Rain Leaf cringed at the exact moment when he thought the good doctor would have been crushed. Spin Tale’s screams had stopped but there wasn’t the loud disgusting crushing noise that he had expected. He reopened his eyes to the sight of the lavender unicorn using her magic to move the rubble and stack it against a wall. Spin Tale had been relatively unharmed and it was all thanks to Twilight Sparkle being hot on her hooves and calm in the head. Rain Leaf let out a short sigh of relief which turned into a short hearty laugh and raised his head high, glad that the current crisis had been avoided. Trixie struggled to even get out a few simple words of praise. Two close calls and they still have yet to accomplish anything. It certainly was an awful start. What’s next, a spike pit? Perhaps Spin Tale will knock over a bookcase of doom! The very thought of apocalyptic wooden furniture forced a small smile from him. He scanned over the group, gauging everyone’s reactions and was irked to see that Pathfinder seemed to be relatively unfazed by it all. She quickly blew it off with a small congratulatory nudge and a few words of praise before continuing about with her usual plotting and planning. [colour=darkgreen]"Yeah Trix, this is the place, and if I had to guess, somepony was here recently. See how there aren't any spiderwebs or other signs of age in that hole like there is...everywhere else? That'd also be near where the Orb would be held. Well, if I was a paranoid princess that's what I would do with it, hide it where I could be a creeper and stare out at the city of Hoofington,"[/colour] If Pathfinder was correct, their entire trek to the castle would have been all for naught. What a nice change it would be if they were to get somewhere first for once. Not like his two previous encounters with Rumble and his ilk. Rain Leaf analyzed the holes in the walls and ceiling, looking back and forth between them while Pathfinder went on about with her rambling. Who knew what kind of danger could be up on the next floor? It seemed as if any part of the brickwork could give away with the slightest bit of pressure. Still he wondered why the holes were even there in the first place. Was it simply impatience that led to their creation? Perhaps the path ahead was more treacherous than they had expected. Pathfinder reclaimed his attention once she took flight. [colour=darkgreen]"I say we BUNKER DOWN for the night! Maybe we'll find some clues. The brainiacs can stay behind while the rest of us take turns prowling the perimeter to make sure everything's fine.[/colour] Surely she didn’t mean the exterior of the castle. What could there be to worry about out there except for rain, rain, and more rain with a side of rain? As for the interior, there wasn’t much to prowl without exploring further. Unless, that was what Pathfinder had in mind. Did he dare offer to take first watch? [colour=darkgreen]"Unless any of YOU have any ideas!?"[/colour] Rain Leaf gave it a little bit of thought. With a lantern either he or Pathfinder could cover a decent amount ground on their patrols. However, mapping the interior alone was a dangerous task. One sprung trap could end any of their adventuring endeavors. [colour=#6699CC]“The Great and Powerful Trixie agrees, we can only go forward!” [/colour] He had very little time to think before the mare marched off down a dark hallway illuminating their path with her magic. He briefly looked back at the other two unicorns who were conversing behind them before he followed Trixie down the hallway. It was a short journey into the next room. A relatively empty chamber was all that awaited them. Aside from a fancy little design on the ground and a few sacked bookcases, it seemed to be nothing more than a useless study area. A few torch sconces were the only things that would provide any light. If they could get something burning in those, it could be a nice cozy little spot to hold up. [colour=#6699CC]“The Great and Powerful Trixie thinks this would be a good place to rest for the night!”[/colour] [colour=#FF0000]“It looks safe enough.”[/colour] Rain Leaf said as he set his saddlebags down. He ran a hoof along the spot where the tear once was. It was a harsh reminder of what could have been if Pathfinder hadn’t acted faster. The last thing he would have needed was another long stay in white hospital room. Was this really the same Trixie that he heard about who started the whole fiasco in Ponyville? She sure didn’t seem like the pony to offer a token of kindness but it was nice to know that she was capable of performing and act of kindness when the time called for it. Ponies can change. At least, that is what his mother had always taught him.[colour=#FF0000] “Uh, The Great and Powerful Trixie, is it? Thanks for patching up my bag.”[/colour] A new thought dawned on him as he looked around the room.[colour=#FF0000] “You know, Pathfinder, I didn’t really see any staircases in the other room. Perhaps one of us should check around for one. I don’t mind exploring around the second floor for one with a lantern. Otherwise I don’t see how the grounded members of our party will be able to continue because I sure am not carrying any on them up through those holes.”[/colour] He chuckled. [colour=#FF0000]“Trixie, can you and Twilight see if you can find a more long term solution to the lighting situation. I’d hate to have you two serve as standing torches all night.” [/colour]