//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: Beauty(s) and the beast 
// by 79snowbell 
//------------------------------//

Surprisingly, the ruins were still intact, at least, that's what Sparkling Butterfly thought as she entered through the large doors, but it was the interior that shocked her the most.

Unlike the exterior which looked like destruction, the inside was well kept, there were no cracks or holes in the walls, the tapestries looked brand new, and there wasn't a speck of dust in sight. Overall, the interior wasn't crumbling like the outside.

No, Butterfly thought. I need to focus on finding Derpy and Time Turner first. She could admire the castle later, right now she has another task at hoof.

The pegasus ventured further in, being cautious about her bleeding hoof and keeping an eye for any traces of the two ponies. She peered down a hallway and noticed the door at the end wide open. It had to be Time Turner who left it open. Butterfly entered the door which led to a long flight of stairs, and suddenly heard muffled voices at the bottom. It had to be them.

As she decended down, two figures peered down the stairs where the purple pegasus went. The two heard Sparkling Butterfly enter and decided to follow her, thinking she was a friend to the mare and stallion.

"A third? There's a third pony here?" One of the figures huffed. "The next thing ya know, the whole town comes and we'd have to hide somewhere else." Her friend shook her head in reply.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... He won't be happy about this, especially the fact that this one is leaving a trail. I mean, do you know hard it would be to wash out all that blood on the carpet?" "Do you know if he found out there's another unwelcome guest?!"

As if to answer the question, the sound of doors bursting open echoed through the halls in a loud boom, a low growl following afterwards.

the two figures froze in fearful horror before the first figure shakily spoke up. "A-any idea how he's going to deal with three prisoners?"
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As soon as she landed at the bottom of the stair well, Butterfly jumped at what would have sounded like canon fire. Someone or something knows of her presence. She had to save the two ponies, fast!

As she quickened her pace while watching her injured hoof, one single thought made her start questioning her actions recently.

Butterfly realized that she could have stayed at home with Angel and Owlicious and read one of the books she got that morning from the library, or she could have gone to the Crystal Empire with Cadence and Sunny Day and maybe relax or find reason behind the truth she was given earlier; but instead here she was, walking in a castle in the middle of the wild Everfree, helping two ponies she doesn't even know and yet she was helping them as if she were close friends with them. She was used to helping the little animals at the cottage, but it seemed different from the situation before her.

What made her do this? That was the question that tugged at her the most. What made her go help Time Turner when he mentioned Derpy's disappearence? Was it the fact that she felt responsible for the wall-eyed mare's disappearence? Whatever it was, she didn't know.