Viator Erratus

by Viator

Chapter 3

Lord Commander Sparkle of the First Royal Guard came marching down the corridor toward the holding cells of the Royal Guard Everfree Outpost. It was a small outpost that didn't normally merit her attention, but today it held a most unusual prisoner, and she had happened to be in the area already...

"So, captain Flash... You tell me this prisoner is an exact copy of one of your soldiers?"

Next to her was captain Lightning Flash, acting commander of the outpost, who was feeling extremely important to have such an important visitor.

"Yes, ma'am. He looks exactly like sergeant Smoke. I don't know what sort of disguise it is, but..."

"But we'll find out soon enough, won't we, captain?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

The two guards outside the holding cells stepped aside and let them in, and Twilight Sparkle looked around. It was a cramped little place with only three cells, and as far as she could see, not one was occupied.

"Well, where is he?" she demanded, and the captain looked stunned.

"He should be right in the first cell here. It's got a locking spell and a ward on it, there's no way he could have gotten out..."

Twilight Sparkle went up to the cell and peered inside, careful not to touch the bars.

"Well, he's not here now, is he?" she remarked, looking carefully around the cell. There were some scribblings on the far wall, too small for her to see.

"I wonder what those are?" she mumbled and undid the locking spell to go in.

...or at least she started to. As soon as her magic touched the door, a bolt of magic shot out from the bars, forking and grounding itself in her horn and that of the captain, knocking them both back across the room and into the far wall.

It was a strong backlash of magic, and Viator could feel it all the way to the broom cupboard where he was hiding. That meant his trap was sprung, and as much as he disliked hurting other ponies, he was fairly sure they had both deserved it.

It didn't make him any less lost though, and he carefully peeked out to see if anyone was about before stepping out.

Where was he?

Small though it was, the outpost was still labyrinthine, and he quickly lost himself in all the twists and turns of the corridors. They ran at funny angles and there wasn't a sign anywhere to guide him. Or any windows for that matter. Was he underground? He couldn't really tell.

Then, on turning a corner, he bumped into two soldiers, and he jumped with fright.

"Sergeant Smoke, sir." they greeted him in unison, and he remembered he was still wearing the cloak of his counterpart here. Guess he goes by his other name, Viator thought, and nodded to the soldiers. Then he had an idea...

Some time later Commander Sparkle was shaken awake by an impatient Captain Flash.

"Come on, get up already!"

Twilight Sparkle got to her hooves, a little wobbly still, and looked toward the cell door, which was now open. Fortunately the warding spell hadn't been meant for more than one pony, and had burned itself out.

"How did he get out, and why did the ward target us?" she demanded. The captain shrugged. "Gak if I know. Maybe those scribbles can help?"

The scribbles! Twilight suddenly remembered why she was heading into the cell in the first place, and went to have a closer look.

The scribblings turned out to be a magical formula of some kind. Actually two, very similar formulae. Captain Flash just scratched his head.

"What is that?"

"I can't read it without my books, but it's a magic spell, and a variation of it..."

Twilight frantically searched her memory, trying to understand the symbols, fascinated by this puzzle.

"Ah... I can't make it all out, but the first one seems to be a warding spell... It's... I think it's the one on the cell. He's analyzed it bit by bit!"

She looked at the captain, triumphantly, but he just shook his head.

"And the other one?"

"It's the same one, only it's changed a little... see here? He's changed it just a little bit, so instead of warding against tampering from anypony in the cell, it wards against tampering from anypony NOT in the cell! Brilliant! He planned it all out here, and then went and did it."

The captain's face clouded over and his jaw set.

"Well that's just another proof he wasn't really who he said he was. There's no way sergeant Smoke could do something like that..."

"Maybe the prisoner told the truth and really was a doctor of thaumaturgy? This is certainly not beyond the abilities of..."

"Yes, yes. Now we must catch him, whoever he is."

The captain ran to the door to alert the guards, but found an intruder alert had already been raised. He stared at them in disbelief.

"By who?"

"Sergeant Smoke, sir. He said..."

"Nevermind what he said! That was the intruder!"