Scootaloo eyes fluttered open to the sight of the same dusky cell. Her body was sore all over, and she felt like all of her legs had gone to sleep and not woken up with her. Ugh. Where am I...? Scootaloo thought lazily. Then, the memories hit her like a runaway Equestrian Express train. Oh no! Is that thing still out there?! Scootaloo silently stood up(with some difficulty) and tip-hoofed to the barred door, and took a peek through the bars. The previous room was empty, like nothing had ever been there. The only sign something was there was the fact that the bars on the door were bent under the sheer force of the monster's attacks. Scootaloo shuddered as she tried not to imagine what the monster looked like.

She cautiously opened the door into the central room. After letting out a sigh of relief, she walked toward the large grating. Does this trapdoor lead somewhere? Scootaloo wondered. She walked over to the trapdoor, while making sure there were no monsters in the room. The filly pulled on the circular handle on the trapdoor, but the trapdoor was quite obviously stuck. Scootaloo let out an exasperated sigh and continued to walk to the other side of this central room.

The first cell on the right was her destination. Scootaloo walked up to the barred door and gazed inside. It was very strange. An inky blackness filled the cell so she couldn't see anything inside. Weird. Maybe I should-? Scootaloo's thoughts were cut short as she fell to the ground again. Her ears heard the same type of ghostly pre-echoing voices similar to the voices in the hallway, but they were obviously from different ponies.

What the hay?! What in all o' tarnation are you doing? Get offa' me! What's gotten into ya? A gruff stallion's voice shouted. Scootaloo jolted as she recognized it as Apple Bloom's elder brother, Big Macintosh.

I'm awfully sorry, Macintosh, but your needed for a little something Celestia told me to do. A mare's voice said. The mare had a slight tinge of insanity in her voice. What is she doing with Big Mac?!, Scootaloo thought

W-w-what does Princess Celestia need from me?! Ahm just an ol' farmhoof! Big Macintosh's voice was getting more and more panicked.

It requires your cooperation, and willingness to DIE! The mare cackled evilly after saying this, while Big Mac whimpered audibly.

W-...? No. No! NO! Big Mac's voice screamed until the memory faded away.

Scootaloo's nausea faded, but she still didn't feel like standing up. Scootaloo swore her jaw had dropped to the floor during this memory. Why?! Why Big Mac? The filly shook her head, trying to clear it. I have to find him! I can't let him down! Scootaloo rose with a newfound strength. She would soon discover that Big Macintosh wasn't far away. In fact, Scootaloo looked to her right and saw that the darkness in the cell had disappeared. It had been replaced with candlelight and a sobbing, red stallion.

Scootaloo jumped up and stood on two legs, leaning on the cell door. Inside was a sad sight. The walls of the cell were lined with tables that held about ten candles on each of them, as well as some random objects. The most notable part of the small room was the rectangular, elevated stone platform in the middle. On this stone platform, the large red stallion known as Big Macintosh lay sobbing lightly. He was blindfolded with what appeared to be a potato-sack-like material. Each one of his hooves were chained down to the platform, and looked like they had been chained down for a day or so. Big Macintosh himself was not in good condition. He was awfully thin, and not to mention remarkably filthy. There were small indentations were tears had begun to form lines down his face. Scootaloo grimaced as she saw countless bruises and an alarming amount of blood on his sides. Big Macintosh was whispering something to himself, but Scootaloo was unable to hear what the stallion was saying.

To Scootaloo's horror, there was a large mechanism poised over the Apple family's valued farmhoof. A large drill like object was positioned in a way that if the mechanism was somehow activated, it would drill it's way straight through the unlucky stallion's chest. It was fearsome, having a cone shaped end with a serrated rim going in a spiral pattern around it. Scootaloo looked around frantically. Is it on a timer? Oh no, I'd better ask Big Mac some questions! Her eyes shot back to Big Macintosh.

"Macintosh?" Scootaloo said softly. "W-w-what? Twilight, please, no more of this! Have mercy!" The red stallion shouted, obviously panicked. Scootaloo shushed him. "Shh, Shh! It's not Twilight! It's Scootaloo!" Big Macintosh laid himself back down on the platform. "Thank Cele- Luna." Big Mac corrected himself. "Celestia is the one who did this to me..."

Scootaloo reeled back. Celestia? Why would she do this?! Scootaloo sat back on her haunches, trying to compensate for the wave of surprise and dread that had hit her.

"What happened, Big Mac?"

Next Chapter: Chapter 4: Macintosh's Tale Estimated time remaining: 4 Minutes