[Night of Day 30]
By the time that the fire in the Sweet Apple Acres wheat field finally burned out, nearly half the idle crop had been reduced to piles of gray ash and blackened stalks. The clouds of smoke that wafted about in the air parted before a magic force traveling through them. Twilight Sparkle and Applejack moved around the debris, guided by a pale glow emanating from Twilight's horn.
"Applejack," Twilight began in the tone of a complaint. "Do we really need to be out here? I'm sure the knights will find whatever it is Apple Bloom saw in the morning."
The farmpony in question waved her Stetson at the smoke reflexively. "Prob'ly so. Still, why would my sister find anythin' made o' wood in the middle of a wheat field? 'Scuse me if the thought of somethin' bein' where it don't belong on my farm don't sit well with me." She turned about with a smirk and pointed a hoof at her eyes. "I could always just summon Honesty, y'know. Then I'd see everythin' just fine."
Twilight shook her head in response. "We all agreed that summoning the Elements for trivial matters was a bad idea, remember? I'm surprised you're even standing this soon after using it—the magic that courses through your body when you link with the core gem is no joke."
"Well, maybe the third time's the charm," quipped Applejack as she continued to look about. "I feel right as rain."
Twilight tilted her head and offered an inquisitive gaze. "How about when you were using it?"
"I think I'm gettin' the hang o' the magic boost," said Applejack, "but that whole seein' everythin' at once deal?"
"Perfect spatial awareness," corrected Twilight.
Applejack lifted a pile of charred stalks up with a hoof, finding nothing. "Yeah, that. I'm still gettin' used to that part—feels like goin' cross-eyed n' stayin' that way." She whistled. "Even with that 'perfect spaceware' thing, I could barely keep up with weird earth pony flickerin' here n' there like a will o' wisp."
"Well, at least we know for a fact that she's using some kind of magic now." Twilight sighed and peered into the misty gloom all around. "You know, the knights weren't exactly clear on how Screw Loose even got away. Wasn't that barrier you told me about supposed to stop her from teleporting outside of it?"
"It did," said Applejack. "Stuff worked just like Granny Smith said it would—just pour it in a ditch, light a match, and nothin' magical gets through till it burns away." The untouched part of the field became visible through the smoke. "To tell the truth, I don't know how she got out, or even how Derpy n' Apple Bloom are still with us. When Screw Loose shot that big honkin' ball o' fire at the two of them, I thought I'd lost 'em for sure. But the moment it hits, there's this explosion and a blindin' flash of light. I open up my eyes a second later, and there's Derpy n' Apple Bloom, safe and sound, and a big gapin' hole in the barrier. Ole Screwy 'ported out before I even had a second t' think."
"But you said that magic can't put out fire made of anti-magic."
Applejack stopped and turned to Twilight. "I'm tellin' ya, it can't. What happened don't make a lick o' sense."
Twilight put a hoof to her chin and glanced at the ash-laden ground. "Maybe not, but it might answer another question that's been bothering me ever since this started."
"What's that?"
Twilight's gaze narrowed. "I think it's important to consider that Derpy and Apple Bloom were completely unharmed by a powerful offensive spell. Up until now, we've never had a clue as to why Derpy is being targeted, but the potential ability to deflect giant fireballs and break through anti-magic fire? That could begin to explain things . . ."
Applejack whickered. "You think Derpy did that?"
"Well, you just said that it couldn't have been Screw Loose."
Applejack processed this for a moment before shaking her head. "Derpy's just a normal pegasus pony, Twi. You took a look at her yourself."
"True," said Twilight, "but I can't detect Screw Loose's magic either. I didn't feel a thing in that hotel room even though she definitely teleported out of there seconds before."
Applejack turned about once more. "Well, this conversation just went way past my pay grade. I'm sure you n' that detective'll figure somethin' out." A slow smile crept across her face. "Speakin' of, you two seem to have gotten to know each other pretty well."
"Yeah," responded Twilight, still deep in thought. "We've worked together a few times."
"He's pretty cute, don'tcha think?"
Twilight's eyes drifted back up. "Um, I guess."
"You guess?" echoed Applejack.
"I-I mean yes," Twilight stammered. "He's a very attract-" She paused. "Handsome stallion. What are you getting at?"
Applejack continued to sift through piles of burnt vegetation. "I'm gonna take a shot in the dark here and say that you haven't noticed the way he looks at you when he thinks you ain't payin' attention."
Twilight gave a nervous laugh. The light on her horn flickered. "Come on, A.J.! You're making that up."
"Makin' things up?" Applejack asked indignantly. "Maybe you don't put much stock in this, Twi, but you're one of the prettiest mares around. I'd be worried about this Liner fella if he wasn't checkin' you out."
The light sparked and flickered once more. "Applejack! One Liner is a professional! I seriously doubt that he's-"
"A stallion?" interrupted Applejack. "Single?"
Twilight blushed heavily. "We're just working together to find Screw Loose. That's it."
Applejack backed away with a giant smile on her face. "Whatever you say, sugarc- OW!" She leaped away from where she'd stood a moment before, one hind leg held aloft. "What the hay was that?!"
Twilight rushed to her side. "Are you hurt?"
Applejack tested the limb and stood upon it once more. "Naw, somethin' just stung me over there. Think there's embers still burnin' under some o' the piles?"
The unicorn mare pushed aside the debris with her magic, her eyes growing wide at the result. "Maybe, but not this one."
Embedded in the ground before the two ponies was an object made of wood and iron. Strange glyphs on its worn surface shone with a dull prismatic glow.
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "That wasn't here when we planted the field." She tilted her head. "Does it look like a door to you?"
"It does," replied Twilight. As a test, she lifted a nearby pebble and dropped it onto the object. The tiny rock bounced off on impact with a snap, revealing a shimmering force field of the same multi-hued color as the glyphs. "A locked one. Do you still have any of that anti-magic brew?"
Applejack lifted her Stetson and presented it to Twilight upside-down. "Right here."
Twilight levitated a vial of viscous orange liquid from within, uncorked it, and shook loose a single drop over the door. The force field flashed once and dispersed, leaving behind a normal door in its wake. Twilight's magic aura grabbed hold of the now unguarded object and lifted it on its creaking hinges, nearly letting it fall back to the dirt when the air from within hit her nostrils.
"Hoo-wee!" Applejack exclaimed, fanning away at the entrance with her hat. "It sure smells like Screw Loose, I can tell ya that much."
Following that pronouncement, the two friends stared down the hole in silence. A featureless stone stairway led down into darkness, accompanied only by the strong smell of sulfur and a continuous echo not unlike the sound one hears when holding a conch shell to their ear.
Transfixed by the haunting sight, Twilight nearly jumped out of her skin when she noticed the trenchcoated One Liner standing right next to them.
"Huh," Liner said around the flashlight in his mouth. "That's interesting." He gave the two jittery mares an innocent glance each before pointing at the hole. "You ladies going down, or should I catch the next one?"
NEXT
Episode 06: "Imaginary Place"