Scootaloo opened the oven and anxiously awaited Applejack to put in the pizza and gasped as she looked inside. There was a porthole at the back. "Girls! Look, I found a secret passage," Scootaloo shouted with glee pointing her right forehoof at it. Applejack and Night turned and followed the path of her point and smiled.
"Sugarcube, looks like ya found the next clue. Too bad this' gonna have to wait," Applejack said sighing as she looked at the pizza on a large sheet pan, "I was thirty seconds from starting lunch."
"It's okay Jack, we'll eat after we get the next element. Can't be that hard. You got yours opening a book," Scootaloo said mockingly as she turned to the bookcase where Rainbow was throwing books a moment earlier. "Hey where's Rainbow?"
The others looked and didn't see her anywhere in the spacious kitchen. "Where'd she go?" Night asked openly.
"I dunno, maybe she had to go to the toilet."
"Jack, the door hasn't opened since we got in here and you know how loud it is. It clunked, I didn't hear a clunk," Scootaloo looked slightly worried as she scanned the area for her friends' colors contrasting with any part of the kitchen. "Rainbow? Where are you? This isn't funny," she shouted cringing slightly as she awaited Rainbow to jump or fall screaming at her as another lame joke. When only silence answered the other mares looked at each other with concern in their faces as they began calling Rainbow's name and looking around for her.
Night flew across the ceiling scanning the area while Applejack and Scootaloo stayed close below looking under and behind anything they could see. With a frustrated grunt they gathered by the book shelf and felt their hearts sink.
"Night, Jack. What if, what if she's hurt or turned into an apple by his throne? What'll we do?" Scootaloo said as she walked under Night and laid down, taking comfort in the larger mares energy surrounding her.
"Well we found the porthole, let's see where it goes," Night said turning her focus to the mission at hand. She flapped her wings twice and landed a length back and poked Scootaloo in the flank with her muzzle. "Scoots, let's check it out and I'm sure we'll find her or our elements. Discord may be a god of chaos but he isn't in control of us. C'mon captain, lead the way."
Scootaloo smiled weakly and walked ahead to the oven which was cooler now since the oven was open. "Night, ya think it's a good idea to let her lead the way, she's a little filly still," Applejack said quietly to Night.
"AJ, she's gotta get confidence and this' the best way for a young mare like her. She's gonna do fine," Night reassured Applejack. Gathering at the oven they looked in and sighed. "Looks like it's not big enough for all of us at once. We'll have to go one at a time, captain?"
"I'll go first," Scootaloo said looking to Night and pointing her hoof into the oven smirking.
"Yeah, I guess taking the grills out makes sense now," Night said as she turned and took a few steps to the left. Opening a drawer she pulled out a pair of oven mitts and tossed them onto the floor. She smiled and hopped onto the counter and with her weight stomped her forelegs into the drawer smashing it spilling towels and oven mitts beneath her. She smiled at Scootaloo and Applejack as she opened her wings and knelt to the floor, using her wings as a brush she pushed a pile of cloth protection to her friends' hooves.
"And here we have our way in without getting burned on the walls of the oven," Night said proudly picking up a potholder in her mouth and leaning into the oven grasping a grate and pulling it out. It clattered loudly as it struck the door startling her. She jumped back and was airborne in a strong down stroke as the grate clattered against the floor. She looked on as Applejack and Scootaloo scampered back quickly, while not in the path of the falling grate fear still struck them.
With a feeling of shame Night landed and apologized before removing the next grate more carefully. "There girls, I'm sorry again for that. But we're ready to go in," she smiled and nodded at Scootaloo who wasted no time slipping a pair of pot holders on her hooves and hopping onto the open oven door. The air was warm but not hot as she took a step forward into it and looked around.
"So this' what a pie feels like?" she joked as she walked to the back of the oven and peeked into the porthole. There was a bright light that shone from an unknown source and a sudden slam as the oven closed. Scootaloo whinnied and spun around looking at the others through a small glass window that wasn't there a moment before.
She and the others pounded on the door trying to get it to budge as Discord's laugh came from above them. Scootaloo looked up and saw a small speaker in the roof of the oven and sighed lowering her head. "It's another trick," she said solemnly.
"Scootaloo, isn't it? Well looks like you're just in the hottest predicament a pony could imagine."
"Let her go Discord," Night shouted flaring her wings.
"Ah, Midnight Strike. Loyal follower extraordinaire and traitor to both ponies and those you called your family," Discord said dressed as a lobster in a pot of boiling water on the stove top, "While I may not agree with your current choice of lifestyle I fully support it." With a flash of light a bra strapped across Night's barrel appeared. "And when I support I mean it," he giggled hopping from the pot, steam coming from his entire body and a towel wrapped around his midsection.
Stomping on the stove top the fire roared to life inside the oven. "Ow, hot hot hot! Help Night, AJ. Do something, please," Scootaloo panicked as the temperature spiked.
The other two mares gasped in shock and couldn't think of anything to say or do. "Ahem. Am I not important anymore," Discord said pouting holding a long licorice rope in his paw and stretching it. A tapping sound came from next to Night's hoof, Discords tooth was tapping the floor as the licorice piled at her hoof. Night glared at Discord before trailing the red candy from herself to the monster to the oven.
"What're you doing? Is that a lifeline? What's the game, please? Let her go," she asked bowing her head as she finished her sentence.
"Oh Night, I thought more of your ability to tell the obvious-"
"It's the spell binding you two!" Applejack interjected. "He's stretching it," she turned to Scootaloo and shouted, "get through the porthole, we'll save you. Quickly before it's too late."
Scootaloo gasped and tried to answer but the heat was almost blinding her as she turned and galloped through the small opening tumbling through it and gasping for the breath she had lost. Her body felt uncomfortably hot as a cool breeze washed over her sending goosebumps across her body.
A few seconds of cool air and she was feeling slightly dizzy but shook her head to get her bearings. She was in a hallway, bright white walls with black contrasting doors with red handles every few lengths apart. The floor was lightly carpeted, enough so that when she tapped her hoof the sound was muffled almost completely. The ceiling seemed to glow without any insects, candles, lanterns or electric lights. Must be magic then, so where do I go?
She coughed lightly and looked behind her only to see a photo of her friends standing in front of an oven with Discord sitting on top of it and a bowl of water on the floor.
At least he's thoughtful enough to give me a drink after trying to cook me, she thought as she turned and took the few paces to reach the bowl. She leaned down and slowly let her tongue protrude from her mouth and touch the water.
Cold fresh water that could have been from a river tickled her tongue and she thrust her muzzle into it gulping loudly until she had her fill and fell back with a sigh of refreshment. She looked back at the bowl and smirked. Still full of water, I think I'm gonna take this home; never get thirsty again.
The thought passed quickly as her eyes widened and she turned to look at the hall behind her again. It seemed to go on forever, doors vanishing in a single point farther than her eyes could see. She shuddered as she imagined spending days or years looking for a way out, she collapsed to the floor in front of the bowl and fought the urge to cry, scream, and vomit in the face of possible death that loomed in front of her as the only choice became clear.
Standing again on trembling legs she fluttered her wings and cracked her neck side to side and steeled her gaze forward, looking at the photo. "I'll be back soon girls," she said as she felt her stomach trembling with fear. She picked up the bowl and placed it on her back and turned to the endless hallway ahead of her and began trotting ahead.