//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: There are totally rats down here. 
// by Lorikeet Shmorikeet 
//------------------------------//

	Music blared, strobe lights flashed, and laughter echoed through Sugar Cube Corner. Gummy the alligator had just been declared winner of Birthday Duck Duck Goose, Birthday Simon Says, Birthday Scrabble, and Birthday Pin the Tail on the Pony. After all of the mares had had their turn at the pinata, Gummy had burst it open with one swing of the baseball bat and eaten half of the candy that was inside it. He had been given the biggest slice of birthday cake after blowing all his candles out in one breath and receiving a thunderous applause from his guests. Now he was celebrating his victories with a dance break. Pinkie Pie and her friends surrounded him in a circle, cheering and chanting his name. "GO GUMMY! GO GUMMY! GO GUMMY!" He shook his tail with great strength and vigor. It was his time to shine.  

"Wow, Gummy, you know...you're really good dancer," said Fluttershy, blushing. Gummy's heart pounded. Fluttershy was by far the nicest and prettiest of Pinkie Pie's friends, and she had such a way with animals. Gummy swiftly took her by the hooves and pulled her to the center of the dance floor. The music and lighting changed as he led her into a passionate samba, twirling and dipping her effortlessly. The other mares looked on with jealousy as she laughed with delight. Her shyness seemed to melt away as they danced together, her long, rose colored mane flowing behind her like the tails of a kite, blowing in the wind... 

Plink. 
Plink. 
Two drops of warm water fell from the ceiling directly onto a napping Gummy's snout. The nasty feeling was enough to reach him while he was still in Dreamland. It permeated the walls of sleep, cutting into the scene from Gummy's next birthday party, or at least, what he hoped his next birthday party would be like. It was only two days away, after all. Invitations had been mailed, decorations had been bought, games had planned, and of course, a spectacular host of desserts was being prepared by Mr. and Mrs. Cake. All he had to do now was rest up and get ready for his big day. 

The happy reptile's big, violet eyes fluttered open as he stretched himself out on the cold, hard floor. Wait a second. Why had he been sleeping on the floor? And where had that water even come from? He looked up. It was dark. All he saw was darkness. He looked to the left, and saw what looked like a series of metal bars. He then looked to the right. All he could make out were puddles, garbage, and some kind of mold on the walls. The air was cold, and sharp as a dagger. And the smell! The smell was absolutely dreadful. Gummy was very frightened, but not too frightened to think. After a few moments of realization, he concluded that he was most definitely in a sewer. 

But the question was: Why? He had heard many stories, urban legends, of alligators who had ended up trapped in sewers after being flushed down the toilet by their owners. But surely...she hadn't. Pinkie Pie would NEVER. She loved him and took care of him and would never flush him down a toilet. Gummy was sure of it. Those sorts of things only happened to bad alligators. Unwanted alligators. Or alligators who lived in big cities, where there wasn't any room to care for them. Gummy wasn't sure how he had gotten in the sewer, or why he had been put there, but he did know one thing: if those stories were true, then there were bound to be other alligators in this sewer. Bigger, tougher, meaner, alligators. Alligators who might want to fight him. Gummy shuddered at the thought of fighting with another animal. He knew he was too small, too delicate, and too timid to hold his own in a brawl with almost any other kind of reptile. Besides maybe a very small frog. And even then, many small frogs were poisonous. 

This got Gummy thinking about other kinds of animals that might be lurking in the dark. He knew that mice, rats and bugs lived in sewers. He shuddered again and clutched his tail. He hated rats. And there were totally rats down there, scurrying and squeaking around his feet. His fear led him to tremor slightly, backing up against the wall. He had to find a way out. But how? There was no way up, as far as he could see. He decided he would have to brave his fears and investigate further. He slowly started to walk to the right, sniffing along the path. He paused in terror after a few moments, after seemingly hearing a squeak near his feet. 

"Come on, Gummy, get a hold of yourself," 
he mumbled quietly, 
"Alligators shouldn't be afraid of rats. We are supposed to eat things like rats. I should not be afraid of rats."  

He kept walking until he came across another series of metal bars. He was trapped. In a cage. Great. He paced back and forth in the dark, frantically thinking of logical reasons as to why he was here. Maybe this, too, was a dream. Maybe he would wake up soon, safe and warm in his bed. He pinched himself hopefully. No. This was all too real. It just felt too real to be a dream. After minutes of pacing, that felt more like hours, there was a loud clanging noise as Gummy's foot hit something cold. Something hard. Something metal. He felt cold water splash his foot, and picked up the overturned object to see what it was. He held it close to his face. It seemed to be a water dish. He investigated the area around it. Sure enough, another dish sat right beside it, filled to the brim with a sort of crunchy food. Kibble. Gummy's mind raced. This meant two things: 
1.  Gummy had just knocked over his only clean water supply. 
2. This was no freak accident. Someone had been expecting him. Gummy had been kidnapped and trapped here on purpose.