"Thank you SO much!" exclaimed the Alpaca King. "You have managed to thwart the uprising of the giant gingerbread spiders AND restored the sacred softball of righteousness to its rightful place: atop the throne of Great Justice!"
"Ah have no idea how we even did that," Applejack shook her head in exhaustion. There were bags under her eyes and her mane looked as though it hadn't been brushed in a week. It was still also resolutely blue: the sap hadn't washed out yet.
Pinkie shrugged. She looked just the same as ever, apart from the eyepatch over the left eye. "Neither do I. We started this chapter on the aftermath. Not even I know how we pulled it all off."
"Maybe somepony will write it down one day," Spike suggested.
"Or maybe we will never speak of it again," growled Rarity, as she continued to pull the leaves and twigs out of her mane.
"Eh, that too."
"But..." continued the Alpaca King, "...I AM going to have to pin the whole bread roll poisoning on somepony...and so, I'm going to have to rather conspicuously chase you out of town now. I do hope you understand."
"Wait, what about that whole lesson in friendship thing? You know, THAT!?" Applejack exclaimed.
"Well, nothing like a common enemy to put petty differences aside. How about that one? Now then, please get them, if you would," said the Alpaca King, motioning to the guards. "I do hope you all enjoy the exercise."
"AJ, grab the diamonds and run!" Pinkie grabbed Spike and pelted out of the hall.
"Oh sure, leave the heavy lifting to the exhausted pony. That'll go well," grumbled Applejack, as she hauled the sack onto her shoulder.
"Leave it, it's not worth it!" shouted Rarity.
"Actually," pointed out the Alpaca King, "I'm willing to give each of you a fifteen minute head-start as a courtesy. So it's actually totally worth it."
Rarity paused. "Oh...well, that's very courteous of you. Thank you." She then watched Applejack finish getting the bag over her shoulder before slinging her front hoof over to support her friend. "This changes nothing!" she shouted as they both hobbled out.
-
The group of four were chased away from the stronghold that was the Alpaca Village for quite a distance, with the pursuit never relenting, not even until nightfall, and then they had to light the last torch they brought with them. By Rarity's best estimate, the pursuers were still at least fifteen minutes behind, judging by the lights of the torches she could make out behind her.
"There's the bridge! Up ahead!" shouted Pinkie, pointing the torch left. "C'mon slowpokes!"
"Oh thank Celestia, my shoulders are killing me. Even more," Applejack sighed. the four gathered together at the start of the swaying, wooden bridge. It was directly over a 2,000 foot drop (as the signs on both sides liked to cheerfully announce to tourists), which meant one misstep and an unfortunate victim would wind up flatter than Sugarcube Corner's sweet crepes.
"It's so dark," Spike narrowed his eyes. "I can't even make out what's in front of me without the torch."
"Well, that's clearly not a problem for our pursuers, evidently," Rarity huffed. "The good news is we should be at least 17 minutes ahead of them..."
"How'd you figure?" asked Applejack.
"Heavy armor. It weighs them down. But that's beside the point." She turned to the group. "Does everypony think they can get across in time?"
"Just give me a minute!" Pinkie replied happily. "...I'm being literal here. It really is exactly a minute. I counted the first time we crossed this."
"Eh, I'm not as fast, but still pretty fast. I mean, for someone who's only got little legs," Spike answered. "I can't take your giant strides, but I'd probably catch up to Pinkie in a minute, though."
"I'd need a few moments to keep my nerves," Rarity admitted.
"C'mon, Rares! We don't have time for a fear of heights now!" Applejack was now watching the growing sea of lit torches and the faint shouts of the mob in the distance.
"Not heights, FALLING, darling. And I didn't say I wouldn't cross. But I'd need five minutes."
"Well, Ah've still got this sack of gems over mah shoulder," Applejack motioned to the brown burlap bag. "Ah'd need what, eight minutes to get across, tops."
"Well, then that just leaves plenty of time to cut off the bridge once we're all across and lose the mob, so what's the problem?" Spike asked.
"That," said Pinkie, pointing to a small wooden sign right at the start of the bridge. The group huddled round. Rarity raised the torch, and there in the light of the flames, it read:
WARNING: NO MORE THAN 2 AT A TIME WHEN CROSSING
"Oh yeah," Spike gulped. "Forgot about that."
"...and thus as always, fate conspires to make everypony involved unnecessarily exercise the frontal lobes as well as the muscles. Because it always does," Rarity sighed. "So, how are we doing this then? We've only got fifteen minutes before the mob catches us..."
Too easy
pinkie and aj go, 8 minutes
Pinkie comes back 9 minutes
Pinkie and rarity go 14 minutes
Pinkie goes back 15 minutes
Pinkie and spike go and that's the full 17 minutes
9186337
...Fifteen. They need to get across in FIFTEEN minutes.
9186349
Well that changes things
pink and spike go,2 min
Pinkie returns 3min
Rarity an aj go, 11 min
Spike goes back13 min
Pinkie and spike go, exactly 15 minutes
Saw rarity say 17 so i assumed it was the time limit
Have Spike transmit the diamonds to Celestia (optional), send Pinkie and Rarity across, then send AJ and Spike, using Spike's fire breath as a lantern.
Or, you know, Rarity make light with her horn.
Beside, I didn't follow the last episodes/season but didn't Spike have wings now? (JK )
Pinkie, Spike - 2 - 2
Spike - 2 - 4
Rarity, Applejack - 8 - 12
Pinkie - 1 - 13
Pinkie, Spike - 2 - 15
Well, let's see here: since all of them have to carry a torch, and there's only one, somepony's got to bring it back for the others to get across. Therefore it's always two guys at a time, then one of them rushes back to help the next one. Let their times to cross be a, b, c and d; a is carrying the torch back:
b + a + c + a + d. I have a guess, that the one carrying the torch back should be the fastest one: Pinkie. This way my equation stays true, because, when two cross the bridge, they have to do it together, and their shared velocity is that of the slower one.
So, what have we got? 8 + 2 + 5 + 2 * 1 = 17... Nope. They won't get in time.
Unless...
Unless Spike may ride Pinkie and won't slow her down, so:Pinkie grabs the torch, gets Spike upon her and runs to the other side -- 1 minute down, 14 left;Pinkie rushes back -- 1 down, 13 left;Pinkie drags with AJ -- 8 down, 5 left;Pinkie needs to get back with the torch, andRarity won't have time...But, hey, they are in a cartoon! So here goes:
Pinkie leads AJ and RT -- 8 (AJ) + 5 (RT) + 1 (Pinkie rushes with the torch between the two) = 14 minutes down, 1 left...
Pinkie makes a mad dash, but still can get across only in 1 minute. When she reaches Spike, who's been undoing whatever held the bridge, she grabs him. The ropes/whatever held the bridge undone, both plummet down (holding for their dear life on the bridge). Hurray, the pursuers are lost! Whew, a close one!.. And then together they get Pinkie and Spike up. Problem solved!
Alright, here goes:
1. Pinkie and Spike cross the bridge first. Pinkie only slows down so Spike can keep up with her. (two minutes)
2. Pinkie runs back to the first side of the bridge and hands the torch to Rarity and Applejack. (one minute)
3. Rarity and Applejack cross the bridge. (eight minutes)
4. Spike is still on the other side of the bridge, with Rarity and Applejack. They hand the torch to Spike, who crosses the bridge again. (two minutes)
5. Finally, Pinkie and Spike cross the bridge again! (two minutes)
Fifteen minutes!