Rarity managed to find a moment of humor, suggesting a company slogan. "We help your cruel demigod be less angry with you starting at only ninety bits per pony."
Twilight was already facing to their left, but Fluttershy seemed to be favoring the right passage. Their direction was made somewhat clearer when the creepy billboard started rattling as it rolled up like a newsstand's doorway.
Behind it was a cage, poorly but evenly illuminated. Thick iron bars covered with slimy moss and sticky rust held a beaten and bleeding alicorn, who was lying flat. Attending to his wounds with a bucket of water and fresh, white washcloths, was an uncharacteristically clean pink coated earth pony mare. The shifting air brought scents of stale mildew, and hints of Pinkie's cotton candy shampoo. She didn't even look up from her task, saying firmly over her shoulder "I'm sorry about getting distracted, back there."
But then she stood, and turned to her friends. Jack groaned, a little. Rainbow had already lowered her goggles but Twilight was busy examining the cage for a door. As much, she admitted to herself, to know if this pink question mark could reach her, as whether any of them could get in to help her. There was no door that she could see.
Pinkie looked hopefully at her friends, none of whom had spoken to her yet. She frowned, and said at no particular pony, "That thing could emulate any one of you, too, you know." Then backed up a few steps, and looked her cage over. Each bar was centimeters thick and seemingly formed from a single sheet of billet iron. "Dash, can you see where the hinge is?"
Reluctantly, the pegasus raised a hoof, and indicated a particular joint. Jack tried to sit up, but his neck hit a chain, which Twilight had just a split second to see that each link was barbed. Keeping her eye on the joint that Dash had pointed to, Pinkie scootched back and began brushing insects off of the alicorn's shoulder and neck. Twilight understood the situation a little better, now. With the creepy crawlies providing the urge to thrash about, the chains bit deeper into his flesh each time.
Wave of beetles begone'd, Pinkie spoke again. "Applejack, can you blast that piece of metal with an explosive apple?"
Once everyone was cleared a little distance from it, Applejack launched a hoof grenade at it, splattering applesauce everywhere and leaving the supposedly unbroken line of iron, clanging on just one hinge. Applejack hit that one too, now that she could see it.
And a giant section of cage, came crashing down, bouncing a few times before catching one corner on the conveyor belt, which twisted and spun the metal, launching a spinning grate that probably weighed more than any one pony present, Jack excluded probably, into the abyss below the conveyor bridge. It clattered against the walls several times, echoing up through the chamber periodically throughout the rest of the conversation.
Standing now against the far side of the cage, which left her too far away even to touch Jack's prone form, Pinkie called to her now. "Twilight? Your sword of confidence. It can cut his chains and he needs to be loose to wake us up safely."
Twilight lowered xìnxīn until it was levitated parallel to the floor, and held it in front of her as she stepped into the cage, just far enough to see the chains. Their links were just the size that she could fit her tachi into them, and if she put the point against the floor behind Jack's back, and lifted the handle harshly ...
SNAP
The first of eight chains that cris-crossed over the worn out stallion snapped, and were carefully followed with more snapping chain. Once he felt them all fall away, he tried again to sit up, but had been stuck for too long and could not make his injured form obey him. Again, Pinkie attended to him, lifting his shoulder blades until he could prop himself on his left elbow. Wearily he looked around and counted heads. "Pardon me for calling this night in, early, but I believe I need to reset my dream form." Jack sighed deeply, a thousand yard stare pointed at none of them. Focusing his eyes again, he looked at each of them. "I can mark our progress so we shall return here. This is inside the interloper's own mind and we should not easily lose our progress."
So saying, he stomped his right front hoof, aluminum shoe clanging louder than should have been heard. Laying back down, he sighed again, and closing his eyes, Jack breathed no more.
A moment later Rarity piped up to say "I was expecting that speech to wake us up, too." Twilight didn't bother nodding but saw Fluttershy give assent. Pinkie wiped a tear as she stood over the deceased alicorn guide.
But just then light started pouring in from the ceiling. Birds could be heard chirping just down the hall to the left, and from the hallway to the right came Spike's voice. "You guys are waking up a little early this time, huh?"
Twilight opened her eyes, and raised her head from the pillow to look around and find Spike's voice.
He had moved his sleeping basket downstairs, and was still under his covers, sounding drowsy. Outside the windows of the library, came the chirping of birds that were up before the dawn, although it was already lighter than inside that dream hut. Sitting up carefully was the sergal, Jack, grunting and groaning as he stretched his limbs. "I feel like I've spent three days chained to the top of an anthill."
Pinkie yawned, and explained "Technically it was a scorpion burrow." While Twilight, stifling a yawn herself, sat upright and said quietly "The feeling wears off in a few minutes."
Dash almost leaped up, and leaned over to give Pinkie a noogie, rubbing hoof deep into fluffy mane. "YOU are a complete nuisance." before stepping closer to engulf the earth pony in a big hug. Muffled by Pinkie Pie's mane Twilight could just barely make out Rainbow Dash saying "Thanks for coming back for us, goofball."
Giggling, Pinkie apologized again. "I don't suppose you want to know I had a really pleasant trial? Lots of cake and fresh oranges and tea to distract me. I'll have to see if I can talk Jack over there into taking us back for a vacation once this is over."
Fluttershy, having already shaken the ceremonial flour out of her hair, asked demurely if Pinkie had her weapon, then? Rainbow Dash stepped back to gaze expectantly at the party pony, and Even Twilight felt a little anxious to hear. From what she remembered of those few moments, Pinkie Pie didn't look to have any new equipment.
Pinkie nodded enthusiastically, and said "I did it was a piece of" And then she stopped. Twilight could see the gears grinding in her friend's head. Pinkie was devising an alternate explanation for some reason. Twilight decided that the everypony - can - follow form was probably better for her addled brain, this being early in the morning even for her. "A piece of brick. From a big wall."
Twilight felt her brows furrow. "So you can ... remind yourself of the benefits of the Earth Pony way?" Twilight asked hesitantly.
Pinkie giggle snorted. "No silly. You just hit ponies over the head with it."