Lance and Remy opened the door to a hallway which extended to both the left and the right, its walls decorated in the same yellowing white as the foyer’s. On the wall hung paintings, interspersed with pedestals topped with busts of old stallions, each painting and bust depicting a different figure.
“Hallway looks clear,” Lance said quietly.
“Wait a minute…” Remy said, trotting down towards the right end of the hall. “The tracks, they…”
Lance walked over to her side and saw that the muddy hoofprints turned into a wall and ended. As if the pony that had left them had just… vanished.
“Could be that the mud was all gone from their hooves at this point.” Lance suggested.
“I guess,” Remy replied, but she was sure that wasn’t the case.
“Hey,” Lance asked. “I’m sorry about snapping at you back there.”
Remy smiled and gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, really, we’re all under a lot of stress.”
“Thanks Remy,” Lance replied before adding “It’s just, if we die here I want to be on good terms.”
Remy giggled and Lance chuckled himself; he had been on tough missions before and humor always was his way of coping.
The two trotted down the right hall to a door brown wooden door with a golden knob. Lance’s horn flicked to life as he took his spear from his back, holding it pointed at the door.
“When I give the signal, you fling that door open, got it?” Lance ordered.
“Got it,” Remy asserted.
“If there are more of those things, I’ll stab the shit out of ‘em.”
"Now isn't the time for humor," Remy thought to herself. She was preparing herself to find another bear pony on the other side of the door. Nevertheless, she gripped the handle with her hoof.
“One,” Lance said quietly. Remy gulped, but looked at him determined while he counted down.
“Two.”
There was a moment of silence, in it Remy thought Lance was going to stop.
“Three!”
She swung the door open and Lance darted forward, ready to impale anything that looked remotely like that thing outside.
“Clear…” Lance said, calling back to her. “Thank Celestia’s sweet ass, it’s just a library.”
Remy walked slowly into the room after Lance; immediately she noticed the long, ornate table in the center and the staircase along the right side of the room going to the second floor. The second floor of the library was open and could be seen from the first. There was a railing along the edge to prevent ponies from falling down, albeit poorly maintained and broken in places. Remy walked to the left where some bookshelves were separated by a window to the outside. She peered out. The fog was still thick and made it near impossible to see anything out there.
“You think it’s still out there?” Remy asked.
“I don’t know,” Lance stated. “Keep standing close to that window and I am sure you’ll find out.”
Remy immediately backed away, heeding his warning. Joking aside, he was right. That thing could come smashing through the window at any time. She trotted towards the central table while Lance walked slowly up the stairs to the second floor of the massive library. On the table was a book titled Alchemy and the Basic Properties.
“Alchemy?” Remy said to herself. “Study of that has been banned for-”
“Hey wait!” Lance yelled from the second floor. Remy dropped the book and ran to the stairs. Above her a door slammed shut.
“Come back!” Lance shouted.
Remy got to the top of the stairs and ran around the balcony where he stood trying to open a wooden door. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“I saw somepony. They were short, maybe a filly or a colt.”
“Do you think it could be one of the missing ponies we’re looking for?” Remy suggested hopefully.
“Maybe, but whoever it was locked the door,” Lance said, trying the handle again but to no avail. “Damnit!”
“We’ll find another way around, this can’t be the only way up to the second floor.”
“You’re right,” Lance agreed, turning to face her. “Find anything?”
“A book on alchemy,” Remy answered.
“Alchemy? That’s been outlawed for… what? Forever?”
“Yeah, 256 years to be exact.”
“How do you-” Lance began.
“Alchemy has healing potential,” Remy answered casually. “Alchemy’s potential is pretty limitless, but that’s not a good thing either. In medical school we were taught that it was bad and some of the history surrounding its ban on practicing and even studying it, but little about alchemy itself. I have always been interested, but well…” she trailed off.
The two sat in silence for a moment, wondering how such a rare book could be here. The better question, Remy thought, was why it was here.
“We should report back to the Captain,” Lance started. “And bring that book.”
Remy nodded and they both walked back down to the first floor again. Remy grabbed the book and placed it in her saddle bags. The two ponies trotted back into the hall and toward the door back to the main hall.
“This could be bad,” Remy said as they walked.
“Like it isn’t already?” Lance laughed.
“I mean,” Remy started. “Alchemy is very dangerous; it’s banned for a reason! It has the potential to create life, things that should never be.”
Lance stopped and turned to her. “Like the thing outside?”
They looked at each other silently for a few seconds.
“Look let’s… let’s just get back to Captain Swift okay?” Lance finally said as they reached the door to the main hall. Lance opened the door and saw… nothing.
“Captain?” he called out to the empty hall. But there was no answer.
“Captain?” Remy called out.
No answer.