//------------------------------// // Games // Story: Unnoticed Threats // by smirker //------------------------------// Doctor Whooves was in Canterlot and stood by Gogh's side while he watched Alternate Gogh and Narcissus get restrained with magic by Shining Heart and Princess Cadance, they begged for mercy and the two rulers shot zaps at them and obliterated them, "It's over, Eurydice." Gogh remarked, "What are you going to do now, Gogh?" Doctor Whooves asked, "I'm going to continue painting in Ponyville, I've been able to make a pretty stable living by having Pinkie Pie and Rarity help me." Gogh answered, "Help as in?" Doctor Whooves questioned, "Pinkie Pie is using my painting as themes and decorations for her parties, and Rarity is looking at my paintings of nature to help her brainstorm new outfits." Gogh explained, "I see, I'll still be available for counseling and therapy after today if you wanna see me." Doctor Whooves stated, "Today's your last day, right?" Gogh asked, "Yes, today is my last patient before I finish the job for good, I will be financially secure for the rest of my life if nothing bad happens to me." Doctor Whooves answered, "Wow, you've had a lot of things to hear about, well, good luck with your last patient." Gogh said, "Thanks." Doctor Whooves replied, and they boarded the train and went back to Ponyville. They went their separate ways and Doctor Whooves saw foals putting jigsaw puzzles together and solving mystery games around Ponyville that Pinkie Pie had set up for them, he walked around more and saw foals doing scavenger hunts, he smiled and went into his home and waited for his final patient, he heard walking and saw an earth pony stallion come in with a unicorn mare on his back, the stallion had a light blue coat, slightly long white mane and tail, gray eyes, and his cutie mark was a black and blue puzzle piece, the mare had a dark pink coat, long dark red mane and tail, bright purple eyes, and her cutie mark was a board game, "Hello, Doctor." the stallion said, "Are you the patient?" Doctor Whooves asked, "Yes." the stallion replied, "State your name and occupation." Doctor Whooves stated, "Jigsaw, I'm unemployed, but I'm basically a caretaker now." the stallion spoke, "And you?" Doctor Whooves asked, "Uh... um..." the mare remarked, "Sorry, she's not comfortable around anyone except me and my maid and her kids back at my home for the time being, her name's Game Arranger, she's with me because she feels safe around me." Jigsaw explained, "Oh, I see, well, let's get started." Doctor Whooves spoke, and Jigsaw began his tale. Jigsaw was a young stallion adult whose parents had passed away recently and he inherited their wealth, he lived in a mansion and spent his time solving puzzles and making jigsaw puzzles, he made a big puzzle and an earth pony mare came in, she had a black coat, long white mane and tail tied in buns, blue eyes, and her cutie mark was a feather duster, it was Scullery Maid, his personal servant, "Jigsaw, I have finished cleaning everything." Scullery Maid reported, "Thank you, Scullery Maid, I can make you a meal if you wanna rest." Jigsaw offered, "Thanks, Jigsaw, but I already made lunch for myself at home." Scullery Maid stated, "Oh, is the amount of money I pay you enough to support you and your family?" Jigsaw asked, "Yes, I have been able to support my kids with this job, your parents were already paying me enough to provide for them." Scullery Maid reported, "That's good, I was thinking about giving you a raise since my parents were pretty miserly sometimes." Jigsaw spoke, "They still paid me enough to support me and my children, we've actually never had money problems because of your parents refusing to pay me more." Scullery Maid responded, "Alright, remember that you can ask me for more money if you need it, you can go home now if you're done with all of your chores today." Jigsaw stated, "Okay, goodbye, Jigsaw." Scullery Maid said, "See you tomorrow." Jigsaw replied, and Scullery Maid left. Jigsaw put a puzzle together and enjoyed the image he was making, he finished after about thirty minutes and then went on to work on a scavenger hunt that he made, he went around his house and yard and looked for items from his childhood, he looked through his late mother's flower garden and found a bug collection from his childhood, he smiled and then went through the hedges in front of his mansion and found a royal guard figurine, he then went to the pool at the side of his house and found a toy model of a rare fish in the world, he went into his house and to his late father's library, he went through the books and found a book on the world's wild animals, he went to his room and put them all together and placed them in glass lids and labeled them 'Gifts from Mom and Dad', he exhaled and looked down while remembering them, he laid in his bed and slept with a tear rolling down his right cheek. The next morning came and Jigsaw got out of his bed, he went to his kitchen and looked at a paper he had by his oven, he saw it was a puzzle on what to make for breakfast, he opened his refrigerator and began moving the shelves around like a sliding puzzle until he found the ingredients he needed, he then arranged them to make an image of a dragon with its head in the center piece, he pushed it and its prongs fitted into a door behind it and it unlocked, Jigsaw opened it and got the hay out and then closed and rearranged the sliding puzzle pieces randomly. He then began messing with the switches on his oven until only the red lights lit up and the blue and green lights were off, the burners turned on and he cooked the hay while making animal head shapes in the cast iron with the hay, it finished and he then opened a drawer and looked at the various doorknobs, he took one out and put it in a cabinet and opened it, he got a plate out and closed it, he put the hay on it and onto the table and then turned the stove off. He had breakfast and ate slowly while he heard his house's front door open and Scullery Maid came in, "Good morning, Scullery Maid." Jigsaw said, "Morning, Jigsaw, oh, you made your own breakfast, I'm glad to see grief hasn't prevented you from getting daily tasks done." Scullery Maid responded, "I'm managing pretty well so far, I'll go ahead and wash the dishes myself after I'm done, and feel free to call me if you need my help." Jigsaw stated, "I'm fine, but I appreciate the offer, I'll go ahead and start my tasks now." Scullery Maid replied, and she took her saddlebag and overcoat off and walked away. Jigsaw had his breakfast and had fun moving the hay, fruits, and vegetables around to make shapes and smiled, he looked at the time and he finished his breakfast and washed the dish and cast iron. He went into his room and looked at his next jigsaw puzzle to solve, he was about to take it out and scatter it on the floor but stopped when he looked out his window and saw a strange light blue light, he got a dagger out from under his pillow and headed to the front door, "Scullery Maid, I'm going to go check a strange light outside, I'll be back." Jigsaw called out, "Okay, be careful." Scullery Maid said, and he left. Jigsaw ran to the light blue light while keeping his guard up and saw it disappear, he heard frantic panting up ahead and he sprinted. He arrived and saw light blue and dark purple magical chains around a Pegasus stallion and a unicorn mare farther away casting, "No!" the mare called out while light blue lights appeared on her head and forced her to cast spells while also restraining the Pegasus and Jigsaw, he frantically began trying to solve a sliding puzzle and Jigsaw saw it was a picture of a dragon, he tried to tell him where to slide the pieces but a spell was cast to make him lose his voice, the Pegasus tried to solve the puzzle but struggled, Jigsaw tried to reach over and help but light blue chains suddenly appeared and restrained him, the Pegasus tried to solve the puzzle desperately while Jigsaw watched the mare and it looked like she was bound against her will by a spell, he looked past her and made out a pony's silhouette that appeared to be a unicorn stallion, he held up something and the mare shrieked while she cast a spell against her will, "NO!!" the mare screamed while she cast a spell against her will, the Pegasus screamed while he turned light blue and exploded, a portal opened and he was dragged into it and it closed. Jigsaw and the mare looked on in horror and saw the silhouette walk forward, it was a unicorn stallion who had a dark orange coat, long gray mane and tail, purple eyes, and his cutie mark was a brown wooden magic staff with a green orb on its top, "Another loser who couldn't solve my games and puzzles, nevertheless, it's always fun to see their souls sent to another realm of soul torturers." the stallion remarked, "Please! No more!" the mare begged, "SILENCE!!" the stallion screamed as he slapped the mare's left cheek with the back of his front left hoof, she shrieked as she fell over, "Useless and rebellious little cretin! You always resist at the most crucial and climactic event of the games! You are always trying to spoil my fun, maybe I should've destroyed your body and sent your soul to the realm of soul torturers instead of enslaving you!" the stallion ranted, Jigsaw ran to them while scowling, "Stay out of this, peasant!" the stallion thundered while flinging him away with his magic, "You almost ruined the game as well!" the stallion thundered, "Leave while you can." the mare said, "QUIET!!" the stallion yelled as he shot a zap at her, she yelped as she got shot away, he then cast telekinesis on Jigsaw, "As for you, trash eater, since you tried to intervene, you will be my next player, the game is simple, there will be various types of games to play, your job is simply solve them and win, if you win, I'll let you go, if you lose, I destroy your body and send your soul to another realm to be tortured for eternity." the stallion remarked, "I refuse." Jigsaw stated, "SILENCE!! You have no choice, you're playing whether you like it or not." the stallion said, Jigsaw looked at the mare and saw her shaking her head frantically, "Game Arranger, make the arrangements." the stallion ordered, "No, please, Warlock, I've done enough." Game Arranger begged, he cast a spell with a bright orange aura on his horn and controlled her body, a dark purple aura appeared on her horn and Jigsaw screamed while he felt his soul get pulled inside his body and bound to a small gray statue shaped like a bipedal creature, Jigsaw's soul became bounded to it and Warlock smiled, "There, now, you will play games that I choose and where they take place, I will summon you tonight." Warlock remarked, and he exploded into dark orange flames and Game Arranger also disappeared. Jigsaw panted and stood up while feeling his own body and noticed nothing unnatural, he ran back home while panting and sweating, "Jigsaw, what's the matter?" Scullery Maid questioned, "I... I've been bound to a guy who is making others play life or death games, he has my soul in his grip." Jigsaw explained, Scullery Maid's jaw dropped, "Please, Jigsaw, rest, I'll make you some soup and medicine if you feel sick." Scullery Maid said, "I feel fine, Scullery Maid, and the guy who got my soul will bring me to him, I don't know if he's going to teleport me or drag me, this guy also seems to have a liking for puzzles and games." Jigsaw stated, "Oh, I'll support and help you any way I can, even though puzzles and children's games aren't really my thing." Scullery Maid remarked, "I'll let you know if I need your help, but for now, I'll see if I can free myself on my own first, he's also seems to have a mare under his control against her will as well, I'll see if I can free her as well." Jigsaw stated, "Okay, you should rest, call me if you need anything." Scullery Maid responded, and Jigsaw went to his room and rested. Jigsaw laid in his bed while sweating and thinking about what awaited him, Scullery Maid came to check on him every once in a while and left when she finished her chores, night time came and Jigsaw grunted when he felt himself getting pulled into his bed and disappeared, he saw him falling into a room and he grunted when he hit the floor. Jigsaw looked up and saw Game Arranger casting spells against her will while Warlock controlled her from behind, "Welcome, lowlife, this is your first challenge of the game, I hope you'll be more entertaining than the last idiot, I'll make your first game simple, balance the two scales in front of you by moving the objects around until they're even, now, my useless and worthless trophy, make the objects appear." Warlock stated, Game Arranger did not, Warlock cast a spell that forced her to set up the pieces against her will, injured foals fell in and they screamed and cried when they landed on the floor. Warlock placed them in the scales and one side began to tip down and the other scale went up, the foals screamed when they saw spikes protrude from the ceiling, the foals in the scale going down screamed when the floor opened and there was lava under them, "Here's the deal, you have to balance the scales perfectly, if you win, I'll let you and the others go, if you lose, I send you all to your dooms." Warlock said, and Jigsaw got ready. Jigsaw jumped and grabbed the scale and tried to pull it down but he did not weigh enough, he climbed into it and it went down faster while the foals screamed, he saw lava appear under the scale while the other scale went up and spikes appeared above it. Jigsaw quickly grabbed the foals and threw a few into the other scale, they screamed from their bones cracking and the scales began to balance a little and stopped, he sighed with relief and jumped out and the scales shifted a little, he began moving the foals gently from one scale to another and it went up and down according to their weight, he noticed the scales will never be perfectly balanced after trying the last combination, he grabbed the two scales with his front hoofs and their balanced themselves perfectly and he sighed with relief. Warlock cast a spell and broke the scales and made the foals either fall and go up and they screamed, "Hey! I won! You said you'd let them go!" Jigsaw complained, "Yeah, I decided keeping my word is no fun, and going back on it makes the game more exciting." Warlock replied, Jigsaw ran and tried to get the foals but could not, Game Arranger struggled to break free from Warlock's control and used her magic to move the foals out of danger and she panted, "Dang it, you ruined the game again!" Warlock shouted as he shot a zap at her, she tried to put up a shield but he canceled it out and Game Arranger exclaimed when she got hit and blasted away, he then cast a spell and a portal opened, the foals screamed when their souls got ripped out of their bodies and sent to another realm while their bodies turned light blue and exploded. Jigsaw and Game Arranger watched in horror while Warlock cast a spell that teleported Jigsaw back home and in the air, he screamed when he fell onto the floor and broke part of it, he groaned while he lost consciousness and passed out. Jigsaw remained asleep for hours and it was pitch black with no noise, "Jigsaw? ...Jigsaw." a very faint voice said and echoed, Jigsaw groaned and opened his eyes, he saw he was in his bed and Scullery Maid was with him, "Oh, thank Celestia, you were out cold ever since I came in this morning." Scullery Maid said, "How long was I out?" Jigsaw questioned, "I don't know, you were already passed out when I came to work." Scullery Maid responded, Jigsaw's jaw dropped a little, "What happened after I went home anyway?" Scullery Maid asked, "A portal opened under me and I was transferred somewhere, the pony who bound my soul had me play a game where I had to balance foals in two balancing scales and they would lose their lives if the scales went too high or too low, I managed to win, but he turned back on his word on letting them go and destroyed their bodies, I was sent back here afterwards." Jigsaw explained, "What happened next?" Scullery Maid questioned, "I passed out." Jigsaw replied, "Oh, well, it seems you weren't taken elsewhere, I did see news in the newspaper this morning about foals suddenly disappearing from a hospital." Scullery Maid remarked, "I hope your kids didn't see it." Jigsaw commented, "Unfortunately, they did, it wasn't fun explaining to them why some people do stuff like that." Scullery Maid stated, "In this case, they were kidnapped by somepony to force me to play one of his sick games, he's likely kidnapping more people right now." Jigsaw answered, "You should rest for now then, Jigsaw, save your energy for his next game." Scullery Maid advised, "I wish I could, I can't help but feel uneasy, I wish you could be there to help me sometimes, too." Jigsaw spoke, "You know I'm not much of an action pony, but if you need any help in any game that involves academic or historical knowledge, I'll tell you what I know." Scullery Maid said, "Thanks, any help is better than no help." Jigsaw stated, "Go on and rest, Jigsaw, I'll make meals for you today." Scullery Maid stated, and she left. Jigsaw rested and recovered while Scullery Maid took care of house duties and fed him, he got up in the afternoon and thought about last night's game and the foals, Scullery Maid noticed him walking slowly with a disturbed expression on his face, she waved her right front hoof in his face and he did not respond, he walked forward while distracted and went outside into his backyard, he thought about the foals and him being unable to save them while Scullery Maid watched worriedly, Jigsaw stood still and looked at his garden and began to sweat when he wondered what Warlock's next game will be, he stood still until a paper suddenly appeared in front of him and flew into his face, Jigsaw came back to reality and looked at it, he saw it was a scavenger hunt, Scullery Maid trotted to him and looked at the paper, "A scavenger hunt?" Scullery Maid asked, "Yup, I guess the guy who has my soul has finished setting up his new game." Jigsaw deduced, "You're leaving now?" Scullery Maid questioned, "Have to, if it's like my last game, somepony's life is at stake, he's going to bring me by force with his magic, too." Jigsaw replied, "Please, let me help." Scullery Maid said, "Of course, I can use all the help I can get." Jigsaw replied, "What's the first item?" Scullery Maid questioned, "A leaf, it's shaped like a circle, it's not among the trees here, come on, Scullery Maid, we have to leave the home." Jigsaw stated, and they did. Jigsaw ran and looked at every tree in his sight but did not see a matching leaf, "Jigsaw, wait up, I'm not used to running for this long." Scullery Maid said while walking and panting, he waited for her to catch up while looking around and she did, he walked fast and she kept up with him easily, "I think that's it right there." Scullery Maid said as she pointed to a tree to their rights, Jigsaw looked at the tree and the picture on the paper, "It is, let's get it." Jigsaw stated, and they went. Jigsaw let Scullery Maid climb onto his back and she tried to reach for a leaf, he lifted his legs up a little and she grabbed a leaf and pulled it off, she lost her balance and fell, "You alright?" Jigsaw asked, "I'm fine." Scullery Maid replied as she stood up, she looked at the leaf and saw it was a perfect match of the picture on the paper, "Next is... an ox's skull." Jigsaw remarked, "An ox's skull? You sure?" Scullery Maid asked and she looked at the list and saw it, "Um, Jigsaw, I think these may be ingredients for some kind of ritual." Scullery Maid deduced, "Let's see here, we got the leaf, next is an ox's skull, after that is six white candles, next is two gold candelabras that hold three candles each, and the last is a can of red spray paint." Jigsaw read, "This doesn't sound good, Jigsaw." Scullery Maid remarked, "I'm suspicious, too, but I don't have any information on where Warlock is, best we can do right now is play along." Jigsaw responded, "Alright, let's look around." Scullery Maid stated, and they did. They looked for an ox's skull but did not see one anywhere, they also looked for the other items but did not find them, they walked to the nearest store and looked for the items and only saw a can of red spray paint, they went in and Scullery Maid paid for the item and they left, they looked around for the next items and did not find them, they went to the next nearest store and saw birthday candles, "Those don't look like the right candles." Jigsaw stated, "I agree, let's check out another store." Scullery Maid replied, and they walked. They arrived at a holiday store and entered, "Excuse me, do you have any candles?" Scullery Maid asked, "I sure do, our Nightmare Night's candle selection is the best in this area, it's over there and down two aisles." the clerk said as she pointed to it, and they went, Jigsaw got six white candles and two gold candelabras that both held three candles, Scullery Maid bought them and they left, "Okay, all that's left is the ox's skull." Scullery Maid stated, "We'll probably have to buy a prop, no way will Equestria sell one of those, trying to get one directly from an ox will land us in jail, too." Jigsaw suggested, "I agree, let's see if we can find a costume or prop store." Scullery Maid responded, and they walked. They looked for any stores while the sun began to set and there were no stores around, they decided to head home and began working together to make paper mache and made an ox skull, "There, it's finished, wait for it to dry now and we'll paint it afterwards." Jigsaw spoke, "Still, wow, I've never done anything like this, I'm impressed you know this, Jigsaw." Scullery Maid commented, "I did it a lot as a kid." Jigsaw responded, "I can see that, it was fun learning." Scullery Maid stated, Jigsaw smiled and they got on with their days while waiting for it to dry. The sun set and the paper mache ox skull was still drying, Jigsaw and Scullery Maid looked at it and a portal suddenly opened under Jigsaw and he began to fall in, "Jigsaw!" Scullery Maid called out as she grabbed him but fell into the portal alongside him and the items from the scavenger hunt, they fell into a small and empty room with Warlock and Game Arranger standing in front of them, "Your time is up, it's time to collect your items." Warlock spoke, and he took them with his telekinesis, "Wait a minute, this skull is fake, you cheater! You were supposed to take it directly out of the animal!" Warlock fumed, "What?! Are you crazy?!" Jigsaw exclaimed, "It's how the game works, same with your slave here buying the stuff!" Warlock remarked, "Hey!" Scullery Maid remarked, "You were supposed to steal them from other people, you broke the rules and made the game boring, I'll go ahead and end your next game now." Warlock remarked, and he cast a spell. The items needed for the ritual were set in place with another set Warlock had with him and the leaf glowed white in the center of a pentagram made with red spray paint, the six white candles' flames turned purple and went up high into the air, a portal opened and chains came out and wrapped around an earth pony stallion under the floor, he screamed and began to get pulled in, Jigsaw and Scullery Maid sprinted to him while Game Arranger tried to close the portal with her magic but Warlock sped up the chains and cast a spell to make his body explode into light blue flames and his soul was sent to another realm and he closed the portal, "Now, since you didn't do the scavenger hunt properly, you yourself will be the object of the next game." Warlock, and he used his magic to force Game Arranger to cast spells. Jigsaw got wrapped in chains and they began to pull him into saw blades, he saw red buttons on a ceiling and realized he could not move, Scullery Maid tried to jump and grab him but Warlock held her back with his telekinesis, "No, this is a game for him to play alone, having you interfere would be cheating." Warlock remarked, Scullery Maid watched in horror while Jigsaw tried to free himself but could not move, he moved closer to the saw blades and Game Arranger struggled to break free from Warlock's control and cast a spell while struggling with smoke coming out of her horn, she broke the red buttons and the chains and saw blades stopped, she also made the chains disappear. Warlock shot a blast at her and she screamed while she flew through the air and hit a wall, "You nosy little snake! You ruined the game again! I swear I'm going to make you one of the players again!" Warlock fumed, "No! Anything but that!" Game Arranger begged, "You won't be let off so easily this time." Warlock said, and he and her disappeared. Scullery Maid ran to Jigsaw and helped him up, "You okay, Jigsaw?" Scullery Maid asked, "Yeah, being dragged on the floor hurt though." Jigsaw responded, "So, what do we do now?" Scullery Maid asked, "Try to find out where we are and get home." Jigsaw replied, and he walked. He saw the room was small and square shaped and he began feeling the walls and floor for any hidden areas, he did not find any and found the door that led out, he tried to pull it open but could not, Scullery Maid helped him pull the big sliding door and it did not move, "Come on, let's see if there's a key anywhere." Jigsaw said, they looked but did not find anything, a dark purple aura appeared on the door and it opened, Jigsaw and Scullery Maid walked out. They walked through an old and rusted hallway and Scullery Maid quivered at the sights, Jigsaw held her to himself closely and they walked together, Jigsaw exhaled a little while sweating and they walked through the hallway, Jigsaw did not see any devices or traps and held his front right hoof out to feel anything up ahead, he and Scullery Maid walked forward slowly and held one another close to each other tightly. They walked and Scullery Maid quivered a little while Jigsaw struggled to remain calm, they heard magic behind them and a timberwolf appeared, it growled and Jigsaw's eyes widened while Scullery Maid's jaw dropped, it chased them and they sprinted, metallic fences with spear tips on the top began to come up in front of them and they ran faster while the fences went down to let the timberwolf through. Jigsaw and Scullery Maid panted heavily and looked around frantically as they sprinted through the pitch black and narrow hallway, Jigsaw hit his head on a pipe and fell over and Scullery Maid stopped, she helped him up and the timberwolf began catching up to them, Jigsaw got up and ran with Scullery Maid but stopped when they came at a closed door and it would not open, the timberwolf sprinted to them and Jigsaw put Scullery Maid behind himself while he got ready to fight it. The timberwolf lunged forward and pinned Jigsaw down, he held its muzzle back while it tried to bite him and Scullery Maid tried to pull it off of him but could not, Jigsaw tried kicking the timberwolf in its abdomen with his hind legs' knees but it did nothing, the timberwolf tried to bite him and he struggled to hold it back until a dark purple aura appeared around it and made it and the fences disappear and the door opened, Scullery Maid sighed with relief, "Come on, Scullery Maid, let's go." Jigsaw said, and he stood up and they walked outside together. They saw they were in the middle of nowhere and Scullery Maid began panting heavily, Jigsaw looked around with a shocked expression and every direction looked the same as one another, he took a deep breath and climbed the tallest tree he could find. Jigsaw climbed to the top and looked around, he did not see any settlements and he began to sweat, "You see any towns or buildings, Jigsaw?" Scullery Maid asked, "No." Jigsaw answered, Scullery Maid hyperventilated a little, "What's going to happen to my kids at home? What are they going to eat if I don't cook for them?" Scullery Maid quivered, "Scullery Maid, calm down, let's try to find a way out." Jigsaw stated, and he climbed down, he saw the sun setting and figured out where the directions were and decided to try heading north. They walked together but did not see anybody or anything around but trees and animals, they panted a little heavily and continued walking forward for several minutes before they collapsed, "Game Arranger, we can really use some help now." Jigsaw said, there was no response, "Nothing, we might have to hunker down here tonight." Jigsaw remarked, "No, I have to get home, my children are worried." Scullery Maid begged, "I'll rest a bit and we'll continue trekking a bit more." Jigsaw said, "I just hope I can get home before dark." Scullery Maid remarked, "Me too, but it seems unlikely, I'll continue walking soon." Jigsaw stated, and he rested for ten minutes and then stood back up and walked with Scullery Maid holding him. Jigsaw stumbled and almost fell a few times but Scullery Maid held him up and they kept going forward, they did not see anything and Jigsaw began to panic a little, "Game Arranger, we really could use your help now, Scullery Maid and I are lost and have no idea on where to go." Jigsaw called out, "Please, Game Arranger, send us back to civilization, I've got foals to take care of back home." Scullery Maid called out, they saw brief glimpses of dark purple auras appearing them and the objects, "Game Arranger?" Scullery Maid asked, "She must be trying to resist Warlock's control to help us." Jigsaw deduced, dark purple auras appeared in random areas and a portal briefly opened and flickered, Jigsaw and Scullery Maid tried to sprint but could not, it began to close and Scullery Maid jumped in and pulled Jigsaw in and Game Arranger closed it. They looked and saw they were in a town, they looked for a map and found where they were, Scullery Maid bought tickets and they boarded the train while everybody looked at them, they got off at the nearest train stop to their homes and they went their separate ways, Jigsaw arrived home and laid in his bed and slept. Jigsaw slept all night and most of the morning and woke up late, he groaned while trying to move and he had sore muscles in his legs and back, he tried to move and fell out of bed and onto the floor, he groaned a little and managed to stand up, he walked slowly and saw Scullery Maid has not arrived yet, he made his own breakfast and moved slowly while solving the puzzles to get his cooking utensils out, he made an easy meal and ate slowly, his sore muscles made it hard for him to use his silverware and he struggled to move a little. He heard the door open and his attention got caught, he saw Scullery Maid arrive and she had a haggard appearance with her mane and tail being unkempt, "Morning, Jigsaw." Scullery Maid said as she put her saddlebag down, "Scullery Maid, you don't look so good." Jigsaw commented, "I had to take care of my children as soon as I got home yesterday, I haven't slept well either, I ended up oversleeping today and hurried here, I didn't have time to style my mane and tail and put on my makeup this morning." Scullery Maid explained, "Were you at least able to use the bathroom and take a shower?" Jigsaw asked, "Yes, I was able to get those done, thankfully." Scullery Maid answered, "You can go ahead and get ready for today in my house's bathroom." Jigsaw stated, "Oh, thank you, Jigsaw, I'll go ahead and get ready then, I'm going to be in the bathroom for a while." Scullery Maid spoke, "Go on then, I'll do the house chores while you get ready." Jigsaw said, Scullery Maid smiled and went to the bathroom. Jigsaw did Scullery Maid's daily chores while she styled her mane and tail and put on her makeup in the bathroom, he thought about yesterday and sighed with relief over no longer being in the middle of nowhere, he thought about Game Arranger and worried for her safety, he decided to draw a portrait of her and colored it and then wrote her name on the paper, Scullery Maid came out of the bathroom with her mane and tail neatly styled and her makeup on, "Okay, I'm ready. Oh, Jigsaw, you did my chores for me, thank you." Scullery Maid chirped, "You're welcome, there's still things to get done, I'll leave them to you since I'm about to leave." Jigsaw replied, "Where are you going?" Scullery Maid asked, "The royal guard station and post office, I'll see if I can find any info on Game Arranger." Jigsaw stated, "What are you hoping to find out about her?" Scullery Maid questioned, "Her past and home, I'm hoping she can have some kind of clue on taking down Warlock." Jigsaw answered, "Oh, good idea, I'll go ahead and finish my chores, good luck and be careful, Jigsaw." Scullery Maid spoke, "I will, thank you." Jigsaw responded, and he left while Scullery Maid smiled. Jigsaw headed to the post office and went to the mare behind the desk, "Excuse me, do you have any info on this mare?" Jigsaw asked as he showed her a picture of Game Arranger, "Friend of yours?" the mare asked, "Well, not exactly, but she did help me, I was hoping to send her a thank you gift directly." Jigsaw responded, "Oh, well, I'm unfamiliar with the name, but I might have files on her." the mare stated, "Can you dig them up please?" Jigsaw requested, "Hold on." the mare said, and she did, "Here's her address." the mare stated, and she handed it to him, "Thank you." Jigsaw said, and he left. He headed to the nearest royal guard station and went to go see the stallion at the desk, "Can I help you?" the stallion asked, "Yes, I was hoping for some information on this mare." Jigsaw stated as he showed him his drawing of her, "Game Arranger, hmm, where I have heard that name? Oh, I remember, she's actually been reported missing about three weeks ago." the stallion said, "Three weeks ago?" Jigsaw exclaimed, "Yeah, she was at home and she suddenly disappeared and was never heard from ever again, nopony knows what happened to her, her neighbors called the royal guards and reported her missing, we did a welfare check and she was nowhere to be found." the stallion explained, "Do you have info on a unicorn stallion named Warlock?" Jigsaw questioned, "Yes, he's originally from the northwestern part of Equestria, he's had a fascination of dangerous games ever since he was a foal, he's never been caught though." the stallion responded, "He was never caught?" Jigsaw asked, "About that, he's never in the same place, and he's not big enough of a threat for Princess Twilight and her friends to go after, so we're stuck trying to get him instead." the stallion remarked, "What? He's destroying other ponies' souls in his games and sending them to a realm to be tortured, he sounds like he should've been caught by them if you ask me." Jigsaw said, "Well, he's not a national threat, that's why they don't go after him, but if you have any info on him, we'd appreciate it." the stallion stated, "He's got my soul bound to some kind of object that will kill me if he destroys it, I don't know where he's staying either, it's him teleporting me to random places, he seems to have Game Arranger under his control with a spell, too." Jigsaw explained, "Game Arranger's under his control? That's new to us, I'll go ahead and let the others know and try to get a warrant to search his childhood home." the stallion reported, "Okay, I'll be going now, good luck." Jigsaw stated, "Thank you, you too." the stallion replied, and he left and looked at Game Arranger's address and headed to the train. He asked the passengers on the location of Game Arranger's address and the nearest train stop, they told him the name of the stop and one stallion showed him where it was on a map, he thanked them and sat back down, he waited for the train to arrive at his destination while keeping his guard up in case Warlock teleports him, nothing happened and he got off the train and headed to Game Arranger's home. He walked to her home and saw it was old and plants were overgrown, he tackled the door open and vines broke off and he entered. Jigsaw looked around and saw a lot of flowers and paintings around, he walked through her house and saw she had many children's games alongside board games and jigsaw puzzles, he looked at the papers on a table and saw they were crossword puzzles and word searches, he smiled and then looked at scratchcards on the table that were for winning prizes and children's toys, his attention was caught in the next room and he went there, he smiled when he saw toy carts, toy trains, toy bugs, dolls, and figurines in it, he also saw toys won from scratchcards found inside of cereal boxes and smiled wider, he then left the room to look for clues on Game Arranger. He looked through the other rooms but did not find anything, he entered her room last and went through her dairy, he saw it was written in cursive with black ink and a quill and had a little trouble reading at first until he read a little more and it became easy, he saw the pages were about her days and he skipped them, he found a page mention Warlock and he began reading about how Warlock had a previous pony under his control and he destroyed his body and sent his soul to the realm to be tortured while bounding Game Arranger's soul to one of his relics after she won one of his games easily even after he cheated, "So, that's what's going to happen to me if I win." Jigsaw remarked, and he closed the dairy, he got ready to leave but he suddenly saw a portal open under him and he fell in. Jigsaw grunted when he landed on the hard floor and he stood up, he saw an obstacle course in front of him and heard ponies begging for help, he looked forward and saw Scullery Maid and her two sons and two daughters chained and shackled under a tube, "Welcome back, you peasant, the game now will be you trying to save your poverty stricken maid and her kids, I have made an obstacle course for you, your goal is to find the keys in the course and try to free them before they are covered in tar and get stuck, you may begin now." Warlock said, and he cast a spell to turn on a timer. Jigsaw began climbing, crawling, and jumping around while tar began moving towards Scullery Maid and her children, they tried to free themselves and begged for help, Jigsaw found a key and Warlock moved it elsewhere and sped up the timer, "Remember, Jigsaw, it's to make the game more entertaining." Warlock remarked while smirking, he glared and focused. Jigsaw saw the tar began moving towards Scullery Maid and her children while they screamed and tried to break free, Jigsaw looked around for anymore keys but did not find any yet, he looked and saw one up ahead and jumped to it, he landed in front of it and got ready to grab it but Warlock began to move it with his telekinesis, Jigsaw picked up a pipe and threw it at him, he made it disappear while Jigsaw grabbed the key, he began sprinting around while panting and looked for the next key, Warlock moved them around and began adding traps into the obstacle course, Jigsaw saw circular saw blades moving across the floor and he jumped onto the pipes. Jigsaw saw the timer has began going down faster and he realized he might not find all of the keys before the tar comes out, he struggled to find the keys and Warlock activated flamethrowers to spew fire out in random areas of the obstacle course, Jigsaw got stuck in place and began jumping from pipe to pipe and almost fell onto the moving saw blades, he saw the tar was about to start dumping onto Scullery Maid and her children and Jigsaw quickly broke pieces of the obstacle course and began heading to them but Warlock sent back to the beginning of the obstacle course. The tar began to pour out and Scullery Maid and her children screamed until a dark purple aura appeared and made them disappear, Game Arranger struggled to appear and used her magic to teleport them away while Jigsaw watched her, "You wretched tumor! You messed up the game again!" Warlock raged, and he got ready to shoot a blast at her but Jigsaw threw a pipe at him, "Whoa!" Warlock exclaimed and he disappeared. Jigsaw ran to Game Arranger and saw her injuries, "Are you okay?" Jigsaw asked, Game Arranger nodded, "How did you end up under his control?" Jigsaw questioned, "He chose me for one of his games and I won even after he began breaking the rules and cheating, he then destroyed the body of the previous pony under his control and sent his soul to the realm to be tortured, he then took control of me and bound my soul to another talisman that he keeps to himself, I hate having to serve him against my will, but I'm scared of him destroying me any day, too, if you manage to win and impress him, he will destroy my body and have my soul sent to the realm of torture and you will become the next pony under his control." Game Arranger explained, "Is there a talisman or relic that his soul is connected to?" Jigsaw asked, "I haven't seen one." Game Arranger answered, "Let's try to make one." Jigsaw said, "Alright, we have to hurry, Warlock will likely be active again soon." Game Arranger responded, and she teleported him and herself. They arrived at Jigsaw's home and Jigsaw began going through his things, "Wow, board games, puzzles, books, what wonderful stuff you have." Game Arranger chirped, "Gifts from my parents before they passed." Jigsaw replied, "Well, let's try to make something discreet and I'll see if I can bound Warlock's soul to it." Game Arranger spoke, "Do you know how to send his soul to the realm where he sends souls or how to contact them?" Jigsaw questioned, "No, can't say I do, but maybe we can find out something." Game Arranger suggested, "The royal guards are trying to get a warrant to search his childhood home in hopes of finding clues on him." Jigsaw revealed, "Oh, good, well, let's try to make something now." Game Arranger said, and they did. They looked for something that would not be out of place and Jigsaw got a plastic bottle, Game Arranger shook her head and Jigsaw got a spare piece from one of his board games, Game Arranger nodded while smiling and began using her magic to change its material to make it easier to break, "Okay, I don't think Warlock will suspect this." Game Arranger stated, "Alright, go ahead and rest, I hope the royal guards will be here soon." Jigsaw responded, and she did. Jigsaw fed her and she cried uncontrollably at having a meal while Scullery Maid arrived and saw her, she trotted to her began comforting her and thanked her for saving her and her children, "Don't your kids have a father?" Game Arranger asked, "My husband left my and their lives after he and I divorced, I've been forced to be a single mother since, Jigsaw and his parents were kind enough to give me a raise when that happened." Scullery Maid answered, "When Scullery Maid's kids were younger, she had to bring them here for me and my parents to look after while she worked here." Jigsaw added, "I figured." Game Arranger responded, and she finished her meal and Scullery Maid did the dishes, they heard knocking at the door about an hour later, "Jigsaw, this is the royal guard, we finished investigating Warlock's home." a stallion said, and he went to the door. He opened it and the royal guards came in with various objects, "Are you Game Arranger?" a royal guard asked, Game Arranger nodded, "Where have you been? You've been reported missing for three weeks." another royal guard stated, "Three weeks? It's been that long?" Game Arranger asked with her voice breaking, "What happened to you?" the first royal guard asked, "Warlock chose me as a random player of his sick games, I won even after he started cheating, he was impressed and bound my soul to an object in his possession for him to control me, he destroyed his previous slave's body and sent his soul to another realm to be tortured." Game Arranger explained, "Another realm, you say? That would make sense considering we found this in his home." the second royal guard stated as he showed them what appeared to be a map of other realms with one circled with a red marker, "According to his notes here, this place here that connects all of the other realms is called the Void, he found it by chance when members of some group called the Anti-Spirit cult appeared in his home suddenly one day, the beings from this realm seemed to have powers to can trap one's soul and do what they please, Warlock questioned them and seemed to have persuaded them to teach him their magic on sending souls to their realm." the second royal guard explained, "You know how to open the portal to their realm, Game Arranger?" Jigsaw asked, "No, but if there's notes on how, maybe I can." Game Arranger responded, "Or you can ask Warlock." Scullery Maid suggested, "I doubt he'll teach me, but I can try." Game Arranger replied, "We've been after Warlock for a while, but it seems he's been a bad seed since he was a colt, looks like he made his first deadly game when he was maybe seven years old, first ponies to play them were his parents, he disappeared completely after that for years before reemerging as an adult on our maps." the first royal guard said, "He must've been honing his craft till then." Jigsaw deduced, "Probably, if you two manage to catch him before we do, we ask that you two bring him to us alive." the second royal guard requested, "We'll try." Jigsaw responded, "Alright, we'll look for him now, good luck on your ends." the first royal guard spoke, and they left. Game Arranger sat nervously while Jigsaw and Scullery Maid watched her, she was then suddenly teleported away and she dropped the spare piece from Jigsaw's board game, they got worried but a dark purple aura appeared around it and it got teleported. Jigsaw and Scullery Maid waited and got on with their days while Jigsaw played with his board games and jigsaw puzzles to pass the time and Scullery Maid read a book when she finished her daily chores, they waited for the day to pass anxiously but nothing happened, Scullery Maid headed home quickly when her day was done and Jigsaw laid in his bed and worried about Game Arranger and could not sleep. The next morning came Jigsaw yawned, he stood out of bed and the floor suddenly disappeared and he screamed while he fell. Jigsaw grunted when he landed on a hard floor and he saw Warlock standing in front of him with Game Arranger having a fearful expression, "It seems my slave here has tried to play against the rules, tried to ask me the spell to send souls to the realm I send them and then trying to bound my soul to this game piece, since she wishes to mess with the game of survival against my current player, I have decided it is time to get rid of her, I have made a replica of this piece over there and have your soul in it while hers is in this one since she destroyed the original item with your soul in it with her magic, you two are to race through the maze that is about to appear and destroy the piece, if you win, you will be my new apprentice." Warlock explained, "No, Warlock, I challenge you." Jigsaw declared, Game Arranger's eyes widened, "You dare speak against this game's best player?" Warlock questioned, "If you're the best, then prove it." Jigsaw said, "Me being the designer of the game is proof enough." Warlock fumed, "Well, it's not enough proof for me, I wanna see you in action." Jigsaw retorted, Warlock glared and threw Game Arranger aside with his magic and she yelped, he walked forward while Game Arranger secretly bounded his soul to one of the pieces with her magic, he stood beside Jigsaw and cast a spell to make walls rise out of the floor, "Ready, go!" Warlock declared, and he teleported while Jigsaw sprinted. He watched the walls shift around and he strafed around and bumped into them a few times, the walls opened and fire began spewing out from the sides and Jigsaw ducked under them while he felt burns on his body. He ran through them and walls appeared in front of him, he looked up and saw they went up to the ceiling and he could not jump or climb over them, he prepared himself and ran forward and punched holes in the wall, he then grabbed them and pulled them apart and broke them, he sprinted before the wall fixed itself and trapped him, he saw circular saw blades moving on the floor and spinning around, Jigsaw jumped and held his legs out to the side to avoid them. Warlock cast telekinesis on the saw blades to make them float in the air and turned them around vertically, he shot them at Jigsaw's body and legs and he grunted as they cut him, the walls began closing in and pushing his legs back, he took his legs off the walls and fell, he stumbled a little but managed to stand. Jigsaw punched the walls and broke them apart, he looked and saw dead ends in the front wall and right wall, he went to his left while Warlock tried to fix the wall and trap him in it, Jigsaw jumped past the wall but fell over. Jigsaw stood up while panting heavily and the floor changed to acid, he jumped and pressed his hoofs on the walls to the sides but Warlock moved them farther away and he fell, he screamed and moved as fast as he could, Game Arranger made the acid and saw blades disappear and healed Jigsaw and he sprinted while Game Arranger made walls disappear and he went through them. Jigsaw arrived at the end and the game pieces were gone, he saw Warlock floating far away with the game pieces and he cast a spell to restrain Jigsaw and got ready to obliterate him with a blast, Game Arranger appeared in front of Jigsaw and grunted while struggling to control herself and cast a shield, she blocked Warlock's blast and it knocked her away, she quickly cast a spell to free Jigsaw while she fell onto the floor. Jigsaw sprinted and Warlock teleported elsewhere with the game pieces and shot blasts at Jigsaw, he strafed and ducked to dodge them and Warlock saw him lunge forward, he teleported the game pieces away while Jigsaw knocked him down, he looked for the pieces while Warlock held him up with his telekinesis, he began shooting blasts at him while Jigsaw grunted. Game Arranger cast a spell to make the game pieces appear and sensed them, her eyes widened when she saw Warlock has detached his soul from his game piece and bounded her and Jigsaw's souls to both of them, she quickly began rearranging them, she got her and Jigsaw's souls off of one and bounded Warlock's soul to it, he shot a blast at her and she yelped while he began rearranging the souls on them. Jigsaw spat in Warlock's mouth and he gagged and let go of Jigsaw, he tried to grab the game pieces and Warlock teleported them to himself, he bounded Game Arranger's soul to both of them while Jigsaw tackled him and wrestled him. He headbutted Warlock and he grunted while getting staggered and he screamed when his horn broke, he broke free and looked for the game pieces, he looked and saw Jigsaw holding both of them, he held up the one in his front right hoof, "NO!!" Warlock begged while Game Arranger cast a spell to free her and Jigsaw's souls from the game pieces, "Game over." Jigsaw said, and he squeezed and broke the game piece. A portal opened and Warlock tried to crawl away but creatures from the other side got him, he went near Game Arranger while his body got destroyed and his soul went to their realm. Game Arranger screamed as she got dragged into the portal, "NO!!" Jigsaw shouted as he ran to her and grabbed her front hoofs, she yelped while Jigsaw began pulling her and the creatures tried to pull her in, Jigsaw grunted as he pulled her as hard as he could and Game Arranger tried casting magic but it did not work on the creatures, he bent his back down a little and grunted as he freed Game Arranger slowly, he pulled her out and she soon suddenly got released from their grip and they fell over while the portal closed. Jigsaw panted while Game Arranger looked back, she hugged Jigsaw and cried, "Thank you, I thought I was never going to be freed." Game Arranger said, "It's okay, let's go home." Jigsaw replied, and she teleported him and herself back to his home. Jigsaw was sitting across from Doctor Whooves while Game Arranger held onto him tightly, "Scullery Maid and her kids have helped me and Game Arranger recover, she lives with us now, we told the royal guards what happened and they decided to let Game Arranger go, we soon began having nightmares of our experiences while Scullery Maid has been recovering her own way." Jigsaw explained, "It's good you survived, and while you are my very last patient before I finish doing this job for good, I'll always be here if you want to talk some more about your experiences." Doctor Whooves said, "Thank you." Jigsaw replied, "You're welcome, price is ten bits, and with that, I officially end my job as a therapist." Doctor Whooves spoke, and Jigsaw paid him and left. Doctor Whooves locked his door and placed his bits with the rest of his money, he now had enough money to pay his house bills for the rest of his life, he went to the back of his home and opened a portal and met up with Jones, Modules, Kinetic, Inertia, Solubility, Solvent, Solute, Graph, Storage, Data, Daylight Dimmer, Starburn, Joker, Darwin, Cassius, Walker, Runner, Sprinter, Raging Tornado, Earthquake, Tsunami, Meteorite Hellfire, Tao, Gunslinger, Archer, Kinkaku, Ginkaku, Feral, Soul Medium, Paladin, Arcana, Robin, Night Witch, Red Baron, the residents of Dreaming Paradise, the residents of Nature Valley, Mother Nature, Spirit, and Demonicus, "Everyone, it's time." Doctor Whooves said, and they planned their attack on Claudius.