Screw Ball sat on the spinning stool five spinning books open in front of her. Zecora was standing at the table looking over the floating filly's notes. Comet Dust was looking shifting through the notes that Zecora marked as correct. He sorted them out and passed them along to the two others in the room. His horn glowed light purple along with the dozens of papers that he constantly tried to put in order. Pumpkin Cake's horn glowed light blue along with Sweetie Bell's as they flipped through the pages Comet sent to them.
"None of this makes any sense Screw Ball." Comet shifted through the endless flow of notes that Zecora was passing over to him.
"It won't make sense for at least a couple more days," Screw ball answered defying gravity. "Just keep giving Sweetie Bell the notes in ancient griffon and Pumpkin the ones that are in changeling scripts.
"Screw Ball, nopony could have encoded a book using so many languages," Pumpkin protested, "Besides why do I get the ones in changeling, I don't even know what these stupid scribbles mean."
"Just trust me."
"Who in the world would even think to use ancient griffon and changeling scripts, with Zebra glyphs? Who writes codes like this."
"He wanted to make sure that it wasn't misused. Trust me though in a few more days we'll have what we need to win. Just a few more weeks and we'll send Emperor Despair back to where he belongs." Screw Ball's eyes spun with jubilance.
Pound Cake flew down the halls as quickly as he could. Oh man I what did I do this time. Pumpkin better no have tattled again. He came to a instantaneous stop at a door. It was painted red, meaning important, keep out. He gave an uncharacteristically soft knock on the door.
"No need to knock again, please little pony come in." Oh I am so so so so in trouble. He opened the door and walked in. He had expected Zecora and Scootaloo to be there, but he had no idea what Twist and Dinky were doing here.
"So," Scootaloo began talking to the two fillies and the colt. "Do you know why we brought you here?" Her gaze froze on Pound Cake. She raised an Eyebrow; he looked like she did when she tried to find a cockatrice to put in Diamond's locker. Cheerilee caught her just as she was entering Everfree. "Pound Cake?" she asked in a slightly more authoritative tone, the one Cheerilee used she mentally noted. "If you tell me it won't be as bad."
"It was all Pumpkin's idea I swear." Pumpkin who, fate would have it was just outside came in.
"What was all my idea?" she shot twin brother a nasty look.
"It was all your fault. You thought it would be funny to put Poison Joke in Zecora's bed." Zecora's eyes widened slightly.
"Nu-uh I said we should have put it in her desk!" she yelled back at him temporarily forgetting where they were. "It was your dumb idea to put it in her bed."
Scootaloo fought hard not to smile I always wanted to do that.
"I have not been in my room for many nights, now I fear I won't be able to enter without many frights."
"Opps."
"Uh-oh," the twins say in unison ending their argument of 'uh-uhs and uh-huhs.' Scootaloo managed to avoid smiling as the two twins remembered where they were and they both admitted to doing something stupid in front of both Zecora and Scootaloo.
"Both of you are in a lot of trouble." Scootaloo looked between the twins and gave a moment of thought. "First, your going to clean Zecora's room of the Poison Joke. Then you'll be on dish duty for the party."
"Party?" the fillies and colt asked in unison.
"Yep, we're going to be celebrating Screwball has nearly broken the ciphers." All eyes went wide at that. "Which is why I called you all here. You'll all be baking the goods. We've worked hard to get the things needed for this."
"Will it be like the ones aunt Pinky threw?" The Cake twins asked in unison.
"Not quite, nopony could throw a party like Pinky Pie," Scootaloo said. "Though one time some pony came real close." by noon everypony knew that Screw Ball was days away from breaking the riddle of the books.
Despair sat on his throne in the former monarch's palace. His throne was made of four stone alicorns; who were the former monarchs of the land. His head was at the moment that of a black dragon; his torso was similar to a minotaur's. his lion arms lay on Luna and Cadance who formed the armrest to his twisted throne. His cloven goat hooves rest upon a petrified and contorted Derpy. Celestia's former throne room was full many of the races of Equestria all frozen in stone, his favorite victims. They included the Elements of Harmony, Doctor Whooves, he had been a real catch, an adolescent Spike, a griffon rebel general, the dragon lord, and many, many others. He fed off their despair, their pain, their hopelessness and sorrow, it was delicious. He was enjoy his midday meal when something strange came in from the Everfree. At first it was just the smell. His eyes shot open as he gagged on the sweet scent. Next he noticed the flavor. Flavor. How could it be strong enough for the flavor of it to reach Canterlot? He rose from his throne, at first not sure what to do. He looked around the room, his prisoners were beginning to feel it to, and they were relishing in it. It had ruined his meal and his appetite.
"Book." He looked at Doctor Whooves statue, then to his wife's. His eyes grow wide with terror as he looked around the room. A revelation had struck him. 'When I captured you the chaos spawn escaped with a book. Tender Taps mentioned a book. When I got my foot stool her little brats got away with a book." He spun on Time Turner. "What was in the book you took from the royal library. What book did your wife steal from the Ponyville?" He stuck the Time Turner statue with a blast of green lightning from his staff. "Tell me!"
You feel that it's called panic. It's called despair.
"You want despair?" He sent lashing and wiping bolts of lighting on Derpy. "Tell me what was in those books! You weren't alone when I caught you there were others." He looked around trying to recollect. "The Wonderbolt's leader."
You'll never break her.
"I've broken stronger than you. I just don't want to waste such wonderful woe on my sour stomach." He vanished in a puff of black smog. He instantaneously repapered in the Canterlot Gardens. Here he kept enjoyed parts of his collection that were more valuable than the others, but not note worthy enough for the throne room. He was now a pitch black stallion unicorn with a deep purple mane and tail. He trotted up to his complete collection of Wonderbolts. He came snout to snout with Spitfire.
"When you came here with the Doctor you came for a book," he said. "What was in it?" He locked his eyes with hers. "What do you mean you don't know?"
You don't tell the privates what the generals are up to.
"You know I know you do now, Tell ME!" he blasted her a blazing streak of green fire. "What was the book that you took form the palace. Tell me, tell me now."
Not going to happen.
"I don't take rejection well you see, so I'm going to ask again and again until you get the right answer." His staff was enveloped her statue with a green aura. "What book did you take from my palace."
You'll soon learn what the changelings learned. I'm a bad listener at briefings.
"Wrong answer try again," Despair said tightening his hold. To his annoyance and Spitfires credit she held out for another five minutes. Then he lost his patience completely. Green tendrils came from his staff and started to bore into her head. "There's more than one way to clip a Pegasus. What did you take from my palace." The image of a red book with golden corner guards flashed in his mind. It took him a moment to realize what it was. "No, No. NO!" He exploded into a green fire that raced back to the royal palace. He threw the library doors open. Books flew from the shelves as he searched for the two ancient tomes. "Those insects. Those worms. They would dare to defy me." The books on the floor burst into green flames. "They will know despair. I will not let them get away with this." he hissed vanishing in black smoke. He streaked across the sky toward the Everfree. Soon he was floating four hundred meters over the tree line; his staff held tightly in his draconic claws. It glowed a sickening green; he let out a heart stopping roar which echoed throughout the land of Equestria.