//------------------------------// // Arson, Murder and Lifesaving // Story: Bedtime Stories // by Incredible Blunderbolt //------------------------------// The door opened with a long creak that set the hairs on the back of my neck on end. I gagged as the smell of wood shavings and raw sewage flooded my nostrils. Biting my lip, I looked behind me at the dimly lit corridor and watched breathlessly for a long moment while my heart pounded furiously. When nothing emerged from the darkness, I wiped the sweat off my forehead and peeked inside the door. I could hear soft sobs and shuffling within the room ahead; my nostrils flared each time the cries sounded. Heavy hoofsteps echoed just passed the door, no doubt belonging to the giant wall of fur that blocked the rest of the room from view. In the faint torchlight, I could make out the shadow of antlers nearly as large as me, each spike sharpened to a deadly point. I gulped and crept closer through the threshold, closing the door as softly as I could. When the door clicked, the figure's ear twitched, but he didn't move. Releasing the breath I didn't know I was holding, I peered passed the mountain of a being and into the cells beyond. Despite the darkness, I could make out the shivering bodies of several ponies trapped inside. It took every ounce of self control I had to stop myself from rushing over and pulling the door open—there was still work to do. Turning to face the guard, I took a shaky breath and sneaked closer, until I could make out every ungodly stain on the backside of his coat. After steeling myself as much as I could, I flared my wings and leaped onto his back, wrapped my forelegs around his neck and squeezed as hard as I could on the sides. The guard's muscles tensed instantly. Back when I was in training, Shining Armor once told me that a proper blood choke could knock a stallion out in just a few seconds—this, however, was a full-grown warrior moose who roared and bucked as hard as he could the second I managed to secure my grip. The crazed beast kicked and bayed, shaking and wriggling as best he could to free himself from my grasp, but it was to no avail—I still held on tight. The moose's motions soon grew more sporadic but much more frantic, and he seemed to understand just how dire his situation was. I gasped in surprise as he reared back and we crashed into a wall. A flash of pain rocked through my skull and I felt my hoof slip from my bicep. Shoot! I made a desperate grab for my knife, but it wasn't going to happen. The moose swung his weight over and sent me careening across the room. There was a crash and the next thing I knew, I was surrounded by splintered wood and my fetlock was screaming in agony. I shook my head and tried to regain my bearings, but then I heard something that made my blood freeze in my veins. A snort. Oh, crap... Forgetting about the remains of whatever I'd destroyed and my poor leg, I quickly rolled to the side, barely moving in time to avoid thundering hooves. A moment later, a fierce cracking sound filled the room, followed by a wounded howl. I looked up, breathing heavily, and tried to find the guard; it wasn't hard, the dust and rubble from his crash into the wall was billowing around him. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw no movement and turned to face the cell, where the captives now stood watching intently with fresh looks of hope on their faces. “Hey, gu—“ Emerald eyes widened in horror. “Behind you!” “Huh? Whoa!” A huge set of hooves wrapped themselves around me and tightened. I saw red. I felt like a snake was squeezing the life out of me. My eyes stung as I felt the pressure increase. Something snapped in my chest and I howled so loudly my ears hurt. The pain only grew as the time went on and I began to grow desperate—I could barely breath through the combination of the guard's squeezing and the pain that ripped through my lungs every time I took in air. I thrashed about as wildly as I could and my face met something soft; I immediately opened my mouth and clamped my teeth on it. A deafening scream flooded the room and I fell to the ground. My chest ached horribly and I was almost certain that ribs were not supposed to bend that way. I tried to sit up, but the world turned dark and white-hot pain took the place of everything. I groaned as I lay on the ground, nearly helpless, and waited for the inevitable. The moose rose to his hooves, one of his forelegs shining with crimson blood. Twin thuds sounded as a heavy hoof dropped to each side of my head. He towered over me, glaring at me with rage filled eyes. His nostrils flared as he snorted, spraying slimy snot all over my face. I couldn't even raise a hoof to wipe it off without my chest screaming at me. I looked up at the guard and I knew this was it—three weeks of tracking just to fail at the very end. A choked moan escaped my lips as I thought about my friends. I failed them. I failed her. Braying, the moose lowered his head and showed me his deadly antlers—no! Antler! The other must've broken off during his crash! Maybe I hadn't failed after all! But I'd have to be quick; I'd only have one shot at escaping. The moose reared back, preparing for the final blow. Just as he started his charge, I rolled to the side and stopped only when I heard the sound of that stupid, overgrown deer's head hitting the floor. I cursed as I came to a stop, holding my rib with a hoof. “Ow! Ow! Ow!” I half cried, half laughed. Great! I thought, I'm going crazy! A glint of steel alerted me to the fact that my knife was still firmly in its sheath, thank Celestia. I tried to grab it, but before I could, I watched the moose stand back up and shake his head violently. He snorted angrily as his other antler, hanging down by his head now, finally snapped and fell to the floor. His eyes found mine and locked into place with fiery indignation. “Crap.” Releasing a roar, the guard charged once more, barreling straight for me. I didn't have the time or strength to dodge again, so I made a desperate grab for my knife, ignoring the crinkling sound my ribs made, and pulled on the handle. The buckle popped and flew off the case. With hardy a second to spare, I managed to angle the knife at my attacker just before he plowed into me full force. Somepony screamed. Maybe it was me. We flew backward at least a dozen feet and landed in a massive pile on the floor. The first thing I noticed when it was over was that my chest hurt like the pits of Tartarus—which was good; if I was in pain, it meant I was alive. My head hurt too, probably because it had been smashed off the wall again. There was a lot of pressure on my abdomen—so much that it hurt just to think about it. I opened my eyes and found myself staring straight into on of the glazed eyes of the moose; my knife stuck out of the other one. “Ouch...” I groaned weakly, managing a weak smile at the sight. I shifted my body a few inches to the side and managed sucked in a breath before pushing against the guard's eight hundred pound frame. I managed to raise the mass of muscle and sinew just enough to roll out from under it. Grunting, I looked up at the ponies in the cell. “Heh,” I chuckled softly, wincing as my chest shook. “I did it...” An orange mare slowly shook her head and matted blond hair waved around in the darkness. “Yeah, Sugarcube,” she said, mirroring my silent laughter. “You sure did...” I latched a foreleg against my ribs and hoped that it'd be enough pressure to at least let me stand up. It was. I stumbled across the room to the remains of the table and searched the rubble for the guard's keys. After a moment, I found them under what was probably what was leftover from one of the legs. Nodding, I picked them up with my mouth and limped carefully over to the cell door. Every step was agonizing. I felt like my ribs were trying to fight their way out of my body. I grimaced and powered through, though—I was ten feet away from finishing a month's work and I wasn't gonna fail just because I hurt a little bit. When I reached the bars, I fumbled with the key for a second before I managed to slip one in the lock and turn it. The door slid open with a creak and I sat down and tried to catch my breath. The first pony out stomped her way up to me, growling obscenities under her breath before drawing a lavender hoof across my muzzle. Stars burst before my eyes as my cheek caught fire. Pain ripped through my chest as I stumbled to the side and I fell to the floor with a yelp. The unicorn hovered over me, glaring like I'd just punched her grandmother. “Rainbow Dash!” she rumbled. “That's for leaving!” Breathing heavily—and still very much in pain—I tried to respond. “Twilight, I'm sor—“ My face exploded in pain once more. “That's for not listening to me!” “But—“ She raised her hoof and brought it down on my cheek without hesitation and I quickly shut up. “That's for leaving us here for weeks!” “Twi!” I cried, wincing as her crazed eyes turned hostile again. She frowned, but it didn't look like she was about to hit me. Not yet, at least. Then, her head swooped down and in one swift motion her lips landed squarely on mine. I felt my wings instinctively flare out. Twilight held the kiss for a brief moment before nuzzling me and pulling away. She now wore a soft smile on her face, and her eyes showed nothing but kindness. I opened my mouth to say something, but my jaw just bounced up and down. I must've looked pretty stupid. My heart was racing, but the battle was long over. I gulped. “Wh-what was that for?” I whispered breathlessly. “That,” she said warmly, “was for coming back.”