Just like the TV show: 'The Mole' - one is the mole, but who? Read and discover...
10 ponies are whisked away to play a game of mystery, intrigue and cunning: The Mole!
In The Mole, 10 contestants face challenges to earn bits for the team...and possibly themselves. But there is a twist. One pony does not belong. This pony is The Mole! They work undercover to try and ensure the team gets the least amount of bits possible in the series of mental and physical challenges. Contestants have journals t keep track of who they think is The Mole and at the end of each episode, somepony has to be eliminated...And of course, through all of this, Derpy Hooves & Carrot Top will be providing hilarious commentary.
So who's The Mole? Can you discover who it is? Only one way to find out! ~~
Anything in italics is somepony's thoughts in the diary room, or their written thoughts in their journal.
There will be small hints throughout the story that will hint to the Mole's true identity. See if you can spoil them all! And, if you do work out the moles true identity, please do not leave it in the comments, as it might ruin it for other people. Feel free to message me with your ideas if you like, I like seeing what people might think :3
"And I'm Derpy Hooves, and welcome to...THE MOLE!"
The two presenting ponies faced the camera at the live airing of the new TV show, 'The Mole'. They had been picked after winning a contest, failing to qualify as contestants themselves.
"If you didn't know the rules, then we'll explain them!" Carrot Top said, glancing at Derpy, for it was her turn to speak.
"Oh...yes! The rules! Right! 10 ponies, and a lot of bits to earn! But one isn't who they say they are!"
"That's right Derpy! One of them is The Mole, an undercover sneak who is there to ensure the team earn as little money as possible. Yes, they were sent in by our producers, a team of sneaks themselves..." Carrot Top continued, laughing at her own little joke.
"And right now the contestants are coming in! Oh! Here they all are! Run VT!" Derpy Hooves called, signalling to the Graphics manager.
~ Name: Rainbow Dash Age: 23 Occupation: Weather Mare
"Hey! I'm Rainbow Dash! Coolest mare around Ponyville! Element of Loyalty, that's me! I'm looking to win as much money as possible here! I mean, why not? Well, what can I say about myself? I'm cool, awesome, and radical!" ... "Those are NOT the same things! Sheesh, some ponies..." ~
~ Name: The Great & Powerful Trixie Age: 26 Occupation: Travelling performer
"The Great and Powerful Trixie needs no introduction! She is the most amazing, sensational and spectacular unicorn around! I am not here to make friends, oh no. I just want to make money. Plain and simple! And it shouldn't be hard! After all, my feats of magic are second to none!" ... "Twilight Sparkle? The Great & Powerful Trixie does not recall that name." ~
~ Name: Applejack Age: 26 Occupation: Apple farmer
"I'm a might grateful y'all let me on the show. I just want to get some bits, have some fun and maybe make a few friends. The barn needs fixing again, but then again, it always does! I'm very trusting of other ponies and hate deception, which means I probably won't like ponies keeping secrets from each other. Even though that is the aim of the game. Heh." ~
"Oh, um, hello? Hi. I'm Fluttershy, and I really like animals. Oh?! I'm meant to say why I went on the show? Well, it's just that, um, Angel Bunny broke his leg and I really need the bits for his operation. I might be afraid of some things, but that doesn't mean I won't try my best, because that's what everypony should do." ~
~ Name: Pinkie Pie Age: 22 Occupation: Pastry Chef / Party Host
"Hi! Oh my gosh! Well, I wanted to join the show because it looked like fun! I mean, lots of challenges, intrigue, mystery, all of which I am amazing at! I've got my Sherlock mind on, because nothing slips past the Pie! No sirree, not a tidbit of tantalizing information will pass over this ponies head! Anyway, enough of the chit-chat yibber-yabber hullaboo! Let's get this thing started already!" ~
~ Name: Octavia Age: 30 Occupation: Cellist
"I'm the oldest to join this competition, which is quite strange, because I'm not that old. Anyway, I hope I might be able to bring a bit of class to the contest, you know? See if I can sort out these ruffians and organise them so we can all work together as a team. Just like a perfect symphony, if we want to get it exactly right, we all have to try our best, and correct those who aren't! In this case, The Mole..." ~
"Is this thing on? Yes. *ahem*. Hello, my name is Rarity, owner of Carousel Boutique, a lovely little dress shop in Ponyville, but we are about to hit the big time, so you should be seen wearing my designs! Now, onto the contest. It seemed like a marvelous idea when I heard of it! Why, winning bits for doing nothing other than simple challenges? It'll be a laugh! And ratting out this Mole character shan't be difficult, either. I can read ponies like a book, you know." ~
~ Name: Lyra Age: 25 Occupation: Musician
"Wow! I'm on TV! Hi mom! Hi dad! Hi future me, watching this when it airs! Anyway, coming on this will be great! I'll get my name out there and soon all the ponies will want to hear the marvelous melodies of Lyra and her Lyre. Winning all those bits will be sweet too, just think of what I could do with that much money! Anyway, being an adventurous pony I'm hoping that there's lots of cool challenges and stuff! That'd be...cool!" ~
"Greetings! My name is Twilight Sparkle, talking for the VT run for Television show, 'The Mole.'" ... "Too formal? Let me try it again. Hi there! I'm Twilight Sparkle and I'm so glad I got to be on this show. I love a good challenge, and this is a doozy. I know through extensive study how to spot and take track of a ponies body language, which should make it very easy to spot The Mole. I know that the bits are in the bag for this pony! Of course, I won't be behind on my studies! I've bought along my favourite books! In fact, they took up half my suitcase...I don't have many clothes..."
~ Name: Bon-Bon Age: 24 Occupation: Voice Actress
"Hi, I'm Bon-Bon, voice actress from little old Ponyville. Some of you might know me, but I doubt it. I'm not very prolific yet. Oh well. Anyway, my friend Lyra said I should apply for this show too. Anyway, it seems interesting, and I'm all up for earning a few extra bits. What harm can it do? A little competition is healthy for you right? As long as no-one cheats..." ... "Wait, the aim is someone has to cheat? Oh boy." ~
"And that's the lot! Sound like a right bunch of characters, don't they?" Carrot Top asked her co-host, who nodded in agreement.
"Yeah!" Derpy said, blinking at the monitor, her thoughts obviously plain and simple. There was an awkward silence until Carrot Top finally saw an advert break was due in a minute and sighed with relief the silence was over.
"Well, so now you know the characters, but we have to go to an advert break, so you go pop the kettle on and we'll be back in three! See you on the other side!"
"Welcome back to The Mole!" Derpy announced, giving a little jazz hooves action. Carrot Top nodded.
"When you were gone the contestants met each other and started to get to know everypony. Let's see what happened while you were away."
...
Rarity and Octavia found themselves having a gentle chat in one corner of the room. Being more sophisticated than some of the other contestants, they struck a chord immediately.
"Your mane is amazing, Rarity! How do you get it like that? Mine is just plain and black..." Octavia complimented the white unicorn, dragging a hoof through her ordinary-looking locks.
"Why, thank you, Octavia, Darling. Black is a wonderful colour and very in. But when is black not in? It's a classic!"
Rarity laughed at what she thought to be funny, but Octavia stood there, confused. Obviously, even if she was high society, she wasn't well aware of fashion.
Rarity:: Octavia is wonderful, she really is, and I think this a friendship that might prove to be useful in the contest! It's always good to have someone behind your back.
Trixie sat on a leather couch by herself. Considering most of the other ponies were from Ponyville they pretty much knew each other anyway. So she was the sore thumb left out, or so she felt, anyway. Besides, she told lies to all of Ponyville. They probably all hated her anyway. Letting out a deep sigh, she slumped back into the sofa further. To her surprise, a cream colored pony with blue and pink hair came and sat beside her, smiling.
"Nice get-up! Are you a magician?"
"The Great and Powerful Trixie is a magician of sorts, yes."
"Cool! So..is that your job?"
"Yes, I'm a travelling performer. I came to Ponyville once, don't you remember?"
"I can't say I remember your face."
Trixie:It may sound odd, but I was kind of pleased that this Bon-Bon character had forgotten about me. I could start on a new slate. Maybe she would make a nice friend.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie thinks, perhaps we could be friends." Trixie said, confidently as possible. Bon-Bon smiled gently.
"That would be wonderful. I have to say it seems as if you are the only one I don't know here. I'd love to get to know you better. Maybe we could form an alliance." Bon-Bon winked at her last word, causing Trixie to giggle lightly. There was something about Bon-Bon that put her at ease. She didn't feel like she had to be so uptight and act so majestically.
Suddenly, A loud knock on the door drew all conversation in the room to a halt. All eyes fell on the door to the greeting room, but when it creaked open, they say the two presenter ponies and smiled at them warmly.
Carrot Top and Derpy walked into the room, nodding at the contestants who awaited patiently for the two presenters to say something to give them an indication of their mission.
"Applejack. Bon-Bon. Fluttershy. Lyra. Rarity. Octavia. Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash. Trixie. Twilight. All 10 contestants...one of them not who they say they are...The Mole! The first challenge begins shortly! Could you please come with us?" Carrot Top asked politely, to which all contestants rose from their seats and trotted outside the door into the large parking lot, where something met their eyes that surprised all ponies.
"A Helicopter!" Rainbow shouted in glee, flapping her wings with excitement.
Everypony started chatting to each other, looking at the magnificent piece of equipment in front of them.
"These are expensive! I wonder what the challenge is?" Twilight asked nopony in particular, but everyone heard her and were reminded of the challenge ahead. There were bits to be won, and a Mole to be found!
"This challenge is called The Leap of Faith!" Derpy Hooves announced, waving her hooves in the air as she said the name. Rarity looked around anxiously. She knew exactly what this challenge would entail, but looking around, she noticed several other ponies were still clueless.
"We're taking you to a remote island off the coast of Southern Equestria in this helicopter! But the helicopter isn't going to land at this island..." Carrot Top continued, and those who hadn't dawned on the challenge yet, did now, with either glee or fear.
"You're going to have to jump off this helicopter into the sea below using a parachute!" Derpy called out, which was met with mixed responses from the small group of ponies, some good, some bad.
Pinkie Pie:Wow, a parachute jump! How cool is that? I mean, most ponies never get to do that kind of thing in their whole lives!! I didn't care about the other rules, I just wanted to jump in! Or would it be jump out? What do you think?!
Lyra:Hey, I'm game for a lot of things and consider myself adventurous, but I'm not one for heights. We'll just see how much bits it earns us and see what happens.
"Each pony that jumps adds 100 bits to the Team Pot. That means if you all jump, it's a hefty 1000 bits in the bag already. But if you don't jump, you have to pick somepony else to not receive their bags. You have 5 minutes to discuss a strategy. And good luck!" Carrot Top finished, leaving the 10 ponies stunned at all the information they had to take in.
An awkward silence broke out, but it caused a shrill loud noise in everyponies ears anyway. Twilight broke the deafening silence, being a good leader and also great with words. "Let's start this way. Who doesn't want to jump? It's okay, we won't be mad at you. It is a difficult thing to ask for." Twilight asked, to which Fluttershy, Bon-Bon, Rarity, and Octavia put their hooves up.
Fluttershy:I think everypony was expecting me not to do the jump. I mean, I know I'm a Pegasus, but it's not the heights that bother me. It's more the landing in the sea that scares me. All the sharks, rare as they are, could gobble up anypony in one bite!"
"Now who would be willing to give up their bags?" Twilight asked politely, to which Applejack sighed heavily.
"I don't really mind about my bags. Just a few ol' work duds, ain't nothin' really. I'll take this one for the team." Applejack said truthfully. Possessions didn't mean much to her, and the only article of clothing she wore most the time was on her head.
Seeing Applejack give up her bags, Rainbow also put a hoof in the air. "Yeah, I just got some sweaty workout clothes and a few bits of junk in there. The only thing I really care about in there is the Daring Do books, but I can live without those."
There was another ear-splitting silence. Everypony knew that 4 ponies not jumping and only 2 willing to give their bags didn't add up. But nopony else really seemed willing to give up their bags. Eventually, Rarity flicked a hoof through her hair and stomped a hoof.
"Very well. I shall give up my bags. Even though I spent hours packing, It's the least I can do." She said confidently, to which Pinkie Pie gasped.
"You can't can't CAN'T do that Rarity! You spent ages packing fancy pants stuff into your bag and you're going to give it up?" The party pony asked her friend, who nodded solemnly.
"Yes. It's not like the producers are going to keep it the whole show. They have to give me my clothes and possessions back at some point anyway. So, who else is going to give up their-"
"Time up! No more discussion on the matter, or it's a hefty penalty! And you wouldn't want to know what the penalty is, would you?" Carrot Top announced, to which the ponies shifted uncomfortably. Only 3 ponies had offered to give up their bags, and 4 weren't jumping, as far as they knew. So what was going to happen?
"All aboard!" Derpy shouted, sliding open the Helicopter doors, allowing ponies to pile into the large piece of machinery.Plush seats lined the walls, making it even grander than your regular helicopter. There was silence as the ponies struggled to think of a conversation piece that wouldn't be too awkward. No-one could think of anything, so many ponies resorted to making notes in their journals.
Octavia:I knew right now was the moment the contest began. The Mole always wants to cause disruption in the group, so that's what i'm looking out for. Anyone who stirs Horseradish will be in my bad books.
The helicopter blades span as the sky blue stallion pilot pulled some levers and pushed some buttons to operate the machine. Slowly lifting off the ground, ponies of a more nervous disposition fidgeted in their seats or clapped their hooves together in anticipation. Slowly climbing higher and higher, other more adventurous and less frightened ponies looked out of the window in excitement. A lot of them had never been this high before, let alone in a flying machine.
"So where do you think we'll be going?" Lyra asked, evidently worried from the steep rise of the helicopter. Trixie smiled. Being a traveller, she knew all about different places and the geography of Equestria. She was something of an expert.
"Well, they said an island on the southern coast of Equestria. That's islands like Haywaii. Really hot and tropical." She told everypony, who nodded with interest. Twilight formed a lopsided smile.
"Yes, we went there not so long ago. Didn't end out so well, did it, Pinkie Pie...?" Twilight glared at her friend. Last time they went there they made a narrow escape thanks to Twilights magic being strong enough to power a speedboat away from a very angry Wyvern Dragon.
Pinkie Pie smiled sheepishly, somehow burrowing herself inside Fluttershy's mane.
Twlight siddled up to Trixie and whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry about what happened in Ponyville. I wasn't trying to upstand you. I just wanted to save the town from the Ursa Minor. That's all it was. If I offended you in any way, I'm sorry."
Trixie waved a hoof, blinking rapidly. "The Great and Powerful Trixie beleives that is all in the past. Your words meant a lot to me in Ponyville. Trixie beleives that she was a bit arrogant back then...I think I may have turned a new leaf."
"I'm glad you came around, Trixie. Here's hoping we can be good friends. Maybe I can teach you some magic."
"Trixie thinks that would be wonderful."
The two magic ponies continued talking, obviously now one of them was slightly less boastful, they got on like a house on fire. Their talking relaxed the other ponies on the helicopter, and everypony began talking amongst eachother. It seemed that this was going to be a fun adventure, and for a while, everypony forgot all about The Mole. Except The Mole herself, who was feeling very pleased at where things were going.
A stallion co-pilot clambered back from the cockpit and into the main body of the helicopter, making eveypony stop talking and look up at him.
"I'll be your parachute instructor for today! You can call me Breezy." He told the mares, who listened intently on his every word. He explained to them the mechanics of the jump, what to do and the automatic opening mechanism, so they wouldn't have to worry about pulling a cord. He told them about what to do in an emergency, and then smiled, taking off his sunglasses.
"Who's first?"
Rainbow Dash shot up from her seat. "Me, please! Celestia, I just want to do it!" She shouted, grabbing a parachute pack and starting to strap herself up. Breezy helped her, and went through with her once again the processes of the jump. It seemed as if Rainbow wasn't listening but rather looknig out the open door at the blue sea below, tongue wagging like an ecstatic puppy.
"And once you're in the sea, make your way over to the boat immediately. Have fun!"
Rainbow Dash braced herself and leapt out of the aeroplane, screaming as she fell at increasing speeds. Suddenly there was a 'phoomp' sound as her parachute opened and she gently floated down into the sea. THe first parachute jump was over, and that was 100 bits in the Team Pot.
"Who's next?"
...
It was a little while later, and the only ponies left in the aircraft were Rarity, Fluttershy Bon-Bon, Lyra, and Octavia. Breezy glanced over to the five ponies, chuckling at Twilights crazed screaming as she plummeted towards the ocean. She might have been a bookish, slightly shy pony, but she was plucky and didn't say no to a challenge, especially when it helped others.
"Who's next?" He asked, and everypony glanced at Lyra, who shifted in her seat uncomfortably.
"Guys, I don't think I can do it..." She said, to which all the ponies looked at her in an annoyed fashion.
"Lyra, you were meant to jump. Why the sudden change of heart?" Bon-Bon asked, stroking her best friends mane softly with her hooves.
"It's a different thing when you're up here, isn't it? It's scarier..." Lyra whimpered. Rarity felt sympathy for the turquoise pony and sighed for what seemed like the 100th time.
"I shall jump then. It might mess up my mane, but if Lyra isn't up for it then it's not fair to say otherwise."
"Wow, Rarity, that's so brave of you." Fluttershy said, in relief. She didn't want an argument to spark up.
Rarity strapped herself in with some help from Breezy as Bon-Bon comforted Lyra.
Bon-Bon:As bad as I feel for Lyra, it does seem suspicious she would suddenly change her mind. So maybe she's The Mole? But it is risky to sabotage the first challenge. Or is it? Is it a double-bluff? Oh, all this thinking is making my head hurt.
Down below at the boat, Pinkie pointed up at the helicopter. "Look, here comes Lyra!" She shouted, grabbing the attention of the other 4 ponies on the boat.
"Wait a minute...That's a white pony...with purple hair...Rarity?!" Rainbow Dash shouted, squinting her eyes to make sure she was seeing right.
"What in tarnation? So Lyra ain't jumpin'?" Applejack asked, to which Trixie shook her head.
"We can't be certain. Maybe Rarity had a change of heart." She told everypony, as Rarity's parachute opened and she drifted slowly into the ocean. Her screams stopped as she surely made her way over to the boat with a determined look on her face. Climbing aboard the rope ladder, she shook her mane dry, her perfect curls ruined. She moaned, and held her limp mane up, a pout placed firmly on her face.
"What gives?" Rainbow asked her friend, who stomped a hoof on the floor.
"Lyra isn't jumping. She said it's different when you're up there, but I'm not sure about that. She showed no sign being afaid before, and then suddenly, she wouldn't jump." Rarity summed up, causing disruption amongst the group unintentionally.
"She lied! She lied to us! Rarity, if she sacrifices your bags, i'll be having words with her! I bet she's the Mole!" Pinkie Pie shouted, sticking up for her good friend for many years.
"Hang on a minute, we all have moments of weakness. I'm sure Lyra will understand that Rarity deserves her bags." Twilight sated, trying to be the one who patched everything up as usual. But the damage was already done. There was already tension in the group and the competition had barely started.
Twilight:Lyra didn't jump. But that doesn't mean she's The Mole. Pinkie Pie did seem awfully quick to shift the blame onto Lyra. And for all we know, Rarity jumped to make herself seem like the hero. But I could be wrong, and Lyra is The Mole. Maybe it could be somepony else altogether! This is really exciting!
"Look, the important thing is 6 of us jumped! 600 bits. How's that?" Trixie told everyone, and ponies seemed to calm down.
TEAM POT: 600 bits
"So, somepony here is going to have to lose their bags who didn't plan it." Applejack reminded, everyone, and they looked up at the Helicopter, flying toward the mainland to land and let the ponies off who didn't jump.
...
Four ponies stepped out of the helicopter into the city plaza where it had landed. Bon-Bon, Fluttershy, Lyra and Octavia took in the sights of the tropical city. It was beautiful, terracotta towers dotted evenly along the street, and a waterway flowed through the floor for no real reason other than decoration, however, some smaller ponies used it as a drinking fountain. They almost forgot about their mission, but a sight of a certain grey Pegasus snapped their attention back to the contest. Two familiar ponies greeted them with wide smiles. Carrot Top and Derpy Hooves had overtaken them at some point, reaching the island before they did. Nopony was sure how exactly they managed to, but they knew better than to question Derpy Hooves logic.
"So, four of you decided not to make the leap of faith. And now you have to pick four ponies who will not receive their bags." Carrot Top said mysteriously to the ponies, giving them an offhanded gaze, one eyebrow raised.
"We'll go in alfaber...alfabeht..." Derpy Hooves struggled to form the word.
"Alphabetical."
"Alphabetical order! That means Bon-Bon, you get to go first."
"Applejack." The cream pony said with no hesitation. She knew her fellow Earth Pony didn't mind if she didn't get her bags for a while.
Fluttershy flicked a stray hair back into place, knowing she was next.
"Rainbow Dash." She said, feeling as if she had betrayed her childhood friend, even though she had said herself that she didn't mind if her bags were taken away.
"Any reason why?" Carrot Top asked the yellow Pegasus, seeing her upset and thinking it would make good TV.
"She said she wouldn't mind if she didn't get her bags, so, um, that's it. I think she said that. Did she? Oh no, I hope she said it..." Fluttershy squeaked, to which Bon-Bon patted her on the back. "She did." She reassured, both of them turning to Lyra, whose turn it was right now.
"I pick...Trixie. Just because I don't know her very well. Nothing against her, I just had to pick somepony." Lyra stated, opting not to choose Rarity, even though she had offered, because she took up her jump, cutting Lyra some slack in the process. Octavia sighed deeply. She had to be last. This was tough. Who was she going to pick?
"Well, I'll pick Pinkie Pie. She did disrupt my band at the Gala. That was a big break for us, and she kind of ruined it." Octavia decided, everypony else nodding in agreement. She had to pick somepony, and if she had a choice, she would pick Lyra, but those that didn't jump automatically received their bags.
"So you have picked Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Trixie and Pinkie Pie to not receive their bags. That means Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and all of you four will receive their bags. Please follow us to your hotel." Carrot Top told the ponies, who nodded and silently followed the two presenters into a grand hotel.
The foyer was small for such a big building, green carpet with wood paneling for the walls, and an interesting yet slightly tacky ocean theme going on, with decorations such as dried out starfish and colourful shells adorning the walls. There was a pink unicorn pony with puffy white hair awaiting behind a counter, where ten bags lay, each labelled in a ponies name. Carrot Top whispered something to the check-in desk mare, who swiftly lifted four of the ten bags with a white glow magic and placed them in a cupboard behind the check in desk, locking the door with her magic as well. She smiled before resuming a blank expression.
"Welcome to the Green Grass Inn!" Derpy told the four ponies, who continued looking around until Carrot Top cleared her throat, which made them look back at the two presenting ponies.
"Here is where you and your fellow contestants will be staying. We're leaving, but when they arrive, talk to the pony behind the counter and she'll give you the keys to five rooms, each with two beds in. And I leave you with the motto of the Green Grass inn: The Grass is always Greener on the other side..." Carrot Top said, giving a wink to the ponies in a slightly strange way. The two presenter ponies left, leaving an air of mystery in the hotel lobby that even the strongest air freshener wouldn't be able to get rid of.
Fluttershy:So we had to share a room with somepony else. I hope we get to choose who we're with.
...
A few moments later, six more ponies burst into the hotel room, their hair still slightly damp, but otherwise looking good. Applejack sidled up to Lyra. "So we didn't jump, did we?"
"No, it's really scary up there. Sorry for letting the team down..." Lyra murmured, sounding genuinely upset about the ordeal. Applejack decided to lay off the matter for now. She obviously wasn't in the right condition to talk.
Pinkie dashed to the bag table.
"Cm'on, where's my bags! I need them!" She said, throwing bags left, right and center. Octavia trotted up to her side. "I chose you not to receive your bags. Is that alright...?"
Pinkie Pie frowned, her face twitching. It looked as if she was about to blow up and yell at Octavia, her face reddening and shaking violently, before she just suddenly, quite literally, stopped.
"Okie Dokie Lokie. I can get party supplies here, I guess." She said, hopping off, smiling happily. Octavia turned to face the others. "As well as Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, Trixie also did not receive her bags." She told everypony, who nodded, silence taking over the foyer once again.
"So what's the deal with the sleeping arrangements?" Rainbow piped up, and Octavia stood up, readying a response yet again.
"There's five rooms, each with two beds. So we have to share, basically." Octavia explained. "The check in desk pony has our keys." She said, remembering what Carrot Top had said.
Hearing this, the check-in desk mare pulled out five sets of keys; each numbered: 1a, 9a, 18b, 20a and 25b.
"So the rooms aren't all next to each other?" Rarity asked, "How dissapointing."
"How odd. I wonder if these numbers mean anything." Twilight asked herself, looking at the check-in pony for conformation.
"Not really. These are just spare rooms." She said in a nasal tone. "Except 25b is on the other side of the Hotel. It's actually a five minute walk to there." Twilight sighed and wondered why, wherever she went, receptionist ponies had a nasal tone. It was becoming all too common an occurrence.
"Dibs not having THAT room!" Rainbow and Pinkie shouted at the same time, before hoof-bumping each-other. "Great minds think alike!" They said at the same time, before pausing and then bursting into laughter. Everypony sighed at their crazy antics.
"Hey pinks, we can have room 1 together, if no-one else minds." Rainbow said, to which everypony shook their heads. Pinkie quickly grabbed the key and the pair dashed off to their room, leaving 8 more ponies and 4 keys.
"I don't mind having the room at the back, 25b, or whatever it was called." Applejack told everypony honestly.
"Me either." Twilight said, also honest with her intentions. It might be a nice bit of peace and quiet.
"Oh, actually, I kind of wanted that room. 25 is my lucky number." Lyra said, forming an odd grin on her face. Applejack and Twilight shrugged, accepting the fact Lyra could have the room if she wanted. They didn't know the pony very well, but who were they to question what she wanted?
"Bon-Bon? Wanna share?" Lyra asked her best friend, who nodded quietly, before the two of them trotted gently off to 25b, talking about the day ahead.
"I doubt any of us really mind where we end up, it's more a matter of who with." Trixie said, knowing nopony would really want to go with her.
"Well, I'll take 9a. Octavia, want to share with me?" Rarity asked her fellow high society pony, who nodded politely and the two of them made their way to their room.
"Oh, if it's no problem, can I go with Applejack?" Fluttershy asked, squeaking her last word. She didn't like telling other ponies what she wanted, she didn't want to come off as too assertive. Never again.
"No problem Sugarcube! Ah'm sure Twilight won't mind sharing with Trixie." Applejack winked at her purple friend, who nodded with understanding of the situation. Besides, she could take this opportunity to get to know Trixie better.
The four remaining ponies took their respective keys and went off to their rooms.
"Twilight, if it isn't so much trouble, could you teach me that teleportation spell of yours? It's sensational!" Trixie said, in an attempt to be friendly. It didn't turn out so bad, she thought.
"I'd love to teach you Trixie. But first, how much do you know about teleporting other objects? ..."
...
Meanwhile Lyra burst into 25b, finally having made her way there.
"Oh, there has to be something here!" Lyra shouted, digging underneath the bed sheets, looking for something frantically.
"What are you doing? Calm down, Lyra!" Bon-Bon said, walking over to her green friend and tapping her gently on the shoulder. "Now, tell me what's going on. You've seemed full of beans ever since you announced we were taking 25b."
"Didn't you get it? There was a massive clue! When Carrot Top left, what did she say?" Lyra asked her pale friend, who gave a confused look.
"Why is that important?"
"Just do it! What did she say?"
"She said the...motto of the hotel, I think. The grass is always greener on the other side. But still, that's hardly a clue." Bon-Bon said, still not exactly getting what Lyra was going on about. She tended to do things without explaining them a lot of the time.
"That's not all! What did the check-in desk mare say about 25b?"
"That...25b is on the other side of the hotel!" Bon-Bon said, finally getting what Lyra was banging on about. "So, you think there's a prize here?"
"Who knows? Help me look for something weird or out of place!" The turquoise pony told the cream, and they both started rummaging through drawers and under carpets, even checking behind pictures hung on the wall, until eventually, Lyra squealed in delight.
"Bon-Bon, get over here!" The blue and pink maned earth pony trotted over to the unicorn, who was holding two slips of pink paper. "I found them pinned to the door." Lyra told her friend, who was too busy reading the paper to notice what she was saying.
"Dear ponies," Bon-Bon read, "Congratulations! You picked up on the hint (or didn't, and this is sheer luck) and won an exemption! This means at the next elimination, you will be safe from going home and are guaranteed a place in the competition!" Bon-Bon said, laughing in delight. Lyra picked up the tickets with a faint green glow of magic, bounding up and down, before noticing some font on the other side.
"You must be aware that you can't tell anypony about these exemptions at all, even after they have been used. Tell somepony, and the whole team will face consequences." She read. Well, that put a dampener on her spirits. Bon-Bon laughed yet again.
"Still! We're guaranteed a place! How wonderful..." She said, the two of them talking about the competition.
~~~
That's it for part 1 of this weeks episode! Tune in next time for more challenges, mystery and intrigue!
Did you spot the clues to hint at the Moles identity last time? No? Maybe you should read over again, just to check....or maybe you shouldn't...Just remember, The Mole is always watching.
~
"Welcome back to The Mole!" Derpy said loudly, Carrot Top faced the camera and smiled suspiciously.
"So our contestants have already been thrown in at the deep end in this one, with a parachute jump and two exemptions won!" The orange maned pony announced, Derpy nodding to every word she said.
"That's right Carrot Top! And we aren't done yet! There's still a lot more tricks up our collective sleeve!" She continued on from Carrot Top, who turned away from the Pegasus towards the camera.
"There are still more challenges to be had, and more bits to be won! And of course, a Mole to be found." She said, turning back to Derpy for her line, who nodded in understanding, now being her to face the camera.
"Let's see what happened next."
~
After the ponies had gone to their rooms and unpacked their belongings, they discovered notes had been placed at the bottom of their bags to meet up in the town plaza within 2 hours, however, no directions had been provided as where the plaza was.
"Well, we can just wander about. You know, we have a little time." Octavia said to her new found friend, who nodded slowly in return. The two of them sauntered out the door, discussing the fine comforts that the two of them had left behind for this show.
Rarity:This show doesn't even allow a short while to compose ones self before they hurl you into another challenge. It's thrilling, but I'm used to working at a pace I find comfortable.
"Alright Pinkie Pie, lets get going! We can be first there!" Rainbow told the party pony.
"Yeah, Dashie! Oh, maybe there's a prize if we get there first! But how do we know where it is? There aren't any directions..."
Rainbow sighed and flapped her wings, giving a 'seriously' look to Pinkie Pie, who opened her mouth and cocked her head to the side in puzzlement, before she realized, her head jolting upwards and eyes wide open.
"Oh yeah."
Meanwhile, Twilight and Trixie left room 18, Twilight, not having many things to unpack and Trixie, of course, having none at all, they could leave their room pretty soon. The two of them bumped into Rarity and Octavia, who were slower walkers, and the four of them all decided to make their way to the plaza slowly.
Applejack, Fluttershy, Lyra and Bon-Bon had done the same themselves, thinking that going there slowly wouldn't be a problem. After all, there were two hours to get there and it shouldn't take that long. After all, they had seen the petite town from outside their bedroom windows and had seen it wasn't extremely big anyway. It might take around an hour to walk from one end to the other.
"I hope none of the challenges are too physically tasking..." Fluttershy whimpered, Bon-Bon nodding in agreement. "You and me both! I'm more of a thinker than a do-er." She told the yellow pony, who straightened herself up a bit, glad that somepony agreed with her. Applejack, on the other hand, grinned awkwardly and adjusted her hat.
Applejack: I ain't stupid, I just hate all these mind game sort'a things. Just give me a challenge where we have ta' push somethin', or use strength and I can really earn our team some good money.
Rainbow and Pinkie ran into the plaza, both looking for any sign of a challenge or the instantly recognizable Derpy or Carrot. But suddenly, they slowed to a halt and noticed how amazing the plaza really was. It was one of the most beautiful little sights they had ever seen. taking in the sights. There was a grand fountain where all the waterways flowed out from, with a statue depicting an Alicorn, most likely Celestia, and a very small Unicorn striking dramatic poses. Benches surrounded the statue and an assortment of cute little privately owned shops lined the terracotta walls. Even for two energetic ponies like Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, this was nothing like the 'common' Ponyville or even the 'elite' Canterlot. They both relaxed and looked right in front of them, soaking up the sights.
They didn't even notice the stallion right behind them, creeping towards them, bag in one hoof, duct tape in the other...
~
Eight ponies in total walked into the plaza, all of them taking in the same sights a Cyan and Pink mare had until recently been enjoying.
"Funny. I thought Rainbow and Pinkie would want to be here first." Twilight stated right away, scanning the area for the Elements of Laughter and Loyalty. Trixie tapped Twilight on the shoulder.
"Look over there."
"Where?"
"There, by the fountain. Look. There's those presenters!" Trixie pointed over towards the fountain, and sure enough, the two presenting ponies were standing atop the fountain, each of them making the same pose their respective concrete pony was striking. The eight mares charged towards the two of them, who held their pose.
"So what do we do now?" Lyra asked, and Carrot Top opened her mouth to talk;
"Listen closely, my dear friends, for we will not repeat this message when it ends."
Derpy now opened her mouth.
"The Pink and Blue have both been taken, to seek them out you cannot be mistaken."
Carrot Top now was the one who spoke.
"Go to the places close to your heart, Go alphabetically with your names, that's a start."
Derpy continued the message.
"You'll know what to do when you get there, but we'll give you a hint because we're fair."
Carrot Top followed on,
"Solve the riddles and gain the key, which will allow you to set your friends free."
Derpy concluded nicely,
You'll earn 20,000 bits when the task is complete, but doing this should be no easy feat."
The two ponies hopped down from the statue and calmly walked away, not saying one more word. Looks of general confusion were plastered on everyponies face, save a certain purple unicorn who was furiously scribbling notes.
"There! Well, off to find the Apple store!" She said, trotting off. She was jerked back by the tail with a blue tint of magic, belonging to Rarity.
"Twilight! Would you please explain this to us before running off on your little escapades. Not all of us are as smart as you are." Rarity told her friend, other ponies showing signs of agreement to the fashion pony, all of whom were just downright confused at the events that had just occurred.
"Oh right! Well, as soon as they said they wouldn't repeat their message, I started writing down word for word what they said in case it was important. Here, take a listen. Twilight cleared her throat, ready to recite the strange poem to the group.
"Listen closely, my dear friends, for we will not repeat this message when it ends - simple enough. This means they won't repeat the message for us once they're done." Twilight read out from her book, to which everypony nodded and smiled, grateful somepony was smart enough to take up notes.
"The Pink and Blue have both been taken, to seek them out you cannot be mistaken - I think they're trying to say Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash have been taken away from us, and we have to seek them out. That's the challenge. And the last part, that's saying we can't make a mistake or we won't get any prize money." The librarian continued, coughing and readying herself for the next statement.
"Go to the places close to your heart, Go alphabetically with your names, that's a start - I was stumped on this for a while, but I think i get it. We have to go to places, like, shops, that relate closely to what we hold close to our heart. I think it's to do with our cutie marks. The alphabetical part explains itself. That's why I wanted to go to the Apple store, because it's Applejack's cutie mark, and she's the first alphabetically."
Applejack grinned. "Yeah Twi, that does seem to make sense to me now. But what about the next bit? Somethin' about a key, right?"
"Solve the riddles and gain the key, which will allow you to set your friends free - Okay, this means when we get to the shops we'll be presented with riddles. I'm not great with them myself, but that's not important. Anyway, if we solve them all, I think we might get a key, which we can use to save Pinkie and Rainbow. They didn't tell us where, but maybe the riddles would hint as to where we find them." Twilight continued, her train of thought coming to a stop, causing a small gap in her explanation, which she quickly explained the last part to fill the void.
You'll earn 20,000 bits when the task is complete, but doing this should be no easy feat - This is just the prize money. Quite a lot, actually! But like they said, this will be a hard task. Any questions?"
The seven other ponies looked on at the smart pony in disbelief. How she had managed to decipher all of that from a few simple lines baffled many ponies, but everypony generally accepted she must be correct. She was a very bright mare, but such prowess was stunning to behold. It was apparent that a few ponies were skeptical of Twilight and her sensational skills.
Fluttershy:Um, I don't know about anypony else, but it seems suspicious to me that Twilight knew all of that so soon. After all, The Mole knows everything beforehand...she might be smart, but nopony could work that out so quickly...could they?
"Well, these apples on my flank ain't just regular apples! They represent my love for the Apple Family and all the hard work we do, and the fruits of our labour each year! We import Apples, so maybe we should be lookin' for someplace that stocks our goods." Applejack told the group, responding to Twilight's explanation of the cryptic message.
The other ponies all agreed with Applejack and started looking for something along the lines of a foreign food store in the plaza. After a 10 minute scan, none such kind of shop was found. Trixie hummed thoughtfully and removed her hat with her magic, fanning herself with it.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie thinks this is a waste of our time. This search has been entirely fruitless. Maybe we should be a little less specific?" She told everypony.
"No, we can't do that! We have to get this right, or the money just slips away from us! And we might not find the others!" Lyra told her fellow Unicorn. Trixie huffed.
"We weren't so fussed about losing money back on the helicopter, were we, Lyra? Sabotaging on the first mission, tsk, tsk, tsk." She practically growled. Lyra's jaw dropped open, as well as several other ponies.
"Well, at least i'm not a phony! Not like you, The Weak and Powerless Trixie! Remember that ursa Major you banished? Neither do I? Because it DIDN'T EXIST!" Lyra shouted, giving Trixie a hefty shove. Applejack stood herself between the two feuding ponies.
"Both of ya, stop it! Y'all are actin' like two little silly fillies! To get this challenge done and Pinkie and Rainbow saved, we gotta work as a team!" The orange pony told the two unicorns, who calmed themselves down, turning away from each other, pouts on their faces.
"You're right Lyra, we can't get this wrong, but Trixie is right too. Perhaps looking for Apple family apples is a little too specific..." Rarity suggested, Fluttershy showing signs of agreement.
"Yes. My cutie mark shows my unrequited love for caring for animals and the bond I share with them. There isn't a shop like that, but there is a pet shop." The yellow Pegasus told everypony, who couldn't help but agree.
"Well, there's a grocer selling apples like the ones on your flank over there." Bon-Bon said, pointing first at Applejack, and then at a small grocery store that looked like it stocked an assortment of different fruit and vegetables.
The eight ponies trotted over to the grocers, Rarity opening the door with her magic and standing aside to allow the other seven ponies to tumble into the shop. They immediately started looking round for any kind of clues that might lead to a riddle. A cheer from somewhere within the shop made all other ponies run towards the source of the sound. It was Lyra, who had found three perfectly red apples resting on a table, along with a small strip of paper that had intricate writing on it.
"Go on then, read it out!" Bon-Bon said excitedly, other ponies peeping over her shoulder to try and get a look in at the riddle.
"Round as an apple, light as a pegasi feather, but all of Celestia's guards couldn't hold it together. What is it?" Lyra repeated from the card. Fluttershy jolted up, snatching the piece of paper from Lyra's grasp of magic.
"A Bubble! It's a bubble! It's really round, and really light, but if you try to hold it, it just pops!" Fluttershy squeaked, in a manner that was extremely unlike her. Afterwards, she realised how brash she had been and a few bangs of hair drifted slowly over her face. "I mean, I think that's right...?" She said, to which Applejack rubbed her head in a playful manner.
"Yeah, that's gotta be it! What do ya say folks?" Applejack reassured Fluttershy, and then asked the small group, to which they all agreed it must be correct. Twilight sighed and put a hoof to her chin, her back two legs stamping up and down.
"But what now?" She asked, to which there was an awkward silence. Octavia suddenly spoke up.
"Perhaps we should ask the shopkeeper. They would know if their shop is being used for something like this." Octavia suggested, but Trixie was already at the counter, asking about the riddle. After what seemed like a short conversation, Trixie returned.
"8." She told the group, who looked confused in return.
"And what in the hay is that supposed to mean?" Applejack spoke for everypony else. Trixie flicked a loose strand of hair and pulled it underneath her magicians hat.
"How is Trixie supposed to know? I told the guy we thought the answer was 'A Bubble', and he said that was right, then told me the number 8. So what does that mean?" Trixie asked the group, who all looked at Twilight for an answer of some kind. She had worked miracles on this task before.
"Why are you all looking at me?" She responded, "I don't know what that means."
"Trixie believes we should note the number down and save it just in case it turns out to be important." Trixie said to everypony, a faint glow of pink magic surrounding her notebook and quill, jotting down the number '8'. She made a few other notes in her book as well, before slamming the book shut.
Trixie: As much as I appreciate mine and Twilight Sparkles friendship, it seems awfully convenient she only 'gets' things at certain times, and is clueless at others.
"I guess it's me next." Bon-Bon announced. "My cutie mark is three throat lozenges, actually. Being a voice actress is tough work, and I have to take a lot of these." She continued, looking fondly at her cutie mark, reminiscing how she got it and discovered her own special talent.
"You're a Voice Actress? Can you do me?" Rarity asked politely, seemingly interested in Bon-Bon's talent. Bon-Bon nodded, and closed her eyes for a while, getting into the character. Suddenly, she opened them and assumed a shocked expression.
"Of all the worst things that could happen, this is... THE WORST POSSIBLE THING!" Bon-Bon said in a near-perfect imitation of Rarity. Everypony stifled their laughter, before becoming unable to do so anymore, and guffawing out loud. The White Unicorn blushed. She had been using that phrase a lot less after her friends had told her she was over exaggerating too much, however the phrase did slip out of her mouth every now and then. Although she was a little peeved, she had asked for the impression and was glad Bon-Bon didn't hold back.
"All that said and done, we should make our way to like, a medicine shop." Applejack told the group.
"A Pharmacist, darling." Bon-Bon continued, still mimicking Rarity, before covering her mouth. "Sorry. I really get into characters sometimes." She told the group in her normal voice, chuckling.
The eight ponies laughed with the slightly eccentric pony as they made their way to the pharmacist. As they walked in the small shop, they immediately saw a table proudly displaying three blue and yellow striped sweets. It was much easier, as the grocers was bigger than the relatively small pharmacy. Octavia waltzed over to the table, reaching it first. She coughed and picked up the piece of paper, studying it carefully, pulling a perplexed face.
"This one is a little harder. I'm green when you have me. I'm red when you eat me. I'm white when you've finished eating me. And I'm Black when you spit me out."
The eight ponies pondered this for a while, before Lyra spoke up.
"Well, it's a food, probably a fruit of some kind. 'Cuz you spit out the seeds." The turquoise unicorn informed everypony, who had to agree. They didn't have much else to go off. Applejack was now the one to speak.
"Well, what fruits have seeds or pips or whatever? Apples, oranges, Cherries, Peaches... None of them sound right." The orchard pony listed a few fruits in hopes of stumbling on the correct one. All the other ponies decided to do the same, however in their head. After a few minutes of the ponies standing around, Twilight's eyes began to shine.
"Watermelon! The 'skin' is green, the flesh is red, turning into white at the bottom which you don't eat. And you spit out the black pips." She said, everyone giving her odd looks. How she had managed to solve this one and not the last put her on everyponies books. Twilight saw this suspicion in everyponies elses eyes and gasped.
"You don't think I'm the...I'm not! I swear!" Twilight frantically informed everypony, who smiled awkwardly.
Rarity decided to stick up for her friend. "Honestly, I thought we were all respectable mares. It's a bit early to accuse anyone! We need to stop forming petty coos against ponies who haven't yet done anything wrong. What's important is that Twilight is right. Let's go see what the pharmacist mare has to say." She said, silencing, and in some cases, strengthening everyponies fears or doubts of Twilight Sparkle, at least, for now.
Twilight Sparkle:I'm so glad Rarity did that for me. I have a really bad habit of rubbing ponies up the wrong way. When I first came to Ponyville, everypony thought I was a spy."
Rarity went back over to group, having told the pharmacist 'Watermelon'. Smiling, she pronounced, "1."
Trixie re-opened her journal and wrote the number after the '8' she had written previously. "We just have to keep going like this. Fluttershy, you're next."
"I guess we have to go to a pet shop." Fluttershy told the group, fondly looking at her own cutie mark.
The eight ponies made their way over to the only pet shop they could find. After looking around for a while, Fluttershy managed to find a glass cage that had three pink butterflies flitting around inside, a small strip of paper attached to the side. Clearing her throat, the yellow Pegasus read;
"I have forests, but no trees, I have lakes and rivers, but no water, and I have roads, but no carts. What Am I?"
Applejack gasped. "Applebloom tricked me with this blighter just two weeks ago! It's a map, Ah'm sure of it. Like, there are pictures of all'a those things, but the stuff they're made of aren't actually there." She told the rest of the group. The way she was so certain in her answer convinced everypony else she had to be right. Being the one who had provided the answer, Applejack went up to the counter and told the answer to the mare behind the desk.
Walking back, Applejack was smiling. "Another number, sugarcubes. 4."
Trixie, yet again, jotted down the number next to the others. "8, 1, 4. Hmm. Trixie thinks this could possibly be a code of some sort." She informed the group of her opinions.
"That sounds about right." Octavia agreed to Trixie's suggestion. "Maybe it's a code for unlocking something that might release Pinkie and Rainbow." She added onto the magician ponies theory. Everypony agreed with this as well. The rate they were getting through these riddles, Pinkie and Rainbow would be free in no time - and the bits would be theirs!
"Okay, we have to go to a musical instrument shop." Lyra told the others, stopping their train of thought about what the numbers could possibly mean.
On their way, Fluttershy swished her tail side to side, noticeably so. Seeing her agitation, Applejack decided to see if anything was the matter.
"You okay, hon?" Applejack asked her roommate. Fluttershy sighed in response.
"Is there a time limit to this? We seem to be taking quite a while." She told her friend. Twilight, overhearing this, also turned to face the timid pony.
"They never mentioned a time limit...all we can do is keep doing what we're doing. Look, we're here." Twilight pointed a hoof towards the musical instrument shop that stood before the eight contestants. It was going to be a long time before they would manage to save their friends.
~
It was a long while later and the tropical Island Sun was beginning to set, only a few rays of orange, yellow and red light peeking through and reaching Equestria. After having visited many shops, and solving many riddles, they had gotten all of them correct so far, and had a seven-long number code: 8141920. It was now the turn of Twilight Sparkle, the last pony in alphabetical order and the smartest of the group. All leaned to her in anticipation. This was the moment. It was time for the 20,000 bits to be won, and for Rainbow and Pinkie to be saved!
"So where do we go now?" Bon-Bon asked.
"Even I'm not sure where we're meant to go." Twilight told the group, who turned to face her in shock.
"But your cutie mark is showcasing your magical prowess! Surely we just...go in a magic shop." Rarity told her friend, who shook her head dramatically side to side.
"But we did that for Trixie, remember? We went in that Magical spell shop and answered the riddle, gaining the number '0'." Twilight told her friend, who hummed thoughtfully.
"Well, it never said in the riddle it had to be a shop. It said places." Rarity told her friend, who stood up bolt upright in realization.
"Rarity, you're a genius!" Twilight thanked her friend, running off toward the statue in the center of the square. She glanced at it, laughing. "Look! Doesn't that look like Celestia to you? And that small Unicorn, she's kind of like me...except her mane is a bit messy...and her concrete nose has fallen off...anyway, that's not the point! This is pretty much a lookalike of the scene where I got my cutie mark." Twilight told the group.
Applejack patted her friend on the back. "Well done Twi! Now, where's that riddle?"
Silence took over the group. It was deafening and completely silent at the same time.
"Maybe on the plinth?" Lyra suggested, gesturing towards the metal sign that lay beneath the statue. Silence being her only answer, Lyra decided to read it out anyway.
"Some words are faded out...This statue de--c-- the two pri--c--s, wiel--ng M-gic a-d the o--er ---- Elements of ---mony: L--alty, Kin-ness, Ho-e--y, Generosity and La--hter." She read as best as she could. "Well that didn't seem to make any sense anyway. It's not a riddle, that's for sure. There's also some padlock thing here, but that doesn't mean anything."
Clutching at straws, the group decided to search the statue.
"No! Did we get this one wrong...did we...lose?" Fluttershy asked, before Twilight's eyes yet again shone, jumping up on two legs.
"5! It's Five! That's the number!" The purple pony yelled out.
The group gave her yet another 'Elaborate, please,' look and she sheepishly retracted down back to her normal four-leg stance. "Sorry," Twilight said, "But I just figured it out. On the plinth, a number is missing. It says they used M-gic a-d the o--er ---- Elements. That blank right before 'Elements' must be a number! And, if we forget Magic, which has already been mentioned, how many are there left?"
"Five!" The group yelled out in triumph. Trixie made her final note in her journal.
"81419205. That's it! But, uh, what now? Wasn't there a mention of a key?" She reminded the group, and just as their hopes were up, they were instantly put down again by the blue mare.
"Wait a minute...wasn't there a padlock, right here, on the plinth?" Octavia asked the group, who all crowded round to take a look at the riddle that they had just solved.
"Fabulous! It is! And right next to it, look! There's a padlock, where you can input...one, two....EIGHT numbers! Quick, Trixie! Put the numbers in!" Rarity yelled in excitement. Trixie slowly but surely input the numbers they had gained from solving the last eight riddles, 8, 1, 4, 1, 9, 2, 0, and 5.
KER-Klunk
The padlock became undone. Hoof-bumps were exchanged all around. This had to be it! They had won! Slowly pushing down on the plinth, it swung open, revealing a small room, presumably maintenance for the fountain.
"Finally! Jeez, you guys sure took your time!" a familiar voice sounded.
"Rainbow Dash! I'm so glad you're safe!" Fluttershy told her long time friend, before looking around. "Where's Pinkie Pie?" She asked.
"Behind you, silly!" Came a response, and sure enough, right behind everypony, was the eccentric yet lovable Pinkie Pie. "Now cm'on! Group Hug time!" Pinkie shouted, and nopony could disagree to the notion! After all, they had recovered two good friends, and won a lot of money for the Team Pot. The hug disbanded and Bon-Bon realised the two kidnapped ponies didn't know about the prize money.
"Oh yeah, Rainbow, Pinkie, we win 20,000 bits for the Team Pot now you're rescued!" Bon-Bon told the two until recently abductees, who nodded in response.
"Yeah, we already knew that! So adding on from the last task, we have 20,600 bits!" Rainbow told the group, who unanimously decided this was cause for another group hug. Suddenly, a shadow cast over the group from above the small maintenance room, causing all ten ponies, reunited, to look up and see what was causing it.
"Congratulations, my little ponies! You won the challenge!" Derpy reinforced what they had figured out already.
TEAM POT 20,600 bits
"For now, you should go and catch up on your sleep. Goodnight!" Carrot Top told the contestants, who started to clamber out of the small room and make their way to The Green Grass Inn, plum tuckered after today's activities.
"Oh, and one more thing!" The yellow Earth Pony announced, causing all 10 contestants to turn around.
"You'll take a quiz tonight, before you go to bed. And the one who answers the least questions correctly will be leaving this competition."
~
The Mole is still at large...and the next eliminations are right around the corner. Who will go? Keep in mind, Bon-Bon and Lyra are safe, thanks to their exemptions...tune in next time to see who will be leaving us...
So now the time has come for one pony to leave the competition...but did you pick up on some hints, last time, that could link to the Moles true Identity?
~
"I can't believe it! A quiz?" Rainbow Dash shouted angrily, inches away from Carrot Top's face. The presenter pony grimaced and held her posture.
"This quiz will determine how much knowledge you have about The Mole. The one that has figured out the least by now, will be forced to go home and leave the contest." She told the Rainbow maned pony. Retreating, Rainbow went back and formed a long line before Derpy Hooves and Carrot Top.
"Come with us." Derpy told the group, and the other ponies had no choice other than to follow the two presenters.
Pinkie Pie:Luckily for me, I already have some ideas as to who The Mole is...that's because I had my detective hat on the whole game!
Being led to a small building, the ten contestants huddled inside to find themselves in a long corridor with ten doors, one for each of them. Carrot Top cleared her throat, drawing attention away from the doors and back to her.
"The quiz will have 10 questions. You answer each of them, and when finished, drop the finished paper into the slot provided. The answers will be counted and those who got them correct will be allowed out of their rooms. All will become clear when you enter the room. Good Luck, My Little ponies." She told them, and the ten contestants silently made their way into their rooms.
~
Question 1: Is The Mole an Earth Pony, Pegasus, or a Unicorn?
Lyra:I already have an exemption, but I should still try my hardest on this quiz. The Mole, In my opinion, is probably a Unicorn.
~
Question 2: What is the Moles job?
Twilight Sparkle:Oh, I never learnt their job...well, it must have something to do with their cutie mark...lets see...she must be a musician of sorts...
~
Question 3: Did The Mole jump during the 'Leap of Faith' Challenge?
Applejack:Yes, they did, matter of factually. But that doesn't suit her, not in the slightest.
~
Question 4: Did The Mole receive their baggage during the 'Leap of Faith' Challenge?
Rainbow Dash:No, they didn't, but they should have. I can't believe that Lyra!
~
Question 5: What room number is The Mole staying in?
Trixie:Room 1a. Luckily, I was the last to get a room, so I know where everypony went....not all ponies will.
~
Question 6: Who is The Mole sharing a room with?
Rarity:Well, this one is easy as Pinkie Pie! No, that's not my answer, just a saying, just a saying...
~
Question 7: Was The Mole a pony who was abducted during the 'Riddleknappers' challenge?
Pinkie Pie:Well, no, obviously. I know it's not Dashie! Or is it? She did seem pretty lax about the whole kidnapping business...
~
Question 8: What is The Mole's Cutie Mark?
Bon-Bon:Well, this one's easy. I feel so relaxed knowing I get a free ride through this. It's those sparkles. Like her name.
~
Question 9: Is The Mole a resident of Ponyville?
Fluttershy:Yes. Bon-Bon, I'm so sorry...you're nothing but nice, and that's suspicious...oh, but that's what I'm like! Time to toughen up, Fluttershy!
~
Question 10: Who is The Mole?
Octavia:It's either Applejack, Lyra or Rarity...I'll just go with my gut instinct.
~
Finishing the quiz, the ten contestants placed their forms into a small slot in the side of the wall. The last pony handed their quiz in, causing all ten doors to swing open dramatically. Silently, the ten ponies walked out of their rooms and back into the long corridor, exchanging long, heavy glances at each other.
"Cheer up!" Derpy said in her usual bubbly manner. It normally would have brightened up the ten contestants, but the fact someone had to leave so quickly was stressing, to say the least. Carrot Top cleared her throat, a signature sign of hers that she should be paid some attention.
"Please follow me." She said solemnly, the ten contestants piling behind the presenter in a messy single file line.
They were led into a small room with a computer displaying only a blank screen.
"Welcome to your first elimination! Exciting, isn't it?" Carrot Top asked the contestants, however, she only got awkward shuffling in response. "Well, anyway," She continued, "I'll type in your names onto this computer here," Carrot Top now paused in her speech to signal to the said computer. "If the screen goes green; you have passed the quiz! If, however, this screen goes red...you are the one that knows the least about The Mole, and must leave the contest."
Derpy Hooves now smiled, obviously having practiced this line. "Obviously, The Mole knows the most about themselves, so they will stay every round. Obviously." She said, managing to get a few laughs from the contestants. They relaxed a little. "We start from the left, going all the way to the right." She said, turning to the far left of the room. Fluttershy stood there, cowering.
Carrot proceeded to type in her name.
F-L-U-T-T-E-R-S-H-Y
GREEN
The Yellow Pegasus exhaled in relief, plonking herself down on the floor. "Bon-Bon." Carrot turned to the next pony.
B-O-N - B-O-N
GREEN
Bon-Bon sighed, feigning relief. She had to keep up the act of pretending not to have an exemption. "Pinkie Pie."
P-I-N-K-I-E P-I-E
GREEN
"OH YEAH! I knew I was right!" Pinkie started performing a victory dance, getting strange and bemused looks from the other nine ponies. It was Rarity's turn next. She held her breath.
R-A-R-I-T-Y
GREEN
She let go of her breath, trotting on the spot to relieve some of the pent up anticipation. "Octavia." Carrot Top announced, proceeding to type in the Cellists name.
O-C-T-A-V-I-A
RED
Octavia simply hung her head in shame. Ponies looked on at her aghast. Octavia was one of the smartest ponies in the competition! How had she been knocked out so quickly? This was the train of thought each pony possessed.
"Octavia, you have failed the test. You must leave immediately." Carrot Top said seriously. Octavia nodded slowly and walked towards the door, turning around slowly before opening it.
"Bye..." She whimpered, limply waving a hoof. This was a different Octavia than what the other ponies knew. Leaving the room, just like that, Octavia was gone. Only faces of shock and sadness remained plastered on the other contestants faces.
"I can't believe it. I thought she'd be there till the very end." Twilight told the rest of the group, being the first to say something. "She was so calm, so organized...she kept this group together." Rainbow said slowly, feeling attached to the pony she had barely even known.
"Nine remain. Sadly, The Mole has taken their first victim." Carrot Top said. "You can return to your Hotel now. Sleep tight, don't let The Mole bite, because you have a big day tomorrow..."
~
And so, with Octavia gone, and Episode 1 over, nine remain in the fight to win the money and discover who The Mole is. Who is The Mole among the eight contestants?
It was the next day after the elimination, and the nine remaining ponies were enjoying breakfast in the hotel. Applejack mushed her oatmeal around with her spoon.
"Gosh darn it, y'all. I just didn't know eliminations would have such a big impact on me." She told the rest of the group, getting nods in agreement back. Pinkie peered over Applejack's bowl. Looking down at the bowl then back up to Applejack a few times, Pinkie grinned widely.
"Ya gonna eat that?" She asked in a perky tone. Applejack shrugged. Pinkie took this as a yes and scooped the bowl away from her fellow Earth Pony, before burrowing her face in it, eating sloppily. Rarity recoiled in disgust.
"Really, Pinkie. Ponies invented spoons for a reason, so use them!" The white unicorn stated, levitating a napkin over to Pinkie's face and giving her a good scrub. Pinkie blushed, although it was barely noticeable due to her already bright pink coat.
Bon-Bon polished off her savory muffin and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I wonder what sort of challenges they'll have us doing today?" She asked to anyone who would reply. Getting nothing, she continued her sentence, "I mean, they'll only get harder as time goes on, won't they?"
"That is something for us to know and for you to find out." Came a familiar voice. The 9 ponies spun around to face Carrot Top and Derpy Hooves, the two (in)famous presenters for this show. "It seems as if you've had a good breakfast. Which is good, because your challenge starts very soon." Derpy said, to which there were mixed reactions from the ponies.
Pinkie Pie: I missed out on the challenge yesterday, so I'm glad I'll finally get to do another task! Pinkie Pie, reporting for duty!
"This task is called Chinese Mimes. It's a lot like the game Chinese whispers, but, as it implies, you will be doing actions instead of speaking. And instead of being very close together, you will be spread through the town." Carrot Top told them. Ponies exchanged confused looks, to which Derpy shook her head.
"All will become clear soon. For now, I ask you follow us to the Town Square." She told the rest of the group, who finished their mouthfuls of food and followed the two presenters to the town square.
~~
"This task is called Chinese Mimes!" Derpy Hooves announced when they arrived at the town square.
"You said that already." Trixie told them. Derpy ignored her and carried on speaking.
"Each of you will go to a different location in town. Now, I'll go along the line and tell you where you have to go. Number 1 in the line will stay here, so that's Twilight."
"And then," Carrot Top continued, "Rainbow Dash will go outside the library. Bon-Bon will go to the grocers, and Lyra here will go to the Green Grass Hotel..." Carrot Top continued, telling each pony where they had to go.
"Twilight here will go to Rainbow Dash and perform an action that we tell her to do. Rainbow Dash will then go to Bon-Bon and repeat the same action. This continues until you reach the last pony in the line - Fluttershy, who will wait by the fountain." Carrot Top continued, carefully explaining the rules to make sure everypony understood them.
"And this task is called Chinese Mimes, so if we catch any talking, then the challenge is over and you won't get any prize money.
"That's a point. How many points is this challenge worth?" Rainbow asked.
"5000 bits." Carrot Top answered swiftly.
"So, go to your destinations, and await your friends! Feel free to amuse yourself at the location, but if you leave it, then I'm afraid the challenge is over!" Derpy told them sternly.
Trixie:We did so well yesterday. I think we're gonna do great today as well. Whoever the Mole is isn't doing a great job! Honestly, if I was her, there wouldn't be a single bit in that Team Pot! Ha!
~~
"Okay Twilight, everyone is in place. The action you have to perform is...making a sandwich!" Derpy Hooves told her. Twilight stood there for an instant, before running towards the direction of the library.
'I normally make food and the like with my magic, but I can't act stuff like that out. I'll just have to be as obvious as possible when it comes to this.' Twilight thought to herself, turning a corner to find herself at the library, where a bored looking Rainbow Dash sat on a bench. Twilight walked over and tapped her on the shoulder. Rainbow saw Twilight and nodded, confirming she was ready for the action, whatever it was.
Slowly but surely, Twilight lifted her hoof up and put it down again, stopping suddenly in mid-air. then, with her hoof, she made spreading actions where she had stopped her hoof previously. Rainbow nodded, starting to get it but still focused. Twilight then repeated her first action, following on to pretend to pick something up and took a very obvious bite out of it.
Rainbow Dash:She was making a sandwich! She did a great job of it as well. This challenge is in the bag for sure...
Twilight watched as Rainbow ran off towards the grocers. What did she do now? Could she talk? What was she meant to do in a giant library?
Twilight's mouth opened, and she let out a small giggle. She trotted into the library, ready to do some serious reading.
Rainbow Dash sped towards the grocers at high speed, slowing down and stopping just before a cart of oranges. She spied Bon-Bon quickly and trotted up to her, Bon-Bon standing up straighter as a sign she was ready for the action. Repeating what Twilight did earlier, Rainbow made the distinct movements: hoof up, then down, spreading action, up and down again, take a bite. She nodded at the end to check if her fellow contestant had picked up what the action was, and she got a nod in return. That was enough, and the rainbow maned pony sat on the floor in relief of doing her part successfully.
Bon-Bon smiled and waved goodbye to Rainbow, making her way back to the Hotel where Lyra awaited her. She went at a leisurely pace, aware of the fact that she had some time. She decided to take in some of the scenery.
Bon-Bon:If a challenge pops up that requires knowledge of street names around this place, I'd be good at that. I'm pretty good with memory and I've already got a few locations and routes to locations in my head.
Noticing she was nearing her destination, she stopped thinking of the island and thought of the task at hand. Rainbow Dash had made those distinct movements...she could remember what they were exactly, but what she was trying to do...no idea. All she could do was repeat the actions and hope for the best.
After greeting Lyra with an off smile, Bon-Bon cleared her throat and began miming what Rainbow Dash had done earlier. She made the very precise hoof movements up & down, before the 'spreading' motion and then the hoof movement once more, before lifting it up and putting it towards her face. Lyra grinned wildly, nodding to show she understood what was being told to her. Bon-Bon nodded in return, before entering the hotel. She might as well relax a little before the next mission starts.
Lyra made her way to the lighthouse, on the lookout for the distinctive white coat and purple mane that made up Rarity. Arriving at the destination, she couldn't spot Rarity anywhere she looked. She didn't leave the location, did she? Lyra began to doubt herself, wondering if she'd gotten the destination wrong or something. She must have done, because Rarity wouldn't just leave like that...
Lyra looked all around the Lighthouse, before finally looking onto the beach right next to it, where sat a white unicorn, sunning herself on the sand. Lyra jumped down onto the beach and shook the Unicorns shoulders, causing her hat to fall of her head. Grumpily picking it back up and putting it back on, Rarity opened her mouth to say a few choice words, but stopped herself, remembering the challenge.
Lyra frowned at Rarity, pointing at her making a confused face, trying to express her confusement and dismay. Rarity began to mimic these actions, much to Lyra's shock. Did she think this was the actions? Lyra, wanting to backtrack, shook her hooves and head frantically, making a shocked expression. To her dismay, Rarity copied her movements exactly. Lyra face-hoofed and decided all she could do was complete the actions. She made the up down motion just as Bon-Bon had done before, before the 'spreading' action, and the biting. Rarity followed Suit and, without waving goodbye, cantered off to the next location, leaving Lyra on the beach feeling like she'd done a terrible job.
It wasn't too far away from the market square where Pinkie Pie awaited the arrival of her friend Rarity. When she did arrive, Rarity went straight to the actions, pointing at Pinkie angrily in an overly dramatic manner. Of course, she wanted to show off her fine acting skills! Suddenly, she adopted a worried look and shook her hooves and head firmly from side to side, hair flicking back and forth as she did so. Finally, she finished with an array of up-down motions with her hooves, as well as side to side. Pinkie stared at her friend.
Pinkie Pie:I had no idea what in the hoof Rarity was meant to be doing. That's what she normally says about me...do I act that weird all the time?
Finishing with a biting motion, Rarity sat down on the floor, signalling a job well done. Pinkie slowly rethought what had just occurred and went on her way to the next location.
~~~
Several moments later, Pinkie arrived at the park where Applejack awaited her. Applejack took off her hat as a way of saying hello, and Pinkie went to do the same, before realizing she wasn't wearing one, almost laughing at herself in the process.
Applejack pulled a disgruntled face and tapped the ground to remind Pinkie of the task. Pinkie thought hard and tried to remember what Rarity had done. She remembered the actions, but they seemed...random. Oh well. She'd do her best! Pinkie started with the angry point, moving into the worried head shaking, and ending with the hoof movements. While they were accurate, they were much faster and closer together than Rarity had performed them earlier. It almost looked like she was challenging someone to a fight, and then proceeding to fight them.
At least, this is what Applejack thought of the situation in her head, as she made her way to the florists, and Trixie.
~
'That was...weird' is what Trixie thought as she made her way back to the Plaza, where Fluttershy, the final pony, should be waiting for her. Applejack had seemed to make motions that depicted a fight taking place, with bucking kicks and hoof punches thrown into the mix. Weird as it was, it was all Trixie had to go off, so as she approached the Plaza, she greeted Fluttershy with a small smile and starting performing. This is what she did best.
She starting with the distinct point. She decided to add a smirk in there as well. This was a vital part in the composition as it signified the 'challenge'. She then did the worried head shaking, making as dramatic movements as possible. It was all too easy. Fluttershy seemed to be nodding in understanding. Trixie finished off with a few fake punches and kicks, even throwing in a few bites as she had remembered Applejack doing a few of those as well.
Performance completed, Trixie sat down on the floor just as Rarity had done. Fluttershy tilted her head, wondering if this was part of the act, but thought against it. At least she got away with having to act anything out. She wasn't much of a good actor and if she had tried to do that, it would have been awfully unconvincing. It was a fight scene, or at least, that's what Fluttershy knew her answer was going to be to Carrot Top and Derpy Hooves, the two ponies who awaited her on the other side of the plaza, where the challenge had begun.
"You can talk now, Fluttershy. So tell us, what do you think Trixie was trying to do there?" Derpy asked, to which Fluttershy took a sharp intake of breath.
"Was it...a fight scene?" Fluttershy asked, barely managing to form the words in the case they were wrong.
Carrot Top winced. "I'm afraid Fluttershy, that is wrong. The correct answer would have been 'making a sandwich.'"
Fluttershy made a face that can only be described as one of confusement, anger and a little bit of hilarity. How could 'making a sandwich' fit the description of what Trixie had just done?! It couldn't have! Something had either gone spectacularly wrong, or there was some serious mole-ing going on...
~~~
And so the task draws to a close, with nothing gained but a very confused and suspecting Fluttershy. See how the other ponies react next time, and see what challenge awaits the ponies next time in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - The Mole!
