//------------------------------//
// Traps 
// Story: The Last Parasite Returns 
// by mmonsoon326 
//------------------------------//

	“Twilight?  Twilight!”  Scootaloo’s calls echoed out through the forest, there was no reply.  “Dang it! Not Twilight too!”  A sense of despair and grief overwhelmed Scootaloo.  She was all alone, truly and completely alone.  She had never felt so cold and helpless in her life, tears began to well up inside her.  “No, I mustn’t cry.  That won’t help my friends.  C’mon Scootaloo, be brave for your friends.”  Her self-given pep talk helped a little, she wasn’t crying.  With her new feeling of loneliness, and confidence,  the orange filly noticed something odd, there were no guards.
She took a closer look at her surroundings.  The ground was a dark grey cobblestone, some of which looked to be set a little higher than others, she assumed they were probably pressure plates that triggered some trap or something.  Scattered throughout the courtyard stood statues about twice the size of a normal pony, and they all stared into the darkness, all toward the center.  In the center of the courtyard stood an ornate and massive fountain, in which flowed a dark liquid.  It smelled like blood.  The main mass of the actual castle was a collection of low lying buildings, from which, the spear-like towers jettisoned from.
She ventured closer to the fountain, being careful to avoid touching any of the suspicious stones.  The fountain was spewing blood, she wanted to release the contents of her stomach, yet she barely managed to hold it down.  As she circled it she noticed a small button on its side, wondering if it would activate any traps, which it probably would, and gave another close look at the fountain.  There were no signs of traps nearby.  Even with this knowledge, she knew that she’d probably regret her decision and pushed the button.
The statues began to move, their eyes glowed red with the thirst for blood.  Fear overwhelmed Scootaloo, having no idea how damage stone with her bare hooves, she looked for a means of escape.  The fountain had drained itself, revealing a drain on one end and a trapdoor on the other.  Jumping inside, she opened the trapdoor and jumped inside to escape from the statues.  The pathway before her led far underground, and was surprisingly well lit, even though there were no torches.  “I guess it’s time to go to the dungeons.”  Her words didn’t encourage her.