officers were trying their best to stop the ever enclosing wall as they began running out of space. They had noticed too late that a wall separated them from the crossroads, and were about to find out that it was far too late to get out of the situation they were in now.

The two were panicking. When the earth pony had opened one of the room doors, the doorway was covered with bricks. However, the moment the unicorn opened the other door, he didn’t have to worry about being crushed to death. The room may have been small, but it was just big enough to fit another device.

The device discharged, firing a harpoon. The harpoon had no resistance as it went clean through the throat of the unicorn, before the wire was pulled back by a pulley mechanism hooked to the harpoon gun. His body was dragged some twenty centimetres into the doorway, but his rearhooves were sticking out. He knew he wouldn’t feel them breaking off as the wall continued its slow journey to the end of the corridor. The officer quickly bled out, leaving the earth pony officer to accept his fate alone.

The last thought that went through the officer’s mind was rather comforting, bringing a smile to the officer’s face as the wall was merely inches from his face. Dying in the line of duty. Though this might not be the best way to go, at least I gave my life for Equestria.

He shut his eyes, and stood on his rearhooves with his back against the wall. He inhaled sharply as he felt the closing wall against his nuzzle, and something warm and wet crash into his rearhooves. He only managed a glance down at his partner’s rearhooves before he was gone.

Author's Note : Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand this dead story is revived. A million apologies for the extremely long pause on this story. No excuses this time, I kept procrastinating. *shrug* Next chapter should be out within the next.... few weeks, once I'm done with a few more fics XD. I'll be seeing y'all later

Hit 'em right between the eyes

Applejack woke up to the sound of doors being bucked somewhere beneath her. Her stomach rumbled as she remembered how she overate at Pinkie’s party last night. Her immediate reaction to where she was, was the same as the others. Where the hay am I? Her head was hurting as if she were getting bucked by a hundred other little Applejacks. Applejack’s vision was a tad blurred. Partly because of the lantern suspended from the ceiling swaying left and right like a pendulum. Mostly because the sedatives were wearing off. Not that Applejack knew anyway.

Applejack shook her head before coming to a realization that she was strapped into a chair. Applejack wouldn’t be surprised if this was another one of Big Mac’s so-called interrogations into finding out where his Smarty Pants doll went. Ah' don’t even know what he finds so darn amazing ‘bout that little thing. As far as Applejack was concerned, Big Mac could go missing from the family just to search under every rock in town for Smarty Pants.

Applejack’s vision recovered and Applejack could see straight. The lantern swinging around had begun to slow down as Applejack tried to analyze the straps keeping her in place. She tried to slip her forehooves out of the straps bounding her forehooves but to no success. She did the same with her rearhooves, only to achieve the same results. She could move her hooves around, yes, but she just couldn’t seem to be able to move her neck. It was as if her neck had been strapped as well to the chair. That is partially true, but instead of her neck being strapped, the chair was modified to have a headboard as well. The headboard had a metal ring protruding out of it. Applejack’s neck was within the ring. She could move her neck around the ring though.

Applejack remembered Granny Smith telling Applejack when she was a filly about the bad folks back then being attached to the same kind of chair. Only the chairs back then were wooden, and the one Applejack was attached to was made of steel. Applejack had listened attentively to every single word that Granny Smith said through out her story of the bad ponies of the wild west. Bad ponies that had killed, blackmailed, robbed and a whole lot of other bad things would be attached to a chair with a metal ring sticking out of it’s headboard, just like Applejack’s chair, right in the middle of town on a stage. In front of the stage, the townsfolk would watch one of the most famous punishments of the olden days.

As the perpetrators would glance around the crowd, looking for at least a single soul to make eye contact with, the executioner would come by the chair and whisper in the ear of the bad pony.

Focus ye sights on one person. They will remember ye fe s’her.

That being said, the bad pony would then continue to try and set his or her sights on a pony in the crowd. However, most of the ponies dare not meet his/her gaze as they are ashamed to have been in the same town or area as the bad pony.

And while the bad pony would still be looking for one pony to lock eyes with, the metal ring would then be pulled back with such a force that it would force the bad pony’s windpipe to be crushed under the force of the executioner’s tug on the ring. The bad pony would choke on his own windpipe and start coughing and gasping for air. But most of the bad ponies never make it far. Normally they last around ten seconds at the rate that they were breathing. They are lucky to have a swift death.

The unlucky ones would continue choking on their windpipes for more than half a minute. The longest recorded was up until two minutes before the pony died of asphyxiation.

Their bodies, however, would still be buried along in the local cemetery, much to the dislike of the townsfolk. Usage of such devices had halted three decades ago according to Granny Smith, though she had told Applejack that the little city of Appleloosa still used this method of execution of criminals. Applejack could still remember that story even though Granny Smith had forgot it after telling young Applejack about it.

Applejack had wanted to ask the sheriff of Appleloosa during their trip to send Bloomberg, but seeing how things had turned out between the Appleloosan folks and the native buffalo tribe during their trip, she had completely forgotten about asking.

Until now....

Granny Smith had told young Applejack the name of such a device. Though she could have been wrong, Granny Smith told Applejack one simple word. It was simple enough for Applejack to pronounce on her first try. It was a garotte.

Thinking that what she was stapped to might be what Granny Smith had told her about when she was a filly, Applejack started panicking and violently tried to escape her bonds. She couldn’t get her hooves free. That was when she noticed that her hat was slightly heavier than usual. Reluctantly, she slowly force her pupils to go upward to look. Her eyes came to rest at what seemed like a small stork standing on her hat. She shook her head trying to shake it off, only succeeding in making it move back down her hat an inch.

In front of Applejack, a small metal tray, similar to those used in hospitals, had be laid on a little wooden table right in front of her. If ah’ coud’ only move mah’ right hoof. Sure enough, her right forehoof had slightly more movement space than the other hooves. She kicked out at the table, hoping to make the tray fall. She failed but tried one more time. The metal tray struck the floor, making a crashing sound that reverberated around the room.

Several other lanterns, which weren’t lit before this, flickered on. Applejack shut her eyes as the light had stung them so painfully that she felt she needed shades to see through the brightness. However, after opening her eyes, her pupils adjusted to the brightness, and all was good. Well, not quite. Applejack looked down at the tray she had knocked over. Apparently there were 2 strings being held down by the tray, and when Applejack knocked it over, the strings were let go of. One string had set off a mechanism which turned the other lanterns on, while the other one was still creeping off slowly behind Applejack.

The room Applejack was in looked like a big store room, though it was bare of anything save for her and a cabinet by the door. And the wooden table on the floor. But she was in the middle of the room, so she couldn’t see anything behind her.

As the lanterns finally finished being lit, Applejack saw a note on the little table the tray had been on. It had been stapled onto the table by the looks of it. Now that the lighting was clear, Applejack could see the contents of the note clearly.

Hello Applejack, I want to play a game. Recently, the apples in Sweet Apple Acres haven’t been faring well due to the sudden draught. You’ve been looking and experimenting ways on how to keep apples looking young and freshly bucked as if they were. However, your greed has led to food poisoning in many of your regular customers. Since they have visited your stall regularly without a problem, they wouldn’t have suspected a thing about your apples. Your sales had even expanded during the draught. While other businesses close down, your business grows on the money of the ponies slowly dying of your apples. Though no one has died yet, several ponies have been admitted into the Intensive Care Unit of Ponyville’s General Hospital due to shock. You know very well what caused them.

If you had found another way to benefit you and the community, then you wouldn’t be here. However, greed had led to you being where you are now. The stork on your hat carries a poison that will cause paralysis within half an hour, and death within the hour. I suggest that you watch your step as the stork can be a bit like a bobble head. Swing your head back and forth, and it will inject you. The poison being so close to the brain, can shorten the time needed to induce paralysis and you will enjoy an even quicker death.

However, that is your second concern should you survive your first trap. Once the tray on the table has been removed, two strings will be let go of. One for the lighting in the room, and the other for the mechanism operating the chair you are strapped to. You may or may not have known about it, but I shall introduce it to you. It is a garotte. That is all you need to know and the only way out of this trap lies in your willingness to live. The table in front of your right hoof is bolted into place specifically for this part of your game. Once the string disappears from your view, you have 45 seconds to do what is needed for you to escape before the metal ring is pulled completely, either suffocating or decapitating you. Your friends are here with you as well.

Let the game begin.

Applejack gulped and looked to the floor on her right. The string was still creeping slowly, which meant she had time. Mah’ Friends ah’ here too? Against her will, she started banging her rearhoof on the wooden table, believing that she got the hint in the note.

She had to break her right rearhoof to escape her trap.

Twilight stared at the ceiling above her in confusion. She kept her disheveled hair back and asked the two ponies in front of her.

“I guess that’s our cue. I’ll explain about everything while we try to get to the other pony!” Twilight had her leader instincts with her, even though she was in such a mess.

Berry offered to bandage Twilight’s injured hoof, to which she agreed to. As Berry wrapped a bandage around Twilight’s hoof, she had noticed several holes in her hoof. Knowing that time was short, she decided to save the question for later.

Rainbow Dash led the way, following the directories posted in the hallway. Right next to the office they were in, was a stairwell that led upwards. The three raced to the upper floor as they heard repeated bangings from within the room above the office.

Berry, being the first one to arrive at the door, however stopped. The other two ponies were held aback by the sudden stopping of their plum-coloured friend. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to demand Berry’s reason for stopping, but before a single word got out, she noticed Berry was reading a note posted on the door. This infuriated Dash as they both knew that time was of the essence.

“WHY DID YOU STOP? WE GOTTA SAVE APPLEJACK!” Dash had apparently learned the Royal Canterlot Voice at that moment. Though earlier incidences could prove that she had learned it earlier.

Without looking away from the note, Berry extended a hoof and slapped Rainbow Dash. “The note says not to interfere with Applejack’s test. And you know very well that interfering could have dire consequences.” Berry’s face was grim. Dash took a step back while Twilight said nothing.

“Twilight, may I have a look at your note?” Twilight handed Berry her bloodstained note from her saddlebag. “Now explain what you’re wearing before we can continue any further. Applejack’s test has already started and we cannot interfe-”

“For Celestia’s Sake!” Rainbow Dash started bucking at the door. She only succeeded at denting the steel door before Berry pulled her back by the mane. Shoving her against a wall, Berry made her point.

“If you ever do that again, without any idea of what the hay is even going on, I will cut your pretty, little face.” Berry took the blade out of her saddlebag, and poked the edge of the blade at Rainbow Dash’s face. “There are rules to these tests, and if you don’t comply, we could all die.” Twilight was surprised that Berry’s voice can go that low. Normally low tones like that were given to stallions much older. “Your dear friend Applejack is going to die if you try to play hero again. If I never followed the rules, I would have been shot with an arrow already and you wouldn’t be here to try and save your friend.”

Berry let go of Dash, where she slumped on the floor, trembling with fear. Now Dash knew how dead serious Berry was when she was sober. Berry turned her attention to Twilight, who was just watching, though trembling as well. Berry had scared the crap out of both of the ponies. Berry kept the knife in her saddlebag, and sighed. It was rare that these emotions would take over her. But when they do, everypony knew that Berry was dead serious. Even if Berry were drunk, any pony who stumbled upon her with her serious face would know that she isn’t fooling around.

“Now, Twilight, explain what you’re wearing while we wait for Applejack.” Twilight cringed as the continuous banging sound in the room could be heard. Twilight tried her best to tell Berry and Dash about her trap while trying to establish a relaxed composure. She didn’t seem to be successful.

Applejack banged away on the wooden table. The string was still creeping away on her right, albeit much quickly now. She could feel her right rearhoof bones breaking as she continued to hammer on the wooden table. She tried to yell in pain, but the repeated bangings had forced her to do so. There were ponies outside her door, that, Applejack was sure of. She even heard one familiar voice shout before the door was bucked. Well well, Dash is here as well. Even through her pain, Applejack couldn’t help but smile, knowing that her hot tempered friend had actually tried to save her. By bucking the door. Applejack was about to laugh, when finally her right rearhoof broke free of the strap holding it down.

Freeing her rearhoof, she proceeded to use it to loosen the straps on her other hooves. After her two rearhooves were free, she brought her left rearhoof up to undo the straps on her right forehoof. One thing that not many ponies knew about Applejack was that years of applebucking had made her very, very flexible, enabling her to stretch her hoof with ease. She, however, had a little trouble undoing the straps on her right hoof.

The string disappeared from Applejack’s sight, and the metal ring started moving back, bit by bit. Did en’t ah’ have 45 seconds before this Celestia-darned thing start moving? Her right forehoof now free, she started the undo her left forehoof strap. Applejack had heard a thud outside, and a very low voice speaking right outside her room. She felt her hat move down a little and remembered what the note had written about that little bird on her hat. She reached both forehooves up and grabbed her hat, and threw it on the ground in front of her.

The metal ring started inching closer and closer to her neck as she desperately tried to stop the device. Feeling around the metal ring, she could feel a rope, no bigger than the rope she uses to lasso in cattle, pulling the metal ring. She tried to undo the knot on the rope, but without much success. The ring was now five centimetres from meeting Applejack’s neck, now moving at a one centimetre per two second pace. She desperately tried looking for anything she could use to cut the rope. Noting her hat, with the now broken stork, on the floor, she took a shard of the stork that had been broken off upon impact. The shard was definitely sharp enough but it was really, really short, roughly an inch long.

Applejack didn’t care. She took the shard, and cursed when she accidentally cut between her eyes. And with another 3 centimetres left, Applejack started sawing back and forth on the rope. The rope was rough, making it hard to cut. The rope was about to be cut through just as the metal ring started touching her throat. The ring started pushing on her throat as Applejack tried her best to cut the rope. As the ring progressed, the part of the ring behind her that had the rope got further away from Applejack’s hooves. Applejack had to try and lean back to cut the rope. The ring pushed on her windpipe, causing her to cough violently. The cough had made her shake so hard that the shard in her hoof fall.

Her eyes wide with terror, Applejack tugged back at the rope, her immense strength causing it to snap and the metal ring to stop. Nevertheless, the ring was still pushing at her windpipe. She tried pushing the ring forward. It slid in front a few centimetres, but it was enough to help her stabilize her breathing again.

Pushing again at the metal ring with her remaining strength she felt a sudden numbness in her broken rearhoof. Her face was starting to feel numb as well as Applejack came to the realisation that when she took the shard, it must have still held a bit of the poison.

Applejack had passed her first test, but she was sure she had failed her second one.

Author’s note : So yeah, story updates are gonna be a bit slow for the next few days. Will write whenever I have a chance. I bring a notepad at work to jot down the ideas that randomly pop up while I’m serving people. I’m gonna try making a 2-day 1-chapter schedule.

Situation Critical and Announcement to Ponyville

Blood fountained out of the wound, the needle replacing the former skin and muscle that was once in place. Twilight ran out of time before she got the collar off completely. Twilight shrieked in agony as her blood sprayed. Applejack just stared at her bleeding friend, not knowing how to act in situations like this.

Colgate, however, did. Having been a doctor at the Ponyville General Hospital before taking a job as a dentist, responding quickly was critical in situations like this, but so was responding correctly. Often cases a pony would be admitted into the hospital unconscious, in a coma, or dead, all the result of incorrect CPR. Instead of feeding oxygen to the victim's lungs, the air blown in would instead be blown into the stomach. In most failed CPR cases, the stomach would be ruptured, and the pony would die within hours. Being a unicorn, things were so much easier when compared to being an earth pony.

Twilight's vision started to blacken as she started to lose consciousness. Her body started swaying around and before Applejack and Colgate could react, Twilight collapsed near the growing puddle of her own blood. Applejack hurried over to Berry’s saddlebags, noting how she still isn’t back yet, but neither are Rarity and Dash, and searched through for the morphine they had earlier. She took out the bottle hastily and almost dropped it. She couldn’t use the syringe properly. Applejack just brought it over to Colgate and hoped that she knew what to do.

Twilight had collapsed on her left side, revealing the wound on her right side of her neck. Colgate, though worried about the damage done, gave a sigh of relief. Though the needle had pierced her neck, it didn’t really hit its designated target, the common carotid artery. Even so, the injury was bad enough to make sure Twilight was gone in the next few minutes. Twilight didn’t need any morphine, seeing as to how she was already unconscious and would not feel the pain. However, for what Colgate was going to do, Twilight needed the painkiller.

The blood had stopped fountaining out and was now just flowing out of the wound. Not as fast as before that, but was still fast enough to be deadly. Colgate picked up the pace, filling up the syringe with morphine, careful not to put too much, and injected the area around the wound. And now, the tricky bit. The morphine would indeed help in lessening the pain. But cauterising the wound would cause a crap ton of pain. Better to have pain than to be dead.

Applejack looked on as Colgate lit her horn, trying with all her might to remember how to cast a cauterisation spell. If I recall correctly, I did one a couple of years back. Which was more or less true. The cauterisation spell had gone smoothly back then, but after two years of inactive use, Colgate feared that she might actually mess this one up. Slowly, an orange stream of magic flowed out of the tip of Colgate’s horn, creeping through the air before entering Twilight’s injury.

Now to heat the needle up. The stream cocooned itself around the needle, completely sealing it off to any of the blood that was streaming over it. Colgate concentrated, and almost lost focus worrying about Twilight, but carried on anyway. The pool of blood had stopped growing. Colgate quickened her pace, and the needle heated up to white hot temperatures. Had Twilight been conscious, the scream of pain from the burn would be much louder than her scream when the needle pierced. Immediately, the wound started to burn shut as the needle was slowly pulled out. The blood loss couldn’t be changed though. In order to get all that blood in, Colgate would have to open up another wound. And there’s no telling what the blood has mixed with on the ground.

Colgate leaned her head over onto Twilight’s chest. Twilight’s shallow breathing and slow heartbeats were a good sign. She’s still with us. Colgate levitated over a couple of bandages from Berry’s saddlebags, eyes not shifting away from the still unicorn. Hopefully she didn’t lose that much. Which was a silly thing for Colgate to think of. She’s lost a lot of blood. I’m becoming too slow to even be a dentist. She craned her neck and stretched it, satisfied after hearing a couple of cracks. Carefully lifting Twilight’s head, Colgate inspected the cauterisation. Pleased with the result, she proceeded to wrap around Twilight’s neck with the bandages.

Applejack walked over to Twilight, watching the lavender-coated mare breathe slowly. She took in a deep breath, and thanked Celestia that she’s fine. For now. “Will she be alrite’, Colegate?” Applejack asked without turning to face Colgate.

“She’s fine for now. But no doubt she’s going to be very, very weak considering how much blood she’s lost. She’s going to be considered to be in critical condition for the time being.” Colgate nodded, before continuing. "She's going to need help getting around. You think you can help her out with that?" Applejack shrugged, but said, "Ah'll try. Mah strength really isn't that much now, but ah'll try."

Colgate nodded, remembering what Twilight had said about the resurrection spell. Energy drain's a bitch. Colgate turned her attention once more to the lavender unicorn laying on the ground before them. I could bring her along through levitation, but.... Colgate needed absolute concentration to maintain the levitation to make sure Twilight would remain afloat and in a right position. Any break in the concentration, and Twilight would drop, potentially worsening her condition.

Just then, Berry came out from the stairwell, several blueprints in her mouth. Colgate shouted at Berry, and she turned her head. She galloped over to the three quickly, probably wondering or worrying about their friend Twilight. She let out a few muffled words, only to be met with confused looks on both the faces of Colgate and Applejack. Realizing her mistake, Berry set the blueprints from her mouth onto the ground, and repeated herself.

“The buck happened?!” The curiosity had faded from her face, but the worry remained.

“Twilight ran out of time before she could get the collar off. So yeah, we had a few complications while you were gone.” Colgate paused, glancing over at Twilight. Berry held her breath. Colgate looked over again at Berry, continuing, “I’ve declared her critical for the time being, seeing as to how much blood she’s lost. She won’t be moving on her own, so Applejack will be helping Twilight to get around."

Berry looked strangely at Colgate. "Wait, but I thought-"

Colgate cut her off. "If you are asking me about the strength needed, I am sure Applejack is capable of doing so, even after being weakened." even as those words left her mouth, she wasn't that confident with what she just said. However, she managed to keep her voice firm. Colgate got closer to Berry and whispered in her ear, “However, I’m afraid they might not make it that far seeing as to how weak Applejack is.”

Berry took a step back, and eyed Colgate. “Well that will have to do. I’m not doing any heavy lifting that’s for sure. Still have a lot of other ponies to save. I was actually hoping that you would be able to levitate Twilight or something, but never mind. At least Twilight doesn’t have to worry much about her trap since she got it off already. Considering what might have happened this is probably the best that could have happened.”

Derpy’s certainly done a good job rounding up the town’s folk alright. Derpy hadn’t even left for 15 minutes and already Mayor Mare could see the majority of Ponyville surrounding the stage. Mayor Mare smiled to herself. I must really thank her later. Mayor Mare breathed in and out several times, and sifted through her announcement a couple of times before she was sure she was ready. Her right forehoof was pawing at the ground in front of her, a nervous habit she had gotten after several failed speeches some time ago. The townsfolk was aware of her nervous habit, and had taken it as a sign that something bad had happened. Mayor Mare, however, did her best to hide this before her announcement, so as not to start any unwanted panic before she got her message through.

She sighed, and stepped up to the podium. Inaudible whispers could be heard from the crowd as Mayor Mare cleared her throat. A hushed silence fell as she eyed the crowd, making sure that everypony, or at least anypony close to anypony, was here. Even the chief and the four officers from the police department came down.

A deep breath, several quick paws at the ground, and Mayor Mare started her speech. “Citizens of Ponyville! I have a very important announcement I have to make today. Actually, make that two. First of all, following a few complications, which is the second thing I’m going to announce, there will be patrols around town to ensure the safety of everypony in Ponyville.” Mixed reactions from the ponies around the stage. Confusion, among the obvious expressions. Complications. Apart from that, a few ponies nodded in agreement with the Mayor’s proposal. Mayor Mare drew a quick breath before continuing. “I would understand if any of you are confused with the sudden patrols and such, and that brings me to my second announcement.”

“I’m sure that some of you are aware that several ponies have gone missing in the past few days?” Again, mixed reactions from the crowd. Nods, gasps and even a few who gave no reaction at all. Mayor Mare watched as several ponies started whispering to one another, as they would in situations like these. “Now calm down. To those that have filed a missing ponies’ report, the Ponyville Police Department detectives are investigating the case, and rest assured, your friends, family and or loved ones will come back safe.” The whispers escalated to talking, and the crowd no longer stood silent. At this rate, all hell would break loose before I’m done. Already there were ponies trying to squeeze their way out of the crowd. Mayor Mare continued, “Which is where the patrols come in. I will be honest with everypony here. Today saw the highest number of missing ponies’ reports in the history of Ponyville, and believe me, I am as surprised as all of you when I found out that there were ponies going missing. Now the patrols will be continue, even after the cases are solved. And I don’t want to stir any more panic, but I do not think the cases will stop.” Panic from the crowds as the talking among the few became a discussion among the whole town.

The chief facehoofed. Way to go, Mayor. “Rose, Carrot Top, I want you two to try and contain the crowd. The last thing we would want is a panic or a stampede. Tell Sparky and his brother to be ready should there be a stampede. A panic is not that bad, but a stampede would be dire.” Roseluck and Carrot Top galloped off. The chief turned his attention to Mayor Mare. He signalled with his hooves to cut to the chase. Mayor Mare didn’t see the gesture at first, but it wasn’t long before she did. She nodded, and continued.

“Calm down everypony!” She had to shout it twice before everypony quieted down. Mayor Mare sighed. “Citizens of Ponyville, you need not worry. As I’ve said there will be patrols around the town so rest assured everything will be safe. If anypony panics now, there will be a high probability that somepony will be taken in the ensuing panic, so please, keep calm, and let the PPD solve the issue.” Once more, whispers among the crowd. “Any questions?” The mayor called out.

There was a brief moment of silence before a series of hooves went up in the air. “Caramel?” The Mayor called out to a stallion with a sandy-yellow coat and dark-brown mane. The whispers died down as the crowd and the Mayor wanted to hear what Caramel had to say. The earth pony paused a moment before asking. “Any leads?”

Mayor Mare nodded, and added, “As of now, all we have is a lucky victim who managed to get away. We’re working with Canterlot and Cloudsdale on these cases as the towns have had ponies gone missing as well.” Caramel nodded, accepting the answer well. “Any other questions?”

A tall light-creamed coat unicorn had her hoof raised, as if her height weren’t good enough. Allie Way, one of the elite bowlers, seemed eager to ask. Mayor Mare nodded in Allie’s direction, signalling Allie to continue. Allie nods, and proceeds. “Can you give us the names of those that are missing?”

Mayor Mare looked over at the chief, who was now to Mayor Mare’s right of the stage. The chief shook his head slowly, to which Mayor Mare nodded. A no it is then. But at least a few names won’t do any wrong. The chief gave a look that said Don’t do it all over his face. Mayor Mare went on anyway.

“For now, I can only say that the bearers of the Elements of Harmony have gone missing as well. Now there is no confirmed reason why they are missing, but we wouldn’t want to overreact like last time and jump to conclusions, alright?”

Allie Way said nothing. She understood the Mayor, but she was still curious. The crowd’s curiosity had increased as well upon hearing that the bearers of the Elements of Harmony were missing.

The crowd started picking up on the noise again as concerned ponies exchanged opinions. Two stallions were already at each others’ necks arguing on what was happening. Roseluck was trying her best to stop the two from fighting as the crowd continued to exchanged thoughts. The chief stomped his forehooves on the stage, silencing the whole crowd. The two stallions that were fighting stopped and stood idly as the chief glared.

“Now, anymore questions?” The chief spoke. One stallion, amidst the crowd seemed unfazed by the chief’s fierceness, but instead of raising his hoof, he trotted over to the front of the stage, barely a couple of feet away from the chief before asking his question. His spiky dark amber mane gave a sort of shine in the sunset evening as he spoke. “Will any of them come back, alive?”

It sounded more of a challenge than a question to the chief, but it was enough to soften the chief up as he had no idea. He got off the stage and trotted his way back to the police department, leaving a crowd of surprised ponies in his wake.

“You know, Doc, you didn’t have to go so far.” Mayor Mare spoke.

Doctor Whooves turned, “But he asked if there were anymore questions. So I asked him one.”

Author’s note : Again, forgive me for the late post. Been kinda out of action for a few days. Stressing over a few things. So I didn’t actually have time to write Lyra’s Test in this chapter. However, it’s on its way so.....yeah

By the way I hope you guys liked how Twilight didn't actually die. But she may/may not be so fortunate later.

Prologue

Her thoughts were foggy as she slowly gained consciousness. Berry tried to open her eyes, only to close them shut immediately afterward as her eyes were blasted with white light. The light so bright, it could beat the shine of Colgate’s teeth. Normally Pinkie wouldn’t serve alcohol during her parties, but last night was probably an exception. Berry’s head was pounding as she tried to clear her blurry mind. She felt pain at the back of her head and winced. She tried to raise a hoof to rub her eyes, but she couldn’t lift either of her hooves. Her eyelids flew open as she tried to make herself sit upright, as she had learned from Lyra, to look at her hooves, only to find that she was restrained. She could move her hind legs, yes, but it seemed that her hind legs weren’t touching the ground.

“Hello?” Berry called out, hoping in vain for a reply. She tried to wriggle her forehooves free, but to no prevail. She tried remembering how she could have gotten herself to wherever the hell she is now in the first place. This isn’t the first time she woke up somewhere she was not familiar with, but being restrained to something was a first. There was a clock hanging on a wall nearby. As she blinked a few times, she started recalling the events that took place during the party. According to the clock on the wall, it was 6.45 in the morning. Which would mean she was at the party roughly 8 hours ago. She winced as the pounding in her head increased in intensity. She had a flashback.

The music was thunderous as she stepped into Sugarcube Corner. Berry was, for the first time in days, sober when she came to the party. Almost everypony in Ponyville was there. The weird part was that the host, Pinkie Pie, was nowhere to be found. Berry sat in the corner watching couples dance in perfect rhythm to the music played. Rarity and Twilight were sitting in a corner, and judging by the smile on Twilight’s face, Rarity had gotten a juicy topic for them to discuss. Berry turned her head to the banquet table, where Applejack was snarfing down a couple of apple tatins, much to Fluttershy’s look of disgust. Applejack grinned at Fluttershy, then continued chomping down some more pastries. Berry let her mind wander as she slowly watched her friends enjoy themselves. Though she barely ever spoke to anyone, Berry has at least acquainted herself with everypony in Ponyville. They probably had known Berry for her thirst for alcohol. Her mind came back as she heard a sound come from behind her.

The back door creaked open, and Pinkie Pie came tiphoofing in to the kitchen, slowly carrying a crate on her back. Berry was confused. I wonder what she’s up to this time. Normally Pinkie Pie wasn’t this secretive. Maybe she’s planning a surprise or something. Berry got up, went to the beverage stand and, to her delight, found some apple cider. She poured herself a glass and quickly stole a glance at Pinkie. She was bringing in her second crate. Berry wondered why she’s acting so weirdly even when people could see through the kitchen door. Berry took a sip, and immediately her face flushed red. Apple cider normally wouldn’t have a high alcohol content, but this cider was different. Enjoying the light-headed feeling, she chugged it down. Belching as she finished, she stole another glance to the kitchen. Pinkie wasn’t there, though the crates she brought in were visible on the counter. Berry debated with herself whether or not she should check out the crates, or just mind her own business.

As Berry was taking her second cup of cider, she caught a glimpse at Rainbow Dash gliding around outside. That night was rather cloudy, and Berry expected rain soon. Apparently Rainbow Dash was with someone. Exactly who, Berry didn’t want to know, but she could probably guess who it was. Berry was about to take another sip when she was bumped from behind. The glass Berry was holding shattered on the wooden floor as she dropped it. She turned around.

A colt, who apparently drank more cider than he should have, was giving a stupid grin as a sign as an apology. Berry thought she had recognised him for a moment then, but then she shrugged it off, acting like nothing had happened. Apparently she wasn’t the only one enjoying the cider tonight. The music changed from Robbie Neighliam’s “Bodies” to The Hoof’s “Won’t be foaled again”. As the music filled the air, Berry went ahead to get a third glass of cider. Her face was really flushed and she could tell that this cider really was stronger than anything she’s had in a while. Taking a sip, she caught a glimpse at Pinkie in the kitchen. She was jumping around ecstatically around one of the crates. Apparently Pinkie had just received a package of some sort. No shit Berry.

Pinkie went out of the kitchen, and headed towards the banquet table. Applejack had fallen asleep at the table and Fluttershy was nowhere in sight. She probably went home already. The clock on the wall showed 11:15 pm. Rarity was sitting in the same corner she and Twilight were, only now Twilight went to get some cupcakes for them to indulge in. Rarity had one of those silly smiles she made every time she was going to do something, knowing that she’d regret it later. Berry finished her fourth cup. She really couldn’t think straight. Her eyes were giving her double vision again, no thanks to the alcohol. Despite being on all fours, she couldn’t stand up or sit up right. She looked around. Pinkie was busy greeting guests, and everyone else was still enjoying themselves. Berry let curiosity take her away as she stumbled to the kitchen to see what Pinkie was so excited about.

Carefully pushing open the kitchen door, Berry turned around. Pinkie was still busy greeting a few more guests. Looking around to make sure no one else was watching her, she stepped in. The music had gotten somewhat louder, and Berry was glad to be away from that for a while. There was a crate on the counter, and another one was on the floor. Stabilizing herself by placing a hoof on the counter, she knelt down to read the label on the crate. She tried to read out the label. The kitchen was rather dark so it took a short while for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

M..Met....Meta... Curse this darkness. She slammed a hoof onto the crate, and immediately drew back. She forgot that she didn’t want Pinkie to know that she was in the kitchen. Or anybody else for that matter. The last thing Berry wanted was to be kicked out for trespassing, which would make no sense at all.

She shook her head and rubbed her eyes with her forehoof. She tried to read the label on the crate one more time. As her eyes fixated onto the label, she could make out a few gears on the label. Metal...Metallic... Metallic Ge...Berry rubbed her eyes and tried reading the words again, this time, she could read the words clearly, as if someone had just turned on the lights in the kitchen. Metallic Gears. She blinked twice. What does Pinkie have to get all excited about this kind of trash? Why does she even have to get these for her parties?

Before Berry could ask herself anymore questions, she felt a sharp pain at the back of her head, and blacked out. Next thing she knew she woke up restrained to a table somewhere.

Flashback’s over. Where the hell am I? She craned her neck to see if there’s anything in her surroundings that could possibly give her a hint to where she might be now. The table was propped up against a wall, enabling Berry to have a complete view of the room she was in. Even so, she couldn’t really tell where she was. The light bulb that hung in the middle of the room was dimly lit, but it was sufficient enough for her to be able to look around. Opposite of her position was a door, flanked by 2 windows, both covered with curtains that blocked out the outside world.

“Hello?” Berry called out again. No reaction whatsoever from her surroundings. Even as it were almost 7 in the morning, she doubted if anyone would be awake this early on a weekend. She knew Applejack would be awake around this time to prepare for another day of apple-bucking, but Berry wasn’t quite sure if she was anywhere near Sweet Apple Acres. She couldn’t pick up the scent of apples anywhere. She tried to wriggle her forehooves again, only managing to make each forehoof slip through slowly out of her restraints. Realising this is gonna take a very long time, she stopped trying and continued to scan her surroundings.

Berry couldn’t see anything else. She wondered if- wait. Her gaze fell upon the floor, where a note had been placed. The note was roughly 3 feet (or hooves) away from her. She focused her eyes on the first word of the note. Hello. After that she couldn’t read anymore of the note. She tried to wriggle her forehooves one more time, this time managing to bring both hooves a further inch free. She repeated the process until eventually her hooves were out of the restraints.

She fell to the floor, face first. The table stayed in place as Berry slowly recovered from her fall. As the stars circling her head dissipated, she rubbed her hooves. She was free, but still in an unknown location. Stepping aforward to pick up the note, she could see traces of sunlight filtering through the curtains. She read the note. With each passing word, her heartbeat grew faster.

Hello Berry. You may not know me, but believe me, we shall be acquainted very soon. Do not think that is not possible. Look around you. You were drunk last night, and you woke up somewhere of which I know of. Were you surprised to wake up in restraints, Berry? Anyway, I write this note while you were still unconscious. Forgive me for the pain at the back of your head. I couldn’t risk sedating you. Right now, you are being tested. If you fail this test, the ones closest to you will suffer the consequences. A few others were taken from the party last night as well, so your help is needed to get them back. They too, are being tested. There is a key taped to the door in front of you. Take it, and proceed through the front door. Follow the signs and save the others. You will have until midnight. Along the way you’ll be required to pick up more notes, should you want to find out why you and the others are being tested.

Berry rubbed the back of her head. What have I gotten myself into? Could it be because... She shook her head. No one knew of that incident. She continued to look around the room. There was a saddlebag in the room. She walked over and inspected it. It was empty save for knife, a compass, and a watch. She hoisted the bag onto her back and fastened it. She put the note in her saddlebag, just in case. Looking up at the clock on the wall, she saw it was almost 7.15 in the morning. I have until midnight? That’s a lot of time. She assumed that whoever was doing this was probably as drunk as she was last night, and disregarded the note. But then again, the things that had happened since she arrived at the party last night urged her to reconsider. She took the key taped onto the door and pushed the door open.

Immediately, an arrow was fired into the room, barely missing Berry’s ear. She was taken aback. Shit, this guy really isn’t joking. Taking a peek through the window, she saw that there were no more arrows aimed to kill. She ran out the door, fearing another trap.

The sun was just appearing above the horizon. The skies were clear, though she can hear a storm cloud approaching quick. She was in a grassy meadow. The meadow was between the Everfree forest and Ponyville. She couldn’t believe she didn’t recognise the room she was in just now. Although, she’s never been in that room before. The 4 cottages in the grassy meadow were abandoned by their previous owners, after finding out that the cost of living in Canterlot was much more affordable. The cottages were still in a fairly good condition, considering that they had been abandoned for 3 months. She turned around.

The crossbow that fired at Berry was propped up on a stand, with a string around its trigger. Berry eyes followed the string as it went all the way to one of the windows. Apparently the string was tied on the doorknob on the inside of the house. Though the lighting was sufficient, Berry couldn’t believe how she hadn’t noticed the string tied. Once the door was pulled, the string would be yanked back, pulling back the trigger, thus firing the arrow. She shuddered. She wondered who could have thought up such a trap. She gazed upon the number above her cottage door. A rectangular sign, roughly half a foot high and 2 inches wide with the number 2 hung above the door.

The cottages in the meadow were in pairs. After entering through the entrance, one would see a pair of cottages on either side of the entrance. The area of the meadow was roughly 4 square kilometers, making the whole place look square from the view of a pegasus. Berry often wondered why such a large meadow like this would only have 4 cottages. Each cottage couldn’t have taken up more than 2 thousand square feet of land at most. In the middle of a meadow, was a small lake, that had housed more than 160 types of fish. Berry wasn’t sure if the lake was still there, but she felt that she should go check it out later. There was a big assembly hall in the middle of the meadow, completely equipped with a cafeteria and offices on the upper floor. There was a tool shed between each pair of cottage, providing convenience for the residents should they want to fix something.

Berry walked over to the tool shed nearest to her cottage. On normal days, the door would be locked to prevent loss of equipment, but today, she felt that she might need something extra, should she want to get through her tests quickly today. Much to her surprise, the door wasn’t locked, and the door was ajar. Expecting another trap,she bucked the door, and immediately spread herself on the grass. Nothing happened for the next 10 seconds, and Berry got up. The shed was pretty much empty, except for a few things. There were two shelves inside the shed. She picked up 2 screwdrivers and a hammer from a shelf. On the other she found something else. A key, and a note, written by the same person who left her the note in her cottage.

Here’s your first test Berry. To the west of this shed, is another cottage. Cottage number 1. A familiar friend of yours from last night is inside, though she was outside with someone else instead of enjoying herself at the party. She’s in the same condition as you were before you woke up, only she was sedated, and you were knocked unconscious. Maybe you should go in and check on her to see if she’s awake yet.

She felt as if she’d been kicked in the flank. Rainbow Dash is here too? Sweat was running down the side of her face as she wondered what Rainbow Dash could have done to get herself into this as well. She turned her head to the left and stared at cottage number 1. The windows had been tinted, so that only the occupants of the house could see outside. One flaw in tinted windows however, was that if there were light inside, and it were still dark outside, ponies trotting by can look into the house. The sun was facing the back of the house, so the shadow of the house was covering pretty much the whole front part of the house.

Berry looked into the house, and didn’t like what she saw. The pony that stood on a platform inside was no doubt Rainbow Dash, her mane covering her face. She didn’t seem to be awake. Berry tried getting her attention by knocking on the windows, but Dash didn’t reply. Berry tried lifting the window off the window sill to have a peek inside, but the window wouldn’t budge. She looked in again. The only source of light in the room was from multiple candles in the centre of the room, kept alight by unicorn magic. Berry couldn’t see much. She turned her gaze to the other side of the door. It didn’t seem to be rigged or anything, though she could see something wedged between the latch and the door frame.

She took in a deep breath, and release it with a sigh. She bucked the door as hard as she could, and prepared to face whatever the hell she had to face to save Rainbow Dash.