It took an hour to convince Dan to stop searching for Vice Grip. After that, he ordered Knight to destroy any partitions in the mountain and a couple other mountains in the event Vice would wind up unconscious in front of another one. Dan finally allowed Phoenix to drag him back to the original mountain and together, they resumed the search for the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"Robocop, guard the entrance. Anyone who tries to go in or out that isn't me, kill 'em."
Knight's eyes turned red. "Affirmative."
"Uhh, except for the CMC and us, right?" Phoenix asked. But Dan was already heading into the cave with the Blasties following him. "Dan, seriously, when you don't clarify these things, it makes me concerned."
"Ahh, but Nicky, that's what I have you for," Dan replied.
"So I have to clarify that I'm on your side every time?"
Dan nodded happily. "Yep."
"I have to admit that's pretty well-thought out."
"Exactly. Now, let's make like Cool Cat and save the kids. Except instead of a horrible movie, it's literally the exact opposite of that."
"Despite its message, that movie should never see the light of day," Blast Fuse delightfully commented, following Dan and Phoenix into the cave.
"This seems awfully well-lit for a cave," Phoenix said. (No light fixtures but it doesn't seem to get any darker the further we get from the entrance. Must be a second source.)
"Nah, it's video game logic," Powdy said. "How could we fight anything if we couldn't see it?"
"Shut up!" Dan shushed. "Whoever or whatever's running Vice Grip's schemes is down here and we have the opportunity to get the drop on them. So keep it down."
"Kay."
Dan gritted his teeth. "These guys already pissed me off."
"How?" Phoenix asked.
"Two ways: one, they let that douchebag get away and two, they beat the crap out of him and sent him packing. That's MY job."
They all agreed with that. Dan and Phoenix got out their respective weapons, cane and umbrella, as they continued into the cave. Only a short distance from the entrance, they came across the entrance to something else. A giant cog-shaped doorway occupied the end of the tunnel.
"Three?" Dan asked. He looked at the door. "So this is the third one? Out of how many?"
"It's a Stable. An underground fallout shelter; like a Vault but for ponies.," Blast Fuse said. She and her sister stepped towards the entrance.
"Ahh, good ole Twilight Zone," Dan smiled softly, remembering back.
"So this is Stable Three?" Phoenix asked. "Doesn't look like it was constructed recently."
Blast Powder nodded. "The Stable Program was started a couple years ago, back when FoE first came out. It was a neat idea, but it turned out to be more expensive than anypony realized. Stable-Tec advertised these things as being exactly like the ones from the games but they didn't have any use for them. The whole company went bankrupt and Vice Grip bought it."
Blast Fuse walked up to a control panel built into the wall. "Let's see if our work ID still works in Vice's system."
"Wait, you're just going to use the keypad?" Dan asked.
They turned around. "Yeah, why?"
"Was kind of hoping you'd blow it open," Dan said, gingerly swinging his cane.
"If it's a fallout shelter, it's meant to withstand the blast from a nuclear bomb," Phoenix said, tapping the giant door with his parasol. "It'd take one heck of a bomb to get through this thing."
The two sisters exchanged a glance. "Challenge-"
"-Accepted."
Outside, Knight felt the explosion through her legs as she stood watch. "Seismic activity detected."
When the dust finally cleared inside the cave, Dan applauded them. "YES! YES! That's why we brought you two along!"
Blast Fuse bowed. Her sister had shielded them conveniently while Fusey had used a shaped charged to blow open the door. From Stable to vault, the explosive ponies had cracked it open. "Let it be known that we do requests!"
"As long as you don't cause a cave-in!" Phoenix yelled, hiding under his umbrella. "This mountain's already taken a beaten from the train and Knight pounding on it!"
"Nicky, that's a great idea!" Dan exclaimed.
"What is?"
"Causing a cave-in! We'll bring the whole mountain down on these clowns, bury Vice and his plans!" He slapped the taller human on the back. "I really love our team. Good job, Nicky."
Phoenix folded his parasol up again. "Just here for support."
Dan stormed into the entrance with the Blasties and Phoenix behind him. The interior was still intact, minus the cog-door and mechanism for it being launched to the opposite wall. Lights on the ceiling illuminated the entrance hall, which didn't appear to be abandoned. The floor was pink and the walls were white, both having seemed to have been repainted recently. They took a few cautious steps inside and Phoenix noticed the lack of dust.
"No welcoming party," Dan commented. "Either they don't use this entrance much..."
The intercom beeped above them. "Welcome to Stable Three! On behalf of Stable-Tec, we thank you for being prepared for the future!"
"Or we're expected," Phoenix finished.
"Oh, you're expected, alright!" the cheery, creepy, automated voice replied. "But why should I spoil all the fun for the four of you? Why don't you check out our facilities for yourselves! Please direct any complaints to the new manager!"
"Is that who I think it is?"
"Yeah," Dan answered, gruffly. "The creepy guy in the cloak. The Director."
"Hahaha! Well, not to disappoint you, but I'm still not the one in charge." The door at the other end of the hallway opened. Behind them, an energy shield sprung up where the cog door had been.
Dan sighed. "Just once, I'd like to BLOW UP SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T TURN OUT TO BE AN OBVIOUS TRAP IN HINDSIGHT!!"
Blast Fuse folded her hooves. "I got the door open. I'm counting that as a win."
"Please, please, ladies and gents. You're guests here. Come have a chat with the Overseer- she's excited to meet you! Heeheehee!!" The intercom crackled and went out.
"I'm scared now."
"Relax, nobody panic," Dan raised his arms. He got out his phone which he used like a communicator. "Knight? It's Dan, do you read?"
Phoenix put his hand on Dan's arm. "Evil lairs get bad reception."
"Dammit. Forgot about that," Dan said, pocketing his phone. "Okay then, everybody just... stay alert." They entered the doorway, which turned out to be an elevator. "It's gonna be fine, guys," Dan said, trying to calm down his unnerved friends. The Blasties held onto Phoenix, all three of them shaking. "Just because they got the drop on us this time doesn't mean they'll get the drop on us again. We can do this." He pressed the only lit button inside the elevator- a button marked Down.
*Ding!*
A trapdoor opened underneath them.
Dan sighed again and looked up at the camera. "I really should've seen that one coming."
"Gyaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!" They dropped. The elevator doors closed in the hallway. As they fell, they were followed by the Director's giggles over the intercom.
The elevator shaft dumped them into another hallway. Unlike the entrance hall, there were no lights overhead, making it hard to see. But not impossible to see because video game logic.
"Well, at least something's consistent," Dan said, helping Phoenix and the others up.
"I don't think we can get back up the other way."
"I'm scared. HOLD ME POWDY!"
"I'M ALREADY HOLDING PHOENIX!"
Phoenix turned around. Blast Fuse was attached to his back, shivering. "Girls, c'mon. Calm down."
"EEEEEP!"
"EEEEP!"
"EEE-EEE-EEEEP!"
"EEEEEEREEEEP!"
"What? What was that?" Phoenix asked. "Don't tell me there's an "eeeeep" language now."
"Actually, those last ones were my cell phone," Dan said."Weird. I'm getting reception again."
"We might be close to the surface!" Phoenix exclaimed.
"Yayyyyy~" the sisters rejoiced. If nothing else, that was something to hope for. Dan marshaled the group and marched forward through the darkened hallway. Past the first doorway was an intersection... and past that was another intersection. And then another one until finally, they came to an end and a T-shaped section leading right and left. All the halls looked identical and were dimly-lit, only making it creepier.
"Okay, umm..." Dan looked down both ways. "We're gonna have to pick one."
"This... we're in a maze," Phoenix said. "This is a maze."
"I don't like mazes."
"Wait!" Dan said. "He-hey! Look, I see a light!"
Down the opposite hallway was indeed a light. A pale reddish light began approaching them slowly, growing as it came closer. When it finally was close enough to make it, it was clear the light was coming from a pony's horn.
"Chrys? Chrys!!" Dan exclaimed. He bolted down the hallway towards the light. "Babe, how did you-" He stopped just short of the light.
"Hello."
"Ohh... um... hi," Dan said. "Sorry, uh... thought you were somepony I knew."
"No." The pony in question was tall, taller than Chrys by a few inches at least and bore some resemblance to her. But her eyes had a strange sharpness to them, as did her teeth which were visibly illuminated by the light from her double-helix horn.
Dan's heart began to race. "So yeah, gonna get going. You, uh, have yourself a good one," he turned.
"No."
Dan felt his hair stand on end. He backed away from the mare. Step by step, she came closer.
"N-no? I'm not sure what you-"
"You are food. Master does not feed me often. I am hungry."
Dan slowly turned back to Phoenix and the Blasties. "Run." They didn't need to be told twice. Phoenix, still carrying Blast Fuse and Blast Powder ran down one end of the corridor, Dan ran down the other.
Marksaline cocked her head in confusion and followed them. For the briefest moment, she thought she smelled her little sister on the first one.