//------------------------------// // Consequences // Story: Newsworthy // by _Medicshy //------------------------------// A smack across the face brought Ink Well from his darkened stupor. He immediately tried to move his hoof to hit back, but found it bound in place. He looked back at his bonds, discovering himself in his writing chair, but in the upper part of his house. On the floor near the hole to the rest of the house a candle burned, dimly illuminating the room, and primarily illuminating his unicorn assailant. She smiled warmly at him. “Ah! Now that I have your attention, where did you take the file?” Ink Well glared coldly at her, noting the bright red scarf she had on and the businesslike way she held herself. She just frowned at him. “Come now, don't be that way. I've been sent to retrieve the information and I tried searching your house despite the mess the whole place is in, but it just isn't here. Now tell me where it is and we can both be on our way.” He held his glare at her. In response she stomped, glaring back at him. “And why do you have no stairs? It's very inconvenient to get up here without wings.” Ink Well was taken aback, but held his level gaze. He wasn't going to let her get to him. When he didn't talk, she walked around the room, examining the papers on his wall. “You know, you caught the attention of a very powerful pony when you took that folder. One little pony asking you questions is really the least of your worries.” After another brief silence she sighed, looking calmly into his eyes. “It will just make everything easier if you cooperate. I won't have to work nearly as hard, and tell you what, I'll even let you go!” She smiled sickeningly sweetly at him. “Isn't that nice? It's a win-win for both of us!” Ink Well snorted at her, disbelieving. “Yeah, like I'd really tell you. We both know you're just going to get rid of me once you get it. What makes you think I'd talk?” The unicorn frowned. “Oh, you are a clever one, aren't you?” Her horn began to glow, floating a dark green belt from a hidden corner of the room and attaching it around her waist. From this belt two vicious looking daggers slid from their sheathes, surrounded by the red aura of her magic, and floated towards him in a vaguely threatening manner. “Well if you don't want to cooperate I could just torture you slowly.” She saw fear enter his eyes and smiled cruelly. “Yeah, now you have a reason to talk, don't you?” She brought one of the knives closer, hovering it right between his eyes. “Now you're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'll make you wish you'd never been born.” Ink Well leaned his head away from the point floating in front of him, talking quickly. “Well, see, torture, yeah, that's a very” he swallowed, trying to fix his suddenly dry throat, “very bad idea you have there. Sounds messy, really painful, waste of everypony's time.” Her smile deepened, becoming truly sinister. “Only if they don't enjoy it. For you it will be a waste of time and blood. For me, it will be a relaxing evening.” The dagger floated slowly lower on Ink Well, focusing its point on a much more tender area. Ink Well's heart leaped to his throat as he tried to wiggle the chair as far from the knife as possible. “Yeah, well, instead of that unseemly mess, you could let me go!” He saw her eyes narrow, feeling the point come sharply into focus upon his body. He started to sweat nervously, forcing a smile and talking even faster. “Hear me out! I could lead you to the folder. Then you wouldn't have to do anything here, you could just get me and anypony who may or may not know about it there in one go. Less work for you, less pain for me, it's a win-win!” The blade still hovering around his head sliced finely through the air, drawing a thin line down Ink Well's cheek. He winced, feeling blood slowly bead on his face and stain his fur. “Don't think me a fool, Ink Well, you aren't as sly as you think. However, if I may say so, you should be applauded. After ten years, only three attempts have been made to break into the Equirer offices, and only one succeeded at getting out. They have very good guards. The ponies in charge had been starting to wonder if the Enforcers were even worth maintaining anymore.” She idly brought the other dagger up from its tenuous position, pulling it up to his face and drawing a slow, painful curve on his other cheek. “The budget was about to be cut, but you kept them necessary. Thank you. I do love this job so much.” Ink Well could feel the warm blood moving down his face, mind racing on how to get out. He could think of only one, and for that he had to keep the unicorn talking. “Who doesn't love their job? But, the Enforcers, huh? Never heard of them. Who are they? And who are you? You're in my house and I don't even know your name.” The unicorn smiled. “The Enforcers are a force to be reckoned with. That's all you need to know. And since it is your final request, I will tell you my name.” She bowed low, turning slightly to show off her cutie mark: a snake coiled around a red apple. “I am Viper, and I shall be your dispatcher from this world.” The daggers hung nonchalantly over his head, slowly edging in. He ducked as best he could in his bindings, lowering away from the blades. “Well, dispatcher, huh? That's nice, very kind of you. But daggers? Really? Won't it be a little too obvious if I'm found lying in a pool of my blood in my house? Or even worse, tied in a chair? Somepony would think that suspicious.” Viper shrugged. “True, but I already thought of that. There are plenty of ways to dispose of a body. It's almost easier than information. Although...” The daggers floated away, one of them slotting itself back into its sheath. “You didn't help me, did you? Why should I let you die so quickly as by knife? No... you need something more punishing.” The second dagger twirled itself in the air as Viper made her way near the hole to the lower floor. “I've heard that fire is an excruciating way to die, and it would remove all the evidence so well. And look at all this fuel...” She tipped the candle over, watching it tumble to the floor below. The paper veneer quickly went alight, smoke trailing up almost instantly. “Oops. Another house fire caused by an inattentive pony.” Viper smiled as the fire spread. “Ooh, yes, this will be perfect. Slow, painful, quite deadly...Yet, I'm afraid this means I can't stay around to make sure the deed's done right.” The second dagger ceased its swirling, plunging itself into Ink Well's left side. He cried out as it sank in, twisting and pulling at his flesh. Viper's smile widened, taking on a wicked, manic overtone in the dim red light. “Much better. Now even if you're freed, how far could you possibly go?” The dagger pulled out along his side, creating a gash from which blood flowed. As a final insult, the blade wiped itself off on his fur before sliding back in Viper's belt. “Keep your cool, Ink Well. It will all be over soon.” With an almost stereotypically evil laugh she hopped down the hole, leaving Ink Well to his fate. As soon as she was gone Ink Well looked around the room for a way out of the ropes. Smoke was already starting to amass in the low ceiling, stinging his eyes. Across the room, reflected off of the glass containing his short story, was the fire, rapidly spreading throughout his house. Ink Well struggled in his bonds, feeling blood trickle from his side into the ropes, making them sticky and damp. The smoke level lowered, further filling the room and causing him to wincing in pain with each cough forced from his lungs. “If I only could get through these ropes...” He looked up again, seeing the reflection of the fire as it spread to his worn bag. He watched it, despairing silently as the flames engulfed his work. After a few moments of staring at the reflection, despair gave way to a smile which slowly spread across his face. “The glass.” He rocked back and forth, managing to tip the chair enough to place his rear hooves on the floor. Then, carrying the chair like a turtle shell on his back, he teetered forward. He waddled laboriously, blood dripping behind him as he edged around the hole in the floor. He pushed through his cloud bed, which was bubbling and dissipating in the heat rising from below, and placed down the chair before his story's golden frame. He pulled his head back, then brought it forward hard into the glass. All he managed to do was hurt his forehead, causing him to instinctively jerk back, tipping the chair backwards over the pit. The chair hovered right at its center of gravity, hanging in midair while Ink Well looked at the inferno crackling beneath him. His ears jammed against his head as he felt the chair slowly move past its balance point. “No. No, no, no, no!” Despite his protests he tumbled back, falling into the flames. The chair crashed into the burning floor beneath him, shattering on impact. Ink Well landed hard on his side, the stab wound throbbing in the air and his right wing tweaking beneath him. He rolled off of his side, shaking away the ropes and painfully pushing himself up amidst the blazing floorboards. Fire briefly caught on the edges of his wings and mane, but he kept moving to put them out. He stumbled coughing through the thick smoke and ash to the door. Just as he was about to force it open he noticed a figure outside, barely visible in the firelight. Watching the flames with rapt attention was Viper, keeping an eye open for an escape attempt. Ink Well backed up, not wanting to burst free just to land back in captivity, and looked for another exit. Hit eyes ran over his hat burning furiously beneath his writing desk. “Aw... I loved that hat...” He jumped up, hooves stinging in the intense heat of the flames, and took to hovering on injured wings, fanning the fire beneath him as he maneuvered to the upper level. Just as he was about to pass through the hole a golden glint caught his eye. Upon his burning desk sat the golden ink pot stained red in the firelight, a beacon in the smokey blaze around him. Next to the desk was another glint of metal, his pen sitting pleadingly in the ash. Without thinking, he landed, reaching into the flames to grab the pen and ink pot in his teeth. There was a slight sizzle as the heated metal scorched his mouth and fire burned the fur from his chin, but Ink Well didn't seem to notice. He jumped back into the air, flapping his protesting wings hard and scrabbling his hooves on the floor to pull himself into the upper room. The fire had spread here, though it was hard to tell through the thick smoke. He coughed and sputtered from the air burning his straining lungs, cursing himself for not having a window in the upper part of his house. His head turned foggy as the air thinned, his vision slowly fading. He lowered himself to the floor of the upper story, holding his hooves before his mouth as a makeshift filter, when a horrible creak came from above him. He had just enough time to look up before the beam split, the roof rushing to meet him. Outside Viper admired her work, the flames quickly rushing through the house. She smiled grimly as the roof collapsed, smoke pouring out of it in a large cloud that slowly dispersed on the night winds. Fire billowed from the new hole in the roof, signaling a complete conflagration within. She saluted the collapsing building solemnly. “Goodbye, Ink Well. It was certainly heartwarming to have met you.” She smiled smugly after the remark, walking through the ash and smoke and disappearing among the shadows of the surrounding hills. --- The smoke drifted with the breeze in the general direction of Ponyville, though it was still far from that destination. It floated gently, its calm nature not suggesting anything sinister. A few hills from the fire that was its source, as the smoke spread thin enough to see the early night moon shining through it, a figure plummeted from the cloud, sputtering and coughing and trailing licks of flame behind it. It half flapped its wings, trying to stop its free fall but only managing to bob and jerk up a few times pitifully before ultimately crashing hard into a bush, a golden ink pot and a blue fountain pen bouncing out onto the surrounding grass. A singed and bloodied Ink Well pulled himself free of the snags and snarls, coughing and wheezing in the cool night air. He smiled maniacally, chuckling to himself between coughs. “I made it out. No more fire for-” He collapsed on the ground, his fitful laughter pausing as he hacked up a wet black and red lump. Trying to focus on it with blurry eyes, he shook his head, his smile turning unsteady. “That's bad... that's definitely not good...” He moved a hoof down to his side, pressing gently against it. He winced, smile dropping completely as he pulled back his hoof to examine it. What fur remained on the end of his leg was painted crimson, the rest charred short or missing entirely, the skin beneath bright red even in the steely moonlight. He put his hoof down, looking to his side. Blood was smeared across his whole side and dripping to the ground, the area around the gash stained black with ash and smoke. Ink Well quickly looked away, instead pushing himself up shakily. “That's a lot... of my blood.” He took a step forward and fell as his left front hoof collapsed beneath him, pain shooting all the way through his leg and side. He rolled over, staring up at the star filled sky. The moon shone coldly down on him, the smoke from his cottage drifting lonesomely in front of it. His eyes slowly closed, head flopping against the cool grass as he felt a stiffness steadily replacing the soreness within him. He felt chilled, as though cool water were running through his veins, and an accompanying tiredness that refused to yield. Maybe he could just sleep for a little while... a quick nap to take the pain away... His eyes shot open and he pushed himself up unsteadily. “No. It's not gonna stop here...” He stood on very shaky legs, hobbling over to collect his pen and ink pot, then stretched out his wings. He flapped once, yelling out at the pain as his right wing fell uselessly at his side. He looked at it, disbelieving, then looked at the moon, pleading silently. When his wing remained lame, his look fell from the moon, focusing instead on the ground in front of him. He began to walk determinedly, following the moon in its path through the skies. --- As the moon sank low in the sky and the first pink hints of morning light edged the horizon, Ponyville slept soundly. All the shops were closed, the windows dark and streets silent. The only motion came from a single figure as it pulled itself through the town, stumbling down the streets with a glint of gold between its teeth. It made its way to the marketplace, stopping once it arrived to lean against a building. Wiping the sweat from its eyes, the figure smiled as it saw the simple sign near the door reading 'Rosewater.' It stumbled up to the door, sliding along the wall and leaving a streak of dark blood across the white paint. Standing on shaky legs, it knocked on the door three times before falling heavily against it, continuing to knock an unsteady rhythm as it trailed blood down the door. After what seemed like an eternity, the door opened. The figure slumped with the motion, falling inside and landing unmoving on the floor. Rose gasped at the prone body on her floor, immediately awakened by the surprise of the sight. She stared in silent horror at the figure, finding her voice only when she realized she recognized it. “Ink Well?! What happened to you?” Ink Well's eye forced itself half open, his head barely turning to face her as he talked around the ink pot in his teeth. “Rose... Fire ...forcers... Rainbow...” He went limp, the dented ink pot and pen rolling out onto the floor. Rose leaned down, shaking his shoulder. “Ink Well? Ink Well! Stay with me! Just hold on, I'll get the nurse!” She jumped over his body, galloping down the street to the nurse's medical tent. Ink Well lay on her cold floor, unmoving, his ragged breathing slowing with time. --- Soft evening light filtered into the room, the dusty rose walls and light wood flooring glowing gently in the light. The scents of flowers and citrus rose from the floor, conflicting harshly with the smells of medicine and sterilizers within. Overhanging everything was the strong smell of smoke and ash, it's source easily traceable to the form laying in a downy bed in the corner. Ink Well lay in the center of the single-pony bed, bandages adorning much of his body. He had two across his cheeks, one wrapped around his head, another wrapped around his midsection and blotched with a deep red. One of his wings was braced tightly to his side, the bulk of it wrapped in gauze. The edge of both of his wings were singed black, his mane and tail mostly patchy and burned short where it remained. Near his hooves on all legs were bandages stained a sickly orange from the results of the burns. His left front leg was supported with a frame, a metal brace holding a cast on the bottom and top halves. The rest of his body was its normal off-white color, the same as a scroll of parchment, though spots were raw and red where his fur was missing. His chest rose and fell shallowly, his breathing still ragged and strained as he shook his head and mumbled quietly. Within the room an earth pony roamed, taking careful care of the pegasus on the bed. She walked over to it, pulling up the burgundy blanket that had fallen down his body. Her snow white hooves ran up to his head, her brow furrowing at the fever he ran before she stood up, moving to her bag sitting in a different part of the room. The bag was decorated with the same red cross that was on her flank, though it was missing the four hearts in the angles. From her bag she pulled out a needle, tapping it gently to remove air before walking back to the prone figure. Ink Well groaned quietly as the needle entered, but was otherwise unresponsive to the nurse above him. The medical scene felt out of place in the studio room as the rest of it contained many simple flower vases upon various surfaces and a few homely pictures hanging on the walls. There was a kitchen in one of the corners of the room with cactus green counter tops running around it. In the center of the room was a simple green table, one matching chair sitting next to it. Between the windows along one wall was a small bookshelf, a single reading chair next to that. The room was well decorated, though not lavish, and well lived in, neither being hallmarks of a hospital or medical tent. The nurse packed up her needle and a few other supplies and headed towards some stairs to a lower level that ran along the far wall. The room sat still for a long while, the only noise the shallow breathing and mumblings of the unconscious writer. The light in the room slowly faded, taking on a peach and eventually rusty hue as evening turned into night. Rose walked up from her shop and into her house, turning on the electric lights above. An incandescent glow washed over the room, wiping away the shading from the windows. As soon as the lights came on her eyes fell on Ink Well, breathing uneasily on her bed. A pain shot through her to see him like that, tears edging her worried eyes as she walked over. “Oh Ink Well, what happened to you?” His only response was his quiet mumbling and the movement of his chest, which did little to comfort her. After watching him for a while she walked into the kitchen, preparing herself a simple dinner. She ate it quietly at her table, moving her chair over so that she could see Ink Well where he lay. When she finished, she washed the plate and put it away. She then walked over to Ink Well solemnly, checking that his bandages were secure and clean. None of them were particularly saturated, so she walked to her bookcase, picking up her borrowed copy of Of Wing and Horn and sitting in the comfortable reading chair beside it. The sky outside darkened as Rose read, the only sounds in the room the slow breathing of the injured writer and the occasional rustle of the pages of his book. This continued as the lights of town one by one darkened, leaving only the top of the perfume shop shining in the night. Rose kept vigil, one eye on the pages and the other on her ward. The moon had passed its zenith and was mid way to the horizon before Rose stopped, yawning deeply as she marked her page and put down her book. She moved over to the bed, checking that the still and silent Ink Well was alright before walking to a small closet in the corner. From it she pulled a few cream colored sheets which she piled a few feet from the bed. She pulled off the cushion from her reading chair, setting up a second makeshift bed on the wood floor. She then flicked off the lights, finding her way back with the help of the cool moonlight and Ink Well's breathing. With one more glance towards the bed, she lay her head to rest, pulling a blanket over her. “Goodnight Ink Well.” --- Rose was awakened in the early morning by the pained sounds coming from Ink Well. He was rolling and shaking his head violently, as though in the throws of a nightmare. He called out, quietly and raggedly but with understandable words. “Fire... Rainbow... Enforcers...” With every motion he made, a little more blood seeped from his side into his bandages and limbs held in place with braces were tweaked out of position. Rose stiffly leaped up from her hard bed and ran over to him, stroking his mane and trying to calm him. “Shh! It's alright Ink Well.” Despite her soft words, Ink Well continued to call out and thrash, eyes shut tight and hooves and wings flailing dangerously. Rose tried keeping him from hurting himself by pinning his front hooves to the bed. Ink Well yelled out as the pressure on his hooves caused pus to ooze through his bandages. He shot up in the bed with eyes wide open. He looked around, eyes slightly glazed over and highly confused, but infinitely calmer than he had been despite the heaving of his chest saying otherwise. Eventually his eyes drifted to Rose's face, trying to focus but still not quite there. She looked into his eyes, wondering how well he was. “Ink Well?” With a scratchy shade of his original voice he responded. “Rose?” Rose nodded at him, smiling. “Yeah Ink Well, it's me.” “Did you warn Rainbow?” It was Rose's turn to look confused. “What?” Ink Well's look became determined and worried behind the bandages. “Rainbow Dash... she isn't safe. I need to wa- Ah!” Ink Well moved to get up, pushing off with his left front hoof, which quickly collapsed under him. He fell back onto the bed, wincing as his burned back collided with the downy covering. Rose tried to ease him off of his injuries, shifting him to a more comfortable position on the bed. “No you don't, mister. Nurse Redheart said you weren't even going to wake up for a few days, so you aren't going anywhere.” Ink Well shook his head feebly on the bed, pushing weakly against Rose's hooves. “I can't stay here. They knew about me, they'll know about her. I have to warn her about the Enforcers...” Rose patted him on the shoulder, pulling the blanket back up from where it had been moved. “Don't worry. I'll warn her for you, you just keep resting.” She frowned at his hooves as they continued to leak pus. “I should really fix those bandages...” “No... don't waste the time. I'll be fine... Just hurry. Warn her.” Ink Well was fighting to keep himself awake on the bed, his outburst sapping what little energy he'd had. “Tell her... to be careful when she goes home... Whatever she does... be safe...” His head flopped back into the pillow as he passed out, worry knitting his brow. Rose looked worriedly at him. “Ink Well?” He started to breathe calmly, murmuring under his breath. She considered changing his bandages, but left to fulfill his wishes despite her reservations about leaving him. Quickly she went down the stairs and into the awakening town, hoping to finish her task as quickly as possible. From her shop she went straight to Nurse Redheart's medical tent, keeping one eye on the sky for the blue pegasus she was supposed to find. She walked inside, walking in on the white pony preparing for the day. The nurse looked up at her. “Ah, Roseluck, do you need anything?” Rose shook her head. “No, I'm fine. But I came over because Ink Well woke up. Just for a little bit, he was sleeping when I left. I was wondering if you'd like to check on him.” Nurse Redheart looked surprised. “He woke up?! Wow. I didn't expect him to do anything but sleep for days with those injuries.” She packed up a few supplies into a house call bag. “I'll visit him once Tenderheart comes in for the day.” Rose smiled gratefully. “Thank you. I'll see you later then.” She left the tent, leaving Nurse Redheart to get back to work. She walked from the tent, walking out to the park to see if she could spot Rainbow Dash flying. After an hour of searching futilely she found herself unsure what to do. Rainbow Dash was a celebrity around town, heck, around Equestria, and everypony knew her, but her and Rose weren't exactly friends. She didn't even know where to start looking apart from the sky... She decided to get help, starting off at Lily and Daisy's shop. She hurried there, and as she went to push the door open, Lily backed out with a basket full of flowers for the front display, bumping into Rose's outstretched hoof. She jumped, spilling a few petunias from the basket to the ground. “Oh! Rose, what brings you by?” Rose collected the flowers on the ground, cleaning up the mess she made. “Hey Lily, do you know how to get in touch with Rainbow Dash? I need to tell her something.” Lily placed down the basket, getting ready to arrange the flowers. “No, I don't, sorry. She was always lazing around town before, but she's been a lot more secretive ever since that article warned us about her revolutionary activities.” Rose shook her head. “I can't believe you still think she did that. Has she ever seemed like a revolutionary to you? Her best friend is the student of the Princess!” Lily stopped her arranging, talking proudly to Rose. “Exactly! Nopony would expect it from her! Never seemed one, fronting trying to get into the Wonderbolts, but she was secretly plotting their downfall. It's always the ones you don't expect.” She went back to rearranging, smiling to herself. “Besides, why would the Equirer lie to us? They never have before.” Rose sighed. “Oh, never mind. I'm not going to change your mind.” She walked inside, the bell signaling her arrival and stopping Daisy's flower watering. “Hey there Daisy.” Daisy smiled at her. “Hello Rose! Do you need something? You can't be needing a new order already.” Rose shook her head. “No, I'm good on flowers. Though... I could use some lavender, if you have any extra. Got a special need I wasn't foreseeing... But that's not why I'm here. Do you know how to get in contact with Rainbow Dash?” Daisy shook her head. “No, sorry. Normally I'd say scan the skies, but she's been really slacking on her weather patrol lately. The clouds have been slowing down my sunflower production, and right before the rush too...” Rose frowned. “Huh. That makes things tricky.” Daisy shrugged, returning to watering her flowers. “Well, you could always try talking to Rainbow Dash's friends. There's Pinkie Pie at Sugarcube Corner, though there's something off about that filly... Or there's Twilight Sparkle. She never comes out of her Library unless it's important, so you could probably find her there.” “Oh, duh, Why didn't I think of that?” Rose started out, but paused by the door. “You don't still believe that Equirer article on them, do you?” Daisy smiled as she watered. “No, not at all. Nopony would attack the Gala. They were probably just scouting.” She put down her watering pail, frowning. “Has Lily been talking about it again?” Rose looked slightly disappointed at her friend. “Yeah... She's a bit enthusiastic about the whole thing.” “Oh, she's just being silly. I'll talk to her later, don't worry about it. See you later Rose.” “Bye Daisy.” Rose left the shop, walking towards the edge of town and the Library. Even over a week after the story printed, and even though it was still early, there were still a few miscellaneous ponies hanging around hoping for something interesting to happen. Rose went inside, waiting near the door for somepony to greet her. Eventually Spike walked in from a back section of the building, feather duster in hand. “Hello?” Rose tried not to laugh at the sight of the purple dragon with a duster as large as himself. “Uh, hi. Is Twilight Sparkle around? I need to ask her a question.” Spike frowned, looking at her suspiciously. “Yeah, well I think Twilight's a little busy. Maybe if you came back later she'll be available.” “Busy, but...” Rose held up a hoof trying to shake away suspicion. “Oh, no, it's not about that. Ink Well asked me to warn Rainbow Dash about something, but I don't know how to contact her, so I was going to ask Twilight for help.” Spike raised an eyebrow, questioning the story, but turned to the section he'd just come from. “Twilight! Somepony here about something important!” He walked back into the back of the library, leaving Rose feeling awkward by the door. After a few moments, Twilight Sparkle came out from the back area looking slightly perturbed. “Yes, err... Rose, right? What do you want?” Rose was taken aback. “Um, I was wondering if you could get a message to Rainbow Dash.” Twilight's eyebrow raised. “Oh? What is it?” “It was... oh what was the direct quote... 'Be careful when you go home, and whatever you do, be safe.'” Rose looked slightly embarrassed as she said it. “That sounds a bit weird, doesn't it?” Twilight nodded, looking confused. “Yes. Yes it does. Who asked you to send this?” “It was Ink Well. He said he wanted to warn her.” “Really? Why didn't he deliver the message himself?” Rose hesitated, not sure how much should be said. Too much attention probably wouldn't help his health at all right now. “He wanted to, but he's a little... busy right now.” Twilight raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “Right... Well, thank you, your message has been delivered, I'll get it to Rainbow Dash as fast as I can. Now if that was it, I've still got a little bit of work to do. Thank you for coming by, have a nice day.” As she talked, a pile of books was magicked in front of Rose, herding her out the door, which then slammed itself in her face. Rose stood outside, staring incredulously at the door. “Well. This is why I don't hang out with them.” She turned, walking back to her shop to check on Ink Well, confident her mission was complete. --- Twilight stayed in the back of her library reading up on law books. She'd spent the day before working on a strong legal case against the Equirer and was continuing her work today while Spike took care of the library. Unfortunately there wasn't much precedent against them, and while what was going on was shady, it wasn't actually illegal apart from slander. While she was working she remembered the visit from Rose and what she said. Not particularly worried, she put it to the back of her mind, deciding to send Owlowiscious out with a written message for Rainbow Dash. Almost an hour after Owlowiscious took flight, he returned playing vanguard to a slightly battered Rainbow Dash, a large bruise on her cheek. Upon seeing the state of her friend, Twilight jumped up. “Rainbow! What happened to you?” Rainbow Dash threw up her hooves in anger. “I was jumped! I went out for a morning flight and when I got back home there were two big colts waiting for me.” She kicked out angrily at a small statue in the library, which only survived because of Twilight's quick reaction time with her magic. “They freaking knocked me out! They were starting to ask me all sorts of weird questions when Owlowiscious showed up. Only thanks to him that I got out. He distracted them while I kicked 'em out on their flank.” Twilight heard her friend's account of what happened, feeling slightly ashamed that she'd taken as long as she did to get the message out. “Wow, maybe I should have taken Rose more seriously. I only sent Owlowiscious because she came by with a warning from Ink Well. Though I guess it already came late.” “Where is Ink Well? It's his fault those guys jumped me! They said they were after the Equirer information.” Twilight looked concerned. “Well, he'd gone back to write a story, but then that message came from Rose... Fluttershy went out to visit him this morning, so we'll probably hear something when she gets back.” Almost on cue Fluttershy ran through the front door, looking extremely worried with ash in her mane and staining her face and hooves. “Twilight! Ink Well is...” She saw Twilight and Dash talking and skidded to a halt, looking at them anxiously. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- Rainbow? Are you okay? What happened?” Rainbow nodded. “I'm fine Fluttershy, just a little roughed up. What's this about Ink Well?” Fluttershy looked between them, looking on the verge of panic. “I flew out to Ink Well's house and it was all burned down! There was just ash and scorched wood... Do you think he's...?” Twilight shook her head. “No, he's alright. He has to be. Rose came by earlier today with a message from him. I'm sure he made it out just fine.” Fluttershy looked a little happier as she heard this, but still worried. “Rose? The perfumer? So then, where's Ink Well?” Twilight shrugged. “I don't know. She said he was busy right now.” Fluttershy looked at the ground. “That doesn't sound right...” Rainbow frowned. “Sounds like she's hiding something to me. We should go get Rose to tell us what's going on!” Twilight held out a hoof. “Cool your jets Rainbow. Let's just get the others and go ask her. I'm sure he's fine.” --- Rose was sitting in her chair reading when she heard the knock at the door. When she had returned, Nurse Redheart had already swapped Ink Well's bandages. He was laying completely still as she worked, breathing raggedly and with a furrowed brow. Rose had walked next to him and told him calmly that Rainbow had gotten her message, and almost immediately his face softened and his breathing calmed. Now he was still sleeping deeply, the nurse having long departed. Rose replaced her bookmark, a thin strip of fragrant rosewood, and walked through her quiet distillery and darkened shop. She opened the door, smiling brightly to the pony outside. “I'm sorry, we're closed today.” She opened her eyes, her face faltering for a moment as she saw who was there. Twilight stood outside with her five friends, all of them looking expectantly at the cream pony in the doorway. She wasn't smiling. “Hello Rose, we were wondering if you knew what happened to Ink Well. We can't seem to find him anywhere.” Rose took a step back, trying to close the door slightly. “Well, see, he's not available right now. He's a little under the weather.” Pinkie smiled brightly. “We're all under the weather! But it's a bright and sunny day, what's he doing inside?” “He's not feeling well, and I don't think visitors are going to help him feel any better.” Rainbow moved forward, staring down Rose in the doorway. “What are you hiding? Why won't you let us see him? Why didn't he come to warn me? What are you doing to him?” Applejack pulled on Rainbow's tail, landing her forcefully. “Easy there. Don't badger the poor girl.” Rose noticed Rainbow's bruise, shock touching the edges of her features. “I'm not doing anything. He really wanted to warn you, but he just... couldn't. You need to come back later. I'll tell you as soon as he's awake.” Twilight took a step forward. “Awake? What does that mean?” Rose looked back into her shop, worry obvious on her face. As she turned back, Applejack had a hoof on the door. “Looky here sugar, I know you're trying to keep 'im safe, but we're his friends! You worryin' about him ain't easin' our minds one bit. Now I know we're not exactly friends, but we'd be mighty grateful if you let us in.” Rose looked down at the floor. “I dunno...” Fluttershy's face appeared beside Applejack's, ash still in her hair and looking worried. “Please Rose...” Rose looked up to six worried faces asking her for entrance. After a few seconds, she nodded. “Alright, you can come in. But you have to be quiet, Nurse Redheart says he needs his rest.” She opened the door and led the other ponies up to the second floor of her shop. A collective gasp came from the group as they saw him. Fluttershy took a few steps closer, looking over the unconscious Pony with nothing but worry. “Ink Well...” She ended up right next to the bed, reaching out a trembling hoof to touch him. At the last moment she pulled it away, tears spilling from her eyes, and ran back to the others. Applejack and Rarity immediately started trying to comfort her. Rainbow Dash stared at him, shocked at the state he was in. “What happened to him?!” Rose and Fluttershy shushed her, causing her to look slightly embarrassed. “I mean, how'd he end up like this?” Rose shrugged. “I don't know. He just turned up yesterday morning like this. Nurse Redheart said that apart from the burns he suffered from smoke inhalation and exhaustion, which was probably from the trek. But what I'm most worried about are the broken limbs and the stab wound...” All eyes were on her. “Stab wound?” “The big bandage around his middle is covering the stitches.” She walked over next to him, watching him sleep calmly. “He hasn't woken up except the one time, and all he did was ask me to warn Rainbow about going home.” She smiled weakly at Rainbow. “I guess I came too late, didn't I?” Fluttershy let out a quiet sob as she continued to cry on her friend's shoulder. Rainbow looked over at her, then to Rose and Ink Well. “No, it's fine. Nothing big...” She looked at the floor, shaking slightly. The room sat in silence for a few minutes, the only noises the shallow breathing of Ink Well and the occasional sob from Fluttershy. As the silence became deafening, Rainbow stomped down a hoof, shaking her head. “I can't stand looking at him! How could anypony do this? I won't stand for this!” She reared in the air, kicking her front hooves forward. “Who did it? Where are they? Let me at 'em!” Applejack held out a hoof, poking Rainbow's bruised cheek. Rainbow winced and pulled away, falling over sideways, and Applejack leaned over her, crossing her hooves beneath her. “Now you know who did it, and you know what they're gonna do to ya if'n you go chargin' in there! I feel for the colt too, but you gotta think this through.” Rainbow frowned at her. “But we've got to do something! Look at him...” Pinkie Pie jumped between them. “He looks like a mummy! With a robot hoof! Do you think it shoots lasers? Like that one story? Remember? With the aliens?” She held up her own hoof, pointing it at the other ponies. “Pew! Pew! Pew!” Rose looked slightly offended, while the others started giggling warmly at their friend. In a cool voice she said “I think you should leave. All of this attention can't be good for his health.” Twilight looked over, and seeing the look on Rose's face, stopped her friend's laughing. “Sorry Rose. This isn't the place... Come on girls.” She led the precession down the stairs, the other ponies each looking sorry as they left. The last pony lingering in the room was Fluttershy, her eyes still red from her crying. She walked over to Rose, who was looking down at Ink Well sadly. “Um... Rose?” Rose jumped, surprised to hear the soft voice behind her. “Yes Fluttershy?” Fluttershy smiled at her. “Don't be too worried, I'm sure he'll pull through...” Rose smiled back, playfully. “Hey, I wasn't the one crying.” She looked back to the sleeping writer. “It's just...” “I know... But he got all the way here looking worse than he does now. He's not going to let this stop him...” Rose nodded. “Yeah... He's stronger than he looks.” She looked over to Fluttershy, who was walking away. She noticed the traces of ash in her mane and tail. “Hey, Fluttershy?” The yellow pegasus turned back. “Hmm?” “Thank you.” Fluttershy looked confused. “I mean, for delivering the letter, and for visiting Ink Well after the article. I don't know what you did, but even though he was tired, when he came back to visit he moved so much more... assuredly. ” Fluttershy smiled. “He just needed a friend, and I happened to be the pony there.” “Yeah, well...” Rose smiled at Fluttershy. “You can visit him any time you like. I think if there's anypony he'd like to see when he wakes up, it's you.” “If that's the case, then why did he come here?” Rose looked down to the writer, considering the thought, as Fluttershy walked to the door, smiling knowingly. “Thank you Rose. Have a nice day.” “You too. I'll let you know when he wakes up.” Fluttershy left, hurrying to catch up with her friends. Rose remained behind, looking quite confused at Ink Well. After a few moments, she smiled, walking to her reading chair and resuming the book, one eye kept on the writer sleeping soundly on her bed.