//------------------------------// // Simple Logic // Story: Chrysbloom // by SwiperTheFox //------------------------------// "Sweetie Belle!" Applebloom sped over to the glass, knocking her hooves against it. She saw the same arrays of grating going floor by floor shrouded in darkness that she had seen before, but a frantic Sweetie Belle ran around trapped on a long rusty strip of metal. "I'll get you out of there! I promise! I will!" Applebloom sat down, feeling against the glass with all four of her hooves. "So, this is-- oh, dear Celestia-- now I'm somehow under the place where I was walking before?" She gasped, and she lifted up another card. s'taht tcerroc "That's correct, huh," she said. She kept on looking at the water swirling around in front of her. But it's so weird. The liquid looked black like tar before, but this is just like plain water. And how on earth did I suddenly get flipped over? What about gravity? She strained to remember. I looked down all the time when I was trapped in that awful metal grating world. I didn't see Sweetie anywhere. Was I looking hard enough? She sighed, and she went back to the cards. I'm impressed that you got that anagram immediately. "Ah, the apostrophe is a dead giveaway, ain't it?" Applebloom retorted, smiling and leaning up against the open door. Anyways, you don't have much time. Applebloom stood backwards. She watched as the water rose from floor to floor, still quite a ways from reaching Sweetie. She can swim a little bit, but that's-- no-- that's not good enough. This monster will drown her if I don't obey. I know it. Please go back to your spot in the middle of the cage. "You'd better not kill her, you monster," she spat out as she stepped, pushing the pink box. *Squak! Squak!* She looked up, seeing Gilda peck against the massive mirror and squeak. The griffon had a 'cracked' facial expression, eyes permanently bulging outwards. Applebloom shivered from head to toe at the sight. Everything is up to you. "You will tell me how to free Sweetie," she declared. "You will tell me now. Right now. No more games." She grit her teeth. Look over at Door #2. Applebloom did so, hardly able to breathe. After nothing happened, she lifted up another card. I'm giving you an initial emotional test as part of Sweetie's Puzzle. I'll give you three hints. First, all you need to do to pass is to stay put right where you're sitting for the next thirty seconds and then pull the next card. Second, moving guarantees with total certainty that you'll get home. Third, you can believe you eyes and ears. ^Knock Knock^ She saw the door creak open. She gasped, feeling her heart sink. Beyond the door, ponies walked to and fro across the front of Sugarcube Corner. Birds chirped as butterflies flew through the air. "It's beautiful," Applebloom said, "It's just another day." She smiled. It's right there. And it's real. She said that I could believe my eyes and ears. She leaned over, not moving a hoof. Her head kept bobbing over from the door to Ponyville and the door with a trapped Sweetie besides. No. She closed her eyes. No! How can I even think for a second that I should ditch my friends? What's wrong with me? She rubbed her face with her hooves, and she opened her eyes. She glanced around at the other doors as she picked up the next card. Excellent! Your love for your friends is beyond words. I feel honored to just be here with you. "With me," she repeated, almost spitting out the words. "Just stop." She grabbed the sides of the box and shook it. "I'm bucking sick of this. Tell me how to free Sweetie. Now." Ow, ow, ow-- no more shaking! Seriously! ^rubs it better^ "Augh!" Applebloom screamed, She ran her hooves across her sides. Something dripping wet curled around her, rubbing patch of fur after patch of fur randomly. She fought back tears as she reached to the box, pulling up another card. "Stop!" She saw some kind of horrible green slime dripping around her hooves Don't worry. I'm better now. Wow, you have such a snuggly and cuddly figure. She blinked. The slime and the horrible feelings had disappeared. Now then, it's time for Sweetie's Puzzle. There are no tricks. It's nothing but simple logic at work. Now, first of all, I want you to look over at the door to Ponyville. It sure would help Sweetie for this to fall on top of her, wouldn't it? "A door that opens by falling on you?" she asked. She paused, letting out a tiny pained sigh. "Whatever. I have to get her home." She had never felt more determined in her entire life. There are 1,053 doors in this cage. Door #1 is Sweetie's Door. Door #2 is Ponyville. Somewhere in the mass of other doors is Door P-- the portal door that links two chosen other doors. That leaves 1,050 bogey doors. Rather than define the term 'bogey', I'll just let your imagination go wild. ^smiles^ Applebloom frowned, eyes narrowing into little slits. I'll make things easy, and I mean painfully easy. Rather than having to physically hop over, pick up the correct door that just so happens to be Door P, lift it over to Door #1, wedge Door P into place, and so on, I'll just ask you to guess the correct number. Then, I'll do all the work myself magically manipulating #1, #2, and P and slamming Sweetie Bell through space and time back home. You have to do nothing more or less to do than to call out the correct number. "You call that 'painfully easy' you-- you-- you-- sadistic little worm!" She slammed her hooves against the ground, pure rage coursing through her body. "When I have over a thousand bucking doors to choose from? And I have to get the right one, just on the first try!" She dreamed about smashing the box into a million pieces. She picked up the next card, half determined to do just that. Since when did I say 'just on the first try'? Or 'have to get the right one'? I'll be exceedingly generous and give you an important hint. This isn't a test of your luck. It's a test of your intelligence, to see if you can use simple logic. Keep this in mind. Read this card and the last three cards carefully. Sweetie's Puzzle begins now. I'd wish you good luck, but you don't need it. "I don't need it?" she repeated sarcastically. She buried her head in her hooves, feeling tears coming down once more. "Oh... I can't... I can't take it. Sweetie Belle is going to drown. She's going to be trapped her forever, just like Scootaloo. Goodness knows where she is." She glanced over at the box. She picked up the last card, but the next card was blank. She sighed. I probably should face it. He or she has just got us. We're totally lost. To Be Continued...