"Applejack!" Spike cheered, greeting the farmpony with a relieved hug as she exited the mill.

"Sure am glad to see that you two are all right," Applejack said, returning the embrace and putting a foreleg around Rarity.

"As we are to see you," Rarity replied. But her smile quickly disappeared when she looked back at the mill. "Now we just have to wait for the others."

The three friends stood outside, staring at the foreboding dark doors, shivering in the cold wind. "Well, there's no sense in us freezing," Applejack said. "Let's see if we can find some firewood."

Rarity and Spike both gladly accepted the temporary distraction, searching the area for any wood that Spike could use to build a fire.

Phillip was getting colder as well. The air had become heavier with moisture and the walls and floors were becoming slick. Must be going below water level, he thought.

He found himself in a large basement. Around him were rows of rusty machinery of various shapes and sizes that cast harsh-angled shadows on the walls. Water dripped from something in the darkness, providing a rhythmic sound that marked the passage of time as he proceeded forward, following the arrow painted on the floor.

"Let me outta here!" a muffled voice called from up ahead, accompanied by banging noises. Quickening his pace, Phillip moved past a large mass of gears to find Rainbow Dash, trapped in a clear box that gave her barely enough room to stand up on her hind legs in. She did not take to imprisonment well: she was repeatedly kicking and ramming the box, trying to get out. Phillip spotted that a length of piping was attached to the top of the box. Attached to it was a length of pipe that ran to a faucet before him. On the ground was a pair of buckets, one slightly larger than the other, and a scale.

"Phil!" Rainbow shouted, spotting him. "Get me outta here!"

"I will," Phillip said. "I just need to—"

He was interrupted by a rushing noise. The next instant, water began to pour into Rainbow's prison from the pipes attached to the top. Within moments, the water was up to her knees. In a blaze of panic, Rainbow doubled her efforts to free herself, frantically pounding against the unyielding walls of her tomb. Water also began to pour out of the attached faucet.

Finding the sign on the floor next to the scale, Phillip read the instructions. "One of the buckets holds five quarts, the other four. Fill one with two quarts of water and place it on the scale."

The water was rising rapidly, already approaching Rainbow's navel. She was pushing with all her might against her prison, spluttering as the water pouring from above splashed across her face.

The average pony could only hold their breath underwater for two minutes at most: Rainbow could probably hold her breath longer, but Phillip wasn't willing to bet on that. Turning his attention to the two buckets, Phillip began to imagine pouring water from one to another, trying to figure out a way to fill one with exactly two quarts.

I can't just eyeball it. It has to be as close as possible. He shut his eyes, blocking everything else out, focusing only on filling and pouring the buckets in his mind.

It took him too long to find a solution: by the time he had settled on a course, the water was creeping past Rainbow's chin. She tilted her head up to try to breathe in the last of her dwindling air supply.

"Rainbow, hang on," he said calmly. "Try to breathe steadily. I'm going to get you out." Grabbing the larger five-quart bucket in his mouth, he placed it beneath the pouring faucet. The water splashed against his muzzle and he nearly drew back with a gasp: the water was freezing cold.

Waiting for the bucket to fill was agony. The water continued to pour mercilessly into the transparent tomb. Rainbow was now straining to reach the last few inches of air pocket in the top corner of her prison. Finally, the bucket was full to the brim. Phillip picked it up and used it to fill the four-quart bucket. He emptied the smaller bucket onto the floor, then poured the remaining one quart of water into it.

The water had already completely filled Rainbow's trap. She was now pressing her hind legs as hard as she could against the wall. She's wasting her air, Phillip realized, placing the five-quart bucket under the faucet again. Come on, fill faster, damn it!

By the time the bucket was full again, Rainbow's cheeks were tinged with red from the effort of holding her breath. She instinctively opened her mouth, causing a few bubbles to escape. She quickly covered her mouth with her hooves, trembling from cold and fatigue.

Just a few more seconds! Phillip thought as loudly as he could, hoping that Rainbow could still somehow hear him. Carefully, he poured the five-quart bucket into the four-quart bucket that already had one quart in it. Three quarts of water filled the smaller bucket to the brim, leaving two quarts in the larger bucket. Hurriedly, he put the bucket on the scale, which depressed underneath the weight. Was it close enough? What happened if he was wrong? Rainbow didn't have time for him to start over again!

There was a moment of silence, then with a click, one of the sides of the box opened, spilling out its contents. Rainbow collapsed to the floor, coughing and shivering. Phillip immediately went over to her and put a foreleg around her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm f-f-fine," Rainbow said through chattering teeth. She stood up and shook herself off, flinging water everywhere and drenching Phillip. "Thanks for getting me out. Now, let's find the others!"

"No, Rainbow," Phillip said. "You need to get yourself to safety."

Rainbow glared at him. "No way! I'm not gonna stand by while my friends are in trouble!"

"Rainbow, if you try to help me, this place will blow and kill all of us," Phillip explained calmly, having expected this reaction from the Element of Loyalty. "Those are the rules, and I have to follow them." He paused. "The others are waiting outside, but I'm worried that somepony may try to go after them again. I need you to keep them safe."

Rainbow scowled, but realizing that he was right, slowly nodded. As she walked past Phil, he said without turning, "I told you once that I'm not a hero. I'm not trying to be now."

"I know," Rainbow said without looking at him. She then quickly hurried out of the room and headed outside. Seeing the light snap on over the door to the next room, Phillip continued forward.

Author's Notes:

Okay, I seem to be doing something right. I'm going to keep going with this, and try to get this over with as soon as possible.