Part 1. Second A.I. Story

If you read the post where i showed you the story I made using A.I Dungeon, then you probably just want to skip ahead to the story. What could I tell you that you don't already know?

However, if you haven't read my first A.I. story yet, then you need to know what I'm talking about.

I made a story using some sort of procedurally generated text adventure called A.I. Dungeon. After plsying through the text adventure, I realized that it would be helpful in making stories. So I started by introducing my character as Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony.

The craziest part is the text adventire immediatly started introducing a bunch of My Little Pony characters. I was really surprised at how much it knew.

Though I'm fairly sure that it made up at least two of the names.

This is part one because I haven't yet finished the story. So expect a part two coming up.

Anyway, here is the story so far.

You are Twilight Sparkle, a purple pony in the land of Equestria. You are an alicorn, a pony with both pegasus's wings and a unicorn's horn. You rule Equestria with the help of your friends.

One day you receive a letter from Princess Celestia. It is addressed to you, but it seems strange that she would send such a thing to you.

You order your friend, Spike the dragon, to open your letter and read it aloud. He reads it aloud. You have been entrusted by Princess Celestia herself with a very important message. She says that if you will follow her into the forest, there is a place where all ponies can meet each other without prejudice or hatred.

You, Twilight Sparkle, decide to head out into the Everfree Forest to follow Princess Celestia. You know that Spike will remain in Ponyville to guard it in case any Nightmare Moon fans try to take the place over.

You smile when you remember what happened last time Ponyville was overrun by fans of Nightmare Moon. You and your friends had a lot of fun fighting back.

When you arrive in the forest, you begin to look for a place where all ponies can gather.

Princess Celestia leads you to a place where all ponies can gather together without prejudice or hatred. All ages, colors, species and sexual orientations alike gather around her. The crowd goes wild as they see you. They cheer and applaud, wanting to touch you and shake your hoof.

You are flattered by the positive attention from all of the ponies. However, you are a little more surprised when you notice that one pony--or rather, dragon--in the crowd is missing.

It's Spike. You notice him in the crowd, hiding behind a nearby tree.

You fly over to Spike and ask him why he isn't back at Ponyville, guarding it from Nightmare Moon fans.

Spike responds that he fled Ponyville because he was overwhelmed by an even worse type of fan: shippers. Your eyes open wide in terror.

Spike goes on to explain that there are some ponies, mostly young teens and a few adults, who are so obsessed with you and love affair with you that they are willing to accept ANY explanation that supports their obsession.

You are disgusted by these ponies. You know you are supposed to be accepting and allow all ponies to come to you without judgement, but some ponies are just messed up and terrible. The thought makes you happy, and you take a moment to fly into the air and cheer loudly at something.

Spike looks concerned. He says, "I didn't expect such a positive response from you learning that Ponyville has be been taken by shippers."

You shake your head. You say, "Some ponies just shouldn't be allowed to reproduce."

Spike seems confused by your comment, so you explain further.

If ponies as disgusting the 'shippers' have children, they'll pass on their genes to the next generation. It would be terrible to have fillies and colts obssessed with shipping. I'd prefer pirates to that."

Spike understands now, he laughs a bit. He says, "I always knew I could count on you, Twilight. You may have horrible judgment sometimes, but you always fight for the good of all."

You nod your head, but Spike still looks worried. "What do we do about the 'shippers?'" He asks, with fear in his voice. "Well," You say, "we can't do anything about it now. I have a convention to run." You point to the gathering of ponies in the clearing.

"If the 'shippers' try to protest, we'll make a lot of noise and scare them off."

"And if that doesn't work?

"Um," You say, "I can always use the power of friendship to strike them down with rainbow lasers if it comes down to it."

Spike looks skeptical.

"Spike," you say, exasperated, "don't worry about it. I'm a princess. I've got this covered."

Spike shakes his head and flies away, leaving you at the convention.

You wonder if you should address the crowd before giving them your speech or do your speech-giving after meeting and greeting.

Before you can make a decision, you hear a roar and the trees shake from the noise. You turn your head slowly to the source of the noise.

The sky turns dark, and every cloud in the sky seems to gather above Ponyville.

"No!" You scream in disbelief, "It's not possible! You were only illusions. You weren't real." Three dark-blue pegasi hover above the treeline in the clearing, covered in darker shadow than the cloud coverage gives. "Sometimes, illusions are just shadows of memory--or rather, a nightmare. But sometimes, illusions are just costumes for those who pretend to be somepony else," Growl three overlapping voices of the females, or mares.

They begin to advance slowly from three different directions. The ground begins to crackle with magical energy, and several trees along the path up to your tree start to sparkle.

But the sparkle is like a firework sparkler giving off black flame instead of the white blaze of concentrated fire.

"Trick or treat!" The three mares scream, proudly displaying their costumes.

In front of each is an inferno large enough to take a pony with poor evasion skills.

You gasp, startled before laughing. "Ha ha. I guess I should have expected this. After all, you're the fans of Nightmare Moon. Yes, happy Nightmare Night." You say, chuckling to yourself. How could you be scared of these three silly pegasi mares. Spike wheezes. "Oh dear," He says, gasping before speaking again, "You really got me there. I really thought the Shadowbolts had returned." You nod, still chuckling.

The three mares look at you, confused, and begin to approach you.

You fly up to the three mares and compliment their costumes and performance. You ask them for their names.

"Moondancer, Giggleponiark, and Novo." They sing in unison. They then each say their name again.

"Ah, Moondancer," You say, in fond recognition, "I didn't recognize you with that costume and those wings. I see you modified the spell signature to give you pegasus-wings instead of butterfly wings made of gossamer and morning dew. I must say that I'm impressed."

Moondancer blushes at the compliment and the praise. Giggleponiark smirks, and Novo seems unimpressed, blinks, and lets out a growl.

You frown in fear, "Novo?" You ask, "What's wrong? Is it something I said?"

"You know why I'm here," Novo roars.

You look at Moondancer in question, but she just shrugs. You look back to Novo and say, "I'm sorry," You say, apologizing, "I don't know who you are exactly, but you look and sound familiar. Have I seen you before?" You ask.

Novo stares at you with suspicion, her eyes narrowing.

It is then that you realize that Novo isn't a pegasus, not completely. She looks like she might be part bird, like the griffons. She has beak instead of a muzzle and talons instead of front hooves. Her fur on the front half of her body is actually fluffy feathers. You realize that she is a hippogriff.

"She's a hippogriff." You say, almost in awe.

"I know who I am," Novo snarls in her bird-voice.

"I'm sorry, Queen Novo" You say, this time sincere in your apology, "I apologize again, I didn't realize it was you." You blush in embarrassment."

Giggleponiark chuckles in amusement of your mistake and Moondancer barely keeps from laughing.

"Apology accepted." Novo says, graciously, "But why do you apologize?"

"Well..." You start to say, trying to find the words. It's hard to explain your reverence and worship of royalty. Even when you became a princess, you still held the rulers in awe. "I guess I just overreacted and it was embarrassing." You admit.

Novo, as a queen, would probably find the idea of apologizing to some commoner for embarrassing her quite silly.

Then you remind yourself that you're not a commoner. It's so hard to get used to that. You still see your self as the little filly in the library, even though you now rule all of Equestria.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty." You say, using the formal address for the first time, "Thank you for the candy."

"You're welcome, my princess." Novo says, smiling.

You turn your attention Giggleponiark, hoping to drive the converstation away from your accident. "So, Giggleponiark," You say, "Pinkie Pie told me a lot about you. She's your biggest fan."

Giggleponiark smiles at the comment, "Really? That's neat! I love her so much!"

Moondancer chuckles a bit and says, "Pinkie is everpony's biggest fan. She may not be the leader of any fan club, but she is always the most enthusiastic member."

Novo raises her eyebrow at the comment. You look at her, wondering why she would find that strange, but she only says, "It's true."

"So, Queen Novo," You say, turning back to her now that the moment of embarassment has passed, "Why did you come here? Was it really just to give candy to prepare everypony for Nightmare Night?"

Novo nods, "I usually give out any free apples I have, but most importantly, to make everypony happy. That's my job."

"But why?"

"Because..."

Queen Novo sighs, "Do you really want the speech about Nightmare Moon's reign of Eternal darkness and the cultural and historical importance of the holiday?" she says, "You already know all of that. You were the first to introduce Nightmare Moon to the populace."

"I want to hear it again," You say, "I like speeches and monologues. That's why I always wait until the villains are finished speaking before blasting them with our all-powerful rainbow friendship laser."

Novo laughs, "Well, I shall remember for the next time I'm giving one."

You nod, "Alright, tell me about the night of Nightmare Moon's escape.

"First, we should settle to the ground. This is a long story, as you know better than anypony. Not all of us have the endurance to hover for so long." Everypony agrees and lands on the stage at the convention. You remember the crowd watching you expectantly at the convention. "Oh dear!" You say, remembering your duties, "I'm sorry, Queen Novo. I forgot, I have to preside over a convention and answer questions for the ponies. I don't have time for stories." Queen Novo nods, but she looks a little dissapointed. Giggleponiark puts his hoof to his chin in concentration as she thinks through her idea. "Actually," Giggleponiark says, interrupting your panic attack, "I think I know know a way for you to listen to the story and run the convention." You look at Giggleponiark in confusion, unable to see anyway you can shirk your responisbility. Giggleponiark sees your confusion and explains further," You see," She says, "Queen Novo can tell the story to convention. She can just stand on the podium and share the story. It's probably just as good as anything you had planned, Twilight. So what do you say, will it work?"

You think about it before a few moments before nodding. "Yes," You say, smiling, "I think that's a splendid idea." Queen Novo beams and walks up to the podium to tell her story. You face the crowd, ignoring your duties as the green-glowing maned queen, and listen intently to the story.

"It all begins with the story of the two sisters," begins Queen Novo.

"One sister ruled the day, that is Princess Celestia. And one sister ruled the night, you know this as Princess Luna," Queen Novo explains.

Queen Novo continues to tell the story of Princess Luna's descent into darkness where she became overwhelmed by jealousy and hatred and became Nightmare Moon. She explained the core of transformation, the desire to be loved. She references the story of the Pony of Shadows and explains the need to be loved as the trigger of the pony in that story, Stygian, as he turned to darkness in an attempt to obtain that love. She explains the moral of the tale of the two sisters to be that ponies must love eachother, for ponies will do anything to obtain love.

"Ponies need love just as much as changelings do," Queen Novo says, "But we do not often realize this because we don't physically eat it as we do with food."

"We can be devoured by our own darkness. But it's a difficult barrier to push through, even more so for ponies as we, or as you, often take love for granted and cannot conceive of any pony who doesn't receive love.

"It doesn't happen often," Queen Novo says, "Because ponies really are almost always surrounded and given love. But there are rare instances in which a pony will be unable to receive love. Usually, thy are isolated, almost always by their own efforts, so they have nopony to love them. This is why Nightmare Night encourages gathering together."

You listen intently as Queen Novo goes on for hours about the story of Nightmare Moon and the importance of Nightmare Night as a holiday. You find it funny that you originally thought that the fans of Nightmare Moon were supporters of her villainy. It would probably be more appropriate to call them fans of Nightmare Night, rather than fans of Nightmare Moon. But Nightmare Moon is a personification of Nightmare Night. It is also a part of history that you must never let ponies forget.

The event of Nightmare Night is always commemorated in some way.

Everypony usually dresses up in costumes during Nightmare Night, then they go knocking door to door and say "Trick-or-Treat!" to receive candy.Nightmare Night is an ancient tradition and holiday. It has been around for a millenium, probably because that's when Nightmare Moon came to be.

Nightmare Moon's reign was very short because Princess Celestia used the Elements of Harmony to banish her to the moon for a millenium, but the terror of night lasting more than a day was enough to spark rumors and form a traditional holiday. The holiday of Nightmare Night spreads fear into every Ponyville citizen, urging them to go outside and have fun.

The holiday of Nightmare Night will be celebrated tonight in Ponyville!

You can't wait for the night. You want to show off your costume to your friends and explain the historical significance of the designs. But you are so busy, you're not sure if you have time to participate in Nightmare Night.

Should you go out and enjoy yourself, or stay in and eat some sugar cookies?

You decide to go out and enjoy yourself. You know your friends wouldn't let pass up the holiday just to work on paperwork.

You go out to the market district, where all sorts of activities are taking place. There are games being played, food and drinks being sold, and of course the costume contest is going on as well.

You, Twilight Sparkle, trot down to Sweet Apple Acres and wait for your friends to arrive. Pinkie Pie comes out and immediately begins dancing and singing her song about how big the party is going to be. Fluttershy follows closely after her.

"Hello, everypony,"

"Fluttershy," You say enthusiastically, "I'm glad to see you could make it again this year. I was worried that after last year, you would too scared to come out during Nightmare Night."

"For the past few months I have been nervous every time I see my friends. But if you all are here, it's like my fears are gone. I can do this."

You nod encouragingly. You hear the flapping of wings behind you, and you turn to see Rainbow Dash, dressed as a timberwolf. The costume is realistic, it's even made of wooden sticks like a real timberwolf. She flutters over to you and sits by you.

"Hey, pretty pony," She says, "How's it going?"

"It's going!" Shouts Pinkie Pie, hopping up and down.

You're caught off guard as Pinkie Pie answers, eventhough the questoin was clearly directed at you. But then you just smile and say, "It's going well. Thank you Rainbow Dash."

"How's YOUR costume coming along?"

"I'm finished. Let's see yours!"

The two pony's attention shifts to each other and they begin to mock each other's outfits.

"You look like a witch," laughs Rainbow Dash. "At least I didn't pick the same costume three years in a row," You respond.

"I can't believe you didn't think of something different. Oh no, not the same wolf!" mimics Pinkie Pie.

Fluttershy laughs too, but you can barely hear her. She always so quiet.

You didn't think about it before, but you're the only alicorn here. No other mares or fillies, but it doesn't matter. You're friends with all of them.

Rarity rushes in, dressed in a over-the-top wedding gown, of all the ponies you know, of course she'd be the one to dress up as a bride. "I'm not late, am I?" Asks Rarity, still putting on her bedazzling high-heels.

"No, you're right on time," You say, "I think we're starting in a few minutes."

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie greet her. "Wow, you look so pretty!"

"Thank you," Rarity replies, "I've worked on this costume all week. I wanted it to be just right."

Soon the Ponyville mayor steps up to the microphone. She welcomes everyone and fetches a scroll with a crackly voice reads it out loud.

You hadn't realized it, but Mayor Mare really is getting old. You wonder how long she will be able to remain in office and who will replace her once she retires.

The mayor clears her throat and continues.

"Dear citizens of Ponyville," Mayor Mare says, "I know you all want to get to your fun, so I'll skip the formalities. I just like to inform you of the activities taking place in Ponyville tonight."

"We've got a maze at Sweet Apple Acres," Says Mayor Mare."  And the first fifty ponies to finish it win this year's apple crop."

"I'll go with that deal," Says Rainbow Dash. "I'm not missing out on an opportunity to eat some delicious apples."

Fluttershy whispers, "I wonder how they got Old Granny Smith to agree with that deal."

"Ah, but that's just one of the activities," Says Mayor Mare.

"We've also got the pumpkin toss in the southwest section of the Market District," Mayor Mare says. "In fact, the first twenty-five ponies to score a bulls-eye win a free pumpkin."

"Perfect," Says Pinkie Pie. "I really want a new pumpkin for my house.

"We've got bobbing for apples just outside the maze at Sweet Apple Acres," Says Mayor Mare. "The first fifteen ponies to get an apple in their bucket win."

"That sounds fun," Says Rainbow Dash. "I'll go see who's competition I have."

You hear Rarity gasp and her look worried.

"What's wrong, Rarity?" Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy ask in unison.

Rarity clutches at her chest and falls to her knees.

Rainbow Dash sighs, "Don't be overly dramatic, Rarity. You're worrying Pinkie and Fluttershy."

"But...but...," gasps Rarity as she closes her eyes.

"Rarity?" You ask, "Are you OK?"

Rarity opens her eyes and stands up. "I'm fine, thank you. I just didn't expect running into old friends."

"Let's get going to the maze first. I'm anxious to start," Says Pinkie Pie.

Rainbow Dash sarcastically says, "Wow. You were so overwhelmed by emotion you had to make a scene."

"This is the first I'm hearing of this," Mumbles Mayor Mayor.

Mayor Mare brings the microphone back to her mouth and says, "Alright ponies, let's start heading to the mazes."

You nudge Rainbow Dash in the side. "What was that for?" Rainbow Dash asks, looking slightly offended.

"You shouldn't be so rude to Rarity. I'm glad to see how much she cares about us," You reply, "Now come on, let's go before we miss the start of this."

You all head to the mazes.

At the entrance of the maze, you see Applejack waiting for you. She's wearing her cowboy hat as always. You notice that she looks tired, perhaps even more than usual.

"Hello," She says, "I'm here to lead you all through the maze."

"You really want to win, don't you," Rainbow Dash says, half-mocking.

"Yeah, I really need to win," Says Applejack before looking down at the ground as if embarrassed.

Rarity and Fluttershy walk up to the group.

"Hello, everyone," Says Fluttershy." I encourage each of you to win. No exceptions.

"That's nice and all, Fluttershy," Applejack says. "But I was assigned this task to lead these groups."

"I'm glad you're here, Applejack," Says Pinkie Pie.

"Is something wrong, Applejack?" You ask, noticing something off in your friend's behavior. "You seem a little nervous."

"Nothing is wrong, save for that weak little apple pie you've got there," Says Applejack, pointing to the pie in your hand.

"Thank you," You say, enthralled by the pie's delicious aroma.

"No, no, that's not what I mean," Applejack says.

"I'm sorry," Applejack says, "I'm just a little tired. I've been spending the whole week setting up this maze."

You accept Applejack's answer, but you feel like there is something more she isn't telling you.

"Alright then, lead the way," You say.

You follow Applejack around the corner of the wall. Before you are a large hedge maze.

Fluttershy walks up to you before whispering, "I know Applejack likes winning and all, but doesn't she usually let us lead so we can get the full 'lost in a maze' experience?"

"Yeah, that is kind of strange," You admit to Fluttershy, "But I trust Applejack. If it's so important for her to win that's she's willing to cheat, then it is important to me too."

"Exactly!" Fluttershy says. "I trust Applejack too so I'm not worried!"

You and Fluttershy begin to lead the group into the maze.

"Woah, hold up," Applejack says, laughing nervously, "Not that way. I'm leading the group, remember?"

"Oh, right," You reply, re-orienting yourself.

"I hope everyone follow me and trust me," Applejack says, "Because I sure as heck don't trust myself."

You find Applejack's behavior more and more suspicious, but you remind yourself to trust your friends. After all, she is helping you build trust in your friends.

"Let's start off slow. How about we just walk a straight line?" You suggest.

Applejack's eyes dart from side to side, never landing on you as she speaks, "I love that idea, but I think we should hurry because I... I... I just want to make sure we have to time for the other activities." She smiles wide. Too wide. It looks painful.

"It's okay, Applejack, we get it," Rainbow Dash says, rolling her eyes. "Let's just go."

You begin to follow Applejack down the path. You run into a dead end, there are two ponies here trying to find there way through the maze. A unicorn and a earth-pony, Lyra and Bon Bon.

"So how long have you been stuck here, anyway?" Applejack asks the two ponies, trying to act nonchalant.

"Oh don't worry about us," Lyra says, "We haven't been here long. Besides, we like getting lost in the maze. That's part of the fun!"

"Yeah, it is," You agree, almost forgetting that you're in a maze.

"You guys want to go together?" Applejack asks.

You take moment to realize what Applejack is asking. She's inviting Lyra and Bon Bon into your group. You don't know if you want that, since it is usually just the seven of you. You wanted it to be just you and your friends.

"Thanks," Lyra says, "But I think Bon Bon and I would prefer to go it alone. It's more special that way.

"Yeah, that's good," Applejack says. "Oh well, more for us, I guess."

"Say, you guys want to see something cool?" Lyra suddenly asks.

Applejack looks like she's about to say 'no' like she's rushed for time or something, but Pinkie Pie interjects before she can respond.

"Oooh! Lyra! Let's go see!" She says, excited.

"Pinkie, what the heck," Applejack says, rolling her eyes. "Let's see what she's found."

Lyra grins mysteriously and turns around to point at something in the dead end.

"Come on!" She says. "I think you'll like this!"

You and your friends follow her as she enters the dead end, and out onto a large patch of land.

Applejack drops all pretense of being calm and completely panics.

"What... What the hay is... Happening!" She screams.

You point out the large Ferris Wheel on the patch of land. It's spinning, as if it's... Going for a ride.

Applejack looks at her hoof as if checking the time and says, "Well, this is fun and all, but I think we've got to go."

"Just wait!" Lyra says, eyes wide with excitement, and then runs up to the Ferris Wheel.

"Lyra, what are you doing!" Applejack shouts.

Bon Bon, trots after Lyra, though slower and less enthusiastically. Suddenly, the Ferris wheel tips over, and both Lyra and Bon Bon fall off.

"Oh, no! What should we do!" Applejack cries.

"They're ponies! They'll be okay!" Pinkie Pie says, as if it were obvious. The Ferris wheel tips again, and Pinkie Pie and Applebloom fall off.

Applejack screams, "Applebloom! Pinkie Pie! What are you doing on that thing?"

Lyra and Bon Bon slowly get up, groggily.

"I wanted to see if it was really worth getting on," Lyra says.

Pinkie Pie laughs, "I certainly think it is. Come Applebloom, let's do it again."

"No, we should go," Applejack says nervously. "I told the rest of the group where we're going and that we should meet up with them.

"Rest of the group?" You ask, "I thought it was just us."

"No, no... There's more of us," She says.

Pinkie Pie walks up to you, yawns and says, "Hey, why don't you guys come with us?"

"What?" Applejack exclaims, "I'm the leader, remember?"

"Doesn't matter, you're ruining the story!" Pinkie Pie says.

Everypony looks at Pinkie Pie with confused expressions.

"What story?" They ask.

She ignores them, and says, "A bunch of ponies have fun in a forest, then return home."

"We haven't even left the maze!" You point out.

"Oh, sorry," Pinkie Pie says, "I didn't mean to spoil it."

Rarity sighs, "Just ignore her, girls. It's just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie. Shall we go?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here," Applejack says.

Lyra nods, "I'll follow you back to the castle.

You don't recall there being a castle in Sweet Apple Acres, but Applejack isn't even paying attention anymore.

Applejack leads the group back into the maze. "Alright," She says, "I think I can remember which way to go."

The group follows her along the path. Soon, you find you're walking alongside another group.

"That's them," Applejack whispers. "Don't say anything."

"That's who?" You ask, "The rest of the group?"

"The Cutie Markers."

"What?

"I mean, the Cutie Mark Crusaders."

"Don't say it like that!"

"Like what?"

"Like 'em, not like the... Oh I don't know, the...oh nevermind." You say.

The two groups continue on to the center of the maze. When you get there, the two groups join together, all chatting and laughing.

"You won't believe what we found while we were waiting for you," Applebloom says, excitedly.

"What?" Everypony asks.

"A shortcut!"

She points to a blue painted door, on the middle of a dead end.

Applejack smiles widely, but this time it's a genuine smile. She also sighs in relief. "Thank goodness."

"How'd you discover it?"

"One of the decorations hanging from it resembled a door and opened when we pulled on it."

"That's great! Let's go!"

Lyra and Bon Bon grin as if they know something that you don't, but they don't say anything. The Cutie Mark Crusaders aren't saying anything either, but they seem a bit nervous.

Before you can move, the door opens, and another group of five ponies enter.

"Oh no!" Applejack says, "We can't let them see the shortcut!"

"We have to!" Lyra says.

Bon Bon says, "Yeah, it wouldn't be fair to hid it from them. It's part of the maze experience."

"Should we ask them to leave?" You ask.

"I guess we could, but then they'd know for sure we found it, and then they'd try to use it."

"I don't see the problem with them using the shortcut," Rarity says.

"For the love, do we have to have this discussion again?" Applejack says.

"Come on, we have to decide now!" Lyra says.

Fluttershy looks nervous, but then she takes a deep breath to calm herself. "Don't worry, girls," She says, scared but determined, "I've got this."

Fluttershy walks up to the group, who turn and look at her.

"Can I... Can I help you?" She asks nervously.

"Are you... Are you the leader of this group?"

"Um, well," Fluttershy mumbles before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yeah, I'm the leader. You got a problem with that?"

"Not at all," the orange unicorn says, "We just weren't sure if you were here. It is a maze, after all."

"How many are in your group?

Fluttershy is blushing furiously. If you had to guess, you'd say she was so nervous she forgot the number. Or, it could be she's just really forgetful.

"I... I'm... Uh... There are... Five of us," mutters Fluttershy.

"That's great!" the orange unicorn exclaims, beaming.

Fluttershy is now as pale as a ghost. She asks, "Really, w-why?"

Orange Unicorn has an almost mischievous grin on his face. "Why don't you join us?"

"Join you?"

"Why not? You'll fit in great."

"I can see I'm going to have to talk this over with the rest of the group,"

Fluttershy quickly trots back to you. "I'm sorry," She says, "I thought I could do it. I thought I could make them go away."

"You did great," You tell her, though honestly you feel a little bad about it. Fluttershy takes a deep breath and asks, "So what now?"

"I think maybe you should just do as they suggest," You say, "You could lead them away from here. You'll be able to find your way out eventually."

"And what if I can't?" Fluttershy asks.

"Well, you're a pegasus," You remind her, "Worst comes to worst, you can always fly out."

"I'm sorry, I don't think I'm cut out to do this," Fluttershy says.

"Of course you're not, but we're trying to find other options."

Fluttershy nods in appreciation, but you can tell that she's trying to work up the courage to join them anyway.

"We have to decide what the best course of action is."

Suddenly, there's a creaking sound. You turn around, and see the door to the shortcut opening.

"Oh, no" Applejack whispers loudly, "The secret short cut, they're gonna see it!"

The door opens, and light floods in. It's a little brighter in here than it was in the maze, but still...

"Who's there?" A voice asks.

Somepony is in the secret shortcut trying to talk to you. And the orange unicorn says, "Hey, there's a secret short cut over there!"

You reply, "Oh, you mean the ponies in my group? They're over there." You point to the four mares and one unicorn, who are all frozen in terror.

"What are you doing?"

Lyra and Bon Bon are the first to react, they leap through the doorway into the secret shortcut as the figure from in there walks out to meet you.

"Hey, we're trying to keep it a secret."

"Why?"

The orange unicorn's eyes widen. "Because our friends in that group over there think it's silly!"

The pony in the room is backlit, so it appears like a shadow. It's quite intimidating to be honest. The thing is, compared to the rest of these ponies, which are in period dress, this pony is wearing a suit. Black, with a purple tie.

"Glad you could make it, Furlong," Lyra says, not the least bit intimidated by the hulking stallion.

"I told you, it's Fuh-Fairfax," he says, clearly annoyed at being called by his last name.

"Whatever," Lyra replies, "So, do you need help with anything?"

"I'm trying to keep this secret shortcut  cut a secret," He says, still sounding annoyed.

"Well, it is a secret," Lyra points out.

"Can we keep it that way?" asks Bon Bon.

Fairfax nods. "Promise.

Fairfax looks at the orange unicorn and says, "The question is whether you can keep it a secret." The orange unicorn is sweating now, he starts backing away. "Um," He says, "What secret? We didn't see anything." He gallops away with the rest of his group.

"That's a lesson for you two," Farifax says, looking at Lyra and Bon Bon, "Remember, intimidation is just another method of stealth."

"Y-yes, sir," the pair of them reply.

Applejack looks confused, "Wait," She asks Fairfax, "Is this really a shortcut?"

"Of course," Lyra says, "Why else would it be in your maze?"

"Because," Fairfax says, turning to face them, "It's my secret shortcut."

There's a pause, then...

"You created a maze just for yourself?" Pinkie asks. "Why?"

"Created the maze?" Fairfax says, "No, I didn't make the maze. I simply added a...'shortcut.'"

"Well why didn't you just say so in the first place?" Applejack asks, cleary impatient. "So, can we use it?"

"I don't know!" He cries out, frustrated, "I just found it! I mean, there might be traps! There might be monsters!"

"How can you have 'just found it'?" You ask, "Didn't you say you made this short cut?"

"I said I added it recently." He looks at you both, and then shrugs, "Two different things.

Pinkie Pie says, "Yup, that is what he said. I remember that!"

"It's a... it's a long story," he says, "And we don't have the time right now."

"But sir..." Applebloom says, groveling a little bit.

"Oh," Fairfax says, "I honestly forgot you three Crusaders were here." He pauses, then says, "Let me guess, you want to use my secret shortcut to get into the princess's castle?"

"Wait a minute!" Applejack interjects, "Why would we this lead to a castle? I thought it was a shortcut for finishing the maze."

Fairfax chuckles, "You've been doing a lot of guessing, haven't you?"

"Well yes," You admit, "But how does this..."

"How does this matter?" Fairfax says, finishing your sentence.

"Well, yes," You say, "We just want to go through the maze. Why would we go somewhere else?"

Fairfax gets a smug look on his face, "Because... It might be the princess's private quarters."

"I'm not sure I follow," You say, uncomfortable.

"Well," Pinkie says, "We want to steal something from the princess."

Now you're just confused, "But...I am the princess, Pinkie Pie!" You say, not sure whether your friend is joking or not.

"That's why we're going to steal something from you." Pinkie Pie says, as if that made things any clearer.

"You're the princess of this realm?" Lyra asks, "But you're so small."

"Well, yeah," You say, "Don't you remember? Lyra, I saw you at my coronation. You were there."

"Oh, yeah," Lyra says, "I remember you, but I didn't know you were the princess."

"Well I am!"

"But why would a princess want to go steal things?"

"I'm not going to steal anything!" You say, exhasperated," And it wouldn't be stealing to take from myself."

"No," Lyra says, "I suppose not." You all are silent for a moment, then Lyra says, "Well, let's get on with it. I wanna be back before sunset." Fairfax begins to lead you through the shortcut. It's a long, winding trail. You initially assume you'll be going in a circle, but he manages to find his way through the dirt and rock maze. This doesn't look like the sort of maze Applejack makes at Sweet Apple Acres. This is a real maze, with real mazelike features. You can't even see the top of the walls on either side. It's really starting to freak you all out, and the silence is getting to you.