//------------------------------// // Chapter 21 - House Arrest // Story: A Gizmonk in Ponyville // by Moheart7 //------------------------------// As Rover, Fido and Spot all ran down the dark tunnels of their gem mines, all three of their laughs echoed through the halls and bounced off the shimmering walls of gems that grew from the many potions Goggles had been trading to them for months. After they passed many of the pack member’s using a number of tools, also provided by Goggles, to cut away at the massive wall of crystalline stone, they soon found themselves in need of some privacy. Finally, after finding an empty area of the tunnels, Rover, Fido and spot began to discuss the instructions that Goggles had given them. As they talked, a sinister tune of music began to emanate in their heads, finally as they came to the basic premise of their request, they soon found themselves singing: ROVER, FIDO + SPOT: Kidnap our friend Applejack!?! SPOT: I wanna do it, FIDO: Let’s draw straws! At those words, Rover bonked both of them on the head. ROVER: Goggles said we must work together, FIDO: Three of a kind! SPOT: Birds of a Feather! ROVER, FIDO + SPOT: Now and Forever! La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, Kidnap Miss Applejack, lock her up real tight, Throw away the key and then, Punch out all her lights! As all three Diamond Dogs sang to their heart’s content, a few heads from the rest of the pack couldn’t help but turn their heads towards the sounds of their leaders’ voices as they echoed through the tunnels. ROVER: First, we're going to set some bait, Inside a nasty trap and wait, When she comes a-sniffing, We will snap the trap and close the gate, SPOT: Wait! I've got a better scheme, To catch this Apple-buck machine, Let's grab ourselves a ton of rope, And when she’s alone, we’ll string her up! ROVER, FIDO + SPOT: Kidnap Miss Applejack, Throw her in a box, Bury her for ninety years, Then see if she talks, At this point, all three Diamond Dogs began to dance amongst themselves, much to the confusion of the rest of the pack. They had no idea what was going on, but they had to admit that they were enjoying the tune as Rover began to take the next verse. ROVER: Then our little Gizmonk friend, ROVER, FIDO + SPOT: Can take the whole thing over then, He'll be so pleased, I do declare, When we catch this stubborn mare! All three Diamond dogs then proceeded to walk further down the tunnels, towards their storage chambers where they kept their most valuable goods, as they walked, they continued to sing, much to the delight of a few more pack members they passed along the way. SPOT: I say that we take a cannon, Aim it at her door and then, Knock three times and when she answers, Applejack will be no more! ROVER: You're so stupid, think now, If we blow her up into smithereens, We may lose some pieces, And then Goggles will kill us with machines! ROVER, FIDO + SPOT: Kidnap Miss Applejack, Tie her in a bag, Throw her in the ocean, Then see if she is sad, Because Mr Goggles Gizmonk is the greatest guy around, If he ever had an enemy, we shall bring them down! After singing that particular verse, Rover slammed his fist against the wall of the cavern, the sheer force of it causing a small crack to appear and a nearby boulder to fall out of balance, revealing the hidden chamber the dogs were heading towards. FIDO: He'll be so pleased by our success, That he'll reward us too, I bet, ROVER, FIDO + SPOT: Perhaps he'll make his special brew, Of Crystal Growing Goo! Upon entering the chamber, it revealed to be filled with a number of random items, varying from a large number of gems to what appeared to be a number of weapons and tools, as they continued to sing, Rover, Fido and Spot began to rummage through the items. ROVER, FIDO + SPOT: We’re on his secret mission, So we’ll take our job with pride, We’ll do our best to please him, And stay on his good side, At those words, Rover began to gather up a few items and started putting them in a bag, Fido and Spot soon following suit. ROVER: I wish my cohorts weren't so dumb, FIDO: I'm not the dumb one! SPOT: You're no fun! ROVER: Shut up! Rover then ushered his comrades to gather around him as he pulled out a small box from the pile of items. ROVER: I've got something, listen now, This one is real good, you'll see, We'll send a present to her door, Upon there'll be a note to read, Now, in the box we'll wait and hide, Until her curiosity, Entices her to look inside, And then we'll have her… ROVER, FIDO + SPOT: One, two, three!!! Rover then threw open the box, allowing a small hoard of scorpions jump out as the dogs Counted down. Finally the Diamond Dogs had gathered all that they needed and walked out of the chamber, closing it off behind them. As the sang the final chorus to their song, the rest of the pack soon found themselves dancing to the tune and singing along with their leaders. ROVER, FIDO + SPOT: Kidnap Miss Applejack, Beat her with a stick, Lock her up for ninety years, See what makes her tick, THE PACK: Kidnap Miss Applejack, Chop her into bits, Our buddy Goggles is, Sure to get his kicks, ALL: Kidnap Miss Applejack, See what we will see, Lock her in a cage and then, Throw away the key!!! Finally the song came to a close and as the caverns of the Diamond Dog’s mines echoed with the sinister laughter of the entire pack, the sky outside began to darken with the dim orange of Celestia’s setting sun. # Hours passed and as soon as the Midnight hour struck, so did the starting points of Goggles’ plan. It was a cloudy night, enough so that the moon was completely blocked and allowed nothing but pure darkness to cover all of Ponyville, the perfect setup for a kidnapping. Upon leaving another small hole, just a few yards away from the Sweet Apple Acres Farmhouse, Rover, Fido and Spot quietly snuck their way over, making sure that no pony could possibly hear them. They then stopped near the cow paddock and hid behind the fence. “You know what to do Fido,” Rover whispered. Fido nodded in response and lifted his head over the fence. “MOO!” he called out, badly trying to imitate one of the cows. “MOO!” After a few seconds of nervously waiting, Fido’s Cow-call was met with a few flickers of light coming from one of the bedroom windows, meaning that their inside-operator was now aware of their presence. Nodding with affirmativeness towards his two comrades, Fido quickly led the group out of their hiding spot and quietly ran up to the front door of the house, after a few more seconds of waiting it opened. At first the Diamond Dogs did not see who opened the door for them, however upon looking down, thy found a yellow Earth Pony filly with a pink bow in her mane. As it turns out, the Diamond Dogs were not the only ones involved with what Goggles was up to, and whatever he was planning on doing with her sister, Apple Bloom made to make sure that was part of it. “You’re late,” she whispered sternly. “Goggles said you were supposed to be here 11:30” “We had to make sure Ma went back to the home,” Rover explained quietly, realising that he and his cohorts were indeed supposed to be here at least half an hour earlier. “Did you give her the stuff?” Apple Bloom nodded at that. “Ah slipped the Sleeping Pill into her cider before she went to bed,” she explained. “She’ll be out until morning. At those words Rover smiled. “Good,” he said, rubbing his paws together. “Then let’s get her.” Upon that command, Apple Bloom quietly led the three Diamond Dogs through the hallway, up the stairs and towards her big sister’s bedroom. Ushering them to be quiet as to be sure not to wake the rest of the household, Apple Bloom opened the door and allowed the three Diamond Dogs inside. Looking upon the bed, the three dogs instantly spotted the sleeping Earth Pony, out like a light and snoring up a storm as she laid her head in a small puddle of her own drool. With a nod of his head, Rover ushers his comrades to do their job, with Fido grabbing her upper-half and Spot taking the lower-half, the two dogs gently lifted Applejack off her bed and placed her into a large sack that they had brought with them, quickly throwing her hat in too as soon as she was in. Needless to say the trip down the stairs was a lot harder than the one going up, mainly due to the fact that Fido was the one who had to carry the sack without bumping into anything, and he was finding it very hard since he was not the most light-footed of Diamond Dogs. Finally, after a small struggle, all three Diamond Dogs and Apple Bloom had made it back outside, ready for the next phase of the plan. “Gemstones, she’s heavy,” Fido moaned as he gentle placed the sack down. “How much does this pony eat!?!” “Stop complaining!” Rover snapped quietly. “Goggles gave us a job to do, and we’re gonna stick it out till the end!” However that was when Spot noticed something. “Hey, where exactly is Goggles anyway?” he asked. “Yeah wasn’t this his plan?” Fido added. Apple Bloom’s face gained a baleful grin at that. “Oh, he and Trixie had to get the OTHER member of this little operation,” she said bluntly. # Meanwhile, in another part of town, a certain blue Unicorn and Gizmonk were trying their best to pick the lock of the Golden Oaks Library. “Come on Trixie, hurry up!” Goggles quietly snapped, his face hidden by a small, black hoodie that Rarity had made for him. “I’m trying, all right!” Trixie retorted as she too kept herself hidden by her own black cloak. Finally, after hearing a small click, Trixie gently opened up the door. “Okay, let’s go,” Goggles whispered as he led Trixie inside. It may have been pitch black without any light but Goggles had been in the library so often that he basically had the entire floor-plan in his head, and because of that he was able to take Trixie’s hoof and lead her through the library and up the stairs, towards, Twilight’s bedroom, without bumping into anything. As they entered the dim bedroom of the sleeping Alicorn, both Goggles and Trixie tried their best to be as silent as possible as they slowly made their way towards the basket at the foot of Twilight’s bed, desperately trying not to wake the sleeping baby Dragon within it. “Hush little dragon don’t say a word,” Goggles sang playfully as Trixie used her magic to carefully levitate Spike out of his basket. “You’re about to be taken by a mare and a Gizmonk nerd.” Trixie rolled her eyes at that as she focuses her magic to cast a spell upon Spike. “Okay,” she said with a slight nod as she lowered him to the floor. “My spell should keep him asleep until morning.” “Good,” Goggles replied with a nod, “Then let’s get the heck out of here before Twilight wakes up.” However Trixie didn’t move a step. “And what exactly are we going to do when Sleeping Beauty wakes up and finds her assistant missing?” she argued, trying desperately to keep her voice down. “And what about Applejack’s family? I doubt they’re not going to notice her disappearance.” Goggles couldn’t help but groan and face-palm at that remark. “Trixie, we went over this back at the lab,” he pointed out. “Apple Bloom’s going to tell her family that Applejack received an urgent letter from her cousin in Appleoosa and had to leave for a week to see what is wrong, and Twilight is going to wake up and find a letter on her bedside table from Princess Celestia, requesting Spike to accompany her for a week while she settles matters in another part of the country, one of which where Twilight wouldn’t be able to contact him.” To emphasise his point, Goggles reached into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out a scroll, which he threw onto Twilight’s bedside table. “I’ve managed to forge both letters perfectly,” he continued. “I’ve spend enough time reading the mail over Twilight and Applejack’s shoulders to know what both writings look like.” “And what’s going to happen when the truth inevitably comes out?” Trixie argued. However Goggles merely sighed at that. “By the time THAT happens, the plan would have already worked and we’ll be sitting back and basking in the fact that we’ve done our jobs successfully,” Goggles retorted. “Now grab the dragon and let’s get out of here!” Upon sighing with defeat, Trixie once again lifted Spike up with her magic and quietly followed Goggles back down the stairs, through the library, and throughout the front door, closing it behind them and disappearing into the night. # Normally Applejack was an early riser, in fact she would wake up even before the sun even rose just so that she would be able to start harvest season as soon as the dawn broke, however this time Applejack found herself unable to wake up as she normally would, in fact she felt so groggy and sluggish, she felt like she had drunk too much cider the night before and was now paying the price for it. “Ugh, my head,” she groaned, rubbing her throbbing temple. “Wha…? Where the hay am I?” That was when Applejack became aware of her surroundings, instead of her comfortable bedroom, she found herself in a dimly lit, almost musty, wooden room. As she sat up on her makeshift bed, Applejack couldn’t believe what she was looking at, the floor was made of solid concrete, there were a great number of shelves lining up against all four walls, all of them stack with a great number of dry and canned foods, and a small spiral staircase leading up to Celestia knows where. However it soon wasn’t the location that managed to catch her attention a few seconds later. “Applejack?” said a familiar voice. “Is that you?” Applejack’s eyes widened upon hearing those words. “Spike?” she gasped, looking to her right. Indeed it was Spike, walking out from the shadows after getting out of his own makeshift bed and looking as groggy as she was. As much as she loved the fact that Spike was the one to keep her company during this whole situation, Applejack couldn’t help but wonder what in the world was going on. “AJ, where are we?” Spike asked, nervously looking around the room as though he expected the walls to close in on him. “Ah don’t know Spike,” Applejack admitted worryingly. “But ah don’t like what’s happening here.” “Me neither,” Spike said in agreement. “Last night I went to bed feeling fine, and all of a sudden I wake up here.” At those words, Applejack tapped her chin in deep thought, it was the same thing for her, she had a small glass of her evening cider, went to bed feeling fine and as soon as she wakes up, she ends up here. Whatever the situation was, she had to make sure that she and Spike got out of it fast. “Try to find a door Spike,” she instructed the young dragon. “We had to have been brought in here somehow.” “Got it!” Spike replied, giving a small salute, Applejack had almost forgotten how cute he looked while doing that. Spike then began to scurry around the area looking for a way out while Applejack took to the staircase, when she reached the top, as expected she did in fact find a door, possibly one that will lead them out. “Spike, up here!” she called. Seconds later, Spike joined her at the top of the stairs. “No luck down there,” he said. “This must be the only way out.” With a nod of her head Applejack tried her best to open the door, only to find it locked, she tried forcing her way through but no matter how much strength she put into it the door wouldn’t move an inch, even when Spike attempted to help her. Soon enough she even tried bucking her way through the door but to no avail, eventually all she ended up doing was exhaust herself to the point of sweating. “It’s no good Spike,” Applejack sighed through heavy breaths. “It won’t budge.” At those words, panic began to spread across Spike’s little face. “Well then,” he said, taking heavy breaths. “Guess there’s only one other thing we can do…” # “HELP!!! LET US OUT!!!” said Spike’s screams from the other side of the door. Hearing this, Goggles couldn’t help but chuckle as he admired his handiwork on the door, not only was it locked, but the Gizmonk had managed to board it up, nail down the hinges and set chains around the entire frame for good measure. As it turns out, before the events of the previous night, he had secured a small space that was the basement of Sugarcube Corner’s kitchen, and modified into a makeshift holding cell the previous afternoon. Luckily he didn’t have to worry about the Cakes getting annoyed with his scheme due to the fact that they had taken their two foals on a much needed Family Vacation for the next week. After setting up the location, it was just a matter of having the Diamond Dogs bring Applejack while he and Trixie took care of Spike, after which, they would place both of them in the basement and seal the door behind them. By the next morning came, it was already too late for any attempts to escape, Goggles made absolutely sure of that. “Thanks for your help boys,” he said as he threw the Diamond Dogs and extra vial of growth potion each for their troubles. “Anytime buddy,” Rover replied with a smirk. “Let us know when you need someone else kidnapped eh?” “I’ll keep that in mind,” Goggles chuckled. “I’ll see you guys around.” And with a smile and a nod, all three Diamond Dogs left the premises and began making their way back home. No pony really took notice of the Dogs leaving Sugarcube corner at that point, mostly due to the fact that at this point in time the Diamond Dogs had visited Goggles so often that they had become regulars in town. Back inside, Goggles double checked that his security measures were up to scratch, he may have taken pride with how well his work last but even he knew better than to underestimate Applejack’s bucking strength. Suddenly his concentration was interrupted by a familiar voice. “So it IS true!” Sweetie Belle gasped as she and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders walked into the kitchen with Trixie. “You guys really kidnapped Applejack and Spike!?!” Goggles wasn’t surprised that the CMC were here at this point, in fact he was expecting them to come. After coming up with the plan, Goggles needed a certain amount of help if he was going to make it work, therefore he needed assistants he could trust. After discussing certain details with the Diamond Dogs and Trixie, Goggles had also trusted certain parts of the plan to Apple Bloom since she needed her to allow the Diamond Dogs inside her house to get Applejack. And since they had already known about Applejack’s feelings beforehand, Goggles couldn’t expect to keep this from the other Crusaders. So before the plan was set in motion, he set up a quick meeting and the CMC’s Clubhouse, let them in on every detail and swore them all to secrecy, knowing that he would possibly need them later should the need occur. “THIS was your big idea!?!” Trixie snapped, slightly dumbfounded at what was happening here. “Locking them in the Cakes’ basement!?!” However Goggles merely chuckled at that and continued his observation on the door. “Tell her the reason why, Apple Bloom,” he said. Apple Bloom then nodded and began to explain. “It’s quite simple actually,” she said. “Goggles believes that the reason Applejack won’t confess her feelings for Spike is because she’s too stubborn. And as he sister ah am obliged to agree with that.” “But if she’s stuck down there with Spike then there’s nowhere for her to run,” Scootaloo pointed out, catching onto the idea. “And she’ll have no choice but to talk with Spike the whole time,” Silver Spoon added. “And the more she talks…” “…the bigger the chance that she’ll eventually confess her feelings!” Sweetie Belle finished. “Exactly,” Goggles said, completely proud of the scheme that he had come up with. However Trixie remained completely dumbfounded and slapped her hoof against her forehead. “That has to be the dumbest idea Trixie have ever heard!” she groaned, once again speaking in the third person. “Hey it worked for the parents on ‘House Arrest’ didn’t it?” Pinkie Pie said, suddenly appearing out of nowhere and confusing everyone with her statement. Of course Goggles knew that it would only be a matter of time before Pinkie Pie had found out about what he was up to, so he thought it best to let her in on the plan ASAP and make her Pinkie Promise to keep it a secret. Not only that, but since the Cakes had left Pinkie Pie in charge while they were gone, Goggles knew she would allow him Sugarcube Corner’s basement as a location for his little operation, which was all the more convenient since he needed a place that neither Spike nor Applejack were unfamiliar with. “Look, this may not be the best solution, but this is the only way for those two to finally open up about how they truly feel,” he said, finally turning towards the others. “And whatever happens during the next week, we can be bask in the knowledge that at least we tried right? Besides it’s gotta work better than a Love Poison right?” At those words, all the CMC’s, save for Silver Spoon, eyes widened with shock. “H… how’d you know about that?” Apple Bloom asked nervously, almost dreading the answer. “You didn’t read MY diary did you?” Goggles looked insulted at the very mention of the question. “Don’t be so daft,” he said, turning back towards the door. “I read Big Mac’s” It was then that the looks of shock turned into scowls of annoyance. “Okay, you have got to stop doing stuff like that,” Scootaloo said bluntly. However Goggles merely giggled in response. “So what do you reckon there are gonna do now?” Trixie asked inquisitively. “What else?” Goggles chuckled. “Try to escape.” At those words a worried look appeared on everyone’s faces. “Can they?” Sweetie Belle asked, dreading the answer entirely. “Because if they find out it was us that did this, then we’re gonna be in so much trouble.” Hearing this Goggles turned towards Sweetie Belle and placed a paw on her shoulder. “Look, if the worst comes then I will take full responsibility for everything,” he said, trying to calm her down. “Besides I put so many security measures I put on that door that there is no possible way of them escaping without someone letting them out from this side of the door.” “And how exactly are you planning to know when to let them out?” Trixie asked with a deadpanned expression, her mind reeling on what the inevitable consequences are going to be when Applejack and Spike finally realise who did this to them. “Yeah the door must be, what? Two inches thick?” Silver Spoon added, sharing in Trixie’s concern. “More like three inches!” Pinkie Pie stated bouncing on the spot. “The Cakes asked Goggles to install a new oven last month, and Goggles threw in the new basement door for free!” At those words everyone’s eyes widened and turned towards the Gizmonk. “Goggles?” Apple Bloom asked nervously. “Just how long have you been planning this whole scheme of yours?” In response Goggles raised his paws in front of his in a nervous stance. “Oh don’t worry, this whole plan came to me only yesterday,” he said, trying to reassure everyone. “The free basement door was just something I came up with to sweeten my business deal. I’m not a creep, honest.” Hearing this everyone let out a sigh with relief, at this point Goggles was happy that they trusted him enough to believe that he was telling the truth. “Trixie does bring up a good point though,” Sweetie Belle stated. “How are we gonna know when to let them out?” Goggles face put on a heavy grin at that. “With these,” he said, taking what appeared to be a small metal cube and several tiny metal spheres. “They’re a little something I made last week, during my spare time. With these tiny microphones and this recording box, I can listen in and record what ponies are saying at any time. Before we threw Spike and Applejack down there, I took the liberty of placing a few of these microphones in hidden areas around the basement so we can listen into everything they say.” As Goggles explained, every pony had to admit that they were impressed with Goggles’ latest technological achievement. “Cool!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “So what are they saying now?” Silver Spoon added. At those words another smile appeared on Goggles’ face. “Let’s find out,” he said, pushing one of the buttons on the cube. # Meanwhile, back in the basement, Spike and Applejack were trying desperately to find another way out, but to no avail. At this point every shelf had been torn down in attempts to find some hidden door or a hole, or any other means of escape, only to find nothing more than more concrete. There wasn’t even any scraps of paper lying around or any other means of writing a letter so Spike’s ability to send a message for help was entirely useless. “It’s no use Spike,” Applejack sighed, slumping to the floor. “There’s no other door and it’s not like we can dig our way through concrete, we’re trapped.” However Spike continued to remain in a panic. “I eat gems don’t I?” he snapped, suddenly clawing at the floor. “Maybe I can eat the concrete! It’s not that different right!?!” At that moment, Applejack pinned down Spike’s claws to stop him from hurting himself. “As much as ah like your enthusiasm Spike, it’s just no use,” she admitted. “It looks like we’re stuck here until some pony lets us out.” “But what if no pony lets us out!?!” Spike retorted. “What if we’re stuck down here for days!?! What if we starve down here!?! What if…? Suddenly Spike found himself cut off by Applejack slapping him across the face with her hoof, much to his surprise. “Spike, get a hold of yourself!” she snapped. “We’ll be fine. Look, ah don’t know what’s going on, but ah promise you that we’ll find a way out okay?” At those words, Spike’s only response was to launch himself at Applejack and embrace her in a tight hug. As much as she hated the predicament, Applejack had to confess to herself that she was guiltily enjoying this moment with the young dragon. As she graciously hugged him back to comfort him, Applejack could feel Spike’s heartbeat upon her chest, it was a wonderful moment that she would never forget. As the Element of Honesty, she had to make sure that her promise would be kept to the dragon that she loved, no matter who or what was keeping them lock up in this room. She didn’t know for sure, but if her suspicions were correct then the second she got out of here, she was going to strangle the life out of a certain Gizmonk.