//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8: Hide-And-Seek 
// Story: The Night Janitor 
// by Knox Locke 
//------------------------------//

Today, Pinkie Pie had put together one of her extreme Hide-and-Seek games. Knox, for one, already knew exactly where he was going to hide. He'd timed it perfectly. By the time Pinkie finished counting and began her search, he'd be close enough to his hiding spot that he could reach it before she'd found a single player. Pinkie was always really impressed when somepony had a difficult hiding spot, so Knox had decided to give her a real challenge. As soon as she closed her eyes to begin counting, he was running off to board the train to Canterlot. He could still see Pinkie, counting in the center of Ponyville, from the train window as it pulled out of the train station.



Once the train had pulled into the Canterlot train station, the race was on. He took off towards the winding hedge maze that rested near the castle that now belonged to Princess Twilight. He ran through path, after path, after ever-confusing path, hoping to get deep enough into the maze that Pinkie would be thoroughly impressed. After all, winning didn't matter to him. He knew she would find him. She always does.

He just needed to last long enough to get her stamp of approval. In that moment, it was all he wanted. It was all he needed. But now, as he turned the next corner, the moment passed. He fell to a sitting position in front of what he saw. His eyes were wide. His mouth, agape. And there he sat, as still as a statue.